Amniotic Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Exhibit Preferential Osteogenic and Chondrogenic Differentiation and Enhanced Matrix Production Compared With Adipose Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Topoluk, Natasha; Hawkins, Richard; Tokish, John; Mercuri, Jeremy

2017-09-01

Therapeutic efficacy of various mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) types for orthopaedic applications is currently being investigated. While the concept of MSC therapy is well grounded in the basic science of healing and regeneration, little is known about individual MSC populations in terms of their propensity to promote the repair and/or regeneration of specific musculoskeletal tissues. Two promising MSC sources, adipose and amnion, have each demonstrated differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in the setting of musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. However, no study to date has directly compared the differentiation potential of these 2 MSC populations. To compare the ability of human adipose- and amnion-derived MSCs to undergo osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. Controlled laboratory study. MSC populations from the human term amnion were quantified and characterized via cell counting, histologic assessment, and flow cytometry. Differentiation of these cells in comparison to commercially purchased human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hADSCs) in the presence and absence of differentiation media was evaluated via reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for bone and cartilage gene transcript markers and histology/immunohistochemistry to examine ECM production. Analysis of variance and paired t tests were performed to compare results across all cell groups investigated. The authors confirmed that the human term amnion contains 2 primary cell types demonstrating MSC characteristics-(1) human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) and (2) human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs)-and each exhibited more than 90% staining for MSC surface markers (CD90, CD105, CD73). Average viable hAEC and hAMSC yields at harvest were 2.3 × 10 6 ± 3.7 × 10 5 and 1.6 × 10 6 ± 4.7 × 10 5 per milliliter of amnion, respectively. As well, hAECs and hAMSCs demonstrated significantly greater osteocalcin ( P = .025), aggrecan ( P

Improved iterative oscillation tests for first-order deviating differential equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George E. Chatzarakis

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, improved oscillation conditions are established for the oscillation of all solutions of differential equations with non-monotone deviating arguments and nonnegative coefficients. They lead to a procedure that checks for oscillations by iteratively computing \\(\\lim \\sup\\ and \\(\\lim \\inf\\ on terms recursively defined on the equation's coefficients and deviating argument. This procedure significantly improves all known oscillation criteria. The results and the improvement achieved over the other known conditions are illustrated by two examples, numerically solved in MATLAB.

Bone-derived mesenchymal stromal cells from HIV transgenic mice exhibit altered proliferation, differentiation capacity and paracrine functions along with impaired therapeutic potential in kidney injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Kang; Rai, Partab; Lan, Xiqian; Plagov, Andrei; Malhotra, Ashwani; Gupta, Sanjeev; Singhal, Pravin C.

2013-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete paracrine factors that could be cytoprotective and serve roles in immunoregulation during tissue injury. Although MSCs express HIV receptors, and co-receptors, and are susceptible to HIV infection, whether HIV-1 may affect biological properties of MSCs needs more study. We evaluated cellular proliferation, differentiation and paracrine functions of MSCs isolated from compact bones of healthy control mice and Tg26 HIV-1 transgenic mice. The ability of MSCs to protect against cisplatin toxicity was studied in cultured renal tubular cells as well as in intact mice. We successfully isolated MSCs from healthy mice and Tg26 HIV-1 transgenic mice and found the latter expressed viral Nef, Vpu, NL4-3 and Vif genes. The proliferation and differentiation of Tg26 HIV-1 MSCs was inferior to MSCs from healthy mice. Moreover, transplantation of Tg26 HIV-1 MSCs less effectively improved outcomes compared with healthy MSCs in mice with acute kidney injury. Also, Tg26 HIV-1 MSCs secreted multiple cytokines, but at significantly lower levels than healthy MSCs, which resulted in failure of conditioned medium from these MSCs to protect cultured renal tubular cells from cisplatin toxicity. Therefore, HIV-1 had adverse biological effects on MSCs extending to their proliferation, differentiation, function, and therapeutic potential. These findings will help in advancing mechanistical insight in renal injury and repair in the setting of HIV-1 infection. -- Highlights: •MSCs isolated from HIV mice displayed HIV genes. •MSCs isolated from HIV mice exhibited attenuated growth and paracrine functions. •AKI mice with transplanted HIV-MSC displayed poor outcome. •HIV-1 MSC secreted multiple cytokines but at a lower level

Bone-derived mesenchymal stromal cells from HIV transgenic mice exhibit altered proliferation, differentiation capacity and paracrine functions along with impaired therapeutic potential in kidney injury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Kang; Rai, Partab; Lan, Xiqian; Plagov, Andrei; Malhotra, Ashwani [Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Manhassett, NY (United States); Gupta, Sanjeev [Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, Diabetes Center, Cancer Center, Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (United States); Singhal, Pravin C., E-mail: psinghal@nshs.edu [Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Manhassett, NY (United States)

2013-08-15

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete paracrine factors that could be cytoprotective and serve roles in immunoregulation during tissue injury. Although MSCs express HIV receptors, and co-receptors, and are susceptible to HIV infection, whether HIV-1 may affect biological properties of MSCs needs more study. We evaluated cellular proliferation, differentiation and paracrine functions of MSCs isolated from compact bones of healthy control mice and Tg26 HIV-1 transgenic mice. The ability of MSCs to protect against cisplatin toxicity was studied in cultured renal tubular cells as well as in intact mice. We successfully isolated MSCs from healthy mice and Tg26 HIV-1 transgenic mice and found the latter expressed viral Nef, Vpu, NL4-3 and Vif genes. The proliferation and differentiation of Tg26 HIV-1 MSCs was inferior to MSCs from healthy mice. Moreover, transplantation of Tg26 HIV-1 MSCs less effectively improved outcomes compared with healthy MSCs in mice with acute kidney injury. Also, Tg26 HIV-1 MSCs secreted multiple cytokines, but at significantly lower levels than healthy MSCs, which resulted in failure of conditioned medium from these MSCs to protect cultured renal tubular cells from cisplatin toxicity. Therefore, HIV-1 had adverse biological effects on MSCs extending to their proliferation, differentiation, function, and therapeutic potential. These findings will help in advancing mechanistical insight in renal injury and repair in the setting of HIV-1 infection. -- Highlights: •MSCs isolated from HIV mice displayed HIV genes. •MSCs isolated from HIV mice exhibited attenuated growth and paracrine functions. •AKI mice with transplanted HIV-MSC displayed poor outcome. •HIV-1 MSC secreted multiple cytokines but at a lower level.

Cognitively impaired elderly exhibit insulin resistance and no memory improvement with infused insulin.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Jill K; Vidoni, Eric D; Mahnken, Jonathan D; Montgomery, Robert N; Johnson, David K; Thyfault, John P; Burns, Jeffrey M

2016-03-01

Insulin resistance is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), although its role in AD etiology is unclear. We assessed insulin resistance using fasting and insulin-stimulated measures in 51 elderly subjects with no dementia (ND; n = 37) and with cognitive impairment (CI; n = 14). CI subjects exhibited either mild CI or AD. Fasting insulin resistance was measured using the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Insulin-stimulated glucose disposal was assessed using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp to calculate glucose disposal rate into lean mass, the primary site of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. Because insulin crosses the blood-brain barrier, we also assessed whether insulin infusion would improve verbal episodic memory compared to baseline. Different but equivalent versions of cognitive tests were administered in counterbalanced order in the basal and insulin-stimulated state. Groups did not differ in age or body mass index. Cognitively impaired subjects exhibited greater insulin resistance as measured at fasting (HOMA-IR; ND: 1.09 [1.1] vs. CI: 2.01 [2.3], p = 0.028) and during the hyperinsulinemic clamp (glucose disposal rate into lean mass; ND: 9.9 (4.5) vs. AD 7.2 (3.2), p = 0.040). Cognitively impaired subjects also exhibited higher fasting insulin compared to ND subjects, (CI: 8.7 [7.8] vs. ND: 4.2 [3.8] μU/mL; p = 0.023) and higher fasting amylin (CI: 24.1 [39.1] vs. 8.37 [14.2]; p = 0.050) with no difference in fasting glucose. Insulin infusion elicited a detrimental effect on one test of verbal episodic memory (Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test) in both groups (p insulin resistance was observed in cognitively impaired subjects compared to ND controls, insulin infusion did not improve memory. Furthermore, a significant correlation between HOMA-IR and glucose disposal rate was present only in ND (p = 0.0002) but not in cognitively impaired (p = 0.884) subjects, indicating potentially important

Energy-Based Yield Criteria for Orthotropic Materials, Exhibiting Strength-Differential Effect. Specification for Sheets under Plane Stress State

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Szeptyński P.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A general proposition of an energy-based limit condition for anisotropic materials exhibiting strength-differential effect (SDE based on spectral decomposition of elasticity tensors and the use of scaling pressure-dependent functions is specified for the case of orthotropic materials. A detailed algorithm (based on classical solutions of cubic equations for the determination of elastic eigenstates and eigenvalues of the orthotropic stiffness tensor is presented. A yield condition is formulated for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases. Explicit formulas based on simple strength tests are derived for parameters of criterion in the plane case. The application of both criteria for the description of yielding and plastic deformation of metal sheets is discussed in detail. The plane case criterion is verified with experimental results from the literature.

Mobile Apps: Improve Airports ́ Brand Image and Differentiate Among Competitors

OpenAIRE

Lázaro Florido-Benítez

2016-01-01

The image airports project via their applications (apps) affects -- directly or indirectly--passengers’ satisfaction. Today, airports are competing among each other to attract more airlines and passengers to improve commercial revenues. Airport apps (as mobile marketing tools) are offering a wide range of opportunities to both passengers and airports. Apps are the best solution if airports want to improve the passenger experience as well as differentiate themselves from their competitors. The...

Visual working memory in deaf children with diverse communication modes: improvement by differential outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Crespo, Ginesa; Daza, María Teresa; Méndez-López, Magdalena

2012-01-01

Although visual functions have been proposed to be enhanced in deaf individuals, empirical studies have not yet established clear evidence on this issue. The present study aimed to determine whether deaf children with diverse communication modes had superior visual memory and whether their performance was improved by the use of differential outcomes. Severely or profoundly deaf children who employed spoken Spanish, Spanish Sign Language (SSL), and both spoken Spanish and SSL modes of communication were tested in a delayed matching-to-sample task for visual working memory assessment. Hearing controls were used to compare performance. Participants were tested in two conditions, differential outcome and non-differential outcome conditions. Deaf groups with either oral or SSL modes of communication completed the task with less accuracy than bilingual and control hearing children. In addition, the performances of all groups improved through the use of differential outcomes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collagen Type I Improves the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells towards Definitive Endoderm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Camilla Holzmann; Petersen, Dorthe Roenn; Møller, Jonas Bech

2015-01-01

Human embryonic stem cells have the ability to generate all cell types in the body and can potentially provide an unlimited source of cells for cell replacement therapy to treat degenerative diseases such as diabetes. Current differentiation protocols of human embryonic stem cells towards insulin...... and consistent differentiation of stem cells to definitive endoderm. The results shed light on the importance of extracellular matrix proteins for differentiation and also points to a cost effective and easy method to improve differentiation....... embryonic stem cells to the definitive endoderm lineage. The percentage of definitive endoderm cells after differentiation on collagen I and fibronectin was >85% and 65%, respectively. The cells on collagen I substrates displayed different morphology and gene expression during differentiation as assessed...

Fibrin Gels Exhibit Improved Biological, Structural, and Mechanical Properties Compared with Collagen Gels in Cell-Based Tendon Tissue-Engineered Constructs

Science.gov (United States)

Dyment, Nathaniel A.; Lu, Yinhui; Rao, Marepalli; Shearn, Jason T.; Rowe, David W.; Kadler, Karl E.; Butler, David L.

2015-01-01

The prevalence of tendon and ligament injuries and inadequacies of current treatments is driving the need for alternative strategies such as tissue engineering. Fibrin and collagen biopolymers have been popular materials for creating tissue-engineered constructs (TECs), as they exhibit advantages of biocompatibility and flexibility in construct design. Unfortunately, a few studies have directly compared these materials for tendon and ligament applications. Therefore, this study aims at determining how collagen versus fibrin hydrogels affect the biological, structural, and mechanical properties of TECs during formation in vitro. Our findings show that tendon and ligament progenitor cells seeded in fibrin constructs exhibit improved tenogenic gene expression patterns compared with their collagen-based counterparts for approximately 14 days in culture. Fibrin-based constructs also exhibit improved cell-derived collagen alignment, increased linear modulus (2.2-fold greater) compared with collagen-based constructs. Cyclic tensile loading, which promotes the maturation of tendon constructs in a previous work, exhibits a material-dependent effect in this study. Fibrin constructs show trending reductions in mechanical, biological, and structural properties, whereas collagen constructs only show improved tenogenic expression in the presence of mechanical stimulation. These findings highlight that components of the mechanical stimulus (e.g., strain amplitude or time of initiation) need to be tailored to the material and cell type. Given the improvements in tenogenic expression, extracellular matrix organization, and material properties during static culture, in vitro findings presented here suggest that fibrin-based constructs may be a more suitable alternative to collagen-based constructs for tissue-engineered tendon/ligament repair. PMID:25266738

Application of an imaging system to a museum exhibition for developing interactive exhibitions

Science.gov (United States)

Miyata, Kimiyoshi; Inoue, Yuka; Takiguchi, Takahiro; Tsumura, Norimichi; Nakaguchi, Toshiya; Miyake, Yoichi

2009-10-01

In the National Museum of Japanese History, 215,759 artifacts are stored and used for research and exhibitions. In museums, due to the limitation of space in the galleries, a guidance system is required to satisfy visitors' needs and to enhance their understanding of the artifacts. We introduce one exhibition using imaging technology to improve visitors' understanding of a kimono (traditional Japanese clothing) exhibition. In the imaging technology introduced, one data projector, one display with touch panel interface, and magnifiers were used as exhibition tools together with a real kimono. The validity of this exhibition method was confirmed by results from a visitors' interview survey. Second, to further develop the interactive guidance system, an augmented reality system that consisted of cooperation between the projector and a digital video camera was also examined. A white paper board in the observer's hand was used as a projection screen and also as an interface to control the images projected on the board. The basic performance of the proposed system was confirmed; however continuous development was necessary for applying the system to actual exhibitions.

Market-based transmission expansion planning by improved differential evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgilakis, Pavlos S.

2010-01-01

The restructuring and deregulation has exposed the transmission planner to new objectives and uncertainties. As a result, new criteria and approaches are needed for transmission expansion planning (TEP) in deregulated electricity markets. This paper proposes a new market-based approach for TEP. An improved differential evolution (IDE) model is proposed for the solution of this new market-based TEP problem. The modifications of IDE in comparison to the simple differential evolution method are: (1) the scaling factor F is varied randomly within some range, (2) an auxiliary set is employed to enhance the diversity of the population, (3) the newly generated trial vector is compared with the nearest parent, and (4) the simple feasibility rule is used to treat the constraints. Results from the application of the proposed method on the IEEE 30-bus test system demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of the proposed IDE for the solution of TEP problem. (author)

Increase in speed of Wilkinson-type ADC and improvement of differential non-linearity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinbara, S [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki. Tokai Research Establishment

1977-06-01

It is shown that the differential non-linearity of a Wilkinson-type analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is dominated by the unbalance of even-numbered periods caused by the action of interference resulting from operation of a channel scaler. To improve this situation, new methods were tested which allow such action of interference to be dispersed. Measurements show that a differential non-linearity value of +- 0.043% is attainable for a clock rate of 300 MHz.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4A improves hepatic differentiation of immortalized adult human hepatocytes and improves liver function and survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Hang, Hua-Lian; Liu, Xin-Yu; Wang, Hai-Tian; Xu, Ning; Bian, Jian-Min; Zhang, Jian-Jun; Xia, Lei; Xia, Qiang

2017-11-15

Immortalized human hepatocytes (IHH) could provide an unlimited supply of hepatocytes, but insufficient differentiation and phenotypic instability restrict their clinical application. This study aimed to determine the role of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4A (HNF4A) in hepatic differentiation of IHH, and whether encapsulation of IHH overexpressing HNF4A could improve liver function and survival in rats with acute liver failure (ALF). Primary human hepatocytes were transduced with lentivirus-mediated catalytic subunit of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) to establish IHH. Cells were analyzed for telomerase activity, proliferative capacity, hepatocyte markers, and tumorigenicity (c-myc) expression. Hepatocyte markers, hepatocellular functions, and morphology were studied in the HNF4A-overexpressing IHH. Hepatocyte markers and karyotype analysis were completed in the primary hepatocytes using shRNA knockdown of HNF4A. Nuclear translocation of β-catenin was assessed. Rat models of ALF were treated with encapsulated IHH or HNF4A-overexpressing IHH. A HNF4A-positive IHH line was established, which was non-tumorigenic and conserved properties of primary hepatocytes. HNF4A overexpression significantly enhanced mRNA levels of genes related to hepatic differentiation in IHH. Urea levels were increased by the overexpression of HNF4A, as measured 24h after ammonium chloride addition, similar to that of primary hepatocytes. Chromosomal abnormalities were observed in primary hepatocytes transfected with HNF4A shRNA. HNF4α overexpression could significantly promote β-catenin activation. Transplantation of HNF4A overexpressing IHH resulted in better liver function and survival of rats with ALF compared with IHH. HNF4A improved hepatic differentiation of IHH. Transplantation of HNF4A-overexpressing IHH could improve the liver function and survival in a rat model of ALF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accelerated and Improved Differentiation of Retinal Organoids from Pluripotent Stem Cells in Rotating-Wall Vessel Bioreactors

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Tyler DiStefano

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Pluripotent stem cells can be differentiated into 3D retinal organoids, with major cell types self-patterning into a polarized, laminated architecture. In static cultures, organoid development may be hindered by limitations in diffusion of oxygen and nutrients. Herein, we report a bioprocess using rotating-wall vessel (RWV bioreactors to culture retinal organoids derived from mouse pluripotent stem cells. Organoids in RWV demonstrate enhanced proliferation, with well-defined morphology and improved differentiation of neurons including ganglion cells and S-cone photoreceptors. Furthermore, RWV organoids at day 25 (D25 reveal similar maturation and transcriptome profile as those at D32 in static culture, closely recapitulating spatiotemporal development of postnatal day 6 mouse retina in vivo. Interestingly, however, retinal organoids do not differentiate further under any in vitro condition tested here, suggesting additional requirements for functional maturation. Our studies demonstrate that bioreactors can accelerate and improve organoid growth and differentiation for modeling retinal disease and evaluation of therapies.

Improved Differential Evolution Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Network Coverage Optimization

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Xing Xu

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In order to serve for the ecological monitoring efficiency of Poyang Lake, an improved hybrid algorithm, mixed with differential evolution and particle swarm optimization, is proposed and applied to optimize the coverage problem of wireless sensor network. And then, the affect of the population size and the number of iterations on the coverage performance are both discussed and analyzed. The four kinds of statistical results about the coverage rate are obtained through lots of simulation experiments.

Bumblebees exhibit the memory spacing effect

Science.gov (United States)

Toda, Nicholas R. T.; Song, Jeremy; Nieh, James C.

2009-10-01

Associative learning is key to how bees recognize and return to rewarding floral resources. It thus plays a major role in pollinator floral constancy and plant gene flow. Honeybees are the primary model for pollinator associative learning, but bumblebees play an important ecological role in a wider range of habitats, and their associative learning abilities are less well understood. We assayed learning with the proboscis extension reflex (PER), using a novel method for restraining bees (capsules) designed to improve bumblebee learning. We present the first results demonstrating that bumblebees exhibit the memory spacing effect. They improve their associative learning of odor and nectar reward by exhibiting increased memory acquisition, a component of long-term memory formation, when the time interval between rewarding trials is increased. Bombus impatiens forager memory acquisition (average discrimination index values) improved by 129% and 65% at inter-trial intervals (ITI) of 5 and 3 min, respectively, as compared to an ITI of 1 min. Memory acquisition rate also increased with increasing ITI. Encapsulation significantly increases olfactory memory acquisition. Ten times more foragers exhibited at least one PER response during training in capsules as compared to traditional PER harnesses. Thus, a novel conditioning assay, encapsulation, enabled us to improve bumblebee-learning acquisition and demonstrate that spaced learning results in better memory consolidation. Such spaced learning likely plays a role in forming long-term memories of rewarding floral resources.

CNF1 improves astrocytic ability to support neuronal growth and differentiation in vitro.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiorella Malchiodi-Albedi

Full Text Available Modulation of cerebral Rho GTPases activity in mice brain by intracerebral administration of Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1 leads to enhanced neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity and improves learning and memory. To gain more insight into the interactions between CNF1 and neuronal cells, we used primary neuronal and astrocytic cultures from rat embryonic brain to study CNF1 effects on neuronal differentiation, focusing on dendritic tree growth and synapse formation, which are strictly modulated by Rho GTPases. CNF1 profoundly remodeled the cytoskeleton of hippocampal and cortical neurons, which showed philopodia-like, actin-positive projections, thickened and poorly branched dendrites, and a decrease in synapse number. CNF1 removal, however, restored dendritic tree development and synapse formation, suggesting that the toxin can reversibly block neuronal differentiation. On differentiated neurons, CNF1 had a similar effacing effect on synapses. Therefore, a direct interaction with CNF1 is apparently deleterious for neurons. Since astrocytes play a pivotal role in neuronal differentiation and synaptic regulation, we wondered if the beneficial in vivo effect could be mediated by astrocytes. Primary astrocytes from embryonic cortex were treated with CNF1 for 48 hours and used as a substrate for growing hippocampal neurons. Such neurons showed an increased development of neurites, in respect to age-matched controls, with a wider dendritic tree and a richer content in synapses. In CNF1-exposed astrocytes, the production of interleukin 1β, known to reduce dendrite development and complexity in neuronal cultures, was decreased. These results demonstrate that astrocytes, under the influence of CNF1, increase their supporting activity on neuronal growth and differentiation, possibly related to the diminished levels of interleukin 1β. These observations suggest that the enhanced synaptic plasticity and improved learning and memory described

CNF1 Improves Astrocytic Ability to Support Neuronal Growth and Differentiation In vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Malchiodi-Albedi, Fiorella; Paradisi, Silvia; Di Nottia, Michela; Simone, Daiana; Travaglione, Sara; Falzano, Loredana; Guidotti, Marco; Frank, Claudio; Cutarelli, Alessandro; Fabbri, Alessia; Fiorentini, Carla

2012-01-01

Modulation of cerebral Rho GTPases activity in mice brain by intracerebral administration of Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1) leads to enhanced neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity and improves learning and memory. To gain more insight into the interactions between CNF1 and neuronal cells, we used primary neuronal and astrocytic cultures from rat embryonic brain to study CNF1 effects on neuronal differentiation, focusing on dendritic tree growth and synapse formation, which are strictly modulated by Rho GTPases. CNF1 profoundly remodeled the cytoskeleton of hippocampal and cortical neurons, which showed philopodia-like, actin-positive projections, thickened and poorly branched dendrites, and a decrease in synapse number. CNF1 removal, however, restored dendritic tree development and synapse formation, suggesting that the toxin can reversibly block neuronal differentiation. On differentiated neurons, CNF1 had a similar effacing effect on synapses. Therefore, a direct interaction with CNF1 is apparently deleterious for neurons. Since astrocytes play a pivotal role in neuronal differentiation and synaptic regulation, we wondered if the beneficial in vivo effect could be mediated by astrocytes. Primary astrocytes from embryonic cortex were treated with CNF1 for 48 hours and used as a substrate for growing hippocampal neurons. Such neurons showed an increased development of neurites, in respect to age-matched controls, with a wider dendritic tree and a richer content in synapses. In CNF1-exposed astrocytes, the production of interleukin 1β, known to reduce dendrite development and complexity in neuronal cultures, was decreased. These results demonstrate that astrocytes, under the influence of CNF1, increase their supporting activity on neuronal growth and differentiation, possibly related to the diminished levels of interleukin 1β. These observations suggest that the enhanced synaptic plasticity and improved learning and memory described in CNF1-injected

The exploration of the exhibition informatization

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiankang

2017-06-01

The construction and management of exhibition informatization is the main task and choke point during the process of Chinese exhibition industry’s transformation and promotion. There are three key points expected to realize a breakthrough during the construction of Chinese exhibition informatization, and the three aspects respectively are adopting service outsourcing to construct and maintain the database, adopting advanced chest card technology to collect various kinds of information, developing statistics analysis to maintain good cutomer relations. The success of Chinese exhibition informatization mainly calls for mature suppliers who can provide construction and maintenance of database, the proven technology, a sense of data security, advanced chest card technology, the ability of data mining and analysis and the ability to improve the exhibition service basing on the commercial information got from the data analysis. Several data security measures are expected to apply during the process of system developing, including the measures of the terminal data security, the internet data security, the media data security, the storage data security and the application data security. The informatization of this process is based on the chest card designing. At present, there are several types of chest card technology: bar code chest card; two-dimension code card; magnetic stripe chest card; smart-chip chest card. The information got from the exhibition data will help the organizers to make relevant service strategies, quantify the accumulated indexes of the customers, and improve the level of the customer’s satisfaction and loyalty, what’s more, the information can also provide more additional services like the commercial trips, VIP ceremonial reception.

An Improved Differential Evolution Based Dynamic Economic Dispatch with Nonsmooth Fuel Cost Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Balamurugan

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Dynamic economic dispatch (DED is one of the major operational decisions in electric power systems. DED problem is an optimization problem with an objective to determine the optimal combination of power outputs for all generating units over a certain period of time in order to minimize the total fuel cost while satisfying dynamic operational constraints and load demand in each interval. This paper presents an improved differential evolution (IDE method to solve the DED problem of generating units considering valve-point effects. Heuristic crossover technique and gene swap operator are introduced in the proposed approach to improve the convergence characteristic of the differential evolution (DE algorithm. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, two test systems consisting of five and ten generating units have been considered. The results obtained through the proposed method are compared with those reported in the literature.

Mobile Apps: Improve Airports ́ Brand Image and Differentiate Among Competitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lázaro Florido-Benítez

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The image airports project via their applications (apps affects -- directly or indirectly--passengers’ satisfaction. Today, airports are competing among each other to attract more airlines and passengers to improve commercial revenues. Airport apps (as mobile marketing tools are offering a wide range of opportunities to both passengers and airports. Apps are the best solution if airports want to improve the passenger experience as well as differentiate themselves from their competitors. The results from this investigation reveal that an airport’s image-perception has either a positive or negative effect on customer satisfaction. Our structural equation model confirms that the projection of the airport image on an app improves passengers’ sense of security-control, along with cross selling. This paper provides a glimpse to how commercial activities in airports will function with interactive media.

Parameter Identification of the 2-Chlorophenol Oxidation Model Using Improved Differential Search Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang-zhou Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Parameter identification plays a crucial role for simulating and using model. This paper firstly carried out the sensitivity analysis of the 2-chlorophenol oxidation model in supercritical water using the Monte Carlo method. Then, to address the nonlinearity of the model, two improved differential search (DS algorithms were proposed to carry out the parameter identification of the model. One strategy is to adopt the Latin hypercube sampling method to replace the uniform distribution of initial population; the other is to combine DS with simplex method. The results of sensitivity analysis reveal the sensitivity and the degree of difficulty identified for every model parameter. Furthermore, the posteriori probability distribution of parameters and the collaborative relationship between any two parameters can be obtained. To verify the effectiveness of the improved algorithms, the optimization performance of improved DS in kinetic parameter estimation is studied and compared with that of the basic DS algorithm, differential evolution, artificial bee colony optimization, and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization. And the experimental results demonstrate that the DS with the Latin hypercube sampling method does not present better performance, while the hybrid methods have the advantages of strong global search ability and local search ability and are more effective than the other algorithms.

Chromonic liquid crystalline nematic phase exhibited in binary mixture of two liquid crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Govindaiah, T. N., E-mail: tngovi.phy@gmail.com; Sreepad, H. R. [Post-Graduate Department of Physics, Government College (Autonomous), Mandya-571401 (India); Sridhar, K. N.; Sridhara, G. R.; Nagaraja, N. [Government College for Boys, Kolar-563101 (India)

2015-06-24

A binary mixture of abietic acid and orthophosphoric acid (H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}) exhibits co-existence of biphasic region of Nematic+Isotropic (N+I), lyotropic Nematic (ND) and Smectic-G (SmG) phases. The mixture exhibits N+I, N and SmG phases at different concentrations and at different temperatures. Mixtures with all concentrations of abietic acid exhibit I→N+I→N→SmG phases sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic melt. These phases have been characterized by using differential scanning calorimetric, X-ray diffraction, and optical texture studies.

An Improved Differential Evolution Algorithm for Maritime Collision Avoidance Route Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-xin Zhao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available High accuracy navigation and surveillance systems are pivotal to ensure efficient ship route planning and marine safety. Based on existing ship navigation and maritime collision prevention rules, an improved approach for collision avoidance route planning using a differential evolution algorithm was developed. Simulation results show that the algorithm is capable of significantly enhancing the optimized route over current methods. It has the potential to be used as a tool to generate optimal vessel routing in the presence of conflicts.

Vancomycin analogues containing monosaccharides exhibit improved antibiotic activity: a combined one-pot enzymatic glycosylation and chemical diversification strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Thayer, Desiree A; Wong, Chi-Huey

2006-09-18

Many natural products contain carbohydrate moieties that contribute to their biological activity. Manipulation of the carbohydrate domain of natural products through multiple glycosylations to identify new derivatives with novel biological activities has been a difficult and impractical process. We report a practical one-pot enzymatic approach with regeneration of cosubstrates to synthesize analogues of vancomycin that contain an N-alkyl glucosamine, which exhibited marked improvement in antibiotic activity against a vancomycin-resistant strain of Enterococcus.

High-fertility phenotypes: two outbred mouse models exhibit substantially different molecular and physiological strategies warranting improved fertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Langhammer, Martina; Michaelis, Marten; Hoeflich, Andreas; Sobczak, Alexander; Schoen, Jennifer; Weitzel, Joachim M

2014-01-01

Animal models are valuable tools in fertility research. Worldwide, there are more than 400 transgenic or knockout mouse models available showing a reproductive phenotype; almost all of them exhibit an infertile or at least subfertile phenotype. By contrast, animal models revealing an improved fertility phenotype are barely described. This article summarizes data on two outbred mouse models exhibiting a 'high-fertility' phenotype. These mouse lines were generated via selection over a time period of more than 40 years and 161 generations. During this selection period, the number of offspring per litter and the total birth weight of the entire litter nearly doubled. Concomitantly with the increased fertility phenotype, several endocrine parameters (e.g. serum testosterone concentrations in male animals), physiological parameters (e.g. body weight, accelerated puberty, and life expectancy), and behavioral parameters (e.g. behavior in an open field and endurance fitness on a treadmill) were altered. We demonstrate that the two independently bred high-fertility mouse lines warranted their improved fertility phenotype using different molecular and physiological strategies. The fertility lines display female- as well as male-specific characteristics. These genetically heterogeneous mouse models provide new insights into molecular and cellular mechanisms that enhance fertility. In view of decreasing fertility in men, these models will therefore be a precious information source for human reproductive medicine. Translated abstract A German translation of abstract is freely available at http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/147/4/427/suppl/DC1.

Manipulation of Cell Physiology Enables Gene Silencing in Well-differentiated Airway Epithelia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sateesh Krishnamurthy

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The application of RNA interference-based gene silencing to the airway surface epithelium holds great promise to manipulate host and pathogen gene expression for therapeutic purposes. However, well-differentiated airway epithelia display significant barriers to double-stranded small-interfering RNA (siRNA delivery despite testing varied classes of nonviral reagents. In well-differentiated primary pig airway epithelia (PAE or human airway epithelia (HAE grown at the air–liquid interface (ALI, the delivery of a Dicer-substrate small-interfering RNA (DsiRNA duplex against hypoxanthine–guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT with several nonviral reagents showed minimal uptake and no knockdown of the target. In contrast, poorly differentiated cells (2–5-day post-seeding exhibited significant oligonucleotide internalization and target knockdown. This finding suggested that during differentiation, the barrier properties of the epithelium are modified to an extent that impedes oligonucleotide uptake. We used two methods to overcome this inefficiency. First, we tested the impact of epidermal growth factor (EGF, a known enhancer of macropinocytosis. Treatment of the cells with EGF improved oligonucleotide uptake resulting in significant but modest levels of target knockdown. Secondly, we used the connectivity map (Cmap database to correlate gene expression changes during small molecule treatments on various cells types with genes that change upon mucociliary differentiation. Several different drug classes were identified from this correlative assessment. Well-differentiated epithelia treated with DsiRNAs and LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, significantly improved gene silencing and concomitantly reduced target protein levels. These novel findings reveal that well-differentiated airway epithelia, normally resistant to siRNA delivery, can be pretreated with small molecules to improve uptake of synthetic oligonucleotide and RNA interference (RNAi responses.

On Improving Efficiency of Differential Evolution for Aerodynamic Shape Optimization Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Madavan, Nateri K.

2004-01-01

Differential Evolution (DE) is a simple and robust evolutionary strategy that has been proven effective in determining the global optimum for several difficult optimization problems. Although DE offers several advantages over traditional optimization approaches, its use in applications such as aerodynamic shape optimization where the objective function evaluations are computationally expensive is limited by the large number of function evaluations often required. In this paper various approaches for improving the efficiency of DE are reviewed and discussed. These approaches are implemented in a DE-based aerodynamic shape optimization method that uses a Navier-Stokes solver for the objective function evaluations. Parallelization techniques on distributed computers are used to reduce turnaround times. Results are presented for the inverse design of a turbine airfoil. The efficiency improvements achieved by the different approaches are evaluated and compared.

Few items in the thyroid-related quality of life instrument ThyPRO exhibited differential item functioning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Grønvold, Mogens; Hegedüs, Laszlo

2014-01-01

To evaluate the extent of differential item functioning (DIF) within the thyroid-specific quality of life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO, according to sex, age, education and thyroid diagnosis.......To evaluate the extent of differential item functioning (DIF) within the thyroid-specific quality of life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO, according to sex, age, education and thyroid diagnosis....

Transplantation Dose Alters the Differentiation Program of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewer, Casey; Chu, Elizabeth; Chin, Mike; Lu, Rong

2016-05-24

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is the most prevalent stem cell therapy, but it remains a risky procedure. To improve this treatment, it is important to understand how transplanted stem cells rebuild the blood and immune systems and how this process is impacted by transplantation variables such as the HSC dose. Here, we find that, in the long term following transplantation, 70%-80% of donor-HSC-derived clones do not produce all measured blood cell types. High HSC doses lead to more clones that exhibit balanced lymphocyte production, whereas low doses produce more T-cell-specialized clones. High HSC doses also produce significantly higher proportions of early-differentiating clones compared to low doses. These complex differentiation behaviors uncover the clonal-level regeneration dynamics of hematopoietic regeneration and suggest that transplantation dose can be exploited to improve stem cell therapy. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Case with difficulty in differentiating between transient neuroleptic malignant syndrome and catatonia after neuroleptic analgesia].

Science.gov (United States)

Yanagawa, Youichi; Miyazaki, Masaki

2010-02-01

An 18-year-old woman was treated with neuroleptic analgesia using fentanyl, morphine, droperidol and haloperidol for general anesthesia and pain control for her knee operation. Postoperatively, she showed emotional unstableness, following dyspnea, tachycardia, fever, hyperhydrosis, muscle rigidity and myoclonus like involuntary movement. She received infusion of 140 mg dantrolene in total under suspicion of having neuroleptic malignant syndrome, but her symptoms improved slightly. After being transferred to our hospital, she exhibited immobility, mutism, rigidity, and catalepsy, and she was suspected of having lethal catatonia. Infusion of diazepam 10 mg resulted in dramatical improvement of her symptoms. Differential diagnosis between neuroleptic malignant syndrome and catatonia is difficult; however, a first line therapy is differential diagnosis. Thus, physician should consider catatonia when treating neuroleptic malignant like syndrome.

Immersive Exhibitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Achiam, Marianne

2015-01-01

The immersive exhibition is a specialized exhibition genre in museums, which creates the illusion of time and place by representing key characteristics of a reference world and by integrating the visitor in this three-dimensionally reconstructed world (Mortensen 2010). A successful representation...... of the reference world depends on three criteria: whether the exhibition is staged as a coherent whole with all the displayed objects supporting the representation, whether the visitor is integrated as a component of the exhibition, and whether the content and message of the exhibition become dramatized...

INDUCED EEG GAMMA OSCILLATION ALIGNMENT IMPROVES DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN AUTISM AND ADHD GROUP RESPONSES IN A FACIAL CATEGORIZATION TASK.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Eric; El-Baz, Ayman S; Sokhadze, Guela E; Sears, Lonnie; Casanova, Manuel F; Sokhadze, Estate M

2012-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often lack the ability to recognize and properly respond to emotional stimuli. Emotional deficits also characterize children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in addition to exhibiting limited attention span. These abnormalities may effect a difference in the induced EEG gamma wave burst (35-45 Hz) peaked approximately 300-400 milliseconds following an emotional stimulus. Because induced gamma oscillations are not fixed at a definite point in time post-stimulus, analysis of averaged EEG data with traditional methods may result in an attenuated gamma burst power. METHODS: We used a data alignment technique to improve the averaged data, making it a better representation of the individual induced EEG gamma oscillations. A study was designed to test the response of a subject to emotional stimuli, presented in the form of emotional facial expression images. In a four part experiment, the subjects were instructed to identify gender in the first two blocks of the test, followed by differentiating between basic emotions in the final two blocks (i.e. anger vs. disgust). EEG data was collected from ASD (n=10), ADHD (n=9), and control (n=11) subjects via a 128 channel EGI system, and processed through a continuous wavelet transform and bandpass filter to isolate the gamma frequencies. A custom MATLAB code was used to align the data from individual trials between 200-600 ms post-stimulus, EEG site, and condition by maximizing the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between trials. The gamma power for the 400 ms window of maximum induced gamma burst was then calculated and compared between subject groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Condition (anger/disgust recognition, gender recognition) × Alignment × Group (ADHD, ASD, Controls) interaction was significant at most of parietal topographies (e.g., P3-P4, P7-P8). These interactions were better manifested in the aligned data set

Improved differential evolution algorithms for handling economic dispatch optimization with generator constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coelho, Leandro dos Santos; Mariani, Viviana Cocco

2007-01-01

Global optimization based on evolutionary algorithms can be used as the important component for many engineering optimization problems. Evolutionary algorithms have yielded promising results for solving nonlinear, non-differentiable and multi-modal optimization problems in the power systems area. Differential evolution (DE) is a simple and efficient evolutionary algorithm for function optimization over continuous spaces. It has reportedly outperformed search heuristics when tested over both benchmark and real world problems. This paper proposes improved DE algorithms for solving economic load dispatch problems that take into account nonlinear generator features such as ramp rate limits and prohibited operating zones in the power system operation. The DE algorithms and its variants are validated for two test systems consisting of 6 and 15 thermal units. Various DE approaches outperforms other state of the art algorithms reported in the literature in solving load dispatch problems with generator constraints

Human neural stem cells differentiate and promote locomotor recovery in an early chronic spinal cord injury NOD-scid mouse model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Desirée L Salazar

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI results in partial or complete paralysis and is characterized by a loss of neurons and oligodendrocytes, axonal injury, and demyelination/dysmyelination of spared axons. Approximately 1,250,000 individuals have chronic SCI in the U.S.; therefore treatment in the chronic stages is highly clinically relevant. Human neural stem cells (hCNS-SCns were prospectively isolated based on fluorescence-activated cell sorting for a CD133(+ and CD24(-/lo population from fetal brain, grown as neurospheres, and lineage restricted to generate neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. hCNS-SCns have recently been transplanted sub-acutely following spinal cord injury and found to promote improved locomotor recovery. We tested the ability of hCNS-SCns transplanted 30 days post SCI to survive, differentiate, migrate, and promote improved locomotor recovery.hCNS-SCns were transplanted into immunodeficient NOD-scid mice 30 days post spinal cord contusion injury. hCNS-SCns transplanted mice demonstrated significantly improved locomotor recovery compared to vehicle controls using open field locomotor testing and CatWalk gait analysis. Transplanted hCNS-SCns exhibited long-term engraftment, migration, limited proliferation, and differentiation predominantly to oligodendrocytes and neurons. Astrocytic differentiation was rare and mice did not exhibit mechanical allodynia. Furthermore, differentiated hCNS-SCns integrated with the host as demonstrated by co-localization of human cytoplasm with discrete staining for the paranodal marker contactin-associated protein.The results suggest that hCNS-SCns are capable of surviving, differentiating, and promoting improved locomotor recovery when transplanted into an early chronic injury microenvironment. These data suggest that hCNS-SCns transplantation has efficacy in an early chronic SCI setting and thus expands the "window of opportunity" for intervention.

Soya bean Gα proteins with distinct biochemical properties exhibit differential ability to complement Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpa1 mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy Choudhury, Swarup; Wang, Yuqi; Pandey, Sona

2014-07-01

Signalling pathways mediated by heterotrimeric G-proteins are common to all eukaryotes. Plants have a limited number of each of the G-protein subunits, with the most elaborate G-protein network discovered so far in soya bean (Glycine max, also known as soybean) which has four Gα, four Gβ and ten Gγ proteins. Biochemical characterization of Gα proteins from plants suggests significant variation in their properties compared with the well-characterized non-plant proteins. Furthermore, the four soya bean Gα (GmGα) proteins exhibit distinct biochemical activities among themselves, but the extent to which such biochemical differences contribute to their in vivo function is also not known. We used the yeast gpa1 mutant which displays constitutive signalling and growth arrest in the pheromone-response pathway as an in vivo model to evaluate the effect of distinct biochemical activities of GmGα proteins. We showed that specific GmGα proteins can be activated during pheromone-dependent receptor-mediated signalling in yeast and they display different strengths towards complementation of yeast gpa1 phenotypes. We also identified amino acids that are responsible for differential complementation abilities of specific Gα proteins. These data establish that specific plant Gα proteins are functional in the receptor-mediated pheromone-response pathway in yeast and that the subtle biochemical differences in their activity are physiologically relevant.

Statins and PPARα agonists induce myotoxicity in differentiated rat skeletal muscle cultures but do not exhibit synergy with co-treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Timothy E.; Zhang, Xiaohua; Shi, Shu; Umbenhauer, Diane R.

2005-01-01

Statins and fibrates (weak PPARα agonists) are prescribed for the treatment of lipid disorders. Both drugs cause myopathy, but with a low incidence, 0.1-0.5%. However, combined statin and fibrate therapy can enhance myopathy risk. We tested the myotoxic potential of PPAR subtype selective agonists alone and in combination with statins in a differentiated rat myotube model. A pharmacologically potent experimental PPARα agonist, Compound A, induced myotoxicity as assessed by TUNEL staining at a minimum concentration of 1 nM, while other weaker PPARα compounds, for example, WY-14643, Gemfibrozil and Bezafibrate increased the percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei at micromolar concentrations. In contrast, the PPARγ agonist Rosiglitazone caused little or no cell death at up to 10 μM and the PPARδ ligand GW-501516 exhibited comparatively less myotoxicity than that seen with Compound A. An experimental statin (Compound B) and Atorvastatin also increased the percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei and co-treatment with WY-14643, Gemfibrozil or Bezafibrate had less than a full additive effect on statin-induced cell killing. The mechanism of PPARα agonist-induced cell death was different from that of statins. Unlike statins, Compound A and WY-14643 did not activate caspase 3/7. In addition, mevalonate and geranylgeraniol reversed the toxicity caused by statins, but did not prevent the cell killing induced by WY-14643. Furthermore, unlike statins, Compound A did not inhibit the isoprenylation of rab4 or rap1a. Interestingly, Compound A and Compound B had differential effects on ATP levels. Taken together, these observations support the hypothesis that in rat myotube cultures, PPARα agonism mediates in part the toxicity response to PPARα compounds. Furthermore, PPARα agonists and statins cause myotoxicity through distinct and independent pathways

Merits of using color and shape differentiation to improve the speed and accuracy of drug strength identification on over-the-counter medicines by laypeople.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellier, Elizabeth; Tucker, Mike; Kenny, Natalie; Rowntree, Anna; Edworthy, Judy

2010-09-01

This study aimed to examine the utility of using color and shape to differentiate drug strength information on over-the-counter medicine packages. Medication errors are an important threat to patient safety, and confusions between drug strengths are a significant source of medication error. A visual search paradigm required laypeople to search for medicine packages of a particular strength from among distracter packages of different strengths, and measures of reaction time and error were recorded. Using color to differentiate drug strength information conferred an advantage on search times and accuracy. Shape differentiation did not improve search times and had only a weak effect on search accuracy. Using color to differentiate drug strength information improves drug strength identification performance. Color differentiation of drug strength information may be a useful way of reducing medication errors and improving patient safety.

Exhibit Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Marianne Foss

Science museums define the objectives of their exhibitions in terms of visitor learning outcomes. Yet, exhibit designers lack theoretical and empirical research findings on which to base the creation of such educational environments. Here, this shortcoming is addressed through the development...... of tools and processes to guide the design of educational science exhibits. The guiding paradigm for this development is design-based research, which is characterised by an iterative cycle of design, enactment, and analysis. In the design phase, an educational intervention is planned and carried out based...... on the generation of theoretical ideas for exhibit design is offered in a fourth and parallel research undertaking, namely the application of the notion of cultural border-crossing to a hypothetical case of exhibit design....

Multi-objective optimization of p-xylene oxidation process using an improved self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lili Tao; Bin Xu; Zhihua Hu; Weimin Zhong

2017-01-01

The rise in the use of global polyester fiber contributed to strong demand of the Terephthalic acid (TPA). The liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of p-xylene (PX) to TPA is regarded as a critical and efficient chemical process in industry [1]. PX oxidation reaction involves many complex side reactions, among which acetic acid combustion and PX combustion are the most important. As the target product of this oxidation process, the quality and yield of TPA are of great concern. However, the improvement of the qualified product yield can bring about the high energy consumption, which means that the economic objectives of this process cannot be achieved simulta-neously because the two objectives are in conflict with each other. In this paper, an improved self-adaptive multi-objective differential evolution algorithm was proposed to handle the multi-objective optimization prob-lems. The immune concept is introduced to the self-adaptive multi-objective differential evolution algorithm (SADE) to strengthen the local search ability and optimization accuracy. The proposed algorithm is successfully tested on several benchmark test problems, and the performance measures such as convergence and divergence metrics are calculated. Subsequently, the multi-objective optimization of an industrial PX oxidation process is carried out using the proposed immune self-adaptive multi-objective differential evolution algorithm (ISADE). Optimization results indicate that application of ISADE can greatly improve the yield of TPA with low combustion loss without degenerating TA quality.

Constraint Differentiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mödersheim, Sebastian Alexander; Basin, David; Viganò, Luca

2010-01-01

We introduce constraint differentiation, a powerful technique for reducing search when model-checking security protocols using constraint-based methods. Constraint differentiation works by eliminating certain kinds of redundancies that arise in the search space when using constraints to represent...... results show that constraint differentiation substantially reduces search and considerably improves the performance of OFMC, enabling its application to a wider class of problems....

Improving multilevel Monte Carlo for stochastic differential equations with application to the Langevin equation.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Eike H; Scheichl, Rob; Shardlow, Tony

2015-04-08

This paper applies several well-known tricks from the numerical treatment of deterministic differential equations to improve the efficiency of the multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) and especially the Langevin equation. We use modified equations analysis as an alternative to strong-approximation theory for the integrator, and we apply this to introduce MLMC for Langevin-type equations with integrators based on operator splitting. We combine this with extrapolation and investigate the use of discrete random variables in place of the Gaussian increments, which is a well-known technique for the weak approximation of SDEs. We show that, for small-noise problems, discrete random variables can lead to an increase in efficiency of almost two orders of magnitude for practical levels of accuracy.

Differential Weighting of Items to Improve University Admission Test Validity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Backhoff Escudero

2001-05-01

Full Text Available This paper gives an evaluation of different ways to increase university admission test criterion-related validity, by differentially weighting test items. We compared four methods of weighting multiple-choice items of the Basic Skills and Knowledge Examination (EXHCOBA: (1 punishing incorrect responses by a constant factor, (2 weighting incorrect responses, considering the levels of error, (3 weighting correct responses, considering the item’s difficulty, based on the Classic Measurement Theory, and (4 weighting correct responses, considering the item’s difficulty, based on the Item Response Theory. Results show that none of these methods increased the instrument’s predictive validity, although they did improve its concurrent validity. It was concluded that it is appropriate to score the test by simply adding up correct responses.

CNF1 Improves Astrocytic Ability to Support Neuronal Growth and Differentiation In vitro

OpenAIRE

Malchiodi-Albedi, Fiorella; Paradisi, Silvia; Di Nottia, Michela; Simone, Daiana; Travaglione, Sara; Falzano, Loredana; Guidotti, Marco; Frank, Claudio; Cutarelli, Alessandro; Fabbri, Alessia; Fiorentini, Carla

2012-01-01

Modulation of cerebral Rho GTPases activity in mice brain by intracerebral administration of Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1) leads to enhanced neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity and improves learning and memory. To gain more insight into the interactions between CNF1 and neuronal cells, we used primary neuronal and astrocytic cultures from rat embryonic brain to study CNF1 effects on neuronal differentiation, focusing on dendritic tree growth and synapse formation, which are stri...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains exhibit differential and strain-specific molecular signatures in pulmonary epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Mvubu, Nontobeko Eunice; Pillay, Balakrishna; Gamieldien, Junaid; Bishai, William; Pillay, Manormoney

2016-12-01

Although pulmonary epithelial cells are integral to innate and adaptive immune responses during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, global transcriptomic changes in these cells remain largely unknown. Changes in gene expression induced in pulmonary epithelial cells infected with M. tuberculosis F15/LAM4/KZN, F11, F28, Beijing and Unique genotypes were investigated by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). The Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform generated 50 bp reads that were mapped to the human genome (Hg19) using Tophat (2.0.10). Differential gene expression induced by the different strains in infected relative to the uninfected cells was quantified and compared using Cufflinks (2.1.0) and MeV (4.0.9), respectively. Gene expression varied among the strains with the total number of genes as follows: F15/LAM4/KZN (1187), Beijing (1252), F11 (1639), F28 (870), Unique (886) and H37Rv (1179). A subset of 292 genes was commonly induced by all strains, where 52 genes were down-regulated while 240 genes were up-regulated. Differentially expressed genes were compared among the strains and the number of induced strain-specific gene signatures were as follows: F15/LAM4/KZN (138), Beijing (52), F11 (255), F28 (55), Unique (186) and H37Rv (125). Strain-specific molecular gene signatures associated with functional pathways were observed only for the Unique and H37Rv strains while certain biological functions may be associated with other strain signatures. This study demonstrated that strains of M. tuberculosis induce differential gene expression and strain-specific molecular signatures in pulmonary epithelial cells. Specific signatures induced by clinical strains of M. tuberculosis can be further explored for novel host-associated biomarkers and adjunctive immunotherapies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Edge detection of optical subaperture image based on improved differential box-counting method

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi; Hui, Mei; Liu, Ming; Dong, Liquan; Kong, Lingqin; Zhao, Yuejin

2018-01-01

Optical synthetic aperture imaging technology is an effective approach to improve imaging resolution. Compared with monolithic mirror system, the image of optical synthetic aperture system is often more complex at the edge, and as a result of the existence of gap between segments, which makes stitching becomes a difficult problem. So it is necessary to extract the edge of subaperture image for achieving effective stitching. Fractal dimension as a measure feature can describe image surface texture characteristics, which provides a new approach for edge detection. In our research, an improved differential box-counting method is used to calculate fractal dimension of image, then the obtained fractal dimension is mapped to grayscale image to detect edges. Compared with original differential box-counting method, this method has two improvements as follows: by modifying the box-counting mechanism, a box with a fixed height is replaced by a box with adaptive height, which solves the problem of over-counting the number of boxes covering image intensity surface; an image reconstruction method based on super-resolution convolutional neural network is used to enlarge small size image, which can solve the problem that fractal dimension can't be calculated accurately under the small size image, and this method may well maintain scale invariability of fractal dimension. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively eliminate noise and has a lower false detection rate compared with the traditional edge detection algorithms. In addition, this algorithm can maintain the integrity and continuity of image edge in the case of retaining important edge information.

Differential Learning as a Key Training Approach to Improve Creative and Tactical Behavior in Soccer.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Sara; Coutinho, Diogo; Gonçalves, Bruno; Schöllhorn, Wolfgang; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to identify the effects of a differential-learning program, embedded in small-sided games, on the creative and tactical behavior of youth soccer players. Forty players from under-13 (U13) and under-15 (U15) were allocated into control and experimental groups and were tested using a randomized pretest to posttest design using small-sided games situations. The experimental group participated in a 5-month differential-learning program embodied in small-sided games situations, while the control group participated in a typical small-sided games training program. In-game creativity was assessed through notational analyses of the creative components, and the players' positional data were used to compute tactical-derived variables. The findings suggested that differential learning facilitated the development of creative components, mainly concerning attempts (U13, small; U15, small), versatility (U13, moderate; U15, small), and originality (U13, unclear; U15, small) of players' actions. Likewise, the differential-learning approach provided a decrease in fails during the game in both experimental groups (moderate). Moreover, differential learning seemed to favor regularity in pitch-positioning behavior for the distance between players' dyads (U13, small; U15, small), the distance to the team target (U13, moderate; U15, small), and the distance to the opponent target (U13, moderate; U15, small). The differential-learning program stressed creative and positional behavior in both age groups with a distinct magnitude of effects, with the U13 players demonstrating higher improvements over the U15 players. Overall, these findings confirmed that the technical variability promoted by differential learning nurtures regularity of positioning behavior.

Technology Exhibition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1979-09-15

Linked to the 25th Anniversary celebrations, an exhibition of some of CERN's technological achievements was opened on 22 June. Set up in a new 600 m{sup 2} Exhibition Hall on the CERN site, the exhibition is divided into eight technology areas — magnets, vacuum, computers and data handling, survey and alignment, radiation protection, beam monitoring and handling, detectors, and workshop techniques.

Mobile Technologies in Museum Exhibitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Medić

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In order to be up–to–date and give visitors a memorable and unique experience, museums are including usage of digital technologies in their exhibitions. Even though museums in Serbia are very important part of tourism offer, they still have traditional settings that are poorly interpreted. The majority of them have a scientific and historical review which is unattractive for various target groups of visitors and for museums it’s important to continually try out new ways in interpretation of their settings. Because technology continues to rapidly change the way we communicate, cultural institutions should adapt to new ways of communication with their visitors. This paper examines mobile technologies that can be used in museums to give visitors a different experience and transfer the knowledge innovatively. In that way it will be presented the modern concept of presentation of museum exhibitions, focusing on usage of mobile devices through mobile applications and QR codes. The paper provides the broad understanding of usage mobile technologies in museum exhibitions with its advantages and limitations. The research results can help the museums management to improve interpretation and communication with visitors and enrich the visitor experience.

Eugenics visualized: the exhibit of the Third International Congress of Eugenics, 1932.

Science.gov (United States)

Stillwell, Devon

2012-01-01

This article investigates the exhibit of the Third International Congress of Eugenics, which was organized by Harry Hamilton Laughlin and showcased at the American Museum of Natural History in 1932. It argues that the exhibit's displays shaped popular eugenic ideology by connecting particular eugenic principles to specific visual representations that were experienced in relation to binaries such as the artistically traditional and the modern, the classical and the grotesque, and the scientific and the spectacle (or the "freak" and the medical specimen). These dichotomies were, in turn, experienced within the context of the exhibit's overall theme of eugenics as anchored in the past and the future and concern over the differential birthrate. The exhibit to the Third Congress provides insight into growing tensions within the eugenics movement of the 1930s, the importance of positive eugenics, the aesthetics of heredity, and how the "scientific truths" of a given era are publicized and perpetuated.

Using Blogs to Improve Differentiated Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Colombo, Michaela W.; Colombo, Paul D.

2007-01-01

The authors discuss how the instructional impact of science teachers can be extended by using blogs, a technology popular among students that allows teachers to differentiate their instruction for students with diverse needs. Software now makes it easy for teachers to establish class blogs, Web sites that contain text, audio, and video postings on…

Gene regulatory and signaling networks exhibit distinct topological distributions of motifs

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Gustavo Rodrigues; Nakaya, Helder Imoto; Costa, Luciano da Fontoura

2018-04-01

The biological processes of cellular decision making and differentiation involve a plethora of signaling pathways and gene regulatory circuits. These networks in turn exhibit a multitude of motifs playing crucial parts in regulating network activity. Here we compare the topological placement of motifs in gene regulatory and signaling networks and observe that it suggests different evolutionary strategies in motif distribution for distinct cellular subnetworks.

Vinblastine 20' Amides: Synthetic Analogues That Maintain or Improve Potency and Simultaneously Overcome Pgp-Derived Efflux and Resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukesh, John C; Carney, Daniel W; Dong, Huijun; Cross, R Matthew; Shukla, Vyom; Duncan, Katharine K; Yang, Shouliang; Brody, Daniel M; Brütsch, Manuela M; Radakovic, Aleksandar; Boger, Dale L

2017-09-14

A series of 180 vinblastine 20' amides were prepared in three steps from commercially available starting materials, systematically exploring a typically inaccessible site in the molecule enlisting a powerful functionalization strategy. Clear structure-activity relationships and a structural model were developed in the studies which provided many such 20' amides that exhibit substantial and some even remarkable enhancements in potency, many that exhibit further improvements in activity against a Pgp overexpressing resistant cancer cell line, and an important subset of the vinblastine analogues that display little or no differential in activity against a matched pair of vinblastine sensitive and resistant (Pgp overexpressing) cell lines. The improvements in potency directly correlated with target tubulin binding affinity, and the reduction in differential functional activity against the sensitive and Pgp overexpressing resistant cell lines was found to correlate directly with an impact on Pgp-derived efflux.

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Human-Directed Undesirable Behavior Exhibited by a Captive Chimpanzee

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Allison L.; Bloomsmith, Mollie A.; Kelley, Michael E.; Marr, M. Jackson; Maple, Terry L.

