The radial artery: Open harvesting technique

The radial artery is an important conduit in coronary artery surgical revascularization due to its robust long-term clinical outcomes. The use of the radial artery has become popularized in recent times. Therefore it is essential for junior surgeons to master harvest techniques that are safe, reliable, and easy to replicate.

NutSpaFHy—A Distributed Nutrient Balance Model to Predict Nutrient Export from Managed Boreal Headwater Catchments

Responsible forest management requires accounting for adverse environmental effects, such as increased nutrient export to water courses. We constructed a spatially-distributed nutrient balance model NutSpaFHy that extends the hydrological model SpaFHy by introducing a grid-based nutrient balance sub-model and a conceptual solute transport routine to approximate total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) export to streams. NutSpaFHy uses openly-available Multi-Source National Forest Inventory data, soil maps, topographic databases, location of water bodies, and meteorological variables as input, and computes nutrient processes in monthly time-steps. NutSpaFHy contains two calibrated parameters both for N and P, which were optimized against measured N and P concentrations in runoff from twelve forested catchments distributed across Finland. NutSpaFHy was independently tested against six catchments. The model produced realistic nutrient exports. For one catchment, we simulated 25 scenarios, where clear-cuts were located differently with respect to distance to water body, location on mineral or peat soil, and on sites with different fertility. Results indicate that NutSpaFHy can be used to identify current and future nutrient export hot spots, allowing comparison of logging scenarios with variable harvesting area, location and harvest techniques, and to identify acceptable scenarios that preserve the wood supply whilst maintaining acceptable level of nutrient export.

Harvest Techniques: Hand-Pulling and Its Potential Impact on the Archaeobotanical Record Vis a Vis Near Eastern Plant Domestication

A “cultivation prior to domestication”, or a “pre-domestication cultivation” phase features in many reconstructions of Near Eastern plant domestication. Archaeobotanists who accept this notion search for evidence to support the assumption regarding a wild plant’s cultivation phase, which in their view, preceded and eventually led to plant domestication. The presence of non-crop plant remains in the archaeobotanical record interpreted as arable weeds, i.e., weeds of cultivation, is viewed as a strong argument in support of the pre-domestication cultivation phase. Herein, we show that the simple practice of harvest by hand-pulling (uprooting) has the potential to secure an almost weed-free harvest. Indeed, rather clean (weed-free) Neolithic seed caches from a range of relevant sites were documented in archaeobotanical reports. These reports, alongside ethnographic observations suggest that (in certain cases) ancient harvest may have been carried out by selective hand-pulling. Hence, one has no reason to view archaeobotanical assemblages from occupation sites as fully representative of cultivated fields. Therefore, the concept of “arable—pre-domestication weeds”, its logic, and its potential contribution to the prevailing reconstructions of Near Eastern plant domestication need be reconsidered.

Fate of Fat Grafting in vivo and in vitro: Does the Suction-Assisted Lipectomy Device Matter?

Background Recently, there has been increasing research interest in identifying the effect of liposuction procedures on fat graft survival. Whether different harvest techniques affect the quality of fat grafts is unclear. In this study, fat grafts harvested using traditional suction-assisted liposuction (TSAL) and vibration amplification of sound energy at resonance (VASER) approaches were examined to assess the quality and survival of the grafts. Furthermore, the proliferation and differentiation potentials of adipose stem cells (ASCs) isolated from both liposuction approaches were investigated. Objectives Investigation of the effect of different liposuction approaches on the survival and regeneration potential of grafted fat tissue. Methods Fat grafts were collected from patients who underwent liposuction procedures with two different liposuction approaches. Some lipoaspirates were implanted into the subcutaneous layer of nu mice for 4 and 12 weeks. The other portion of the lipoaspirate was obtained for ASC isolation and subjected to proliferation and differentiation assays. Results Our results indicated that although in vivo fat grafting presented similar adipose tissue survival for the two different liposuction approaches, more angiogenesis and less fibrosis was observed in the group with VASER based on histological evaluation. Furthermore, VASER-derived ASCs presented better quality in terms of cell differentiation capacity. Conclusions In summary, our in vivo study confirmed better graft angiogenesis with less inflammation, apoptosis, and scar formation in the VASER group. ASCs harvested with VASER exhibited increased differentiation capacity, representing a great source for fat grafting and regenerative medicine.

PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT NELAYAN PADA PEMBUDIDAYAAN RUMPUT LAUT DI DESA PITUE KECAMATAN MA’RANG KABUPATEN PANGKEP

Pitue Village is one of the villages located in Ma’rang Subdistrict, Pangkajene and Kepulauan (Pangkep) Regency which about 100 km from north of UPBJJ-UT Makassar Office or about 8 km from Pangkajene, the capital of Pangkep Regency. Community empowerment on seaweed cultivation was carried out with three programs: (1) site selection and seaweed seeding techniques; (2) seaweed cultivation techniques; and (3) seaweed harvesting and post-harvest techniques. Community service activities were carried out for one year. This program used some methods including lecturing and discussion, video screenings about seaweed cultivation, and monitoring or evaluation. The implementation of community service was based on meeting the indicators of the community services process and the products produced. The evaluation result showed that the participants were very enthusiastic in participating in the training and had succeeded in conducting seaweed cultivation using long line method. It can be concluded that community service has been implemented in accordance with the plan starting from the selection of location and seeding, cultivation and implementation of harvest and post-harvest according to the instructions given during the training. Desa Pitue merupakan salah satu desa yang terletak di Kecamatan Ma’rang, Kabupaten Pangkajene dan Kepulauan (Pangkep) yang berjarak sekitar 100 km dari Kantor UPBJJ-UT Makassar kea rah utara atau sekitar 8 km dari Pangkajene ibu kota Kabupaten Pangkep. Pemberdayaan masyarakat tentang budidaya rumput lain dilaksanakan dengan tiga program: (1) teknik pemilihan lokasi dan bibit rumput laut; (2) teknik budidaya rumput laut, dan (3) teknik panen dan pasca panen rumput laut. Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat dilaksanakan selama satu tahun. Metode yang digunakan dalam kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah ceramah dan anya jawab, pemutaran video tentang budidaya rumput laut, dan monitoring atau evaluasi. Keterlaksanaan pengabdian kepada masyarakat didasarkan atas terpenuhinya indikator-indikator proses pengabdian masyarakat dan produk yang dihasilkan. Hasil evaluasi menunjukkan bahwa peserta sangat antusias dalam mengikuti pelatihan dan telah berhasil melakukan budidaya rumput laut dengan metode long line. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa pengabdian masyarakat telah diimplementasikan sesuai dengan rencana dimulai dari pemilihan lokasi dan bibit, pelaksanaan budidaya dan pelaksanaan panendan pasca panen sesuai petunjuk yang diberikan pada saat pelatihan.

Ongoing Research on Microgreens: Nutritional Properties, Shelf-Life, Sustainable Production, Innovative Growing and Processing Approaches

Microgreens garner immense potential for improving the nutritional value of the human diet, considering their high content of healthy compounds. On the other hand, they are gaining more and more interest not only for their nutritional value but also for their interesting organoleptic traits and commercial potential. The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality research papers with the aim to cover the state-of-the-art, recent progress and perspectives related to production, post-harvest, characterization, and potential of microgreens. A broad range of aspects such as cultivation, post-harvest techniques and packaging, analytical methods, nutritional value, bioaccessibily and prospects are covered. All contributions are of significant relevance and could stimulate further research in this area.

An Investigation on Post-harvest Losses in Marketing of Vegetables in Gujarat

ABSTRACT The present investigation examined the extent and degree of post-harvest losses in the vegetable supply chain network in Tapi district of Gujarat. Multistage cluster sampling was used for the selection of 80 vegetable growers and 25 market functionaries. Eight significant vegetables were chosen for the investigation. The most extreme post-harvest losses were found in tomato followed by brinjal, okra, cowpea, guar (cluster bean), chilly and sponge gourd. The study proposed training the vegetable cultivators on logical post-harvest techniques to sustain vegetable production on a beneficial basis.