Characterization of Fiore Sardo cheese manufactured with the addition of autochthonous cultures

This work evaluated the effect of adjunct autochthonous cultures on the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of Fiore Sardo cheese during ripening. A total of twelve batches of cheeses were manufactured according to the technical Disciplinary of Fiore Sardo cheese, with and without different combinations of autochthonous strains isolated from the native microflora of artisanal Fiore Sardo. There were no significant differences in the cheese compositional parameters between experimental and control cheeses, but the addition of cultures led to a statistically significant decrease in pH values in experimental cheeses. The evolution of total mesophilic bacteria, total coliforms and lactic acid bacteria were significantly influenced by the addition of autochthonous cultures in most of the experimental cheeses. As for sensory characteristics, all the experimental cheeses reported significantly higher scores especially for shape, texture, interior openings, taste and aftertaste. This study demonstrated the beneficial effect of the addition of selected autochthonous cultures in accelerating the disappearance of undesirable flora and improving the typical sensory characteristics of the cheese, and confirmed the importance of ewes' milk as a source of technologically interesting strains that could be used to ensure a higher quality of artisanal cheese productions.     

Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma with Exuberant CD30-Positive Follicular Dendritic Cell Proliferation in a SARS-CoV-2 Patient: The Role of Mutational Analysis to Exclude an Associated Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma

Follicular dendritic cell (FDC) proliferation in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is still not well defined, challenging the accurate differential diagnosis between the AITL with expanded follicular dendritic cell meshwork and the combined AITL and follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS). Herein, we reported the case of a 58-year-old male with coexisting SARS-CoV-2 infection and AITL with an exuberant CD30-positive FDC proliferation, in which genetic analysis identified mutations of genes commonly involved in AITL but not in FDC sarcoma (i.e., RHOA, TET2, DNMT3A, and IDH2), thus supporting the reactive nature of the CD30-positive FDC expansion.     

Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Energetic Efficiency and Aging

Aging is associated with a progressive loss of maximal cell functionality, and mitochondria are considered a key factor in aging process, since they determine the ATP availability in the cells. Mitochondrial performance during aging in skeletal muscle is reported to be either decreased or unchanged. This heterogeneity of results could partly be due to the method used to assess mitochondrial performance. In addition, in skeletal muscle the mitochondrial population is heterogeneous, composed of subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria. Therefore, the purpose of the present review is to summarize the results obtained on the functionality of the above mitochondrial populations during aging, taking into account that the mitochondrial performance depends on organelle number, organelle activity, and energetic efficiency of the mitochondrial machinery in synthesizing ATP from the oxidation of fuels.     

Does Virtual Reality Enhance the Management of Stress When Paired With Exercise? An Exploratory Study.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the psychological benefits of virtual reality paired with aerobic exercise in a laboratory setting. In this study, 154 introductory psychology students were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 20-min conditions (a) walking outside around campus, (b) walking on a laboratory treadmill combined with virtual reality to experience both virtual and actual exercise, (c) walking on the laboratory treadmill without virtual reality, and (d) experiencing a virtual walk with virtual reality without actual exercise. Our results suggest that virtual reality may enhance some of the psychological benefits of exercise when paired with actual exercise under certain conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microfluidic chip for spatially and temporally controlled biochemical gradient generation in standard cell-culture Petri dishes

This paper reports the development, modeling, and testing of an original microfluidic chip capable of generating both time-evolving and spatially varying gradients in standard Petri dishes. It consists of three sets of five independently controlled parallel channels, and its architecture allows the generation of complex gradient profiles that can be flexibly positioned and dynamically altered in an open cell-chamber environment. A detailed fabrication protocol for the production of these chips using multilayer soft lithography is reported. A comprehensive computational model is also presented based on COMSOL Multiphysics software that includes both diffusion and advection of the fluid as it exits the microchannels. The results of the simulation are successfully applied to model single-channel experiments. The chip is then tested in multi-channel mode, and its ability to produce complex spatially varied concentration profiles is demonstrated. The achievement of steady state of the gradient profile in less than 5 min also allows for the dynamic variation of the profile. Finally, we apply the present chip architecture to investigate the migration of mouse neutrophils in an Interleukin-8 gradient. We report quantitatively on cell migration driven by Interleukin-8 gradient and provide migration speed distribution.     