2011-01-01

A functional analysis identified the reinforcer maintaining feces throwing and spitting exhibited by a captive adult chimpanzee ("Pan troglodytes"). The implementation of a function-based treatment combining extinction with differential reinforcement of an alternate behavior decreased levels of inappropriate behavior. These findings further…

Statins and PPAR{alpha} agonists induce myotoxicity in differentiated rat skeletal muscle cultures but do not exhibit synergy with co-treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Timothy E [Department of Safety Assessment, Merck Research Laboratories, WP45-319, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486 (United States); Zhang, Xiaohua [Department of Biometrics Research, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486 (United States); Shi, Shu [Department of Safety Assessment, Merck Research Laboratories, WP45-319, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486 (United States); Umbenhauer, Diane R [Department of Safety Assessment, Merck Research Laboratories, WP45-319, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486 (United States)

2005-11-01

Statins and fibrates (weak PPAR{alpha} agonists) are prescribed for the treatment of lipid disorders. Both drugs cause myopathy, but with a low incidence, 0.1-0.5%. However, combined statin and fibrate therapy can enhance myopathy risk. We tested the myotoxic potential of PPAR subtype selective agonists alone and in combination with statins in a differentiated rat myotube model. A pharmacologically potent experimental PPAR{alpha} agonist, Compound A, induced myotoxicity as assessed by TUNEL staining at a minimum concentration of 1 nM, while other weaker PPAR{alpha} compounds, for example, WY-14643, Gemfibrozil and Bezafibrate increased the percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei at micromolar concentrations. In contrast, the PPAR{gamma} agonist Rosiglitazone caused little or no cell death at up to 10 {mu}M and the PPAR{delta} ligand GW-501516 exhibited comparatively less myotoxicity than that seen with Compound A. An experimental statin (Compound B) and Atorvastatin also increased the percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei and co-treatment with WY-14643, Gemfibrozil or Bezafibrate had less than a full additive effect on statin-induced cell killing. The mechanism of PPAR{alpha} agonist-induced cell death was different from that of statins. Unlike statins, Compound A and WY-14643 did not activate caspase 3/7. In addition, mevalonate and geranylgeraniol reversed the toxicity caused by statins, but did not prevent the cell killing induced by WY-14643. Furthermore, unlike statins, Compound A did not inhibit the isoprenylation of rab4 or rap1a. Interestingly, Compound A and Compound B had differential effects on ATP levels. Taken together, these observations support the hypothesis that in rat myotube cultures, PPAR{alpha} agonism mediates in part the toxicity response to PPAR{alpha} compounds. Furthermore, PPAR{alpha} agonists and statins cause myotoxicity through distinct and independent pathways.

Carbon Monoxide Releasing Molecule-A1 (CORM-A1) Improves Neurogenesis: Increase of Neuronal Differentiation Yield by Preventing Cell Death.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Ana S; Soares, Nuno L; Vieira, Melissa; Gramsbergen, Jan Bert; Vieira, Helena L A

2016-01-01

Cerebral ischemia and neurodegenerative diseases lead to impairment or death of neurons in the central nervous system. Stem cell based therapies are promising strategies currently under investigation. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an endogenous product of heme degradation by heme oxygenase (HO) activity. Administration of CO at low concentrations produces several beneficial effects in distinct tissues, namely anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory. Herein the CO role on modulation of neuronal differentiation was assessed. Three different models with increasing complexity were used: human neuroblastoma SH-S5Y5 cell line, human teratocarcinoma NT2 cell line and organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSC). Cell lines were differentiated into post-mitotic neurons by treatment with retinoic acid (RA) supplemented with CO-releasing molecule A1 (CORM-A1). CORM-A1 positively modulated neuronal differentiation, since it increased final neuronal production and enhanced the expression of specific neuronal genes: Nestin, Tuj1 and MAP2. Furthermore, during neuronal differentiation process, there was an increase in proliferative cell number (ki67 mRNA expressing cells) and a decrease in cell death (lower propidium iodide (PI) uptake, limitation of caspase-3 activation and higher Bcl-2 expressing cells). CO supplementation did not increase the expression of RA receptors. In the case of SH-S5Y5 model, small amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation emerges as important signaling molecules during CO-promoted neuronal differentiation. CO's improvement of neuronal differentiation yield was validated using OHSC as ex vivo model. CORM-A1 treatment of OHSC promoted higher levels of cells expressing the neuronal marker Tuj1. Still, CORM-A1 increased cell proliferation assessed by ki67 expression and also prevented cell death, which was followed by increased Bcl-2 expression, decreased levels of active caspase-3 and PI uptake. Likewise, ROS signaling emerged as key factors in CO

FDG uptake heterogeneity evaluated by fractal analysis improves the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miwa, Kenta, E-mail: kenta5710@gmail.com [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Division of Medical Quantum Science, Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Inubushi, Masayuki, E-mail: inubushi@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192 (Japan); Wagatsuma, Kei, E-mail: kei1192@hotmail.co.jp [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Nagao, Michinobu, E-mail: minagao@radiol.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Molecular Imaging and Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Murata, Taisuke, E-mail: taisuke113@gmail.com [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Koyama, Masamichi, E-mail: masamichi.koyama@jfcr.or.jp [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Koizumi, Mitsuru, E-mail: mitsuru@jfcr.or.jp [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Sasaki, Masayuki, E-mail: msasaki@hs.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Division of Medical Quantum Science, Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan)

2014-04-15

Purpose: The present study aimed to determine whether fractal analysis of morphological complexity and intratumoral heterogeneity of FDG uptake can help to differentiate malignant from benign pulmonary nodules. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 54 patients with suspected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were examined by FDG PET/CT. Pathological assessments of biopsy specimens confirmed 35 and 19 nodules as NSCLC and inflammatory lesions, respectively. The morphological fractal dimension (m-FD), maximum standardized uptake value (SUV{sub max}) and density fractal dimension (d-FD) of target nodules were calculated from CT and PET images. Fractal dimension is a quantitative index of morphological complexity and tracer uptake heterogeneity; higher values indicate increased complexity and heterogeneity. Results: The m-FD, SUV{sub max} and d-FD significantly differed between malignant and benign pulmonary nodules (p < 0.05). Although the diagnostic ability was better for d-FD than m-FD and SUV{sub max}, the difference did not reach statistical significance. Tumor size correlated significantly with SUV{sub max} (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), but not with either m-FD or d-FD. Furthermore, m-FD combined with either SUV{sub max} or d-FD improved diagnostic accuracy to 92.6% and 94.4%, respectively. Conclusion: The d-FD of intratumoral heterogeneity of FDG uptake can help to differentially diagnose malignant and benign pulmonary nodules. The SUV{sub max} and d-FD obtained from FDG-PET images provide different types of information that are equally useful for differential diagnoses. Furthermore, the morphological complexity determined by CT combined with heterogeneous FDG uptake determined by PET improved diagnostic accuracy.

Parameter identification of PEMFC model based on hybrid adaptive differential evolution algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Zhe; Wang, Ning; Bi, Yunrui; Srinivasan, Dipti

2015-01-01

In this paper, a HADE (hybrid adaptive differential evolution) algorithm is proposed for the identification problem of PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell). Inspired by biological genetic strategy, a novel adaptive scaling factor and a dynamic crossover probability are presented to improve the adaptive and dynamic performance of differential evolution algorithm. Moreover, two kinds of neighborhood search operations based on the bee colony foraging mechanism are introduced for enhancing local search efficiency. Through testing the benchmark functions, the proposed algorithm exhibits better performance in convergent accuracy and speed. Finally, the HADE algorithm is applied to identify the nonlinear parameters of PEMFC stack model. Through experimental comparison with other identified methods, the PEMFC model based on the HADE algorithm shows better performance. - Highlights: • We propose a hybrid adaptive differential evolution algorithm (HADE). • The search efficiency is enhanced in low and high dimension search space. • The effectiveness is confirmed by testing benchmark functions. • The identification of the PEMFC model is conducted by adopting HADE.

Differentiating Research, Quality Improvement, and Case Studies to Ethically Incorporate Pregnant Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillippi, Julia C; Hartmann, Katherine E

2018-01-01

Pregnant women have been called therapeutic orphans because data supporting common interventions, medications, health teaching, and models of care are meager. The generation of quality evidence benefits from proactive approaches that ensure ethical standards are met to protect participants. The purpose of this article is to differentiate among health care, quality improvement, and research and to discuss ethical involvement of women who are pregnant and potentially childbearing in these initiatives. Health care is provided to protect and improve individual health. Quality improvement aims to enhance delivery of care for all those receiving care in particular settings. Research, whether retrospective or prospective, is designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge. This review includes vignettes to distinguish between research, quality improvement, and case study dissemination and to highlight the value of publication of information with applicability beyond a single site. As a community, perinatal care providers will be able to contribute more evidence to guide care if they err on the side of seeking institutional review board approval for activities that examine the care and outcomes of pregnant women and the fetus. Traditional research activities, including clinical trials, remain crucial. However, to fill gaps in knowledge, we must expedite our ability to report informative cases, examine clinical data, share lessons learned during quality improvement campaigns, and publish and disseminate these findings. Accelerating improvements in care demands expansion of the evidence base. © 2017 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The improved fractional sub-equation method and its applications to the space–time fractional differential equations in fluid mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Shimin; Mei, Liquan; Li, Ying; Sun, Youfa

2012-01-01

By introducing a new general ansätz, the improved fractional sub-equation method is proposed to construct analytical solutions of nonlinear evolution equations involving Jumarie's modified Riemann–Liouville derivative. By means of this method, the space–time fractional Whitham–Broer–Kaup and generalized Hirota–Satsuma coupled KdV equations are successfully solved. The obtained results show that the proposed method is quite effective, promising and convenient for solving nonlinear fractional differential equations. -- Highlights: ► We propose a novel method for nonlinear fractional differential equations. ► Two important fractional differential equations in fluid mechanics are solved successfully. ► Some new exact solutions of the fractional differential equations are obtained. ► These solutions will advance the understanding of nonlinear physical phenomena.

Long-Term Scheduling of Large-Scale Cascade Hydropower Stations Using Improved Differential Evolution Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaohao Wen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Long-term scheduling of large cascade hydropower stations (LSLCHS is a complex problem of high dimension, nonlinearity, coupling and complex constraint. In view of the above problem, we present an improved differential evolution (iLSHADE algorithm based on LSHADE, a state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithm. iLSHADE uses new mutation strategies “current to pbest/2-rand” to obtain wider search range and accelerate convergence with the preventing individual repeated failure evolution (PIRFE strategy. The handling of complicated constraints strategy of ε-constrained method is presented to handle outflow, water level and output constraints in the cascade reservoir operation. Numerical experiments of 10 benchmark functions have been done, showing that iLSHADE has stable convergence and high efficiency. Furthermore, we demonstrate the performance of the iLSHADE algorithm by comparing it with other improved differential evolution algorithms for LSLCHS in four large hydropower stations of the Jinsha River. With the applications of iLSHADE in reservoir operation, LSLCHS can obtain more power generation benefit than other alternatives in dry, normal, and wet years. The results of numerical experiments and case studies show that the iLSHADE has a distinct optimization effect and good stability, and it is a valid and reliable tool to solve LSLCHS problem.

Mannheimia haemolytica serotype A1 exhibits differential pathogenicity in two related species, Ovis canadensis and Ovis aries.

Science.gov (United States)

Dassanayake, Rohana P; Shanthalingam, Sudarvili; Herndon, Caroline N; Lawrence, Paulraj K; Frances Cassirer, E; Potter, Kathleen A; Foreyt, William J; Clinkenbeard, Kenneth D; Srikumaran, Subramaniam

2009-02-02

Mannheimia haemolytica causes pneumonia in both bighorn sheep (BHS, Ovis canadensis) and domestic sheep (DS, Ovis aries). Under experimental conditions, co-pasturing of BHS and DS results in fatal pneumonia in BHS. It is conceivable that certain serotypes of M. haemolytica carried by DS are non-pathogenic to them, but lethal for BHS. M. haemolytica serotypes A1 and A2 are carried by DS in the nasopharynx. However, it is the serotype A2 that predominantly causes pneumonia in DS. The objectives of this study were to determine whether serotype A1 exhibits differential pathogenicity to BHS and DS, and to determine whether leukotoxin (Lkt) secreted by this organism is its primary virulence factor. Three groups each of BHS and DS were intra-tracheally administered either 1 x 10(9)cfu of serotype A1 wild-type (lktA-Wt group), Lkt-deletion mutant of serotype A1-(lktA-Mt group), or saline (control group), respectively. In the lktA-Wt groups, all four BHS died within 48h while none of the DS died during the 2-week study period. In the lktA-Mt groups, none of the BHS or DS died. In the control groups, one DS died due to an unrelated cause. Necropsy and histopathological findings revealed that death of BHS in the lktA-Wt group was due to bilateral, fibrinohemorrhagic pneumonia. Although the A1-Mt-inoculated BHS were clinically normal, on necropsy, lungs of two BHS showed varying degrees of mild chronic pneumonia. These results indicate that M. haemolytica serotype A1 is non-pathogenic to DS, but highly lethal to BHS, and that Lkt is the primary virulence factor of M. haemolytica.

Exhibition

CERN Document Server

Staff Association

2017-01-01

A Look of Hope Islam Mahmoud Sweity From 19 to 30 June 2017 CERN Meyrin, Main Building Islam Mahmoud Sweity Islam Mahmoud Sweity was born in 1997 at Beit Awwa, Palestine. She is currently following a course to get an Art diploma of Painting at the college of Fine Arts at An-Najah National University under the supervision of Esmat Al As'aad. Her portraits, landscapes and still life paintings are full of life and shining colours. Charged of emotional empathy they catch the attention of the viewer and are reminding us that life is beautiful and worth living in spite of all difficulties we have to go through. She participated in many exhibitions and has exposed her drawings in 2015 at CERN and in France in the framework of the exhibition "The Origin“, and in 2017 in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Palestina and Jordan. In this exhibition the oil paintings made in the past year will be presented. For more information : staff.association@cern.ch | T&eacu...

Improving Student Understanding of Magmatic Differentiation Using an M&M Magma Chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, K. R.

2003-12-01

Many students, especially those in introductory geology courses, have difficulty developing a deep understanding of the processes of magmatic differentiation. In particular, students often struggle to understand Bowen's reaction series and fractional crystallization. The process of fractional crystallization by gravity settling can be illustrated using a model magma chamber consisting of M&M's. In this model, each major cation (e.g., Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K) is represented by a different color M&M; other kinds of differently colored or shaped pieces could also be used. Appropriate numbers of each color M&M are combined to approximate the cation proportions of a basaltic magma. Students then fractionate the magma by moving M&M's to the bottom of the magma chamber forming a series of cumulus layers; the M&M's are removed in the stoichiometric proportions of cations in the crystallizing minerals (e.g., olivine, pyroxene, feldspars, quartz, magnetite, ilmenite). Students observe the changing cation composition (proportions of colors of M&M's) in the cumulus layers and in the magma chamber and graph the results using spreadsheet software. More advanced students (e.g., petrology course) can classify the cumulates and resulting liquid after each crystallization step, and they can compare the model system with natural magmatic systems (e.g., absence of important fractionating phases, volatiles). Students who have completed this exercise generally indicate a positive experience and demonstrate increased understanding of Bowen's reaction series and fractionation processes. They also exhibit greater familiarity with mineral stoichiometry, classification, solid-solution in minerals, element behavior (e.g., incompatibility), and chemical variation diagrams. Other models (e.g., paths of equilibrium and fractional crystallization on phase diagrams) can also be used to illustrate differentiation processes in upper level courses (e.g., mineralogy and petrology).

Exhibiting Epistemic Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tybjerg, Karin

2017-01-01

of exhibiting epistemic objects that utilize their knowledge-generating potential and allow them to continue to stimulate curiosity and generate knowledge in the exhibition. The epistemic potential of the objects can then be made to work together with the function of the exhibition as a knowledge-generating set...

Moringa oleifera Lam. improves lipid metabolism during adipogenic differentiation of human stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbagallo, I; Vanella, L; Distefano, A; Nicolosi, D; Maravigna, A; Lazzarino, G; Di Rosa, M; Tibullo, D; Acquaviva, R; Li Volti, G

2016-12-01

Moringa oleifera Lam., a multipurpose tree, is used traditionally for its nutritional and medicinal properties. It has been used for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including inflammation, cancer and metabolic disorders. We investigated the effect of Moringa oleifera Lam. on adipogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and its impact on lipid metabolism and cellular antioxidant systems. We showed that Moringa oleifera Lam. treatment during adipogenic differentiation reduces inflammation, lipid accumulation and induces thermogenesis by activation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), and coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1α). In addition, Moringa oleifera Lam. induces heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a well established protective and antioxidant enzyme. Finally Moringa oleifera Lam. significantly decreases the expression of molecules involved in adipogenesis and upregulates the expression of mediators involved in thermogenesis and lipid metabolism. Our results suggest that Moringa oleifera Lam. may promote the brown remodeling of white adipose tissue inducing thermogenesis and improving metabolic homeostasis.

Improved Mobility Performance in LTE Co-Channel HetNets Through Speed Differentiated Enhancements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barbera, Simone; Michaelsen, Per Henrik; Säily, Mikko

2012-01-01

, requiring minimum assistance and signaling from the network. Extensive system level simulations are used to quantify the benefits. Results confirm that the proposed solutions offer improvements in several mobility key performance indicators such as radio link failure, number of handovers, offload to pico......This paper analyzes the mobility performance of LTE (Long Term Evolution) co-channel heterogeneous networks (HetNet) with macro and pico cells. Improved methods for differentiating offload and mobility robustness as a function of the UE (User Equipment) mobility are proposed. The suggested solution...... comprises two key elements, namely enhanced UE MSE (Mobility State Estimation), as well as optimized methods such that high speed users are primarily kept at the macro layer, while the offload to pico cells for low speed users is maximized. The proposed methods are designed as UE autonomous solutions...

miR-150-Mediated Foxo1 Regulation Programs CD8+ T Cell Differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ban, Young Ho; Oh, Se-Chan; Seo, Sang-Hwan; Kim, Seok-Min; Choi, In-Pyo; Greenberg, Philip D; Chang, Jun; Kim, Tae-Don; Ha, Sang-Jun

2017-09-12

MicroRNA (miR)-150 is a developmental regulator of several immune-cell types, but its role in CD8 + T cells is largely unexplored. Here, we show that miR-150 regulates the generation of memory CD8 + T cells. After acute virus infection, miR-150 knockout (KO) mice exhibited an accelerated differentiation of CD8 + T cells into memory cells and improved production of effector cytokines. Additionally, miR-150 KO CD8 + T cells displayed an enhanced recall response and improved protection against infections with another virus and bacteria. We found that forkhead box O1 (Foxo1) and T cell-specific transcription factor 1 (TCF1) are upregulated during the early activation phase in miR-150 KO CD8 + T cells and that miR-150 directly targets and suppresses Foxo1. These results suggest that miR-150-mediated suppression of Foxo1 regulates the balance between effector and memory cell differentiation, which might aid in the development of improved vaccines and T cell therapeutics. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEF) Exhibit a Similar but not Identical Phenotype to Bone Marrow Stromal Stem Cells (BMSC)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saeed, Hamid; Taipaleenmäki, Hanna; Aldahmash, Abdullah M

2012-01-01

Mouse embryonic fibroblasts have been utilized as a surrogate stem cell model for the postnatal bone marrow-derived stromal stem cells (BMSC) to study mesoderm-type cell differentiation e.g. osteoblasts, adipocytes and chondrocytes. However, no formal characterization of MEF phenotype has been...... by real-time PCR analysis. Compared to BMSC, MEF exhibited a more enhanced differentiation into adipocyte and chondrocyte lineages. Interestingly, both MEF and BMSC formed the same amount of heterotopic bone and bone marrow elements upon in vivo subcutaneous implantation with hydroxyapatite...... and differentiation to osteoblasts, adipocytes and chondrocytes....

Repression of COUP-TFI Improves Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation into Insulin-Producing Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Zhang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Identifying molecular mechanisms that regulate insulin expression in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs can provide clues on how to stimulate the differentiation of bmMSCs into insulin-producing cells (IPCs, which can be used as a therapeutic approach against type 1 diabetes (T1D. As repression factors may inhibit differentiation, the efficiency of this process is insufficient for cell transplantation. In this study, we used the mouse insulin 2 (Ins2 promoter sequence and performed a DNA affinity precipitation assay combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the transcription factor, chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcriptional factor I (COUP-TFI. Functionally, bmMSCs were reprogrammed into IPCs via COUP-TFI suppression and MafA overexpression. The differentiated cells expressed higher levels of genes specific for islet endocrine cells, and they released C-peptide and insulin in response to glucose stimulation. Transplantation of IPCs into streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice caused a reduction in hyperglycemia. Mechanistically, COUP-TFI bound to the DR1 (direct repeats with 1 spacer element in the Ins2 promoter, thereby negatively regulating promoter activity. Taken together, the data provide a novel mechanism by which COUP-TFI acts as a negative regulator in the Ins2 promoter. The differentiation of bmMSCs into IPCs could be improved by knockdown of COUP-TFI, which may provide a novel stem cell-based therapy for T1D. Keywords: siRNAs, differentiation, stem cell transplantation, diabetes, mesenchymal stem cells

Graphene oxide enrichment of collagen membranes improves DPSCs differentiation and controls inflammation occurrence.

Science.gov (United States)

Radunovic, Milena; De Colli, Marianna; De Marco, Patrizia; Di Nisio, Chiara; Fontana, Antonella; Piattelli, Adriano; Cataldi, Amelia; Zara, Susi

2017-08-01

Collagen membranes are used in oral surgery for bone defects treatment acting as a barrier that does not allow the invasion of soft tissue into the growing bone. To improve biocompatibility collagen membranes were coated with graphene oxide (GO), a graphene derivative. The aim of this study was to investigate the biocompatibility of GO coated collagen membranes on human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) focusing on biomaterial cytotoxicity, ability to promote DPSCs differentiation process and to control inflammation event induction. DPSCs were cultured on uncoated membranes and on both 2 and 10 μg mL -1 GO coated membranes up to 28 days. Alamar blue and LDH cytotocicity assay, PGE2 ELISA assay, real time RT-PCR for RUNX2, BMP2, SP7, TNFα and COX2 genes expression were performed. Proliferation is higher on GO coated membranes at days 14 and 28. LDH assay evidences no cytotoxicity. BMP2 and RUNX2 expression is higher on coated membranes, BMP2 at early and RUNX2 and SP7 at late experimental times. PGE2 levels are lower on GO coated membranes at days 14 and 28, both TNFα and COX2 expression is significantly decreased when GO is applied. GO coated membranes are not toxic for DPSCs, induce a faster DPSCs differentiation into odontoblasts/osteoblasts and may represent good alternative to conventional membranes thus ensuring more efficient bone formation and improving the clinical performance. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2312-2320, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Diclofenac and triamcinolone acetonide impair tenocytic differentiation and promote adipocytic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Fredriksson, Maritha; Li, Yan; Stålman, Anders; Haldosén, Lars-Arne; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2013-09-02

Tendinopathies are often empirically treated with oral/topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroid injections despite their unclear effects on tendon regeneration. Recent studies indicate that tendon progenitors exhibit stem cell-like properties, i.e., differentiation to osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes, in addition to tenocytes. Our present study aims at understanding the effects of triamcinolone acetonide and diclofenac on tenocytic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. The murine fibroblast C3H10T1/2 cell line was induced to tenocytic differentiation by growth differentiation factor-7. Cell proliferation and differentiation with the exposure of different concentrations of triamcinolone acetonide and diclofenac were measured by WST-1 assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, respectively. Cell proliferation was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner when exposed to triamcinolone acetonide and diclofenac. In addition to tenocytic differentiation, adipocyte formation was observed, both at gene expression and microscopic level, when the cells were exposed to triamcinolone acetonide or high concentrations of diclofenac. Our results indicate that triamcinolone acetonide and diclofenac might alter mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in a nonfavorable way regarding tendon regeneration; therefore, these medications should be used with more caution clinically.

Citrus aurantium L. dry extracts promote C/ebpβ expression and improve adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Raciti, Gregory Alexander; Fiory, Francesca; Campitelli, Michele; Desiderio, Antonella; Spinelli, Rosa; Longo, Michele; Nigro, Cecilia; Pepe, Giacomo; Sommella, Eduardo; Campiglia, Pietro; Formisano, Pietro; Beguinot, Francesco; Miele, Claudia

2018-01-01

Metabolic and/or endocrine dysfunction of the white adipose tissue (WAT) contribute to the development of metabolic disorders, such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Therefore, the identification of products able to improve adipose tissue function represents a valuable strategy for the prevention and/or treatment of T2D. In the current study, we investigated the potential effects of dry extracts obtained from Citrus aurantium L. fruit juice (CAde) on the regulation of 3T3-L1 cells adipocyte differentiation and function in vitro. We found that CAde enhances terminal adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells raising the expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/Ebpβ), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Pparγ), glucose transporter type 4 (Glut4) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (Fabp4). CAde improves insulin-induced glucose uptake of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, as well. A focused analysis of the phases occurring in the pre-adipocytes differentiation to mature adipocytes furthermore revealed that CAde promotes the early differentiation stage by up-regulating C/ebpβ expression at 2, 4 and 8 h post the adipogenic induction and anticipating the 3T3-L1 cell cycle entry and progression during mitotic clonal expansion (MCE). These findings provide evidence that the exposure to CAde enhances in vitro fat cell differentiation of pre-adipocytes and functional capacity of mature adipocytes, and pave the way to the development of products derived from Citrus aurantium L. fruit juice, which may improve WAT functional capacity and may be effective for the prevention and/or treatment of T2D.

N-AC-l-Leu-PEI-mediated miR-34a delivery improves osteogenic differentiation under orthodontic force.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Wenwen; Zheng, Yi; Yang, Zhujun; Fei, Hongbo; Wang, Yang; Hou, Xu; Sun, Xinhua; Shen, Yuqin

2017-12-15

Rare therapeutic genes or agents are reported to control orthodontic bone remodeling. MicroRNAs have recently been associated with bone metabolism. Here, we report the in vitro and in vivo effects of miR-34a on osteogenic differentiation under orthodontic force using an N -acetyl-L-leucine-modified polyethylenimine ( N -Ac-l-Leu-PEI) carrier. N -Ac-l-Leu-PEI exhibited low cytotoxicity and high miR-34a transfection efficiency in rat bone mineral stem cells and local alveolar bone tissue. After transfection, miR-34a enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of Runx2 and ColI , Runx2 and ColI protein levels, and early osteogenesis function under orthodontic strain in vitro . MiR-34a also enhanced alveolar bone remodeling under orthodontic force in vivo , as evidenced by elevated gene and protein expression, upregulated indices of alveolar bone anabolism, and diminished tooth movement. We determined that the mechanism miR-34a in osteogenesis under orthodontic force may be associated with GSK-3β. These results suggested that miR-34a delivered by N -Ac-l-Leu-PEI could be a potential therapeutic target for orthodontic treatment.

Shot Noise in Negative-Differential-Conductance Devices

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Song, W

2003-01-01

The authors have compared the shot-noise properties at T = 4.2 K of a double-barrier resonant-tunneling diode and a superlattice tunnel diode, both of which exhibit negative differential-conductance (NDC...

Genome-wide DNA-(de)methylation is associated with Noninfectious Bud-failure exhibition in Almond (Prunus dulcis [Mill.] D.A.Webb).

Science.gov (United States)

Fresnedo-Ramírez, Jonathan; Chan, Helen M; Parfitt, Dan E; Crisosto, Carlos H; Gradziel, Thomas M

2017-02-16

Noninfectious bud-failure (BF) remains a major threat to almond production in California, particularly with the recent rapid expansion of acreage and as more intensive cultural practices and modern cultivars are adopted. BF has been shown to be inherited in both vegetative and sexual progeny, with exhibition related to the age and propagation history of scion clonal sources. These characteristics suggest an epigenetic influence, such as the loss of juvenility mediated by DNA-(de)methylation. Various degrees of BF have been reported among cultivars as well as within sources of clonal propagation of the same cultivar. Genome-wide methylation profiles for different clones within almond genotypes were developed to examine their association with BF levels and association with the chronological time from initial propagation. The degree of BF exhibition was found to be associated with DNA-(de)methylation and clonal age, which suggests that epigenetic changes associated with ageing may be involved in the differential exhibition of BF within and among almond clones. Research is needed to investigate the potential of DNA-(de)methylation status as a predictor for BF as well as for effective strategies to improve clonal selection against age related deterioration. This is the first report of an epigenetic-related disorder threatening a major tree crop.

Council Chamber exhibition

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2010-01-01

To complete the revamp of CERN’s Council Chamber, a new exhibition is being installed just in time for the June Council meetings.   Panels will showcase highlights of CERN’s history, using some of the content prepared for the exhibitions marking 50 years of the PS, which were displayed in the main building last November. The previous photo exhibition in the Council Chamber stopped at the 1970s. To avoid the new panels becoming quickly out of date, photos are grouped together around specific infrastructures, rather than following a classic time-line. “We have put the focus on the accelerators – the world-class facilities that CERN has been offering researchers over the years, from the well-known large colliders to the lesser-known smaller facilities,” says Emma Sanders, who worked on the content. The new exhibition will be featured in a future issue of the Bulletin with photos and an interview with Fabienne Marcastel, designer of the exhibit...

Improved differentiation between MS and vascular brain lesions using FLAIR* at 7 Tesla

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Kilsdonk, Iris D.; Wattjes, Mike P.; Lopez-Soriano, Alexandra; Jong, Marcus C. de; Graaf, Wolter L. de; Conijn, Mandy M.A.; Barkhof, Frederik [VU University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, De Boelelaan 1118, HZ, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kuijer, Joost P.A. [VU University Medical Center, Department of Physics and Medical Technology, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Polman, Chris H. [VU University Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Luijten, Peter R. [University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Utrecht (Netherlands); Geurts, Jeroen J.G. [VU University, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Geerlings, Mirjam I. [University Medical Center, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2014-04-15

To investigate whether a new magnetic resonance image (MRI) technique called T2*-weighted fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR*) can differentiate between multiple sclerosis (MS) and vascular brain lesions, at 7 Tesla (T). We examined 16 MS patients and 16 age-matched patients with (risk factors for) vascular disease. 3D-FLAIR and T2*-weighted images were combined into FLAIR* images. Lesion type and intensity, perivascular orientation and presence of a hypointense rim were analysed. In total, 433 cerebral lesions were detected in MS patients versus 86 lesions in vascular patients. Lesions in MS patients were significantly more often orientated in a perivascular manner: 74 % vs. 47 % (P < 0.001). Ten MS lesions (2.3 %) were surrounded by a hypointense rim on FLAIR*, and 24 MS lesions (5.5 %) were hypointense on T2*. No lesions in vascular patients showed any rim or hypointensity. Specificity of differentiating MS from vascular lesions on 7-T FLAIR* increased when the presence of a central vessel was taken into account (from 63 % to 88 %), most obviously for deep white matter lesions (from 69 % to 94 %). High sensitivity remained (81 %). 7-T FLAIR* improves differentiation between MS and vascular lesions based on lesion location, perivascular orientation and presence of hypointense (rims around) lesions. circle A new MRI technique T2*-weighted fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR*) was investigated. circle FLAIR* at 7-T MRI combines FLAIR and T2* images into a single image. circle FLAIR* at 7 T does not require enhancement with contrast agents. (orig.)

Differentiated approach to improving the mental and physical state freshmen higher education sector as a problem of physical education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukavenko A.V.

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The state issues related to implementation of the differentiated and individual approach to first-year institutions of higher learning in the process of improving their mental and physical state of the means of physical education. Analysis of scientific literature revealed that such a state of the vast majority of students below this, and adaptation to the training activities carried out by the irrational. In this connection it is necessary to improve student performance marked by using one of the most effective means - exercise, and taking into account their interests, needs, motives. One solution to this problem is the differentiation of the content of exercise on the basis of features, which are characterized by the representatives of different somatotype. At the same time, research in this area are rare, hence the need to address this problem.

Oxidative stress status, antioxidant metabolism and polypeptide patterns in Juncus maritimus shoots exhibiting differential mercury burdens in Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon (Portugal).

Science.gov (United States)

Anjum, Naser A; Duarte, Armando C; Pereira, Eduarda; Ahmad, Iqbal

2014-05-01

This study assessed the oxidative stress status, antioxidant metabolism and polypeptide patterns in salt marsh macrophyte Juncus maritimus shoots exhibiting differential mercury burdens in Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon at reference and the sites with highest, moderate and the lowest mercury contamination. In order to achieve these goals, shoot-mercury burden and the responses of representative oxidative stress indices, and the components of both non-glutathione- and glutathione-based H2O2-metabolizing systems were analyzed and cross-talked with shoot-polypeptide patterns. Compared to the reference site, significant elevations in J. maritimus shoot mercury and the oxidative stress indices such as H2O2, lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage and reactive carbonyls were maximum at the site with highest followed by moderate and the lowest mercury contamination. Significantly elevated activity of non-glutathione-based H2O2-metabolizing enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase and catalase accompanied the studied damage-endpoint responses, whereas the activity of glutathione-based H2O2-scavenging enzymes glutathione peroxidase and glutathione sulfo-transferase was inhibited. Concomitantly, significantly enhanced glutathione reductase activity and the contents of both reduced and oxidized glutathione were perceptible in high mercury-exhibiting shoots. It is inferred that high mercury-accrued elevations in oxidative stress indices were obvious, where non-glutathione-based H2O2-decomposing enzyme system was dominant over the glutathione-based H2O2-scavenging enzyme system. In particular, the glutathione-based H2O2-scavenging system failed to coordinate with elevated glutathione reductase which in turn resulted into increased pool of oxidized glutathione and the ratio of oxidized glutathione-to-reduced glutathione. The substantiation of the studied oxidative stress indices and antioxidant metabolism with approximately 53-kDa polypeptide warrants further studies.

EXHIBITION: Accelerated Particles

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

An exhibition of plastic arts and two evenings of performances by sound and visual artists as part of CERN's 50th anniversary celebrations. Fifty candles for CERN, an international laboratory renowned for fundamental research, is a cause for celebration. Since March this year, Geneva and neighbouring parts of France have been the venues for a wealth of small and large-scale events, which will continue until November. Given CERN's location in the commune of Meyrin, the ForuMeyrin is hosting exhibitions of plastic arts and performances entitled: Accelerated Particles. Several works will be exhibited and performed in two 'salons'. Salon des matières: An exhibition of plastic arts From Tues 12 October to Wed 3 November 2004 Tuesdays to Fridays: 16:00 to 19:00 Saturdays: 14:00 to 18:00 Exhibition open late on performance nights, entrance free Salon des particules: Musical and visual performances Tues 12 and Mon 25 October from 20:00 to 23:00 Preview evening for both events: Tues 12 October from 18:...

Co-Culture with Human Osteoblasts and Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Improve Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabrina Ehnert

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs have been proposed as suitable option for cell-based therapies to support bone regeneration. In the bone environment, Ad-MSCs will receive stimuli from resident cells that may favor their osteogenic differentiation. There is recent evidence that this process can be further improved by extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMFs. Thus, the project aimed at (i investigating whether co-culture conditions of human osteoblasts (OBs and Ad-MSCs have an impact on their proliferation and osteogenic differentiation; (ii whether this effect can be further improved by repetitive exposure to two specific ELF-PEMFs (16 and 26 Hz; (iii and the effect of these ELF-PEMFs on human osteoclasts (OCs. Osteogenic differentiation was improved by co-culturing OBs and Ad-MSCs when compared to the individual mono-cultures. An OB to Ad-MSC ratio of 3:1 had best effects on total protein content, alkaline phosphatase (AP activity, and matrix mineralization. Osteogenic differentiation was further improved by both ELF-PEMFs investigated. Interestingly, only repetitive exposure to 26 Hz ELF-PEMF increased Trap5B activity in OCs. Considering this result, a treatment with gradually increasing frequency might be of interest, as the lower frequency (16 Hz could enhance bone formation, while the higher frequency (26 Hz could enhance bone remodeling.

Differentiated Accountability Policy and School Improvement Plans: A Look at Professional Development and Inclusive Practices for Exceptional Students

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Marsha; Black, William R.

2011-01-01

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (NCLB) require that students with disabilities have equal access to general education curricula and contexts. Florida's Differentiated Accountability Program (DAP) is designed to support educators in meeting IDEA and NCLB…

Radiation-related information at science exhibitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bannai, Tadaaki [Inst. for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori (Japan)

1999-09-01

The aim of the present report was to promote an efficient utilization of science museums providing with educational information concerning radiations. Investigations were made on radiation-related materials exhibited at 38 museums including PR event sites between April 1996 and July 1998 mainly located on Kanto and Tohoku area in Japan. The investigation concerned as to whether the displays on radiation-related material (cosmic rays, X-rays, etc) existed or not, and as to the background of the display as well. As the result, 14 locations had no relevant displays, 10 of them not having things about atomic energy at all. The locations belonging to electricity company mostly had displays related to radiations and atomic energy power generation. A spark chamber was exhibited at 9 locations and a cloud chamber at 3 locations, but only one location among them displayed both. Displays on the actual use of X-radiation were found at 4 locations. Needs to prepare further improved displays exist at the sites visited. (S. Ohno)

Poster exhibitions at conferences: are we doing it properly?

Science.gov (United States)

Beamish, Andrew J; Ansell, James; Foster, Jessica J; Foster, Kathryn A; Egan, Richard J

2015-01-01

Literature exploring the educational value and quality of conference poster presentation is scarce. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the variation in poster exhibitions across a spectrum of conferences attended by trainees. Prospective observational assessment of conference posters was carried out across 7 variables at 4 conferences attended by surgical trainees in 2012. Posters were compared by individual variables and according to overall poster score combining all 7 variables examined. The number of authors listed was also compared. Random samples of consecutively numbered posters were examined at the exhibitions of 4 conferences, which included a UK national medical education conference (Association for the Study of Medical Education), a UK international surgical conference (Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland), a European oncology conference (European Society of Surgical Oncology), and a North American joint medical and surgical conference (Digestive Diseases Week). Significant variation existed between conferences in posters and their presentation. The proportion of presenters failing to display their posters ranged from 3% to 26% (p posters that were formatted using aims, methods, results, and conclusion sections (81%-93%; p = 0.513) or in the proportion of posters that were identified as difficult to read (24%-28%; p = 0.919). Association for the Study of Medical Education outperformed each of the other exhibitions overall (p Posters with greater than the median of 4 authors performed significantly better across all areas (p Poster exhibitions varied widely, with room for improvement at all 4 conferences. Lessons can be learned by all conferences from each other to improve presenter engagement with and the educational value of poster exhibitions. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Galaxy Makers Exhibition: Re-engagement, Evaluation and Content Legacy through an Online Component

Science.gov (United States)

Borrow, J.; Harrison, C.

2017-09-01

For the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2016, Durham University's Institute of Computational Cosmology created the Galaxy Makers exhibit to communicate our computational cosmology and astronomy research. In addition to the physical exhibit we created an online component to foster re-engagement, create a permanent home for our content and allow us to collect important information about participation and impact. Here we summarise the details of the exhibit and the degree of success attached to the online component. We also share suggestions for further uses and improvements that could be implemented for the online components of other science exhibitions.

High efficient differentiation of functional hepatocytes from porcine induced pluripotent stem cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Ao

Full Text Available Hepatocyte transplantation is considered to be a promising therapy for patients with liver diseases. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs provide an unlimited source for the generation of functional hepatocytes. In this study, we generated iPSCs from porcine ear fibroblasts (PEFs by overexpressing Sox2, Klf4, Oct4, and c-Myc (SKOM, and developed a novel strategy for the efficient differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells from porcine iPSCs by following the processes of early liver development. The differentiated cells displayed the phenotypes of hepatocytes, exhibited classic hepatocyte-associated bio-functions, such as LDL uptake, glycogen storage and urea secretion, as well as possessed the metabolic activities of cytochrome P-450 (CYP 3A and 2C. Furthermore, we compared the hepatocyte differentiation efficacy of our protocol with another published method, and the results demonstrated that our differentiation strategy could significantly improve the generation of morphological and functional hepatocyte-like cells from porcine iPSCs. In conclusion, this study establishes an efficient method for in vitro generation of functional hepatocytes from porcine iPSCs, which could represent a promising cell source for preclinical testing of cell-based therapeutics for liver failure and for pharmacological applications.

An Improved Binary Differential Evolution Algorithm to Infer Tumor Phylogenetic Trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Ying; Liao, Bo; Zhu, Wen

2017-01-01

Tumourigenesis is a mutation accumulation process, which is likely to start with a mutated founder cell. The evolutionary nature of tumor development makes phylogenetic models suitable for inferring tumor evolution through genetic variation data. Copy number variation (CNV) is the major genetic marker of the genome with more genes, disease loci, and functional elements involved. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) accurately measures multiple gene copy number of hundreds of single cells. We propose an improved binary differential evolution algorithm, BDEP, to infer tumor phylogenetic tree based on FISH platform. The topology analysis of tumor progression tree shows that the pathway of tumor subcell expansion varies greatly during different stages of tumor formation. And the classification experiment shows that tree-based features are better than data-based features in distinguishing tumor. The constructed phylogenetic trees have great performance in characterizing tumor development process, which outperforms other similar algorithms.

Tailored antiplatelet therapy to improve prognosis in patients exhibiting clopidogrel low-response prior to percutaneous coronary intervention for stable angina or non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paarup Dridi, Nadia; Johansson, Pär I; Lønborg, Jacob T

2015-01-01

Abstract Aim: To investigate whether an intensified antiplatelet regimen could improve prognosis in stable or non-ST elevation in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients exhibiting high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) on clopidogrel and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI...

Britain exhibition at CERN

CERN Multimedia

Bertin; CERN PhotoLab

1969-01-01

The United Kingdom inaugurated the Industrial Exhibitions in 1968, and it wasn't till 1971 that other countries staged exhibitions at CERN. This photo was taken in 1969, at the second British exhibition, where 16 companies were present.

Differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cell spheroids under microgravity conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolfgang H Cerwinka

2012-01-01

Full Text Available To develop and characterize a novel cell culture method for the generation of undifferentiated and differentiated human mesenchymal stem cell 3D structures, we utilized the RWV system with a gelatin-based scaffold. 3 × 106 cells generated homogeneous spheroids and maximum spheroid loading was accomplished after 3 days of culture. Spheroids cultured in undifferentiated spheroids of 3 and 10 days retained expression of CD44, without expression of differentiation markers. Spheroids cultured in adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation media exhibited oil red O staining and von Kossa staining, respectively. Further characterization of osteogenic lineage, showed that 10 day spheroids exhibited stronger calcification than any other experimental group corresponding with significant expression of vitamin D receptor, alkaline phosphatase, and ERp60 . In conclusion this study describes a novel RWV culture method that allowed efficacious engineering of undifferentiated human mesenchymal stem cell spheroids and rapid osteogenic differentiation. The use of gelatin scaffolds holds promise to design implantable stem cell tissue of various sizes and shapes for future regenerative treatment.

Digital collections and exhibits

CERN Document Server

Denzer, Juan

2015-01-01

Today's libraries are taking advantage of cutting-edge technologies such as flat panel displays using touch, sound, and hands-free motions to design amazing exhibits using everything from simple computer hardware to advanced technologies such as the Microsoft Kinect. Libraries of all types are striving to add new interactive experiences for their patrons through exciting digital exhibits, both online and off. Digital Collections and Exhibits takes away the mystery of designing stunning digital exhibits to spotlight library trea

Current-Loop Control for the Pitching Axis of Aerial Cameras via an Improved ADRC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BingYou Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available An improved active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC is designed to eliminate the influences of the current-loop for the pitching axis control system of an aerial camera. The improved ADRC is composed of a tracking differentiator (TD, an improved extended state observer (ESO, an improved nonlinear state error feedback (NLSEF, and a disturbance compensation device (DCD. The TD is used to arrange transient process. The improved ESO is utilized to observe the state extended by nonlinear dynamics, model uncertainty, and external disturbances. Overtime variation of the current-loop can be predicted by the improved ESO. The improved NLSEF is adopted to restrain the residual errors of the current-loop. The DCD is used to compensate the overtime variation of the current-loop in real time. The improved ADRC is designed based on a new nonlinear function newfal(·. This function exhibits enhanced continuity and smoothness compared to previously available nonlinear functions. Thus, the new nonlinear function can effectively decrease the high-frequency flutter phenomenon. The improved ADRC exhibits improved control performance, and disturbances of the current-loop can be eliminated by the improved ADRC. Finally, simulation experiments are performed. Results show that the improved ADRC displayed better performance than the proportional integral (PI control strategy and traditional ADRC.

Neurosphere based differentiation of human iPSC improves astrocyte differentiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Shuling; Szczesna, Karolina; Ochalek, Anna

2016-01-01

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are traditionally maintained and proliferated utilizing two-dimensional (2D) adherent monolayer culture systems. However, NPCs cultured using this system hardly reflect the intrinsic spatial development...... of brain tissue. In this study, we determined that culturing iPSC-derived NPCs as three-dimensional (3D) floating neurospheres resulted in increased expression of the neural progenitor cell (NPC) markers, PAX6 and NESTIN. Expansion of NPCs in 3D culture methods also resulted in a more homogenous PAX6...... expression when compared to 2D culture methods. Furthermore, the 3D propagation method for NPCs resulted in a significant higher expression of the astrocyte markers  GFAP and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in the differentiated cells. Thus, our 3D propagation method could constitute a useful tool to promote NPC...

Bone conditioned media (BCM) improves osteoblast adhesion and differentiation on collagen barrier membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujioka-Kobayashi, Masako; Caballé-Serrano, Jordi; Bosshardt, Dieter D; Gruber, Reinhard; Buser, Daniel; Miron, Richard J

2016-07-04

red staining at 14 days. The results from the present study suggest that the osteoconductive properties of porcine-derived barrier membranes could be further improved by BCM by significantly increasing cell attachment, differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts in vitro. Future animal testing is required to fully characterize the additional benefits of BCM for guided bone regeneration.

Differential equations for dummies

CERN Document Server

Holzner, Steven

2008-01-01

The fun and easy way to understand and solve complex equations Many of the fundamental laws of physics, chemistry, biology, and economics can be formulated as differential equations. This plain-English guide explores the many applications of this mathematical tool and shows how differential equations can help us understand the world around us. Differential Equations For Dummies is the perfect companion for a college differential equations course and is an ideal supplemental resource for other calculus classes as well as science and engineering courses. It offers step-by-step techniques, practical tips, numerous exercises, and clear, concise examples to help readers improve their differential equation-solving skills and boost their test scores.

Improved decomposition–coordination and discrete differential dynamic programming for optimization of large-scale hydropower system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chunlong; Zhou, Jianzhong; Ouyang, Shuo; Ding, Xiaoling; Chen, Lu

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Optimization of large-scale hydropower system in the Yangtze River basin. • Improved decomposition–coordination and discrete differential dynamic programming. • Generating initial solution randomly to reduce generation time. • Proposing relative coefficient for more power generation. • Proposing adaptive bias corridor technology to enhance convergence speed. - Abstract: With the construction of major hydro plants, more and more large-scale hydropower systems are taking shape gradually, which brings up a challenge to optimize these systems. Optimization of large-scale hydropower system (OLHS), which is to determine water discharges or water levels of overall hydro plants for maximizing total power generation when subjecting to lots of constrains, is a high dimensional, nonlinear and coupling complex problem. In order to solve the OLHS problem effectively, an improved decomposition–coordination and discrete differential dynamic programming (IDC–DDDP) method is proposed in this paper. A strategy that initial solution is generated randomly is adopted to reduce generation time. Meanwhile, a relative coefficient based on maximum output capacity is proposed for more power generation. Moreover, an adaptive bias corridor technology is proposed to enhance convergence speed. The proposed method is applied to long-term optimal dispatches of large-scale hydropower system (LHS) in the Yangtze River basin. Compared to other methods, IDC–DDDP has competitive performances in not only total power generation but also convergence speed, which provides a new method to solve the OLHS problem

ECM Decorated Electrospun Nanofiber for Improving Bone Tissue Regeneration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Fu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Optimization of nanofiber surface properties can lead to enhanced tissue regeneration outcomes in the context of bone tissue engineering. Herein, we developed a facile strategy to decorate elctrospun nanofibers using extracellular matrix (ECM in order to improve their performance for bone tissue engineering. Electrospun PLLA nanofibers (PLLA NF were seeded with MC3T3-E1 cells and allowed to grow for two weeks in order to harvest a layer of ECM on nanofiber surface. After decellularization, we found that ECM was successfully preserved on nanofiber surface while maintaining the nanostructure of electrospun fibers. ECM decorated on PLLA NF is biologically active, as evidenced by its ability to enhance mouse bone marrow stromal cells (mBMSCs adhesion, support cell proliferation and promote early stage osteogenic differentiation of mBMSCs. Compared to PLLA NF without ECM, mBMSCs grown on ECM/PLLA NF exhibited a healthier morphology, faster proliferation profile, and more robust osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, our study suggests that ECM decoration on electrospun nanofibers could serve as an efficient approach to improving their performance for bone tissue engineering.

Discrimination? - Exhibition of posters

OpenAIRE

Jakimovska, Jana

2017-01-01

Participation in the exhibition with the students form the Art Academy. The exhibition consisted of 15 posters tackling the subjects of hate speech and discrimination. The exhibition happened thanks to the invitation of the Faculty of Law at UGD, and it was a part of a larger event of launching books on the aforementioned subjects.

Role for early-differentiated natural killer cells in infectious mononucleosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzi, Tarik; Lünemann, Anna; Murer, Anita; Ueda, Seigo; Béziat, Vivien; Malmberg, Karl-Johan; Staubli, Georg; Gysin, Claudine; Berger, Christoph; Münz, Christian; Chijioke, Obinna; Nadal, David

2014-10-16

A growing body of evidence suggests that the human natural killer (NK)-cell compartment is phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous and is composed of several differentiation stages. Moreover, NK-cell subsets have been shown to exhibit adaptive immune features during herpes virus infection in experimental mice and to expand preferentially during viral infections in humans. However, both phenotype and role of NK cells during acute symptomatic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, termed infectious mononucleosis (IM), remain unclear. Here, we longitudinally assessed the kinetics, the differentiation, and the proliferation of subsets of NK cells in pediatric IM patients. Our results indicate that acute IM is characterized by the preferential proliferation of early-differentiated CD56(dim) NKG2A(+) immunoglobulin-like receptor(-) NK cells. Moreover, this NK-cell subset exhibits features of terminal differentiation and persists at higher frequency during at least the first 6 months after acute IM. Finally, we demonstrate that this NK-cell subset preferentially degranulates and proliferates on exposure to EBV-infected B cells expressing lytic antigens. Thus, early-differentiated NK cells might play a key role in the immune control of primary infection with this persistent tumor-associated virus. © 2014 by The American Society of Hematology.

Theoretical and Empirical Analyses of an Improved Harmony Search Algorithm Based on Differential Mutation Operator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Longquan Yong

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Harmony search (HS method is an emerging metaheuristic optimization algorithm. In this paper, an improved harmony search method based on differential mutation operator (IHSDE is proposed to deal with the optimization problems. Since the population diversity plays an important role in the behavior of evolution algorithm, the aim of this paper is to calculate the expected population mean and variance of IHSDE from theoretical viewpoint. Numerical results, compared with the HSDE, NGHS, show that the IHSDE method has good convergence property over a test-suite of well-known benchmark functions.

Cercospora zeina from Maize in South Africa Exhibits High Genetic Diversity and Lack of Regional Population Differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Mischa F; Barnes, Irene; Kunene, Ncobile T; Crampton, Bridget G; Bluhm, Burton H; Phillips, Sonia M; Olivier, Nicholas A; Berger, Dave K

2016-10-01

South Africa is one of the leading maize-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1980s, Cercospora zeina, a causal agent of gray leaf spot of maize, has become endemic in South Africa, and is responsible for substantial yield reductions. To assess genetic diversity and population structure of C. zeina in South Africa, 369 isolates were collected from commercial maize farms in three provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and North West). These isolates were evaluated with 14 microsatellite markers and species-specific mating type markers that were designed from draft genome sequences of C. zeina isolates from Africa (CMW 25467) and the United States (USPA-4). Sixty alleles were identified across 14 loci, and gene diversity values within each province ranged from 0.18 to 0.35. High levels of gene flow were observed (Nm = 5.51), and in a few cases, identical multilocus haplotypes were found in different provinces. Overall, 242 unique multilocus haplotypes were identified with a low clonal fraction of 34%. No distinct population clusters were identified using STRUCTURE, principal coordinate analysis, or Weir's theta θ statistic. The lack of population differentiation was supported by analysis of molecular variance tests, which indicated that only 2% of the variation was attributed to variability between populations from each province. Mating type ratios of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs from 335 isolates were not significantly different from a 1:1 ratio in all provinces, which provided evidence for sexual reproduction. The draft genome of C. zeina CMW 25467 exhibited a complete genomic copy of the MAT1-1 idiomorph as well as exonic fragments of MAT genes from both idiomorphs. The high level of gene diversity, shared haplotypes at different geographical locations within South Africa, and presence of both MAT idiomorphs at all sites indicates widespread dispersal of C. zeina between maize fields in the country as well as evidence for sexual recombination. The

Diclofenac and triamcinolone acetonide impair tenocytic differentiation and promote adipocytic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

OpenAIRE

Fredriksson, Maritha; Li, Yan; St?lman, Anders; Haldos?n, Lars-Arne; Fell?nder-Tsai, Li

2013-01-01

Background Tendinopathies are often empirically treated with oral/topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroid injections despite their unclear effects on tendon regeneration. Recent studies indicate that tendon progenitors exhibit stem cell-like properties, i.e., differentiation to osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes, in addition to tenocytes. Our present study aims at understanding the effects of triamcinolone acetonide and diclofenac on tenocytic differentiat...

Differentiated cells derived from fetal neural stem cells improve motor deficits in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Wei Wang; Hao Song; Aifang Shen; Chao Chen; Yanming Liu; Yabing Dong; Fabin Han

2015-01-01

Objective: Parkinson’s disease(PD), which is one of the most common neuro‐degenerative disorders, is characterized by the loss of dopamine(DA) neurons in the substantia nigra in the midbrain. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that fetal neural stem cells(NSCs) have therapeutic effects in neurological disorders. The aim of this study was to examine whether cells that were differentiated from NSCs had therapeutic effects in a rat model of PD. Methods: NSCs were isolated from 14‐week‐old embryos and induced to differentiate into neurons, DA neurons, and glial cells, and these cells were characterized by their expression of the following markers: βⅢ‐tubulin and microtubule‐associated protein 2(neurons), tyrosine hydroxylase(DA neurons), and glial fibrillary acidic protein(glial cells). After a 6‐hydroxydopamine(6‐OHDA)‐lesioned rat model of PD was generated, the differentiated cells were transplanted into the striata of the 6‐OHDA‐lesioned PD rats. Results: The motor behaviors of the PD rats were assessed by the number of apomorphine‐induced rotation turns. The results showed that the NSCs differentiated in vitro into neurons and DA neurons with high efficiencies. After transplantation into the striata of the PD rats, the differentiated cells significantly improved the motor deficits of the transplanted PD rats compared to those of the control nontransplanted PD rats by decreasing the apomorphine‐induced turn cycles as early as 4 weeks after transplantation. Immunofluorescence analyses showed that the differentiated DA neurons survived more than 16 weeks. Conclusions: Our results showed that cells that were differentiated from NSCs had therapeutic effects in a rat PD model, which suggests that differentiated cells may be an effective treatment for patients with PD.

EXHIBITION: Accelerated Particles

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

http://www.cern.ch/cern50/ An exhibition of plastic arts and two evenings of performances by sound and visual artists as part of CERN's fiftieth anniversary celebrations. The fiftieth anniversary of a world famous organization like CERN, an international laboratory specializing in fundamental research, is a cause for celebration. Since March this year, Geneva and neighbouring parts of France have been the venues for a wealth of small and large-scale events, which will continue until November. Given CERN's location in the commune of Meyrin, the ForuMeyrin is hosting two "salons" consisting of an exhibition of plastic arts and evenings of music and visual arts performances with the collective title of "Accelerated Particles". Several works will be exhibited and performed. Salon des matières: An exhibition of plastic arts Until Wednesday 3 November 2004. Tuesdays to Fridays: 4.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. Saturdays: 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. Doors open late on the evening of the performances. Salon des ...

Exhibiting the Human/Exhibiting the Cyborg: “Who Am I?”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophia C. Vackimes

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The role of the museum in shaping our relationship to science and technology, particularly cyborgization, is illuminated by a close examination of the Who Am I permanent exhibition in the Wellcome Wing of the Science Museum of London. This innovative exhibition raises real questions both about the human-technology-science relationship but also about museography. In the context of the history and current practices of museums engaging contemporary technological developments the evidence suggest that even as the Who am I? exhibit did break somewhat from previous approaches, especially the didactic presentation of the socially useful, it has not changed the feld as a whole.

Exhibition; Image display agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Normazlin Ismail

2008-01-01

This article touches on the role of Malaysian Nuclear Agency as nuclear research institutions to promote, develop and encourage the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in its agricultural, medical, manufacturing, industrial, health and environment for the development of the country running successfully. Maturity of Malaysian Nuclear Agency in dealing with nuclear technology that are very competitive and globalization cannot be denied. On this basis Malaysian Nuclear Agency was given the responsibility to strengthen the nuclear technology in Malaysia. One way is through an exhibition featuring the research, discoveries and new technology products of the nuclear technology. Through this exhibition is to promote the nuclear technology and introduce the image of the agency in the public eye. This article also states a number of exhibits entered by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and achievements during the last exhibition. Authors hope that the exhibition can be intensified further in the future.

Differential computation method used to calibrate the angle-centroid relationship in coaxial reverse Hartmann test

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xinji; Hui, Mei; Zhao, Zhu; Liu, Ming; Dong, Liquan; Kong, Lingqin; Zhao, Yuejin

2018-05-01

A differential computation method is presented to improve the precision of calibration for coaxial reverse Hartmann test (RHT). In the calibration, the accuracy of the distance measurement greatly influences the surface shape test, as demonstrated in the mathematical analyses. However, high-precision absolute distance measurement is difficult in the calibration. Thus, a differential computation method that only requires the relative distance was developed. In the proposed method, a liquid crystal display screen successively displayed two regular dot matrix patterns with different dot spacing. In a special case, images on the detector exhibited similar centroid distributions during the reflector translation. Thus, the critical value of the relative displacement distance and the centroid distributions of the dots on the detector were utilized to establish the relationship between the rays at certain angles and the detector coordinates. Experiments revealed the approximately linear behavior of the centroid variation with the relative displacement distance. With the differential computation method, we increased the precision of traditional calibration 10-5 rad root mean square. The precision of the RHT was increased by approximately 100 nm.

