A 177 ppm RMS Error-Integrated Interface for Time-Based Impedance Spectroscopy of Sensors

This paper presents an integrated circuit for time-based electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of sensors. The circuit exploits maximum-length sequences (MLS) in order to perform a broadband excitation of the sensors under test. Therefore, the measured time-domain EIS is obtained by cross-correlating the input with the output of the analog front end (AFE). Unlike the conventional digital approach, the cross-correlation operation is performed in the analog domain. This leads to a lower RMS error in the measured time-domain EIS since the signal processing is not affected by the quantization noise of the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). It also relaxes the sampling frequency of the ADC leading, along with the lack of random access memory (RAM) usage, to a reduced circuit complexity. Theoretical concepts about the circuit’s design and operation are presented, with an emphasis on the thermal noise phenomenon. The simulated performances are shown by testing a sensor’s equivalent model composed of a 50 kΩ resistor in parallel with a 100 (Formula presented.) (Formula presented.) capacitor. A time-based EIS output of 255 points was obtained with a maximum tested frequency of 500 (Formula presented.) (Formula presented.) and a simulated RMS error of 0.0177% (or 177 ppm)

Variability in Quantity and Composition of Water Soluble Carbohydrates Among Irish Accessions and European Varieties of Perennial Ryegrass

The objective of this study was to identify perennial ryegrass accessions displaying high fructose and glucose contents and an improved ratio between fructose and glucose fractions across different time points throughout the year. Fructose and glucose are the main constituents of the water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) fraction in perennial ryegrass. For animal nutrition the amount of WSC is crucial as it is the primary energy source available to metabolise the intake of plant protein. The ratio between fructose and glucose fractions is important since fructosan chains, which are an excellent energy source for ruminants, are built from fructose. Furthermore the seasonal variability of WSC content in feed reflects the changing balance between protein and carbohydrates

Variability in Quantity and Composition of Water Soluble Carbohydrates Among Irish Accessions and European Varieties of Perennial Ryegrass

The objective of this study was to identify perennial ryegrass accessions displaying high fructose and glucose contents and an improved ratio between fructose and glucose fractions across different time points throughout the year. Fructose and glucose are the main constituents of the water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) fraction in perennial ryegrass. For animal nutrition the amount of WSC is crucial as it is the primary energy source available to metabolise the intake of plant protein. The ratio between fructose and glucose fractions is important since fructosan chains, which are an excellent energy source for ruminants, are built from fructose. Furthermore the seasonal variability of WSC content in feed reflects the changing balance between protein and carbohydrates

Jania adhaerens Primes Tomato Seed against Soil-Borne Pathogens

Managing soil-borne pathogens is complex due to the restriction of the most effective synthetic fungicides for soil treatment. In this study, we showed that seed priming with Jania adhaerens water-soluble polysaccharides (JA WSPs) was successful in protecting tomato plants from the soil-borne pathogens Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium ultimum, and Fusarium oxysporum under greenhouse conditions. WSPs were extracted from dry thallus by autoclave-assisted method, and the main functional groups were characterized by using FT-IR spectroscopy. WSPs were applied by seed treatment at 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 mg/mL doses, and each pathogen was inoculated singly in a growing substrate before seeding/transplant. Overall, WSPs increased seedling emergence, reduced disease severity and increased plant development depending on the dose. Transcriptional expression of genes related to phenylpropanoid, chlorogenic acid, SAR and ISR pathways, and chitinase and beta-1,3 glucanase activities were investigated. Among the studied genes, HQT, HCT, and PR1 were significantly upregulated depending on the dose, while all doses increased PAL and PR2 expression as well as beta-1,3 glucanase activity. These results demonstrated that, besides their plant growth promotion activity, JA WSPs may play a protective role in triggering plant defense responses potentially correlated to disease control against soil-borne pathogens

Evaluating Ecklonia maxima water-soluble polysaccharides as a growth promoter of tomato seedlings and resistance inducer to Fusarium wilt

