In vitro degradation and mechanical properties of PLA-PCL copolymer unit cell scaffolds generated by two-photon polymerization

The manufacture of 3D scaffolds with specific controlled porous architecture, defined microstructure and an adjustable degradation profile was achieved using two-photon polymerization (TPP) with a size of 2  ×  4  ×  2 mm3. Scaffolds made from poly(D,L-lactide-co-ɛ-caprolactone) copolymer with varying lactic acid (LA) and ɛ -caprolactone (CL) ratios (LC16:4, 18:2 and 9:1) were generated via ring-opening-polymerization and photoactivation. The reactivity was quantified using photo-DSC, yielding a double bond conversion ranging from 70% to 90%. The pore sizes for all LC scaffolds were see 300 μm and throat sizes varied from 152 to 177 μm. In vitro degradation was conducted at different temperatures; 37, 50 and 65 °C. Change in compressive properties immersed at 37 °C over time was also measured. Variations in thermal, degradation and mechanical properties of the LC scaffolds were related to the LA/CL ratio. Scaffold LC16:4 showed significantly lower glass transition temperature (T g) (4.8 °C) in comparison with the LC 18:2 and 9:1 (see 32 °C). Rates of mass loss for the LC16:4 scaffolds at all temperatures were significantly lower than that for LC18:2 and 9:1. The degradation activation energies for scaffold materials ranged from 82.7 to 94.9 kJ mol−1. A prediction for degradation time was applied through a correlation between long-term degradation studies at 37 °C and short-term studies at elevated temperatures (50 and 65 °C) using the half-life of mass loss (Time (M1/2)) parameter. However, the initial compressive moduli for LC18:2 and 9:1 scaffolds were 7 to 14 times higher than LC16:4 (see 0.27) which was suggested to be due to its higher CL content (20%). All scaffolds showed a gradual loss in their compressive strength and modulus over time as a result of progressive mass loss over time. The manufacturing process utilized and the scaffolds produced have potential for use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications

Project incomat connectiong biomaterial experts. What about Croatia?

Život milijuna ljudi diljem svijeta poboljšan je ugradnjom neke vrste implanta. Potražnja za novim vrstama implant materijala, kao i starim, poboljšanih svojstava, svakodnevno raste. Stoga ne iznenađuje i stalni porast broja istraživačkih skupina koje se bave istraživanjem, izradom i primjenom biomaterijala. Unatoč tome prisutan je veliki jaz između SAD-a, zemalja EU i zemalja trećega svijeta koje do sada nisu bile uključene u istraživački prostor EU. Cilj je specifične potporne akcije u sklopu FP6 projekta INCOMAT savladavanje toga jaza, na području biomaterijala za regeneraciju čvrstoga tkiva, osnivanjem timova izvrsnosti sastavljenih od stručnjaka iz zemalja EU, trećega svijeta i SAD-a.Lives of millions of people worldwide have been improved by application of some kind of implant. The need for new implant materials, as well as old ones with improved properties has been growing constantly. The number of groups dealing with biomaterials has also been growing constantly. Nevertheless, there is a huge gap between developed and third world countries (including Western Balkan countries, newly independent states), which up to now have not been involved in the European Research Area. The goal of FP6 specific support action - project INCOMAT is to bridge this gap in the field of hard tissue implant materials by forming teams of excellence, which will include experts from USA, EU countries and third world countries

Project incomat connectiong biomaterial experts. What about Croatia?

Život milijuna ljudi diljem svijeta poboljšan je ugradnjom neke vrste implanta. Potražnja za novim vrstama implant materijala, kao i starim, poboljšanih svojstava, svakodnevno raste. Stoga ne iznenađuje i stalni porast broja istraživačkih skupina koje se bave istraživanjem, izradom i primjenom biomaterijala. Unatoč tome prisutan je veliki jaz između SAD-a, zemalja EU i zemalja trećega svijeta koje do sada nisu bile uključene u istraživački prostor EU. Cilj je specifične potporne akcije u sklopu FP6 projekta INCOMAT savladavanje toga jaza, na području biomaterijala za regeneraciju čvrstoga tkiva, osnivanjem timova izvrsnosti sastavljenih od stručnjaka iz zemalja EU, trećega svijeta i SAD-a.Lives of millions of people worldwide have been improved by application of some kind of implant. The need for new implant materials, as well as old ones with improved properties has been growing constantly. The number of groups dealing with biomaterials has also been growing constantly. Nevertheless, there is a huge gap between developed and third world countries (including Western Balkan countries, newly independent states), which up to now have not been involved in the European Research Area. The goal of FP6 specific support action - project INCOMAT is to bridge this gap in the field of hard tissue implant materials by forming teams of excellence, which will include experts from USA, EU countries and third world countries

Characterizing the Potential for Injection-Induced Fault Reactivation Through Subsurface Structural Mapping and Stress Field Analysis, Wellington Field, Sumner County, Kansas

Kansas, like other parts of the central U.S., has experienced a recent increase in seismicity. Correlation of these events with brine disposal operations suggests pore fluid pressure increases are reactivating preexisting faults, but rigorous evaluation at injection sites is lacking. Here we determine the suitability of CO2 injection into the Cambrian‐Ordovician Arbuckle Group for long‐term storage and into a Mississippian reservoir for enhanced oil recovery in Wellington Field, Sumner County, Kansas. To determine the potential for injection‐induced earthquakes, we map subsurface faults and estimate in situ stresses, perform slip and dilation tendency analyses to identify well‐oriented faults relative to the estimated stress field, and determine the pressure changes required to induce slip at reservoir and basement depths. Three‐dimensional seismic reflection data reveal 12 near‐vertical faults, mostly striking NNE, consistent with nodal planes from moment tensor solutions from recent earthquakes in the region. Most of the faults cut both reservoirs and several clearly penetrate the Precambrian basement. Drilling‐induced fractures (N = 40) identified from image logs and inversion of earthquake moment tensor solutions (N = 65) indicate that the maximum horizontal stress is approximately EW. Slip tendency analysis indicates that faults striking <020° are stable under current reservoir conditions, whereas faults striking 020°–049° may be prone to reactivation with increasing pore fluid pressure. Although the proposed injection volume (40,000 t) is unlikely to reactive faults at reservoir depths, high‐rate injection operations could reach pressures beyond the critical threshold for slip within the basement, as demonstrated by the large number of injection‐induced earthquakes west of the study area

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead