Adenovirus Gene Transfer to Amelogenesis Imperfecta Ameloblast-Like Cells

To explore gene therapy strategies for amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), a human ameloblast-like cell population was established from third molars of an AI-affected patient. These cells were characterized by expression of cytokeratin 14, major enamel proteins and alkaline phosphatase staining. Suboptimal transduction of the ameloblast-like cells by an adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) vector was consistent with lower levels of the coxsackie-and-adenovirus receptor (CAR) on those cells relative to CAR-positive A549 cells. To overcome CAR -deficiency, we evaluated capsid-modified Ad5 vectors with various genetic capsid modifications including “pK7” and/or “RGD” motif-containing short peptides incorporated in the capsid protein fiber as well as fiber chimera with the Ad serotype 3 (Ad3) fiber “knob” domain. All fiber modifications provided an augmented transduction of AI-ameloblasts, revealed following vector dose normalization in A549 cells with a superior effect (up to 404-fold) of pK7/RGD double modification. This robust infectivity enhancement occurred through vector binding to both αvβ3/αvβ5 integrins and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) highly expressed by AI-ameloblasts as revealed by gene transfer blocking experiments. This work thus not only pioneers establishment of human AI ameloblast-like cell population as a model for in vitro studies but also reveals an optimal infectivity-enhancement strategy for a potential Ad5 vector-mediated gene therapy for AI

Evaluation of recently developed techniques for estimating diet composition in browsing herbivores.

Accuracy of estimates of botanical composition of herbivore diet may be improved through the use of recently developed techniques (alkane analysis, remote controlled oesophageal fistula valve). Three Boer goats allowed free choice of five forage species were used to compare seven methods of estimating diet composition with observed diet composition. The evaluated techniques either monitored intake [bite-count (IT1), bite mass corrected bite-count (IT2), relative bite mass corrected bite-count (IT3), micro-histological analysis of oesophageal extrusa collected at hourly intervals (IT4)] or faeces [alkane analysis (FT1), micro-histological faecal analysis (FT2), and in vitro corrected, micro-histological faecal analysis (FT3)]. Intake techniques had higher Kulczynski's similarity coefficients with measured values (70.7, 70.2, 65.5, and 78.6 respectively for IT1, IT2, IT3 and IT4) than did faecal techniques (58.9, 58.0 and 51.2 respectively for FT1, FT2 and FT3). Compared to IT2 and IT3, IT4 provided estimates of diet composition that was more similar to measured diet composition in terms of Kulczynski's similarity coefficients. However, estimates of diet composition were significantly different from measured values in 60% of cases for IT4 but only 40% of cases for IT2 and IT3. It is concluded that bite-count techniques (IT1 - IT3) can give as accurate estimate of diet composition as the more costly and technically demanding micro-histological analysis of oesophageal extrusa (IT4)

Dielectric and magnetic properties of high porous Gd+3 substituted nickel zinc ferrite nanoparticles

We report on the synthesis and characterization of Gd+3 substituted Ni-Zn nano ferrites (Ni0.6Zn0.4 GdyFe2-yO4; y = 0, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2) via low-temperature citrate gel auto-combustion method. The structural studies carried out by PXRD revealed a decrease in the lattice constant and crystallite sizes upon Gd+3 substitution with low concentration but increases with further increase in the concentration. We found the porosity of the samples decreases linearly as a function of Gd+3 concentrations. Well defined spherical grains with a higher porosity of the samples are confirmed by FESEM analysis. With an increase in the Gd+3 concentrations, the dielectric constant increased up to five folds in the magnitude. The contribution of grain boundary and other factors on the electrical properties was revealed by impedance spectroscopy. The reduced remanence ratios showed in the magnetic hysteresis imply the charge in change in the magnetic properties upon the substitution of Gd+3 in the prepared ferrite

Universal Systems of Oblivious Mobile Robots

An oblivious mobile robot is a stateless computational entity located in a spatial universe, capable of moving in that universe. When activated, the robot observes the universe and the location of the other robots, chooses a destination, and moves there. The computation of the destination is made by executing an algorithm, the same for all robots, whose sole input is the current observation. No memory of all these actions is retained after the move. When the spatial universe is a graph, distributed computations by oblivious mobile robots have been intensively studied focusing on the conditions for feasibility of basic problems (e.g., gathering, exploration) in specific classes of graphs under different schedulers. In this paper, we embark on a different, more general, type of investigation. With their movements from vertices to neighboring vertices, the robots make the system transition from one configuration to another. Thus the execution of an algorithm from a given configuration defines in a natural way the computation of a discrete function by the system. Our research interest is to understand which functions are computed by which systems. In this paper we focus on identifying sets of systems that are universal, in the sense that they can collectively compute all finite functions. We are able to identify several such classes of fully synchronous systems. In particular, among other results, we prove the universality of the set of all graphs with at least one robot, of any set of graphs with at least two robots whose quotient graphs contain arbitrarily long paths, and of any set of graphs with at least three robots and arbitrarily large finite girths. We then focus on the minimum size that a network must have for the robots to be able to compute all functions on a given finite set. We are able to approximate the minimum size of such a network up to a factor that tends to 2 as n goes to infinity. The main technique we use in our investigation is the simulation between algorithms, which in turn defines domination between systems. If a system dominates another system, then it can compute at least as many functions. The other ingredient is constituted by path and ring networks, of which we give a thorough analysis. Indeed, in terms of implicit function computations, they are revealed to be fundamental topologies with important properties. Understanding these properties enables us to extend our results to larger classes of graphs, via simulation