Improving X-ray Optics Through Differential Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsey, Brian; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Atkins, Carolyn; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; Gaskin, Jessica A.; O'Dell, Steve; Weisskopf, Martin; Zhang, William; Romaine, Suzanne

2012-01-01

The differential deposition technique can in theory correct shell figures to approximate arcsecond value. We have received APRA funding and are building two custom system to demonstrate the technique on full shell and segmented optics. We hope to be able to demonstrate < 5 arcsec performance in < 2 years. To go beyond this, (arcsecond level) is very difficult to judge as we have not yet discovered the problems. May necessitate in-situ metrology, stress reduction investigations, correcting for gravity effects, correcting for temperature effects. Some of this will become obvious in early parts of the investigation.

Actin depolymerization enhances adipogenic differentiation in human stromal stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Li; Hu, Huimin; Qiu, Weimin

2018-01-01

Human stromal stem cells (hMSCs) differentiate into adipocytes that play a role in skeletal tissue homeostasis and whole body energy metabolism. During adipocyte differentiation, hMSCs exhibit significant changes in cell morphology suggesting changes in cytoskeletal organization. Here, we examined...... differentiation as evidenced by decreased number of mature adipocytes and decreased adipocyte specific gene expression (ADIPOQ, LPL, PPARG, FABP4). In contrast, disruption of actin cytoskeleton by Cytochalasin D enhanced adipocyte differentiation. Follow up studies revealed that the effects of CFL1 on adipocyte...... differentiation depended on the activity of LIM domain kinase 1 (LIMK1) which is the major upstream kinase of CFL1. Inhibiting LIMK by its specific chemical inhibitor LIMKi inhibited the phosphorylation of CFL1 and actin polymerization, and enhanced the adipocyte differentiation. Moreover, treating h...

Oxytocin Neurons Exhibit Extensive Functional Plasticity Due To Offspring Age in Mothers and Fathers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Aubrey M; Hiura, Lisa C; Saunders, Alexander G; Ophir, Alexander G

2017-09-01

The needs of offspring change as they develop. Thus, parents should concomitantly change their investment based on the age-related needs of the offspring as they mature. Due to the high costs of parental care, it is optimal for parents to exhibit a shift from intense caregiving of young offspring to promoting independence in older offspring. Yet, the neural mechanisms that underlie shifts in parental behavior are poorly understood, and little is known about how the parental brain responds to offspring of different ages. To elucidate mechanisms that relate to shifts in parental behavior as offspring develop, we examined behavioral and neural responses of male and female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a biparental rodent, to interactions with offspring at different stages of development (ranging from neonatal to weaning age). Importantly, in biparental species, males and females may adjust their behavior differentially as offspring develop. Because the nonapeptides, vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT), are well known for modulating aspects of parental care, we focused on functional activity of distinct VP and OT cell groups within the maternal and paternal brain in response to separation from, reunion (after a brief period of separation) with, or no separation from offspring of different ages. We found several differences in the neural responses of individual VP and OT cell groups that varied based on the age of pups and sex of the parent. Hypothalamic VP neurons exhibit similar functional responses in both mothers and fathers. However, hypothalamic and amygdalar OT neurons exhibit differential functional responses to being separated from pups based on the sex of the parent. Our results also reveal that the developmental stage of offspring significantly impacts neural function within OT, but not VP, cell groups of both mothers and fathers. These findings provide insight into the functional plastic capabilities of the nonapeptide system, specifically in relation

Evaluation of tumor markers for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Kong, Xinjuan; Dou, Qian; Ye, Jin; Xu, Dong; Shang, Haitao; Xu, Keshu; Song, Yuhu

2014-01-01

The diagnosis of malignant ascites is a challenging problem in clinical practice, non-invasive techniques should be developed to improve diagnostic accuracy. The diagnostic performances of tumor markers in malignant ascites remained unsettled. Our aim was to evaluate diagnostic performance of tumor markers in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites. A total of 437 patients were enrolled, and the relevant parameters of the patients were analyzed for the differentiation of benign ascites from malignant ascites. At the predetermined cutoff values of tumor makers, tumor markers in ascitic fluid showed better diagnostic performance than those in serum. Combined use of tumor markers and the cytology increased the diagnostic yield of the latter by 37%. In cytologically negative malignant ascites, tumor markers provided assistance in differentiating malignant ascites from benign ascites, and the combination of ascitic tumor markers yielded 86% sensitivity, 97% specificity. Use of a panel of tumor markers exhibited excellent diagnostic performance in diagnosing malignant ascites, which indicated the detection of tumor markers may represent a beneficial adjunct to cytology, thus guiding the selection of patients who might benefit from further invasive procedures.

Actin depolymerization enhances adipogenic differentiation in human stromal stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Li; Hu, Huimin; Qiu, Weimin

2018-01-01

Human stromal stem cells (hMSCs) differentiate into adipocytes that play a role in skeletal tissue homeostasis and whole body energy metabolism. During adipocyte differentiation, hMSCs exhibit significant changes in cell morphology suggesting changes in cytoskeletal organization. Here, we examined...... the effect of direct modulation of actin microfilament dynamics on adipocyte differentiation. Stabilizing actin filaments in hMSCs by siRNA-mediated knock down of the two main actin depolymerizing factors (ADFs): Cofilin 1 (CFL1) and Destrin (DSTN) or treating the cells by Phalloidin reduced adipocyte...

P-channel differential multiple-time programmable memory cells by laterally coupled floating metal gate fin field-effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tai-Min; Chien, Wei-Yu; Hsu, Chia-Ling; Lin, Chrong Jung; King, Ya-Chin

2018-04-01

In this paper, we present a new differential p-channel multiple-time programmable (MTP) memory cell that is fully compatible with advanced 16 nm CMOS fin field-effect transistors (FinFET) logic processes. This differential MTP cell stores complementary data in floating gates coupled by a slot contact structure, which make different read currents possible on a single cell. In nanoscale CMOS FinFET logic processes, the gate dielectric layer becomes too thin to retain charges inside floating gates for nonvolatile data storage. By using a differential architecture, the sensing window of the cell can be extended and maintained by an advanced blanket boost scheme. The charge retention problem in floating gate cells can be improved by periodic restoring lost charges when significant read window narrowing occurs. In addition to high programming efficiency, this p-channel MTP cells also exhibit good cycling endurance as well as disturbance immunity. The blanket boost scheme can remedy the charge loss problem under thin gate dielectrics.

Differential effects of smoking on lung cancer mortality before and after household stove improvement in Xuanwei, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, K.M.; Chapman, R.S.; Shen, M.; Lubin, J.H.; Silverman, D.T.; He, X.; Hosgood, H.D.; Chen, B.E.; Rajaraman, P.; Caporaso, N.E.; Fraumeni, J.F.; Blair, A.; Lan, Q. [NCI, Bethesda, MD (USA)

2010-08-24

In Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, China, lung cancer mortality rates in both males and females are among the highest in China. We evaluated differential effects of smoking on lung cancer mortality before and after household stove improvement with chimney to reduce exposure to smoky coal emissions in the unique cohort in Xuanwei, China. Effects of independent variables on lung cancer mortality were measured as hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals using a multivariable Cox regression model that included separate time-dependent variables for smoking duration (years) before and after stove improvement. We found that the effect of smoking on lung cancer risk becomes considerably stronger after chimney installation and consequent reduction of indoor coal smoke exposure.

Three-dimensional piezoelectric fibrous scaffolds selectively promote mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Damaraju, Sita M; Shen, Yueyang; Elele, Ezinwa; Khusid, Boris; Eshghinejad, Ahmad; Li, Jiangyu; Jaffe, Michael; Arinzeh, Treena Livingston

2017-12-01

The discovery of electric fields in biological tissues has led to efforts in developing technologies utilizing electrical stimulation for therapeutic applications. Native tissues, such as cartilage and bone, exhibit piezoelectric behavior, wherein electrical activity can be generated due to mechanical deformation. Yet, the use of piezoelectric materials have largely been unexplored as a potential strategy in tissue engineering, wherein a piezoelectric biomaterial acts as a scaffold to promote cell behavior and the formation of large tissues. Here we show, for the first time, that piezoelectric materials can be fabricated into flexible, three-dimensional fibrous scaffolds and can be used to stimulate human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and corresponding extracellular matrix/tissue formation in physiological loading conditions. Piezoelectric scaffolds that exhibit low voltage output, or streaming potential, promoted chondrogenic differentiation and piezoelectric scaffolds with a high voltage output promoted osteogenic differentiation. Electromechanical stimulus promoted greater differentiation than mechanical loading alone. Results demonstrate the additive effect of electromechanical stimulus on stem cell differentiation, which is an important design consideration for tissue engineering scaffolds. Piezoelectric, smart materials are attractive as scaffolds for regenerative medicine strategies due to their inherent electrical properties without the need for external power sources for electrical stimulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis and Improvement of Adaptive Coefficient Third Harmonic Voltage Differential Stator Grounding Protection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Zhu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel third harmonic voltage differential stator grounding protection (THV-DSGP method combining the adaptive coefficient and fixed coefficient. It can solve the protection sensitivity degradation problem when the insulation resistance of stator winding to ground is slowly declining. This protection method retains the advantages of the adaptive coefficient, which is to maintain high sensitivity in case of an instantaneous ground fault. Moreover, the fixed coefficient can remember the initial insulation state of the stator winding and prevent relay failure when the stator insulation is slowly declining. In addition, due to zero-sequence voltage disconnection (ZSVD often leading to malfunctioning of the THV stator ground protection, the existing criterion of the ZSVD was improved according to the electrical characteristics of the generator when ZSVD happens. THV-DSGP with both adaptive coefficient and fixed coefficient was simulated in the Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results show that the proposed protection can be applied to the slow ground fault of the stator winding. Furthermore, the improved criterion of ZSVD can effectively distinguish the stator metal earth fault and the secondary loop break of the zero-sequence voltage.

The Grass Might Be Greener: Medical Marijuana Patients Exhibit Altered Brain Activity and Improved Executive Function after 3 Months of Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Staci A. Gruber

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The vast majority of states have enacted full or partial medical marijuana (MMJ programs, causing the number of patients seeking certification for MMJ use to increase dramatically in recent years. Despite increased use of MMJ across the nation, no studies thus far have examined the specific impact of MMJ on cognitive function and related brain activation. In the present study, MMJ patients seeking treatment for a variety of documented medical conditions were assessed prior to initiating MMJ treatment and after 3 months of treatment as part of a larger longitudinal study. In order to examine the effect of MMJ treatment on task-related brain activation, MMJ patients completed the Multi-Source Interference Test (MSIT while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI. We also collected data regarding conventional medication use, clinical state, and health-related measures at each visit. Following 3 months of treatment, MMJ patients demonstrated improved task performance accompanied by changes in brain activation patterns within the cingulate cortex and frontal regions. Interestingly, after MMJ treatment, brain activation patterns appeared more similar to those exhibited by healthy controls from previous studies than at pre-treatment, suggestive of a potential normalization of brain function relative to baseline. These findings suggest that MMJ use may result in different effects relative to recreational marijuana (MJ use, as recreational consumers have been shown to exhibit decrements in task performance accompanied by altered brain activation. Moreover, patients in the current study also reported improvements in clinical state and health-related measures as well as notable decreases in prescription medication use, particularly opioids and benzodiapezines after 3 months of treatment. Further research is needed to clarify the specific neurobiologic impact, clinical efficacy, and unique effects of MMJ for a range of indications and how it

The Grass Might Be Greener: Medical Marijuana Patients Exhibit Altered Brain Activity and Improved Executive Function after 3 Months of Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruber, Staci A; Sagar, Kelly A; Dahlgren, Mary K; Gonenc, Atilla; Smith, Rosemary T; Lambros, Ashley M; Cabrera, Korine B; Lukas, Scott E

2017-01-01

The vast majority of states have enacted full or partial medical marijuana (MMJ) programs, causing the number of patients seeking certification for MMJ use to increase dramatically in recent years. Despite increased use of MMJ across the nation, no studies thus far have examined the specific impact of MMJ on cognitive function and related brain activation. In the present study, MMJ patients seeking treatment for a variety of documented medical conditions were assessed prior to initiating MMJ treatment and after 3 months of treatment as part of a larger longitudinal study. In order to examine the effect of MMJ treatment on task-related brain activation, MMJ patients completed the Multi-Source Interference Test (MSIT) while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also collected data regarding conventional medication use, clinical state, and health-related measures at each visit. Following 3 months of treatment, MMJ patients demonstrated improved task performance accompanied by changes in brain activation patterns within the cingulate cortex and frontal regions. Interestingly, after MMJ treatment, brain activation patterns appeared more similar to those exhibited by healthy controls from previous studies than at pre-treatment, suggestive of a potential normalization of brain function relative to baseline. These findings suggest that MMJ use may result in different effects relative to recreational marijuana (MJ) use, as recreational consumers have been shown to exhibit decrements in task performance accompanied by altered brain activation. Moreover, patients in the current study also reported improvements in clinical state and health-related measures as well as notable decreases in prescription medication use, particularly opioids and benzodiapezines after 3 months of treatment. Further research is needed to clarify the specific neurobiologic impact, clinical efficacy, and unique effects of MMJ for a range of indications and how it compares to

A survey of Sertoli cell differentiation in men after gonadotropin suppression and in testicular cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tarulli, Gerard A; Stanton, Peter G; Loveland, Kate L

2013-01-01

It is widely held that the somatic cell population that is responsible for sperm development and output (Sertoli cells) is terminally differentiated and unmodifiable in adults. It is postulated, with little evidence, that Sertoli cells are not terminally differentiated in some phenotypes of infer...... tubules with CIS and the emergence of strong JAM-A reactivity in seminoma. These findings indicate that adult human Sertoli cells exhibit characteristics of an undifferentiated state in oligospermic men and patients with CIS and seminoma in the presence of germ cell neoplasia....... of infertility and testicular cancer. This study sought to compare markers of Sertoli cell differentiation in normospermic men, oligospermic men (undergoing gonadotropin suppression) and testicular carcinoma in situ (CIS) and seminoma samples. Confocal microscopy was used to assess the expression of markers...... of proliferation (PCNA and Ki67) and functional differentiation (androgen receptor). As additional markers of differentiation, the organization of Sertoli cell tight junction and associated proteins were assessed in specimens with carcinoma in situ. In normal men, Sertoli cells exhibited a differentiated phenotype...

Sirt6 regulates postnatal growth plate differentiation and proliferation via Ihh signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Piao, Jinying; Tsuji, Kunikazu; Ochi, Hiroki; Iwata, Munetaka; Koga, Daisuke; Okawa, Atsushi; Morita, Sadao; Takeda, Shu; Asou, Yoshinori

2013-10-23

Sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) is a mammalian homologue of NAD⁺-dependent histone deacetylase Sir2. Although Sirt6⁻/⁻ mice exhibit growth retardation, the role of Sirt6 in cartilage metabolism is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the Sirt6 signaling pathway in cartilage metabolism. Immunohistological evaluation of the tibial growth plate in Sirt6⁻/⁻ mice exhibited impaired proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes, reduced expression of Indian hedgehog (Ihh), and a senescent phenotype. When Sirt6 was knocked down in chondrocytes in vitro, expression of Ihh and its downstream genes were reduced. Impaired differentiation by Sirt6 silencing was completely rescued by administration of a Hh signal agonist. When sirtuins were activated, chondrocyte differentiation was enhanced together with activation of Ihh signal, and these effects were abrogated by Sirt6 silencing. ChIP assay revealed the affinity of ATF4 to the Ihh promoter was markedly decreased by Sirt6 knockdown. These data indicate Sirt6 directly controls proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes.

A genome-wide methylation study on obesity: differential variability and differential methylation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaojing; Su, Shaoyong; Barnes, Vernon A; De Miguel, Carmen; Pollock, Jennifer; Ownby, Dennis; Shi, Hidong; Zhu, Haidong; Snieder, Harold; Wang, Xiaoling

2013-05-01

Besides differential methylation, DNA methylation variation has recently been proposed and demonstrated to be a potential contributing factor to cancer risk. Here we aim to examine whether differential variability in methylation is also an important feature of obesity, a typical non-malignant common complex disease. We analyzed genome-wide methylation profiles of over 470,000 CpGs in peripheral blood samples from 48 obese and 48 lean African-American youth aged 14-20 y old. A substantial number of differentially variable CpG sites (DVCs), using statistics based on variances, as well as a substantial number of differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs), using statistics based on means, were identified. Similar to the findings in cancers, DVCs generally exhibited an outlier structure and were more variable in cases than in controls. By randomly splitting the current sample into a discovery and validation set, we observed that both the DVCs and DMCs identified from the first set could independently predict obesity status in the second set. Furthermore, both the genes harboring DMCs and the genes harboring DVCs showed significant enrichment of genes identified by genome-wide association studies on obesity and related diseases, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers, supporting their roles in the etiology and pathogenesis of obesity. We generalized the recent finding on methylation variability in cancer research to obesity and demonstrated that differential variability is also an important feature of obesity-related methylation changes. Future studies on the epigenetics of obesity will benefit from both statistics based on means and statistics based on variances.

Fisetin Inhibits Osteoclast Differentiation via Downregulation of p38 and c-Fos-NFATc1 Signaling Pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sik-Won Choi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The prevention or therapeutic treatment of loss of bone mass is an important means of improving the quality of life for patients with disorders related to osteoclast-mediated bone loss. Fisetin, a flavonoid dietary ingredient found in the smoke tree (Continus coggygria, exhibits various biological activities, but its effect on osteoclast differentiation is unknown. In this study, fisetin dose-dependently inhibited the RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation with downregulation of the activity or expression of p38, c-Fos, and NFATc1 signaling molecules. The p38/c-Fos/NFATc1-regulated expression of genes required for cell fusion and bone resorption, such as DC-STAMP and cathepsin K, was also inhibited by fisetin. Considering the rescue of fisetin's inhibitory action by NFATc1 over-expression, the cascade of p38-c-Fos-NFATc1 could be strongly involved in the inhibitory effect of fisetin on osteoclast differentiation. Furthermore, fisetin inhibited the bone-resorbing activity of mature osteoclasts. In conclusion, fisetin may be of use in the treatment of osteoclast-related disorders, including osteoporosis.

The role of parental personality traits in differential parenting.

Science.gov (United States)

Browne, Dillon T; Meunier, Jean Christophe; O'Connor, Thomas G; Jenkins, Jennifer M

2012-08-01

Significant relationships have been demonstrated between parental personality and parenting toward individual children, but there is little research exploring the relationship between parental personality and differential parenting (DP). The present study examined the relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions and differential positivity and negativity in parenting (observed and self-report measures). The analyses are based on a sample of 867 children nested within 381 families. Using multilevel modeling and controlling for child age, gender, birth order, behavior, and family socioeconomic status analyses revealed that maternal and paternal agreeableness were inversely related to reports of differential positivity. Agreeableness predicted observed differential negativity, and the relationship was curvilinear (at both high and low levels of agreeableness, differential negativity was higher). Finally, mothers with the most openness to experience exhibited the highest levels of reported differential negativity. The findings suggest that parental personality is a modest yet important influence to consider when conceptualizing the sources of DP. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

A high-throughput surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on differential interferometric imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Daqian; Ding, Lili; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Enyao; Yu, Xinglong; Luo, Zhaofeng; Ou, Huichao

2012-01-01

A new high-throughput surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on differential interferometric imaging is reported. The two SPR interferograms of the sensing surface are imaged on two CCD cameras. The phase difference between the two interferograms is 180°. The refractive index related factor (RIRF) of the sensing surface is calculated from the two simultaneously acquired interferograms. The simulation results indicate that the RIRF exhibits a linear relationship with the refractive index of the sensing surface and is unaffected by the noise, drift and intensity distribution of the light source. The affinity and kinetic information can be extracted in real time from continuously acquired RIRF distributions. The results of refractometry experiments show that the dynamic detection range of SPR differential interferometric imaging system can be over 0.015 refractive index unit (RIU). High refractive index resolution is down to 0.45 RU (1 RU = 1 × 10 −6 RIU). Imaging and protein microarray experiments demonstrate the ability of high-throughput detection. The aptamer experiments demonstrate that the SPR sensor based on differential interferometric imaging has a great capability to be implemented for high-throughput aptamer kinetic evaluation. These results suggest that this biosensor has the potential to be utilized in proteomics and drug discovery after further improvement. (paper)

Amide proton transfer imaging for differentiation of benign and atypical meningiomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joo, Bio [The Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Han, Kyunghwa; Choi, Yoon Seong; Lee, Seung-Koo [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Sung Soo [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yonsei University, Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Jong Hee; Kang, Seok-Gu [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Se Hoon [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Zhou, Jinyuan [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of MRI Research, Department of Radiology, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2018-01-15

To investigate the difference in amide proton transfer (APT)-weighted signals between benign and atypical meningiomas and determine the value of APT imaging for differentiating the two. Fifty-seven patients with pathologically diagnosed meningiomas (benign, 44; atypical, 13), who underwent preoperative MRI with APT imaging between December 2014 and August 2016 were included. We compared normalised magnetisation transfer ratio asymmetry (nMTR{sub asym}) values between benign and atypical meningiomas on APT-weighted images. Conventional MRI features were qualitatively assessed. Both imaging features were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. The discriminative value of MRI with and without nMTR{sub asym} was evaluated. The nMTR{sub asym} of atypical meningiomas was significantly greater than that of benign meningiomas (2.46% vs. 1.67%; P < 0.001). In conventional MR images, benign and atypical meningiomas exhibited significant differences in maximum tumour diameter, non-skull base location, and heterogeneous enhancement. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, high nMTR{sub asym} was an independent predictor of atypical meningiomas (adjusted OR, 11.227; P = 0.014). The diagnostic performance of MRI improved with nMTR{sub asym} for predicting atypical meningiomas. Atypical meningiomas exhibited significantly higher APT-weighted signal intensities than benign meningiomas. The discriminative value of conventional MRI improved significantly when combined with APT imaging for diagnosis of atypical meningioma. (orig.)

The World of Virtual Exhibitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irena Eiselt

2013-09-01

Full Text Available EXTENDED ABSTRACTSpecial collections of the National and University Library (NUK hide a lot of items of precious value. The Slovenian cultural heritage is stored on paper or on other media as a part of the library’s Manuscripts, Incunabula and Rare Books Collection, Old Prints Collection, Maps and Pictorial Collection, Music Collection, Ephemera Collection, Serials Collection, and Slovenian Diaspora Publications Collection. Only a small part of the treasures is temporary revealed to the public on special exhibitions. The idea of virtual exhibitions of library treasures was born in 2005. The library aimed to exhibit precious items of special collections of high historical or artistic value. In 2008 the first two virtual exhibitions were created in-house offering access to the rich collections of old postcards of Ljubljana at the beginning of 20th century kept in the Maps and Pictorial Collection of NUK. They were soon followed by other virtual exhibitions. At the beginning they were organised in the same way as physical exhibitions, afterwards different programs were used for creation of special effects (for ex. 3D wall. About two years ago it was decided that the creation of virtual exhibitions will be simplified. Files of digitised and borndigital library materials in jpg format are imported to MS PowerPoint 2010. Each jpg file is now formatted by adding a frame, a description … to the slides which are saved as jpg files. The last step is the import of jpg files into Cooliris application used for NUK web exhibitions. In the paper the virtual exhibition design and creation, the technical point of view and criteria for the selection of exhibition content are explained following the example of the virtual exhibitions the Old Postcards of Ljubljana, Photo Ateliers in Slovenia, a collection of photographs Four Seasons by Fran Krašovec and photos of Post-Earthquake Ljubljana in 1895.

Chaotic Behavior of a Generalized Sprott E Differential System

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Regilene; Valls, Claudia

A chaotic system with only one equilibrium, a stable node-focus, was introduced by Wang and Chen [2012]. This system was found by adding a nonzero constant b to the Sprott E system [Sprott, 1994]. The coexistence of three types of attractors in this autonomous system was also considered by Braga and Mello [2013]. Adding a second parameter to the Sprott E differential system, we get the autonomous system ẋ = ayz + b,ẏ = x2 - y,ż = 1 - 4x, where a,b ∈ ℝ are parameters and a≠0. In this paper, we consider theoretically some global dynamical aspects of this system called here the generalized Sprott E differential system. This polynomial differential system is relevant because it is the first polynomial differential system in ℝ3 with two parameters exhibiting, besides the point attractor and chaotic attractor, coexisting stable limit cycles, demonstrating that this system is truly complicated and interesting. More precisely, we show that for b sufficiently small this system can exhibit two limit cycles emerging from the classical Hopf bifurcation at the equilibrium point p = (1/4, 1/16, 0). We also give a complete description of its dynamics on the Poincaré sphere at infinity by using the Poincaré compactification of a polynomial vector field in ℝ3, and we show that it has no first integrals in the class of Darboux functions.

Differentiation of Spermatogonia Stem Cells into Functional Mature Neurons Characterized with Differential Gene Expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Bojnordi, Maryam Nazm; Azizi, Hossein; Skutella, Thomas; Movahedin, Mansoureh; Pourabdolhossein, Fereshteh; Shojaei, Amir; Hamidabadi, Hatef Ghasemi

2017-09-01

Transplantation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, ESCs are not usable clinically due to immunological and ethical limitations. The identification of an alternative safe cell source opens novel options via autologous transplantation in neuro-regeneration circumventing these problems. Here, we examined the neurogenic capacity of embryonic stem-like cells (ES-like cells) derived from the testis using neural growth factor inducers and utilized them to generate functional mature neurons. The neuronal differentiation of ES-like cells is induced in three stages. Stage 1 is related to embryoid body (EB) formation. To induce neuroprogenitor cells, EBs were cultured in the presence of retinoic acid, N 2 supplement and fibroblast growth factor followed by culturing in a neurobasal medium containing B 27 , N 2 supplements for additional 10 days, to allow the maturation and development of neuronal progenitor cells. The neurogenic differentiation was confirmed by immunostaining for markers of mature neurons. The differentiated neurons were positive for Tuj1 and Tau1. Real-time PCR dates indicated the expression of Nestin and Neuro D (neuroprogenitor markers) in induced cells at the second stage of the differentiation protocol. The differentiated mature neurons exhibited the specific neuron markers Map2 and β-tubulin. The functional maturity of neurons was confirmed by an electrophysiological analysis of passive and active neural membrane properties. These findings indicated a differentiation capacity of ES-like cells derived from the testis to functionally mature neurons, which proposes them as a novel cell source for neuroregenerative medicine.

Exhibition at the AAA library

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2013-01-01

Sonnesgade 11 The exhibition at the AAA library presents selected work produced by students prior to the exhibition of installations in project and praxis constructing an archive at Sonnesgade 11. The exhibition at Sonnesgade 11 was the culmination of collaboration with SLETH architects and studio...

Corporate Leverage and Product Differentiation Strategy

OpenAIRE

Arping, Stefan; Lóránth, Gyöngyi

2002-01-01

This article develops a model of the interplay between corporate leverage and product differentiation strategy. Leverage improves managerial discipline, but it can also raise customer concerns about a vendor's long-term viability. We argue that customer concerns about firm viability will be particularly pronounced when products are highly differentiated from competitors' products. In this context, optimal product differentiation strategies solve a trade-off between softening price competition...

Upcycling CERN Exhibitions

CERN Multimedia

Katarina Anthony

2015-01-01

Summer is coming - and with it, a new Microcosm exhibition showcasing CERN (see here). But while the new exhibit is preparing to enchant visitors, many have been asking about the site's former content. Will it simply be out with the old and in with the new? Not as such!   The plasma ball from Microcosm is now on display at the LHCb site. As Microcosm's new content is moving in, its old content is moving up. From LHCb to IdeaSquare, former Microcosm displays and objects are being installed across the CERN site. "Microcosm featured many elements that were well suited to life outside of the exhibition," says Emma Sanders, Microcosm project leader in the EDU group. "We didn't want this popular content to go to waste, and so set out to find them new homes across CERN." The LHCb experiment has received a number of Microcosm favourites, including the Rutherford experiment, the cosmic ray display and the Thomson experiment. "We&...

Globe exhibit wins international acclaim

CERN Multimedia

Katarina Anthony

2011-01-01

The Globe’s “Universe of Particles” exhibition has recently received four prestigious awards for its avant-garde design. This external praise is great encouragement for the CERN exhibitions currently on the drawing board.   The Universe of Particles exhibition has won 4 awards for its avant-garde design. Back in 2008, the design company Atelier Brückner was presented with a challenge: to design the layout of a new permanent exhibition for CERN, one that would epitomize both the Organization and its research. The brief was concise but complex: the exhibit had to be symbolic of the Organization, use modern technology, engage and immerse visitors, and, preferably, use touch-screen technology. With the help of IArt, an interactive technology firm, and based on the content provided by CERN’s Education Group, Atelier Brückner developed the “Universe of Particles” exhibit as it is today. Its principal concept centred on the s...

Building Measures of Instructional Differentiation from Teacher Checklists

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Ryan; Swanlund, Andrew; Miller, Shazia; Konstantopoulos, Spyros; van der Ploeg, Arie

2012-01-01

Differentiated instruction is commonly believed to be critical to improving the quality and efficiency of teachers' instructional repertoires (Fischer & Rose, 2001; Tomlinson, 2004). Tomlinson (2000) describes differentiation in four domains: content, process, product, and learning environment. Content differentiation involves varying…

A potent trifluoromethyl ketone histone deacetylase inhibitor exhibits class-dependent mechanism of action

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Andreas Stahl; Olsen, Christian Adam

2016-01-01

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes are validated targets for treatment of certain cancers and have potential as targets for pharmacological intervention in a number of other diseases. Thus, inhibitors of these enzymes have received considerable attention, but these are often evaluated by IC50 value......-on–fast-off mechanism was observed, but the trifluoromethyl ketone compound exhibited differential mechanisms depending on the enzyme isoform. The trifluoromethyl ketone compound displayed a fast-on–fast-off mechanism against class-IIa HDACs 4 and 7, but slow-binding mechanisms against class-I and class-IIb enzymes...

You're Just Like Your Dad: Intergenerational Patterns of Differential Treatment of Siblings.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Alexander C; Whiteman, Shawn D; Rand, Joseph S; Fingerman, Karen L

2017-10-01

Past work highlights that parents' differential treatment has implications for offspring's mental and relational health across the life course. Although the current body of literature has examined offspring- and parent-level correlates of differential treatment, research has yet to consider whether and how patterns of differential treatment are transmitted across generations. As part of a two-wave longitudinal study of 157 families, both grandparents (M age = 76.50 years, SD = 6.20) and parents (M age = 51.10 years, SD = 4.41) reported on differential treatment of their own offspring at both phases. A series of residualized change models revealed support for both continuity and compensation hypotheses. Middle-aged parents tended to model the patterns of differential treatment exhibited by their fathers, but middle-aged men who experienced more differential treatment from their own parents in recent years tended to subsequently exhibit lower levels of differential treatment to their offspring. These findings suggest that patterns of differential treatment both continue and diverge across generations, and those patterns vary by gender. On a broader level, these results also suggest that siblings not only impact one another's development, but in adulthood, they may indirectly influence their nieces' and nephews' development by virtue of their influence on their siblings' parenting. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The use of (125I) iodocyanopindolol as a specific probe for beta-adrenergic receptors in differentiating cultured rat skeletal muscle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schonberg, Michael; Morris, S.A.; Krichevsky, Alexander; Bilezikian, J.P.

1983-01-01

In order to examine more precisely the role of beta-adrenergic receptors in the process of differentiation the new radioligand iodocyanopindolol was used, and found to be a very useful probe to identify beta receptors. Binding charcteristics conformed to those expected for a physiologically relevant beta receptor. L 6 E 9 cells grown in horse serum, which allows differentiation exhibit increased beta receptor density in intact cells as a function of age. In contrast, cells grown in fetal calf serum, which does not allow differentiation, exhibit constant beta receptor density. In broken cells, however, both differentiating and non-differentiating cells show an increase in beta receptors. These results suggest that the process of differentiation is associated with an unmasking of beta receptors which are increasing but cryptic in undifferentiated cells. (author)

Establishment of 3D culture and induction of osteogenic differentiation of pre-osteoblasts using wet-collected aligned scaffolds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Huifen [Hubei-MOSTKLOS & KLOBM, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079 (China); Chongqing Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400015 (China); Zhong, Junwen [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Xu, Fei; Song, Fangfang; Yin, Miao; Wu, Yanru; Hu, Qiyi [Hubei-MOSTKLOS & KLOBM, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079 (China); Wang, Jiawei, E-mail: wangjwei@hotmail.com [Hubei-MOSTKLOS & KLOBM, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079 (China)

2017-02-01

Aligned fibrous scaffolds have attracted much interest in bone tissue engineering, because they are supposed to induce osteogenic differentiation. For the first time, aligned silk fibroin nanofibres were loosely packed using a novel wet-collection electrospinning method. Moreover, three-dimensional (3D) culture of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts was established on these fibrous scaffolds. Physicochemical properties of the scaffolds and the behaviour of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts on the scaffolds were analysed and compared with scaffolds obtained using traditional method. Ethanol bath improved the uniformity and alignment of the fibres and increased the thickness and porosity of the scaffolds. Structures of the fibres were well maintained after immediate crosslinking in ethanol. Cells on the wet-collected scaffolds exhibited more ordered arrangement and elongated morphology as well as faster and deeper infiltration. The ordered infiltration resulted in the establishment of the 3D culture of cells, promoting proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the pre-osteoblasts. Thus, the wet-collected aligned scaffolds with improved topographical and physicochemical properties presents significant potential application in bone regeneration. - Highlights: • Aligned silk fibroin nanofibres were loosely packed using a novel wet-collection electrospinning method. • Structural properties of the aligned nanofibres were improved. • Three-dimensional culture of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts was established. • The arrangement, morphology, infiltration, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of cells were enhanced.

Genetic basis of allochronic differentiation in the fall armyworm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hänniger, S.; Dumas, P.; Schöfl, G.; Gebauer-Jung, S.; Vogel, H.; Unbehend, M.; Heckel, D.G.; Groot, A.T.

2017-01-01

Background: Very little is known on how changes in circadian rhythms evolve. The noctuid moth Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) consists of two strains that exhibit allochronic differentiation in their mating time, which acts as a premating isolation barrier between the strains. We

Dual exponential polynomials and linear differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Zhi-Tao; Gundersen, Gary G.; Heittokangas, Janne

2018-01-01

We study linear differential equations with exponential polynomial coefficients, where exactly one coefficient is of order greater than all the others. The main result shows that a nontrivial exponential polynomial solution of such an equation has a certain dual relationship with the maximum order coefficient. Several examples illustrate our results and exhibit possibilities that can occur.

Exhibition of Stochastic Resonance in Vestibular Perception

Science.gov (United States)

Galvan-Garza, R. C.; Clark, T. K.; Merfeld, D. M.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Oman, C. M.; Mulavara, A. P.

2016-01-01

Astronauts experience sensorimotor changes during spaceflight, particularly during G-transitions. Post flight sensorimotor changes include spatial disorientation, along with postural and gait instability that may degrade operational capabilities of the astronauts and endanger the crew. A sensorimotor countermeasure that mitigates these effects would improve crewmember safety and decrease risk. The goal of this research is to investigate the potential use of stochastic vestibular stimulation (SVS) as a technology to improve sensorimotor function. We hypothesize that low levels of SVS will improve sensorimotor perception through the phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR), when the response of a nonlinear system to a weak input signal is enhanced by the application of a particular nonzero level of noise. This study aims to advance the development of SVS as a potential countermeasure by 1) demonstrating the exhibition of stochastic resonance in vestibular perception, a vital component of sensorimotor function, 2) investigating the repeatability of SR exhibition, and 3) determining the relative contribution of the semicircular canals (SCC) and otolith (OTO) organs to vestibular perceptual SR. A constant current stimulator was used to deliver bilateral bipolar SVS via electrodes placed on each of the mastoid processes, as previously done. Vestibular perceptual motion recognition thresholds were measured using a 6-degree of freedom MOOG platform and a 150 trial 3-down/1-up staircase procedure. In the first test session, we measured vestibular perceptual thresholds in upright roll-tilt at 0.2 Hz (SCC+OTO) with SVS ranging from 0-700 µA. In a second test session a week later, we re-measured roll-tilt thresholds with 0, optimal (from test session 1), and 1500 µA SVS levels. A subset of these subjects, plus naive subjects, participated in two additional test sessions in which we measured thresholds in supine roll-rotation at 0.2 Hz (SCC) and upright y-translation at 1 Hz

Effects of an Informal Energy Exhibit on Knowledge and Attitudes of Fourth Grade Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Goodman

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The public has limited knowledge of renewable energy technologies. An increase in energy literacy can potentially lead to desired energy-related behavioral changes in the future. One potential solution is to increase the public’s access to renewable energy information by placing informal energy education exhibits in libraries, community centers, and parks. After calibrating the exhibit based on observations of children’s interactions at a children’s museum, the exhibit was displayed at a university, a private school, and a community center. The opinion surveys and interviews both showed that participants enjoyed and learned from the exhibit. Students showed no significant statistical improvement between the pretests and posttests, but interviews showed that they could recall facts, explain processes, and make inferences from the exhibit. Fourth-grade students can benefit from interacting with an informal energy exhibit in order to increase their knowledge of energy topics and technologies.

A phenomenological investigation of science center exhibition developers' expertise development

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Denise L.

expressed high levels of job satisfaction and a desire to continue in the position. The study findings have several implications for the practice of exhibition development, including grounding it in a defined exhibition planning process, providing mentors and other resources for learning, and improving upon museum studies programs by providing avenues for exhibition development practice in the science center context.

Greenhouse Earth: A Traveling Exhibition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booth, W.H.; Caesar, S.

1992-09-01

The Franklin Institute Science Museum provided an exhibit entitled the Greenhouse Earth: A Traveling Exhibition. This 3500 square-foot exhibit on global climate change was developed in collaboration with the Association of Science-Technology Centers. The exhibit opened at The Franklin Institute on February 14, 1992, welcoming 291,000 visitors over its three-month stay. During its three-year tour, Greenhouse Earth will travel to ten US cities, reaching two million visitors. Greenhouse Earth aims to deepen public understanding of the scientific issues of global warming and the conservation measures that can be taken to slow its effects. The exhibit features hands-on exhibitry, interactive computer programs and videos, a theater production, a ''demonstration cart,'' guided tours, and lectures. supplemental educational programs at the Institute included a teachers preview, a symposium on climate change, and a ''satellite field trip.'' The development of Greenhouse Earth included front-end and formative evaluation procedures. Evaluation includes interviews with visitors, prototypes, and summative surveys for participating museums. During its stay in Philadelphia, Greenhouse Earth was covered by the local and national press, with reviews in print and broadcast media. Greenhouse Earth is the first large-scale museum exhibit to address global climate change

Differential effects of Rhodiola rosea on regulatory T cell differentiation and interferon‑γ production in vitro and in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xi; Li, Pingping; Zhang, Peng; Chu, Ming; Liu, Hongju; Chen, Xiaoping; Ge, Qing

2016-07-01

Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea), a type of adaptogen, has been previously reported to exhibit immunostimulating activity in rodents and in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro. To examine the effect of R. rosea on T cells under simulated microgravity, spaceflight analogs of human head‑down bed rest (HDBR) at ‑6˚ and murine hind limb unloading (HU) were used. A decrease in the levels of interferon‑γ (IFN‑γ) and interleukin‑17 (IL‑17) and an increase in regulatory T (Treg) cells were observed in the placebo group following HDBR. The R. rosea treated HBDR group demonstrated further decreased IFN‑γ production, however, R. rosea exhibited no effect on the ratio of circulating Tregs or Treg cell differentiation. By contrast, the treatment of R. rosea on human T cells in vitro did not alter IFN‑γ secretion, however, Treg differentiation was significantly reduced. An R. rosea‑induced upregulation of hypoxia‑inducible factor 1α (HIF‑1α) contributed to the suppression of Treg differentiation in vitro. Differences in the effect of R. rosea in vitro and in vivo were also observed using a mouse model of microgravity. The results of the current study suggest that R. rosea has differential modulatory effects on T cells in vivo and in vitro and care should be taken when evaluating the effects of R. rosea on the immune system.

GR and ER co-activation alters the expression of differentiation genes and associates with improved ER+ breast cancer outcome

Science.gov (United States)

West, Diana C.; Pan, Deng; Tonsing-Carter, Eva Y.; Hernandez, Kyle M.; Pierce, Charles F.; Styke, Sarah C.; Bowie, Kathleen R.; Garcia, Tzintzuni I.; Kocherginsky, Masha; Conzen, Suzanne D.

2016-01-01

In estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer (BC), high tumor glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression has been associated with a relatively poor outcome. In contrast, using a meta-analysis of several genomic datasets, here we find that tumor GR mRNA expression is associated with improved ER+ relapse-free survival (RFS) (independently of progesterone receptor (PR) expression). To understand the mechanism by which GR expression is associated with a better ER+ BC outcome, the global effect of GR-mediated transcriptional activation in ER+ BC cells was studied. Analysis of GR chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) in ER+/GR+ MCF-7 cells revealed that upon co-activation of GR and ER, GR chromatin association became enriched at proximal promoter regions. Furthermore, following ER activation, increased GR chromatin association was observed at ER, FOXO, and AP1 response elements. In addition, ER associated with GR response elements, suggesting that ER and GR interact in a complex. Co-activation of GR and ER resulted in increased expression (relative to ER activation alone) of transcripts that encode proteins promoting cellular differentiation (e.g. KDM4B, VDR) and inhibiting the Wnt-signaling pathway (IGFBP4). Finally, expression of these individual pro-differentiation genes was associated with significantly improved RFS in ER+ BC patients. Together, these data suggest that the co-expression and subsequent activity of tumor cell GR and ER contribute to the less aggressive natural history of early-stage BC by coordinating the altered expression of genes favoring differentiation. Implications The interaction between estrogen and glucocorticoid receptor activity highlights the importance of context-dependent nuclear receptor function in cancer. PMID:27141101

Combining Diffusion Tensor Metrics and DSC Perfusion Imaging: Can It Improve the Diagnostic Accuracy in Differentiating Tumefactive Demyelination from High-Grade Glioma?

Science.gov (United States)

Hiremath, S B; Muraleedharan, A; Kumar, S; Nagesh, C; Kesavadas, C; Abraham, M; Kapilamoorthy, T R; Thomas, B

2017-04-01

Tumefactive demyelinating lesions with atypical features can mimic high-grade gliomas on conventional imaging sequences. The aim of this study was to assess the role of conventional imaging, DTI metrics ( p:q tensor decomposition), and DSC perfusion in differentiating tumefactive demyelinating lesions and high-grade gliomas. Fourteen patients with tumefactive demyelinating lesions and 21 patients with high-grade gliomas underwent brain MR imaging with conventional, DTI, and DSC perfusion imaging. Imaging sequences were assessed for differentiation of the lesions. DTI metrics in the enhancing areas and perilesional hyperintensity were obtained by ROI analysis, and the relative CBV values in enhancing areas were calculated on DSC perfusion imaging. Conventional imaging sequences had a sensitivity of 80.9% and specificity of 57.1% in differentiating high-grade gliomas ( P = .049) from tumefactive demyelinating lesions. DTI metrics ( p : q tensor decomposition) and DSC perfusion demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the mean values of ADC, the isotropic component of the diffusion tensor, the anisotropic component of the diffusion tensor, the total magnitude of the diffusion tensor, and rCBV among enhancing portions in tumefactive demyelinating lesions and high-grade gliomas ( P ≤ .02), with the highest specificity for ADC, the anisotropic component of the diffusion tensor, and relative CBV (92.9%). Mean fractional anisotropy values showed no significant statistical difference between tumefactive demyelinating lesions and high-grade gliomas. The combination of DTI and DSC parameters improved the diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve = 0.901). Addition of a heterogeneous enhancement pattern to DTI and DSC parameters improved it further (area under the curve = 0.966). The sensitivity increased from 71.4% to 85.7% after the addition of the enhancement pattern. DTI and DSC perfusion add profoundly to conventional imaging in differentiating tumefactive

Exhibition

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2016-01-01

Encounters Hanne Blitz From February 1st to 12th 2016 CERN Meyrin, Main Building What is our reaction to a first encounter with a tourist attraction? Contemporary Dutch painter Hanne Blitz captures visitors' responses to art and architecture, sweeping vistas and symbolic memorials. Encounters, a series of oil paintings curated specially for this CERN exhibition, depicts tourists visiting cultural highlights around the world. A thought-provoking journey not to be missed, and a tip of the hat to CERN's large Hadron Collider.

Pseudo-differentiation syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dina Khalaf

2011-12-01

Full Text Available A patient with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML (M2 FAB classification developed a differentiating syndrome upon receiving Decitabine therapy given with palliative intent. The patient presented with high grade fever, constitutional symptoms and severe chest symptoms with no underlying lung condition. Chest x-ray (CXR showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. Septic work up followed by intravenous broad spectrum antimicrobials did not improve his condition. Pan cultures’ results were repeatedly negative. Treatment with high dose Dexamethasone (DXM resulted in marked clinical and radiological improvement. Our patient initially presented with relapsed AML (M2 Fab classification with t (8; 21; negative FMS-like tyrosine kinase -internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD which are all good prognostic factors, yet the patient had an atypical clinical course with early frequent relapses, differentiation syndrome associated with Decitabine therapy and late in his disease, he developed a granulocytic sarcoma.

Improvement of MALDI-TOF MS profiling for the differentiation of species within the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Šedo, Ondrej; Nemec, Alexandr; Křížová, Lenka; Kačalová, Magdaléna; Zdráhal, Zbyněk

2013-12-01

MALDI-TOF MS is currently becoming the method of choice for rapid identification of bacterial species in routine diagnostics. Yet, this method suffers from the inability to differentiate reliably between some closely related bacterial species including those of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii (ACB) complex, namely A. baumannii and Acinetobacter nosocomialis. In the present study, we evaluated a protocol which was different from that used in the Bruker Daltonics identification system (MALDI BioTyper) to improve species identification using a taxonomically precisely defined set of 105 strains representing the four validly named species of the ACB complex. The novel protocol is based on the change in matrix composition from alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (saturated solution in water:acetonitrile:trifluoroacetic acid, 47.5:50:2.5, v/v) to ferulic acid (12.5mgml(-1) solution in water:acetonitrile:formic acid 50:33:17, v/v), while the other steps of sample processing remain unchanged. Compared to the standard protocol, the novel one extended the range of detected compounds towards higher molecular weight, produced signals with better mass resolution, and allowed the detection of species-specific signals. As a result, differentiation of A. nosocomialis and A. baumannii strains by cluster analysis was improved and 13 A. nosocomialis strains, assigned erroneously or ambiguously by using the standard protocol, were correctly identified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Scientific support of SciTech museum exhibits and outreach programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peshkin, M.

1995-01-01

SciTech (Science and Technology Interactive Center) is a small hands-on science museum located in Aurora, Illinois, not far from Argonne National Laboratory. Its constituency includes prosperous suburbs and economically disadvantaged minority communities in Aurora and Chicago. Its mission is to contribute to the country's scientific literacy initiative by offering hands-on experiences on the museum floor and through outreach programs extended to school children, their teachers, and other groups. Argonne's participation is focused mainly on the development of exhibits to carry the ideas of modern science and technology to the public. This is an area in which traditional museums are weak, but in which SciTech has become a nationally recognized leader with the assistance of Argonne, Fermilab, nearby technological companies, and many volunteer scientists and engineers. We also participate in development and improvement of the museum's general exhibits and outreach programs. Argonne's Director, Alan Schriesheim, serves as a member of the museum's Board of Directors. Murray Peshkin serves part-time as the museum's Senior Scientist. Dale Henderson serves part-time as an exhibit developer. That work is supported by the Laboratory Director's discretionary funds. In addition, several members of the Physics Division voluntarily assist with exhibit development and the Division makes facilities available for that effort

Differential fat harvesting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Torres Farr

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Aim: Volume replacement with fillers is regularly performed with the use of diverse volumetric materials to correct different structures around the face, depending on the volume enhancement required and the thickness of the soft tissue envelope. Differential fat harvesting and posterior grafting is performed to place the correct fat parcel size for each target area, expanding the potential applications of fat. Methods: Sixty patients consecutively recruited on a first come basis undergone a facial fat grafting procedure, in private practice setting between March 2012 and October 2013. Fat grafting quantity and quality was predicted for each case. Differential harvesting was performed, with 2 fat parcels size. Processing was performed through washing. Fat infiltration was carried out through small cannulas or needles depending on the treated area. Outcomes were analysed both by the physicians and the patients at 7 days, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months through a perceived satisfaction questionnaire. Parameters considered were downtime or discomfort, skin benefits, volume restoration, reabsorption rate estimated and overall improvement. Results: Full facial differential fat grafting procedure lasted an average of 1.5-2.5 h. Average downtime was 3-4 days. Follow-up was performed to a minimum of 6 months. Both patient and physician overall satisfaction rates were mostly excellent. Adverse events like lumps or irregularities were not encountered. Conclusion: Differential fat harvesting and posterior grafting is a valid alternative, to expand the repertoire of fat use, allow a more homogeneous effect, reduce the potential complications, speed up the process, improve graft survival, and to enhance overall aesthetic outcome.

On production costs in vertical differentiation models

OpenAIRE

Dorothée Brécard

2009-01-01

In this paper, we analyse the effects of the introduction of a unit production cost beside a fixed cost of quality improvement in a duopoly model of vertical product differentiation. Thanks to an original methodology, we show that a low unit cost tends to reduce product differentiation and thus prices, whereas a high unit cost leads to widen product differentiation and to increase prices

Harnessing cellular differentiation to improve ALA-based photodynamic therapy in an artificial skin model

Science.gov (United States)

Maytin, Edward; Anand, Sanjay; Sato, Nobuyuki; Mack, Judith; Ortel, Bernhard

2005-04-01

During ALA-based photodynamic therapy (PDT), a pro-drug (aminolevulinic acid; ALA) is taken up by tumor cells and metabolically converted to a photosensitizing intermediate (protoporphyrin IX; PpIX). ALA-based PDT, while an emerging treatment modality, remains suboptimal for most cancers (e.g. squamous cell carcinoma of the skin). Many treatment failures may be largely due to insufficient conversion of ALA to PpIX within cells. We discovered a novel way to increase the conversion of ALA to PpIX, by administering agents that can drive terminal differentiation (i.e., accelerate cellular maturation). Terminally-differentiated epithelial cells show higher levels of intracellular PpIX, apparently via increased levels of a rate-limiting enzyme, coproporphyrinogen oxidase (CPO). To study these mechanisms in a three-dimensional tissue, we developed an organotypic model that mimics true epidermal physiology in a majority of respects. A line of rat epidermal keratinocytes (REKs), when grown in raft cultures, displays all the features of a fully-differentiated epidermis. Addition of ALA to the culture medium results in ALA uptake and PpIX synthesis, with subsequent death of keratinocytes upon exposure to blue light. Using this model, we can manipulate cellular differentiation via three different approaches. (1) Vitamin D, a hormone that enhances keratinocyte differentiation; (2) Hoxb13, a nuclear transcription factor that affects the genetically-controlled differentiation program of stratifying cells (3) Hyaluronan, an abundant extracellular matrix molecule that regulates epidermal differentiation. Because the raft cultures contain only a single cell type (no blood, fibroblasts, etc.) the effects of terminal differentiation upon CPO, PpIX, and keratinocyte cell death can be specifically defined.

Improved differentiation of umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells into insulin-producing cells by PDX-1 mRNA transfection.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Pham, Phuc; Thi-My Nguyen, Phuoc; Thai-Quynh Nguyen, Anh; Minh Pham, Vuong; Nguyen-Tu Bui, Anh; Thi-Tung Dang, Loan; Gia Nguyen, Khue; Kim Phan, Ngoc

2014-06-01

Numerous studies have sought to identify diabetes mellitus treatment strategies with fewer side effects. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy was previously considered as a promising therapy; however, it requires the cells to be trans-differentiated into cells of the pancreatic-endocrine lineage before transplantation. Previous studies have shown that PDX-1 expression can facilitate MSC differentiation into insulin-producing cells (IPCs), but the methods employed to date use viral or DNA-based tools to express PDX-1, with the associated risks of insertional mutation and immunogenicity. Thus, this study aimed to establish a new method to induce PDX-1 expression in MSCs by mRNA transfection. MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord blood and expanded in vitro, with stemness confirmed by surface markers and multipotentiality. MSCs were transfected with PDX-1 mRNA by nucleofection and chemically induced to differentiate into IPCs (combinatorial group). This IPC differentiation was then compared with that of untransfected chemically induced cells (inducer group) and uninduced cells (control group). We found that PDX-1 mRNA transfection significantly improved the differentiation of MSCs into IPCs, with 8.3±2.5% IPCs in the combinatorial group, 3.21±2.11% in the inducer group and 0% in the control. Cells in the combinatorial group also strongly expressed several genes related to beta cells (Pdx-1, Ngn3, Nkx6.1 and insulin) and could produce C-peptide in the cytoplasm and insulin in the supernatant, which was dependent on the extracellular glucose concentration. These results indicate that PDX-1 mRNA may offer a promising approach to produce safe IPCs for clinical diabetes mellitus treatment. Copyright © 2014 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigating Design Research Landscapes through Exhibition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jönsson, Li; Hansen, Flemming Tvede; Mäkelä, Maarit

2013-01-01

What characterizes a design research exhibition compared to a traditional design and art exhibition? How do you show the very materialities of the design experiments as a means for communicating knowledge of research and of practice? How do you present, review and utilize such an exhibition......? With those questions in mind, the intention and challenge for the Nordes 2013 Design Research Exhibition was to expand on current notions of staging research enquires in design research conference contexts. Artefacts, installations, performances, and other materialities that relate to the theme...... of the conference - Experiments in Design Research – were displayed as tools to express and communicate different design research enquires. Through this paper we will describe the Nordes exhibition as a specific case that renders questions visible in relation to how to utilize a design research exhibition...

A mini-exhibition with maximum content

CERN Multimedia

Laëtitia Pedroso

2011-01-01

The University of Budapest has been hosting a CERN mini-exhibition since 8 May. While smaller than the main travelling exhibition it has a number of major advantages: its compact design alleviates transport difficulties and makes it easier to find suitable venues in the Member States. Its content can be updated almost instantaneously and it will become even more interactive and high-tech as time goes by.   The exhibition on display in Budapest. The purpose of CERN's new mini-exhibition is to be more interactive and easier to install. Due to its size, the main travelling exhibition cannot be moved around quickly, which is why it stays in the same country for 4 to 6 months. But this means a long waiting list for the other Member States. To solve this problem, the Education Group has designed a new exhibition, which is smaller and thus easier to install. Smaller maybe, but no less rich in content, as the new exhibition conveys exactly the same messages as its larger counterpart. However, in the slimm...

Interactive Exhibits Foster Partnership and Engage Diverse Learners at Their Local Libraries

Science.gov (United States)

LaConte, K.; Dusenbery, P.; Fitzhugh, G.; Harold, J. B.; Holland, A.

2016-12-01

Learners frequently need to access increasingly complex information to help them understand our changing world. More and more libraries are transforming themselves into places where learners not only access STEM information, but interact with professionals and undertake hands-on learning. Libraries are beginning to position themselves as part of learning ecosystems that contribute to a collective impact on the community. Traveling STEM exhibits are catalyzing these partnerships and engaging students, families, and adults in repeat visits through an accessible venue: their public library. The impact of the STAR Library Education Network's (STAR_Net) Discover Earth: A Century of Change exhibit on partnerships, the circulation of STEM resources, and the engagement of learners was studied by an external evaluation team. The STAR_Net project's summative evaluation utilized mixed methods to investigate project implementation and its outcomes. Methods included pre- and post-exhibit surveys administered to staff from each library that hosted the exhibits; interviews with staff from host libraries; patron surveys; exhibit-related circulation records; web metrics regarding the online STAR_Net community of practice; and site visits. A subset of host libraries recruited professionals, who delivered programming that connected Earth systems science, weather, climate, and conservation themes from the exhibit to local issues. Library patrons improved their knowledge about STEM topics presented in the exhibits and associated programming, and patrons viewing the exhibit reflected the demographics of their communities. In a follow-up survey, patrons reported spending an average of 60 minutes looking at the exhibit over their cumulative visits to the library. In contrast, visitors might visit a museum only once to look at a comparably-sized traveling exhibit due to barriers such as cost and distance. Exhibit host libraries reported an increase in the circulation of Earth science

Investigation on nickel ferrite nanowire device exhibiting negative differential resistance — a first-principles investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Nagarajan

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The electronic property of NiFe_2O_4 nanowire device is investigated through nonequilibrium Green’s functions (NEGF in combination with density functional theory (DFT. The electronic transport properties of NiFe_2O_4 nanowire are studied in terms of density of states, transmission spectrum and I–V characteristics. The density of states gets modified with the applied bias voltage across NiFe_2O_4 nanowire device, the density of charge is observed both in the valence band and in the conduction band on increasing the bias voltage. The transmission spectrum of NiFe_2O_4 nanowire device gives the insights on the transition of electrons at different energy intervals. The findings of the present work suggest that NiFe_2O_4 nanowire device can be used as negative differential resistance (NDR device and its NDR property can be tuned with the bias voltage, which may be used in microwave device, memory devices and in fast switching devices.

