Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying blood vessel lumen formation

The establishment of a functional vascular system requires multiple complex steps throughout embryogenesis, from endothelial cell (EC) specification to vascular patterning into venous and arterial hierarchies. Following the initial assembly of ECs into a network of cord-like structures, vascular expansion and remodeling occur rapidly through morphogenetic events including vessel sprouting, fusion, and pruning. In addition, vascular morphogenesis encompasses the process of lumen formation, critical for the transformation of cords into perfusable vascular tubes. Studies in mouse, zebrafish, frog, and human endothelial cells have begun to outline the cellular and molecular requirements underlying lumen formation. Although the lumen can be generated through diverse mechanisms, the coordinated participation of multiple conserved molecules including transcription factors, small GTPases, and adhesion and polarity proteins remains a fundamental principle, leading us closer to a more thorough understanding of this complex event

Converting softwood to hardwood with supercritical fluids and gas-expanded liquids

Conversion of low-value softwood into high-value building materials is an important issue for sustainability in addition to economic growth. Impregnation of wood with polymeric materials by traditional vacuum-pressure process results in non-uniform distribution of materials in the pores of various sizes. Supercritical fluids have shown excellent diffusivity, near zero surface tension and excellent penetration which can be utilized in the process of densification of wood. In this work, we examined the ability of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and CO2 gas expanded liquids to transport poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer and methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer, during in-situ polymerization into four different types of softwoods, i.e. cedar, western pine, eastern pine and costal hemlock, to make composite materials. The scCO2 experimental conditions were investigated and optimized at temperatures of 40 and 50 °C, and pressures of 2000 and 4000 psi using AIBN as initiator. The optimum temperature and pressure were found at 50 °C and 4000 psi to obtain the maximum PMMA loadings of more than 30 wt%. The PMMA loading of more than 100 wt% was achieved by using CO2 gas expanded MMA as the media to deliver MMA into the wood matrix at 50 °C and 200 psi. The material properties of the PMMA impregnated wood were analyzed by a variety of physico-chemical techniques including FTIR, SEM, and optical microscopy to understand the material composition and PMMA distribution within the softwood matrix. PMMA was found to be distributed throughout the porous wood matrix evenly, attributed to the transport properties of scCO2. The material properties including heat stability, water resistance, dimensional stability and hardness were also investigated and found to be greatly improved for the PMMA impregnated wood compared to the unmodified softwood. Better improvement was achieved by more loading of PMMA. The supercritical CO2 and CO2 gas expanded MMA processes showed great promise as a novel and green technique for polymer impregnation of wood to achieve improved properties

Alcohol and Substance Abuse in Higher Education: Suggestions for Student Affairs Professionals

2 Table of Content

Nitrous oxide distribution and its origin in the central and eastern South Pacific Subtropical Gyre

The mechanisms of microbial nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) production in the ocean have been the subject of many discussions in recent years. New isotopomeric tools can further refine our knowledge of N<sub>2</sub>O sources in natural environments. This study compares hydrographic, N<sub>2</sub>O concentration, and N<sub>2</sub>O isotopic and isotopomeric data from three stations along a coast-perpendicular transect in the South Pacific Ocean, extending from the center (Sts. GYR and EGY) of the subtropical oligotrophic gyre (~26° S; 114° W) to the upwelling zone (St. UPX) off the central Chilean coast (~34° S). Although AOU/N<sub>2</sub>O and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> trends support the idea that most of the N<sub>2</sub>O (mainly from intermediate water (200–600 m)) comes from nitrification, N<sub>2</sub>O isotopomeric composition (intramolecular distribution of <sup>15</sup>N isotopes) expressed as SP (site preference of <sup>15</sup>N) shows low values (10 to 12permil) that could be attributed to the production through of microbial nitrifier denitrification (reduction of nitrite to N<sub>2</sub>O mediated by ammonium oxidizers). The coincidence of this SP signal with high – stability layer, where sinking organic particles can accumulate, suggests that N<sub>2</sub>O could be produced by nitrifier denitrification inside particles. It is postulated that deceleration of particles in the pycnocline can modify the advection - diffusion balance inside particles, allowing the accumulation of nitrite and O<sub>2</sub> depletion suitable for nitrifier denitrication. As lateral advection seems to be relatively insignificant in the gyre, in situ nitrifier denitrification could account for 40–50% of the N<sub>2</sub>O produced in this layer. In contrast, coastal upwelling system is characterized by O<sub>2</sub> deficient condition and some N deficit in a eutrophic system. Here, N<sub>2</sub>O accumulates up to 480% saturation, and isotopic and isotopomer signals show highly complex N<sub>2</sub>O production processes, which presumably reflect both the effect of nitrification and denitrification at low O<sub>2</sub> levels on N<sub>2</sub>O production, but net N<sub>2</sub>O consumption by denitrification was not observed

Influence of Topological Edge States on the Properties of Al/Bi2Se3/Al Hybrid Josephson Devices

In superconductor-topological insulator-superconductor hybrid junctions, the barrier edge states are expected to be protected against backscattering, to generate unconventional proximity effects, and, possibly, to signal the presence of Majorana fermions. The standards of proximity modes for these types of structures have to be settled for a neat identification of possible new entities. Through a systematic and complete set of measurements of the Josephson properties we find evidence of ballistic transport in coplanar Al-Bi2Se3-Al junctions that we attribute to a coherent transport through the topological edge state. The shunting effect of the bulk only influences the normal transport. This behavior, which can be considered to some extent universal, is fairly independent of the specific features of superconducting electrodes. A comparative study of Shubnikov - de Haas oscillations and Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy gave an experimental signature compatible with a two dimensional electron transport channel with a Dirac dispersion relation. A reduction of the size of the Bi2Se3 flakes to the nanoscale is an unavoidable step to drive Josephson junctions in the proper regime to detect possible distinctive features of Majorana fermions.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

J.-H. Rosny, romancier scientifique

S’il existe encore, à l’heure actuelle, une majorité dans le public et parmi la critique pour contester la grandeur et la beauté poétiques de toutes les œuvres qu’inspira la croyance scientifique, ce n’est qu’en se retranchant derrière le plus entêté refus d’admirer, qu’elle garde intacte ses convictions. Elle ignore ou veut ignorer. Aussi bien, est-ce quelque chose qui déconcerte, que les qualités supérieures des romans de M. J.-H. Rosn..