Alternatives to chemicals for plant management are increasingly used to reduce environmental pollution. Seed treatment with natural products may act as a priming effect by stimulating seedling growth and plant defence responses against fungal pathogens. In this framework, algae produce a wide variety of bioactive metabolites, which can be used in agriculture as biofertilizers or biostimulants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of water-soluble polysaccharides (WSPs) from the brown alga Ecklonia maxima applied on tomato seed in enhancing plant growth and inducing resistance to Fusarium oxysporum via modulation of multiple physiological parameters and metabolic pathways. Here, we first characterized the E. maxima WSPs by FT-IR spectroscopy, and then we tested the WSPs as growth promoters on tomato seedlings, and the physiological and defence responses of plants during pathogen infection. We found that WSP seed treatment without pathogen challenge stimulated seedling height and root growth by 24.5 and 62.9%, respectively. Under pathogen infection, plants exhibited long-lasting resistance against F. oxysporum until 46 days after seed treatment. The metabolic changes associated with resistance to Fusarium wilt in plant roots were related to an increase in phenols, flavonoids and protein contents as well as a higher chitinase and beta-1,3-D-glucanase enzyme activity. Moreover, PR1a, PR3 and other defence gene expressions were significantly increased. Resistance to F. oxysporum as a result of WSP seed treatment was also supported by FT-IR analysis of tomato roots. Infected roots showed a decrease in the relative intensity of the bands due to the syringyl ring and amide I and amide II in proteins. In contrast, WSP treatment alone and in the presence of the pathogen exhibited a spectral profile similar to that of the control. This research emphasizes the potential role of algal polysaccharides applied by seed treatment in promoting seedling growth and priming plant resistance against soil-borne pathogens

Vascular anomalies of the celiac trunk and implications in treatment of HCC with TACE. Description of a case and review of the literature

Knowledge of the vascular anatomy of the upper abdomen is important in the daily practice of surgeons specialized in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic area, and for general surgeons and radiologists, mainly those involved in interventional radiology. Since anatomical variants of the celiac axis and hepatic arteries are common, an accurate description of vascularization is required before procedures to avoid iatrogenic vascular changes. We reported a case of a young male patient with HBV related cirrhosis, who came to our institution for the treatment of 2 HCC nodules. The preprocedural contrast-enhanced CT examination showed combined variations of celiac trunk, hepatic arteries, gastroduodenal artery, and right inferior phrenic artery. The careful pre- and intraprocedural evaluation of vascularization allowed us to perform transarterial chemoembolization of the 2 nodules without complications. The incidence and developmental and clinical significance of this variation is discussed with a detailed review of the literature. Knowledge of such a case has important clinical significance in abdominal operations or invasive arterial procedures

The dysregulation of OGT/OGA cycle mediates Tau and APP neuropathology in down syndrome

Protein O-GlcNAcylation is a nutrient-related post-translational modification that, since its discovery some 30 years ago, has been associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases. As reported in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), flaws in the cerebral glucose uptake translate into reduced hexosamine biosynthetic pathway flux and subsequently lead to aberrant protein O-GlcNAcylation. Notably, the reduction of O-GlcNAcylated proteins involves also tau and APP, thus promoting their aberrant phosphorylation in AD brain and the onset of AD pathological markers. Down syndrome (DS) individuals are characterized by the early development of AD by the age of 60 and, although the two conditions present the same pathological hallmarks and share the alteration of many molecular mechanisms driving brain degeneration, no evidence has been sought on the implication of O-GlcNAcylation in DS pathology. Our study aimed to unravel for the first time the role of protein O-GlcNacylation in DS brain alterations positing the attention of potential trisomy-related mechanisms triggering the aberrant regulation of OGT/OGA cycle. We demonstrate the disruption of O-GlcNAcylation homeostasis, as an effect of altered OGT and OGA regulatory mechanism, and confirm the relevance of O-GlcNAcylation in the appearance of AD hallmarks in the brain of a murine model of DS. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the neuroprotective effects of brain-targeted OGA inhibition. Indeed, the rescue of OGA activity was able to restore protein O-GlcNAcylation, and reduce AD-related hallmarks and decreased protein nitration, possibly as effect of induced autophagy

Ultrastructural study of cultured ovine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

Ovine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (oBM-MSCs) represent a good animal model for cell-based therapy and tissue engineering. Despite their use as a new therapeutic tool for several clinical applications, the morphological features of oBM-MSCs are yet unknown. Therefore, in this study the ultrastructural phenotype of these cells was analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The oBM-MSCs were isolated from the iliac crest and cultured until they reached near-confluence. After trypsinization, they were processed to investigate their ultrastructural features as well as specific surface marker proteins by flow cytometry and immunogold electron microscopy. Flow cytometry displayed that all oBM-MSCs lacked expression of CD31, CD34, CD45, HLA-DR whereas they expressed CD44, CD58, HLAI and a minor subset of the cell population (12%) exhibited CD90. TEM revealed the presence of two morphologically distinct cell types: cuboidal electron-lucent cells and spindle-shaped electron-dense cells, both expressing the CD90 antigen. Most of the electron-lucent cells showed glycogen aggregates, dilated cisternae of RER, moderately developed Golgi complex, and secretory activity. The electron-dense cell type was constituted by two different cell-populations: type A cells with numerous endosomes, dense bodies, rod-shaped mitochondria and filopodia; type B cells with elongated mitochondria, thin pseudopodia and cytoplasmic connectivity with electron-lucent cells. These morphological findings could provide a useful support to identify “in situ” the cellular components involved in the cell-therapy when cultured oBM-MSCs are injected