Smokers exhibit biased neural processing of smoking and affective images.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, Jason A; Jentink, Kade G; Drobes, David J; Evans, David E

2016-08-01

There has been growing interest in the role that implicit processing of drug cues can play in motivating drug use behavior. However, the extent to which drug cue processing biases relate to the processing biases exhibited to other types of evocative stimuli is largely unknown. The goal of the present study was to determine how the implicit cognitive processing of smoking cues relates to the processing of affective cues using a novel paradigm. Smokers (n = 50) and nonsmokers (n = 38) completed a picture-viewing task, in which participants were presented with a series of smoking, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral images while engaging in a distractor task designed to direct controlled resources away from conscious processing of image content. Electroencephalogram recordings were obtained throughout the task for extraction of event-related potentials (ERPs). Smokers exhibited differential processing of smoking cues across 3 different ERP indices compared with nonsmokers. Comparable effects were found for pleasant cues on 2 of these indices. Late cognitive processing of smoking and pleasant cues was associated with nicotine dependence and cigarette use. Results suggest that cognitive biases may extend across classes of stimuli among smokers. This raises important questions about the fundamental meaning of cognitive biases, and suggests the need to consider generalized cognitive biases in theories of drug use behavior and interventions based on cognitive bias modification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Dynamics of partial differential equations

CERN Document Server

Wayne, C Eugene

2015-01-01

This book contains two review articles on the dynamics of partial differential equations that deal with closely related topics but can be read independently. Wayne reviews recent results on the global dynamics of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. This system exhibits stable vortex solutions: the topic of Wayne's contribution is how solutions that start from arbitrary initial conditions evolve towards stable vortices. Weinstein considers the dynamics of localized states in nonlinear Schrodinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations that describe many optical and quantum systems. In this contribution, Weinstein reviews recent bifurcations results of solitary waves, their linear and nonlinear stability properties, and results about radiation damping where waves lose energy through radiation.   The articles, written independently, are combined into one volume to showcase the tools of dynamical systems theory at work in explaining qualitative phenomena associated with two classes of partial differential equ...

Improved Survival and Initiation of Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Hepatocyte-Like Cells upon Culture in William's E Medium followed by Hepatocyte Differentiation Inducer Treatment.

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Minoru Tomizawa

Full Text Available Hepatocyte differentiation inducer (HDI lacks both glucose and arginine, but is supplemented with galactose and ornithine, and is added together with other reagents such as apoptosis inhibitor and oncostatin M. Although human induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells initiate hepatocyte differentiation, most die within 7 days. In this study, we investigated both HDI and conventional media for their potential to improve cell survival.201B7 iPS cells were cultured in conventional media. This consisted of three cycles of 5-day culture in William's E (WE medium, followed by a 2-day culture in HDI.Expression levels of α-feto protein (AFP were higher in cells cultured in WE and in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium/Nutrient F-12 Ham (DF12. 201B7 cells expressed the highest AFP and albumin (ALB when cultured in HDI for 2 days following 7-day culture in WE. After three cycles of 5-day culture in WE followed by 2 days in HDI, 201B7 cells expressed AFP and ALB 54 ± 2.3 (average ± standard deviation and 73 ± 15.1 times higher, respectively, than those cultured in ReproFF (feeder-free condition.201B7 cells survived culture in WE for 7 days followed HDI for 2 days. After three cycles of culture under these conditions, hepatocyte differentiation was enhanced, as evidenced by increased AFP and ALB expression.

Consistency of differential and integral thermonuclear neutronics data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reupke, W.A.

1978-01-01

To increase the accuracy of the neutronics analysis of nuclear reactors, physicists and engineers have employed a variety of techniques, including the adjustment of multigroup differential data to improve consistency with integral data. Of the various adjustment strategies, a generalized least-squares procedure which adjusts the combined differential and integral data can significantly improve the accuracy of neutronics calculations compared to calculations employing only differential data. This investigation analyzes 14 MeV neutron-driven integral experiments, using a more extensively developed methodology and a newly developed computer code, to extend the domain of adjustment from the energy range of fission reactors to the energy range of fusion reactors

Combining kernel matrix optimization and regularization to improve particle size distribution retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qian; Xia, Houping; Xu, Qiang; Zhao, Lei

2018-05-01

A new method combining Tikhonov regularization and kernel matrix optimization by multi-wavelength incidence is proposed for retrieving particle size distribution (PSD) in an independent model with improved accuracy and stability. In comparison to individual regularization or multi-wavelength least squares, the proposed method exhibited better anti-noise capability, higher accuracy and stability. While standard regularization typically makes use of the unit matrix, it is not universal for different PSDs, particularly for Junge distributions. Thus, a suitable regularization matrix was chosen by numerical simulation, with the second-order differential matrix found to be appropriate for most PSD types.

SLA-aware differentiated QoS in elastic optical networks

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Agrawal, Anuj; Vyas, Upama; Bhatia, Vimal; Prakash, Shashi

2017-07-01

The quality of service (QoS) offered by optical networks can be improved by accurate provisioning of service level specifications (SLSs) included in the service level agreement (SLA). A large number of users coexisting in the network require different services. Thus, a pragmatic network needs to offer a differentiated QoS to a variety of users according to the SLA contracted for different services at varying costs. In conventional wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks, service differentiation is feasible only for a limited number of users because of its fixed-grid structure. Newly introduced flex-grid based elastic optical networks (EONs) are more adaptive to traffic requirements as compared to the WDM networks because of the flexibility in their grid structure. Thus, we propose an efficient SLA provisioning algorithm with improved QoS for these flex-grid EONs empowered by optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (O-OFDM). The proposed algorithm, called SLA-aware differentiated QoS (SADQ), employs differentiation at the level of routing, spectrum allocation, and connection survivability. The proposed SADQ aims to accurately provision the SLA using such multilevel differentiation with an objective to improve the spectrum utilization from the network operator's perspective. SADQ is evaluated for three different CoSs under various traffic demand patterns and for different ratios of the number of requests belonging to the three considered CoSs. We propose two new SLA metrics for the improvement of functional QoS requirements, namely, security, confidentiality and survivability of high class of service (CoS) traffic. Since, to the best of our knowledge, the proposed SADQ is the first scheme in optical networks to employ exhaustive differentiation at the levels of routing, spectrum allocation, and survivability in a single algorithm, we first compare the performance of SADQ in EON and currently deployed WDM networks to assess the

On the existence of weak solutions of quantum stochastic differential ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We establish further results concerning the existence, uniqueness and stability of weak solutions of quantum stochastic differential equations (QSDEs). Our results are achieved by considering a more general Lipschit condition on the coefficients than our previous considerations in [1]. We exhibit a class of Lipschitzian ...

Improved human tenocyte proliferation and differentiation in vitro by optimized silk degumming

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Wang Xiao; Qiu Yiwei; Carr, Andrew J; Triffitt, James T; Sabokbar, Afsie; Xia Zhidao, E-mail: z.xia@swansea.ac.uk [Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom)

2011-06-15

Tendon disorders are common clinical conditions. Tendon tissue engineering provides a new approach for tendon repair by integrating engineered substitutes with their native counterparts. Silk is considered to be a promising candidate for tendon engineering because of its biological and mechanical properties. However, a major concern with using silk for biomedical applications is the immune responses generated by sericin, a glue-like protein that coats the silk fibres. This study improves the existing protocols for silk 'degumming' which removes sericin and enables preparation of silk that is suitable for tendon regeneration. Bombyx mori silks were treated by sequential treatments with different proteases. The efficiency of degumming was determined by measuring weight loss, picric acid and carmine staining and scanning electron microscopy. To evaluate the cellular responses after degumming, the growth and differentiation of human tenocytes on silks were examined. The results showed that sequential protease treatment effectively degummed raw silks. The sequentially degummed silks showed enhanced tenocyte proliferation and upregulated mRNA levels of tendon markers. Thick cell multilayers formed on the treated silks, with cells and collagen fibres penetrating into the spaces in individual silk filaments, resulting in a structure resembling human tendon.

Improved human tenocyte proliferation and differentiation in vitro by optimized silk degumming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, Wang; Yiwei, Qiu; Carr, Andrew J; Triffitt, James T; Sabokbar, Afsie; Xia Zhidao, E-mail: z.xia@swansea.ac.uk [Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom)

2011-06-15

Tendon disorders are common clinical conditions. Tendon tissue engineering provides a new approach for tendon repair by integrating engineered substitutes with their native counterparts. Silk is considered to be a promising candidate for tendon engineering because of its biological and mechanical properties. However, a major concern with using silk for biomedical applications is the immune responses generated by sericin, a glue-like protein that coats the silk fibres. This study improves the existing protocols for silk 'degumming' which removes sericin and enables preparation of silk that is suitable for tendon regeneration. Bombyx mori silks were treated by sequential treatments with different proteases. The efficiency of degumming was determined by measuring weight loss, picric acid and carmine staining and scanning electron microscopy. To evaluate the cellular responses after degumming, the growth and differentiation of human tenocytes on silks were examined. The results showed that sequential protease treatment effectively degummed raw silks. The sequentially degummed silks showed enhanced tenocyte proliferation and upregulated mRNA levels of tendon markers. Thick cell multilayers formed on the treated silks, with cells and collagen fibres penetrating into the spaces in individual silk filaments, resulting in a structure resembling human tendon.

Science Fiction Exhibits as STEM Gateways

Science.gov (United States)

Robie, Samantha

Women continue to hold less than a quarter of all STEM jobs in the United States, prompting many museums to develop programs and exhibits with the express goal of interesting young girls in scientific fields. At the same time, a number of recent museum exhibits have harnessed the popularity of pop culture and science fiction in order to interest general audiences in STEM subject matter, as well as using the exhibits as springboards to expand or shift mission goals and focus. Because science fiction appears to be successful at raising interest in STEM fields, it may be an effective way to garner the interest of young girls in STEM in particular. This research seeks to describe the ways in which museums are currently using science fiction exhibits to interest young girls in STEM fields and careers. Research focused on four institutions across the country hosting three separate exhibits, and included staff interviews and content analysis of exhibit descriptions, promotional materials, a summative evaluation and supplementary exhibit productions. In some ways, science fiction exhibits do serve young girls, primarily through the inclusion of female role models, staff awareness, and prototype testing to ensure interactives are attractive to girls as well as to boys. However, STEM appears to be underutilized, which may be partly due to a concern within the field that the outcome of targeting a specific gender could be construed as "stereotyping".

ANTIBODIES TO LEUKEMIA DIFFERENTIATION FACTOR (HLDF IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER

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A. I. Autenshlus

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Antibodies to leukemia differentiation factor (HLDF in patients with gastrointestinal cancer Abstract. Patients with gastric cancer exhibit higher levels of IgG4-antibodies to human leukemia differentiation factor (HLDF, as compared with healthy individuals, whereas, in patients with colorectal cancer, one may detect high levels of IgA anti-HDLF antibodies, along with lower levels of IgG1 class antibodies against HLDF than in control group. Among patients with gastrointestinal cancer, a positive correlation is revealed between contents of highly differentiated cells in the tumor, and IgM antibodies to HDLF. Meanwhile, a reverse relationship is noted between low differentiation of tumor cells and levels of IgG2 antibodies to HDLF in gastric cancer patients, or IgG3 antibodies to HDLF in patients with colorectal cancer.

In vitro differentiation of rat spermatogonia into round spermatids in tissue culture.

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Reda, A; Hou, M; Winton, T R; Chapin, R E; Söder, O; Stukenborg, J-B

2016-09-01

Do the organ culture conditions, previously defined for in vitro murine male germ cell differentiation, also result in differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic germ cells exhibiting specific markers for haploid germ cells? We demonstrated the differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic cells in vitro, with emphasis on exhibiting, protein markers described for round spermatids. Full spermatogenesis in vitro from immature germ cells using an organ culture technique in mice was first reported 5 years ago. However, no studies reporting the differentiation of rat spermatogonia into post-meiotic germ cells exhibiting the characteristic protein expression profile or into functional sperm have been reported. Organ culture of testicular fragments of 5 days postpartum (dpp) neonatal rats was performed for up to 52 days. Evaluation of microscopic morphology, testosterone levels, mRNA and protein expression as measured by RT-qPCR and immunostaining were conducted to monitor germ cell differentiation in vitro. Potential effects of melatonin, Glutamax® medium, retinoic acid and the presence of epidydimal fat tissue on the spermatogenic process were evaluated. A minimum of three biological replicates were performed for all experiments presented in this study. One-way ANOVA, ANOVA on ranks and student's t-test were applied to perform the statistical analysis. Male germ cells, present in testicular tissue pieces grown from 5 dpp rats, exhibited positive protein expression for Acrosin and Crem (cAMP (cyclic adenosine mono phosphate) response element modulator) after 52 days of culture in vitro. Intra-testicular testosterone production could be observed after 3 days of culture, while when epididymal fat tissue was added, spontaneous contractility of cultured seminiferous tubules could be observed after 21 days. However, no supportive effect of the supplementation with any factor or the co-culturing with epididymal fat tissue on germ cell differentiation in

Dietary restriction improves repopulation but impairs lymphoid differentiation capacity of hematopoietic stem cells in early aging

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Duozhuang; Tao, Si; Chen, Zhiyang; Koliesnik, Ievgen Oleksandrovich; Calmes, Philip Gerald; Hoerr, Verena; Han, Bing; Gebert, Nadja; Zörnig, Martin; Löffler, Bettina

2016-01-01

Dietary restriction (DR) improves health, delays tissue aging, and elongates survival in flies and worms. However, studies on laboratory mice and nonhuman primates revealed ambiguous effects of DR on lifespan despite improvements in health parameters. In this study, we analyzed consequences of adult-onset DR (24 h to 1 yr) on hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. DR ameliorated HSC aging phenotypes, such as the increase in number of HSCs and the skewing toward myeloid-biased HSCs during aging. Furthermore, DR increased HSC quiescence and improved the maintenance of the repopulation capacity of HSCs during aging. In contrast to these beneficial effects, DR strongly impaired HSC differentiation into lymphoid lineages and particularly inhibited the proliferation of lymphoid progenitors, resulting in decreased production of peripheral B lymphocytes and impaired immune function. The study shows that DR-dependent suppression of growth factors and interleukins mediates these divergent effects caused by DR. Supplementation of insulin-like growth factor 1 partially reverted the DR-induced quiescence of HSCs, whereas IL-6/IL-7 substitutions rescued the impairment of B lymphopoiesis exposed to DR. Together, these findings delineate positive and negative effects of long-term DR on HSC functionality involving distinct stress and growth signaling pathways. PMID:26951333

IMPROVEMENT OF ACCURACY OF RADIATIVE HEAT TRANSFER DIFFERENTIAL APPROXIMATION METHOD FOR MULTI DIMENSIONAL SYSTEMS BY MEANS OF AUTO-ADAPTABLE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

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K. V. Dobrego

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Differential approximation is derived from radiation transfer equation by averaging over the solid angle. It is one of the more effective methods for engineering calculations of radia- tive heat transfer in complex three-dimensional thermal power systems with selective and scattering media. The new method for improvement of accuracy of the differential approximation based on using of auto-adaptable boundary conditions is introduced in the paper. The  efficiency  of  the  named  method  is  proved  for  the  test  2D-systems.  Self-consistent auto-adaptable boundary conditions taking into consideration the nonorthogonal component of the incident to the boundary radiation flux are formulated. It is demonstrated that taking in- to consideration of the non- orthogonal incident flux in multi-dimensional systems, such as furnaces, boilers, combustion chambers improves the accuracy of the radiant flux simulations and to more extend in the zones adjacent to the edges of the chamber.Test simulations utilizing the differential approximation method with traditional boundary conditions, new self-consistent boundary conditions and “precise” discrete ordinates method were performed. The mean square errors of the resulting radiative fluxes calculated along the boundary of rectangular and triangular test areas were decreased 1.5–2 times by using auto- adaptable boundary conditions. Radiation flux gaps in the corner points of non-symmetric sys- tems are revealed by using auto-adaptable boundary conditions which can not be obtained by using the conventional boundary conditions.

Approximating chaotic saddles for delay differential equations.

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Taylor, S Richard; Campbell, Sue Ann

2007-04-01

Chaotic saddles are unstable invariant sets in the phase space of dynamical systems that exhibit transient chaos. They play a key role in mediating transport processes involving scattering and chaotic transients. Here we present evidence (long chaotic transients and fractal basins of attraction) of transient chaos in a "logistic" delay differential equation. We adapt an existing method (stagger-and-step) to numerically construct the chaotic saddle for this system. This is the first such analysis of transient chaos in an infinite-dimensional dynamical system, and in delay differential equations in particular. Using Poincaré section techniques we illustrate approaches to visualizing the saddle set, and confirm that the saddle has the Cantor-like fractal structure consistent with a chaotic saddle generated by horseshoe-type dynamics.

Approximating chaotic saddles for delay differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, S. Richard; Campbell, Sue Ann

2007-04-01

Chaotic saddles are unstable invariant sets in the phase space of dynamical systems that exhibit transient chaos. They play a key role in mediating transport processes involving scattering and chaotic transients. Here we present evidence (long chaotic transients and fractal basins of attraction) of transient chaos in a “logistic” delay differential equation. We adapt an existing method (stagger-and-step) to numerically construct the chaotic saddle for this system. This is the first such analysis of transient chaos in an infinite-dimensional dynamical system, and in delay differential equations in particular. Using Poincaré section techniques we illustrate approaches to visualizing the saddle set, and confirm that the saddle has the Cantor-like fractal structure consistent with a chaotic saddle generated by horseshoe-type dynamics.

150 years of the New York Academy of Medicine: a series of exhibitions.

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Black, L F; North, M J

1996-01-01

As the New York Academy of Medicine celebrates its 150th year as a leader in the field of urban health, it is instructive to review the events and decisions that influenced and shaped it. Since its inception, the Academy has taken an active role in lobbying state and local governments to enact more-effective public health laws and in educating the public about improving health conditions. During 1996 and 1997, the Academy Library's Historical Collections is mounting a series of six exhibitions that are intended to tell the story of public health in New York as influenced by the New York Academy of Medicine. The story will be told using printed books, pamphlets, posters, photographs, and manuscripts drawn from the Library's collections, as well as the Academy's archives. Each exhibition will highlight the Academy's accomplishments in the subject areas presented. In this article, we summarize all six of the exhibitions and offer an in-depth look at the first two exhibitions.

Trait anxiety and attenuated negative affect differentiation: a vulnerability factor to consider?

Science.gov (United States)

Matt, Lindsey M; Fresco, David M; Coifman, Karin G

2016-11-01

Describing emotional experiences using distinct terms, or affect differentiation, has been associated with emotion regulation and adaptive behavior under stress. There is little data, however, examining the association between differentiation and dispositional factors underlying psychopathology. The current study examines the association between differentiation and trait anxiety (TA) given prior evidence of cognitive biases in TA relevant to higher order processing of emotional experiences. We examined cross-sectionally, via lab-based repeated assessment, the association between differentiation of negative and positive experiences and TA. Two hundred twenty-two adults completed an emotion reactivity task including repeated assessments of affect. We hypothesized that individuals higher in trait anxiety (HTA) would have greater difficulty differentiating their experiences. HTA individuals exhibited lower levels of negative affect (NA) differentiation even when controlling for depression. Although negative emotion intensity was consistently associated with lower differentiation, this did not account for the influence of HTA on differentiation. These data suggest that HTA individuals have greater difficulty differentiating negative emotions, regardless of negative emotion intensity and depression. As HTA is common to many emotional disorders; this evidence suggests that poor differentiation may also be an important transdiagnostic consideration in models of risk and of affective disease.

Barium titanate nanoparticles and hypergravity stimulation improve differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts

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Rocca A

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Antonella Rocca,1,2 Attilio Marino,1,2 Veronica Rocca,3 Stefania Moscato,4 Giuseppe de Vito,5,6 Vincenzo Piazza,5 Barbara Mazzolai,1 Virgilio Mattoli,1 Thu Jennifer Ngo-Anh,7 Gianni Ciofani1 1Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Pontedera, Italy, 2Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pontedera, Italy, 3Università di Pisa, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Pisa, Italy, 4Università di Pisa, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Pisa, Italy, 5Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Pisa, Italy, 6Scuola Normale Superiore, NEST, Pisa, Italy, 7Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, the Netherlands Background: Enhancement of the osteogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs is highly desirable in the field of bone regeneration. This paper proposes a new approach for the improvement of osteogenesis combining hypergravity with osteoinductive nanoparticles (NPs.Materials and methods: In this study, we aimed to investigate the combined effects of hypergravity and barium titanate NPs (BTNPs on the osteogenic differentiation of rat MSCs, and the hypergravity effects on NP internalization. To obtain the hypergravity condition, we used a large-diameter centrifuge in the presence of a BTNP-doped culture medium. We analyzed cell morphology and NP internalization with immunofluorescent staining and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, respectively. Moreover, cell differentiation was evaluated both at the gene level with quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and at the protein level with Western blotting.Results: Following a 20 g treatment, we found alterations in cytoskeleton conformation, cellular shape and morphology, as well as a significant increment of expression of osteoblastic markers both at the gene and protein levels, jointly pointing to a substantial

Photowalk Exhibition opens at Microcosm

CERN Document Server

Katarina Anthony

2011-01-01

The winning photographs from the 2010 Global Particle Physics Photowalk competition will go on display at Microcosm from 11 February to 2 April. The exhibition is part of a global photography event taking place over three continents, with Photowalk exhibitions opening simultaneously at Fermilab in the US, KEK in Japan and here at CERN.   DESY wire chamber - First place people's choice; second place global jury competition. Photographer: Hans-Peter Hildebrandt  If you were one of the 1,300 photography lovers who voted in last year’s Photowalk competition, this exhibition is your chance to see the winning entries in print. The exhibition will take place in the downstairs gallery of Microcosm, overlooking the garden. 15 photographs will be on display, with each of the laboratories that participated in Photowalk represented by their 3 winning entries. Among them will be the “people’s choice” sunburst photo of a particle detector at DESY (Photo 1), and...

Creating National Narrative: The Red Guard Art Exhibitions and the National Exhibitions in the Chinese Cultural Revolution 1966 - 1976

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Winnie Tsang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The artistic development in China experienced drastic changes during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. Traditional Chinese art was denounced, whereas propaganda art became predominant in shaping the public’s loyalty towards the Communist Party and the country. Two major groups of art exhibitions emerged during the Revolution—the unofficial Red Guard art exhibitions organized by student activists in collaboration with local communes and art schools between 1966 and 1968, and the state-run national exhibitions from 1972 to 1975. These exhibitions were significant to this period because they were held frequently in the capital city Beijing and occasionally elsewhere, and through art they presented unique revolutionary beliefs to the Chinese people in a public setting. While the Red Guard art exhibitions and the national exhibitions certainly created different national narratives, I argue that the national exhibitions were in fact an attempt to revise the national narrative created by the Red Guard art exhibitions in order to re-establish a more utopian, consistent, and official national narrative. This paper unravels the intricate relationship between the two groups of exhibitions by comparing their exhibition venues, ideological focuses, work selection and quality editing. 

Nucleotide excision repair in differentiated cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wees, Caroline van der [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Jansen, Jacob [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Vrieling, Harry [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Laarse, Arnoud van der [Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Zeeland, Albert van [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Mullenders, Leon [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands)]. E-mail: l.mullenders@lumc.nl

2007-01-03

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the principal pathway for the removal of a wide range of DNA helix-distorting lesions and operates via two NER subpathways, i.e. global genome repair (GGR) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR). Although detailed information is available on expression and efficiency of NER in established mammalian cell lines, little is known about the expression of NER pathways in (terminally) differentiated cells. The majority of studies in differentiated cells have focused on repair of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4-photoproducts (6-4PP) because of the high frequency of photolesions at low level of toxicity and availability of sensitive technologies to determine photolesions in defined regions of the genome. The picture that emerges from these studies is blurred and rather complex. Fibroblasts and terminally differentiated myocytes of the rat heart display equally efficient GGR of 6-4PP but poor repair of CPD due to the absence of p48 expression. This repair phenotype is clearly different from human terminal differentiated neurons. Furthermore, both cell types were found to carry out TCR of CPD, thus mimicking the repair phenotype of established rodent cell lines. In contrast, in intact rat spermatogenic cells repair was very inefficient at the genome overall level and in transcriptionally active genes indicating that GGR and TCR are non-functional. Also, non-differentiated mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells exhibit low levels of NER after UV irradiation. However, the mechanisms that lead to low NER activity are clearly different: in differentiated spermatogenic cells differences in chromatin compaction and sequestering of NER proteins may underlie the lack of NER activity in pre-meiotic cells, whereas in non-differentiated ES cells NER is impaired by a strong apoptotic response.

Designing immersion exhibits as border-crossing environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Marianne Foss

2010-01-01

be applied to achieve an understanding of the immersion exhibit form. The argument proceeds by demonstrating how the characteristics of immersion exhibits, and visitors to them, classify them as microcultures, and examining the implications of this for exhibit design using a hypothetical immersion exhibit...

Sensitivity and fidelity of DNA microarray improved with integration of Amplified Differential Gene Expression (ADGE

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Ile Kristina E

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ADGE technique is a method designed to magnify the ratios of gene expression before detection. It improves the detection sensitivity to small change of gene expression and requires small amount of starting material. However, the throughput of ADGE is low. We integrated ADGE with DNA microarray (ADGE microarray and compared it with regular microarray. Results When ADGE was integrated with DNA microarray, a quantitative relationship of a power function between detected and input ratios was found. Because of ratio magnification, ADGE microarray was better able to detect small changes in gene expression in a drug resistant model cell line system. The PCR amplification of templates and efficient labeling reduced the requirement of starting material to as little as 125 ng of total RNA for one slide hybridization and enhanced the signal intensity. Integration of ratio magnification, template amplification and efficient labeling in ADGE microarray reduced artifacts in microarray data and improved detection fidelity. The results of ADGE microarray were less variable and more reproducible than those of regular microarray. A gene expression profile generated with ADGE microarray characterized the drug resistant phenotype, particularly with reference to glutathione, proliferation and kinase pathways. Conclusion ADGE microarray magnified the ratios of differential gene expression in a power function, improved the detection sensitivity and fidelity and reduced the requirement for starting material while maintaining high throughput. ADGE microarray generated a more informative expression pattern than regular microarray.

Exhibition

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2017-01-01

Sintropie Flavio Pellegrini From 13 to 24 March 2017 CERN Meyrin, Main Building Energia imprigionata - Flavio Pellegrini. The exhibition is composed by eleven wood artworks with the expression of movement as theme. The artworks are the result of harmonics math applied to sculpture. The powerful black colour is dominated by the light source, generating reflexes and modulations. The result is a continuous variation of perspective visions. The works generate, at a first approach, an emotion of mystery and incomprehension, only a deeper contemplation lets one discover entangling and mutative details, evidencing the elegance of the lines and letting the meaning emerge. For more information : staff.association@cern.ch | Tél: 022 766 37 38

The Culture of Exhibitions and Conservation

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Dimitrios Doumas

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The article reflects on temporary exhibitions from a theoretical as well as practical perspective. Regarded as a particularly effective mass-communication medium, exhibitions have a dual nature: they are scholarly undertakings, bringing off a curator’s vision and, simultaneously, they are projects with economic implications that need to be well managed and administered. The role of conservation in the making of temporary exhibitions, either in-house or touring, is here discussed in relation to how work is planned and prioritized as well as how time is managed and staff is allocated. Reference to weaknesses that lessen the crucial input of conservation in the decision-making process is also made. Much of the debate, which focuses on art exhibitions, concerns practicalities encountered in a private museum that extend from the very early stages of selecting objects for display to the mounting of an exhibition.

From the hypergeometric differential equation to a non-linear Schrödinger one

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plastino, A.; Rocca, M.C.

2015-01-01

We show that the q-exponential function is a hypergeometric function. Accordingly, it obeys the hypergeometric differential equation. We demonstrate that this differential equation can be transformed into a non-linear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). This NLSE exhibits both similarities and differences vis-a-vis the Nobre–Rego-Monteiro–Tsallis one. - Highlights: • We show that the q-exponential is a hypergeometric function. • It thus obeys the hypergeometric differential equation (HDE). • We show that the HDE can be cast as a non-linear Schrödinger equation. • This is different from the Nobre, Rego-Monteiro, Tsallis one.

Covariant differential calculus on the quantum exterior vector space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parashar, P.; Soni, S.K.

1992-01-01

We formulate a differential calculus on the quantum exterior vector space spanned by the generators of a non-anticommutative algebra satisfying r ij = θ i θ j +B kl ij θ k θ l =0 i, j=1, 2, ..., n. and (θ i ) 2 =(θ j ) 2 =...=(θ n ) 2 =0, where B kl ij is the most general matrix defined in terms of complex deformation parameters. Following considerations analogous to those of Wess and Zumino, we are able to exhibit covariance of our calculus under ( 2 n )+1 parameter deformation of GL(n) and explicitly check that the non-anticommutative differential calculus satisfies the general constraints given by them, such as the 'linear' conditions dr ij ≅0 and the 'quadratic' condition r ij x n ≅0 where x n =dθ n are the differentials of the variables. (orig.)

Finger tapping and verbal fluency post-tap test improvement in INPH: its value in differential diagnosis and shunt-treatment outcomes prognosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liouta, Evangelia; Gatzonis, Stylianos; Kalamatianos, Theodosis; Kalyvas, Aristotelis; Koutsarnakis, Christos; Liakos, Faidon; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Komaitis, Spyridon; Giakoumettis, Dimitris; Stranjalis, George

2017-12-01

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) diagnosis is challenging as it can be mimicked by other neurological conditions, such as neurodegenerative dementia and motor syndromes. Additionally, outcomes after lumbar puncture (LP) tap test and shunt treatment may vary due to the lack of a common protocol in INPH assessment. The present study aimed to assess whether a post-LP test amelioration of frontal cognitive dysfunctions, characterizing this syndrome, can differentiate INPH from similar neurological conditions and whether this improvement can predict INPH post-shunt outcomes. Seventy-one consecutive patients referred for INPH suspicion and LP testing, were enrolled. According to the consensus guidelines criteria, 29 patients were diagnosed as INPH and 42 were assigned an alternative diagnosis (INPH-like group) after reviewing clinical, neuropsychological and imaging data, and before LP results. A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment for frontal executive, upper extremity fine motor functions, aphasias, apraxias, agnosias and gait evaluation were administered at baseline. Executive, fine motor functions and gait were re-examined post-LP test in all patients and post-shunt placement in INPH patients. Of the INPH patients, 86.2% showed cognitive amelioration in the post-LP test; in addition, all but one (97%) presented with neurocognitive and gait improvement post-shunt. Verbal phonological fluency and finger tapping task post-LP improvement predicted positive clinical outcome post-shunt. None of the INPH-like group presented with neurocognitive improvement post-LP. Post-LP amelioration of verbal fluency and finger tapping deficits can differentiate INPH from similar disorders and predict positive post-shunt clinical outcome in INPH. This becomes of great importance when gait assessment is difficult to perform in clinical practice.

Proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells under hypoxic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren Hongying; Cao Ying; Zhao, Qinjun; Li Jing; Zhou Cixiang; Liao Lianming; Jia Mingyue; Zhao Qian; Cai Huiguo; Han Zhongchao; Yang Renchi; Chen Guoqiang; Zhao, R.C.

2006-01-01

Low oxygen tension is a potent differentiation inducer of numerous cell types and an effective stimulus of many gene expressions. Here, we described that under 8% O 2 , bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) exhibited proliferative and morphologic changes. The level of differentiated antigen H-2Dd and the number of G 2 /S/M phase cells increased evidently under 8% O 2 condition. Also, the proportion of wide, flattened, and epithelial-like cells (which were alkaline phosphatase staining positive) in MSCs increased significantly. When cultured in adipogenic medium, there was a 5- to 6-fold increase in the number of lipid droplets under hypoxic conditions compared with that in normoxic culture. We also demonstrated the existence of MSC differentiation under hypoxic conditions by electron microscopy. Expression of Oct4 was inhibited under 8% O 2 condition, but after adipocyte differentiation in normoxic culture and hypoxia-mimicking agents cobalt chloride (CoCl 2 ) and deferoxamine mesylate (DFX) treatments, Oct4 was still expressed in MSCs. These results indicate hypoxia accelerates MSC differentiation and hypoxia and hypoxia-mimicking agents exert different effects on MSC differentiation

Online Exhibits & Concept Maps

Science.gov (United States)

Douma, M.

2009-12-01

Presenting the complexity of geosciences to the public via the Internet poses a number of challenges. For example, utilizing various - and sometimes redundant - Web 2.0 tools can quickly devour limited time. Do you tweet? Do you write press releases? Do you create an exhibit or concept map? The presentation will provide participants with a context for utilizing Web 2.0 tools by briefly highlighting methods of online scientific communication across several dimensions. It will address issues of: * breadth and depth (e.g. from narrow topics to well-rounded views), * presentation methods (e.g. from text to multimedia, from momentary to enduring), * sources and audiences (e.g. for experts or for the public, content developed by producers to that developed by users), * content display (e.g. from linear to non-linear, from instructive to entertaining), * barriers to entry (e.g. from an incumbent advantage to neophyte accessible, from amateur to professional), * cost and reach (e.g. from cheap to expensive), and * impact (e.g. the amount learned, from anonymity to brand awareness). Against this backdrop, the presentation will provide an overview of two methods of online information dissemination, exhibits and concept maps, using the WebExhibits online museum (www.webexhibits.org) and SpicyNodes information visualization tool (www.spicynodes.org) as examples, with tips on how geoscientists can use either to communicate their science. Richly interactive online exhibits can serve to engage a large audience, appeal to visitors with multiple learning styles, prompt exploration and discovery, and present a topic’s breadth and depth. WebExhibits, which was among the first online museums, delivers interactive information, virtual experiments, and hands-on activities to the public. While large, multidisciplinary exhibits on topics like “Color Vision and Art” or “Calendars Through the Ages” require teams of scholars, user interface experts, professional writers and editors

Enhanced reactive oxygen species overexpression by CuO nanoparticles in poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kung, Mei-Lang; Hsieh, Shu-Ling; Wu, Chih-Chung; Chu, Tian-Huei; Lin, Yu-Chun; Yeh, Bi-Wen; Hsieh, Shuchen

2015-01-01

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are known to exhibit toxic effects on a variety of cell types and organs. To determine the oxidative impact of CuO NPs on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, well-differentiated (HepG2) and poorly differentiated (SK-Hep-1) cells were exposed to CuO NPs. Cell viability assay showed that the median inhibition concentration (IC50) for SK-Hep-1 and HepG2 cells was 25 μg ml-1 and 85 μg ml-1, respectively. Cellular fluorescence intensity using DCFH-DA staining analysis revealed significant intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of up to 242% in SK-Hep-1 cells, compared with 86% in HepG2 cells. HPLC analysis demonstrated that a CuO NP treatment caused cellular GSH depletion of 58% and a GSH/GSSG ratio decrease to ~0.1 in SK-Hep-1 cells. The oxidative stress caused by enhanced superoxide anion production was observed in both HepG2 (146%) and SK-Hep-1 (192%) cells. The Griess assay verified that CuO NPs induced NO production (170%) in SK-Hep-1 cells. Comet assay and western blot further demonstrated that CuO NPs induced severe DNA strand breakage (70%) in SK-Hep-1 cells and caused DNA damage via increased γ-H2AX levels. These results suggest that well-differentiated HepG2 cells possess a robust antioxidant defense system against CuO NP-induced ROS stress and exhibit more tolerance to oxidative stress. Conversely, poorly differentiated SK-Hep-1 cells exhibited a deregulated antioxidant defense system that allowed accumulation of CuO NP-induced ROS and resulted in severe cytotoxicity.Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are known to exhibit toxic effects on a variety of cell types and organs. To determine the oxidative impact of CuO NPs on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, well-differentiated (HepG2) and poorly differentiated (SK-Hep-1) cells were exposed to CuO NPs. Cell viability assay showed that the median inhibition concentration (IC50) for SK-Hep-1 and HepG2 cells was 25 μg ml-1 and 85 μg ml-1, respectively

Affordances and distributed cognition in museum exhibitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Achiam, Marianne; May, Michael; Marandino, Martha

2014-01-01

consistent framework. Here, we invoke the notions of affordance and distributed cognition to explain in a coherent way how visitors interact with exhibits and exhibit spaces and make meaning from those interactions, and we exemplify our points using observations of twelve visitors to exhibits at a natural...... history museum. We show how differences in exhibit characteristics give rise to differences in the interpretive strategies used by visitors in their meaning-making process, and conclude by discussing how the notions of affordance and distributed cognition can be used in an exhibit design perspective....

Holland at CERN – Industrial exhibition

CERN Multimedia

GS Department

2010-01-01

Sponsored by EVD, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of the Economy From 8 to 11 November 2010 Industrial Exhibition Administration Building Bldg. 61 9-00 - 17-30 Twenty seven companies will present their latest technology at the industrial exhibition "Holland at CERN". Dutch industry will exhibit products and technologies which are related to the field of particle physics. Individual interviews will take place directly at the stands in the Main Building. The firms will contact relevant users/technicians but any user wishing to make contact with a particular firm is welcome to use the contact details which are available from each departmental secretariat or at the following URL: http://gs-dep.web.cern.ch/gs-dep/groups/sem/ls/Industrial_Exhibitions.htm#Industrial_exhibitions You will find the list of exhibitors below. LIST OF EXHIBITORS: Schelde Exotech Vernooy BV Triumph Group INCAA Computers DeMaCo Holland bv TNO Science & Industry Janssen Precision Engi...

Transposon mutagenesis reveals differential pathogenesis of Ralstonia solanacearum on tomato and Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yu-Mei; Chou, I-Chun; Wang, Jaw-Fen; Ho, Fang-I; Chu, Yu-Ju; Huang, Pei-Cheng; Lu, Der-Kang; Shen, Hwei-Ling; Elbaz, Mounira; Huang, Shu-Mei; Cheng, Chiu-Ping

2008-09-01

Ralstonia solanacearum causes a deadly wilting disease on a wide range of crops. To elucidate pathogenesis of this bacterium in different host plants, we set out to identify R. solanacearum genes involved in pathogenesis by screening random transposon insertion mutants of a highly virulent strain, Pss190, on tomato and Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutants exhibiting various decreased virulence levels on these two hosts were identified. Sequence analysis showed that most, but not all, of the identified pathogenesis genes are conserved among distinct R. solanacearum strains. A few of the disrupted loci were not reported previously as being involved in R. solanacearum pathogenesis. Notably, a group of mutants exhibited differential pathogenesis on tomato and Arabidopsis. These results were confirmed by characterizing allelic mutants in one other R. solanacearum strain of the same phylotype. The significantly decreased mutants' colonization in Arabidopsis was found to be correlated with differential pathogenesis on these two plants. Differential requirement of virulence genes suggests adaptation of this bacterium in different host environments. Together, this study reveals commonalities and differences of R. solanacearum pathogenesis on single solanaceous and nonsolanaceous hosts, and provides important new insights into interactions between R. solanacearum and different host plants.

Cytogenetic analysis of a case of myxoid liposarcoma with cartilaginous differentiation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkhuizen, T; Molenaar, WM; Hoekstra, HJ; Wiersema, J; vandenBerg, E

1996-01-01

The cytogenetic analysis of a patient with a myxoid liposarcoma exhibiting cartilaginous differentiation is presented. A complex translocation involving chromosome 12, 16, and 19 was found, instead of the t(12;16), specific for myxoid liposarcoma. The involvement of 19q13 in a tumor with

Multiple symbol differential detection of uncoded and trellis coded MPSK

Science.gov (United States)

Divsalar, Dariush; Simon, Marvin K.; Shahshahani, Mehrdad

1989-01-01

A differential detection for MPSK, which uses a multiple symbol observation interval, is presented and its performance analyzed and simulated. The technique makes use of maximum-likelihood sequence estimation of the transmitted phases rather than symbol-by-symbol detection as in conventional differential detection. As such the performance of this multiple symbol detection scheme fills the gap between conventional (two-symbol observation) differentially coherent detection of MPSK and ideal coherent of MPSK with differential encoding. The amount of improvement gained over conventional differential detection depends on the number of phases, M, and the number of additional symbol intervals added to the observation. What is particularly interesting is that substantial performance improvement can be obtained for only one or two additional symbol intervals of observation. The analysis and simulation results presented are for uncoded and trellis coded MPSK.

Differential Role of CBT Skills, DBT Skills and Psychological Flexibility in Predicting Depressive versus Anxiety Symptom Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Christian A.; Beard, Courtney; Kertz, Sarah J.; Hsu, Kean; Björgvinsson, Thröstur

2016-01-01

Objective Studies have reported associations between cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skill use and symptom improvement in depressed outpatient samples. However, little is known regarding the temporal relationship between different subsets of therapeutic skills and symptom change among relatively severely depressed patients receiving treatment in psychiatric hospital settings. Method Adult patients with major depression (N=173) receiving combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment at a psychiatric hospital completed repeated assessments of traditional CBT skills, DBT skills and psychological flexibility, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results Results indicated that only use of behavioral activation (BA) strategies significantly predicted depressive symptom improvement in this sample; whereas DBT skills and psychological flexibility predicted anxiety symptom change. In addition, a baseline symptom severity X BA strategies interaction emerged indicating that those patients with higher pretreatment depression severity exhibited the strongest association between use of BA strategies and depressive symptom improvement. Conclusions Findings suggest the importance of emphasizing the acquisition and regular use of BA strategies with severely depressed patients in short-term psychiatric settings. In contrast, an emphasis on the development of DBT skills and the cultivation of psychological flexibility may prove beneficial for the amelioration of anxiety symptoms. PMID:27057997

A neuro approach to solve fuzzy Riccati differential equations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shahrir, Mohammad Shazri, E-mail: mshazri@gmail.com [InstitutSainsMatematik, Universiti Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Telekom Malaysia, R& D TM Innovation Centre, LingkaranTeknokrat Timur, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor (Malaysia); Kumaresan, N., E-mail: drnk2008@gmail.com; Kamali, M. Z. M.; Ratnavelu, Kurunathan [InstitutSainsMatematik, Universiti Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2015-10-22

There are many applications of optimal control theory especially in the area of control systems in engineering. In this paper, fuzzy quadratic Riccati differential equation is estimated using neural networks (NN). Previous works have shown reliable results using Runge-Kutta 4th order (RK4). The solution can be achieved by solving the 1st Order Non-linear Differential Equation (ODE) that is found commonly in Riccati differential equation. Research has shown improved results relatively to the RK4 method. It can be said that NN approach shows promising results with the advantage of continuous estimation and improved accuracy that can be produced over RK4.

Oscillation criteria for third order delay nonlinear differential equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. M. Elabbasy

2012-01-01

via comparison with some first differential equations whose oscillatory characters are known. Our results generalize and improve some known results for oscillation of third order nonlinear differential equations. Some examples are given to illustrate the main results.

Histologic differentiation of desmoplastic melanoma from cicatrices.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneishi, N K; Cockerell, C J

1998-04-01

Desmoplastic malignant melanoma (DMM) is a rare variant of melanoma that can be very difficult to diagnose correctly both clinically and histologically. The problem is compounded by the fact that many lesions persist at previous biopsy or excision sites so that scar tissue is often present admixed with or adjacent to the spindle cell neoplasm which may exhibit fibroblastic differentiation itself. In order to assess this problem, we compared and contrasted the histologic features of six DMM with 15 examples of cicatrices from various sources. Mature scars were readily differentiated from DMM by light microscopy. In contrast, immature scar and DMM had many features in common including hypercellularity, nodular lymphoid infiltrates, myxoid stroma, and atypical nuclei. The presence of a melanocytic proliferation within the epidermis above the dermal component, neurotropism, and S-100 and/or HMB-45 positivity of neoplastic cells were the only features that permitted reliable differentiation between the two. Clinical correlation and review of previous biopsy specimens are crucial in preventing a delayed diagnosis of DMM. Re-excision is advised in all questionable cases.

Actin depolymerization enhances adipogenic differentiation in human stromal stem cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Chen

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Human stromal stem cells (hMSCs differentiate into adipocytes that play a role in skeletal tissue homeostasis and whole body energy metabolism. During adipocyte differentiation, hMSCs exhibit significant changes in cell morphology suggesting changes in cytoskeletal organization. Here, we examined the effect of direct modulation of actin microfilament dynamics on adipocyte differentiation. Stabilizing actin filaments in hMSCs by siRNA-mediated knock down of the two main actin depolymerizing factors (ADFs: Cofilin 1 (CFL1 and Destrin (DSTN or treating the cells by Phalloidin reduced adipocyte differentiation as evidenced by decreased number of mature adipocytes and decreased adipocyte specific gene expression (ADIPOQ, LPL, PPARG, FABP4. In contrast, disruption of actin cytoskeleton by Cytochalasin D enhanced adipocyte differentiation. Follow up studies revealed that the effects of CFL1 on adipocyte differentiation depended on the activity of LIM domain kinase 1 (LIMK1 which is the major upstream kinase of CFL1. Inhibiting LIMK by its specific chemical inhibitor LIMKi inhibited the phosphorylation of CFL1 and actin polymerization, and enhanced the adipocyte differentiation. Moreover, treating hMSCs by Cytochalasin D inhibited ERK and Smad2 signaling and this was associated with enhanced adipocyte differentiation. On the other hand, Phalloidin enhanced ERK and Smad2 signaling, but inhibited adipocyte differentiation which was rescued by ERK specific chemical inhibitor U0126. Our data provide a link between restructuring of hMSCs cytoskeleton and hMSCs lineage commitment and differentiation. Keywords: Actin cytoskeleton, Actin depolymerizing factors, Adipocyte differentiation, Human stromal stem cells

Exhibiting health and medicine as culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Whiteley, Louise; Tybjerg, Karin; Pedersen, Bente Vinge

2017-01-01

-being of their visitors, we instead focus on how museums should communicate about health and medicine. Methods: The paper describes three examples of exhibitions at Medical Museion that attempt to display medicine as culture, and draws out three of the key strategies they employ. Results: The three key strategies are: (1......Introduction: This paper discusses the potential role of medical museums in public engagement with health and medicine, based on the work of Medical Museion at the University of Copenhagen. Rather than asking whether cultural venues such as museums can directly improve the well......: There is increasing emphasis on the need for health communication to recognize people’s multiple, lived cultures. We argue that we should also recognize that medical research and practice is itself a form of culture, and as such is multiple and historically shifting. This paper demonstrates that museums are an ideal...

Density based pruning for identification of differentially expressed genes from microarray data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Jia

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Motivation Identification of differentially expressed genes from microarray datasets is one of the most important analyses for microarray data mining. Popular algorithms such as statistical t-test rank genes based on a single statistics. The false positive rate of these methods can be improved by considering other features of differentially expressed genes. Results We proposed a pattern recognition strategy for identifying differentially expressed genes. Genes are mapped to a two dimension feature space composed of average difference of gene expression and average expression levels. A density based pruning algorithm (DB Pruning is developed to screen out potential differentially expressed genes usually located in the sparse boundary region. Biases of popular algorithms for identifying differentially expressed genes are visually characterized. Experiments on 17 datasets from Gene Omnibus Database (GEO with experimentally verified differentially expressed genes showed that DB pruning can significantly improve the prediction accuracy of popular identification algorithms such as t-test, rank product, and fold change. Conclusions Density based pruning of non-differentially expressed genes is an effective method for enhancing statistical testing based algorithms for identifying differentially expressed genes. It improves t-test, rank product, and fold change by 11% to 50% in the numbers of identified true differentially expressed genes. The source code of DB pruning is freely available on our website http://mleg.cse.sc.edu/degprune

Professional development to differentiate kindergarten Tier 1 instruction: Can already effective teachers improve student outcomes by differentiating Tier 1 instruction?

Science.gov (United States)

Otaiba, Stephanie Al; Folsom, Jessica S; Wanzek, Jeannie; Greulich, Luana; Wasche, Jessica; Schatschneider, Christopher; Connor, Carol

Two primary purposes guided this quasi-experimental within-teacher study: (1) to examine changes from baseline through two years of professional development (Individualizing Student Instruction) in kindergarten teachers' differentiation of Tier 1 literacy instruction; (2) to examine changes in reading and vocabulary of three cohorts of the teachers' students ( n = 416). Teachers' instruction was observed and students were assessed on standardized measures of vocabulary and word reading. Results suggested that teachers significantly increased their differentiation and students showed significantly greater word reading outcomes relative to baseline. No change was observed for vocabulary. Results have implications for supporting teacher effectiveness through technology-supported professional development.

Differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells into low immunogenic hepatocyte-like cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qinjun; Ren, Hongying; Li, Xiyuan; Chen, Zhong; Zhang, Xiangyu; Gong, Wei; Liu, Yongjun; Pang, Tianxiang; Han, Zhong Chao

2009-01-01

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) isolated from several human tissues have been known to differentiate into the hepatic lineage in vitro, but the immunogenicity of the differentiated hepatocyte-like cells (DHC) has not been reported. Umbilical cord (UC) MSC are thought to be an attractive cell source for cell therapy because of their young age and low infection rate compared with adult tissue MSC. Hepatic differentiation of UC-MSC was induced with a 2-step protocol. The expressions of hepatic markers were detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining. Albumin production and urea secretion were measured by ELISA and colorimetric assay respectively. The immunosuppressive properties of DHC was detected by mixed lymphocyte culture. After incubation with specific growth factors, including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), UC MSC exhibited a high hepatic differentiation ability in an adherent culture condition. The differentiated UC MSC showed hepatocyte-like morphology and expressed several liver-specific markers at gene and protein levels. Furthermore, the DHC exhibited hepatocyte-specific functions, including albumin secretion, low-density lipoprotein uptake and urea production. More importantly, DHC did not express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II antigen and were not able to induce lymphocyte proliferation in mixed lymphocyte culture, as undifferentiated UC MSC did. Our results indicate that UC MSC are able to differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells that still retain their low immunogenicity in vitro. More importantly, DHC incorporated into the parenchyma of liver when transplanted into mice with CCl(4)-induced liver injury. Therefore, DHC may be an ideal source for cell therapy of liver diseases.

"Detecting Differential Item Functioning and Differential Step Functioning due to Differences that ""Should"" Matter"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tess Miller

2010-07-01

Full Text Available This study illustrates the use of differential item functioning (DIF and differential step functioning (DSF analyses to detect differences in item difficulty that are related to experiences of examinees, such as their teachers' instructional practices, that are relevant to the knowledge, skill, or ability the test is intended to measure. This analysis is in contrast to the typical use of DIF or DSF to detect differences related to characteristics of examinees, such as gender, language, or cultural knowledge, that should be irrelevant. Using data from two forms of Ontario's Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics, analyses were performed comparing groups of students defined by their teachers' instructional practices. All constructed-response items were tested for DIF using the Mantel Chi-Square, standardized Liu Agresti cumulative common log-odds ratio, and standardized Cox's noncentrality parameter. Items exhibiting moderate to large DIF were subsequently tested for DSF. In contrast to typical DIF or DSF analyses, which inform item development, these analyses have the potential to inform instructional practice.

Integration-deficient lentivectors: an effective strategy to purify and differentiate human embryonic stem cell-derived hepatic progenitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Guanghua; Si-Tayeb, Karim; Corbineau, Sébastien; Vernet, Rémi; Gayon, Régis; Dianat, Noushin; Martinet, Clémence; Clay, Denis; Goulinet-Mainot, Sylvie; Tachdjian, Gérard; Tachdjian, Gérard; Burks, Deborah; Vallier, Ludovic; Bouillé, Pascale; Dubart-Kupperschmitt, Anne; Weber, Anne

2013-07-19

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) hold great promise for applications in regenerative medicine. However, the safety of cell therapy using differentiated hPSC derivatives must be improved through methods that will permit the transplantation of homogenous populations of a specific cell type. To date, purification of progenitors and mature cells generated from either embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells remains challenging with use of conventional methods. We used lentivectors encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) driven by the liver-specific apoliprotein A-II (APOA-II) promoter to purify human hepatic progenitors. We evaluated both integrating and integration-defective lentivectors in combination with an HIV integrase inhibitor. A human embryonic stem cell line was differentiated into hepatic progenitors using a chemically defined protocol. Subsequently, cells were transduced and sorted at day 16 of differentiation to obtain a cell population enriched in hepatic progenitor cells. After sorting, more than 99% of these APOA-II-GFP-positive cells expressed hepatoblast markers such as α-fetoprotein and cytokeratin 19. When further cultured for 16 days, these cells underwent differentiation into more mature cells and exhibited hepatocyte properties such as albumin secretion. Moreover, they were devoid of vector DNA integration. We have developed an effective strategy to purify human hepatic cells from cultures of differentiating hPSCs, producing a novel tool that could be used not only for cell therapy but also for in vitro applications such as drug screening. The present strategy should also be suitable for the purification of a broad range of cell types derived from either pluripotent or adult stem cells.

Differential magnetic force microscope imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying; Wang, Zuobin; Liu, Jinyun; Hou, Liwei

2015-01-01

This paper presents a method for differential magnetic force microscope imaging based on a two-pass scanning procedure to extract differential magnetic forces and eliminate or significantly reduce background forces with reversed tip magnetization. In the work, the difference of two scanned images with reversed tip magnetization was used to express the local magnetic forces. The magnetic sample was first scanned with a low lift distance between the MFM tip and the sample surface, and the magnetization direction of the probe was then changed after the first scan to perform the second scan. The differential magnetic force image was obtained through the subtraction of the two images from the two scans. The theoretical and experimental results have shown that the proposed method for differential magnetic force microscope imaging is able to reduce the effect of background or environment interference forces, and offers an improved image contrast and signal to noise ratio (SNR). © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Students-exhibits interaction at a science center

Science.gov (United States)

Botelho, Agostinho; Morais, Ana M.

2006-12-01

In this study we investigate students' learning during their interaction with two exhibits at a science center. Specifically, we analyze both students' procedures when interacting with exhibits and their understanding of the scientific concepts presented therein. Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse (1990, 2000) provided the sociological foundation to assess the exhibit-student interaction and allowed analysis of the influence of the characteristics of students, exhibits, and interactions on students' learning. Eight students (ages 12ndash;13 years of age) with distinct sociological characteristics participated in the study. Several findings emerged from the results. First, the characteristics of the students, exhibits, and interactions appeared to influence student learning. Second, to most students, what they did interactively (procedures) seems not to have had any direct consequence on what they learned (concept understanding). Third, the data analysis suggest an important role for designers and teachers in overcoming the limitations of exhibit-student interaction.

Improvement of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis by Detecting PSA Glycosylation-Specific Changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Llop, Esther; Ferrer-Batallé, Montserrat; Barrabés, Sílvia; Guerrero, Pedro Enrique; Ramírez, Manel; Saldova, Radka; Rudd, Pauline M; Aleixandre, Rosa N; Comet, Josep; de Llorens, Rafael; Peracaula, Rosa

2016-01-01

New markers based on PSA isoforms have recently been developed to improve prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. However, novel approaches are still required to differentiate aggressive from non-aggressive PCa to improve decision making for patients. PSA glycoforms have been shown to be differentially expressed in PCa. In particular, changes in the extent of core fucosylation and sialylation of PSA N-glycans in PCa patients compared to healthy controls or BPH patients have been reported. The objective of this study was to determine these specific glycan structures in serum PSA to analyze their potential value as markers for discriminating between BPH and PCa of different aggressiveness. In the present work, we have established two methodologies to analyze the core fucosylation and the sialic acid linkage of PSA N-glycans in serum samples from BPH (29) and PCa (44) patients with different degrees of aggressiveness. We detected a significant decrease in the core fucose and an increase in the α2,3-sialic acid percentage of PSA in high-risk PCa that differentiated BPH and low-risk PCa from high-risk PCa patients. In particular, a cut-off value of 0.86 of the PSA core fucose ratio, could distinguish high-risk PCa patients from BPH with 90% sensitivity and 95% specificity, with an AUC of 0.94. In the case of the α2,3-sialic acid percentage of PSA, the cut-off value of 30% discriminated between high-risk PCa and the group of BPH, low-, and intermediate-risk PCa with a sensitivity and specificity of 85.7% and 95.5%, respectively, with an AUC of 0.97. The latter marker exhibited high performance in differentiating between aggressive and non-aggressive PCa and has the potential for translational application in the clinic.

Actin depolymerization enhances adipogenic differentiation in human stromal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li; Hu, Huimin; Qiu, Weimin; Shi, Kaikai; Kassem, Moustapha

2018-05-01

Human stromal stem cells (hMSCs) differentiate into adipocytes that play a role in skeletal tissue homeostasis and whole body energy metabolism. During adipocyte differentiation, hMSCs exhibit significant changes in cell morphology suggesting changes in cytoskeletal organization. Here, we examined the effect of direct modulation of actin microfilament dynamics on adipocyte differentiation. Stabilizing actin filaments in hMSCs by siRNA-mediated knock down of the two main actin depolymerizing factors (ADFs): Cofilin 1 (CFL1) and Destrin (DSTN) or treating the cells by Phalloidin reduced adipocyte differentiation as evidenced by decreased number of mature adipocytes and decreased adipocyte specific gene expression (ADIPOQ, LPL, PPARG, FABP4). In contrast, disruption of actin cytoskeleton by Cytochalasin D enhanced adipocyte differentiation. Follow up studies revealed that the effects of CFL1 on adipocyte differentiation depended on the activity of LIM domain kinase 1 (LIMK1) which is the major upstream kinase of CFL1. Inhibiting LIMK by its specific chemical inhibitor LIMKi inhibited the phosphorylation of CFL1 and actin polymerization, and enhanced the adipocyte differentiation. Moreover, treating hMSCs by Cytochalasin D inhibited ERK and Smad2 signaling and this was associated with enhanced adipocyte differentiation. On the other hand, Phalloidin enhanced ERK and Smad2 signaling, but inhibited adipocyte differentiation which was rescued by ERK specific chemical inhibitor U0126. Our data provide a link between restructuring of hMSCs cytoskeleton and hMSCs lineage commitment and differentiation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Improved Fuzzy Logic Controller Design for PV Inverters Utilizing Differential Search Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ammar Hussein Mutlag

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an adaptive fuzzy logic controller (FLC design technique for photovoltaic (PV inverters using differential search algorithm (DSA. This technique avoids the exhaustive traditional trial and error procedure in obtaining membership functions (MFs used in conventional FLCs. This technique is implemented during the inverter design phase by generating adaptive MFs based on the evaluation results of the objective function formulated by the DSA. In this work, the mean square error (MSE of the inverter output voltage is used as an objective function. The DSA optimizes the MFs such that the inverter provides the lowest MSE for output voltage and improves the performance of the PV inverter output in terms of amplitude and frequency. The design procedure and accuracy of the optimum FLC are illustrated and investigated using simulations conducted for a 3 kW three-phase inverter in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. Results show that the proposed controller can successfully obtain the desired output when different linear and nonlinear loads are connected to the system. Furthermore, the inverter has reasonably low steady state error and fast response to reference variation.

Hyaluronan preserves the proliferation and differentiation potentials of long-term cultured murine adipose-derived stromal cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, P.-Y.; Huang, Lynn L.H.; Hsieh, H.-J.

