8,325 research outputs found

    What If (Dublin)

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    Raby developed three ‘What If...’ exhibitions with Dunne (RCA), asking what role design can play in imagining possible futures and raising social, cultural and ethical questions, building on 20 years’ practice in Critical Design theorised inter alia in Dunne and Raby’s Design Noir (2001), Hertzian Tales (2005) and Speculative Everything (2013). Raby’s research included concept development, extended collaboration with exhibitors to develop their contributions, and devising the engagement strategy: all three required localised approaches to audiences, circumstances and commissioning hosts. Extensive investigation was needed in synthetic biology, nanotechnology, surveillance technologies and the domestication of natural phenomena, working with scientific partners at Imperial College and Cambridge University. ‘What If…’ Dublin (2009) comprised 29 projects envisioning hypothetical futures and was reviewed in Irish broadsheets (Examiner, Times, Independent), Wired and New Scientist: ‘the exhibits…address questions on scientific or medical ethics that must be asked in our bio-technological age’ (http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2009/12/post-2.html). Exhibits were also shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, Israel Museum, MoMA and Ars Electronica Center. About 1.8 million people pass the windows of the Wellcome Trust building in London annually, making them an important means of science communication. Wellcome commissioned a changing ‘What If…’ exhibition of 15 themes over 15 months (February 2010 – March 2011). Raby reconceived the design strategy with exhibits engaging at different distances, from passing buses to close-up study. The third exhibition, for the Beijing International Design Triennial (2011), explored the impact on future life of novel technologies through 58 projects in 130 exhibits from 36 designers (12 from China), for a diverse audience. The exhibition and related symposium at Tsinghua University were supported by the British Council. The Triennial was visited by approximately 500,000 visitors and featured widely, e.g. China Central Television, People's Daily, New York Times (all 2011) and Zhuangshi journal (2011 and 2012)

    Influence of pathogenic stimuli on Müller cell transfection by lipoplexes

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    Neuroprotection is a mutation-independent therapeutic strategy that seeks to enhance the survival of neuronal cell types through delivery of neuroprotective factors. The Willer cell, a retinal glial cell type appreciated for its unique morphology and neuroprotective functions, could be regarded as an ideal target for this strategy by functioning as a secretion platform within the retina following uptake of a transgene of our choice. In this in vitro study we aimed to investigate the capability of Willer cells to take up a standard liposomal vector (i.e. Lipofectamine 2000) and process its pDNA or mRNA cargo into the reporter GFP protein. By doing so, we found that mRNA outperformed pDNA in Willer cell transfection efficiency. Since neuroprotection is explored as a therapy for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, we furthermore examined the Willer cell's lipoplex-induced transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity in stressful conditions linked to these diseases - i.e. hypoxia, hyperglycemia and oxidative stress. Interestingly, Willer cells were able of maintaining high GFP expression regardless of these noxious stimuli. In terms of lipoplex-induced toxicity, hyperglycemia seemed to have a protective effect while hypoxia and oxidative stress led to a slightly higher toxicity. In conclusion, our study indicates that mRNA-lipoplexes have potential in transfecting Willer cells in healthy as well as diseased conditions

    Nanoscience and Nano-Technology: Cracking Prodigal Farming

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    Nano-science coupled with nano-technology has emerged as possible cost-cutting measure to prodigal farming and environmental clean-up operations. It has ushered as a new interdisciplinary field by converging various science disciplines, and is highly relevant to agricultural and food systems. Environmental Protection Agency of USA defined nanotechnology as the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1-100 nm, where unique physical properties make novel applications possible. By this definition all soil-clays, many chemicals derived from soil organic matter (SOM), several soil microorganisms fall into this category. Apart from native soil-materials, many new nanotech products are entering into soil system, some of which are used for agricultural production and some others for many other purposes.

Nano-science (also nanotechnology) has found applications in controlling release of nitrogen, characterization of soil minerals, studies of weathering of soil minerals and soil development, micro-morphology of soils, nature of soil rhizosphere, nutrient ion transport in soil-plant system, emission of dusts and aerosols from agricultural soil and their nature, zeoponics, and precision water farming. In its stride, nanotechnology converges soil mineralogy with imaging techniques, artificial intelligence, and encompass bio molecules and polymers with microscopic atoms and molecules, and macroscopic properties (thermodynamics) with microscopic properties (kinetics, wave theory, uncertainty principles, etc.), to name a few. 

Some of the examples include clinoloptolite and other zeolite based substrates, and Fe-, Mn-, and Cu- substituted synthetic hydroxyapatites that have made it possible to grow crops in space stations and at Antarctica. This has eliminated costs of repeated launching of space crafts. A disturbing fact is that the fertilizer use efficiency is 20-50 percent for nitrogen, and 10-25 percent for phosphorus (<1% for rock phosphate in alkaline calcareous soils). With nano-fertilizers emerging as alternatives to conventional fertilizers, build ups of nutrients in soils and thereby eutrophication and drinking water contamination may be eliminated. In fact, nano-technology has opened up new opportunities to improve nutrient use efficiency and minimize costs of environmental protection. It has helped to divulge to recent findings that plant roots and microorganisms can directly lift nutrient ions from solid phase of minerals (that includes so-called susceptible (i.e., easily weatherable, as well as non-susceptible minerals)

    Artificial in its own right

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    Artificial Cells, , Artificial Ecologies, Artificial Intelligence, Bio-Inspired Hardware Systems, Computational Autopoiesis, Computational Biology, Computational Embryology, Computational Evolution, Morphogenesis, Cyborgization, Digital Evolution, Evolvable Hardware, Cyborgs, Mathematical Biology, Nanotechnology, Posthuman, Transhuman

    Let\u27s Get Small

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    Furman chemistry professors and students delve into the cutting-edge field of nanotechnology

    Synthesis and Characterization of Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles for Combinatorial Drug Delivery

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    Abstract Overcoming obstacles like multidrug resistance, short circulation half-life, and nonspecific systemic distribution is an ongoing challenge in cancer therapy. One application to address these concerns is to engineer a drug delivery vehicle that has versatile functionality, good serum stability, circulates in the body long enough to reach the targeting tissues, and is biocompatible. A promising formulation platform that embodies these features is the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles. The surface characteristics of these nanoparticles such as charge, lipid density, and targeting ligands can be modified to allow for specific cellular uptake, controlled drug releases kinetics, and enhanced pharmacokinetics. In this work, it was found that the hybrid nanoparticles could easily be fabricated with negatively and positively charged lipids in order to change the overall surface charge. The particle size remained in the desirable range and the distribution was narrow. The lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticle by design has the capacity to co-encapsulate hydrophobic and lipophilic drugs. To investigate, camptothecin and a cisplatin derivative were dually loaded within the hybrid nanoparticle system. This combination formulation was characterized by dynamic light scattering for particle size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index as well as in vitro drug release and cytotoxicity. The particle size was below 100 nm and the distribution was narrow. The release studies showed that the addition of the two drugs within the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticle system did not affect the release profiles of the individual drugs. The ability for co-encapsulation and the similar overall drug release profiles for camptothecin and cisplatin derivative in the combination compared to single drug loaded controls valuates this already useful drug delivery platform
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