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Your search keyword '"Mazzolai, Barbara"' showing total 43 results
Start Over Author "Mazzolai, Barbara" Publisher wiley
43 results on '"Mazzolai, Barbara"'

3. A Soft Continuum Robotic Arm with a Climbing Plant-Inspired Adaptive Behavior for Minimal Sensing, Actuation, and Control Effort

Author

Naselli, Giovanna A., Scharff, Rob Bernardus Nicolaas, Thielen, Marc, Visentin, Francesco, Speck, Thomas, Mazzolai, Barbara, Naselli, Giovanna A., Scharff, Rob Bernardus Nicolaas, Thielen, Marc, Visentin, Francesco, Speck, Thomas, and Mazzolai, Barbara

Abstract

A key challenge in designing soft continuum robotic arms is the realization of intelligent behavior while minimizing sensing, actuation, and control effort. This work investigates how soft continuum arms can benefit from mimicking the distribution of flexural rigidity of searcher stems in climbing plants to accomplish this goal. A modeling approach is presented to tune both the structural design and the tactile sensor design of a soft continuum arm inspired by the flexural rigidity distribution of Mandevilla cf. splendens' searcher stems. The resulting soft continuum arm, named Mandy, can detect suitable supports along its length and twining around them using a single sensor and actuator. Through simulations and experiments, it is shown such behavior cannot be achieved with a soft continuum arm possessing uniform structural stiffness and a standard tactile sensor design. Thus, the significance of investing greater effort in structural design, leveraging biological data, to improve the design of soft continuum arms with more compact actuation and sensing hardware, is highlighted. A quantitative biomimetic approach allows for building soft continuum arms inspired by twining climbing plants. Designed to mimic the flexural rigidity of terminal stems of Mandevilla cf. splendens, the robot detects the presence of a support and twines around it, without requiring a central computing unit.image (c) 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH

Published
2023

9. Direct transfer of zinc between plants is channelled by common mycorrhizal network of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and evidenced by changes in expression of zinc transporter genes in fungus and plant

Author

UCL - SST/ELI/ELIM - Applied Microbiology, Cardini, Alessio, Pellegrino, Elisa, Declerck, Stephan, Calonne, Maryline, Mazzolai, Barbara, Ercoli, Laura, UCL - SST/ELI/ELIM - Applied Microbiology, Cardini, Alessio, Pellegrino, Elisa, Declerck, Stephan, Calonne, Maryline, Mazzolai, Barbara, and Ercoli, Laura

Abstract

The role that common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) play in plant-to-plant transfer of zinc (Zn) has not yet been investigated, despite the proved functions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in crop Zn acquisition. Here, two autotrophic Medicago truncatula plants were linked by a CMN formed by Rhizophagus irregularis. Plants were grown in vitro in physically separated compartments (Donor-C and Receiver-C) and their connection ensured only by CMN. A symbiosis-defective mutant of M. truncatula was used as control in Receiver-C. Plants in both compartments were grown on Zn-free medium, and only the leaves of the donor plants were Zn fertilized. A direct transfer of Zn was demonstrated from donor leaves to receiver shoots mediated by CMN. Direct transfer of Zn was supported by changes in the expression of fungal genes, RiZRT1 and RiZnT1, and plant gene MtZIP2 in roots and MtNAS1 in roots and shoots of the receiver plants. Moreover, Zn transfer was supported by the change in expression of MtZIP14 gene in AM fungal colonized roots. This work is the first evidence of a direct Zn transfer from a donor to a receiver plant via CMN, and of a triggering of transcriptional regulation of fungal-plant genes involved in Zn transport-related processes.

Published
2021

28. Energy Conversion at the Cuticle of Living Plants

Author

Meder, Fabian, primary, Must, Indrek, additional, Sadeghi, Ali, additional, Mondini, Alessio, additional, Filippeschi, Carlo, additional, Beccai, Lucia, additional, Mattoli, Virgilio, additional, Pingue, Pasqualantonio, additional, and Mazzolai, Barbara, additional

Published
2018
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37. Cover Picture: Macromol. Biosci. 5/2014

Author

Ciofani, Gianni, primary, Genchi, Giada Graziana, additional, Guardia, Pablo, additional, Mazzolai, Barbara, additional, Mattoli, Virgilio, additional, and Bandiera, Antonella, additional

Published
2014
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43. Hypergravity stimulation enhances PC12 neuron-like cell differentiation.

Author

Genchi GG, Cialdai F, Monici M, Mazzolai B, Mattoli V, and Ciofani G

Subjects
Acceleration, Animals, Cell Line, Tumor, Cell Proliferation physiology, Hypergravity, Muscle Fibers, Skeletal physiology, Neurogenesis physiology, Rats, Regenerative Medicine methods, Tissue Engineering methods, Transcription, Genetic physiology, Cell Differentiation physiology, Neurites physiology, PC12 Cells physiology
Abstract

Altered gravity is a strong physical cue able to elicit different cellular responses, representing a largely uninvestigated opportunity for tissue engineering/regenerative medicine applications. Our recent studies have shown that both proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 skeletal muscle cells can be enhanced by hypergravity treatment; given these results, PC12 neuron-like cells were chosen to test the hypothesis that hypergravity stimulation might also affect the behavior of neuronal cells, in particular promoting an enhanced differentiated phenotype. PC12 cells were thus cultured under differentiating conditions for either 12 h or 72 h before being stimulated with different values of hypergravity (50 g and 150 g). Effects of hypergravity were evaluated at transcriptional level 1 h and 48 h after the stimulation, and at protein level 48 h from hypergravity exposure, to assess its influence on neurite development over increasing differentiation times. PC12 differentiation resulted strongly affected by the hypergravity treatments; in particular, neurite length was significantly enhanced after exposure to high acceleration values. The achieved results suggest that hypergravity might induce a faster and higher neuronal differentiation and encourage further investigations on the potential of hypergravity in the preparation of cellular constructs for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering purposes.

Published
2015
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