Coupling stem water potential and soil water potential on irrigated and not irrigated vines: preliminary results for Vitis vinifera L. cv Teroldego

Improving wine quality necessitates precise control over plant water stress, which requires accurate scheduling of irrigation based on the plant's water status and the soil's water availability. The aim of this experiment is to monitor the water status of grapevines and soil in both irrigated and not-irrigated conditions to quantify differences in the plant's physiological response and yield. In addition, novel microtensiometer probes for measuring continuously the Stem Water Potential were tested for efficacy. These probes were coupled with a handcrafted tensiometer to monitor the Soil Water status and at the end of the season all the yield was analyzed to determine the main oenological parameters driving the final quality of the musts. Initial findings indicate that the microtensiometers gave effective estimates of the vines’ water status, revealing rapid plant responses to water inputs and atmospheric changes. Notably for the experiment, soil moisture exceeded field capacity under irrigated vines before irrigation, suggesting potential water loss through deep percolation, and both the irrigated and not-irrigated vines were in water comfort for all the vegetative season without any detriment both in production and quality

Development of the visual white matter pathways mediates development of electrophysiological responses in visual cortex

The latency of neural responses in the visual cortex changes systematically across the lifespan. Here, we test the hypothesis that development of visual white matter pathways mediates maturational changes in the latency of visual signals. Thirty-eight children participated in a cross-sectional study including diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) sessions. During the MEG acquisition, participants performed a lexical decision and a fixation task on words presented at varying levels of contrast and noise. For all stimuli and tasks, early evoked fields were observed around 100 ms after stimulus onset (M100), with slower and lower amplitude responses for low as compared to high contrast stimuli. The optic radiations and optic tracts were identified in each individual's brain based on diffusion MRI tractography. The diffusion properties of the optic radiations predicted M100 responses, especially for high contrast stimuli. Higher optic radiation fractional anisotropy (FA) values were associated with faster and larger M100 responses. Over this developmental window, the M100 responses to high contrast stimuli became faster with age and the optic radiation FA mediated this effect. These findings suggest that the maturation of the optic radiations over childhood accounts for individual variations observed in the developmental trajectory of visual cortex responses

Increased Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode Network in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Maladaptive Compensatory Mechanism Associated with Poor Semantic Memory Performance

Semantic memory decline and changes of default mode network (DMN) connectivity have been reported in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Only a few studies, however, have investigated the role of changes of activity in the DMN on semantic memory in this clinical condition. The present study aimed to investigate more extensively the relationship between semantic memory impairment and DMN intrinsic connectivity in MCI. Twenty-one MCI patients and 21 healthy elderly controls matched for demographic variables took part in this study. All participants underwent a comprehensive semantic battery including tasks of category fluency, visual naming and naming from definition for objects, actions and famous people, word-association for early and late acquired words and reading. A subgroup of the original sample (16 MCI patients and 20 healthy elderly controls) was also scanned with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging and DMN connectivity was estimated using a seed-based approach. Compared with healthy elderly, patients showed an extensive semantic memory decline in category fluency, visual naming, naming from definition, words-association, and reading tasks. Patients presented increased DMN connectivity between the medial prefrontal regions and the posterior cingulate and between the posterior cingulate and the parahippocampus and anterior hippocampus. MCI patients also showed a significant negative correlation of medial prefrontal gyrus connectivity with parahippocampus and posterior hippocampus and visual naming performance. Our findings suggest that increasing DMN connectivity may contribute to semantic memory deficits in MCI, specifically in visual naming. Increased DMN connectivity with posterior cingulate and medio-temporal regions seems to represent a maladaptive reorganization of brain functions in MCI, which detrimentally contributes to cognitive impairment in this clinical population

In-vivo vascular application via ultra-fast bioprinting for future 5D personalised nanomedicine

The design of 3D complex structures enables new correlation studies between the engineering parameters and the biological activity. Moreover, additive manufacturing technology could revolutionise the personalised medical pre-operative management due to its possibility to interplay with computer tomography. Here we present a method based on rapid freeze prototyping (RFP) 3D printer, reconstruction cutting, nano dry formulation, fast freeze gelation, disinfection and partial processes for the 5D digital models functionalisation. We elaborated the high-resolution computer tomography scan derived from a complex human peripheral artery and we reconstructed the 3D model of the vessel in order to obtain and verify the additive manufacturing processes. Then, based on the drug-eluting balloon selected for the percutaneous intervention, we reconstructed the biocompatible eluting-freeform coating containing 40\u2009nm fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) by means of RFP printer and we tested the in-vivo feasibility. We introduced the NPs-loaded 5D device in a rat's vena cava. The coating dissolved in a few minutes releasing NPs which were rapidly absorbed in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) in-vitro. We developed 5D high-resolution self-dissolving devices incorporating NPs with the perspective to apply this method to the personalised medicine

Optic radiations representing different eccentricities age differently

The neural pathways that carry information from the foveal, macular, and peripheral visual fields have distinct biological properties. The optic radiations (OR) carry foveal and peripheral information from the thalamus to the primary visual cortex (V1) through adjacent but separate pathways in the white matter. Here, we perform white matter tractometry using pyAFQ on a large sample of diffusion MRI (dMRI) data from subjects with healthy vision in the U.K. Biobank dataset (UKBB; N = 5382; age 45-81). We use pyAFQ to characterize white matter tissue properties in parts of the OR that transmit information about the foveal, macular, and peripheral visual fields, and to characterize the changes in these tissue properties with age. We find that (1) independent of age there is higher fractional anisotropy, lower mean diffusivity, and higher mean kurtosis in the foveal and macular OR than in peripheral OR, consistent with denser, more organized nerve fiber populations in foveal/parafoveal pathways, and (2) age is associated with increased diffusivity and decreased anisotropy and kurtosis, consistent with decreased density and tissue organization with aging. However, anisotropy in foveal OR decreases faster with age than in peripheral OR, while diffusivity increases faster in peripheral OR, suggesting foveal/peri-foveal OR and peripheral OR differ in how they age

Combining Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Visuospatial Tests to Classify Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Recently, efforts have been made to combine complementary perspectives in the assessment of Alzheimer type dementia. Of particular interest is the definition of the fingerprints of an early stage of the disease known as Mild Cognitive Impairment or prodromal Alzheimer's Disease. Machine learning approaches have been shown to be extremely suitable for the implementation of such a combination. Methods: In the present pilot study we combined the machine learning approach with structural magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive test assessments to classify a small cohort of 11 healthy participants and 11 patients experiencing Mild Cognitive Impairment. Cognitive assessment included a battery of standardised tests and a battery of experimental visuospatial memory tests. Correct classification was achieved in 100% of the participants, suggesting that the combination of neuroimaging with more complex cognitive tests is suitable for early detection of Alzheimer Disease. Results: In particular, the results highlighted the importance of the experimental visuospatial memory test battery in the efficiency of classification, suggesting that the high-level brain computational framework underpinning the participant's performance in these ecological tests may represent a “natural filter” in the exploration of cognitive patterns of information able to identify early signs of the disease