Solving Riccati time-dependent models with random quadratic coefficient

This paper deals with the construction of approximate solutions of a random logistic differential equation whose nonlinear coefficient is assumed to be an analytic stochastic process and the initial condition is a random variable. Applying p-mean stochastic calculus, the nonlinear equation is transformed into a random linear equation whose coefficients keep analyticity. Next, an approximate solution of the nonlinear problem is constructed in terms of a random power series solution of the associate linear problem. Approximations of the average and variance of the solution are provided. The proposed technique is illustrated through an example where comparisons with respect to Monte Carlo simulations are shown. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish M.C.Y.T. grants MTM2009-08587, DPI2010-20891-C02-01, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia grant PAID06-09-2588 and Mexican Conacyt.Cortés López, JC.; Jódar Sánchez, LA.; Company Rossi, R.; Villafuerte Altuzar, L. (2011). Solving Riccati time-dependent models with random quadratic coefficient. Applied Mathematics Letters. 24(12):2193-2196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aml.2011.06.024S21932196241

Correction of moisture effects on near infrared calibration for the analysis of phenol content in eucalyptus wood extracts

Les méthodes basées sur la spectroscopie proche infrarouge pour estimer les propriétés du bois sont sensibles aux variations des paramètres physiques (température, granulométrie. . . ). Le bois étant un matériau hygroscopique sensible, l'influence de l'humidité sur l'absorbance et l'étalonnage proche infrarouge a été étudiée afin de mieux considérer les possibilités d'applications dans des conditions réelles.Un étalonnage de référence de la quantité de polyphénols présents dans les extraits a été établi à partir de spectres d'une collection de bois d'hybrides d'Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis à humidité constante fixée. D'autres spectres ont été obtenus sur des échantillons de même provenance mais à 8 teneurs en eau couvrant une large plage de variation. L'influence de l'humidité sur l'absorbance proche infrarouge puis sur l'estimation par le modèle de référence a été analysée. / Methods based on near infrared spectroscopy used to assess wood properties are susceptible to variations in physical parameters (temperature, grain size, etc). As wood is a hygroscopically sensitive material, we studied the effects of moisure on near infrared absorbance and calibration to accurately determine the application potential of this technique under routine. A collection of Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis hybrid wood pieces were analysed to obtain reference calibration of polyphenol contents in wood extracts via NIR spectra acquired under constant moisture conditions.Others specimens from the same source were assessed to obtain spectra for eight moisture contents spanning a broad variation range. The effects of moisture on absorption and on estimates based on a reference model were analysed. An increase in moisture content prompteda rise in near infrared absorption over the entire spectrum and the water O-H absorption bands. The polyphenol content estimates obtained by assessing specimens against the reference calibration at variable moisture contents revealed prediction bias. Five correction methods were then tested on enhance the robustness relative to moisture. In-depth calibration and external parameter orthogonalization were found to be the most efficient methods for offsetting this factor

Growing Teratoma Syndrome: An Asian Woman with Immature Teratoma of Left Ovary After Chemotherapy

International audienceAims: Loss-of-function of the cardiac sodium channel NaV1.5 is a common feature of Brugada syndrome. Arrhythmias arise preferentially from the right ventricle (RV) despite equivalent NaV1.5 downregulation in the left ventricle (LV). The reasons for increased RV sensitivity to NaV1.5 loss-of-function mutations remain unclear. Because ventricular electrical activation occurs predominantly in the transmural axis, we compare RV and LV transmural electrophysiology to determine the underlying cause of the asymmetrical conduction abnormalities in Scn5a haploinsufficient mice (Scn5a+/-). Methods and results: Optical mapping and two-photon microscopy in isolated-perfused mouse hearts demonstrated equivalent depression of transmural conduction velocity (CV) in the LV and RV of Scn5a+/- vs. wild-type littermates. Only RV transmural conduction was further impaired when challenged with increased pacing frequencies. Epicardial dispersion of activation and beat-to-beat variation in activation time were increased only in the RV of Scn5a+/- hearts. Analysis of confocal and histological images revealed larger intramural clefts between cardiomyocyte layers in the RV vs. LV, independent of genotype. Acute sodium current inhibition in wild type hearts using tetrodotoxin reproduced beat-to-beat activation variability and frequency-dependent CV slowing in the RV only, with the LV unaffected. The influence of clefts on conduction was examined using a two-dimensional monodomain computational model. When peak sodium channel conductance was reduced to 50% of normal the presence of clefts between cardiomyocyte layers reproduced the activation variability and conduction phenotype observed experimentally. Conclusions: Normal structural heterogeneities present in the RV are responsible for increased vulnerability to conduction slowing in the presence of reduced sodium channel function. Heterogeneous conduction slowing seen in the RV will predispose to functional block and the initiation of re-entrant ventricular arrhythmias