2007-01-01

For long-term culture, murine adipose-derived stromal cells (mADSCs) at latter passages demonstrated a marked decline in proliferative activity, exhibited senescent morphology and reduced differentiation potentials, particularly osteogenesis. To extend the lifespan of mADSCs, two culture conditions containing hyaluronan (HA) was compared in our study, one as a culture medium supplement (SHA), and the other where HA was pre-coated on culture surface (CHA). mADSCs cultivated with SHA exhibited a prolonged lifespan, reduced cellular senescence, and enhanced osteogenic potential compared to regular culture condition (control). Upon CHA treatment, mADSCs tended to form cell aggregates with gradual growth profiles, while their differentiation activities remained similar to SHA groups. After transferring mADSCs from CHA to control surface, they were shown to have an extended lifespan and an increase of osteogenic potential. Our results suggested that HA can be useful for preserving the proliferation and differentiation potentials of long-term cultured mADSCs

Renormalization-group improved fully differential cross sections for top pair production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broggio, A.; Papanastasiou, A.S.; Signer, A.; Zuerich Univ.

2014-07-01

We extend approximate next-to-next-to-leading order results for top-pair production to include the semi-leptonic decays of top quarks in the narrow-width approximation. The new hard-scattering kernels are implemented in a fully differential parton-level Monte Carlo that allows for the study of any IR-safe observable constructed from the momenta of the decay products of the top. Our best predictions are given by approximate NNLO corrections in the production matched to a fixed order calculation with NLO corrections in both the production and decay subprocesses. Being fully differential enables us to make comparisons between approximate results derived via different (PIM and 1PI) kinematics for arbitrary distributions. These comparisons reveal that the renormalization-group framework, from which the approximate results are derived, is rather robust in the sense that applying a realistic error estimate allows us to obtain a reliable prediction with a reduced theoretical error for generic observables and analysis cuts.

Revealing Pathway Dynamics in Heart Diseases by Analyzing Multiple Differential Networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoke Ma

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Development of heart diseases is driven by dynamic changes in both the activity and connectivity of gene pathways. Understanding these dynamic events is critical for understanding pathogenic mechanisms and development of effective treatment. Currently, there is a lack of computational methods that enable analysis of multiple gene networks, each of which exhibits differential activity compared to the network of the baseline/healthy condition. We describe the iMDM algorithm to identify both unique and shared gene modules across multiple differential co-expression networks, termed M-DMs (multiple differential modules. We applied iMDM to a time-course RNA-Seq dataset generated using a murine heart failure model generated on two genotypes. We showed that iMDM achieves higher accuracy in inferring gene modules compared to using single or multiple co-expression networks. We found that condition-specific M-DMs exhibit differential activities, mediate different biological processes, and are enriched for genes with known cardiovascular phenotypes. By analyzing M-DMs that are present in multiple conditions, we revealed dynamic changes in pathway activity and connectivity across heart failure conditions. We further showed that module dynamics were correlated with the dynamics of disease phenotypes during the development of heart failure. Thus, pathway dynamics is a powerful measure for understanding pathogenesis. iMDM provides a principled way to dissect the dynamics of gene pathways and its relationship to the dynamics of disease phenotype. With the exponential growth of omics data, our method can aid in generating systems-level insights into disease progression.

Exhibition - Mathematics, A Beautiful Elsewhere

CERN Multimedia

2011-01-01

From 21 October 2011 to 18 March 2012, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain will present the exhibition Mathematics: A Beautiful Elsewhere, an exhibition developed in association with the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS) and under the patronage of UNESCO. For this unprecedented event, the foundation invited mathematicians to work with artists with whom it has previously worked to create an exhibition that allows visitors to see, hear, do, interpret and think about mathematics. By bringing mathematics into its premises, the Fondation Cartier is itself undergoing the “sudden change of scenery” described by mathematician Alexandre Grothendieck. More information is available here. Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain 261, boulevard Raspail 75014 Paris http://fondation.cartier.com Private Visit For professors, researchers and all the staff of Mathematics departments...

Ascorbic Acid-Induced Cardiac Differentiation of Murine Pluripotent Stem Cells: Transcriptional Profiling and Effect of a Small Molecule Synergist of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dina Ivanyuk

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Reproducible and efficient differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs to cardiomyocytes (CMs is essential for their use in regenerative medicine, drug testing and disease modeling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of some previously reported cardiogenic substances on cardiac differentiation of mouse PSCs. Methods: Differentiation was performed by embryoid body (EB-based method using three different murine PSC lines. The differentiation efficiency was monitored by RT-qPCR, immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry, and the effect mechanistically evaluated by transcriptome analysis of treated EBs. Results: Among the five tested compounds (ascorbic acid, dorsomorphin, cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate, cardiogenol C, cyclosporin A only ascorbic acid (AA exerted a strong and reproducible cardiogenic effect in CGR8 cells which was less consistent in other two PSC lines. AA induced only minor changes in transcriptome of CGR8 cells after administration during the initial two days of differentiation. Cardiospecific genes and transcripts involved in angiogenesis, erythropoiesis and hematopoiesis were up-regulated on day 5 but not on days 2 or 3 of differentiation. The cardiac differentiation efficiency was improved when QS11, a small-molecule synergist of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, was added to cultures after AA-treatment. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that only minor transcriptional changes are sufficient for enhancement of cardiogenesis of murine PSCs by AA and that AA and QS11 exhibit synergistic effects and enhance the efficiency of CM differentiation of murine PSCs.

Proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells under hypoxic conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hongying, Ren; Huiguo, Cai; Zhongchao, Han; Renchi, Yang; Zhao, Qinjun [State Key Lab of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Blood Disease Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union of Medical College, Tianjin (China); Ying, Cao; Jing, Li [Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Center of Excellence in Tissue Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (China); Cixiang, Zhou [Health Science Center, Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science-SSMU, Shanghai (China); Lianming, Liao; Mingyue, Jia [Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Center of Excellence in Tissue Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (China); Qian, Zhao [Health Science Center, Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science-SSMU, Shanghai (China); Guoqiang, Chen [Health Science Center, Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science-SSMU, Shanghai (China); Zhao, R C [State Key Lab of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Blood Disease Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union of Medical College, Tianjin (China); [Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Center of Excellence in Tissue Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (China)]. E-mail: chunhuaz@public.tpt.tj.cn

2006-08-18

Low oxygen tension is a potent differentiation inducer of numerous cell types and an effective stimulus of many gene expressions. Here, we described that under 8% O{sub 2}, bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) exhibited proliferative and morphologic changes. The level of differentiated antigen H-2Dd and the number of G{sub 2}/S/M phase cells increased evidently under 8% O{sub 2} condition. Also, the proportion of wide, flattened, and epithelial-like cells (which were alkaline phosphatase staining positive) in MSCs increased significantly. When cultured in adipogenic medium, there was a 5- to 6-fold increase in the number of lipid droplets under hypoxic conditions compared with that in normoxic culture. We also demonstrated the existence of MSC differentiation under hypoxic conditions by electron microscopy. Expression of Oct4 was inhibited under 8% O{sub 2} condition, but after adipocyte differentiation in normoxic culture and hypoxia-mimicking agents cobalt chloride (CoCl{sub 2}) and deferoxamine mesylate (DFX) treatments, Oct4 was still expressed in MSCs. These results indicate hypoxia accelerates MSC differentiation and hypoxia and hypoxia-mimicking agents exert different effects on MSC differentiation.

Review of Signaling Pathways Governing MSC Osteogenic and Adipogenic Differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron W. James

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC are multipotent cells, functioning as precursors to a variety of cell types including adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes. Between osteogenic and adipogenic lineage commitment and differentiation, a theoretical inverse relationship exists, such that differentiation towards an osteoblast phenotype occurs at the expense of an adipocytic phenotype. This balance is regulated by numerous, intersecting signaling pathways that converge on the regulation of two main transcription factors: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2. These two transcription factors, PPARγ and Runx2, are generally regarded as the master regulators of adipogenesis and osteogenesis. This review will summarize signaling pathways that govern MSC fate towards osteogenic or adipocytic differentiation. A number of signaling pathways follow the inverse balance between osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation and are generally proosteogenic/antiadipogenic stimuli. These include β-catenin dependent Wnt signaling, Hedgehog signaling, and NELL-1 signaling. However, other signaling pathways exhibit more context-dependent effects on adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation. These include bone morphogenic protein (BMP signaling and insulin growth factor (IGF signaling, which display both proosteogenic and proadipogenic effects. In summary, understanding those factors that govern osteogenic versus adipogenic MSC differentiation has significant implications in diverse areas of human health, from obesity to osteoporosis to regenerative medicine.

Human Exhibitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreassen, Rikke

light on the staging of exhibitions, the daily life of the exhibitees, the wider connections between shows across Europe and the thinking of the time on matters of race, science, gender and sexuality. A window onto contemporary racial understandings, the book presents interviews with the descendants...... of displayed people, connecting the attitudes and science of the past with both our (continued) modern fascination with ‘the exotic’, and contemporary language and popular culture. As such, it will be of interest to scholars of sociology, anthropology and history working in the areas of gender and sexuality...

Oxygen-controlled automated neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondragon-Teran, Paul; Tostoes, Rui; Mason, Chris; Lye, Gary J; Veraitch, Farlan S

2013-03-01

Automation and oxygen tension control are two tools that provide significant improvements to the reproducibility and efficiency of stem cell production processes. the aim of this study was to establish a novel automation platform capable of controlling oxygen tension during both the cell-culture and liquid-handling steps of neural differentiation processes. We built a bespoke automation platform, which enclosed a liquid-handling platform in a sterile, oxygen-controlled environment. An airtight connection was used to transfer cell culture plates to and from an automated oxygen-controlled incubator. Our results demonstrate that our system yielded comparable cell numbers, viabilities, metabolism profiles and differentiation efficiencies when compared with traditional manual processes. Interestingly, eliminating exposure to ambient conditions during the liquid-handling stage resulted in significant improvements in the yield of MAP2-positive neural cells, indicating that this level of control can improve differentiation processes. This article describes, for the first time, an automation platform capable of maintaining oxygen tension control during both the cell-culture and liquid-handling stages of a 2D embryonic stem cell differentiation process.

Anniversary Exhibition. Nechvolodov.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

- -

2006-03-01

Full Text Available On the 10th of August, 2005 in Tartu (the second biggest educational and cultural city in Estonia Stanislav Nechvolodov's exhibition was opened to show the 5-year cycle of his work, traditional for the author and his admirers. At the opening ceremony Nechvolodov said that the exhibition was the last one and appointed on his 70th anniversary.The architectural and building society in Irkutsk remembers Stanislav Nechvolodov as an architect working on dwelling and civil buildings in 1960-70s. Below are some extracts from the Estonian press.«Postimees» newspaper, December 1993. The interview «Expressionistic naturalist, conservative Nechvolodov» by journalist Eric Linnumyagi. He asks about all the details and describes the troubles experienced by Nechvolodov during the perestroika period in Estonia, for example: the Tartu University refused to install the sculpture of Socrat, the art school refused to engage him as an instructor, the sculpture of Socrat moved to Vrotzlav, Poland, and Nechvolodov moved to Poland to read lectures there.«Tartu» newspaper, November 2000. Mats Oun, artist, says in the article «Nechvolodov: a man of Renaissance»: «Nechvolodov works in Estonia, his works are placed in many local and foreign museums. Regardless some insignificant faults, he deserves a high estimation, and his manysided open exhibition can be an example for other artists. He is a man of Renaissance».

Creating Virtual Exhibitions for Educational and Cultural Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela DUMITRESCU

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents different tools and mechanisms to implement a virtual exhibition in different cultural areas, such as museums and libraries. Quality characteristics of virtual exhibitions are identified and described. The possibility to create native mobile applications for virtual exhibitions presentation is analyzed. The functional flow of creating a virtual exhibition is presented and discussed. The Seals - History Treasure exhibition is presented and significant historical documents are revealed.

Room temperature negative differential resistance in terahertz quantum cascade laser structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albo, Asaf, E-mail: asafalbo@gmail.com; Hu, Qing [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Reno, John L. [Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, MS 1303, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1303 (United States)

2016-08-22

The mechanisms that limit the temperature performance of GaAs/Al{sub 0.15}GaAs-based terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs) have been identified as thermally activated LO-phonon scattering and leakage of charge carriers into the continuum. Consequently, the combination of highly diagonal optical transition and higher barriers should significantly reduce the adverse effects of both mechanisms and lead to improved temperature performance. Here, we study the temperature performance of highly diagonal THz-QCLs with high barriers. Our analysis uncovers an additional leakage channel which is the thermal excitation of carriers into bounded higher energy levels, rather than the escape into the continuum. Based on this understanding, we have designed a structure with an increased intersubband spacing between the upper lasing level and excited states in a highly diagonal THz-QCL, which exhibits negative differential resistance even at room temperature. This result is a strong evidence for the effective suppression of the aforementioned leakage channel.

The multiparametric deformation of GL(n) and the covariant differential calculus on the quantum vector space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schirrmacher, A.

1991-01-01

A n(n-1)/2+1 parameter solution of the Yang Baxter equation is presented giving rise to the quantum Group GL x;qij (n). Determinant and inverse are constructed. The group acts covariantly on a quantum vector space of non-commutative coordinates. The associated exterior space can be identified with the differentials exhibiting a multiparameter deformed differential calculus following the construction of Wess and Zumino. (orig.)

IGF-1 Gene Transfer to Human Synovial MSCs Promotes Their Chondrogenic Differentiation Potential without Induction of the Hypertrophic Phenotype

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasutoshi Ikeda

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC- based therapy is a promising treatment for cartilage. However, repair tissue in general fails to regenerate an original hyaline-like tissue. In this study, we focused on increasing the expression levels for insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1 to improve repair tissue quality. The IGF-1 gene was introduced into human synovial MSCs with a lentiviral vector and examined the levels of gene expression and morphological status of MSCs under chondrogenic differentiation condition using pellet cultures. The size of the pellets derived from IGF-1-MSCs were significantly larger than those of the control group. The abundance of glycosaminoglycan (GAG was also significantly higher in the IGF-1-MSC group. The histology of the IGF-1-induced pellets demonstrated similarities to hyaline cartilage without exhibiting features of a hypertrophic chondrocyte phenotype. Expression levels for the Col2A1 gene and protein were significantly higher in the IGF-1 pellets than in the control pellets, but expression levels for Col10, MMP-13, ALP, and Osterix were not higher. Thus, IGF-1 gene transfer to human synovial MSCs led to an improved chondrogenic differentiation capacity without the detectable induction of a hypertrophic or osteogenic phenotype.

Oligodendrocyte differentiation and implantation : new insights for remyelinating cell therapy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sher, Falak; Balasubramaniyan, Veerakumar; Boddeke, Erik; Copray, Sjef

2008-01-01

Purpose of review Recent research on oligodendrocyte development has yielded new insights on the involvement of morphogens and differentiation factors in oligodendrogenesis. This knowledge has improved strategies to control neural stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte differentiation and functional

Differentiation Therapy of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gocek, Elzbieta; Marcinkowska, Ewa

2011-01-01

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a predominant acute leukemia among adults, characterized by accumulation of malignantly transformed immature myeloid precursors. A very attractive way to treat myeloid leukemia, which is now called ‘differentiation therapy’, was proposed as in vitro studies have shown that a variety of agents stimulate differentiation of the cell lines isolated from leukemic patients. One of the differentiation-inducing agents, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which can induce granulocytic differentiation in myeloid leukemic cell lines, has been introduced into clinics to treat patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in which a PML-RARA fusion protein is generated by a t(15;17)(q22;q12) chromosomal translocation. Because differentiation therapy using ATRA has significantly improved prognosis for patients with APL, many efforts have been made to find alternative differentiating agents. Since 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25D) is capable of inducing in vitro monocyte/macrophage differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells, clinical trials have been performed to estimate its potential to treat patients with AML or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Unfortunately therapeutic concentrations of 1,25D can induce potentially fatal systemic hypercalcemia, thus limiting clinical utility of that compound. Attempts to overcome this problem have focused on the synthesis of 1,25D analogs (VDAs) which retain differentiation inducing potential, but lack its hypercalcemic effects. This review aims to discuss current problems and potential solutions in differentiation therapy of AML

Differentiation Therapy of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gocek, Elzbieta; Marcinkowska, Ewa, E-mail: ema@cs.uni.wroc.pl [Department of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, ul Tamka 2, Wroclaw 50-137 (Poland)

2011-05-16

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a predominant acute leukemia among adults, characterized by accumulation of malignantly transformed immature myeloid precursors. A very attractive way to treat myeloid leukemia, which is now called ‘differentiation therapy’, was proposed as in vitro studies have shown that a variety of agents stimulate differentiation of the cell lines isolated from leukemic patients. One of the differentiation-inducing agents, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which can induce granulocytic differentiation in myeloid leukemic cell lines, has been introduced into clinics to treat patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in which a PML-RARA fusion protein is generated by a t(15;17)(q22;q12) chromosomal translocation. Because differentiation therapy using ATRA has significantly improved prognosis for patients with APL, many efforts have been made to find alternative differentiating agents. Since 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D{sub 3} (1,25D) is capable of inducing in vitro monocyte/macrophage differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells, clinical trials have been performed to estimate its potential to treat patients with AML or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Unfortunately therapeutic concentrations of 1,25D can induce potentially fatal systemic hypercalcemia, thus limiting clinical utility of that compound. Attempts to overcome this problem have focused on the synthesis of 1,25D analogs (VDAs) which retain differentiation inducing potential, but lack its hypercalcemic effects. This review aims to discuss current problems and potential solutions in differentiation therapy of AML.

Digital Natives: Creating Emergent Exhibitions through Digital Technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Rachel Charlotte; Iversen, Ole Sejer; Dindler, Christian

2011-01-01

. In this way, digital technology can contribute to the creation of emergent exhibitions in which the exhibition is created in dialogue between audiences and the museum. We present experiences from a current research project, the Digital Natives exhibition, in which digital technology was designed......Digital Technology can support the creation of dialogical spaces in the museum, both playful and reflective, that allow audiences to engage in the ongoing construction and reproduction of cultural heritage creating novel connections between self and others and between past, present and future...... as an integral part of the exhibition to encourage dialogue between audiences and the exhibition materials and thereby investigate how the exhibition emerge as a result of this dialogic co-construction inside the exhibition space. In short, the opportunities offered by digital technologies prompts us to consider...

Artefacts and the performance of an exhibition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svabo, Connie

2008-01-01

The article explores the role of mediating artefacts in children's encounters with a museum of natural history. Using actor network theory it explores how a specific artefact shapes the way users relate to exhibited objects and how the artefact guides users' movements in the exhibition....... The mediated performance of an exhibition is explored through an empirical case....

A content-oriented model for science exhibit engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Achiam, Marianne

2013-01-01

Recently, science museums have begun to review their educational purposes and redesign their pedagogies. At the most basic level, this entails accounting for the performance of individual exhibits, and indeed, in some cases, research indicates shortcomings in exhibit design: While often successful......: as a means to operationalize the link between exhibit features and visitor activities; and as a template to transform scientists’ practices in the research context into visitors’ activities in the exhibit context. The resulting model of science exhibit engineering is presented and exemplified, and its...... implications for science exhibit design are discussed at three levels: the design product, the design process, and the design methodology....

Algorithms For Integrating Nonlinear Differential Equations

Science.gov (United States)

Freed, A. D.; Walker, K. P.

1994-01-01

Improved algorithms developed for use in numerical integration of systems of nonhomogenous, nonlinear, first-order, ordinary differential equations. In comparison with integration algorithms, these algorithms offer greater stability and accuracy. Several asymptotically correct, thereby enabling retention of stability and accuracy when large increments of independent variable used. Accuracies attainable demonstrated by applying them to systems of nonlinear, first-order, differential equations that arise in study of viscoplastic behavior, spread of acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) virus and predator/prey populations.

France at CERN – Industrial exhibition

CERN Multimedia

FP Department

2012-01-01

Industrial Exhibition Administration Building Bldg 61 – 1st Floor Tuesday 27 March: 9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. Wednesday 28 March: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.   About thirty French companies are presenting their latest technological advances during the industrial exhibition "France at CERN", featuring products and technologies specifically related to CERN activities. Individual B2B meetings can be organized with the sales and technical representatives of participating firms and will take place at either the companies’ exhibition stands or in conference rooms in the Main Building. Individuals wishing to make contact with one or more companies must use the contact details available from each secretariat of department or by using this link. B2B meetings will be coordinated by UBIFRANCE. You will also find the list of exhibiting and participating companies online here. This event is sponsored by the French subsidiary of RS Components, the most important distri...

Identification of transcript regulatory patterns in cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gusnanto, Arief; Gosling, John Paul; Pope, Christopher

2017-10-15

Studying transcript regulatory patterns in cell differentiation is critical in understanding its complex nature of the formation and function of different cell types. This is done usually by measuring gene expression at different stages of the cell differentiation. However, if the gene expression data available are only from the mature cells, we have some challenges in identifying transcript regulatory patterns that govern the cell differentiation. We propose to exploit the information of the lineage of cell differentiation in terms of correlation structure between cell types. We assume that two different cell types that are close in the lineage will exhibit many common genes that are co-expressed relative to those that are far in the lineage. Current analysis methods tend to ignore this correlation by testing for differential expression assuming some sort of independence between cell types. We employ a Bayesian approach to estimate the posterior distribution of the mean of expression in each cell type, by taking into account the cell formation path in the lineage. This enables us to infer genes that are specific in each cell type, indicating the genes are involved in directing the cell differentiation to that particular cell type. We illustrate the method using gene expression data from a study of haematopoiesis. R codes to perform the analysis are available in http://www1.maths.leeds.ac.uk/∼arief/R/CellDiff/. a.gusnanto@leeds.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from dissociated monolayer and feeder-free cultured pluripotent stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Tomoko; Miyamoto, Yuki; Bando, Yoshio; Ono, Takashi; Kobayashi, Sakurako; Doi, Ayano; Araki, Toshihiro; Kato, Yosuke; Shirakawa, Takayuki; Suzuki, Yutaka; Yamauchi, Junji; Yoshida, Shigetaka; Sato, Naoya

2017-01-01

Oligodendrocytes myelinate axons and form myelin sheaths in the central nervous system. The development of therapies for demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies, is a challenge because the pathogenic mechanisms of disease remain poorly understood. Primate pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes are expected to help elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of these diseases. Oligodendrocytes have been successfully differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. However, it is challenging to prepare large amounts of oligodendrocytes over a short amount of time because of manipulation difficulties under conventional primate pluripotent stem cell culture methods. We developed a proprietary dissociated monolayer and feeder-free culture system to handle pluripotent stem cell cultures. Because the dissociated monolayer and feeder-free culture system improves the quality and growth of primate pluripotent stem cells, these cells could potentially be differentiated into any desired functional cells and consistently cultured in large-scale conditions. In the current study, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and mature oligodendrocytes were generated within three months from monkey embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes exhibited in vitro myelinogenic potency with rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Additionally, the transplanted oligodendrocyte progenitor cells differentiated into myelin basic protein-positive mature oligodendrocytes in the mouse corpus callosum. This preparative method was used for human induced pluripotent stem cells, which were also successfully differentiated into oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and mature oligodendrocytes that were capable of myelinating rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Moreover, it was possible to freeze, thaw, and successfully re-culture the differentiating cells. These results showed that embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells maintained in a

Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions. Museums and Monuments, X.

Science.gov (United States)

Daifuku, Hiroshi; And Others

The permanent exhibition, the most typical form of museum exhibition, has failed to attract repeated visitation, since visitors quickly become familiar with the objects shown. The temporary exhibition evolved as a result for the need of repeated visitation. The temporary exhibition, set up for a period of one to six months, introduces fresh…

Stimulatory effect of undecylenic acid on mouse osteoblast differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Myung Hee; Shim, Ki Shuk; Lee, Su-Ui; Kim, Young Sup; Min, Yong Ki; Kim, Seong Hwan

2010-04-01

Natural compounds with bone-forming (or anabolic) activity have been recently focused on in bone research. The present study investigated the effect of undecylenic acid (UA) on osteoblast differentiation in mouse osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 subclone 4 cells and primary mouse calvarial cells. Low concentrations of UA (up to 5 microM) exhibited no cytotoxicity and significantly increased the expression and activity of alkaline phosphatase (early differentiation marker of osteoblast) and calcium deposition with the induction of expression of the osteocalcin gene in both cells. Interestingly, at low concentration of UA, the induction of NF-kappaB p65 translocation into nucleus and the up-regulation of AP-1 and NFATc1 transcript levels were also observed, suggesting that the stimulatory effect of UA on osteoblast differentiation could be mediated through the activation of transcription factors. Additionally, although the patterns of UA-induced activation of MAP kinases (JNK and p38) were not completely consistent with the increase of both ALP activity and calcium deposition by UA, MAP kinases might be partially involved in the biological function of UA during the early and late stages of osteoblast differentiation. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

CERN Industrials Exhibitions - Over 30 Years of Tradition

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

Industrial exhibitions have been part of the CERN landscape for 33 years. At least once each year several companies from the same country come to CERN to present their products and services. Now, a new scheme of one-day visits is giving potential exhibitors at CERN a lighter option. The United Kingdom inaugurated the Industrial Exhibitions in 1968, and it wasn't till 1971 that other countries staged exhibitions at CERN. This photo was taken in 1969, at the second British exhibition, where 16 companies were present. Four years after joining CERN, Poland inaugurated its first exhibition at CERN in 1995 in the presence of the former Director-General Chris Llewellyn-Smith. Almost all the Member States have held industrial exhibitions at the Organization. May '68 wasn't only revolutionary in Paris. For the very first time, an industrial exhibition took place at CERN. Great Britain was first to come with eight companies and remains until this day the most devoted country to the programme with 17 exhibitions and ...

Photon Differential Splatting for Rendering Caustics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frisvad, Jeppe Revall; Schjøth, Lars; Erleben, Kenny

2014-01-01

We present a photon splatting technique which reduces noise and blur in the rendering of caustics. Blurring of illumination edges is an inherent problem in photon splatting, as each photon is unaware of its neighbours when being splatted. This means that the splat size is usually based...... on heuristics rather than knowledge of the local flux density. We use photon differentials to determine the size and shape of the splats such that we achieve adaptive anisotropic flux density estimation in photon splatting. As compared to previous work that uses photon differentials, we present the first method...... where no photons or beams or differentials need to be stored in a map. We also present improvements in the theory of photon differentials, which give more accurate results and a faster implementation. Our technique has good potential for GPU acceleration, and we limit the number of parameters requiring...

Peer review and competition in the Art Exhibition Game.

Science.gov (United States)

Balietti, Stefano; Goldstone, Robert L; Helbing, Dirk

2016-07-26

To investigate the effect of competitive incentives under peer review, we designed a novel experimental setup called the Art Exhibition Game. We present experimental evidence of how competition introduces both positive and negative effects when creative artifacts are evaluated and selected by peer review. Competition proved to be a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it fosters innovation and product diversity, but on the other hand, it also leads to more unfair reviews and to a lower level of agreement between reviewers. Moreover, an external validation of the quality of peer reviews during the laboratory experiment, based on 23,627 online evaluations on Amazon Mechanical Turk, shows that competition does not significantly increase the level of creativity. Furthermore, the higher rejection rate under competitive conditions does not improve the average quality of published contributions, because more high-quality work is also rejected. Overall, our results could explain why many ground-breaking studies in science end up in lower-tier journals. Differences and similarities between the Art Exhibition Game and scholarly peer review are discussed and the implications for the design of new incentive systems for scientists are explained.

Memory and Mourning: An Exhibit History

Science.gov (United States)

Eberle, Scott G.

2005-01-01

Mounted by the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, in 1993, and traveling nationally thereafter, the exhibit Memory and Mourning provided historical and contemporary perspectives to help museum guests explore their own reactions to loss and grief. In the process the exhibit's development team encountered a range of philosophical, historical,…

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION AND FRUITION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Manferdini

2012-09-01

Full Text Available During the last two decades, since digital technologies have become more sophisticated in acquiring real data and building faithful copies of them, their improvements have suggested interesting applications in the field of valorisation of Historical, Cultural and Artistic Heritage, with significant consequences in the share and widespread of knowledge. But although several technologies and methodologies for 3d digitization have recently been developed and improved, the lack of a standard procedure and the costs connected to their use still doesn't encourage the systematic digital acquisition of wide collections and heritage. The aim of this paper is to show the state of the art of a project whose aim is to provide a methodology and a procedure to create digital reproductions of artefacts for Institutions called to preserve, manage and enhance the fruition of archaeological finds inside museums or through digital exhibitions. Our project’s aim is to find the most suitable procedure to digitally acquire archaeo logical artefacts that usually have small dimensions and have very complex and detailed surfaces. Within our methodology, particular attention has been paid to the use of widely shared and open-source visualization systems that enhance the involvement of the user by emphasizing three-dimensional characteristics of artefacts through virtual reality.

Improved differentiation between hepatic hemangioma and metastases on diffusion-weighted MRI by measurement of standard deviation of apparent diffusion coefficient.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardie, Andrew D; Egbert, Robert E; Rissing, Michael S

2015-01-01

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MR) can be useful in the differentiation of hemangiomata from liver metastasis, but improved methods other than by mean apparent diffusion coefficient (mADC) are needed. A retrospective review identified 109 metastatic liver lesions and 86 hemangiomata in 128 patients who had undergone DW-MR. For each lesion, mADC and the standard deviation of the mean ADC (sdADC) were recorded and compared by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Mean mADC was higher in benign hemangiomata (1.52±0.12 mm(2)/s) than in liver metastases (1.33±0.18 mm(2)/s), but there was significant overlap in values. The mean sdADC was lower in hemangiomata (101±17 mm(2)/s) than metastases (245±25 mm(2)/s) and demonstrated no overlap in values, which was significantly different (P<.0001). Hemangiomata may be better able to be differentiated from liver metastases on the basis of sdADC than by mADC, although further studies are needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Enantiomer of an Oral Small-Molecule TSH Receptor Agonist Exhibits Improved Pharmacologic Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Susanne; Padia, Umesh; Cullen, Mary Jane; Eliseeva, Elena; Nir, Eshel A; Place, Robert F; Morgan, Sarah J; Gershengorn, Marvin C

2016-01-01

We are developing an orally available small-molecule, allosteric TSH receptor (TSHR) agonist for follow-up diagnostics of patients with thyroid cancer. The agonist C2 (NCGC00161870) that we have studied so far is a racemic mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers, E1 and E2. As enantiomers of many drugs exhibit different pharmacologic properties, we assessed the properties of E1 and E2. We separated the two enantiomers by chiral chromatography and determined E2 as the (S)-(+) isomer via crystal structure analysis. E1 and E2 were shown to bind differently to a homology model of the transmembrane domain of TSHR in which E2 was calculated to exhibit lower binding energy than E1 and was, therefore, predicted to be more potent than E1. In HEK293 cells expressing human TSHRs, C2, E1, and E2 were equally efficacious in stimulating cAMP production, but their potencies were different. E2 was more potent (EC50 = 18 nM) than C2 (EC50 = 46 nM), which was more potent than E1 (EC50 = 217 nM). In primary cultures of human thyrocytes, C2, E1, and E2 stimulated increases in thyroperoxidase mRNA of 92-, 55-, and 137-fold and in sodium-iodide symporter mRNA of 20-, 4-, and 121-fold above basal levels, respectively. In mice, C2 stimulated an increase in radioactive iodine uptake of 1.5-fold and E2 of 2.8-fold above basal level, whereas E1 did not have an effect. C2 stimulated an increase in serum T4 of 2.4-fold, E1 of 1.9-fold, and E2 of 5.6-fold above basal levels, and a 5-day oral dosing regimen of E2 increased serum T4 levels comparable to recombinant human TSH (rhTSH, Thyrogen(®)). Thus, E2 is more effective than either C2 or E1 in stimulating thyroid function and as efficacious as rhTSH in vivo. E2 represents the next step toward developing an oral drug for patients with thyroid cancer.

An Enantiomer of an Oral Small Molecule TSH Receptor Agonist Exhibits Improved Pharmacologic Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanne Neumann

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We are developing an orally available small molecule, allosteric TSH receptor (TSHR agonist for follow up diagnostics of patients with thyroid cancer. The agonist C2 (NCGC00161870 that we have studied so far is a racemic mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers, E1 and E2. As enantiomers of many drugs exhibit different pharmacologic properties, we assessed the properties of E1 and E2. We separated the two enantiomers by chiral chromatography and determined E2 as the (S-(+ isomer via crystal structure analysis. E1 and E2 were shown to bind differently to a homology model of the transmembrane domain of TSHR in which E2 was calculated to exhibit lower binding energy than E1 and was therefore predicted to be more potent than E1. In HEK293 cells expressing human TSHRs, C2, E1, and E2 were equally efficacious in stimulating cAMP production, but their potencies were different. E2 was more potent (EC50 = 18 nM than C2 (EC50 = 46 nM which was more potent than E1 (EC50 = 217 nM. In primary cultures of human thyrocytes, C2, E1, and E2 stimulated increases in thyroperoxidase mRNA of 92-, 55-, and 137-fold and in sodium-iodide symporter mRNA of 20-fold, 4-fold and 121-fold above basal levels, respectively. In mice, C2 stimulated an increase in radioactive iodine uptake of 1.5-fold and E2 of 2.8-fold above basal level, whereas E1 did not have an effect. C2 stimulated an increase in serum T4 of 2.4-fold, E1 of 1.9-fold, and E2 of 5.6-fold above basal levels, and a 5 day oral dosing regimen of E2 increased serum T4 levels comparable to recombinant human TSH (rhTSH, Thyrogen®. Thus, E2 is more effective than either C2 or E1 in stimulating thyroid function and as efficacious as rhTSH in vivo. E2 represents the next step toward developing an oral drug for patients with thyroid cancer.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals metallothionein heterogeneity during hESC differentiation to definitive endoderm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junjie Lu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells towards definitive endoderm (DE is the critical first step for generating cells comprising organs such as the gut, liver, pancreas and lung. This in-vitro differentiation process generates a heterogeneous population with a proportion of cells failing to differentiate properly and maintaining expression of pluripotency factors such as Oct4. RNA sequencing of single cells collected at four time points during a 4-day DE differentiation identified high expression of metallothionein genes in the residual Oct4-positive cells that failed to differentiate to DE. Using X-ray fluorescence microscopy and multi-isotope mass spectrometry, we discovered that high intracellular zinc level corresponds with persistent Oct4 expression and failure to differentiate. This study improves our understanding of the cellular heterogeneity during in-vitro directed differentiation and provides a valuable resource to improve DE differentiation efficiency. Keywords: hPSC, Differentiation, Definitive endoderm, Heterogeneity, Single cell, RNA sequencing

Unique B cell differentiation profile in tolerant kidney transplant patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Chesneau, M; Pallier, A; Braza, F; Lacombe, G; Le Gallou, S; Baron, D; Giral, M; Danger, R; Guerif, P; Aubert-Wastiaux, H; Néel, A; Michel, L; Laplaud, D-A; Degauque, N; Soulillou, J-P; Tarte, K; Brouard, S

2014-01-01

Operationally tolerant patients (TOL) display a higher number of blood B cells and transcriptional B cell signature. As they rarely develop an allo-immune response, they could display an abnormal B cell differentiation. We used an in vitro culture system to explore T-dependent differentiation of B cells into plasma cells. B cell phenotype, apoptosis, proliferation, cytokine, immunoglobulin production and markers of differentiation were followed in blood of these patients. Tolerant recipients show a higher frequency of CD20(+) CD24(hi) CD38(hi) transitional and CD20(+) CD38(lo) CD24(lo) naïve B cells compared to patients with stable graft function, correlating with a decreased frequency of CD20(-) CD38(+) CD138(+) differentiated plasma cells, suggestive of abnormal B cell differentiation. B cells from TOL proliferate normally but produce more IL-10. In addition, B cells from tolerant recipients exhibit a defective expression of factors of the end step of differentiation into plasma cells and show a higher propensity for cell death apoptosis compared to patients with stable graft function. This in vitro profile is consistent with down-regulation of B cell differentiation genes and anti-apoptotic B cell genes in these patients in vivo. These data suggest that a balance between B cells producing IL-10 and a deficiency in plasma cells may encourage an environment favorable to the tolerance maintenance. © Copyright 2013 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

CERN exhibition a big hit in Bulgaria

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

The first CERN exhibition in Bulgaria attracted many visitors. In the first ever CERN exhibition to be held in Bulgaria, over 1,400 visitors, many of them students and young physicists, visited the 10-day event in Sofia. The CERN mini-exhibition took place at the National Earth and Mankind Museum between 8 and 17 November. Permanently staffed by young physicists from Sofia University, there were exhibits on display about research activities at CERN, as well as four additional posters describing Bulgaria's participation. The inauguration took place on the morning of 8 November in the presence of the Vice-Minister for Science and Education, Mrs. Vanya Dobreva, and some 200 guests. A series of short speeches were followed by a visit to the exhibition. CERN's representative at the event, Ray Lewis, was then asked by Professor Matey Mateev, President of the Union of Physicists in Bulgaria, to say a few words on behalf of the Organization. Numerous journalists were also present at the inauguration. A painting enti...

CERN’s travelling exhibition goes to Austria

CERN Multimedia

Mélissa Lanaro

2011-01-01

Since April 2009 CERN’s travelling exhibition has been touring through some of the Organization's Member States. After Italy and Denmark it has been on show since February at Austria’s Hartberg Ökopark, a very popular science museum situated some one hundred kilometres from Vienna. To coincide with the CERN exhibition, Austria’s scientific community has organised a series of events for the general public which have had marked success. The exhibition's next destination will be Portugal and preparations are already underway to ensure that it is another resounding success   The travelling exhibition was designed in collaboration with the University of Geneva, as part of the celebrations for its 450th anniversary, and has already notched up a good number of kilometres as it travels from country to country. “In 2010 the exhibition already had around 55,000 visitors,” explains Rolf Landua, who heads the Education Group. Since its inauguration ...

“Accelerating Science” exhibition zooms to Turkey

CERN Multimedia

Joannah Caborn Wengler

2012-01-01

'Accelerating Science', CERN’s travelling science outreach exhibition, has just arrived at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey for a four-month stay there. This is the first time it has moved outside the circle of the Member States. The Turkish venue will inaugurate some new exhibits that have recently been developed by CERN’s software developers.   “It’s been a very busy day,” says Bilge Demirkoz, an associate professor of physics at METU and a member of AMS-02, who had been overseeing the unloading of the lorries when we spoke to her. “As the University doesn’t have a specific exhibition space, the CERN exhibits are going to be housed in the covered tennis courts just behind the cultural and congress centre. It’s a beautiful venue, and there are plenty of parking spaces.” The University has sent invitations to the exhibition to high schools and to about 100 ...

VMAT2 identified as a regulator of late-stage β-cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakano, Daisuke; Shiraki, Nobuaki; Kikawa, Kazuhide; Yamazoe, Taiji; Kataoka, Masateru; Umeda, Kahoko; Araki, Kimi; Mao, Di; Matsumoto, Shirou; Nakagata, Naomi; Andersson, Olov; Stainier, Didier; Endo, Fumio; Kume, Kazuhiko; Uesugi, Motonari; Kume, Shoen

2014-02-01

Cell replacement therapy for diabetes mellitus requires cost-effective generation of high-quality, insulin-producing, pancreatic β cells from pluripotent stem cells. Development of this technique has been hampered by a lack of knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying β-cell differentiation. The present study identified reserpine and tetrabenazine (TBZ), both vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitors, as promoters of late-stage differentiation of Pdx1-positive pancreatic progenitor cells into Neurog3 (referred to henceforth as Ngn3)-positive endocrine precursors. VMAT2-controlled monoamines, such as dopamine, histamine and serotonin, negatively regulated β-cell differentiation. Reserpine or TBZ acted additively with dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic AMP, a cell-permeable cAMP analog, to potentiate differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into β cells that exhibited glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. When ES cell-derived β cells were transplanted into AKITA diabetic mice, the cells reversed hyperglycemia. Our protocol provides a basis for the understanding of β-cell differentiation and its application to a cost-effective production of functional β cells for cell therapy.

Cellular network entropy as the energy potential in Waddington's differentiation landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Banerji, Christopher R. S.; Miranda-Saavedra, Diego; Severini, Simone; Widschwendter, Martin; Enver, Tariq; Zhou, Joseph X.; Teschendorff, Andrew E.

2013-01-01

Differentiation is a key cellular process in normal tissue development that is significantly altered in cancer. Although molecular signatures characterising pluripotency and multipotency exist, there is, as yet, no single quantitative mark of a cellular sample's position in the global differentiation hierarchy. Here we adopt a systems view and consider the sample's network entropy, a measure of signaling pathway promiscuity, computable from a sample's genome-wide expression profile. We demonstrate that network entropy provides a quantitative, in-silico, readout of the average undifferentiated state of the profiled cells, recapitulating the known hierarchy of pluripotent, multipotent and differentiated cell types. Network entropy further exhibits dynamic changes in time course differentiation data, and in line with a sample's differentiation stage. In disease, network entropy predicts a higher level of cellular plasticity in cancer stem cell populations compared to ordinary cancer cells. Importantly, network entropy also allows identification of key differentiation pathways. Our results are consistent with the view that pluripotency is a statistical property defined at the cellular population level, correlating with intra-sample heterogeneity, and driven by the degree of signaling promiscuity in cells. In summary, network entropy provides a quantitative measure of a cell's undifferentiated state, defining its elevation in Waddington's landscape. PMID:24154593

Chimpanzees and bonobos exhibit divergent spatial memory development.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosati, Alexandra G; Hare, Brian

2012-11-01

Spatial cognition and memory are critical cognitive skills underlying foraging behaviors for all primates. While the emergence of these skills has been the focus of much research on human children, little is known about ontogenetic patterns shaping spatial cognition in other species. Comparative developmental studies of nonhuman apes can illuminate which aspects of human spatial development are shared with other primates, versus which aspects are unique to our lineage. Here we present three studies examining spatial memory development in our closest living relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (P. paniscus). We first compared memory in a naturalistic foraging task where apes had to recall the location of resources hidden in a large outdoor enclosure with a variety of landmarks (Studies 1 and 2). We then compared older apes using a matched memory choice paradigm (Study 3). We found that chimpanzees exhibited more accurate spatial memory than bonobos across contexts, supporting predictions from these species' different feeding ecologies. Furthermore, chimpanzees - but not bonobos - showed developmental improvements in spatial memory, indicating that bonobos exhibit cognitive paedomorphism (delays in developmental timing) in their spatial abilities relative to chimpanzees. Together, these results indicate that the development of spatial memory may differ even between closely related species. Moreover, changes in the spatial domain can emerge during nonhuman ape ontogeny, much like some changes seen in human children. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Ordinary differential equations with applications in molecular biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ilea, M; Turnea, M; Rotariu, M

2012-01-01

Differential equations are of basic importance in molecular biology mathematics because many biological laws and relations appear mathematically in the form of a differential equation. In this article we presented some applications of mathematical models represented by ordinary differential equations in molecular biology. The vast majority of quantitative models in cell and molecular biology are formulated in terms of ordinary differential equations for the time evolution of concentrations of molecular species. Assuming that the diffusion in the cell is high enough to make the spatial distribution of molecules homogenous, these equations describe systems with many participating molecules of each kind. We propose an original mathematical model with small parameter for biological phospholipid pathway. All the equations system includes small parameter epsilon. The smallness of epsilon is relative to the size of the solution domain. If we reduce the size of the solution region the same small epsilon will result in a different condition number. It is clear that the solution for a smaller region is less difficult. We introduce the mathematical technique known as boundary function method for singular perturbation system. In this system, the small parameter is an asymptotic variable, different from the independent variable. In general, the solutions of such equations exhibit multiscale phenomena. Singularly perturbed problems form a special class of problems containing a small parameter which may tend to zero. Many molecular biology processes can be quantitatively characterized by ordinary differential equations. Mathematical cell biology is a very active and fast growing interdisciplinary area in which mathematical concepts, techniques, and models are applied to a variety of problems in developmental medicine and bioengineering. Among the different modeling approaches, ordinary differential equations (ODE) are particularly important and have led to significant advances

Lyophilization monophase solution technique for improvement of the solubility and dissolution of piroxicam.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixit, M; Kulkarni, P K

2012-01-01

Piroxicam (PX), an anti-inflammatory drug, exhibits poor water solubility, dissolution and flow properties. Thus, the aim of the present study was to improve the solubility and dissolution rate of PX by freeze drying technique using dimethylformamide (DMF), chloroform and water as co-solvent system. The prepared crystals containing PX were evaluated for DMF and chloroform solvent residual by gas chromatography and solubility and in vitro dissolution. The prepared formulations were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimeter; X-ray diffraction and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Dissolution profile of the freeze dried crystals was compared with its recrystallized and pure samples. The samples were stored in stability chamber to investigate their physical stability. Solvent residual of DMF and chloroform was found to be within the toxic level. Freeze dried crystals exhibited decreased crystallinity and the solubility and dissolution of the PX crystals were significantly improved compared to its recrystallized and pure samples. In stability test, the release profile of the freeze dried crystals was almost unchanged as compared with the freshly prepared freeze dried crystals stored at 40°C and 75% relative humidity for 90 days. Hence, this technique can be used for formulation of PX tablets by direct compression with directly compressible tablet excipients.

Impedance Discontinuity Reduction Between High-Speed Differential Connectors and PCB Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Navidi, Sal; Agdinaoay, Rodell; Walter, Keith

2013-01-01

High-speed serial communication (i.e., Gigabit Ethernet) requires differential transmission and controlled impedances. Impedance control is essential throughout cabling, connector, and circuit board construction. An impedance discontinuity arises at the interface of a high-speed quadrax and twinax connectors and the attached printed circuit board (PCB). This discontinuity usually is lower impedance since the relative dielectric constant of the board is higher (i.e., polyimide approx. = 4) than the connector (Teflon approx. = 2.25). The discontinuity can be observed in transmit or receive eye diagrams, and can reduce the effective link margin of serial data networks. High-speed serial data network transmission improvements can be made at the connector-to-board interfaces as well as improving differential via hole impedances. The impedance discontinuity was improved by 10 percent by drilling a 20-mil (approx. = 0.5-mm) hole in between the pin of a differential connector spaced 55 mils (approx. = 1.4 mm) apart as it is attached to the PCB. The effective dielectric constant of the board can be lowered by drilling holes into the board material between the differential lines in a quadrax or twinax connector attachment points. The differential impedance is inversely proportional to the square root of the relative dielectric constant. This increases the differential impedance and thus reduces the above described impedance discontinuity. The differential via hole impedance can also be increased in the same manner. This technique can be extended to multiple smaller drilled holes as well as tapered holes (i.e., big in the middle followed by smaller ones diagonally).

Synthetic (+)-antroquinonol exhibits dual actions against insulin resistance by triggering AMP kinase and inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase IV activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, C Y; Sulake, R S; Huang, P-K; Shih, H-Y; Sie, H-W; Lai, Y-K; Chen, C; Weng, C F

2015-01-01

The fungal product (+)-antroquinonol activates AMP kinase (AMPK) activity in cancer cell lines. The present study was conducted to examine whether chemically synthesized (+)-antroquinonol exhibited beneficial metabolic effects in insulin-resistant states by activating AMPK and inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) activity. Effects of (+)-antroquinonol on DPP IV activity were measured with a DPPIV Assay Kit and effects on GLP-1-induced PKA were measured in AR42J cells. Translocation of the glucose transporter 4, GLUT4, induced either by insulin-dependent PI3K/AKT signalling or by insulin-independent AMPK activation, was assayed in differentiated myotubes. Glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation were assayed in L6 myocytes. Mice with diet-induced obesity were used to assess effects of acute and chronic treatment with (+)-antroquinonol on glycaemic control in vivo. The results showed that of (+)-antroquinonol (100 μM ) inhibited the DPP IV activity as effectively as the clinically used inhibitor, sitagliptin. The phosphorylation of AMPK Thr(172) in differentiated myotubes was significantly increased by (+)-antroquinonol. In cells simultaneously treated with S961 (insulin receptor antagonist), insulin and (+)-antroquinonol, the combination of (+)-antroquinonol plus insulin still increased both GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake. Further, (+)-antroquinonol and sitagliptin reduced blood glucose, when given acutely or chronically to DIO mice. Chemically synthesized (+)-antroquinonol exhibits dual effects to ameliorate insulin resistance, by increasing AMPK activity and GLUT4 translocation, along with inhibiting DPP IV activity. © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

The Inability to Screen Exhibition Swine for Influenza A Virus Using Body Temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, A S; Nolting, J M; Workman, J D; Cooper, M; Fisher, A E; Marsh, B; Forshey, T

2016-02-01

Agricultural fairs create an unconventional animal-human interface that has been associated with swine-to-human transmission of influenza A virus (IAV) in recent years. Early detection of IAV-infected pigs at agricultural fairs would allow veterinarians to better protect swine and human health during these swine exhibitions. This study assessed the use of swine body temperature measurement, recorded by infrared and rectal thermometers, as a practical method to detect IAV-infected swine at agricultural fairs. In our first objective, infrared thermometers were used to record the body surface temperature of 1,092 pigs at the time of IAV nasal swab collection at the end of the exhibition period of 55 agricultural fairs. IAV was recovered from 212 (19.4%) pigs, and the difference in mean infrared body temperature measurement of IAV-positive and IAV-negative pigs was 0.83°C. In a second objective, snout wipes were collected from 1,948 pigs immediately prior to the unloading of the animals at a single large swine exhibition. Concurrent to the snout wipe collection, owners took the rectal temperatures of his/her pigs. In this case, 47 (2.4%) pigs tested positive for IAV before they entered the swine barn. The mean rectal temperatures differed by only 0.19°C between IAV-positive and IAV-negative pigs. The low prevalence of IAV among the pigs upon entry to the fair in the second objective provides evidence that limiting intraspecies spread of IAV during the fairs will likely have significant impacts on the zoonotic transmission. However, in both objectives, the high degree of similarity in the body temperature measurements between the IAV-positive and IAV-negative pigs made it impossible to set a diagnostically meaningful cut point to differentiate IAV status of the individual animals. Unfortunately, body temperature measurement cannot be used to accurately screen exhibition swine for IAV. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

"Big Science" exhibition at Balexert

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

CERN is going out to meet those members of the general public who were unable to attend the recent Open Day. The Laboratory will be taking its "Big Science" exhibition from the Globe of Science and Innovation to the Balexert shopping centre from 19 to 31 May 2008. The exhibition, which shows the LHC and its experiments through the eyes of a photographer, features around thirty spectacular photographs measuring 4.5 metres high and 2.5 metres wide. Welcomed and guided around the exhibition by CERN volunteers, shoppers at Balexert will also have the opportunity to discover LHC components on display and watch films. "Fun with Physics" workshops will be held at certain times of the day. Main hall of the Balexert shopping centre, ground floor, from 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the two Saturdays. Call for volunteers All members of the CERN personnel are invited to enrol as volunteers to help welcom...

A delay differential equation model of follicle waves in women.

Science.gov (United States)

Panza, Nicole M; Wright, Andrew A; Selgrade, James F

2016-01-01

This article presents a mathematical model for hormonal regulation of the menstrual cycle which predicts the occurrence of follicle waves in normally cycling women. Several follicles of ovulatory size that develop sequentially during one menstrual cycle are referred to as follicle waves. The model consists of 13 nonlinear, delay differential equations with 51 parameters. Model simulations exhibit a unique stable periodic cycle and this menstrual cycle accurately approximates blood levels of ovarian and pituitary hormones found in the biological literature. Numerical experiments illustrate that the number of follicle waves corresponds to the number of rises in pituitary follicle stimulating hormone. Modifications of the model equations result in simulations which predict the possibility of two ovulations at different times during the same menstrual cycle and, hence, the occurrence of dizygotic twins via a phenomenon referred to as superfecundation. Sensitive parameters are identified and bifurcations in model behaviour with respect to parameter changes are discussed. Studying follicle waves may be helpful for improving female fertility and for understanding some aspects of female reproductive ageing.

Programmable differential capacitance-to-voltage converter for MEMS accelerometers

Science.gov (United States)

Royo, G.; Sánchez-Azqueta, C.; Gimeno, C.; Aldea, C.; Celma, S.

2017-05-01

Capacitive MEMS sensors exhibit an excellent noise performance, high sensitivity and low power consumption. They offer a huge range of applications, being the accelerometer one of its main uses. In this work, we present the design of a capacitance-to-voltage converter in CMOS technology to measure the acceleration from the capacitance variations. It is based on a low-power, fully-differential transimpedance amplifier with low input impedance and a very low input noise.

The critical role of myostatin in differentiation of sheep myoblasts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Chenxi [College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi (China); Xinjiang Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Urumqi (China); Li, Wenrong; Zhang, Xuemei; Zhang, Ning; He, Sangang; Huang, Juncheng [Xinjiang Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Urumqi (China); Laboratory of Grass-fed Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture, Urumqi (China); Animal Biotechnological Research Center, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi (China); Ge, Yubin [The State Engineering Laboratory of AIDS Vaccine, College of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun (China); Liu, Mingjun, E-mail: xjlmj2004@yahoo.com.cn [Xinjiang Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Urumqi (China); Laboratory of Grass-fed Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture, Urumqi (China); Animal Biotechnological Research Center, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi (China)

2012-06-08

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Identification of the effective and specific shRNA to knockdown MSTN. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Overexpression of MSTN reversibly suppressed myogenic differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer shRNA knockdown of endogenous MSTN promoted ovine myoblast differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MSTN inhibits myogenic differentiation through down-regulation of MyoD and Myogenin and up-regulation of Smad3. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Provides a promise for the generation of transgenic sheep to improve meat productivity. -- Abstract: Myostatin [MSTN, also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8)], is an inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth. Blockade of MSTN function has been reported to result in increased muscle mass in mice. However, its role in myoblast differentiation in farm animals has not been determined. In the present study, we sought to determine the role of MSTN in the differentiation of primary sheep myoblasts. We found that ectopic overexpression of MSTN resulted in lower fusion index in sheep myoblasts, which indicated the repression of myoblast differentiation. This phenotypic change was reversed by shRNA knockdown of the ectopically expressed MSTN in the cells. In contrast, shRNA knockdown of the endogenous MSTN resulted in induction of myogenic differentiation. Additional studies revealed that the induction of differentiation by knocking down the ectopically or endogenously expressed MSTN was accompanied by up-regulation of MyoD and myogenin, and down-regulation of Smad3. Our results demonstrate that MSTN plays critical role in myoblast differentiation in sheep, analogous to that in mice. This study also suggests that shRNA knockdown of MSTN could be a potentially promising approach to improve sheep muscle growth, so as to increase meat productivity.

The critical role of myostatin in differentiation of sheep myoblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chenxi; Li, Wenrong; Zhang, Xuemei; Zhang, Ning; He, Sangang; Huang, Juncheng; Ge, Yubin; Liu, Mingjun

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Identification of the effective and specific shRNA to knockdown MSTN. ► Overexpression of MSTN reversibly suppressed myogenic differentiation. ► shRNA knockdown of endogenous MSTN promoted ovine myoblast differentiation. ► MSTN inhibits myogenic differentiation through down-regulation of MyoD and Myogenin and up-regulation of Smad3. ► Provides a promise for the generation of transgenic sheep to improve meat productivity. -- Abstract: Myostatin [MSTN, also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8)], is an inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth. Blockade of MSTN function has been reported to result in increased muscle mass in mice. However, its role in myoblast differentiation in farm animals has not been determined. In the present study, we sought to determine the role of MSTN in the differentiation of primary sheep myoblasts. We found that ectopic overexpression of MSTN resulted in lower fusion index in sheep myoblasts, which indicated the repression of myoblast differentiation. This phenotypic change was reversed by shRNA knockdown of the ectopically expressed MSTN in the cells. In contrast, shRNA knockdown of the endogenous MSTN resulted in induction of myogenic differentiation. Additional studies revealed that the induction of differentiation by knocking down the ectopically or endogenously expressed MSTN was accompanied by up-regulation of MyoD and myogenin, and down-regulation of Smad3. Our results demonstrate that MSTN plays critical role in myoblast differentiation in sheep, analogous to that in mice. This study also suggests that shRNA knockdown of MSTN could be a potentially promising approach to improve sheep muscle growth, so as to increase meat productivity.

Identifying Country-Specific Cultures of Physics Education: A differential item functioning approach

Science.gov (United States)

Mesic, Vanes

2012-11-01

In international large-scale assessments of educational outcomes, student achievement is often represented by unidimensional constructs. This approach allows for drawing general conclusions about country rankings with respect to the given achievement measure, but it typically does not provide specific diagnostic information which is necessary for systematic comparisons and improvements of educational systems. Useful information could be obtained by exploring the differences in national profiles of student achievement between low-achieving and high-achieving countries. In this study, we aimed to identify the relative weaknesses and strengths of eighth graders' physics achievement in Bosnia and Herzegovina in comparison to the achievement of their peers from Slovenia. For this purpose, we ran a secondary analysis of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 data. The student sample consisted of 4,220 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 4,043 students from Slovenia. After analysing the cognitive demands of TIMSS 2007 physics items, the correspondent differential item functioning (DIF)/differential group functioning contrasts were estimated. Approximately 40% of items exhibited large DIF contrasts, indicating significant differences between cultures of physics education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. The relative strength of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina showed to be mainly associated with the topic area 'Electricity and magnetism'. Classes of items which required the knowledge of experimental method, counterintuitive thinking, proportional reasoning and/or the use of complex knowledge structures proved to be differentially easier for students from Slovenia. In the light of the presented results, the common practice of ranking countries with respect to universally established cognitive categories seems to be potentially misleading.

Three-dimensional simulated microgravity culture improves the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cell in PLGA scaffolds implanted in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yanping; He, Lina; Pan, Shuang; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Weiwei; Yi, Hong; Niu, Yumei

2017-02-01

Tooth regeneration through stem cell-based therapy is a promising treatment for tooth decay and loss. Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) have been widely identified as the stem cells with the most potential for tooth tissue regeneration. However, the culture of hDPSCs in vitro for tissue engineering is challenging, as cells may proliferate slowly or/and differentiate poorly in vivo. Dynamic three‑dimensional (3D) simulated microgravity (SMG) created using the rotary cell culture system is considered to an effective tool, which contributes to several cell functions. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of dynamic 3D SMG culture on the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation abilities of hDPSCs in poly (lactic‑co‑glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds in nude mice. The hDPSCs on PLGA scaffolds were maintained separately in the 3D SMG culture system and static 3D cultures with osteogenic medium for 7 days in vitro. Subsequently, the cell‑PLGA complexes were implanted subcutaneously on the backs of nude mice for 4 weeks. The results of histological and immunohistochemical examinations of Ki‑67, type I collagen, dentin sialoprotein and DMP‑1 indicated that the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation abilities of the hDPSCs prepared in the 3D SMG culture system were higher, compared with those prepared in the static culture system. These findings suggested that dynamic 3D SMG culture likely contributes to tissue engineering by improving the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation abilities of hDPSCs in vivo.

