A novel bio-degradable polymer membrane to control the degradation of Mg-based metallic biomaterial for orthopaedic implantation

Oral Paper Session - Research: Biomaterials VI: abstract no. 31794Biodegradable metallic materials such as magnesium-based alloys are the potential candidates of replacing the currently used non-degradable metallic implants. However, the fast degradation rate and hydrogen gas release may hinder its use. To remedy these complications, our group has developed a controllable biodegradable polymer coating, polycaprolactone (PCL), onto magnesium alloy surface. This study aims to investigate the surface mechanics, in-vitro and in-vivo properties of the modified magnesium …postprin

Low modulus novel bone substitutes for osteoporotic vertebral fracture management

Oral presentationpublished_or_final_versioneCM XIII - Bone Fixation, Repair & Regeneration, Davos Platz, Switzerland, 24-26 June 2012. In European Cells & Materials, 2012, v. 24 n. Suppl. 1, p. 1

Magnesium plasma modified bone allograft for Large Bone Defect Treatment

Invited TalkBone allograft is the most widely accepted approach in treating patients suffering from large segmental bone defect regardless of the advancement of synthetic bone substitutes[ I, 2]. However, the long-term complications of allograft application in term of delayed union or even nonunion were reported due to the stringent sterilization process prior to clinical implantation[3, 4]. Our previous studies demonstrated that the incorporation of magnesium ions (Mg2+) into biomaterials could …postprin

Engineered magnesium-based resorbable porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering

INTRODUCTION: Bone tissue engineering offers an alternative solution to the traditional methods of bone replacement including allografts and autografts [1]. Although these biological materials possess good osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties, both of them have limitations in terms of the availability, donor site morbidity and the risk of disease transmission with the use of allografts [2]. Therefore, the use of synthetic scaffold is the most common technique and good approach to regenerate diseased or damaged bone tissue. An ideal bone substitute should possess certain properties including ...postprin

An Exome-Chip Association Analysis in Chinese Subjects Reveals a Functional Missense Variant of GCKR That Regulates FGF21 Levels

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is increasingly recognized as an important metabolic regulator of glucose homeostasis. Here, we conducted an exome-chip association analysis by genotyping 5,169 Chinese individuals from a community-based cohort and two clinic-based cohorts. A custom Asian exome-chip was used to detect genetic determinants influencing circulating FGF21 levels. Single-variant association analysis interrogating 70,444 single nucleotide polymorphisms identified a novel locus, GCKR, significantly associated with circulating FGF21 levels at genome-wide significance. In the combined analysis, the common missense variant of GCKR, rs1260326 (p.Pro446Leu), showed an association with FGF21 levels after adjustment for age and sex (P = 1.61 × 10−12; β [SE] = 0.14 [0.02]), which remained significant on further adjustment for BMI (P = 3.01 × 10−14; β [SE] = 0.15 [0.02]). GCKR Leu446 may influence FGF21 expression via its ability to increase glucokinase (GCK) activity. This can lead to enhanced FGF21 expression via elevated fatty acid synthesis, consequent to the inhibition of carnitine/palmitoyl-transferase by malonyl-CoA, and via increased glucose-6-phosphate–mediated activation of the carbohydrate response element binding protein, known to regulate FGF21 gene expression. Our findings shed new light on the genetic regulation of FGF21 levels. Further investigations to dissect the relationship between GCKR and FGF21, with respect to the risk of metabolic diseases, are warranted.postprin

High frequency diffraction of an electromagnetic plane wave by an imperfectly conducting rectangular cylinder

Copyright @ 2011 IEEEWe shall consider the the problem of determining the scattered far wave field produced when a plane E-polarized wave is incident on an imperfectly conducting rectangular cylinder. By using the the uniform asymptotic solution for the problem of the diffraction of a plane wave by a right-angled impedance wedge, in conjunction with Keller's method, the a high frequency far field solution to the problem is given

Binary orbits as the driver of γ-ray emission and mass ejection in classical novae

Classical novae are the most common astrophysical thermonuclear explosions, occurring on the surfaces of white dwarf stars accreting gas from companions in binary star systems. Novae typically expel �10,000 solar masses of material at velocities exceeding 1,000 km/s. However, the mechanism of mass ejection in novae is poorly understood, and could be dominated by the impulsive flash of the thermonuclear runaway, prolonged optically thick winds, or binary interaction with the nova envelope. Classical novae are now routinely detected in GeV gamma-rays, suggesting that relativistic particles are accelerated by strong shocks in nova ejecta. Here we present high-resolution imaging of the gamma-ray-emitting nova V959 Mon at radio wavelengths, showing that its ejecta were shaped by binary motion: some gas was expelled rapidly along the poles as a wind from the white dwarf, while denser material drifted out along the equatorial plane, propelled by orbital motion. At the interface between the equatorial and polar regions, we observe synchrotron emission indicative of shocks and relativistic particle acceleration, thereby pinpointing the location of gamma-ray production. Binary shaping of the nova ejecta and associated internal shocks are expected to be widespread among novae, explaining why many novae are gamma-ray emitters

Measurement invariance of the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS9-SF) across Albania, USA, UK, and Italy

The IGDS9-SF, which assesses Internet Gaming Disorder behaviors, has been validated in a number of countries (Portugal, Italy, Iran, Slovenia), although the psychometric equivalence of the instrument has been assessed only across Australia, the USA, the UK, and India. This research aimed at providing further cross-cultural insights into IGD by assessing the factorial structure of the IGDS9-SF in Albania and investigating its measurement invariance across Albanian, Italian, American, and British gamers. Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analyses were performed on a sample of 1411 participants from Albania (n=228), USA (n=237), the UK (n=275), and Italy (n=671). The CFAs confirmed the single-factor structure in the four countries. Measurement invariance supported the configural invariance and partially supported the metric and scalar invariance. Overall, the findings provided evidence for the underlying factor assessing IGD across the countries, although the specific meaning of the construct was non-identical

The effects of social service contact on teenagers in England

Objective: This study investigated outcomes of social service contact during teenage years. Method: Secondary analysis was conducted of the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England (N = 15,770), using data on reported contact with social services resulting from teenagers’ behavior. Outcomes considered were educational achievement and aspiration, mental health, and locus of control. Inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment was used to estimate the effect of social service contact. Results: There was no significant difference between those who received social service contact and those who did not for mental health outcome or aspiration to apply to university. Those with contact had lower odds of achieving good exam results or of being confident in university acceptance if sought. Results for locus of control were mixed. Conclusions: Attention is needed to the role of social services in supporting the education of young people in difficulty. Further research is needed on the outcomes of social services contact

Axion Protection from Flavor

The QCD axion fails to solve the strong CP problem unless all explicit PQ violating, Planck-suppressed, dimension n<10 operators are forbidden or have exponentially small coefficients. We show that all theories with a QCD axion contain an irreducible source of explicit PQ violation which is proportional to the determinant of the Yukawa interaction matrix of colored fermions. Generically, this contribution is of low operator dimension and will drastically destabilize the axion potential, so its suppression is a necessary condition for solving the strong CP problem. We propose a mechanism whereby the PQ symmetry is kept exact up to n=12 with the help of the very same flavor symmetries which generate the hierarchical quark masses and mixings of the SM. This "axion flavor protection" is straightforwardly realized in theories which employ radiative fermion mass generation and grand unification. A universal feature of this construction is that the heavy quark Yukawa couplings are generated at the PQ breaking scale.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure