43 research outputs found
Biofabrication of customized bone grafts by combination of additive manufacturing and bioreactor knowhow
This study reports on an original concept of additive manufacturing for the fabrication of
tissue engineered constructs (TEC), offering the possibility of concomitantly manufacturing a
customized scaffold and a bioreactor chamber to any size and shape. As a proof of concept
towards the development of anatomically relevant TECs, this concept was utilized for the
design and fabrication of a highly porous sheep tibia scaffold around which a bioreactor
chamber of similar shape was simultaneously built. The morphology of the bioreactor/scaffold
device was investigated by micro-computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy
confirming the porous architecture of the sheep tibiae as opposed to the non-porous nature of
the bioreactor chamber. Additionally, this study demonstrates that both the shape, as well as
the inner architecture of the device can significantly impact the perfusion of fluid within the
scaffold architecture. Indeed, fluid flow modelling revealed that this was of significant
importance for controlling the nutrition flow pattern within the scaffold and the bioreactor
chamber, avoiding the formation of stagnant flow regions detrimental for in vitro tissue
development. The bioreactor/scaffold device was dynamically seeded with human primary
osteoblasts and cultured under bi-directional perfusion for two and six weeks. Primary human
osteoblasts were observed homogenously distributed throughout the scaffold, and were viable
for the six week culture period. This work demonstrates a novel application for additive
manufacturing in the development of scaffolds and bioreactors. Given the intrinsic flexibility
of the additive manufacturing technology platform developed, more complex culture systems
can be fabricated which would contribute to the advances in customized and patient-specific
tissue engineering strategies for a wide range of applications.This work was supported by the NHMRC, the Australian Research Council and Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship, IAS-TUM. Pedro Costa acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for his PhD grant (SFRH/BD/62452/2009)
Fungal associates of the lodgepole pine beetle, Dendroctonus murrayanae
Bark beetles are well known vectors of ophiostomatoid fungi including species of Ophiostoma, Grosmannia and Ceratocystis. In this study, the most common ophiostomatoid fungi associated with the lodgepole pine beetle, Dendroctonus murrayanae, were characterized. Pre-emergent and post-attack adult beetles were collected from lodgepole pines at four sites in British Columbia, Canada. Fungi were isolated from these beetles and identified using a combination of morphology and DNA sequence comparisons of five gene regions. In all four populations, Grosmannia aurea was the most common associate (74–100% of all beetles) followed closely by Ophiostoma abietinum (29–75%). Other fungi isolated, in order of their relative prevalence with individual beetles were an undescribed Leptographium sp. (0–13%), Ophiostoma ips (0–15%), Ophiostoma piliferum (0–11%), a Pesotum sp. (0–11%) and Ophiostoma floccosum (0–1%). Comparisons of the DNA sequences of Leptographium strains isolated in this study, with ex-type isolates of G. aurea, Grosmannia robusta, Leptographium longiclavatum, and Leptographium terebrantis, as well as with sequences from GenBank, revealed a novel lineage within the Grosmannia clavigera complex. This lineage included some of the D. murrayane isolates as well as several isolates from previous studies referred to as L. terebrantis. However, the monophyly of this lineage is not well supported and a more comprehensive study will be needed to resolve its taxonomic status as one or more novel taxa.National Science Foundation grant OISE-0434171 awarded to DLS, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative Grant to ALC, members of the Tree Co-operative Programme, the THRIP initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa
Skipper-CCD Sensors for the Oscura Experiment: Requirements and Preliminary Tests
Oscura is a proposed multi-kg skipper-CCD experiment designed for a dark
matter (DM) direct detection search that will reach unprecedented sensitivity
to sub-GeV DM-electron interactions with its 10 kg detector array. Oscura is
planning to operate at SNOLAB with 2070 m overburden, and aims to reach a
background goal of less than one event in each electron bin in the 2-10
electron ionization-signal region for the full 30 kg-year exposure, with a
radiation background rate of 0.01 dru. In order to achieve this goal, Oscura
must address each potential source of background events, including instrumental
backgrounds. In this work, we discuss the main instrumental background sources
and the strategy to control them, establishing a set of constraints on the
sensors' performance parameters. We present results from the tests of the first
fabricated Oscura prototype sensors, evaluate their performance in the context
of the established constraints and estimate the Oscura instrumental background
based on these results
Early Science with the Oscura Integration Test
Oscura is a planned light-dark matter search experiment using Skipper-CCDs
with a total active mass of 10 kg. As part of the detector development, the
collaboration plans to build the Oscura Integration Test (OIT), an engineering
test experiment with 10% of the Oscura's total mass. Here we discuss the early
science opportunities with the OIT to search for millicharged particles (mCPs)
using the NuMI beam at Fermilab. mCPs would be produced at low energies through
photon-mediated processes from decays of scalar, pseudoscalar, and vector
mesons, or direct Drell-Yan productions. Estimates show that the OIT would be a
world-leading probe for low-mass mCPs.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure
Boost salt studies : scientist
A report has been released by the Northern Great Plains Research Centre supervisory agricultural engineer, Eugene (Red) Doering who spent two weeks in the wheatbelt studying the problem of waterlogging and soil salinity. The report makes valuable conclusions on salinity and waterlogging in Western Australia, WISALTS president Lex Hardie of Narrogin says that it will be useful in lobbying government and agricultural companies to fund research into the problem. WISALTS interceptor banks are designed to control surface and sub-surface lateral water flow on the upper hill slopes but the effectiveness of the banks is yet to be quantified in scientific measurement. WISALTS has planned a seven-year research project west of Mount Barker where the physical, chemical and biological effects of the interceptor banks will be determined. The Agriculture Department has denied the importance of the interceptor banks claiming the upward vertical movement of the water table is the biggest cause of salinity. Mr Doering says that despite the basic disagreements, WISALTS banks have a place in the department's system as they increase the potential for water utilisation where it falls. Soil Conservation Commissioner, Graeme Robertson said the WISALTS banks are successful in the control of waterlogging, but do not prove useful with salt encroachment.
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This article is part of the WISALTS (Whittington Interceptor Sustainable Agriculture Land Treatment Society Incorporated) Collection