Knockdown of Indian hedgehog protein induces an inhibition of cell growth and differentiation in osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells

OpenAIRE

Deng, Ang; Zhang, Hongqi; Hu, Minyu; Liu, Shaohua; Gao, Qile; Wang, Yuxiang; Guo, Chaofeng

2017-01-01

Indian hedgehog protein (Ihh) is evolutionarily conserved and serves important roles in controlling the differentiation of progenitor cells into osteoblasts. Ihh null mutant mice exhibit a failure of osteoblast development in endochondral bone. Although studies have demonstrated that Ihh signaling is a potent local factor that regulates osteoblast differentiation, the specific transcription factors that determine osteoblast differentiation remain unclear. Further studies are required to deter...

Directed Differentiation of Zebrafish Pluripotent Embryonic Cells to Functional Cardiomyocytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao Xiao

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A cardiomyocyte differentiation in vitro system from zebrafish embryos remains to be established. Here, we have determined pluripotency window of zebrafish embryos by analyzing their gene-expression patterns of pluripotency factors together with markers of three germ layers, and have found that zebrafish undergoes a very narrow period of pluripotency maintenance from zygotic genome activation to a brief moment after oblong stage. Based on the pluripotency and a combination of appropriate conditions, we established a rapid and efficient method for cardiomyocyte generation in vitro from primary embryonic cells. The induced cardiomyocytes differentiated into functional and specific cardiomyocyte subtypes. Notably, these in vitro generated cardiomyocytes exhibited typical contractile kinetics and electrophysiological features. The system provides a new paradigm of cardiomyocyte differentiation from primary embryonic cells in zebrafish. The technology provides a new platform for the study of heart development and regeneration, in addition to drug discovery, disease modeling, and assessment of cardiotoxic agents.

Alendronate-Eluting Biphasic Calcium Phosphate (BCP Scaffolds Stimulate Osteogenic Differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sung Eun Kim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP scaffolds have been widely used in orthopedic and dental fields as osteoconductive bone substitutes. However, BCP scaffolds are not satisfactory for the stimulation of osteogenic differentiation and maturation. To enhance osteogenic differentiation, we prepared alendronate- (ALN- eluting BCP scaffolds. The coating of ALN on BCP scaffolds was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR. An in vitro release study showed that release of ALN from ALN-eluting BCP scaffolds was sustained for up to 28 days. In vitro results revealed that MG-63 cells grown on ALN-eluting BCP scaffolds exhibited increased ALP activity and calcium deposition and upregulated gene expression of Runx2, ALP, OCN, and OPN compared with the BCP scaffold alone. Therefore, this study suggests that ALN-eluting BCP scaffolds have the potential to effectively stimulate osteogenic differentiation.

Differential proteomic and tissue expression analyses identify valuable diagnostic biomarkers of hepatocellular differentiation and hepatoid adenocarcinomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Henning; Padden, Juliet; Ahrens, Maike; Pütter, Carolin; Bertram, Stefanie; Pott, Leona L; Reis, Anna-Carinna; Weber, Frank; Juntermanns, Benjamin; Hoffmann, Andreas-C; Eisenacher, Martin; Schlaak, Joörg F; Canbay, Ali; Meyer, Helmut E; Sitek, Barbara; Baba, Hideo A

2015-10-01

The exact discrimination of lesions with true hepatocellular differentiation from secondary tumours and neoplasms with hepatocellular histomorphology like hepatoid adenocarcinomas (HAC) is crucial. Therefore, we aimed to identify ancillary protein biomarkers by using complementary proteomic techniques (2D-DIGE, label-free MS). The identified candidates were immunohistochemically validated in 14 paired samples of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-tumourous liver tissue (NT). The candidates and HepPar1/Arginase1 were afterwards tested for consistency in a large cohort of hepatocellular lesions and NT (n = 290), non-hepatocellular malignancies (n = 383) and HAC (n = 13). Eight non-redundant, differentially expressed proteins were suitable for further immunohistochemical validation and four (ABAT, BHMT, FABP1, HAOX1) for further evaluation. Sensitivity and specificity rates for HCC/HAC were as follows: HepPar1 80.2%, 94.3% / 80.2%, 46.2%; Arginase1 82%, 99.4% / 82%, 69.2%; BHMT 61.4%, 93.8% / 61.4%, 100%; ABAT 84.4%, 33.7% / 84.4%, 30.8%; FABP1 87.2%, 95% / 87.2%, 69.2%; HAOX1 95.5%, 36.3% / 95.5%, 46.2%. The best 2×/3× biomarker panels for the diagnosis of HCC consisted of Arginase1/HAOX1 and BHMT/Arginase1/HAOX1 and for HAC consisted of Arginase1/FABP1 and BHMT/Arginase1/FABP1. In summary, we successfully identified, validated and benchmarked protein biomarker candidates of hepatocellular differentiation. BHMT in particular exhibited superior diagnostic characteristics in hepatocellular lesions and specifically in HAC. BHMT is therefore a promising (panel based) biomarker candidate in the differential diagnostic process of lesions with hepatocellular aspect.

Augmented nonlinear differentiator design and application to nonlinear uncertain systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Xingling; Liu, Jun; Li, Jie; Cao, Huiliang; Shen, Chong; Zhang, Xiaoming

2017-03-01

In this paper, an augmented nonlinear differentiator (AND) based on sigmoid function is developed to calculate the noise-less time derivative under noisy measurement condition. The essential philosophy of proposed AND in achieving high attenuation of noise effect is established by expanding the signal dynamics with extra state variable representing the integrated noisy measurement, then with the integral of measurement as input, the augmented differentiator is formulated to improve the estimation quality. The prominent advantages of the present differentiation technique are: (i) better noise suppression ability can be achieved without appreciable delay; (ii) the improved methodology can be readily extended to construct augmented high-order differentiator to obtain multiple derivatives. In addition, the convergence property and robustness performance against noises are investigated via singular perturbation theory and describing function method, respectively. Also, comparison with several classical differentiators is given to illustrate the superiority of AND in noise suppression. Finally, the robust control problems of nonlinear uncertain systems, including a numerical example and a mass spring system, are addressed to demonstrate the effectiveness of AND in precisely estimating the disturbance and providing the unavailable differential estimate to implement output feedback based controller. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential equations and integrable models: the SU(3) case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorey, Patrick; Tateo, Roberto

2000-01-01

We exhibit a relationship between the massless a 2 (2) integrable quantum field theory and a certain third-order ordinary differential equation, thereby extending a recent result connecting the massless sine-Gordon model to the Schroedinger equation. This forms part of a more general correspondence involving A 2 -related Bethe ansatz systems and third-order differential equations. A non-linear integral equation for the generalised spectral problem is derived, and some numerical checks are performed. Duality properties are discussed, and a simple variant of the non-linear equation is suggested as a candidate to describe the finite volume ground state energies of minimal conformal field theories perturbed by the operators phi 12 , phi 21 and phi 15 . This is checked against previous results obtained using the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz

Rho GTPases in ameloblast differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keishi Otsu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available During tooth development, ameloblasts differentiate from inner enamel epithelial cells to enamel-forming cells by modulating the signal pathways mediating epithelial–mesenchymal interaction and a cell-autonomous gene network. The differentiation process of epithelial cells is characterized by marked changes in their morphology and polarity, accompanied by dynamic cytoskeletal reorganization and changes in cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesion over time. Functional ameloblasts are tall, columnar, polarized cells that synthesize and secrete enamel-specific proteins. After deposition of the full thickness of enamel matrix, ameloblasts become smaller and regulate enamel maturation. Recent significant advances in the fields of molecular biology and genetics have improved our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of the ameloblast cell life cycle, mediated by the Rho family of small GTPases. They act as intracellular molecular switch that transduce signals from extracellular stimuli to the actin cytoskeleton and the nucleus. In our review, we summarize studies that provide current evidence for Rho GTPases and their involvement in ameloblast differentiation. In addition to the Rho GTPases themselves, their downstream effectors and upstream regulators have also been implicated in ameloblast differentiation.

Periodic solutions of first-order functional differential equations in population dynamics

CERN Document Server

Padhi, Seshadev; Srinivasu, P D N

2014-01-01

This book provides cutting-edge results on the existence of multiple positive periodic solutions of first-order functional differential equations. It demonstrates how the Leggett-Williams fixed-point theorem can be applied to study the existence of two or three positive periodic solutions of functional differential equations with real-world applications, particularly with regard to the Lasota-Wazewska model, the Hematopoiesis model, the Nicholsons Blowflies model, and some models with Allee effects. Many interesting sufficient conditions are given for the dynamics that include nonlinear characteristics exhibited by population models. The last chapter provides results related to the global appeal of solutions to the models considered in the earlier chapters. The techniques used in this book can be easily understood by anyone with a basic knowledge of analysis. This book offers a valuable reference guide for students and researchers in the field of differential equations with applications to biology, ecology, a...

Transcriptomics-based identification of developmental toxicants through their interference with cardiomyocyte differentiation of embryonic stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dartel, Dorien A.M. van; Pennings, Jeroen L.A.; Schooten, Frederik J. van; Piersma, Aldert H.

2010-01-01

The embryonic stem cell test (EST) predicts developmental toxicity based on the inhibition of cardiomyocyte differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESC). The subjective endpoint, the long culture duration together with the undefined applicability domain and related predictivity need further improvement to facilitate implementation of the EST into regulatory strategies. These aspects may be improved by studying gene expression changes in the ESC differentiation cultures and their modulation by compound exposure using transcriptomics. Here, we tested the developmental toxicants monobutyl phthalate and 6-aminonicotinamide. ESC were allowed to differentiated, and cardiomyocyte differentiation was assessed after 10 days of culture. RNA of solvent controls was collected after 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of exposure, and RNA of developmental-toxicant-exposed cultures was collected after 24 and 96 h. Samples were hybridized to DNA microarrays, and 1355 genes were found differentially expressed among the unexposed experimental groups. These regulated genes were involved in differentiation-related processes, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on these genes showed that the unexposed experimental groups appeared in chronological order in the PCA, which can therefore be regarded as a continuous representation of the differentiation track. The developmental-toxicant-exposed cultures appeared to deviate significantly from this differentiation track, which confirms the compound-modulating effects on the differentiation process. The incorporation of transcriptomics in the EST is expected to provide a more informative and improved endpoint in the EST as compared with morphology, allowing early detection of differentiation modulation. Furthermore, this approach may improve the definition of the applicability domain and predictivity of the EST.

Piecewise-linear and bilinear approaches to nonlinear differential equations approximation problem of computational structural mechanics

OpenAIRE

Leibov Roman

2017-01-01

This paper presents a bilinear approach to nonlinear differential equations system approximation problem. Sometimes the nonlinear differential equations right-hand sides linearization is extremely difficult or even impossible. Then piecewise-linear approximation of nonlinear differential equations can be used. The bilinear differential equations allow to improve piecewise-linear differential equations behavior and reduce errors on the border of different linear differential equations systems ...

Differential replication of foot-and-mouth disease viruses in mice determine lethality

Science.gov (United States)

Adult C57BL/6J mice have been used to study foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) biology. In this work, two variants of an FMDV A/Arg/01 strain exhibiting differential pathogenicity in adult mice were identified and characterized: a non-lethal virus (A01NL) caused mild signs of disease, whereas a let...

Inhibition of TGF-β Signaling in SHED Enhances Endothelial Differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, J G; Gong, T; Wang, Y Y; Zou, T; Heng, B C; Yang, Y Q; Zhang, C F

2018-02-01

Low efficiency of deriving endothelial cells (ECs) from adult stem cells hampers their utilization in tissue engineering studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether suppression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling could enhance the differentiation efficiency of dental pulp-derived stem cells into ECs. We initially used vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) to stimulate 2 dental pulp-derived stem cells (dental pulp stem cells and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth [SHED]) and compared their differentiation capacity into ECs. We further evaluated whether the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor I (VEGF-RI)-specific ligand placental growth factor-1 (PlGF-1) could mediate endothelial differentiation. Finally, we investigated whether the TGF-β signaling inhibitor SB-431542 could enhance the inductive effect of VEGF-A on endothelial differentiation, as well as the underlying mechanisms involved. ECs differentiated from dental pulp-derived stem cells exhibited the typical phenotypes of primary ECs, with SHED possessing a higher endothelial differentiation potential than dental pulp stem cells. VEGFR1-specific ligand-PLGF exerted a negligible effect on SHED-ECs differentiation. Compared with VEGF-A alone, the combination of VEGF-A and SB-431542 significantly enhanced the endothelial differentiation of SHED. The presence of SB-431542 inhibited the phosphorylation of Suppressor of Mothers Against Decapentaplegic 2/3 (SMAD2/3), allowing for VEGF-A-dependent phosphorylation and upregulation of VEGFR2. Our results indicate that the combination of VEGF-A and SB-431542 could enhance the differentiation of dental pulp-derived stem cells into endothelial cells, and this process is mediated through enhancement of VEGF-A-VEGFR2 signaling and concomitant inhibition of TGF-β-SMAD2/3 signaling.

High Quality Virtual Reality for Architectural Exhibitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kreutzberg, Anette

2016-01-01

This paper will summarise the findings from creating and implementing a visually high quality Virtual Reality (VR) experiment as part of an international architecture exhibition. It was the aim to represent the architectural spatial qualities as well as the atmosphere created from combining natural...... and artificial lighting in a prominent not yet built project. The outcome is twofold: Findings concerning the integration of VR in an exhibition space and findings concerning the experience of the virtual space itself. In the exhibition, an important aspect was the unmanned exhibition space, requiring the VR...... experience to be self-explanatory. Observations of different visitor reactions to the unmanned VR experience compared with visitor reactions at guided tours with personal instructions are evaluated. Data on perception of realism, spatial quality and light in the VR model were collected with qualitative...

A Salamander Tale: Effective Exhibits and Attitude Change

Science.gov (United States)

Rollins, Jeffrey; Watson, Sunnie Lee

2017-01-01

Little information exists regarding intention behind the design and development of Extension outreach and educational exhibits. An evaluation of response to the exhibit "A Salamander Tale" indicates that the methods used to develop the exhibit resulted in an effective way to present information to an adult audience. Survey questions were…

Knowledge Generation in Technology-Enhanced Health Exhibitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Magnussen, Rikke; Kharlamov, Nikita; Zachariasssen, Maria

2016-01-01

This paper presents results from eye-tracking studies of audience interaction and knowledge generation in the technology-enhanced health promotion exhibition PULSE at a science centre in Copenhagen, Denmark. The main purpose of the study was to understand what types of knowledge audiences build...... in health promotion exhibitions designed to include direct physical interaction. The current study is part of the larger PULSE project, which aims to develop innovative health promotion activities that include a science museum exhibition as a key setting. The primary target group is families with children...

Shaping Watersheds Exhibit: An Interactive, Augmented Reality Sandbox for Advancing Earth Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, S. E.; Kreylos, O.; Hsi, S.; Kellogg, L. H.; Schladow, G.; Yikilmaz, M. B.; Segale, H.; Silverman, J.; Yalowitz, S.; Sato, E.

2014-12-01

One of the challenges involved in learning earth science is the visualization of processes which occur over large spatial and temporal scales. Shaping Watersheds is an interactive 3D exhibit developed with support from the National Science Foundation by a team of scientists, science educators, exhibit designers, and evaluation professionals, in an effort to improve public understanding and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems. The hands-on augmented reality sandbox allows users to create topographic models by shaping real "kinetic" sand. The exhibit is augmented in real time by the projection of a color elevation map and contour lines which exactly match the sand topography, using a closed loop of a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera, simulation and visualization software, and a data projector. When an object (such as a hand) is sensed at a particular height above the sand surface, virtual rain appears as a blue visualization on the surface and a flow simulation (based on a depth-integrated version of the Navier-Stokes equations) moves the water across the landscape. The blueprints and software to build the sandbox are freely available online (http://3dh2o.org/71/) under the GNU General Public License, together with a facilitator's guide and a public forum (with how-to documents and FAQs). Using these resources, many institutions (20 and counting) have built their own exhibits to teach a wide variety of topics (ranging from watershed stewardship, hydrology, geology, topographic map reading, and planetary science) in a variety of venues (such as traveling science exhibits, K-12 schools, university earth science departments, and museums). Additional exhibit extensions and learning modules are planned such as tsunami modeling and prediction. Moreover, a study is underway at the Lawrence Hall of Science to assess how various aspects of the sandbox (such as visualization color scheme and level of interactivity) affect understanding of earth science concepts.

Leptin differentially regulates STAT3 activation in the ob/ob mice adipose mesenchymal stem cells

Science.gov (United States)

Leptin-deficient genetically obese ob/ob mice exhibit adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia as well as elevated adipose tissue and systemic inflammation. Studies have shown that multipotent stem cells isolated from adult adipose tissue can differentiate into adipocytes ex vivo and thereby contribute...

SigEMD: A powerful method for differential gene expression analysis in single-cell RNA sequencing data.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tianyu; Nabavi, Sheida

2018-04-24

Differential gene expression analysis is one of the significant efforts in single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) analysis to discover the specific changes in expression levels of individual cell types. Since scRNAseq exhibits multimodality, large amounts of zero counts, and sparsity, it is different from the traditional bulk RNA sequencing (RNAseq) data. The new challenges of scRNAseq data promote the development of new methods for identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes. In this study, we proposed a new method, SigEMD, that combines a data imputation approach, a logistic regression model and a nonparametric method based on the Earth Mover's Distance, to precisely and efficiently identify DE genes in scRNAseq data. The regression model and data imputation are used to reduce the impact of large amounts of zero counts, and the nonparametric method is used to improve the sensitivity of detecting DE genes from multimodal scRNAseq data. By additionally employing gene interaction network information to adjust the final states of DE genes, we further reduce the false positives of calling DE genes. We used simulated datasets and real datasets to evaluate the detection accuracy of the proposed method and to compare its performance with those of other differential expression analysis methods. Results indicate that the proposed method has an overall powerful performance in terms of precision in detection, sensitivity, and specificity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in spontaneous thymic lymphomas from knockout mice with deletion of p53

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Honoré, Bent; Buus, Søren; Claësson, Mogens H

2008-01-01

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Knockout mice with a deletion of p53 spontaneously develop thymic lymphomas. Two cell lines (SM5 and SM7), established from two independent tumours, exhibited about fifty to seventy two-fold differentially expressed proteins compared to wild type thymocytes by two-dimensiona......ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Knockout mice with a deletion of p53 spontaneously develop thymic lymphomas. Two cell lines (SM5 and SM7), established from two independent tumours, exhibited about fifty to seventy two-fold differentially expressed proteins compared to wild type thymocytes by two...... alpha type 3, transforming acidic coiled-coil containing protein 3, mitochondrial ornithine aminotransferase and epidermal fatty acid binding protein and down-regulation of adenylosuccinate synthetase, tubulin beta-3 chain, a 25 kDa actin fragment, proteasome subunit beta type 9, cofilin-1 and glia...

Asymptotic integration of differential and difference equations

CERN Document Server

Bodine, Sigrun

2015-01-01

This book presents the theory of asymptotic integration for both linear differential and difference equations. This type of asymptotic analysis is based on some fundamental principles by Norman Levinson. While he applied them to a special class of differential equations, subsequent work has shown that the same principles lead to asymptotic results for much wider classes of differential and also difference equations. After discussing asymptotic integration in a unified approach, this book studies how the application of these methods provides several new insights and frequent improvements to results found in earlier literature. It then continues with a brief introduction to the relatively new field of asymptotic integration for dynamic equations on time scales. Asymptotic Integration of Differential and Difference Equations is a self-contained and clearly structured presentation of some of the most important results in asymptotic integration and the techniques used in this field. It will appeal to researchers i...

Glioblastoma Stem Cells Respond to Differentiation Cues but Fail to Undergo Commitment and Terminal Cell-Cycle Arrest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Carén

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Glioblastoma (GBM is an aggressive brain tumor whose growth is driven by stem cell-like cells. BMP signaling triggers cell-cycle exit and differentiation of GBM stem cells (GSCs and, therefore, might have therapeutic value. However, the epigenetic mechanisms that accompany differentiation remain poorly defined. It is also unclear whether cell-cycle arrest is terminal. Here we find only a subset of GSC cultures exhibit astrocyte differentiation in response to BMP. Although overtly differentiated non-cycling astrocytes are generated, they remain vulnerable to cell-cycle re-entry and fail to appropriately reconfigure DNA methylation patterns. Chromatin accessibility mapping identified loci that failed to alter in response to BMP and these were enriched in SOX transcription factor-binding motifs. SOX transcription factors, therefore, may limit differentiation commitment. A similar propensity for cell-cycle re-entry and de-differentiation was observed in GSC-derived oligodendrocyte-like cells. These findings highlight significant obstacles to BMP-induced differentiation as therapy for GBM.

General existence principles for Stieltjes differential equations with applications to mathematical biology

Science.gov (United States)

López Pouso, Rodrigo; Márquez Albés, Ignacio

2018-04-01

Stieltjes differential equations, which contain equations with impulses and equations on time scales as particular cases, simply consist on replacing usual derivatives by derivatives with respect to a nondecreasing function. In this paper we prove new existence results for functional and discontinuous Stieltjes differential equations and we show that such general results have real world applications. Specifically, we show that Stieltjes differential equations are specially suitable to study populations which exhibit dormant states and/or very short (impulsive) periods of reproduction. In particular, we construct two mathematical models for the evolution of a silkworm population. Our first model can be explicitly solved, as it consists on a linear Stieltjes equation. Our second model, more realistic, is nonlinear, discontinuous and functional, and we deduce the existence of solutions by means of a result proven in this paper.

A Variable Order Fractional Differential-Based Texture Enhancement Algorithm with Application in Medical Imaging.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Yu

Full Text Available Texture enhancement is one of the most important techniques in digital image processing and plays an essential role in medical imaging since textures discriminate information. Most image texture enhancement techniques use classical integral order differential mask operators or fractional differential mask operators using fixed fractional order. These masks can produce excessive enhancement of low spatial frequency content, insufficient enhancement of large spatial frequency content, and retention of high spatial frequency noise. To improve upon existing approaches of texture enhancement, we derive an improved Variable Order Fractional Centered Difference (VOFCD scheme which dynamically adjusts the fractional differential order instead of fixing it. The new VOFCD technique is based on the second order Riesz fractional differential operator using a Lagrange 3-point interpolation formula, for both grey scale and colour image enhancement. We then use this method to enhance photographs and a set of medical images related to patients with stroke and Parkinson's disease. The experiments show that our improved fractional differential mask has a higher signal to noise ratio value than the other fractional differential mask operators. Based on the corresponding quantitative analysis we conclude that the new method offers a superior texture enhancement over existing methods.

Effect of 3D Cultivation Conditions on the Differentiation of Endodermal Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Petrakova, O. S.; Ashapkin, V. V.; Voroteliak, E. A.; Bragin, E. Y.; Shtratnikova, V. Y.; Chernioglo, E. S.; Sukhanov, Y. V.; Terskikh, V. V.; Vasiliev, A. V.

2012-01-01

Cellular therapy of endodermal organs is one of the most important issues in modern cellular biology and biotechnology. One of the most promising directions in this field is the study of the transdifferentiation abilities of cells within the same germ layer. A method for anin vitroinvestigation of the cell differentiation potential (the cell culture in a three-dimensional matrix) is described in this article. Cell cultures of postnatal salivary gland cells and postnatal liver progenitor cells were obtained; their comparative analysis under 2D and 3D cultivation conditions was carried out. Both cell types have high proliferative abilities and can be cultivated for more than 20 passages. Under 2D cultivation conditions, the cells remain in an undifferentiated state. Under 3D conditions, they undergo differentiation, which was confirmed by a lower cell proliferation and by an increase in the differentiation marker expression. Salivary gland cells can undergo hepatic and pancreatic differentiation under 3D cultivation conditions. Liver progenitor cells also acquire a pancreatic differentiation capability under conditions of 3D cultivation. Thus, postnatal salivary gland cells exhibit a considerable differentiation potential within the endodermal germ layer and can be used as a promising source of endodermal cells for the cellular therapy of liver pathologies. Cultivation of cells under 3D conditions is a useful model for thein vitroanalysis of the cell differentiation potential. PMID:23346379

Improved cell therapy protocols for Parkinson's disease based on differentiation efficiency and safety of hESC-, hiPSC-, and non-human primate iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sundberg, Maria; Bogetofte, Helle; Lawson, Tristan

2013-01-01

of safety and efficacy of stem cell-derived DA neurons. The aim of this study was to improve the safety of human- and non-human primate iPSC (PiPSC)-derived DA neurons. According to our results, NCAM(+) /CD29(low) sorting enriched VM DA neurons from pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cell populations......The main motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are due to the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain (VM). For the future treatment of Parkinson's disease with cell transplantation it is important to develop efficient differentiation methods for production of human iPSCs and h......ESCs-derived midbrain-type DA neurons. Here we describe an efficient differentiation and sorting strategy for DA neurons from both human ES/iPS cells and non-human primate iPSCs. The use of non-human primate iPSCs for neuronal differentiation and autologous transplantation is important for preclinical evaluation...

Bacillus megaterium strains derived from water and soil exhibit differential responses to the herbicide mesotrione.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrzanski, Tatiane; Gravina, Fernanda; Steckling, Bruna; Olchanheski, Luiz R; Sprenger, Ricardo F; Espírito Santo, Bruno C; Galvão, Carolina W; Reche, Péricles M; Prestes, Rosilene A; Pileggi, Sônia A V; Campos, Francinete R; Azevedo, Ricardo A; Sadowsky, Michael J; Beltrame, Flávio L; Pileggi, Marcos

2018-01-01

The intense use of herbicides for weed control in agriculture causes selection pressure on soil microbiota and water ecosystems, possibly resulting in changes to microbial processes, such as biogeochemical cycles. These xenobiotics may increase the production of reactive oxygen species and consequently affect the survival of microorganisms, which need to develop strategies to adapt to these conditions and maintain their ecological functionality. This study analyzed the adaptive responses of bacterial isolates belonging to the same species, originating from two different environments (water and soil), and subjected to selection pressure by herbicides. The effects of herbicide Callisto and its active ingredient, mesotrione, induced different adaptation strategies on the cellular, enzymatic, and structural systems of two Bacillus megaterium isolates obtained from these environments. The lipid saturation patterns observed may have affected membrane permeability in response to this herbicide. Moreover, this may have led to different levels of responses involving superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and enzyme polymorphisms. Due to these response systems, the strain isolated from water exhibited higher growth rates than did the soil strain, in evaluations made in oligotrophic culture media, which would be more like that found in semi-pristine aquatic environments. The influence of the intracellular oxidizing environments, which changed the mode of degradation of mesotrione in our experimental model and produced different metabolites, can also be observed in soil and water at sites related to agriculture. Since the different metabolites may present different levels of toxicity, we suggest that this fact should be considered in studies on the fate of agrochemicals in different environments.

3-bromopyruvate ameliorate autoimmune arthritis by modulating Th17/Treg cell differentiation and suppressing dendritic cell activation

OpenAIRE

Okano, Takaichi; Saegusa, Jun; Nishimura, Keisuke; Takahashi, Soshi; Sendo, Sho; Ueda, Yo; Morinobu, Akio

2017-01-01

Recent studies have shown that cellular metabolism plays an important role in regulating immune cell functions. In immune cell differentiation, both interleukin-17-producing T (Th17) cells and dendritic cells (DCs) exhibit increased glycolysis through the upregulation of glycolytic enzymes, such as hexokinase-2 (HK2). Blocking glycolysis with 2-deoxyglucose was recently shown to inhibit Th17 cell differentiation while promoting regulatory T (Treg) cell generation. However, 2-DG inhibits all i...

Three-Dimensional Environment Sustains Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation into Platelet-Producing Megakaryocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietrzyk-Nivau, Audrey; Poirault-Chassac, Sonia; Gandrille, Sophie; Derkaoui, Sidi-Mohammed; Kauskot, Alexandre; Letourneur, Didier; Le Visage, Catherine; Baruch, Dominique

2015-01-01

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) differentiate into megakaryocytes (MK), whose function is to release platelets. Attempts to improve in vitro platelet production have been hampered by the low amplification of MK. Providing HSC with an optimal three-dimensional (3D) architecture may favor MK differentiation by mimicking some crucial functions of the bone marrow structure. To this aim, porous hydrogel scaffolds were used to study MK differentiation from HSC as well as platelet production. Flow cytometry, qPCR and perfusion studies showed that 3D was suitable for longer kinetics of CD34+ cell proliferation and for delayed megakaryocytic differentiation far beyond the limited shelf-life observed in liquid culture but also increased production of functional platelets. We provide evidence that these 3D effects were related to 1) persistence of MK progenitors and precursors and 2) prolongation of expression of EKLF and c-myb transcription factors involved in early MK differentiation. In addition, presence of abundant mature MK with increased ploidy and impressive cytoskeleton elongations was in line with expression of NF-E2 transcription factor involved in late MK differentiation. Platelets produced in flow conditions were functional as shown by integrin αIIbβ3 activation following addition of exogenous agonists. This study demonstrates that spatial organization and biological cues synergize to improve MK differentiation and platelet production. Thus, 3D environment constitutes a powerful tool for unraveling the physiological mechanisms of megakaryopoiesis and thrombopoiesis in the bone marrow environment, potentially leading to an improved amplification of MK and platelet production.

Spectral characterization of differential group delay in uniform fiber Bragg gratings.

Science.gov (United States)

Bette, S; Caucheteur, C; Wuilpart, M; Mégret, P; Garcia-Olcina, R; Sales, S; Capmany, J

2005-12-12

In this paper, we completely study the wavelength dependency of differential group delay (DGD) in uniform fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) exhibiting birefringence. An analytical expression of DGD is established. We analyze the impact of grating parameters (physical length, index modulation and apodization profile) on the wavelength dependency of DGD. Experimental results complete the paper. A very good agreement between theory and experience is reported.

Molecular analysis of expansion, differentiation, and growth factor treatment of human chondrocytes identifies differentiation markers and growth-related genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Benz, Karin; Breit, Stephen; Lukoschek, Martin; Mau, Hans; Richter, Wiltrud

2002-04-26

This study is intended to optimise expansion and differentiation of cultured human chondrocytes by growth factor application and to identify molecular markers to monitor their differentiation state. We dissected the molecular consequences of matrix release, monolayer, and 3D-alginate culture, growth factor optimised expansion, and re-differentiation protocols by gene expression analysis. Among 19 common cartilage molecules assessed by cDNA array, six proved best to monitor differentiation. Instant down-regulation at release of cells from the matrix was strongest for COL 2A1, fibromodulin, and PRELP while LUM, CHI3L1, and CHI3L2 were expansion-related. Both gene sets reflected the physiologic effects of the most potent growth-inducing (PDGF-BB) and proteoglycan-inducing (BMP-4) factors. Only CRTAC1 expression correlated with 2D/3D switches while the molecular phenotype of native chondrocytes was not restored. The markers and optimised protocols we suggest can help to improve cell therapy of cartilage defects and chondrocyte differentiation from stem cell sources.

77 FR 31909 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-30

... exhibition ``50th Anniversary Remembrance of the Tragedy at Orly,'' imported from abroad by the High Museum of Art for temporary exhibition within the United States, is of cultural significance. The object is... exhibition or display of the exhibit object at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia from on or about...

Cardiac injury of the newborn mammalian heart accelerates cardiomyocyte terminal differentiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zebrowski, David C.; Jensen, Charlotte H.; Becker, Robert

2017-01-01

exhibited midbody formation consistent with successful abscission, whereas those from 3 day-old cardiomyocytes after apical resection exhibited midbody formation consistent with abscission failure. Lastly, injured hearts failed to fully regenerate as evidenced by persistent scarring and reduced wall motion......After birth cardiomyocytes undergo terminal differentiation, characterized by binucleation and centrosome disassembly, rendering the heart unable to regenerate. Yet, it has been suggested that newborn mammals regenerate their hearts after apical resection by cardiomyocyte proliferation. Thus, we...... increased rate of binucleation there was a nearly 2-fold increase in the number of cardiomyocytes in mitosis indicating that the majority of injury-induced cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity results in binucleation, not proliferation. Concurrently, cardiomyocytes undergoing cytokinesis from embryonic hearts...

Professional Development to Differentiate Kindergarten Tier 1 Instruction: Can Already Effective Teachers Improve Student Outcomes by Differentiating Tier 1 Instruction?

Science.gov (United States)

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Folsom, Jessica S.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Greulich, Luana; Waesche, Jessica; Schatschneider, Christopher; Connor, Carol M.

2016-01-01

Two primary purposes guided this quasi-experimental within-teacher study: (a) to examine changes from baseline through 2 years of professional development (Individualizing Student Instruction) in kindergarten teachers' differentiation of Tier 1 literacy instruction; and (b) to examine changes in reading and vocabulary of 3 cohorts of the teachers'…

Education or business? - exhibition of human corpses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grzegorz Wróbel

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Exhibition "BODY WORLDS" which are presented exhibits of human remains are presented all over the world and are a major problem for the modern man, as presented on the preparations of the human not only serve scientific research, are not transferred to the medical schools to educate future doctors, but they were made available to the general public in the form of commercial and ambiguous. The aim of this study was to assess the ethical commercialization of human corpses "BODY WORLDS" exhibitions. Individual approach to the problems presented the dignity and value of human remains after death, of course, strongly related to the professed worldview. In the exhibits can be seen in both the scientific interest anatomical structures, as well as desecrated human remains or beautiful by its functional perfection of the body, understood also in terms of art. The question of ethics determines the right to decide for themselves, on the other hand, allows you to protect bodily integrity even after death. "BODY WORLDS" exhibition goes for the moral and ethical boundaries. In terms of people Gunther von Hagens for plastination of human remains which became a very profitable business, and its current activities defined as "plastination business" should be firmly said about the lack of moral principles.

A NEW OSCILLATION CRITERION FOR FIRST ORDER NEUTRAL DELAY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

In this paper, a new sufficient condition for the oscillation of all solutions of first order neutral delay differential equations is obtained. Secondly, the result can also be extended to a general neutral differential equation, and many known results in the literatures are improved.

Medan Convention & Exhibition Center (Arsitektur Ekspresionisme)

OpenAIRE

Iskandar, Nurul Auni

2015-01-01

Medan is one of the third largest city in Indonesia, which is currently being developed, and a city with lots of activities. In the city of Medan has a high investment opportunities for a convention, because of its strategic position in Southeast Asia and also supported by the facility and the potential for tourism in North Sumatra, Medan city has the potential for industrial MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conference, Exhibition). The construction of Medan Convention & Exhibition Cente...

Effects of nano-emulsion preparations of tocopherols and tocotrienols on oxidative stress and osteoblast differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song Liang-Song

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Tocopherols and tocotrienols are two groups of compounds in the vitamin E family, of which the tocopherols are widely used as antioxidant dietary supplements. Recent studies have shown mixed observations for tocopherol functions in bone homeostasis. We have evaluated the potency of suspension- and nano-emulsion formulation-based delivery of different vitamin E family members in lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced oxidative stress and osteoblast differentiation. Our results showed the both tocopherols and tocotrienols could reduce oxidative stress as evaluated by the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS. Their effects were enhanced when applied in the nano-emulsion mode of delivery due to increased bioavailability. In addition, our results showed that tocotrienols increased osteoblast differentiation, while tocopherols showed reduced osteoblast differentiation, which may be due to their differential effects on SMAD and p65 signaling. Together, these findings indicate that tocotrienols delivered through nano-emulsion exhibit superior antioxidant properties and osteoblast differentiation, and could serve as a better alternative to tocopherol-based vitamin E supplements.

CERN exhibition wins yet another design prize

CERN Multimedia

Joannah Caborn Wengler

2012-01-01

The “Universe of Particles” exhibition in CERN’s Globe wins the silver design prize from the German direct business communications association FAMAB.   Not only do tens of thousands of people visit the “Universe of Particles” exhibition each year, but juries for design prizes are crossing its threshold more and more frequently too. In 2011 alone it claimed 8 awards, including winning outright the 2011 Annual Multimedia award, the iF Communication Design for Corporate Architecture award and the Modern Decoration Media award (the Bulletin already reported on some of these in July 2011). The FAMAB award is the latest to join the prestigious list. The jury of FAMAB’s “ADAM 2011” award was particularly impressed by the hands-on nature of the exhibition, which encourages visitors to get interested in science. They also appreciated the way that the space in the Globe is not just a container for the exhibits, but itself ...

Dutch hi-tech companies exhibit at CERN

CERN Multimedia

Roberto Cantoni

2010-01-01

Twenty-seven Dutch companies will present the state of the art of their technological developments at the industrial exhibition Holland @ CERN from 8 to 11 November. The exhibition is designed to help strengthen the ties between fundamental science and Dutch industry.   The exhibition, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and organised by the Netherlands National Institute for Subatomic Physics (Nikhef), in cooperation with the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), the FOM Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen, and Dutch Scientific, an association of manufacturers of scientific equipment, will be held in the Main Building from 8 to11 November. “The last Holland @ CERN exhibition took place fifteen years ago”, says Robert Klöpping from Nikhef, Dutch Industrial Liaison Officer for CERN and Purchasing Advisor for Grenoble ESRF. “This kind of event is very important for Dutch industry as it allows us to show what Dutch companies c...

Appling Laplace Adomian decomposition method for delay differential equations with boundary value problems

Science.gov (United States)

Yousef, Hamood Mohammed; Ismail, Ahmad Izani

2017-11-01

In this paper, Laplace Adomian decomposition method (LADM) was applied to solve Delay differential equations with Boundary Value Problems. The solution is in the form of a convergent series which is easy to compute. This approach is tested on two test problem. The findings obtained exhibit the reliability and efficiency of the proposed method.

Intramyocardial implantation of differentiated rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells enhanced by TGF-β1 improves cardiac function in heart failure rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lv, Y. [Department of Histology and Embryology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei (China); Liu, B. [Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei (China); Wang, H.P. [Department of Histology and Embryology, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei (China); Zhang, L. [Department of Histology and Embryology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei (China)

2016-05-31

The present study tested the hypotheses that i) transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) enhances differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards the cardiomyogenic phenotype and ii) intramyocardial implantation of the TGF-β1-treated MSCs improves cardiac function in heart failure rats. MSCs were treated with different concentrations of TGF-β1 for 72 h, and then morphological characteristics, surface antigens and mRNA expression of several transcription factors were assessed. Intramyocardial implantation of these TGF-β1-treated MSCs to infarcted heart was also investigated. MSCs were initially spindle-shaped with irregular processes. On day 28 after TGF-β1 treatment, MSCs showed fusiform shape, orientating parallel with one another, and were connected with adjoining cells forming myotube-like structures. Immunofluorescence revealed the expression of cardiomyocyte-specific proteins, α-sarcomeric actin and troponin T, in these cells. The mRNA expression of GATA4 and Nkx2.5 genes was slightly increased on day 7, enhanced on day 14 and decreased on day 28 while α-MHC gene was not expressed on day 7, but expressed slightly on day 14 and enhanced on day 28. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the induced cells had myofilaments, z line-like substances, desmosomes, and gap junctions, in contrast with control cells. Furthermore, intramyocardial implantation of TGF-β1-treated MSCs to infarcted heart reduced scar area and increased the number of muscle cells. This structure regeneration was concomitant with the improvement of cardiac function, evidenced by decreased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, increased left ventricular systolic pressure and increased maximal positive pressure development rate. Taken together, these results indicate that intramyocardial implantation of differentiated MSCs enhanced by TGF-β1 improved cardiac function in heart failure rats.

Intramyocardial implantation of differentiated rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells enhanced by TGF-β1 improves cardiac function in heart failure rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv, Y.; Liu, B.; Wang, H.P.; Zhang, L.

2016-01-01

The present study tested the hypotheses that i) transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) enhances differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards the cardiomyogenic phenotype and ii) intramyocardial implantation of the TGF-β1-treated MSCs improves cardiac function in heart failure rats. MSCs were treated with different concentrations of TGF-β1 for 72 h, and then morphological characteristics, surface antigens and mRNA expression of several transcription factors were assessed. Intramyocardial implantation of these TGF-β1-treated MSCs to infarcted heart was also investigated. MSCs were initially spindle-shaped with irregular processes. On day 28 after TGF-β1 treatment, MSCs showed fusiform shape, orientating parallel with one another, and were connected with adjoining cells forming myotube-like structures. Immunofluorescence revealed the expression of cardiomyocyte-specific proteins, α-sarcomeric actin and troponin T, in these cells. The mRNA expression of GATA4 and Nkx2.5 genes was slightly increased on day 7, enhanced on day 14 and decreased on day 28 while α-MHC gene was not expressed on day 7, but expressed slightly on day 14 and enhanced on day 28. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the induced cells had myofilaments, z line-like substances, desmosomes, and gap junctions, in contrast with control cells. Furthermore, intramyocardial implantation of TGF-β1-treated MSCs to infarcted heart reduced scar area and increased the number of muscle cells. This structure regeneration was concomitant with the improvement of cardiac function, evidenced by decreased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, increased left ventricular systolic pressure and increased maximal positive pressure development rate. Taken together, these results indicate that intramyocardial implantation of differentiated MSCs enhanced by TGF-β1 improved cardiac function in heart failure rats

Planar Cell Polarity Controls Pancreatic Beta Cell Differentiation and Glucose Homeostasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cedric Cortijo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Planar cell polarity (PCP refers to the collective orientation of cells within the epithelial plane. We show that progenitor cells forming the ducts of the embryonic pancreas express PCP proteins and exhibit an active PCP pathway. Planar polarity proteins are acquired at embryonic day 11.5 synchronously to apicobasal polarization of pancreas progenitors. Loss of function of the two PCP core components Celsr2 and Celsr3 shows that they control the differentiation of endocrine cells from polarized progenitors, with a prevalent effect on insulin-producing beta cells. This results in a decreased glucose clearance. Loss of Celsr2 and 3 leads to a reduction of Jun phosphorylation in progenitors, which, in turn, reduces beta cell differentiation from endocrine progenitors. These results highlight the importance of the PCP pathway in cell differentiation in vertebrates. In addition, they reveal that tridimensional organization and collective communication of cells are needed in the pancreatic epithelium in order to generate appropriate numbers of endocrine cells.

Multi-objective optimum design of fast tool servo based on improved differential evolution algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Zhiwei; Zhou, Xiaoqin; Liu, Qiang; Zhao, Shaoxin

2011-01-01

The flexure-based mechanism is a promising realization of fast tool servo (FTS), and the optimum determination of flexure hinge parameters is one of the most important elements in the FTS design. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization approach to optimizing the dimension and position parameters of the flexure-based mechanism, which is based on the improved differential evolution algorithm embedding chaos and nonlinear simulated anneal algorithm. The results of optimum design show that the proposed algorithm has excellent performance and a well-balanced compromise is made between two conflicting objectives, the stroke and natural frequency of the FTS mechanism. The validation tests based on finite element analysis (FEA) show good agreement with the results obtained by using the proposed theoretical algorithm of this paper. Finally, a series of experimental tests are conducted to validate the design process and assess the performance of the FTS mechanism. The designed FTS reaches up to a stroke of 10.25 μm with at least 2 kHz bandwidth. Both of the FEA and experimental results demonstrate that the parameters of the flexure-based mechanism determined by the proposed approaches can achieve the specified performance and the proposed approach is suitable for the optimum design of FTS mechanism and of excellent performances

Vertical Differentiation of Cassava Marketing Channels in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enete, AA.

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa are inherently risky because they are fundamentally dependent on vagaries of weather. Sub-Saharan Africa is also a region in crises; poverty, civil strife and HIV/AIDS. Attention must therefore be focused on improving the production and marketing of crops that could thrive under these circumstances. Because of its tolerance of extreme drought and low input use conditions, Cassava is perhaps the best candidate in this regard. And cassava is a basic food staple and a major source of farm income for the people of the region. Efficiency in cassava marketing is a very important determinant of both consumers' living cost and producers' income in Africa. Vertical differentiation of marketing channels improves marketing efficiency. Identified in this paper are factors that drive vertical differentiation of cassava marketing channels. The paper is based on primary data collected within the framework of the Collaborative Study of Cassava in Africa. High population density, good market access conditions, availability of mechanized cassava processing technology and cassava price information stimulate vertical differentiation of the marketing channels.

Serum Fragments of Tau for the Differential Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Inekci, Dilek; Henriksen, K.; Linemann, T.

2015-01-01

Differential diagnosis of AD is still a challenge due to overlapping features with other types of dementia. Biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of AD can improve the diagnostic value of the disease and ensure an appropriate treatment of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate...

Emergence of differentially regulated pathways associated with the development of regional specificity in chicken skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Kai-Wei; Huang, Nancy A; Liu, I-Hsuan; Wang, Yi-Hui; Wu, Ping; Tseng, Yen-Tzu; Hughes, Michael W; Jiang, Ting Xin; Tsai, Mong-Hsun; Chen, Chien-Yu; Oyang, Yen-Jen; Lin, En-Chung; Chuong, Cheng-Ming; Lin, Shau-Ping

2015-01-23

Regional specificity allows different skin regions to exhibit different characteristics, enabling complementary functions to make effective use of the integumentary surface. Chickens exhibit a high degree of regional specificity in the skin and can serve as a good model for when and how these regional differences begin to emerge. We used developing feather and scale regions in embryonic chickens as a model to gauge the differences in their molecular pathways. We employed cosine similarity analysis to identify the differentially regulated and co-regulated genes. We applied low cell techniques for expression validation and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-based enhancer identification to overcome limited cell availabilities from embryonic chicken skin. We identified a specific set of genes demonstrating a high correlation as being differentially expressed during feather and scale development and maturation. Some members of the WNT, TGF-beta/BMP, and Notch family known to be involved in feathering skin differentiation were found to be differentially regulated. Interestingly, we also found genes along calcium channel pathways that are differentially regulated. From the analysis of differentially regulated pathways, we used calcium signaling pathways as an example for further verification. Some voltage-gated calcium channel subunits, particularly CACNA1D, are expressed spatio-temporally in the skin epithelium. These calcium signaling pathway members may be involved in developmental decisions, morphogenesis, or epithelial maturation. We further characterized enhancers associated with histone modifications, including H3K4me1, H3K27ac, and H3K27me3, near calcium channel-related genes and identified signature intensive hotspots that may be correlated with certain voltage-gated calcium channel genes. We demonstrated the applicability of cosine similarity analysis for identifying novel regulatory pathways that are differentially regulated during development. Our study

Do people with and without medical conditions respond similarly to the short health anxiety inventory? An assessment of differential item functioning using item response theory.

Science.gov (United States)

LeBouthillier, Daniel M; Thibodeau, Michel A; Alberts, Nicole M; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D; Asmundson, Gordon J G

2015-04-01

Individuals with medical conditions are likely to have elevated health anxiety; however, research has not demonstrated how medical status impacts response patterns on health anxiety measures. Measurement bias can undermine the validity of a questionnaire by overestimating or underestimating scores in groups of individuals. We investigated whether the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI), a widely-used measure of health anxiety, exhibits medical condition-based bias on item and subscale levels, and whether the SHAI subscales adequately assess the health anxiety continuum. Data were from 963 individuals with diabetes, breast cancer, or multiple sclerosis, and 372 healthy individuals. Mantel-Haenszel tests and item characteristic curves were used to classify the severity of item-level differential item functioning in all three medical groups compared to the healthy group. Test characteristic curves were used to assess scale-level differential item functioning and whether the SHAI subscales adequately assess the health anxiety continuum. Nine out of 14 items exhibited differential item functioning. Two items exhibited differential item functioning in all medical groups compared to the healthy group. In both Thought Intrusion and Fear of Illness subscales, differential item functioning was associated with mildly deflated scores in medical groups with very high levels of the latent traits. Fear of Illness items poorly discriminated between individuals with low and very low levels of the latent trait. While individuals with medical conditions may respond differentially to some items, clinicians and researchers can confidently use the SHAI with a variety of medical populations without concern of significant bias. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Cx43-like connexin protein Cx40.8 is differentially localized during fin ontogeny and fin regeneration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah V Gerhart

Full Text Available Connexins (Cx are the subunits of gap junctions, membraneous protein channels that permit the exchange of small molecules between adjacent cells. Cx43 is required for cell proliferation in the zebrafish caudal fin. Previously, we found that a Cx43-like connexin, cx40.8, is co-expressed with cx43 in the population of proliferating cells during fin regeneration. Here we demonstrate that Cx40.8 exhibits novel differential subcellular localization in vivo, depending on the growth status of the fin. During fin ontogeny, Cx40.8 is found at the plasma membrane, but Cx40.8 is retained in the Golgi apparatus during regeneration. We next identified a 30 amino acid domain of Cx40.8 responsible for its dynamic localization. One possible explanation for the differential localization is that Cx40.8 contributes to the regulation of Cx43 in vivo, perhaps modifying channel activity during ontogenetic growth. However, we find that the voltage-gating properties of Cx40.8 are similar to Cx43. Together our findings reveal that Cx40.8 exhibits differential subcellular localization in vivo, dependent on a discrete domain in its carboxy terminus. We suggest that the dynamic localization of Cx40.8 differentially influences Cx43-dependent cell proliferation during ontogeny and regeneration.

Odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp-derived stem cells on tricalcium phosphate scaffolds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad

2013-09-01

Conclusion: The 3D culture system improves odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs. The differentiation level of the cells in 3D culture is significantly lower than that of odontoblasts present in pulp tissue. TCP biomaterial possesses an odontogenic-inducing property.

19 CFR 212.11 - Net worth exhibit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Net worth exhibit. 212.11 Section 212.11 Customs Duties UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION INVESTIGATIONS OF UNFAIR PRACTICES IN IMPORT TRADE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT Information Required From Applicants § 212.11 Net worth exhibit...

Temperature effect compensation for fast differential pressure decay testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Yan; Tong, Xiaomeng; Cai, Maolin

2014-01-01

To avoid the long temperature recovery period with differential pressure decay for leak detection, a novel method with temperature effect compensation is proposed to improve the testing efficiency without full stabilization of temperature. The mathematical model of conventional differential pressure decay testing is established to analyze the changes of temperature and pressure during the measuring period. Then the differential pressure is divided into two parts: the exponential part caused by temperature recovery and the linear part caused by leak. With prior information obtained from samples, parameters of the exponential part can be identified precisely, and the temperature effect will be compensated before it fully recovers. To verify the effect of the temperature compensated method, chambers with different volumes are tested under various pressures and the experiments show that the improved method is faster with satisfactory precision, and an accuracy less than 0.25 cc min −1  can be achieved when the compensation time is proportional to four times the theoretical thermal-time constant. (paper)

77 FR 31420 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-25

... also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at The Museum of Modern Art, New...: Game Plan'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural...

Turning energy around: an interactive exhibition experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Kellberg

2018-05-01

Full Text Available A transition from the fossil-fuel driven to a sustainable energy system is an enormous global challenge: climate change and finite resources require countries all over the world to change their way of producing, transporting and using energy. The Energiewende (energy transition will require major changes in the current energy supply system in Germany – but also worldwide. These changes will not only affect the technical sector but will also include ecological questions, social issues and political matters. Whether any transition is going to favour large scale solutions or decentralised technologies depends on local situations and global interconnections, and above all on a democratic process. Hence energy transition succeeds or fails with the acceptance and participation of society. To deal with this overwhelmingly complex topic and its multi-layered dependencies, the Deutsches Museum has designed an exhibition providing visitors with background knowledge about the necessities and challenges of energy transition, unpicking the links between the different technical, economic and social challenges. The exhibition accomplishes the task with an engaging and facilitating approach while taking into account the highly emotive aspects of energy transition as a societal issue. This paper presents the concept of the travelling exhibition energie.wenden, relating it to the Deutsches Museum´s tradition of exhibitions as well as to the challenge of how to deal with socio-scientific topics in scientific exhibitions.

Apc bridges Wnt/{beta}-catenin and BMP signaling during osteoblast differentiation of KS483 cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miclea, Razvan L., E-mail: R.L.Miclea@lumc.nl [Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Leiden (Netherlands); Horst, Geertje van der, E-mail: G.van_der_Horst@lumc.nl [Department of Urology, LUMC, Leiden (Netherlands); Robanus-Maandag, Els C., E-mail: E.C.Robanus@lumc.nl [Department of Human Genetics, LUMC, Leiden (Netherlands); Loewik, Clemens W.G.M., E-mail: C.W.G.M.Lowik@lumc.nl [Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, LUMC, Leiden (Netherlands); Oostdijk, Wilma, E-mail: W.Oostdijk@lumc.nl [Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Leiden (Netherlands); Wit, Jan M., E-mail: J.M.Wit@lumc.nl [Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Leiden (Netherlands); Karperien, Marcel, E-mail: H.B.J.Karperien@tnw.utwente.nl [MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, Department of Tissue Regeneration, University of Twente, Zuidhorst Room ZH 144, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede (Netherlands)

2011-06-10

The canonical Wnt signaling pathway influences the differentiation of mesenchymal cell lineages in a quantitative and qualitative fashion depending on the dose of {beta}-catenin signaling. Adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) is the critical intracellular regulator of {beta}-catenin turnover. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of Apc in regulating the differentiation capacity of skeletal progenitor cells, we have knocked down Apc in the murine mesenchymal stem cell-like KS483 cells by stable expression of Apc-specific small interfering RNA. In routine culture, KSFrt-Apc{sub si} cells displayed a mesenchymal-like spindle shape morphology, exhibited markedly decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis. Apc knockdown resulted in upregulation of the Wnt/{beta}-catenin and the BMP/Smad signaling pathways, but osteogenic differentiation was completely inhibited. This effect could be rescued by adding high concentrations of BMP-7 to the differentiation medium. Furthermore, KSFrt-Apc{sub si} cells showed no potential to differentiate into chondrocytes or adipocytes. These results demonstrate that Apc is essential for the proliferation, survival and differentiation of KS483 cells. Apc knockdown blocks the osteogenic differentiation of skeletal progenitor cells, a process that can be overruled by high BMP signaling.

Transgenic Alfalfa Plants Expressing the Sweetpotato Orange Gene Exhibit Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhi; Ke, Qingbo; Kim, Myoung Duck; Kim, Sun Ha; Ji, Chang Yoon; Jeong, Jae Cheol; Lee, Haeng-Soon; Park, Woo Sung; Ahn, Mi-Jeong; Li, Hongbing; Xu, Bingcheng; Deng, Xiping; Lee, Sang-Hoon; Lim, Yong Pyo; Kwak, Sang-Soo

2015-01-01

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a perennial forage crop with high nutritional content, is widely distributed in various environments worldwide. We recently demonstrated that the sweetpotato Orange gene (IbOr) is involved in increasing carotenoid accumulation and enhancing resistance to multiple abiotic stresses. In this study, in an effort to improve the nutritional quality and environmental stress tolerance of alfalfa, we transferred the IbOr gene into alfalfa (cv. Xinjiang Daye) under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Among the 11 transgenic alfalfa lines (referred to as SOR plants), three lines (SOR2, SOR3, and SOR8) selected based on their IbOr transcript levels were examined for their tolerance to methyl viologen (MV)-induced oxidative stress in a leaf disc assay. The SOR plants exhibited less damage in response to MV-mediated oxidative stress and salt stress than non-transgenic plants. The SOR plants also exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought stress, along with higher total carotenoid levels. The results suggest that SOR alfalfa plants would be useful as forage crops with improved nutritional value and increased tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, which would enhance the development of sustainable agriculture on marginal lands. PMID:25946429

Let's play game exhibitions : A curator's perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vos, Jesse; Glas, M.A.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/330981447; van Vught, J.F.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/413532682

2017-01-01

The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision is home to The Experience, a museum exhibiting the history of media in the Netherlands. For ten months in 2016 and 2017, The Experience hosted a temporary exhibition entitled Let’s YouTube . During the Let’s YouTube game month, we programmed a ten-day

Effectiveness of a Class-Wide Peer-Mediated Elementary Math Differentiation Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Jason D.

2017-01-01

Approximately 60% of classroom students have insufficient math skills. Within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, teachers can implement core differentiation strategies targeted at improving math skills of an entire class of students. Differentiation programs are developed in order to target academic skills of groups of students…

Concentration-dependent gene expression responses to flusilazole in embryonic stem cell differentiation cultures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dartel, Dorien A.M. van; Pennings, Jeroen L.A.; Fonteyne, Liset J.J. de la; Brauers, Karen J.J.; Claessen, Sandra; Delft, Joost H. van; Kleinjans, Jos C.S.; Piersma, Aldert H.

2011-01-01

The murine embryonic stem cell test (EST) is designed to evaluate developmental toxicity based on compound-induced inhibition of embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation into cardiomyocytes. The addition of transcriptomic evaluation within the EST may result in enhanced predictability and improved characterization of the applicability domain, therefore improving usage of the EST for regulatory testing strategies. Transcriptomic analyses assessing factors critical for risk assessment (i.e. dose) are needed to determine the value of transcriptomic evaluation in the EST. Here, using the developmentally toxic compound, flusilazole, we investigated the effect of compound concentration on gene expression regulation and toxicity prediction in ESC differentiation cultures. Cultures were exposed for 24 h to multiple concentrations of flusilazole (0.54-54 μM) and RNA was isolated. In addition, we sampled control cultures 0, 24, and 48 h to evaluate the transcriptomic status of the cultures across differentiation. Transcriptomic profiling identified a higher sensitivity of development-related processes as compared to cell division-related processes in flusilazole-exposed differentiation cultures. Furthermore, the sterol synthesis-related mode of action of flusilazole toxicity was detected. Principal component analysis using gene sets related to normal ESC differentiation was used to describe the dynamics of ESC differentiation, defined as the 'differentiation track'. The concentration-dependent effects on development were reflected in the significance of deviation of flusilazole-exposed cultures from this transcriptomic-based differentiation track. Thus, the detection of developmental toxicity in EST using transcriptomics was shown to be compound concentration-dependent. This study provides further insight into the possible application of transcriptomics in the EST as an improved alternative model system for developmental toxicity testing.

