Observing Etna volcano dynamics through seismic and deformation patterns.

Geophysical data provide the chance to investigate a volcano's dynamics; considerable information can especially be gleaned on the stress and strain patterns accompanying the internal processes and the effect of magma ascent on the main structures triggering earthquakes. Here, we analysed in detail the seismicity recorded over the last two decades on Etna volcano (southern Italy), focusing on earthquakes distribution and focal mechanism clustering; the ground deformation pattern affecting the volcanic edifice with the inflation and deflation phases was also examined. Analysed data were compared in order to shed light on possible relationships with the volcanic activity and to better understand the internal dynamics of the volcano over time.

A Novel Peptide with Antifungal Activity from Red Swamp Crayfish .

The defense system of freshwater crayfish as a diversified source of bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties was studied. Antimicrobial activity of two polypeptide-enriched extracts obtained from hemocytes and hemolymph of were assessed against Gram positive (, and Gram negative (, ) bacteria and toward the yeast . The two peptide fractions showed interesting MIC values (ranging from 11 to 700 μg/mL) against all tested pathogens.

Developing Antibiofilm Fibrillar Scaffold with Intrinsic Capacity to Produce Silver Nanoparticles.

The development of biomedical systems with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties is a difficult medical task for preventing bacterial adhesion and growth on implanted devices. In this work, a fibrillar scaffold was produced by electrospinning a polymeric organic dispersion of polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(α,β-(N-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)-L-aspartamide-co-α,β-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-aspartamide) (PDAEA). The pendant catechol groups of PDAEA were used to reduce silver ions in situ and produce silver nanoparticles onto the surface of the electrospun fibers through a simple and reproducible procedure.

Correlating Rheological Properties of a Gellan Gum-Based Bioink: A Study of the Impact of Cell Density.

Here, for the production of a bioink-based gellan gum, an amino derivative of this polysaccharide was mixed with a mono-functionalized aldehyde polyethyleneglycol in order to improve viscoelastic macroscopic properties and the potential processability by means of bioprinting techniques as confirmed by the printing tests. The dynamic Schiff base linkage between amino and aldehyde groups temporally modulates the rheological properties and allows a reduction of the applied pressure during extrusion followed by the recovery of gellan gum strength. Rheological properties, often related to printing resolution, were extensively investigated confirming pseudoplastic behavior and thermotropic and ionotropic responses.

Integrating metabolome dynamics and process data to guide cell line selection in biopharmaceutical process development.

The successful development of mammalian cell culture for the production of therapeutic antibodies is a resource-intensive and multistage process which requires the selection of high performing and stable cell lines at different scale-up stages. Accordingly, science-based approaches exploiting biological information, such as metabolomics, can support and accelerate the selection of promising cell lines to progress. In fact, the integration of dynamic biological information with process data can provide valuable insights on the cell physiological changes as a consequence of the cultivation process.