Personnel scheduling in a complex logistic system: a railway application case

In complex logistic systems, such as transportation systems, dealing with personnel scheduling is a non-trivial task. Duties have to be created and assigned to workers in a way to optimize a certain objective function. In this paper, in particular, we consider the case of scheduling train drivers on a railway subnetwork. Train driver scheduling involves the construction of feasible duties from a set of trips to be carried out by a number of train drivers. Each duty consists of a sequence of trips to be carried out by a single train driver on a single day. The duties should be such that: each trip is covered by at least one duty, each duty satisfies feasibility constraints, additional constraints involving the complete schedule are satisfied, one or several objectives are met. In this paper we focus on minimizing the number of duties and on maximizing the robustness of the obtained schedule for outside disruptions. We present an implicit column generation solution approach. We describe a heuristic procedure to find an initial feasible solution together with a heuristic branch-and-price algorithm based on a dynamic programming algorithm for the pricing-out of columns. We tested our approach on the timetable of the Intercity train series 500, 700, 1600 and 1700 of NS Reizigers, the largest Dutch operator of passengers trains.     

A novel remote sensing image fusion method based on independent component analysis

Environmental diversity and net primary productivity (NPP) are powerful indicators of local plant species richness (α-diversity). Remote sensing proxies of environmental diversity, such as spectral heterogeneity and NPP, are often used in modelling species richness variability, usually through regression analysis. As multicollinearity may affect analysis of species diversity, the interdependence of such proxies should be a major concern in their use. However, few attempts have been made to examine the interdependence between spectral heterogeneity and NPP proxies such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), in most cases using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression or Pearson correlations. We test the possible dependence of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) local spectral heterogeneity versus NDVI using quantile regression and rejecting the main assumption of OLS regression, i.e. the symmetry of model residuals. A second-order polynomial function was fitted to the data and both OLS and quantile regression led to a humped-back relationship between spectral heterogeneity and biomass. Nonetheless while for most of the quantiles the humped-back curve was significant (with a negative and significant quadratic slope), for quantiles higher than 0.90, the parabola opened up until it reached an almost linear shape, showing that, at very low values of biomass, pixels may show high levels of local heterogeneity. Hence, patterns of spectral heterogeneity versus NDVI are possible when considering maximum potential spectral variability. We show that the investigation of all possible subsets within a scatter plot may lead to identification of patterns that remain hidden in OLS regression.     

Efficient light-scattering calculations for aggregates of large spheres

Calculation of the scattering pattern from aggregates of spheres through the T-matrix approach yields high-precision results but at a high-computational cost, especially when the aggregate concerned is large or is composed of large-size spheres. With reference to a specific but representative aggregate, we discuss how and to what extent the computational effort can be reduced but still preserve the qualitative features of the signature of the aggregate concerned.     