The differential susceptibility to media effects model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Valkenburg, P.M.; Peter, J.

2013-01-01

In this theoretical article, we introduce the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM), a new, integrative model to improve our understanding of media effects. The DSMM organizes, integrates, and extends the insights developed in earlier microlevel media-effects theories. It

Bistable switches control memory and plasticity in cellular differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Walker, Brandon L.; Iannaccone, Stephen; Bhatt, Devang; Kennedy, Patrick J.; Tse, William T.

2009-01-01

Development of stem and progenitor cells into specialized tissues in multicellular organisms involves a series of cell fate decisions. Cellular differentiation in higher organisms is generally considered irreversible, and the idea of developmental plasticity in postnatal tissues is controversial. Here, we show that inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in a human bone marrow stromal cell-derived myogenic subclone suppresses their myogenic ability and converts them into satellite cell-like precursors that respond to osteogenic stimulation. Clonal analysis of the induced osteogenic response reveals ultrasensitivity and an “all-or-none” behavior, hallmarks of a bistable switch mechanism with stochastic noise. The response demonstrates cellular memory, which is contingent on the accumulation of an intracellular factor and can be erased by factor dilution through cell divisions or inhibition of protein synthesis. The effect of MAPK inhibition also exhibits memory and appears to be controlled by another bistable switch further upstream that determines cell fate. Once the memory associated with osteogenic differentiation is erased, the cells regain their myogenic ability. These results support a model of cell fate decision in which a network of bistable switches controls inducible production of lineage-specific differentiation factors. A competitive balance between these factors determines cell fate. Our work underscores the dynamic nature of cellular differentiation and explains mechanistically the dual properties of stability and plasticity associated with the process. PMID:19366677

Correlation between self-differentiation and professional adaptability among undergraduate nursing students in China

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Si-wei Liu

2016-12-01

Conclusion: The level of self-differentiation of undergraduate nursing studentsaffects their professional adaptability. Nursing educators should consider the characteristics of self-differentiation of undergraduate nursing students in developing measures to improve their professional adaptability.

Multiple-Symbol Decision-Feedback Space-Time Differential Decoding in Fading Channels

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Wang Xiaodong

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Space-time differential coding (STDC is an effective technique for exploiting transmitter diversity while it does not require the channel state information at the receiver. However, like conventional differential modulation schemes, it exhibits an error floor in fading channels. In this paper, we develop an STDC decoding technique based on multiple-symbol detection and decision-feedback, which makes use of the second-order statistic of the fading processes and has a very low computational complexity. This decoding method can significantly lower the error floor of the conventional STDC decoding algorithm, especially in fast fading channels. The application of the proposed multiple-symbol decision-feedback STDC decoding technique in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM system is also discussed.

Few items in the thyroid-related quality of life instrument ThyPRO exhibited differential item functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Watt, Torquil; Groenvold, Mogens; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Bonnema, Steen Joop; Rasmussen, Åse Krogh; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Bjorner, Jakob Bue

2014-02-01

To evaluate the extent of differential item functioning (DIF) within the thyroid-specific quality of life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO, according to sex, age, education and thyroid diagnosis. A total of 838 patients with benign thyroid diseases completed the ThyPRO questionnaire (84 five-point items, 13 scales). Uniform and nonuniform DIF were investigated using ordinal logistic regression, testing for both statistical significance and magnitude (∆R(2) > 0.02). Scale level was estimated by the sum score, after purification. Twenty instances of DIF in 17 of the 84 items were found. Eight according to diagnosis, where the goiter scale was the one most affected, possibly due to differing perceptions in patients with auto-immune thyroid diseases compared to patients with simple goiter. Eight DIFs according to age were found, of which 5 were in positively worded items, which younger patients were more likely to endorse; one according to gender: women were more likely to report crying, and three according to educational level. The vast majority of DIF had only minor influence on the scale scores (0.1-2.3 points on the 0-100 scales), but two DIF corresponded to a difference of 4.6 and 9.8, respectively. Ordinal logistic regression identified DIF in 17 of 84 items. The potential impact of this on the present scales was low, but items displaying DIF could be avoided when developing abbreviated scales, where the potential impact of DIF (due to fewer items) will be larger.

Presentation and exhibition activities for promoting theexportof transport services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darya Vladimirovna Nesterova

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Development of presentation and exhibition activities is considered as an important factor in providing new competitive advantages at the strategic markets for exporting of transportation services. A specific role for exhibition activities as a factor to overcome market failures arose from imperfect information and incomplete markets is displayed. Exhibitions are considered as a true reflection of most market parameters, as a means to get correct information concerning market capacity and its borders, as an instrument to access to new markets. At the firm level presentation and branding activities should be considered as a modern technology (especially it concerns Russian companies which provide to hold up already existed markets and to conquer new ones. Presentation and branding activities are an effective technology to promote company trade-mark, competitive advantages for market demand increasing. Comparative analysis of the main exhibitions on transport and logistics issues is fulfilled on the data basecollected by authors. Data observes geographical distribution of transport exhibition and exhibition facilities development at several regions for the last years. The analyses allow to revealing a geographical structure of the exhibitions and its distribution by type of transport. The most promising and economically favorable exhibition areas for the promotion of Russian transport services are shown.

The Eugenides Foundation Interactive Exhibition of Science and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Kontogiannis, Ioannis

2010-01-01

The Interactive Exhibition of Science and Technology is installed in an area of 1200 m2 at the Eugenides Foundation. 65 interactive exhibits, designed by the "Cites des Science et de l' Industrie" are organised in themes, stimulate the visitors' mind and provoke scientific thinking. Parallel activities take place inside the exhibition, such as live science demonstrations, performed by young scientists. Extra material such as news bulletins (short news, science comics and portraits), educational paths and treasure-hunting based games, all available online as well, are prepared on a monthly basis and provided along with the visit to the exhibition. Through these exhibits and activities, scientific facts are made simple and easy to comprehend using modern presentation tools. We present details on how this exhibition acts complementary to the science education provided by schools, making it a highly sophisticated educational tool.

Pseudo-differentiation syndrome

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Fathi Jehani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available

A patient with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML (M2 FAB classification developed a differentiating syndrome upon receiving Decitabine therapy given with palliative intent. The patient presented with high grade fever, constitutional symptoms and severe chest symptoms with no underlying lung condition. Chest x-ray (CXR showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. Septic work up followed by intravenous broad spectrum antimicrobials did not improve his condition. Pan cultures’ results were repeatedly negative. Treatment with high dose Dexamethasone (DXM resulted in marked clinical and radiological improvement.

Our patient initially presented with relapsed AML (M2 Fab classification with t (8; 21; negative FMS-like tyrosine kinase -internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD which are all good prognostic factors, yet the patient had an atypical clinical course with early frequent relapses, differentiation syndrome associated with Decitabine therapy and late in his disease, he developed a granulocytic sarcoma.

Synthesis of minoxidil conjugates and their evaluation as HL-60 differentiation agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoica, Sonia; Magoulas, George E; Antoniou, Antonia I; Suleiman, Sherif; Cassar, Analisse; Gatt, Lucienne; Papaioannou, Dionissios; Athanassopoulos, Constantinos M; Schembri-Wismayer, Pierre

2016-02-15

Activation of minoxidil (MNX) with N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole and coupling with natural polyamines (PAs) and commercially available aliphatic or aromatic amines provided a series of new conjugates which were evaluated for their ability to induce differentiation to HL-60 acute myeloid leukemia cancer cells, using a modified NBTZ reduction test. Although neither MNX nor 4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA) or 2,7-diaminofluorene (DAF), alone or in combination, had any effect, the MNX-spermine (SPM) conjugate (11) and the conjugates 7 and 8 of MNX with MDA and DAF exhibited a differentiation-inducing effect at a concentration of 10 μM without being toxic on proliferating human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Order Differential Frequency Hopping: Design and Analysis

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Yong Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers spectrally efficient differential frequency hopping (DFH system design. Relying on time-frequency diversity over large spectrum and high speed frequency hopping, DFH systems are robust against hostile jamming interference. However, the spectral efficiency of conventional DFH systems is very low due to only using the frequency of each channel. To improve the system capacity, in this paper, we propose an innovative high order differential frequency hopping (HODFH scheme. Unlike in traditional DFH where the message is carried by the frequency relationship between the adjacent hops using one order differential coding, in HODFH, the message is carried by the frequency and phase relationship using two-order or higher order differential coding. As a result, system efficiency is increased significantly since the additional information transmission is achieved by the higher order differential coding at no extra cost on either bandwidth or power. Quantitative performance analysis on the proposed scheme demonstrates that transmission through the frequency and phase relationship using two-order or higher order differential coding essentially introduces another dimension to the signal space, and the corresponding coding gain can increase the system efficiency.

Immunological functioning in Alzheimer's disease: differential effects of relative left versus right temporoparietal dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Paul S; Roosa, Katelyn M; Williams, Megan R; Witt, John C; Heilman, Kenneth M; Drago, Valeria

2013-10-15

The cerebral hemispheres are differentially involved in regulating immunological functioning and the neuropathology associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is asymmetrical. Thus, subgroups of AD patients may exhibit different patterns of immunological dysfunction. We explored this possibility in a group of AD patients and found that patients with low white blood cell counts and low lymphocyte numbers exhibited better performance on tests of right temporoparietal functioning. Also, a significant positive relationship exists between lymph numbers and performance on a test of left temporoparietal functioning. Thus, some AD patients have greater immunological dysfunction based on relative left versus right temporoparietal functioning. © 2013.

A new multi-step technique with differential transform method for analytical solution of some nonlinear variable delay differential equations.

Science.gov (United States)

Benhammouda, Brahim; Vazquez-Leal, Hector

2016-01-01

This work presents an analytical solution of some nonlinear delay differential equations (DDEs) with variable delays. Such DDEs are difficult to treat numerically and cannot be solved by existing general purpose codes. A new method of steps combined with the differential transform method (DTM) is proposed as a powerful tool to solve these DDEs. This method reduces the DDEs to ordinary differential equations that are then solved by the DTM. Furthermore, we show that the solutions can be improved by Laplace-Padé resummation method. Two examples are presented to show the efficiency of the proposed technique. The main advantage of this technique is that it possesses a simple procedure based on a few straight forward steps and can be combined with any analytical method, other than the DTM, like the homotopy perturbation method.

Generalized differential transform method to differential-difference equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Li; Wang Zhen; Zong Zhi

2009-01-01

In this Letter, we generalize the differential transform method to solve differential-difference equation for the first time. Two simple but typical examples are applied to illustrate the validity and the great potential of the generalized differential transform method in solving differential-difference equation. A Pade technique is also introduced and combined with GDTM in aim of extending the convergence area of presented series solutions. Comparisons are made between the results of the proposed method and exact solutions. Then we apply the differential transform method to the discrete KdV equation and the discrete mKdV equation, and successfully obtain solitary wave solutions. The results reveal that the proposed method is very effective and simple. We should point out that generalized differential transform method is also easy to be applied to other nonlinear differential-difference equation.

Liposomal nanoparticles encapsulating iloprost exhibit enhanced vasodilation in pulmonary arteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jain PP

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Pritesh P Jain,1 Regina Leber,1,2 Chandran Nagaraj,1 Gerd Leitinger,3 Bernhard Lehofer,4 Horst Olschewski,1,5 Andrea Olschewski,1,6 Ruth Prassl,1,4 Leigh M Marsh11Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research, 2Biophysics Division, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, 3Research Unit Electron Microscopic Techniques, Institute of Cell Biology, Histology, and Embryology, 4Institute of Biophysics, 5Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, 6Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, AustriaAbstract: Prostacyclin analogues are standard therapeutic options for vasoconstrictive diseases, including pulmonary hypertension and Raynaud’s phenomenon. Although effective, these treatment strategies are expensive and have several side effects. To improve drug efficiency, we tested liposomal nanoparticles as carrier systems. In this study, we synthesized liposomal nanoparticles tailored for the prostacyclin analogue iloprost and evaluated their pharmacologic efficacy on mouse intrapulmonary arteries, using a wire myograph. The use of cationic lipids, stearylamine, or 1,2-di-(9Z-octadecenoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP in liposomes promoted iloprost encapsulation to at least 50%. The addition of cholesterol modestly reduced iloprost encapsulation. The liposomal nanoparticle formulations were tested for toxicity and pharmacologic efficacy in vivo and ex vivo, respectively. The liposomes did not affect the viability of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Compared with an equivalent concentration of free iloprost, four out of the six polymer-coated liposomal formulations exhibited significantly enhanced vasodilation of mouse pulmonary arteries. Iloprost that was encapsulated in liposomes containing the polymer polyethylene glycol exhibited concentration-dependent relaxation of arteries. Strikingly, half the concentration of iloprost in liposomes elicited

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) activates promyogenic signaling pathways, thereby promoting myoblast differentiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sang-Jin; Go, Ga-Yeon; Yoo, Miran; Kim, Yong Kee [Research Center for Cell Fate Control, College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women' s University, Seoul 140-742 (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Dong-Wan [College of Pharmacy, Dankook University, Cheonan 330-714 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Jong-Sun [Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Gyu-Un, E-mail: gbae@sookmyung.ac.kr [Research Center for Cell Fate Control, College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women' s University, Seoul 140-742 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-29

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) regulates postnatal myogenesis by alleviating myostatin activity, but the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates myogenesis are not fully understood. In this study, we investigate molecular mechanisms of PPARβ/δ in myoblast differentiation. C2C12 myoblasts treated with a PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 exhibit enhanced myotube formation and muscle-specific gene expression. GW0742 treatment dramatically activates promyogenic kinases, p38MAPK and Akt, in a dose-dependent manner. GW0742-stimulated myoblast differentiation is mediated by p38MAPK and Akt, since it failed to restore myoblast differentiation repressed by inhibition of p38MAPK and Akt. In addition, GW0742 treatment enhances MyoD-reporter activities. Consistently, overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation accompanied by elevated activation of p38MAPK and Akt. Collectively, these results suggest that PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation through activation of promyogenic signaling pathways. - Highlights: • A PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 promotes myoblast differentiation. • GW0742 activates both p38MAPK and Akt activation in myogenic differentiation. • GW0742 enhances MyoD activity for myogenic differentiation. • Overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation via activating promyogenic signaling pathways. • This is the first finding for agonistic mechanism of PPARβ/δ in myogenesis.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) activates promyogenic signaling pathways, thereby promoting myoblast differentiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang-Jin; Go, Ga-Yeon; Yoo, Miran; Kim, Yong Kee; Seo, Dong-Wan; Kang, Jong-Sun; Bae, Gyu-Un

2016-01-01

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) regulates postnatal myogenesis by alleviating myostatin activity, but the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates myogenesis are not fully understood. In this study, we investigate molecular mechanisms of PPARβ/δ in myoblast differentiation. C2C12 myoblasts treated with a PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 exhibit enhanced myotube formation and muscle-specific gene expression. GW0742 treatment dramatically activates promyogenic kinases, p38MAPK and Akt, in a dose-dependent manner. GW0742-stimulated myoblast differentiation is mediated by p38MAPK and Akt, since it failed to restore myoblast differentiation repressed by inhibition of p38MAPK and Akt. In addition, GW0742 treatment enhances MyoD-reporter activities. Consistently, overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation accompanied by elevated activation of p38MAPK and Akt. Collectively, these results suggest that PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation through activation of promyogenic signaling pathways. - Highlights: • A PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 promotes myoblast differentiation. • GW0742 activates both p38MAPK and Akt activation in myogenic differentiation. • GW0742 enhances MyoD activity for myogenic differentiation. • Overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation via activating promyogenic signaling pathways. • This is the first finding for agonistic mechanism of PPARβ/δ in myogenesis.

Changes in Differentiation-Relatedness During Psychoanalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Calamaras, Martha R; Reviere, Susan L; Gallagher, Kathryn E; Kaslow, Nadine J

2016-01-01

This study sought to determine (a) if the Differentiation-Relatedness Scale of Self and Object Representations (D-RS), a coding model used with the Object Relations Inventory (Blatt, Wein, Chevron, & Quinlan, 1979 ) could be reliably applied to transcripts of psychoanalyses, and (b) if levels of differentiation-relatedness improve over the course of psychoanalysis. Participants were 4 creative writers who underwent psychoanalysis as part of a longitudinal research project focused on the processes and outcomes of psychoanalysis. Transcripts from the beginning and termination phases of psychoanalysis were coded by 2 independent raters for global, low, and high levels of self and other differentiation-relatedness and compared. There was good interrater agreement, suggesting that, like other forms of narrative material, psychoanalysis transcripts can be reliably rated for levels of object relations. Analysands showed an increase in global levels of differentiation-relatedness from a predominance of emergent ambivalent constancy (M = 6.2) at the beginning of analysis to consolidated, constant representations of self and other (M = 7.5) at the end of analysis. These preliminary findings contribute significantly to the empirical literature with regard to the measurement of self and object representations and change in these representations over the course of psychoanalysis.

Travelling CERN Exhibition ''When Energy Becomes Matter''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Full text: The European Laboratory for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics together with the Institute of Physics of the Jagiellonian University and the University of Mining and Metallurgy, and under the auspices of the Polish National Atomic Energy Agency organized in the Museum of Nature in Cracow from October 16 till December 16, 2000 the exhibition ''When Energy Becomes Matter''. The Office of the ''Festival Cracow 2000'' was the main sponsor of that event. The exhibition was a part of the F estival Cracow 2000'' called ''Festival of Youngsters Cracow 2000''. Invitations, posters and information leaflets were sent to more than 3000 schools in southern Poland. The exhibition was divided into four specially designed quadrants. In the first the visitor was informed what kind of scales are in use to describe the Universe and the atom. The second introduced elementary particles via the cosmic ray demonstrations. Particle acceleration was demonstrated with the help of a TV set. The third segment was devoted to the Large Hadron Collider and its experiments: CMS, ATLAS, ALICE and LHCb. The last segment was an attempt to explain what are quarks, leptons and intermediate bosons. In addition it was also explained what is antimatter and why symmetry is broken in Nature. In one of the rooms we arranged the cinema where five movies was continuously presented. Thanks to the Cracow TV it was possible to prepare Polish translations of the films: B ack to creation , P owers of ten , L HC - time machine , S tars underground , and G eneva event . Another attraction of the exhibition was the Internet room equipped with the help of Polish Telecommunication. The exhibition was open seven days per week from 10 to 17 h. During the working days every 20 minutes a new group of about 25-30 people was visiting the exhibition. Each group was guided by students and PhD students from our Institute, Jagiellonian University and University of Mining

Differentiating aneurysm from infundibular dilatation by volume rendering MRA. Techniques for improving depiction of the posterior communicating and anterior choroidal arteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kato, Takaaki; Ito, Takeo; Hasunuma, Masahiro; Sakamoto, Yasuo; Kohama, Ikuhide; Yonemori, Terutake; Izumo, Masaki [Hakodate Shintoshi Hospital, Hokkaido (Japan)

2002-12-01

With the spread of brain dock procedures, non-invasive magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is being utilized to broadly screen for brain blood vessel diseases. However, diagnosis of cerebral aneurysm can be difficult by routine MRA. In particular, differentiating aneurysms and infundibular dilatations (IDS) of the posterior communicating artery (PCoA) and anterior choroidal artery (AChA) at their bifurcations with the internal carotid artery (ICA) is extremely difficult and additional studies are frequently necessary. In this situation, three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA) and cerebral angiography have been utilized, but both techniques are invasive. Furthermore, images from cerebral angiography are only two-dimensional, and 3D-CTA requires differentiation between aneurysm and ID by observing configurational changes at the apex of the protrusion and by following gradual changes to the threshold. We therefore undertook the following steps to improve both depiction of the PCoA and AChA and differential diagnosis between aneurysm and ID: reduced slice thickness and increased number of excitations; utilized volume rendering methods to construct images; lowered thresholds for the beginning of the PCoA and AChA arteries, which represent the regions of interest. In all 11 cases that we operated on, cerebral aneurysms were diagnosed correctly and the minimum neck diameter of the cerebral aneurysm was 1.2 mm. In addition, the number of AChAs and PCoAs present in target MRA and in operational views were evaluated. In one case with an AChA aneurysm, a PCoA was not detected by target MRA, because the ICA deviated posterolaterally and pushed the PCoA to the posterior clinoid process, and blood flow was poor in operational views. In another 2 cases with AChA aneurysms, only one AChA was described in target MRA, whereas two aneurysms were present. However, one of these had a diameter less than 1 mm. In conclusion, this method offers an extremely useful aid

Differentiating aneurysm from infundibular dilatation by volume rendering MRA. Techniques for improving depiction of the posterior communicating and anterior choroidal arteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Takaaki; Ito, Takeo; Hasunuma, Masahiro; Sakamoto, Yasuo; Kohama, Ikuhide; Yonemori, Terutake; Izumo, Masaki

2002-01-01

With the spread of brain dock procedures, non-invasive magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is being utilized to broadly screen for brain blood vessel diseases. However, diagnosis of cerebral aneurysm can be difficult by routine MRA. In particular, differentiating aneurysms and infundibular dilatations (IDS) of the posterior communicating artery (PCoA) and anterior choroidal artery (AChA) at their bifurcations with the internal carotid artery (ICA) is extremely difficult and additional studies are frequently necessary. In this situation, three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA) and cerebral angiography have been utilized, but both techniques are invasive. Furthermore, images from cerebral angiography are only two-dimensional, and 3D-CTA requires differentiation between aneurysm and ID by observing configurational changes at the apex of the protrusion and by following gradual changes to the threshold. We therefore undertook the following steps to improve both depiction of the PCoA and AChA and differential diagnosis between aneurysm and ID: reduced slice thickness and increased number of excitations; utilized volume rendering methods to construct images; lowered thresholds for the beginning of the PCoA and AChA arteries, which represent the regions of interest. In all 11 cases that we operated on, cerebral aneurysms were diagnosed correctly and the minimum neck diameter of the cerebral aneurysm was 1.2 mm. In addition, the number of AChAs and PCoAs present in target MRA and in operational views were evaluated. In one case with an AChA aneurysm, a PCoA was not detected by target MRA, because the ICA deviated posterolaterally and pushed the PCoA to the posterior clinoid process, and blood flow was poor in operational views. In another 2 cases with AChA aneurysms, only one AChA was described in target MRA, whereas two aneurysms were present. However, one of these had a diameter less than 1 mm. In conclusion, this method offers an extremely useful aid

α-Mangostin Improves Glucose Uptake and Inhibits Adipocytes Differentiation in 3T3-L1 Cells via PPARγ, GLUT4, and Leptin Expressions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Taher

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Obesity has been often associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The development of obesity is also accompanied by significant differentiation of preadipocytes into adipocytes. In this study, we investigated the activity of α-mangostin, a major xanthone component isolated from the stem bark of G. malaccensis, on glucose uptake and adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells focusing on PPARγ, GLUT4, and leptin expressions. α-Mangostin was found to inhibit cytoplasmic lipid accumulation and adipogenic differentiation. Cells treated with 50 μM of α-mangostin reduced intracellular fat accumulation dose-dependently up to 44.4% relative to MDI-treated cells. Analyses of 2-deoxy-D-[3H] glucose uptake activity showed that α-mangostin significantly improved the glucose uptake (P<0.05 with highest activity found at 25 μM. In addition, α-mangostin increased the amount of free fatty acids (FFA released. The highest glycerol release level was observed at 50 μM of α-mangostin. qRT-PCR analysis showed reduced lipid accumulation via inhibition of PPARγ gene expression. Induction of glucose uptake and free fatty acid release by α-mangostin were accompanied by increasing mRNA expression of GLUT4 and leptin. These evidences propose that α-mangostin might be possible candidate for the effective management of obesity in future.

Exhibition: Dialogue between Science and religion

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

Can the theory of the Big Bang reached by physicists and the concept of creation beloved of religion ever be reconciled? The two approaches have at least one point in common: they do not provide a final answer to the mysteries of the birth of the Universe. And this means that dialogue is alays possible between the two. It is to show the potential of such an exchange that Geneva's Société Evangélique organization is opening an exhibition under the title 'Big Bang and Creation', at the Planète Charmilles shopping centre, to run from 19 to 30 March. View of the 'Big Bang and Creation' exhibition. The exhibition is divided into three sections, showing the views of the scientist and those of the believer without setting them up in opposition to one another. In the first section, under a representation of the vault of heaven, the visitor will discover the different ideas explaining the birth of the Universe: Genesis and the Big Bang, and the different dominant theories ...

Bilobalide induces neuronal differentiation of P19 embryonic carcinoma cells via activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mei; Guo, Jingjing; Wang, Juan; Zhang, Luyong; Pang, Tao; Liao, Hong

2014-08-01

Bilobalide, a natural product extracted from Ginkgo biloba leaf, is known to exhibit a number of pharmacological activities. So far, whether it could affect embryonic stem cell differentiation is still unknown. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bilobalide on P19 embryonic carcinoma cells differentiation and the underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that bilobalide induced P19 cells differentiation into neurons in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. We also found that bilobalide promoted neuronal differentiation through activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Exposure to bilobalide increased inactive GSK-3β phosphorylation, further induced the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, and also up-regulated the expression of Wnt ligands Wnt1 and Wnt7a. Neuronal differentiation induced by bilobalide was totally abolished by XAV939, an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These results revealed a novel role of bilobalide in neuronal differentiation from P19 embryonic cells acting through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which would provide a better insight into the beneficial effects of bilobalide in brain diseases.

Mobile exhibition in Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1960-04-15

Since January this year, a mobile atomic energy exhibition has been touring the principal cities of Mexico. In organizing this exhibition, the National Nuclear Energy Commission of Mexico was assisted by the International Atomic Energy Agency which has placed its second mobile radioisotope laboratory at the disposal of the Mexican authorities. In many States of the Republic, the visit of the mobile laboratory has given a powerful impetus to atomic training and research. Universities have made use of the laboratory for the training of young scientists in the basic isotope techniques. As a sequel to the work initiated with its aid, some universities are planning to start regular training courses in this field. The laboratory, which is a gift to the Agency from the United States, has been put to its first assignment in Mexico. It will shortly be sent to Argentina for a period of six months for use in training courses. IAEA's first mobile radioisotope unit, also donated by the United States, has been used for training purposes in Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece and Yugoslavia, and has now been sent to the Far East

Mobile exhibition in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1960-01-01

Since January this year, a mobile atomic energy exhibition has been touring the principal cities of Mexico. In organizing this exhibition, the National Nuclear Energy Commission of Mexico was assisted by the International Atomic Energy Agency which has placed its second mobile radioisotope laboratory at the disposal of the Mexican authorities. In many States of the Republic, the visit of the mobile laboratory has given a powerful impetus to atomic training and research. Universities have made use of the laboratory for the training of young scientists in the basic isotope techniques. As a sequel to the work initiated with its aid, some universities are planning to start regular training courses in this field. The laboratory, which is a gift to the Agency from the United States, has been put to its first assignment in Mexico. It will shortly be sent to Argentina for a period of six months for use in training courses. IAEA's first mobile radioisotope unit, also donated by the United States, has been used for training purposes in Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece and Yugoslavia, and has now been sent to the Far East

Ultrasound speckle reduction based on fractional order differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Dangguo; Zhou, Ting; Liu, Fan; Yi, Sanli; Xiang, Yan; Ma, Lei; Xiong, Xin; He, Jianfeng

2017-07-01

Ultrasound images show a granular pattern of noise known as speckle that diminishes their quality and results in difficulties in diagnosis. To preserve edges and features, this paper proposes a fractional differentiation-based image operator to reduce speckle in ultrasound. An image de-noising model based on fractional partial differential equations with balance relation between k (gradient modulus threshold that controls the conduction) and v (the order of fractional differentiation) was constructed by the effective combination of fractional calculus theory and a partial differential equation, and the numerical algorithm of it was achieved using a fractional differential mask operator. The proposed algorithm has better speckle reduction and structure preservation than the three existing methods [P-M model, the speckle reducing anisotropic diffusion (SRAD) technique, and the detail preserving anisotropic diffusion (DPAD) technique]. And it is significantly faster than bilateral filtering (BF) in producing virtually the same experimental results. Ultrasound phantom testing and in vivo imaging show that the proposed method can improve the quality of an ultrasound image in terms of tissue SNR, CNR, and FOM values.

Analysis of myelomonocytic leukemic differentiation by a cell surface marker panel including a fucose-binding lectin from Lotus tetragonolobus.

Science.gov (United States)

Elias, L; Van Epps, D E

1984-06-01

The fucose-binding lectin from Lotus tetragonolobus ( FBL -L) has been previously shown to bind specifically to normal cells of the myeloid and monocytic lineages. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of fluoresceinated FBL -L as a leukemia differentiation marker in conjunction with a panel of other frequently used surface markers (Fc receptor, HLA-DR, OKM1, and antimonocyte antibody). FBL -L reacted with leukemic cells in 8/9 cases of clinically recognized acute myeloid leukemia, including myeloid blast crisis of chronic granulocytic leukemia, 3/3 cases of chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, and in 2/7 cases of clinically undifferentiated acute leukemia. Correlations were noted between reactivity with FBL -L, and DR and Fc receptor expression. Among continuous cell lines, FBL -L bound with high intensity to a majority of HL-60 and U937 cells. The less well differentiated myeloblast cell lines, KG-1, KG1a , and HL-60 blast II, exhibited less FBL -L binding than HL-60 and U937. A moderate proportion of K562 cells exhibited low level binding of FBL -L. Several lymphoblastic cell lines exhibited a pattern of low intensity binding that was distinguishable from the high intensity binding pattern of the myeloblastic lines. FBL -L reactivity of U937 was enhanced by induction of differentiation with leukocyte conditioned medium, but not dimethylsulfoxide. Such treatments induced contrasting patterns of change of HL-60 and U937 when labeled with OKM1, alpha-Mono, and HLA-DR. These studies demonstrate the application of FBL -L to analysis and quantitation of myelomonocytic leukemic differentiation.

Implementing differential pricing for essential medicines via country-specific bilateral negotiated discounts.

Science.gov (United States)

Tetteh, Ebenezer Kwabena

2009-01-01

It is widely acknowledged that limited access to essential medicines undermines efforts at improving the health and economic well-being of low-income populations. This has spurred on a number of solutions, including differential pricing based on the economics of price discrimination. A desirable feature of differential pricing is its potential ability to reconcile static and dynamic efficiency concerns. There are, however, various shades of differential pricing and this paper aims to evaluate their consistency with economic theory. Starting with the report of the workshop on 'Differential Pricing and Financing of Essential Drugs' held by secretariats of the World Trade Organization and WHO in Hosbjor, Norway, in 2001, this paper takes issue with how differential pricing has been defined as a tool for improving access to essential drug benefits. The paper notes that inadequate attention has been given to policies and institutional arrangements for creating, expressing and maintaining 'truly' price-elastic demands in low-income nations and for segmenting markets. In addition, considerations of equity and solidarity have distracted policy advocates from balancing conflicting, yet well intended, views and general rules. The paper argues why differential pricing should be implemented via country-specific bilateral negotiated discounts. It maintains that it is feasible to muster an environment conducive to profitable differential pricing whilst satisfying general rules and concerns about self-reliance, transparency, accountability, equity and solidarity.

CERN exhibition attracts over 100,000 visitors in Belgrade

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2012-01-01

“This must be an 'all-time record',” says Ray Lewis, CERN travelling exhibition manager. “In all my time with the various permanent and travelling exhibitions that have taken place locally and within our Member States I have never experienced such figures.”   Zarko Obradovic (left), Serbian Minister of Education, Science and Technology, and Rolf Heuer (right), CERN Director-General, at the CERN travelling exhibition in Belgrade. Indeed, in approximately 20 days of exhibition time about 120,000 people, mainly school visiters and the general public, visited the 100 m2 CERN mini-exhibition. It was set up in the centre of Belgrade in October, in association with the meeting of the Restricted European Committee for Future Accelerators (RECFA). After attending the RECFA meeting, CERN's Director-General Rofl Heuer opened the CERN exhibition on the evening of 19 October. Lectures about CERN were held every afternoon, and two public de...

Designing museum exhibits that facilitate visitor reflection and discussion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skydsgaard, Morten Arnika; Andersen, Hanne Møller; King, Heather

2016-01-01

This paper explores how four design principles (curiosity, challenge, narratives and participation) facilitate reflection and discussion among young visitors in the issues-based exhibition Dear, Difficult Body. The investigation is based on a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire and inte......This paper explores how four design principles (curiosity, challenge, narratives and participation) facilitate reflection and discussion among young visitors in the issues-based exhibition Dear, Difficult Body. The investigation is based on a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire...... and interview data. The implementation of design principles resulted in a variety of exhibits which variously prompted reflection and discussion on the part of visitors. Exhibits with narratives, for example, here defined as both personal and expert narratives, were found to be effective in facilitating...... personal reflection but also prompted discussion. Participation, defined as including both physical interaction with exhibits, and dialogic interaction between visitors, facilitated the sharing of ideas and feelings between visitors. Exhibits with elements of curiosity and challenge were found to attract...

Poorly-differentiated colorectal neuroendocrine tumour: CT differentiation from well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour and poorly-differentiated adenocarcinomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Ji Hee [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Se Hyung [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Han, Joon Koo [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

The differentiation of poorly-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours (PD-NETs), well-differentiated NETs (WD-NETs), and adenocarcinomas (ADCs) is important due to different management options and prognoses. This study is to find the differential CT features of colorectal PD-NETs from WD-NETs and ADCs. CT features of 25 colorectal WD-NETs, 36 PD-NETs, and 36 ADCs were retrospectively reviewed. Significant variables were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristics analysis determined the optimal cut-off value of tumour and lymph node (LN) size. Large size, rectum location, ulceroinfiltrative morphology without intact overlying mucosa, heterogeneous attenuation with necrosis, presence of ≥3 enlarged LNs, and metastasis were significant variables to differentiate PD-NETs from WD-NETs (P < 0.05). High attenuation on arterial phase, persistently high enhancement pattern, presence of ≥6 enlarged LNs, large LN size, and wash-in/wash-out enhancement pattern of liver metastasis were significant variables to differentiate PD-NETs from ADCs (P < 0.05). Compared to WD-NETs, colorectal PD-NETs are usually large, heterogeneous, and ulceroinfiltrative mass without intact overlying mucosa involving enlarged LNs and metastasis. High attenuation on arterial phase, presence of enlarged LNs with larger size and greater number, and wash-in/wash-out enhancement pattern of liver metastasis can be useful CT discriminators of PD-NETs from ADCs. (orig.)

Rail-to-rail low-power fully differential OTA utilizing adaptive biasing and partial feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

A fully differential rail-to-rail Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) with improved DC-gain and reduced power consumption is proposed in this paper. By using the adaptive biasing circuit and two differential inputs, a low stand-by current can be obtained together with reduced power...... consumption. The DC-gain of the proposed OTA is improved by adding a partial feedback loop. A Common-Mode Feedback (CMFB) circuit is required for fully differential rail-to-rail operation. Simulations show that the OTA topology has a low stand-by power consumption of 96μW and a high FoM of 3.84 [(V...

Tetraploid Embryonic Stem Cells Maintain Pluripotency and Differentiation Potency into Three Germ Layers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroyuki Imai

Full Text Available Polyploid amphibians and fishes occur naturally in nature, while polyploid mammals do not. For example, tetraploid mouse embryos normally develop into blastocysts, but exhibit abnormalities and die soon after implantation. Thus, polyploidization is thought to be harmful during early mammalian development. However, the mechanisms through which polyploidization disrupts development are still poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to elucidate how genome duplication affects early mammalian development. To this end, we established tetraploid embryonic stem cells (TESCs produced from the inner cell masses of tetraploid blastocysts using electrofusion of two-cell embryos in mice and studied the developmental potential of TESCs. We demonstrated that TESCs possessed essential pluripotency and differentiation potency to form teratomas, which differentiated into the three germ layers, including diploid embryonic stem cells. TESCs also contributed to the inner cell masses in aggregated chimeric blastocysts, despite the observation that tetraploid embryos fail in normal development soon after implantation in mice. In TESCs, stability after several passages, colony morphology, and alkaline phosphatase activity were similar to those of diploid ESCs. TESCs also exhibited sufficient expression and localization of pluripotent markers and retained the normal epigenetic status of relevant reprogramming factors. TESCs proliferated at a slower rate than ESCs, indicating that the difference in genomic dosage was responsible for the different growth rates. Thus, our findings suggested that mouse ESCs maintained intrinsic pluripotency and differentiation potential despite tetraploidization, providing insights into our understanding of developmental elimination in polyploid mammals.

Tetraploid Embryonic Stem Cells Maintain Pluripotency and Differentiation Potency into Three Germ Layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Imai, Hiroyuki; Kano, Kiyoshi; Fujii, Wataru; Takasawa, Ken; Wakitani, Shoichi; Hiyama, Masato; Nishino, Koichiro; Kusakabe, Ken Takeshi; Kiso, Yasuo

2015-01-01

Polyploid amphibians and fishes occur naturally in nature, while polyploid mammals do not. For example, tetraploid mouse embryos normally develop into blastocysts, but exhibit abnormalities and die soon after implantation. Thus, polyploidization is thought to be harmful during early mammalian development. However, the mechanisms through which polyploidization disrupts development are still poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to elucidate how genome duplication affects early mammalian development. To this end, we established tetraploid embryonic stem cells (TESCs) produced from the inner cell masses of tetraploid blastocysts using electrofusion of two-cell embryos in mice and studied the developmental potential of TESCs. We demonstrated that TESCs possessed essential pluripotency and differentiation potency to form teratomas, which differentiated into the three germ layers, including diploid embryonic stem cells. TESCs also contributed to the inner cell masses in aggregated chimeric blastocysts, despite the observation that tetraploid embryos fail in normal development soon after implantation in mice. In TESCs, stability after several passages, colony morphology, and alkaline phosphatase activity were similar to those of diploid ESCs. TESCs also exhibited sufficient expression and localization of pluripotent markers and retained the normal epigenetic status of relevant reprogramming factors. TESCs proliferated at a slower rate than ESCs, indicating that the difference in genomic dosage was responsible for the different growth rates. Thus, our findings suggested that mouse ESCs maintained intrinsic pluripotency and differentiation potential despite tetraploidization, providing insights into our understanding of developmental elimination in polyploid mammals.

Exhibits in libraries a practical guide

CERN Document Server

Brown, Mary E

2005-01-01

"Ccomprehensive...detailed"--Booklist; "thoroughly reseached...highly recommended"--Journal of Access Services. Library exhibits are more than entertainment for patrons. They can inspire and educate, stimulate an interest that can be explored in a book, or attract visitors who otherwise wouldn't stop by. Displays are also an opportunity for a library to put its creative foot forward or help patrons navigate the facility itself. This comprehensive "how-to" includes everything a librarian or staff member needs to know to put on an exhibit, from hatching ideas to evaluating the end result. Illustrations and photographs show practical methods of planning, labeling and displaying.

Clinical applicability of quantitative nailfold capillaroscopy in differential diagnosis of connective tissue diseases with Raynaud's phenomenon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Po-Chang Wu

2013-08-01

Conclusion: The nailfold capillaroscopic (NC patterns may be useful in the differential diagnosis of CTDs with RP. The NC patterns for SSc and PM/DM are both sensitive and specific to the diseases, while the SLE and MCTD patterns exhibit high specificity but relatively low sensitivity.

Role of H1 linker histones in mammalian development and stem cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Chenyi; Fan, Yuhong

2016-03-01

H1 linker histones are key chromatin architectural proteins facilitating the formation of higher order chromatin structures. The H1 family constitutes the most heterogeneous group of histone proteins, with eleven non-allelic H1 variants in mammals. H1 variants differ in their biochemical properties and exhibit significant sequence divergence from one another, yet most of them are highly conserved during evolution from mouse to human. H1 variants are differentially regulated during development and their cellular compositions undergo dramatic changes in embryogenesis, gametogenesis, tissue maturation and cellular differentiation. As a group, H1 histones are essential for mouse development and proper stem cell differentiation. Here we summarize our current knowledge on the expression and functions of H1 variants in mammalian development and stem cell differentiation. Their diversity, sequence conservation, complex expression and distinct functions suggest that H1s mediate chromatin reprogramming and contribute to the large variations and complexity of chromatin structure and gene expression in the mammalian genome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interordinal chimera formation between medaka and zebrafish for analyzing stem cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Ni; Chen, Songlin; Ge, Ruowen; Song, Jianxing; Yi, Meisheng; Hong, Yunhan

2012-08-10

Chimera formation is a standard test for pluripotency of stem cells in vivo. Interspecific chimera formation between distantly related organisms offers also an attractive approach for propagating endangered species. Parameters influencing interspecies chimera formation have remained poorly elucidated. Here, we report interordinal chimera formation between medaka and zebrafish, which separated ∼320 million years ago and exhibit a more than 2-fold difference in developmental speed. We show that, on transplantation into zebrafish blastulae, both noncultivated blastomeres and long-term cultivated embryonic stem (ES) cells of medaka adopted the zebrafish developmental program and differentiated into physiologically functional cell types including pigment cells, blood cells, and cardiomyocytes. We also show that medaka ES cells express differentiation gene markers during chimeric embryogenesis. Therefore, the evolutionary distance and different embryogenesis speeds do not produce donor-host incompatibility to compromise chimera formation between medaka and zebrafish, and molecular markers are valuable for analyzing lineage commitment and cell differentiation in interspecific chimeric embryos.

Evolution of the Sabin vaccine into pathogenic derivatives without appreciable changes in antigenic properties: need for improvement of current poliovirus surveillance.

Science.gov (United States)

Yakovenko, Maria L; Korotkova, Ekaterina A; Ivanova, Olga E; Eremeeva, Tatyana P; Samoilovich, Elena; Uhova, Iryna; Gavrilin, Gene V; Agol, Vadim I

2009-04-01

The Sabin oral polio vaccine (OPV) may evolve into pathogenic viruses, causing sporadic cases and outbreaks of poliomyelitis. Such vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPV) generally exhibit altered antigenicity. The current paradigm to distinguish VDPV from OPV and wild polioviruses is to characterize primarily those poliovirus isolates that demonstrate deviations from OPV in antigenic and genetic intratypic differentiation (ITD) tests. Here we report on two independent cases of poliomyelitis caused by VDPVs with "Sabin-like" properties in several ITD assays. The results suggest the existence of diverse pathways of OPV evolution and necessitate improvement of poliovirus surveillance, which currently potentially misses this class of VDPV.

78 FR 7849 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-04

... Century,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural... also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at The Yale Center for British Art..., Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. [FR Doc. 2013-02401 Filed 2-1-13; 8:45...

Improving the Calibration of Image Sensors Based on IOFBs, Using Differential Gray-Code Space Encoding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Luna Vázquez

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a fast calibration method to determine the transfer function for spatial correspondences in image transmission devices with Incoherent Optical Fiber Bundles (IOFBs, by performing a scan of the input, using differential patterns generated from a Gray code (Differential Gray-Code Space Encoding, DGSE. The results demonstrate that this technique provides a noticeable reduction in processing time and better quality of the reconstructed image compared to other, previously employed techniques, such as point or fringe scanning, or even other known space encoding techniques.

Kernel Clustering with a Differential Harmony Search Algorithm for Scheme Classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Feng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a kernel fuzzy clustering with a novel differential harmony search algorithm to coordinate with the diversion scheduling scheme classification. First, we employed a self-adaptive solution generation strategy and differential evolution-based population update strategy to improve the classical harmony search. Second, we applied the differential harmony search algorithm to the kernel fuzzy clustering to help the clustering method obtain better solutions. Finally, the combination of the kernel fuzzy clustering and the differential harmony search is applied for water diversion scheduling in East Lake. A comparison of the proposed method with other methods has been carried out. The results show that the kernel clustering with the differential harmony search algorithm has good performance to cooperate with the water diversion scheduling problems.

76 FR 68808 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-07

... also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Onassis Cultural Center... Century AD,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural... Cultural Affairs, Department of State. [FR Doc. 2011-28805 Filed 11-4-11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710-05-P ...

The Cellular Differential Evolution Based on Chaotic Local Search

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Qingfeng Ding

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To avoid immature convergence and tune the selection pressure in the differential evolution (DE algorithm, a new differential evolution algorithm based on cellular automata and chaotic local search (CLS or ccDE is proposed. To balance the exploration and exploitation tradeoff of differential evolution, the interaction among individuals is limited in cellular neighbors instead of controlling parameters in the canonical DE. To improve the optimizing performance of DE, the CLS helps by exploring a large region to avoid immature convergence in the early evolutionary stage and exploiting a small region to refine the final solutions in the later evolutionary stage. What is more, to improve the convergence characteristics and maintain the population diversity, the binomial crossover operator in the canonical DE may be instead by the orthogonal crossover operator without crossover rate. The performance of ccDE is widely evaluated on a set of 14 bound constrained numerical optimization problems compared with the canonical DE and several DE variants. The simulation results show that ccDE has better performances in terms of convergence rate and solution accuracy than other optimizers.

Combined 3 Tesla MRI Biomarkers Improve the Differentiation between Benign vs Malignant Single Ring Enhancing Brain Masses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Salice

Full Text Available To evaluate whether the combination of imaging biomarkers obtained by means of different 3 Tesla (3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI advanced techniques can improve the diagnostic accuracy in the differentiation between benign and malignant single ring-enhancing brain masses.14 patients presenting at conventional 3T MRI single brain mass with similar appearance as regard ring enhancement, presence of peri-lesional edema and absence of hemorrhage signs were included in the study. All lesions were histologically proven: 5 pyogenic abscesses, 6 glioblastomas, and 3 metastases. MRI was performed at 3 Tesla and included Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI, Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast -Perfusion Weighted Imaging (DSC-PWI, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI. Imaging biomarkers derived by those advanced techniques [Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF, relative Cerebral Blood Volume (rCBV, relative Main Transit Time (rMTT, Choline (Cho, Creatine (Cr, Succinate, N-Acetyl Aspartate (NAA, Lactate (Lac, Lipids, relative Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (rADC, and Fractional Anisotropy (FA] were detected by two experienced neuroradiologists in joint session in 4 areas: Internal Cavity (IC, Ring Enhancement (RE, Peri-Lesional edema (PL, and Contralateral Normal Appearing White Matter (CNAWM. Significant differences between benign (n = 5 and malignant (n = 9 ring enhancing lesions were tested with Mann-Withney U test. The diagnostic accuracy of MRI biomarkers taken alone and MRI biomarkers ratios were tested with Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC analysis with an Area Under the Curve (AUC ≥ 0.9 indicating a very good diagnostic accuracy of the variable.Five MRI biomarker ratios achieved excellent accuracy: IC-rADC/PL-NAA (AUC = 1, IC-rADC/IC-FA (AUC = 0.978, RE-rCBV/RE-FA (AUC = 0.933, IC-rADC/RE-FA (AUC = 0.911, and IC-rADC/PL-FA (AUC = 0.911. Only IC-rADC achieved a very good diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.909 among MRI biomarkers

Telomerase activity promotes osteoblast differentiation by modulating IGF-signaling pathway

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saeed, Hamid; Qiu, Weimin; Li, Chen

2015-01-01

-regulation of several components of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling. Specifically, a significant increase in IGF-induced AKT phosphorylation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were observed in hMSC-TERT. Enhanced ALP activity was reduced in presence of IGF1 receptor inhibitor: picropodophyllin....... In addition, telomerase deficiency caused significant reduction in IGF signaling proteins in osteoblastic cells cultured from telomerase deficient mice (Terc (-/-)). The low bone mass exhibited by Terc (-/-) mice was associated with significant reduction in serum levels of IGF1 and IGFBP3 as well as reduced...... skeletal mRNA expression of Igf1, Igf2, Igf2r, Igfbp5 and Igfbp6. IGF1-induced osteoblast differentiation was also impaired in Terc (-/-) MSC. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that impaired IGF/AKT signaling contributes to the observed decreased bone mass and bone formation exhibited by telomerase...

P2Y6 receptor potentiates pro-inflammatory responses in macrophages and exhibits differential roles in atherosclerotic lesion development.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo A Garcia

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: P2Y(6, a purinergic receptor for UDP, is enriched in atherosclerotic lesions and is implicated in pro-inflammatory responses of key vascular cell types and macrophages. Evidence for its involvement in atherogenesis, however, has been lacking. Here we use cell-based studies and three murine models of atherogenesis to evaluate the impact of P2Y(6 deficiency on atherosclerosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Cell-based studies in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells, which lack functional P2Y(6 receptors, showed that exogenous expression of P2Y(6 induces a robust, receptor- and agonist-dependent secretion of inflammatory mediators IL-8, IL-6, MCP-1 and GRO1. P2Y(6-mediated inflammatory responses were also observed, albeit to a lesser extent, in macrophages endogenously expressing P2Y(6 and in acute peritonitis models of inflammation. To evaluate the role of P2Y(6 in atherosclerotic lesion development, we used P2Y(6-deficient mice in three mouse models of atherosclerosis. A 43% reduction in aortic arch plaque was observed in high fat-fed LDLR knockout mice lacking P2Y(6 receptors in bone marrow-derived cells. In contrast, no effect on lesion development was observed in fat-fed whole body P2Y(6xLDLR double knockout mice. Interestingly, in a model of enhanced vascular inflammation using angiotensin II, P2Y(6 deficiency enhanced formation of aneurysms and exhibited a trend towards increased atherosclerosis in the aorta of LDLR knockout mice. CONCLUSIONS: P2Y(6 receptor augments pro-inflammatory responses in macrophages and exhibits a pro-atherogenic role in hematopoietic cells. However, the overall impact of whole body P2Y(6 deficiency on atherosclerosis appears to be modest and could reflect additional roles of P2Y(6 in vascular disease pathophysiologies, such as aneurysm formation.

Bidirectional negative differential thermal resistance in three-segment Frenkel–Kontorova lattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ou, Ya-li; Lu, Shi-cai; Hu, Cai-tian; Ai, Bao-quan

2016-01-01

By coupling three nonlinear 1D lattice segments, we demonstrate a thermal insulator model, where the system acts like an insulator for large temperature bias and a conductor for very small temperature bias. We numerically investigate the parameter range of the thermal insulator and find that the nonlinear response (the role of on-site potential), the weakly coupling interaction between each segment, and the small system size collectively contribute to the appearance of bidirectional negative differential thermal resistance (BNDTR). The corresponding exhibition of BNDTR can be explained in terms of effective phonon-band shifts. Our results can provide a new perspective for understanding the microscopic mechanism of negative differential thermal resistance and also would be conducive to further developments in designing and fabricating thermal devices and functional materials. (paper)

Art exhibit focuses on African astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Showstack, Randy

2012-07-01

Connections between Africans and astronomy are the focus of a new exhibition in the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D. C. "African Cosmos: Stellar Arts," which includes artwork, cultural items, and scientific displays from ancient to contemporary times, is the first major exhibit "that brings together arts and science focused on Africa's contribution to keen observations of the heavens over time," curator Christine Mullen Kreamer said at a 20 June news briefing. Among the exhibit's nearly 100 objects are an ancient Egyptian mummy board that includes a representation of the sky goddess Nut, sculptures by the Dogon people of Mali depicting figures in relation to the cosmos, a video that uses data from two square degrees of the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Evolution Survey, and a nearly floor-to-ceiling "Rainbow Serpent" constructed of plastic containers by Benin artist Hazoume. An untitled acrylic painting (Figure 1) by South African Gavin Jantjes evokes a myth of the Khoi San people of southern Africa, as it portrays a girl throwing evening fire embers into the night sky, where they remained as the Milky Way.

Alternative splicing of the porcine glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β gene with differential expression patterns and regulatory functions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linjie Wang

Full Text Available Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3α and GSK3β are serine/threonine kinases involved in numerous cellular processes and diverse diseases including mood disorders, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer. However, in pigs, the information on GSK3 is very limited. Identification and characterization of pig GSK3 are not only important for pig genetic improvement, but also contribute to the understanding and development of porcine models for human disease prevention and treatment.Five different isoforms of GSK3β were identified in porcine different tissues, in which three isoforms are novel. These isoforms had differential expression patterns in the fetal and adult of the porcine different tissues. The mRNA expression level of GSK3β isoforms was differentially regulated during the course of the insulin treatment, suggesting that different GSK3β isoforms may have different roles in insulin signaling pathway. Moreover, GSK3β5 had a different role on regulating the glycogen synthase activity, phosphorylation and the expression of porcine GYS1 and GYS2 gene compared to other GSK3β isoforms.We are the first to report five different isoforms of GSK3β identified from the porcine different tissues. Splice variants of GSK3β exhibit differential activity towards glycogen synthase. These results provide new insight into roles of the GSK3β on regulating glycogen metabolism.

Study on the promotion of international cooperation through the technical exhibition on RI production and application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Kyung Bae; Hong, Y D; Han, H S. and others

2001-05-01

For the IAEA Technical Exhibition, it was required to analyze the all the informations from the researches which has been done till recently related to the applications of radiation and radioisotopes. A few aspects drawn from the analysis were made and it was able to represent the scopes and the prospects regarding the applications of radiation and radioisotopes developed in Korea at the IAEA Technical Exhibition. Exhibition was mainly focus into the RI production, utilization in medical, engineering and agricultural fields and irradiation of food products. Exhibition representing Korea were readily prepared under the entitled name of 'Pillars for Quality of Life', Multi-cube and Panel presentation at the same time. IAEA Technical Exhibition was held from September 18 to 21, 2000. Exhibition was successfully proceeded and presentation led to get the attention from IAEA Member Counturies including developed and developing countries about Korea's recent development on improving quality of human life using radiation and radioisotopes. The outcome of IAEA Technical Exhibition prepared by based on the successful experiences and activity related to the subjects was primarily on the elucidation of international cooperation between Korea and foreign countries. Multi-cube and Panel presentation expressed fully and effectively the scopes of the researches recently undergone in Korea and the efforts put into the technical development on radiation and radioisotopes application. In addition, other important research results were provided by Leaflet and those were about 'Radioisotope Production', 'Application of Radioisotope Tracers', 'Wastewater Treatment by Irradiation' and 'Food Irradiation'. All the exhibition materials including Compact Diskette were prepared in English for the IAEA Technical Exhibition held in Austria Center Vienna during the 44th IAEA General Conference. The reported informations and materials should be employed to the other objectives like presentation

Study on the promotion of international cooperation through the technical exhibition on RI production and application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Kyung Bae; Hong, Y. D.; Han, H. S. and others

2001-05-01

For the IAEA Technical Exhibition, it was required to analyze the all the informations from the researches which has been done till recently related to the applications of radiation and radioisotopes. A few aspects drawn from the analysis were made and it was able to represent the scopes and the prospects regarding the applications of radiation and radioisotopes developed in Korea at the IAEA Technical Exhibition. Exhibition was mainly focus into the RI production, utilization in medical, engineering and agricultural fields and irradiation of food products. Exhibition representing Korea were readily prepared under the entitled name of 'Pillars for Quality of Life', Multi-cube and Panel presentation at the same time. IAEA Technical Exhibition was held from September 18 to 21, 2000. Exhibition was successfully proceeded and presentation led to get the attention from IAEA Member Counturies including developed and developing countries about Korea's recent development on improving quality of human life using radiation and radioisotopes. The outcome of IAEA Technical Exhibition prepared by based on the successful experiences and activity related to the subjects was primarily on the elucidation of international cooperation between Korea and foreign countries. Multi-cube and Panel presentation expressed fully and effectively the scopes of the researches recently undergone in Korea and the efforts put into the technical development on radiation and radioisotopes application. In addition, other important research results were provided by Leaflet and those were about 'Radioisotope Production', 'Application of Radioisotope Tracers', 'Wastewater Treatment by Irradiation' and 'Food Irradiation'. All the exhibition materials including Compact Diskette were prepared in English for the IAEA Technical Exhibition held in Austria Center Vienna during the 44th IAEA General Conference. The reported informations and materials should be employed to the other objectives like presentation

Third order differential equations with delay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Liška

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we study the oscillation and asymptotic properties of solutions of certain nonlinear third order differential equations with delay. In particular, we extend results of I. Mojsej (Nonlinear Analysis 68, 2008 and we improve conditions on the property B of N. Parhi and S. Padhi (Indian J. Pure Appl. Math., 33, 2002.

Selective neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells induced by nanosecond microplasma agitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Z; Zhao, S; Mao, X; Lu, X; He, G; Yang, G; Chen, M; Ishaq, M; Ostrikov, K

2014-03-01

An essential step for therapeutic and research applications of stem cells is their ability to differentiate into specific cell types. Neuronal cells are of great interest for medical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries of central nervous system (CNS), but efforts to produce these cells have been met with only modest success. In an attempt of finding new approaches, atmospheric-pressure room-temperature microplasma jets (MPJs) are shown to effectively direct in vitro differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) predominantly into neuronal lineage. Murine neural stem cells (C17.2-NSCs) treated with MPJs exhibit rapid proliferation and differentiation with longer neurites and cell bodies eventually forming neuronal networks. MPJs regulate ~75% of NSCs to differentiate into neurons, which is a higher efficiency compared to common protein- and growth factors-based differentiation. NSCs exposure to quantized and transient (~150 ns) micro-plasma bullets up-regulates expression of different cell lineage markers as β-Tubulin III (for neurons) and O4 (for oligodendrocytes), while the expression of GFAP (for astrocytes) remains unchanged, as evidenced by quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence microscopy and Western Blot assay. It is shown that the plasma-increased nitric oxide (NO) production is a factor in the fate choice and differentiation of NSCs followed by axonal growth. The differentiated NSC cells matured and produced mostly cholinergic and motor neuronal progeny. It is also demonstrated that exposure of primary rat NSCs to the microplasma leads to quite similar differentiation effects. This suggests that the observed effect may potentially be generic and applicable to other types of neural progenitor cells. The application of this new in vitro strategy to selectively differentiate NSCs into neurons represents a step towards reproducible and efficient production of the desired NSC derivatives. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Selective neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells induced by nanosecond microplasma agitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Xiong

2014-03-01

Full Text Available An essential step for therapeutic and research applications of stem cells is their ability to differentiate into specific cell types. Neuronal cells are of great interest for medical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries of central nervous system (CNS, but efforts to produce these cells have been met with only modest success. In an attempt of finding new approaches, atmospheric-pressure room-temperature microplasma jets (MPJs are shown to effectively direct in vitro differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs predominantly into neuronal lineage. Murine neural stem cells (C17.2-NSCs treated with MPJs exhibit rapid proliferation and differentiation with longer neurites and cell bodies eventually forming neuronal networks. MPJs regulate ~75% of NSCs to differentiate into neurons, which is a higher efficiency compared to common protein- and growth factors-based differentiation. NSCs exposure to quantized and transient (~150 ns micro-plasma bullets up-regulates expression of different cell lineage markers as β-Tubulin III (for neurons and O4 (for oligodendrocytes, while the expression of GFAP (for astrocytes remains unchanged, as evidenced by quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence microscopy and Western Blot assay. It is shown that the plasma-increased nitric oxide (NO production is a factor in the fate choice and differentiation of NSCs followed by axonal growth. The differentiated NSC cells matured and produced mostly cholinergic and motor neuronal progeny. It is also demonstrated that exposure of primary rat NSCs to the microplasma leads to quite similar differentiation effects. This suggests that the observed effect may potentially be generic and applicable to other types of neural progenitor cells. The application of this new in vitro strategy to selectively differentiate NSCs into neurons represents a step towards reproducible and efficient production of the desired NSC derivatives.

Genomic data reveal Toxoplasma gondii differentiation mutants are also impaired with respect to switching into a novel extracellular tachyzoite state.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pamela J Lescault

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Toxoplasma gondii pathogenesis includes the invasion of host cells by extracellular parasites, replication of intracellular tachyzoites, and differentiation to a latent bradyzoite stage. We present the analysis of seven novel T. gondii insertional mutants that do not undergo normal differentiation to bradyzoites. Microarray quantification of the variation in genome-wide RNA levels for each parasite line and times after induction allowed us to describe states in the normal differentiation process, to analyze mutant lines in the context of these states, and to identify genes that may have roles in initiating the transition from tachyzoite to bradyzoite. Gene expression patterns in wild-type parasites undergoing differentiation suggest a novel extracellular state within the tachyzoite stage. All mutant lines exhibit aberrant regulation of bradyzoite gene expression and notably some of the mutant lines appear to exhibit high proportions of the intracellular tachyzoite state regardless of whether they are intracellular or extracellular. In addition to the genes identified by the insertional mutagenesis screen, mixture model analysis allowed us to identify a small number of genes, in mutants, for which expression patterns could not be accounted for using the three parasite states--genes that may play a mechanistic role in switching from the tachyzoite to bradyzoite stage.

Links among impossible differential, integral and zero correlation linear cryptanalysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Bing; Liu, Zhiqiang; Rijmen, Vincent

2015-01-01

is to fix this gap and establish links between impossible differential cryptanalysis and integral cryptanalysis. Firstly, by introducing the concept of structure and dual structure, we prove that a → b is an impossible differential of a structure E if and only if it is a zero correlation linear hull...... linear hull always indicates the existence of an integral distinguisher. With this observation we improve the number of rounds of integral distinguishers of Feistel structures, CAST-256, SMS4 and Camellia. Finally, we conclude that an r-round impossible differential of E always leads to an r...

Science Museum Exhibits' Summative Evaluation with Knowledge Hierarchy Method

Science.gov (United States)

Yasar, Erkan; Gurel, Cem

2016-01-01

It is aimed in this research to measure via knowledge hierarchy the things regarding exhibit themes learned by the visitors of the exhibits and compare them with the purpose that the exhibits are designed for, thereby realizing a summative evaluation of the exhibits by knowledge hierarchy method. The research has been conducted in a children's…

A methodology for the analysis of differential coexpression across the human lifespan.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, Jesse; Pavlidis, Paul

2009-09-22

Differential coexpression is a change in coexpression between genes that may reflect 'rewiring' of transcriptional networks. It has previously been hypothesized that such changes might be occurring over time in the lifespan of an organism. While both coexpression and differential expression of genes have been previously studied in life stage change or aging, differential coexpression has not. Generalizing differential coexpression analysis to many time points presents a methodological challenge. Here we introduce a method for analyzing changes in coexpression across multiple ordered groups (e.g., over time) and extensively test its validity and usefulness. Our method is based on the use of the Haar basis set to efficiently represent changes in coexpression at multiple time scales, and thus represents a principled and generalizable extension of the idea of differential coexpression to life stage data. We used published microarray studies categorized by age to test the methodology. We validated the methodology by testing our ability to reconstruct Gene Ontology (GO) categories using our measure of differential coexpression and compared this result to using coexpression alone. Our method allows significant improvement in characterizing these groups of genes. Further, we examine the statistical properties of our measure of differential coexpression and establish that the results are significant both statistically and by an improvement in semantic similarity. In addition, we found that our method finds more significant changes in gene relationships compared to several other methods of expressing temporal relationships between genes, such as coexpression over time. Differential coexpression over age generates significant and biologically relevant information about the genes producing it. Our Haar basis methodology for determining age-related differential coexpression performs better than other tested methods. The Haar basis set also lends itself to ready interpretation

Rolling Force Prediction in Heavy Plate Rolling Based on Uniform Differential Neural Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate prediction of the rolling force is critical to assuring the quality of the final product in steel manufacturing. Exit thickness of plate for each pass is calculated from roll gap, mill spring, and predicted roll force. Ideal pass scheduling is dependent on a precise prediction of the roll force in each pass. This paper will introduce a concept that allows obtaining the material model parameters directly from the rolling process on an industrial scale by the uniform differential neural network. On the basis of the characteristics that the uniform distribution can fully characterize the solution space and enhance the diversity of the population, uniformity research on differential evolution operator is made to get improved crossover with uniform distribution. When its original function is transferred with a transfer function, the uniform differential evolution algorithms can quickly solve complex optimization problems. Neural network structure and weights threshold are optimized by uniform differential evolution algorithm, and a uniform differential neural network is formed to improve rolling force prediction accuracy in process control system.

Valproic Acid Arrests Proliferation but Promotes Neuronal Differentiation of Adult Spinal NSPCs from SCI Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Weihua; Yuan, Jichao; Huang, Lei; Xiang, Xin; Zhu, Haitao; Chen, Fei; Chen, Yanyan; Lin, Jiangkai; Feng, Hua

2015-07-01

Although the adult spinal cord contains a population of multipotent neural stem/precursor cells (NSPCs) exhibiting the potential to replace neurons, endogenous neurogenesis is very limited after spinal cord injury (SCI) because the activated NSPCs primarily differentiate into astrocytes rather than neurons. Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, exerts multiple pharmacological effects including fate regulation of stem cells. In this study, we cultured adult spinal NSPCs from chronic compressive SCI rats and treated with VPA. In spite of inhibiting the proliferation and arresting in the G0/G1 phase of NSPCs, VPA markedly promoted neuronal differentiation (β-tubulin III(+) cells) as well as decreased astrocytic differentiation (GFAP(+) cells). Cell cycle regulator p21(Cip/WAF1) and proneural genes Ngn2 and NeuroD1 were increased in the two processes respectively. In vivo, to minimize the possible inhibitory effects of VPA to the proliferation of NSPCs as well as avoid other neuroprotections of VPA in acute phase of SCI, we carried out a delayed intraperitoneal injection of VPA (150 mg/kg/12 h) to SCI rats from day 15 to day 22 after injury. Both of the newborn neuron marker doublecortin and the mature neuron marker neuron-specific nuclear protein were significantly enhanced after VPA treatment in the epicenter and adjacent segments of the injured spinal cord. Although the impaired corticospinal tracks had not significantly improved, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scores in VPA treatment group were better than control. Our study provide the first evidence that administration of VPA enhances the neurogenic potential of NSPCs after SCI and reveal the therapeutic value of delayed treatment of VPA to SCI.

Displaying lives: the narrative of objects in biographical exhibitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caterina Albano

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Biographical exhibitions are a museum practice that asks for critical consideration. Grounding the argument in critical theory, social studies and museum theory, the article explores the narrative function of objects in biographical exhibitions by addressing the social significance of objects in relation to biography and their relevance when presented into an exhibition display. Central is the concept of objects as ‘biographical relics’ that are culturally fetishized in biographical narratives. This raises questions about biographical reliability and the cultural role that such objects plays in exhibition narratives as bearers of reality and as metonymical icons of the biographical subject. The article considers examples of biographical exhibitions of diverse figures such as Gregor Mendel, Madame de Pompadour and Roland Barthes, and the role that personal items, but also portraits and photographs, play in them.

Novel biologically-inspired rosette nanotube PLLA scaffolds for improving human mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenic differentiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Childs, Allie; Castro, Nathan J; Zhang, Lijie Grace; Hemraz, Usha D; Fenniri, Hicham

2013-01-01

Cartilage defects are a persistent issue in orthopedic tissue engineering where acute and chronic tissue damage stemming from osteoarthritis, trauma, and sport injuries, present a common and serious clinical problem. Unlike bone, cartilage repair continues to be largely intractable due to the tissue's inherently poor regenerative capacity. Thus, the objective of this study is to design a novel tissue engineered nanostructured cartilage scaffold via biologically-inspired self-assembling rosette nanotubes (RNTs) and biocompatible non-woven poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) for enhanced human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) chondrogenic differentiation. Specifically, RNTs are a new class of biomimetic supramolecular nanomaterial obtained through the self-assembly of low-molecular-weight modified guanine/cytosine DNA base hybrids (the G∧C motif) in an aqueous environment. In this study, we synthesized a novel twin G∧C-based RNT (TB-RGDSK) functionalized with cell-favorable arginine–glycine–aspartic acid–serine–lysine (RGDSK) integrin binding peptide and a twin G∧C based RNT with an aminobutane linker molecule (TBL). hMSC adhesion, proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation were evaluated in vitro in scaffold groups consisting of biocompatible PLLA with TBL, 1:9 TB-RGDSK:TBL, and TB-RGDSK, respectively. Our results show that RNTs can remarkably increase total glycosaminoglycan, collagen, and protein production when compared to PLLA controls without nanotubes. Furthermore, the TB-RGDSK with 100% well-organized RGDSK peptides achieved the highest chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs. The current in vitro study illustrated that RNT nanotopography and surface chemistry played an important role in enhancing hMSC chondrogenic differentiation thus making them promising for cartilage regeneration. (paper)

Gelatin-Based Hydrogels Promote Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Salamon, Achim; van Vlierberghe, Sandra; van Nieuwenhove, Ine; Baudisch, Frank; Graulus, Geert-Jan; Benecke, Verena; Alberti, Kristin; Neumann, Hans-Georg; Rychly, Joachim; Martins, José C.; Dubruel, Peter; Peters, Kirsten

2014-01-01

Due to the weak regeneration potential of cartilage, there is a high clinical incidence of articular joint disease, leading to a strong demand for cartilaginous tissue surrogates. The aim of this study was to evaluate a gelatin-based hydrogel for its suitability to support chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Gelatin-based hydrogels are biodegradable, show high biocompatibility, and offer possibilities to introduce functional groups and/or ligands. In order to prove their chondrogenesis-supporting potential, a hydrogel film was developed and compared with standard cell culture polystyrene regarding the differentiation behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells. Cellular basis for this study were human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, which exhibit differentiation potential along the adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic lineage. The results obtained show a promotive effect of gelatin-based hydrogels on chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and therefore encourage subsequent in vivo studies. PMID:28788517

Resummation improved rapidity spectrum for gluon fusion Higgs production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebert, Markus A.; Tackmann, Frank J.; Michel, Johannes K.L.; Muenster Univ.

2017-02-01

Gluon-induced processes such as Higgs production typically exhibit large perturbative corrections. These partially arise from large virtual corrections to the gluon form factor, which at timelike momentum transfer contains Sudakov logarithms evaluated at negative arguments ln 2 (-1)=-π 2 . It has been observed that resumming these terms in the timelike form factor leads to a much improved perturbative convergence for the total cross section. We discuss how to consistently incorporate the resummed form factor into the perturbative predictions for generic cross sections differential in the Born kinematics, including in particular the Higgs rapidity spectrum. We verify that this indeed improves the perturbative convergence, leading to smaller and more reliable perturbative uncertainties, and that this is not affected by cancellations between resummed and unresummed contributions. Combining both fixed-order and resummation uncertainties, the perturbative uncertainty for the total cross section at N 3 LO+N 3 LL φ ' is about a factor of two smaller than at N 3 LO. The perturbative uncertainty of the rapidity spectrum at NNLO+NNLL φ ' is similarly reduced compared to NNLO. We also study the analogous resummation for quark-induced processes, namely Higgs production through bottom quark annihilation and the Drell-Yan rapidity spectrum. For the former the resummation leads to a small improvement, while for the latter it confirms the already small uncertainties of the fixed-order predictions.

An Astrobiology Microbes Exhibit and Education Module

Science.gov (United States)

Lindstrom, Marilyn M.; Allen, Jaclyn S.; Stocco, Karen; Tobola, Kay; Olendzenski, Lorraine

2001-01-01

Telling the story of NASA-sponsored scientific research to the public in exhibits is best done by partnerships of scientists and museum professionals. Likewise, preparing classroom activities and training teachers to use them should be done by teams of teachers and scientists. Here we describe how we used such partnerships to develop a new astrobiology augmentation to the Microbes! traveling exhibit and a companion education module. "Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract."

International Space Station exhibit

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) exhibit in StenniSphere at John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss., gives visitors an up-close look at the largest international peacetime project in history. Step inside a module of the ISS and glimpse how astronauts will live and work in space. Currently, 16 countries contribute resources and hardware to the ISS. When complete, the orbiting research facility will be larger than a football field.

Engaged Learning and Youth Interest in STEM Careers: A Science Museum Exhibit on Air Pollution and Urban Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, A. L.

2012-12-01

Enrollments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula currently lag workforce needs. Participation of women and minorities in STEM careers also remains low despite efforts to improve their representation in these fields. We discuss the development and evaluation of a science museum exhibit aimed at stimulating interest of middle school children (particularly girls) in STEM careers. The exhibit was designed to teach science, while addressing two factors identified as limiting the interest of girls in STEM fields — perceived lack of social relevance and lack of female role models. Further, it was designed to apply best practices in science education, including inquiry-based learning and interdisciplinary content. The exhibit was developed through collaboration between students and faculty researchers at the University of South Florida and science education and evaluation specialists at the Museum of Science and Industry of Tampa. A few stages of formative and summative assessment, including focus group discussions, visitor observation, and surveys were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exhibit to educational project goals. The installed exhibit is focused on teaching content related to interactions between air pollution, urban design, and human health. The approximately 25 square foot exhibit space involves four different types of components. A three-dimensional model of a city, with underlying dynamic computer simulations, allows visitors to interactively explore relationships between city design, air pollution and exposures. A computer game, with quiz questions requiring user decisions on personal to community behavior, provides visual feedback regarding impacts on air pollution. Traditional panels with graphics and text, including results of current research, display integrative scientific content with open-ended questions to stimulate discussion. Finally, personal profiles highlight the diverse family, work, and social lives

The Signatures of the Invisible exhibition in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2002-01-01

The artist Paola Pivi with her work at the Signatures of the Invisible exhibition in Geneva during February 2002. This piece with needles suspended on nylon thread 'detects' people as they approach. The exhibition was for art inspired by research carried out at CERN.

The two-parameter deformation of GL(2), its differential calculus, and Lie algebra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schirrmacher, A.; Wess, J.

1991-01-01

The Yang-Baxter equation is solved in two dimensions giving rise to a two-parameter deformation of GL(2). The transformation properties of quantum planes are briefly discussed. Non-central determinant and inverse are constructed. A right-invariant differential calculus is presented and the role of the different deformation parameters investigated. While the corresponding Lie algebra relations are simply deformed, the comultiplication exhibits both quantization parameters. (orig.)

Learning from Exhibitions: Chuck Close.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Mark M.

1998-01-01

Discusses the artwork of Chuck Close, who is well known for his over-sized portraits of fellow artists and anonymous sitters, and the exhibition of his work that premiered at New York's Museum of Modern Art before traveling to other cities in the United States. (CMK)

Thiolated chitosan nanoparticles: transfection study in the Caco-2 differentiated cell culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martien, Ronny; Loretz, Brigitta; Sandbichler, Adolf Michael; Schnuerch, Andreas Bernkop

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to monitor the expression of secreted protein in differentiated Caco-2 cells after transfection with nanoparticles, in order to improve gene delivery. Based on unmodified chitosan and thiolated chitosan conjugates, nanoparticles with the gene reporter pSEAP (recombinant Secreted Alkaline Phosphatase) were generated at pH 4.0. Transfection studies of thiolated chitosan in Caco-2 cells during the exponential growth phase and differentiation growth phase of the cells led to a 5.0-fold and 2.0-fold increase in protein expression when compared to unmodified chitosan nanoparticles. The mean particle size for both unmodified chitosan and cross-linked thiolated chitosan nanoparticles is 212.2 ± 86 and 113.6 ± 40 nm, respectively. The zeta potential of nanoparticles was determined to be 7.9 ± 0.38 mV for unmodified chitosan nanoparticles and 4.3 ± 0.74 mV for cross-linked thiolated chitosan nanoparticles. Red blood cell lysis evaluation was used to evaluate the membrane damaging properties of unmodified and thiolated chitosan nanoparticles and led to 4.61 ± 0.36% and 2.29 ± 0.25% lysis, respectively. Additionally, cross-linked thiolated chitosan nanoparticles were found to exhibit higher stability toward degradation in gastric juices. Furthermore the reversible effect of thiolated chitosan on barrier properties was monitored by measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and is supported by immunohistochemical staining for the tight junction protein claudin. According to these results cross-linked thiolated chitosan nanoparticles have the potential to be used as a non-viral vector system for gene therapy

Stochastic Differential Equations and Kondratiev Spaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaage, G.

1995-05-01

The purpose of this mathematical thesis was to improve the understanding of physical processes such as fluid flow in porous media. An example is oil flowing in a reservoir. In the first of five included papers, Hilbert space methods for elliptic boundary value problems are used to prove the existence and uniqueness of a large family of elliptic differential equations with additive noise without using the Hermite transform. The ideas are then extended to the multidimensional case and used to prove existence and uniqueness of solution of the Stokes equations with additive noise. The second paper uses functional analytic methods for partial differential equations and presents a general framework for proving existence and uniqueness of solutions to stochastic partial differential equations with multiplicative noise, for a large family of noises. The methods are applied to equations of elliptic, parabolic as well as hyperbolic type. The framework presented can be extended to the multidimensional case. The third paper shows how the ideas from the second paper can be extended to study the moving boundary value problem associated with the stochastic pressure equation. The fourth paper discusses a set of stochastic differential equations. The fifth paper studies the relationship between the two families of Kondratiev spaces used in the thesis. 102 refs.

A differential-delay control for ramped magnet current

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murray, J. [State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering; Olsen, R. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1992-11-01

A differential-delay control system has been designed and implemented for the main dipole magnet power supply of the booster ring at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Lab. The control algorithm was implemented on a floating-point digital signal processor; in tests, the use of digital signal-processing techniques gave a factor of ten improvement in the tracking response time, together with a modest improvement in tracking accuracy.

A differential-delay control for ramped magnet current

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murray, J. (State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering); Olsen, R. (Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States))

1992-01-01

A differential-delay control system has been designed and implemented for the main dipole magnet power supply of the booster ring at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Lab. The control algorithm was implemented on a floating-point digital signal processor; in tests, the use of digital signal-processing techniques gave a factor of ten improvement in the tracking response time, together with a modest improvement in tracking accuracy.

Ductile electroactive biodegradable hyperbranched polylactide copolymers enhancing myoblast differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Meihua; Wang, Ling; Guo, Baolin; Wang, Zhong; Chen, Y Eugene; Ma, Peter X

2015-12-01

Myotube formation is crucial to restoring muscular functions, and biomaterials that enhance the myoblast differentiation into myotubes are highly desirable for muscular repair. Here, we report the synthesis of electroactive, ductile, and degradable copolymers and their application in enhancing the differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes. A hyperbranched ductile polylactide (HPLA) was synthesized and then copolymerized with aniline tetramer (AT) to produce a series of electroactive, ductile and degradable copolymers (HPLAAT). The HPLA and HPLAAT showed excellent ductility with strain to failure from 158.9% to 42.7% and modulus from 265.2 to 758.2 MPa. The high electroactivity of the HPLAAT was confirmed by UV spectrometer and cyclic voltammogram measurements. These HPLAAT polymers also showed improved thermal stability and controlled biodegradation rate compared to HPLA. Importantly, when applying these polymers for myotube formation, the HPLAAT significantly improved the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts in vitro compared to HPLA. Furthermore, these polymers greatly promoted myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells as measured by quantitative analysis of myotube number, length, diameter, maturation index, and gene expression of MyoD and TNNT. Together, our study shows that these electroactive, ductile and degradable HPLAAT copolymers represent significantly improved biomaterials for muscle tissue engineering compared to HPLA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving sensitivity of linear regression-based cell type-specific differential expression deconvolution with per-gene vs. global significance threshold.

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Edmund R; Dozmorov, Mikhail G

2016-10-06

The goal of many human disease-oriented studies is to detect molecular mechanisms different between healthy controls and patients. Yet, commonly used gene expression measurements from blood samples suffer from variability of cell composition. This variability hinders the detection of differentially expressed genes and is often ignored. Combined with cell counts, heterogeneous gene expression may provide deeper insights into the gene expression differences on the cell type-specific level. Published computational methods use linear regression to estimate cell type-specific differential expression, and a global cutoff to judge significance, such as False Discovery Rate (FDR). Yet, they do not consider many artifacts hidden in high-dimensional gene expression data that may negatively affect linear regression. In this paper we quantify the parameter space affecting the performance of linear regression (sensitivity of cell type-specific differential expression detection) on a per-gene basis. We evaluated the effect of sample sizes, cell type-specific proportion variability, and mean squared error on sensitivity of cell type-specific differential expression detection using linear regression. Each parameter affected variability of cell type-specific expression estimates and, subsequently, the sensitivity of differential expression detection. We provide the R package, LRCDE, which performs linear regression-based cell type-specific differential expression (deconvolution) detection on a gene-by-gene basis. Accounting for variability around cell type-specific gene expression estimates, it computes per-gene t-statistics of differential detection, p-values, t-statistic-based sensitivity, group-specific mean squared error, and several gene-specific diagnostic metrics. The sensitivity of linear regression-based cell type-specific differential expression detection differed for each gene as a function of mean squared error, per group sample sizes, and variability of the proportions

Arithmetic differential equations on $GL_n$, I: differential cocycles

OpenAIRE

Buium, Alexandru; Dupuy, Taylor

2013-01-01

The theory of differential equations has an arithmetic analogue in which derivatives are replaced by Fermat quotients. One can then ask what is the arithmetic analogue of a linear differential equation. The study of usual linear differential equations is the same as the study of the differential cocycle from $GL_n$ into its Lie algebra given by the logarithmic derivative. However we prove here that there are no such cocycles in the context of arithmetic differential equations. In sequels of t...

Exhibition at CERN's Globe of Science and Innovation

CERN Multimedia

Claudia Marcelloni

2006-01-01

Here we see pictures of displays at one of the exhibitions held at the Globe of Science and Innovation taken in September 2006. Located opposite the main CERN site, the Globe houses many public exhibitions throughout the year covering many topics from astronomy to particle physics.

The AAAI 2006 Mobile Robot Competition and Exhibition

OpenAIRE

Rybski, Paul E.; Forbes, Jeffrey; Burhans, Debra; Dodds, Zach; Oh, Paul; Scheutz, Matthias; Avanzato, Bob

2007-01-01

The Fifteenth Annual AAAI Robot Competition and Exhibition was held at the Twenty-First National Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Boston, Massachusetts, in July 2006. This article describes the events that were held at the conference, including the Scavenger Hunt, Human Robot Interaction, and Robot Exhibition.

High-order quantum algorithm for solving linear differential equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, Dominic W

2014-01-01

Linear differential equations are ubiquitous in science and engineering. Quantum computers can simulate quantum systems, which are described by a restricted type of linear differential equations. Here we extend quantum simulation algorithms to general inhomogeneous sparse linear differential equations, which describe many classical physical systems. We examine the use of high-order methods (where the error over a time step is a high power of the size of the time step) to improve the efficiency. These provide scaling close to Δt 2 in the evolution time Δt. As with other algorithms of this type, the solution is encoded in amplitudes of the quantum state, and it is possible to extract global features of the solution. (paper)

Measuring a hospital's ability to improve.

Science.gov (United States)

Meurer, Steven J; Counte, Michael A; Rubio, Doris M; Arrington, Barbara

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to test whether a recently developed measure of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) implementation can provide health care researchers and administrators with a tool to assist in understanding and with developing an appropriate structure for improvement efforts in hospitals. Two hundred respondents from 40 Missouri hospitals completed a 28-item survey addressing 8 domains of CQI. Overall, hospital scores showed low implementation of a structure that supports improvement efforts. All survey domains showed acceptable psychometric results. Leadership proved to be the most important domain of CQI because it differentiated well between all levels of the scale. Because of its ease of administration and analysis, and its reliability, validity, and level differentiation results, the researchers recommend the widespread use of this tool to understand and develop a hospital's organizational structure to support improvement activities.

Human mesenchymal stem cells self-renew and differentiate according to a deterministic hierarchy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahul Sarugaser

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs have been isolated from a variety of connective tissues, and are commonly called "mesenchymal stem cells" (MSCs. A stem cell is defined as having robust clonal self-renewal and multilineage differentiation potential. Accordingly, the term "MSC" has been criticised, as there is little data demonstrating self-renewal of definitive single-cell-derived (SCD clonal populations from a mesenchymal cell source. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that a tractable MPC population, human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs, was capable of multilineage differentiation in vitro and, more importantly, contributed to rapid connective tissue healing in vivo by producing bone, cartilage and fibrous stroma. Furthermore, HUCPVCs exhibit a high clonogenic frequency, allowing us to isolate definitive SCD parent and daughter clones from mixed gender suspensions as determined by Y-chromosome fluorescent in situ hybridization. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Analysis of the multilineage differentiation capacity of SCD parent clones and daughter clones enabled us to formulate a new hierarchical schema for MSC self-renewal and differentiation in which a self-renewing multipotent MSC gives rise to more restricted self-renewing progenitors that gradually lose differentiation potential until a state of complete restriction to the fibroblast is reached.

The Particular Aspects of Science Museum Exhibits That Encourage Students' Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Shaby, Neta; Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Tal, Tali

2017-06-01

This research explores learning in science museums through the most common activity in a science museum—interaction with exhibits. The goal of this study was to characterize the learning behaviors exhibited by students as they engage with interactive exhibits in order to draw insight regarding the design of the exhibits. In order to do so, we used a qualitative method of observation as well as the Visitor Engagement Framework (VEF) model, a visitor-based framework for assessing visitors' learning experiences with exhibits in a science center setting. The combined method produced a framework of nine learning behaviors exhibited during the visitors' interaction with the exhibits, grouped into three categories that reflect increasing levels of engagement and depth of the learning experience. Our research participants consisted of a total 1800 students aged 10-12 (4th, 5th, and 6th graders) who came to the museum with their class for a day visit. We observed nine exhibits, each visited by 200 students. Our observations revealed several design elements that contribute to engagement with exhibits in science museums. For example, exhibits that have familiar activation encourage visitors' interaction, exhibits that facilitate social interaction are more likely to increase engagement, and the highest levels of engagement can be found in exhibits that support large groups.

The exhibition Lumiere d'Atomes (Atoms light)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foos, Jacques

1995-01-01

Full text: This exhibition has been conceived in order to show for everybody, whatever his scientific level, the peaceful uses of transformations (natural or made by Man) and energetic possibilities of the atomic nucleus. The key-ideas of this exhibition were-: - nuclear applications a world of high technology; - nuclear industry men as the others; - nuclear energy an energetic independence. 6 themes were proposed: 1- Atoms and radioactivity; 2- The nuclear power stations; 3- The nuclear fuel cycle; 4- Surety and environment; 5- The other uses of radioactivity; 6- The French choice: The world nuclear data. This exhibition that comprises information posters, paintings, demonstration models, films and video games, was shown for the first time in Paris in april 1991. From this time, it was shown in many regional cities, with the help of SFEN members. 'Lumiere d'Atomes' received in 1991 the SFEN prize for its information on nuclear energy. (author)

Epigenetic control of CD8+ T cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Henning, Amanda N; Roychoudhuri, Rahul; Restifo, Nicholas P

2018-05-01

Upon stimulation, small numbers of naive CD8 + T cells proliferate and differentiate into a variety of memory and effector cell types. CD8 + T cells can persist for years and kill tumour cells and virally infected cells. The functional and phenotypic changes that occur during CD8 + T cell differentiation are well characterized, but the epigenetic states that underlie these changes are incompletely understood. Here, we review the epigenetic processes that direct CD8 + T cell differentiation and function. We focus on epigenetic modification of DNA and associated histones at genes and their regulatory elements. We also describe structural changes in chromatin organization that affect gene expression. Finally, we examine the translational potential of epigenetic interventions to improve CD8 + T cell function in individuals with chronic infections and cancer.

Competitive differentiation through brand extensions in the era of hyper competition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudiu-Catalin Munteanu

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the era of hyper competition, competitive differentiation has become increasingly important. Brand extensions are used by companies across various industries for competitive differentiation. But in the era of hyper competition, a successful differentiation strategy requires that a brand emphasizes on uniqueness rather than commoditization. In this article, we make a case for creating a meaningful differentiation strategy. We emphasize the role of brand extensions for competitive differentiation and highlight the main perils of using brand extensions as a primary differentiation strategy. By using qualitative research, we identify primary objectives for brand extensions in practice. This investigation uses in-depth interviews with 14 senior brand managers across various industries to highlight brand portfolio strategies in relation to the brand differentiation strategy. Findings reveal that for business at the base of the pyramid, in markets such as Romania, brand managers are using brand extensions to increase sales or to boost short-term revenue rather than to implement a coherent differentiation strategy. We conclude with multiple recommendations for improving brand extension usage as a strategic instrument for creating meaningful differentiation in the era of hyper competition.

Integrin-Linked Kinase Is Indispensable for Keratinocyte Differentiation and Epidermal Barrier Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayedyahossein, Samar; Rudkouskaya, Alena; Leclerc, Valerie; Dagnino, Lina

2016-02-01

A functional permeability barrier is essential to prevent the passage of water and electrolytes, macromolecules, and pathogens through the epidermis. This is accomplished in terminally differentiated keratinocytes through formation of a cornified envelope and the assembly of tight intercellular junctions. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a scaffold protein essential for hair follicle morphogenesis and epidermal attachment to the basement membrane. However, the biological functions of ILK in differentiated keratinocytes remain poorly understood. Furthermore, whether ILK is implicated in keratinocyte differentiation and intercellular junction formation has remained an unresolved issue. Here we describe a pivotal role for ILK in keratinocyte differentiation responses to increased extracellular Ca(2+), regulation of adherens and tight junction assembly, and the formation of an outside-in permeability barrier toward macromolecules. In the absence of ILK, the calcium sensing receptor, E-cadherin, and ZO-1 fail to translocate to the cell membrane, through mechanisms that involve abnormalities in microtubules and in RhoA activation. In situ, ILK-deficient epidermis exhibits reduced tight junction formation and increased outside-in permeability to a dextran tracer, indicating reduced barrier properties toward macromolecules. Therefore, ILK is an essential component of keratinocyte differentiation programs that contribute to epidermal integrity and the establishment of its barrier properties. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inhibition of chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans incorporation affected odontoblast differentiation in cultured embryonic mouse molars.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lipei; Chen, Weiting; Li, Lefeng; Xu, Fangfang; Jiang, Beizhan

2017-12-01

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) is an important component of extracellular matrix (ECM), it is composed of a core protein and one or more chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan side chains (CS-GAGs). To investigate the roles of its CS-GAGs in dentinogenesis, the mouse mandibular first molar tooth germs at early bell stage were cultivated with or without β-xyloside. As expected, the CS-GAGs were inhibited on their incorporation to CSPGs by β-xyloside, accompanied by the change of morphology of the cultured tooth germs. The histological results and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation indicated that β-xyloside exhibited obvious inhibiting effects on odontoblasts differentiation compared with the control group. Meanwhile the results of immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and quantitative RT-PCR for type I collagen, dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein 1 and dentin sialophosphoprotein, the products of differentiated odontoblasts, further proved that odontoblasts differentiation was inhibited. Collagen fibers detected in TEM decreased and arranged in disorder as well. Thus we conclude that the inhibition of CS-GAGs incorporation to CSPGs can affect odontoblast differentiation in cultured embryonic mouse molars.

Approximate Solutions of Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations by Modified q-Homotopy Analysis Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaheed N. Huseen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A modified q-homotopy analysis method (mq-HAM was proposed for solving nth-order nonlinear differential equations. This method improves the convergence of the series solution in the nHAM which was proposed in (see Hassan and El-Tawil 2011, 2012. The proposed method provides an approximate solution by rewriting the nth-order nonlinear differential equation in the form of n first-order differential equations. The solution of these n differential equations is obtained as a power series solution. This scheme is tested on two nonlinear exactly solvable differential equations. The results demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of the algorithm developed.

Designing Art Exhibitions in an Educational Virtual World

Science.gov (United States)

Julian, June; Crooks, Julian

2011-01-01

Demonstrating the multiple features of the Cerulean Gallery in Second Life, this research report showcases several exemplar exhibits created by students, artists, and museums. Located in The Educational Media Center, a Second Life teaching and social space, the Cerulean Gallery exhibits functioned as case studies that tested its effectiveness as…

The presentation of energy topics at exhibitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moergeli, H.P.

1984-01-01

The author examines the problems confronting an electricity supply company when trying to communicate its energy policy to the general public at exhibitions and fairs. The company has to convey a message of reliable power supplies, increasing demand, the advantages of nuclear energy, the safe storage of radioactive waste and the need for new generating plants. The author describes some of the displays being used to attract the public to the Bern Power Stations stand at the Bern Exhibition 1984. (R.S.)

A natural diarylheptanoid promotes neuronal differentiation via activating ERK and PI3K-Akt dependent pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, G; Dong, X; Huang, X; Huang, X-J; Liu, H; Wang, Y; Ye, W-C; Shi, L

2015-09-10

Neuronal differentiation is a critical developmental process that determines accurate synaptic connection and circuit wiring. A wide variety of naturally occurring compounds have been shown as promising drug leads for the generation and differentiation of neurons. Here we report that a diarylheptanoid from the plant Alpinia officinarum, 7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-4E-hepten-3-one (Cpd 1), exhibited potent activities in neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth. Cpd 1 induced differentiation of neuroblastoma Neuro-2a cells into a neuron-like morphology, and accelerated the establishment of axon-dendrite polarization of cultured hippocampal neurons. Moreover, Cpd 1 promoted neurite extension in both Neuro-2a cells and neurons. We showed that the effects of Cpd 1 on neuronal differentiation and neurite growth were specifically dependent on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signaling pathways. Importantly, intraperitoneal administration of Cpd 1 promoted the differentiation of new-born progenitor cells into mature neurons in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus. Collectively, this study identifies a naturally occurring diarylheptanoid with beneficial effects on neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth in vitro and in vivo. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relative thinking in consumer choice between differentiated goods and services and its implications for business strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ofer H. Azar

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The article shows that when people consider differentiated goods or services that differ in price and quality, they exhibit a decision-making bias of ``relative thinking'': relative price differences affect them even when economic theory suggests that only absolute price differences matter. This result is obtained in four different consumption categories. Sometimes subjects are affected only by relative price differences (``full relative thinking'' and sometimes also by absolute price differences (``partial relative thinking''. This behavior has implications for various disciplines, and it is particularly relevant in models dealing with horizontal or vertical differentiation, optimal pricing, competitive strategy, or advertising.

Group Dynamics and Individual Roles: A Differentiated Approach to Social-Emotional Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Dugas, Daryl

2017-01-01

Differentiated instruction is a set of strategies to help teachers meet each child where he or she is in order to improve students' engagement, lead them to do their best work, and maximize their success. This article describes a differentiated classroom management approach based in group dynamics which focuses on the development of group norms…

Patients With High Bone Mass Phenotype Exhibit Enhanced Osteoblast Differentiation and Inhibition of Adipogenesis of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qiu, Weimin; Andersen, Tom; Bollerslev, Jens

2007-01-01

in iliac crest bone biopsies from patients with the HBM phenotype and controls. We also used retrovirus-mediated gene transduction to establish three different human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) strains stably expressing wildtype LRP5 (hMSC-LRP5WT), LRP5T244 (hMSC-LRP5T244, inactivation mutation leading...... to osteoporosis), or LRP5T253 (hMSC-LRP5T253, activation mutation leading to high bone mass). We characterized Wnt signaling activation using a dual luciferase assay, cell proliferation, lineage biomarkers using real-time PCR, and in vivo bone formation. Results: In bone biopsies, we found increased trabecular...... mineralized bone when implanted subcutaneously with hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate in SCID/NOD mice. Conclusions: LRP5 mutations and the level of Wnt signaling determine differentiation fate of hMSCs into osteoblasts or adipocytes. Activation of Wnt signaling can thus provide a novel approach to increase...

Prion Replication Elicits Cytopathic Changes in Differentiated Neurosphere Cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Iwamaru, Yoshifumi; Takenouchi, Takato; Imamura, Morikazu; Shimizu, Yoshihisa; Miyazawa, Kohtaro; Mohri, Shirou; Yokoyama, Takashi

2013-01-01

The molecular mechanisms of prion-induced cytotoxicity remain largely obscure. Currently, only a few cell culture models have exhibited the cytopathic changes associated with prion infection. In this study, we introduced a cell culture model based on differentiated neurosphere cultures isolated from the brains of neonatal prion protein (PrP)-null mice and transgenic mice expressing murine PrP (dNP0 and dNP20 cultures). Upon exposure to mouse Chandler prions, dNP20 cultures supported the de novo formation of abnormal PrP and the resulting infectivity, as assessed by bioassays. Furthermore, this culture was susceptible to various prion strains, including mouse-adapted scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome prions. Importantly, a subset of the cells in the infected culture that was mainly composed of astrocyte lineage cells consistently displayed late-occurring, progressive signs of cytotoxicity as evidenced by morphological alterations, decreased cell viability, and increased lactate dehydrogenase release. These signs of cytotoxicity were not observed in infected dNP0 cultures, suggesting the requirement of endogenous PrP expression for prion-induced cytotoxicity. Degenerated cells positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein accumulated abnormal PrP and exhibited features of apoptotic death as assessed by active caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase nick-end staining. Furthermore, caspase inhibition provided partial protection from prion-mediated cell death. These results suggest that differentiated neurosphere cultures can provide an in vitro bioassay for mouse prions and permit the study of the molecular basis for prion-induced cytotoxicity at the cellular level. PMID:23740992

Improved pedagogy for linear differential equations by reconsidering how we measure the size of solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Tisdell, Christopher C.

2017-11-01

For over 50 years, the learning of teaching of a priori bounds on solutions to linear differential equations has involved a Euclidean approach to measuring the size of a solution. While the Euclidean approach to a priori bounds on solutions is somewhat manageable in the learning and teaching of the proofs involving second-order, linear problems with constant co-efficients, we believe it is not pedagogically optimal. Moreover, the Euclidean method becomes pedagogically unwieldy in the proofs involving higher-order cases. The purpose of this work is to propose a simpler pedagogical approach to establish a priori bounds on solutions by considering a different way of measuring the size of a solution to linear problems, which we refer to as the Uber size. The Uber form enables a simplification of pedagogy from the literature and the ideas are accessible to learners who have an understanding of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and the exponential function, both usually seen in a first course in calculus. We believe that this work will be of mathematical and pedagogical interest to those who are learning and teaching in the area of differential equations or in any of the numerous disciplines where linear differential equations are used.

Exhibition: Linus Pauling and the Twentieth Century

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

On April 28 the exhibit Linus Pauling and the Twentieth Century organised by UNIDIR (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research) and SGI (Soka Gakkai International) as well as with the contributions of CERN and the University of Geneva, opened at the United Nations Office of Geneva. Linus Pauling is the only person to date to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes: Chemistry in 1954 and Peace in 1962. The first was awarded for his landmark research on the nature of the chemical bond and its application in understanding the structure of complex substances. The second one acknowledged his courageous protest against atmospheric nuclear testing and his championship of international peace. The exhibit, for audience of all ages, traces seven decades of Linus Pauling's life and influence on the 20th century. Before starting its European tour at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the exhibit opened in 1998 in San Francisco and then travelled within the United-States and to Japan with an attendance of more than one...

Exhibition: Linus Pauling and the Twentieth Century

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

On April 28 the exhibit Linus Pauling and the Twentieth Century organised by UNIDIR (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research) and SGI (Soka Gakkai International) as well as with the contributions of CERN and the University of Geneva, opens at the United Nations Office of Geneva. Linus Pauling is the only person to date to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes: Chemistry in 1954 and Peace in 1962. The first was awarded for his landmark research on the nature of the chemical bond and its application in understanding the structure of complex substances. The second one acknowledged his courageous protest against atmospheric nuclear testing and his championship of international peace. The exhibit, for all ages' audiences, traces seven decades of Linus Pauling's life and influence on the 20th century. Before starting its European tour at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the exhibit opened in 1998 in San Francisco and then travelled within the United-States and to Japan with an attendance of more than one m...

“Draw me a physicist” exhibition opens

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2010-01-01

From 12 to 23 June, the Globe of Science and Innovation will be hosting the “Draw me a physicist” exhibition: over 160 drawings and definitions that illustrate how children see the world of research.   In a child’s imagination, scientists are colourful, slightly eccentric figures with unusual powers. This is what emerges from the exhibition on the second floor of the Globe of Science and Innovation, opening on 12 June. “Draw me a physicist” brings together 160 drawings and definitions by children about the profession of research scientist. The exhibition is the result of a six-month project by CERN and 20 primary school classes from the Pays de Gex and the communes of Meyrin, Satigny and Vernier. Some 400 schoolchildren aged 9 to 11 were asked in class to make drawings and come up with definitions of a physicist. Subsequently they came to CERN, visited one of the Laboratory’s sites, and met and interviewed some physicists. They used t...

Growth of meromorphic solutions of higher-order linear differential equations

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Wenjuan Chen

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the higher-order linear differential equations with meromorphic coefficients. We improve and extend a result of M.S. Liu and C.L. Yuan, by using the estimates for the logarithmic derivative of a transcendental meromorphic function due to Gundersen, and the extended Winman-Valiron theory which proved by J. Wang and H.X. Yi. In addition, we also consider the nonhomogeneous linear differential equations.

Quantitative proteome and phosphoproteome analyses of Streptomyces coelicolor reveal proteins and phosphoproteins modulating differentiation and secondary metabolism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rioseras, Beatriz; Sliaha, Pavel V; Gorshkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

identified and quantified 3461 proteins corresponding to 44.3% of the S. coelicolor proteome across three developmental stages: vegetative hypha (MI); secondary metabolite producing hyphae (MII); and sporulating hyphae. A total of 1350 proteins exhibited more than 2-fold expression changes during....../Thr/Tyr kinases, making this genus an outstanding model for the study of bacterial protein phosphorylation events. We used mass spectrometry based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics to characterize bacterial differentiation and activation of secondary metabolism of Streptomyces coelicolor. We...... the bacterial differentiation process. These proteins include 136 regulators (transcriptional regulators, transducers, Ser/Thr/Tyr kinases, signalling proteins), as well as 542 putative proteins with no clear homology to known proteins which are likely to play a role in differentiation and secondary metabolism...

Hyperglycemia Promotes Schwann Cell De-differentiation and De-myelination via Sorbitol Accumulation and Igf1 Protein Down-regulation*

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Wu; Tashiro, Syoichi; Hasegawa, Tomoka; Sato, Yuiko; Kobayashi, Tami; Tando, Toshimi; Katsuyama, Eri; Fujie, Atsuhiro; Watanabe, Ryuichi; Morita, Mayu; Miyamoto, Kana; Morioka, Hideo; Nakamura, Masaya; Matsumoto, Morio; Amizuka, Norio; Toyama, Yoshiaki; Miyamoto, Takeshi

2015-01-01

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is frequently accompanied by complications, such as peripheral nerve neuropathy. Schwann cells play a pivotal role in regulating peripheral nerve function and conduction velocity; however, changes in Schwann cell differentiation status in DM are not fully understood. Here, we report that Schwann cells de-differentiate into immature cells under hyperglycemic conditions as a result of sorbitol accumulation and decreased Igf1 expression in those cells. We found that de-differentiated Schwann cells could be re-differentiated in vitro into mature cells by treatment with an aldose reductase inhibitor, to reduce sorbitol levels, or with vitamin D3, to elevate Igf1 expression. In vivo DM models exhibited significantly reduced nerve function and conduction, Schwann cell de-differentiation, peripheral nerve de-myelination, and all conditions were significantly rescued by aldose reductase inhibitor or vitamin D3 administration. These findings reveal mechanisms underlying pathological changes in Schwann cells seen in DM and suggest ways to treat neurological conditions associated with this condition. PMID:25998127

Regulation of meiotic entry and gonadal sex differentiation in the human

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Anne; Rajpert-De Meyts, Ewa

2014-01-01

Meiosis is a unique type of cell division that is performed only by germ cells to form haploid gametes. The switch from mitosis to meiosis exhibits a distinct sex-specific difference in timing, with female germ cells entering meiosis during fetal development and male germ cells at puberty when...... spermatogenesis is initiated. During early fetal development, bipotential primordial germ cells migrate to the forming gonad where they remain sexually indifferent until the sex-specific differentiation of germ cells is initiated by cues from the somatic cells. This irreversible step in gonadal sex...... in the context of fetal gonad development and germ cell differentiation, with emphasis on results obtained in humans. Furthermore, the consequences of dysregulated meiosis signaling in humans are briefly discussed in the context of selected pathologies, including testicular germ cell cancer and some forms...

Stroke promotes survival of nearby transplanted neural stem cells by decreasing their activation of caspase 3 while not affecting their differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosi, Nina; Alić, Ivan; Salamon, Iva; Mitrečić, Dinko

2018-02-14

Although transplantation of stem cells improves recovery of the nervous tissue, little is known about the influence of different brain regions on transplanted cells. After we confirmed that cells with uniform differentiation potential can be generated in independent experiments, one million of neural stem cells isolated from B6.Cg-Tg(Thy1-YFP)16Jrs/J mouse embryos were transplanted into the brain 24 h after induction of stroke. The lateral ventricles, the corpus callosum and the striatum were tested. Two and four weeks after the transplantation, the cells transplanted in all three regions have been attracted to the ischemic core. The largest number of attracted cells has been observed after transplantation into the striatum. Their differentiation pattern and expression of neuroligin 1, SynCAM 1, postsynaptic density protein 95 and synapsin 1 followed the same pattern observed during in vitro cultivation and it did not differ among the tested regions. Differentiation pattern of the cells transplanted in the stroke-affected and healthy animals was the same. On the other hand, neural stem cells transplanted in the striatum of the animals affected by stroke exhibited significantly increased survival rates reaching 260 ± 19%, when compared to cells transplanted in their wild type controls. Surprisingly, improved survival two and four weeks after transplantation was not due to increased proliferation of the grafted cells and it was accompanied by decreased levels of activity of Casp3 (19.56 ± 3.1% in the stroke-affected vs. 30.14 ± 2.4% in healthy animals after four weeks). We assume that the decreased levels of Casp3 in cells transplanted near the ischemic region was linked to increased vasculogenesis, synaptogenesis, astrocytosis and axonogenesis detected in the host tissue affected by ischemia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gelatin-Based Hydrogels Promote Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vitro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achim Salamon

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Due to the weak regeneration potential of cartilage, there is a high clinical incidence of articular joint disease, leading to a strong demand for cartilaginous tissue surrogates. The aim of this study was to evaluate a gelatin-based hydrogel for its suitability to support chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Gelatin-based hydrogels are biodegradable, show high biocompatibility, and offer possibilities to introduce functional groups and/or ligands. In order to prove their chondrogenesis-supporting potential, a hydrogel film was developed and compared with standard cell culture polystyrene regarding the differentiation behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells. Cellular basis for this study were human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, which exhibit differentiation potential along the adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic lineage. The results obtained show a promotive effect of gelatin-based hydrogels on chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and therefore encourage subsequent in vivo studies.

Differential Space-Time Block Code Modulation for DS-CDMA Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Jianhua

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A differential space-time block code (DSTBC modulation scheme is used to improve the performance of DS-CDMA systems in fast time-dispersive fading channels. The resulting scheme is referred to as the differential space-time block code modulation for DS-CDMA (DSTBC-CDMA systems. The new modulation and demodulation schemes are especially studied for the down-link transmission of DS-CDMA systems. We present three demodulation schemes, referred to as the differential space-time block code Rake (D-Rake receiver, differential space-time block code deterministic (D-Det receiver, and differential space-time block code deterministic de-prefix (D-Det-DP receiver, respectively. The D-Det receiver exploits the known information of the spreading sequences and their delayed paths deterministically besides the Rake type combination; consequently, it can outperform the D-Rake receiver, which employs the Rake type combination only. The D-Det-DP receiver avoids the effect of intersymbol interference and hence can offer better performance than the D-Det receiver.

CT differentiation of poorly-differentiated gastric neuroendocrine tumours from well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours and gastric adenocarcinomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seong Ho; Kim, Se Hyung; Shin, Cheong-il; Han, Joon Koo; Choi, Byung Ihn [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Hospital, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min-A [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Pathology, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-07-15

To evaluate the differential CT features of gastric poorly-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours (PD-NETs) from well-differentiated NETs (WD-NETs) and gastric adenocarcinomas (ADCs) and to suggest differential features of hepatic metastases from gastric NETs and ADCs. Our study population was comprised of 36 patients with gastric NETs (18 WD-NETs, 18 PD-NETs) and 38 patients with gastric ADCs who served as our control group. Multiple CT features were assessed to identify significant differential CT findings of PD-NETs from WD-NETs and ADCs. In addition, CT features of hepatic metastases including the metastasis-to-liver ratio were analyzed to differentiate metastatic NETs from ADCs. The presence of metastatic lymph nodes was the sole differentiator of PD-NETs from WD-NETs (P =.001, odds ratio = 56.67), while the presence of intact overlying mucosa with mucosal tenting was the sole significant CT feature differentiating PD-NETs from ADCs (P =.047, odds ratio = 15.3) For hepatic metastases, metastases from NETs were more hyper-attenuated than those from ADCs. The presence of metastatic LNs and intact overlying mucosa with mucosal tenting are useful CT discriminators of PD-NETs from WD-NETs and ADCs, respectively. In addition, a higher metastasis-to-liver ratio may help differentiate hepatic metastases of gastric NETs from those of gastric ADCs with high accuracy. (orig.)

Exhibition: Fibre optics, the future is at hand

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2012-01-01

Until 20 June, the Pont de la Machine in Geneva will host an exhibition on fibre optics, sponsored by SIG. CERN, a major user of this technology, was invited to take part with a presentation of some of its scintillating fibre detectors.   The CERN module, designed for the SIG's fibre optics exhibition. Visitors can discover a cosmic ray detector (on the right) and its oscilloscope (on the left), as well as one of the ALFA detector modules (at the back). The Services industriels genevois (SIG), who are in the process of deploying an optical fibre network in Geneva, have decided to showcase this technology with an exhibition entitled “Fibre optique – Le futur à portée de main.” The exhibition, which will be open to the public from 26 April to 20 June, is being held at the Espace ExpoSIG, at the Pont de la Machine in the centre of Geneva. “CERN’s Physics Department was approached by SIG at the start of this year to ...

Differential protection of Cry1Fa toxin against Spodoptera frugiperda larval gut proteases by cadherin orthologs correlates with increased synergism.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Khalidur; Abdullah, Mohd Amir F; Ambati, Suresh; Taylor, Milton D; Adang, Michael J

2012-01-01

The Cry proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are the most widely used biopesticides effective against a range of crop pests and disease vectors. Like chemical pesticides, development of resistance is the primary threat to the long-term efficacy of Bt toxins. Recently discovered cadherin-based Bt Cry synergists showed the potential to augment resistance management by improving efficacy of Cry toxins. However, the mode of action of Bt Cry synergists is thus far unclear. Here we elucidate the mechanism of cadherin-based Cry toxin synergism utilizing two cadherin peptides, Spodoptera frugiperda Cad (SfCad) and Manduca sexta Cad (MsCad), which differentially enhance Cry1Fa toxicity to Spodoptera frugiperda neonates. We show that differential SfCad- and MsCad-mediated protection of Cry1Fa toxin in the Spodoptera frugiperda midgut correlates with differential Cry1Fa toxicity enhancement. Both peptides exhibited high affinity for Cry1Fa toxin and an increased rate of Cry1Fa-induced pore formation in S. frugiperda. However, only SfCad bound the S. frugiperda brush border membrane vesicle and more effectively prolonged the stability of Cry1Fa toxin in the gut, explaining higher Cry1Fa enhancement by this peptide. This study shows that cadherin fragments may enhance B. thuringiensis toxicity by at least two different mechanisms or a combination thereof: (i) protection of Cry toxin from protease degradation in the insect midgut and (ii) enhancement of pore-forming ability of Cry toxin.

75 FR 3862 - Photography in Public Exhibit Space

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-25

...NARA has revised its regulations on the use of film, photographic and videotape equipment inside the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Filming, photographing, and videotaping for personal use will be prohibited in exhibits of the National Archives Experience (NAE) in Washington, DC, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (known as the Charters of Freedom) in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building. In 2003 NARA installed exhibit cases for displaying the Charters and other NAE documents to provide better clarity for viewing the exhibits. NARA seeks to ensure the necessary protection for the documents from the cumulative effects of photographic flash and to enhance the overall visitor experience.

Ethanol induces cell-cycle activity and reduces stem cell diversity to alter both regenerative capacity and differentiation potential of cerebral cortical neuroepithelial precursors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tingling Joseph D

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The fetal cortical neuroepithelium is a mosaic of distinct progenitor populations that elaborate diverse cellular fates. Ethanol induces apoptosis and interferes with the survival of differentiating neurons. However, we know little about ethanol's effects on neuronal progenitors. We therefore exposed neurosphere cultures from fetal rat cerebral cortex, to varying ethanol concentrations, to examine the impact of ethanol on stem cell fate. Results Ethanol promoted cell cycle progression, increased neurosphere number and increased diversity in neurosphere size, without inducing apoptosis. Unlike controls, dissociated cortical progenitors exposed to ethanol exhibited morphological evidence for asymmetric cell division, and cells derived from ethanol pre-treated neurospheres exhibited decreased proliferation capacity. Ethanol significantly reduced the numbers of cells expressing the stem cell markers CD117, CD133, Sca-1 and ABCG2, without decreasing nestin expression. Furthermore, ethanol-induced neurosphere proliferation was not accompanied by a commensurate increase in telomerase activity. Finally, cells derived from ethanol-pretreated neurospheres exhibited decreased differentiation in response to retinoic acid. Conclusion The reduction in stem cell number along with a transient ethanol-driven increase in cell proliferation, suggests that ethanol promotes stem to blast cell maturation, ultimately depleting the reserve proliferation capacity of neuroepithelial cells. However, the lack of a concomitant change in telomerase activity suggests that neuroepithelial maturation is accompanied by an increased potential for genomic instability. Finally, the cellular phenotype that emerges from ethanol pre-treated, stem cell depleted neurospheres is refractory to additional differentiation stimuli, suggesting that ethanol exposure ablates or delays subsequent neuronal differentiation.

Asymptotic behavior of monodromy singularly perturbed differential equations on a Riemann surface

CERN Document Server

Simpson, Carlos

1991-01-01

This book concerns the question of how the solution of a system of ODE's varies when the differential equation varies. The goal is to give nonzero asymptotic expansions for the solution in terms of a parameter expressing how some coefficients go to infinity. A particular classof families of equations is considered, where the answer exhibits a new kind of behavior not seen in most work known until now. The techniques include Laplace transform and the method of stationary phase, and a combinatorial technique for estimating the contributions of terms in an infinite series expansion for the solution. Addressed primarily to researchers inalgebraic geometry, ordinary differential equations and complex analysis, the book will also be of interest to applied mathematicians working on asymptotics of singular perturbations and numerical solution of ODE's.

Effect of Nanosheet Surface Structure of Titanium Alloys on Cell Differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Komasa

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Titanium alloys are the most frequently used dental implants partly because of the protective oxide coating that spontaneously forms on their surface. We fabricated titania nanosheet (TNS structures on titanium surfaces by NaOH treatment to improve bone differentiation on titanium alloy implants. The cellular response to TNSs on Ti6Al4V alloy was investigated, and the ability of the modified surfaces to affect osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow cells and increase the success rate of titanium implants was evaluated. The nanoscale network structures formed by alkali etching markedly enhanced the functions of cell adhesion and osteogenesis-related gene expression of rat bone marrow cells. Other cell behaviors, such as proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin deposition, and mineralization, were also markedly increased in TNS-modified Ti6Al4V. Our results suggest that titanium implants modified with nanostructures promote osteogenic differentiation, which may improve the biointegration of these implants into the alveolar bone.

Differential transimpedance amplifier circuit for correlated differential amplification

Science.gov (United States)

Gresham, Christopher A [Albuquerque, NM; Denton, M Bonner [Tucson, AZ; Sperline, Roger P [Tucson, AZ

2008-07-22

A differential transimpedance amplifier circuit for correlated differential amplification. The amplifier circuit increase electronic signal-to-noise ratios in charge detection circuits designed for the detection of very small quantities of electrical charge and/or very weak electromagnetic waves. A differential, integrating capacitive transimpedance amplifier integrated circuit comprising capacitor feedback loops performs time-correlated subtraction of noise.

A new magnetorheological damper with improved displacement differential self-induced ability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Guoliang; Zhou, Wei; Li, Weihua

2015-01-01

This work is an extension of our previous study on the development of a linear variable differential sensor (LVDS)-based magnetorheological (MR) damper with self-sensing capability, where a new MR damper integrated with LVDS technology was developed and prototyped, then its self-induced performance under static and dynamic working conditions was experimentally evaluated. The results of the static and dynamic experiments indicated that the self-induced voltage was proportional to the displacement of the damper. Moreover, the damping performance of this new MR damper was also evaluated through an experimental study. Compared with our previous study, the new MR damper performed better in terms of its self-induced sensing ability and damping capacity. (technical note)

Dual functions of silver nanoparticles in F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells, a suitable model for evaluating cytotoxicity- and differentiation-mediated cancer therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)