AN IN VITRO EVALUATION OF DBM AS A TISSUE ENGINEERED SCAFFOLD

Over 500,000 bone graft procedures are performed each year in the United States. Bone grafting involves a surgical procedure to replace missing bone. Problems can arise with donor and defect sites during and after surgery, sometimes resulting in poor clinical results. The development and optimization of bone graft substitutes via a tissue engineering approach could markedly improve bone graft surgical outcome. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM), a bone graft material, is currently used in a clinical setting but has variable success rates. The primary objective of the research presented in this thesis was to assess the cellular activity of D1 mouse stromal cells seeded on either partially demineralized bone matrix (PDBM) substrates or completely demineralized bone matrix substrates (CDBM). Before performing a cell-based experiment involving the varying levels of DBM, a study was performed to determine the optimal media conditions for osteoblast formation. Additives β-glycerophosphate and L-ascorbic acid were added to α-MEM media and cultured with D1 cells on DBM to assess the effects of these additives on the rate of cellular differentiation. Significant differences in osteoblast activity were not noted between the two medium conditions. The final study evaluated cellular activity at four specific time points over a 36 day period after seeding D1 cells on DBM of varying demineralization levels. Based on the assays performed at the four time points, it appears that the D1 cells on the PDBM fragments differentiated toward the osteoblast phenotype and the cellular fragments began to mineralize between 24 and 36 days after initiation of culture, while the cellular CDBM showed minimal potential for mineralization over the course of the study. Additional studies with more frequent time points are necessary to gain a better understanding of the cellular activity of the D1 cells on the DBM

Comparison of Theophylline and 8-Cyclopentyltheophylline on the Heart Rates of Neonatal Rats

Neonatal apnea is a serious condition that affects the health of infants, especially those born prematurely. To stimulate breathing, methylxanthine drugs, such as theophylline and caffeine, are administered to reverse this condition in humans and avoid the use of breathing-assistance equipment. These drugs cause stimulation of the central nervous system and the heart, however, both detrimental side effects in preterm infants. Antagonism of adenosine receptors is the proposed mechanism of methylxanthine action. Synthetic chemists have produced xanthine analogs with increased affinity for adenosine receptors that could lead to respiratory stimulation while reducing cardiostimulant effects. For this study, theophylline and 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT), a potent adenosine A1 receptor antagonist, were used. It was predicted that low doses of CPT necessary to stimulate respiration would produce less stimulation in the heart rate in comparison to higher doses of theophylline. Heart rate in newborn (4-7 day old) rat pups was monitored using an electrocardiogram (ECG). Randomly assigned doses of theophylline, CPT, and saline (0.9% NaCl) control were administered. Theophylline produced a dose-related response in heart rate. The effects of CPT on heart rate were not statistically significant in the dose range tested. The highest dose of theophylline (40 mg/kg) produced a significant 15% increase in heart rate. The highest of the dose of CPT (2560μg/kg) produced a 12% increase in heart rate above the pre-injection control heart rate. These data indicated that it might be possible to separate cardiac and respiratory stimulation of xanthine analogs based on selective antagonism of adenosine A1 receptors

Across the water

Across the Water is a piece for solo cello and audio recording. It was composed using oral history interviews between cellist Stephanie Arnold and Melbourne-based asylum seekers, who tell their stories of journeys to Australia. Each speaker's unique musical style expressed in their prosody is distilled into the cello music, which is designed to enhance perception of the prosody and to concentrate the narrative and emotional aspects of the interviews. This form of storytelling is intended to give space for the complexities and subtleties of emotion and expression behind the often unheeded words of asylum seeker to be heard, not through the noise of politics or media but on the terms and through the voices of asylum seekers themselves. There are three movements in this 16-minute work: 1. Respected as a human 2. I don't know 3. Good woman The work won the Oral History Victoria 2017 award

The importance of sports sponsorship in major events on the example of the European Football Championship 2012

Die folgenden Betrachtungen untersuchen die Bedeutung von Sponsorships für die Organisation von Großveranstaltungen im Sport, insbesondere im Fußball. Neben der Wichtigkeit der Sponsorengelder für die Realisierbarkeit des Events, sollen auch die Gefahren der offiziellen Partner untersucht werden. Diese Betrachtungen erfolgen am Beispiel der Fußball-EM 2012. Im Rahmen der Forschung wurde eine Umfrage zur Erfassung der Sponsorenawareness nach dem Event durchgeführt, die zeigen sollte, ob die Berichterstattung um die Tiermorde und Julija Timoschenko negativen Einfluss auf das Image der Partner hatte. Exemplarisch wurde sich dabei auf die Marke Coca Cola fokussiert. Die Befragung zeigte, dass die Partner nicht mit Skandalen der Ukraine in Verbindung gebracht werden und, dass keiner der Befragten die Europameisterschaft wegen der Berichterstattung boykottiert hat

Novel engineered CHO DG44 host cell line demonstrates lowered UPR, increased titers and superior quality of recombinant vaccines

The Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) DG44 platform is routinely used at the Vaccine Production Program (VPP) for manufacturing Vaccine Research Center (VRC) pipeline therapeutic proteins. Clonal cell lines have been generated that express broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bNmAbs) against HIV-1 with titers ranging between 1 and 5 g/L. In the analysis of data from high and low productivity clones across a range of projects, high-producing clones were found to display increased viable cell density (VCD) and viability at later days in fed-batch culture. With an objective to understand the underlying mechanism for the observed differences in titer, we investigated the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) pathway and found that multiple genes were differentially regulated among high- and low-producing clones. UPR-induced apoptosis was observed to be significantly higher in lower-producing clones and significantly lower in higher-producing clones at late days in culture. Our initial analysis emphasized a need to generate a platform host cell with lowered UPR and more efficient protein secretion capacity to achieve maximum yields. Through the course of developing and characterizing a panel of cell lines expressing varying levels of human furin for use in a trimeric viral antigen project, a CHO DG44 clone expressing low levels of human furin was identified that had high VCD and viability in later days of fed-batch culture. Reduced UPR at late days in these cells, particularly the lowered expression of apoptotic genes, was seen to correlate to the late day increases in VCD and viability. When the low furin expressing host CHO DG44 cells were used for recombinant protein expression, the increases in VCD and viabilities were maintained compared to platform CHO DG44 host and we achieved a 3 X increase in viral antigen titers without any change in the existing upstream process. It is our goal to characterize the quality of recombinant proteins expressed in DG44- furin engineered clones. The extent of unfolded protein response in viral antigen expressing clones, furin level, and the influence of these factors on the quality of protein is currently under investigation. Our work describes a successful effort to rationally develop a superior host cell for increased and efficient yield of difficult-to-synthesize recombinant targets and points to a potential path forward for generating higher-producing clones for bNmAbs as well

Watertightness Assessment of Blown-in Retrofit Cavity Wall Insulation

AbstractThe Belgian building stock is characterised by a vast amount of houses with non-insulated cavity walls, creating high potential for blown-in retrofit cavity wall insulation. Although retrofit insulation is becoming standard practice, there is a prevalent uncertainty about test procedures and evaluation standards. Moreover, hardly any information is available on the amount of water ingress through insulated or non-insulated cavity walls. In this paper, existing test procedures and measured leakage rates are discussed and related to the dimensions of the cavity wall and the characteristics of the insulation material

Incidence and public health burden of sunburn among beachgoers in the United States.

The beach environment creates many barriers to effective sun protection, putting beachgoers at risk for sunburn, a well-established risk factor for skin cancer. Our objective was to estimate incidence of sunburn among beachgoers and evaluate the relationship between sunburn incidence and sun-protective behaviors. A secondary analysis, of prospective cohorts at 12 locations within the U.S. from 2003 to 2009 (n = 75,614), were pooled to evaluate sunburn incidence 10-12 days after the beach visit. Behavioral and environmental conditions were cross-tabulated with sunburn incidence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between new sunburn and sun-protective behaviors. Overall, 13.1% of beachgoers reported sunburn. Those aged 13-18 years (16.5%), whites (16.0%), and those at beach locations along the Eastern Seaboard (16.1%), had the highest incidence of sunburn. For those spending ≥5 h in the sun, the use of multiple types of sun protection reduced odds of sunburn by 55% relative to those who used no sun protection (Odds Ratio = 0.45 (95% Confidence Interval:0.27-0.77)) after adjusting for skin type, age, and race. Acute health effects of sunburn tend to be mild and self-limiting, but potential long-term health consequences are more serious and costly. Efforts to encourage and support proper sun-protective behaviors, and increase access to shade, protective clothing, and sunscreen, can help prevent sunburn and reduce skin cancer risk among beachgoers

Watertightness and water management of curtain walls

Curtain wall systems typically rely on pressure equalization to achieve a good watertightness. The insulating glass unit is clamped to the mullion between two gaskets, functioning as a rain screen and airtightness layer. When the curtain wall system is subjected to wind driven rain and a pressure difference, water may penetrate past the first gasket into the drained cavity. Depending on the airtightness of the interior and exterior gaskets, the pressure equalisation will determine the actual pressure over the exterior gasket. That pressure, in combination with hydrostatic pressure from water runoff, is the most important driving forces for water ingress. In this paper, the watertightness and drainage of water in curtain wall systems is investigated. In an experimental setup, a fullscale curtain wall system was subjected to a range of pressure differences under static and cyclic test procedures. For each condition, the water ingress into the drained cavity was measured. Next to that, the phenomenology of water ingress was analyzed based on airtightness measurements, dynamic watertightness tests, and pressure equalisation

Unmasking “Mean Girls” Panel

This featured panel discusses the prevalence of female juvenile violence; reported incidences of this violence; factors associated with violent behavior; and implications for families, schools, and communities for ending violent schoolgirl behavior