Development of a biomimetic miniature robotic crawler

The paper presents the development of segmented artificial crawlers endowed with passive hook-shaped frictional microstructures. The goal is to find design rules for fabricating biomimetic, adaptable and mobile machines mimicking segmented animals with hydrostatic skeleton, and intended to move effectively along unstructured substrates. The paper describes the mechanical model, the design and the fabrication of a SMA-actuated segmented microrobot, whose locomotion is inspired by the peristaltic motion of Annelids, and in particular of earthworms (Lumbricus Terrestris). Experimental locomotion performance are compared with theoretical performance predicted by a purposely developed friction model -taking into account design parameters such as number of segments, body mass, special friction enhancement appendixes—and with locomotion performance of real earthworms as presented in literature. Experiments indicate that the maximum speed of the crawler prototype is 2.5 mm/s, and that 3-segment crawlers have almost the same velocity as earthworms having the same weight (and about 330% their length), whereas 4-segment crawlers have the same velocity, expressed as body lengths/s, as earthworms with the same mass (and about 270% their length). Arianna Menciassi (MS, 1995; PhD, 1999) joined the CRIM Lab of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy) as a Ph.D. student in Bioengineering with a research program on the micromanipulation of mechanical and biological micro-objects. The main results of the activity on micromanipulation were presented at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (May 2001, Seoul) in a paper titled “Force Feedback-based Microinstrument for Measuring Tissue Properties and Pulse in Microsurgery”, which won the “ICRA2001 Best Manipulation Paper Award”. In the year 2000, she was offered a position of Assistant Professor in Biomedical Robotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and in June 2006 she obtained a promotion to Associate Professor. Her main research interests are in the field of biomedical microrobotics, biomimetics, microfabrication technologies, micromechatronics and microsystem technologies. She is working on several European projects and international projects for the development of minimally invasive instrumentation for medical applications and for the exploitation of micro- and nano-technologies in the medical field. Samuele Gorini received his Laurea Degree in Mechanical Engineering (with honors) from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2001. In 2005 he obtained the Ph.D. in Microsystem Engineering with a thesis on locomotion methods and systems for miniaturised endoscopic devices. Since 2000, he has been working at the CRIM Lab of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy. His research interests are in the field of biomedical robotics with a special focus on actuation technologies. Starting from the year 2004 he has been president of Era Endoscopy S.r.l., a start-up company of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna developing novel devices for endoscopy. Dino Accoto (MS 1998, PhD 2002) is Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Scuola Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy). He received the Laurea degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pisa (cum laude) in 1998, the diploma in Engineering from the Scuola Sant’Anna (cum laude) in 1999 and the PhD degree from the Scuola Sant’Anna in 2002. From October 2001 to September 2002 he has been visiting scholar at the RPL-Lab, Stanford University (Ca, USA). Since 2004 he cooperates with the Biomedical Robotics & EMC Lab at Campus Bio-Medico University in Rome. His main research field is the modelling and development of small electromechanical systems, with a special attention to multi-physics and multi-domain approaches. The research, often inspired by the analysis of natural mechanisms, has been mainly applied to hybridizing microtechnologies, including microfluidics, and robotics. He has co-authored more than 30 papers, appeared in international journals and conference proceedings. Paolo Dario received his Dr. Eng. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1977. He is currently a Professor of Biomedical Robotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa.. He also teaches courses at the School of Engineering of the University of Pisa and at the Campus Biomedico University in Rome. He has been Visiting Professor at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA, at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, at the College de France, Paris, and at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Cachan, France. He was the founder of the ARTS (Advanced Robotics Technologies and Systems) Laboratory and is currently the Co-ordinator of the CRIM (Center for the Research in Microengineering) Laboratory of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, where he supervises a team of about 70 researchers and Ph.D. students. His main research interests are in the fields of medical robotics, bio-robotics, mechatronics and micro/nanoengineering, and specifically in sensors and actuators for the above applications, and in robotics for rehabilitation. He is the coordinator of many national and European projects, the editor of two books on the subject of robotics, and the author of more than 200 scientific papers (75 on ISI journals). He is Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board of many international journals. Prof. Dario has served as President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society in the years 2002–2003. He has been the General Chair of the IEEE RAS-EMBS BioRob’06 Conference and he is the General Co-Chair of ICRA 2007 Conference. Prof. Dario is an IEEE Fellow, a Fellow of the European Society on Medical and Biological Engineering, and a recipient of many honors and awards, such as the Joseph Engelberger Award. He is also a member of the Board of the International Foundation of Robotics Research (IFRR).