Experimental Induction of Odontoblast Differentiation and Stimulation During Preparative Processes

In vivo implantation experiments have shown that ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid(EDTA)-soluble frac tions of dentin stimulate reparative dentinogenesis . When isolated embryonic dental papillae were cultured in the presence of these dentin constituents, odontoblast cytological and functional differentiation could be initiated and maintained in the absence of an enamel organ. These effects were attributed to the presence of TGF-/1- related molecules [TGF-/11 or bone morphogenetic protein -2a (BMP-2a)] which had to be used in combination with an EDT A-soluble fraction of dentin in order to specifically affect competent preodontoblasts . These EDT A-soluble constituents present in dentin could be replaced by heparin or fibronectin which both have been reported to interact with TGF-/1. The association of such defined matrix components with a TGF-/1-related molecule represents a biologically active complex triggering odontoblast functional differentiation. In response to caries, odontoblasts modulate their secretory activity and are stimulated to elaborate reactionary dentin. This might be induced by active molecules such as IGF, TGF-6 or BMP which are liberated from dentin consecutively to the demineralization process. Reparative dentinogenesis is distinct from reactionary dentinogenesis and more complex since it implicates the differentiation of precursor cells present in the dental papilla. The developmental history of these cells is different from that of the physiological predontoblasts in developing teeth. The nature of these stem cells and the mechanism of their induction still remain open questions

Benzene at 1GHz. Magnetic field-induced fine structure

International audienceThe deuterium NMR spectrum of benzene-d(6) in a high field spectrometer (1 GHz protons) exhibits a magnetic field-induced deuterium quadrupolar splitting Delta v. The magnitude of Delta v observed for the central resonance is smaller than that observed for the C-13 satellite doublets Delta v'. This difference, Delta(Delta v) Delta v' - Delta v, is due to unresolved fine structure contributions to the respective resonances. We determine the origins of and simulate this difference, and report pulse sequences that exploit the connectivity of the peaks in the C-13 and H-2 spectra to determine the relative signs of the indirect coupling, J(CD), and Delta v. The positive sign found for Delta v is consonant with the magnetic field biasing of an isolated benzene molecule-the magnetic energy of the aromatic ring is lowest for configurations where the C-6 axis is normal to the field. In the neat liquid the magnitude of Delta v is decreased by the pair correlations in this prototypical molecular liquid

Design of a fuzzy affective agent based on typicality degrees of physiological signals

Conference paper presented at International Conference on Information Processing and Management in July 2014Physiology-based emotionally intelligent paradigms provide an opportunity to enhance human computer interactions by continuously evoking and adapting to the user experiences in real-time. However , there are unresolved questions on how to model real- time emotionally intelligent applications through mapping of physiological patterns to users ' affective states. In ·this study, we consider an approach for design of fuzzy affective agent based on the concept of typicality. We propose the use of typicality degrees of physiological patterns to construct the fuzzy rules representing the continuous transitions of user 's affective states. The approach was tested· on experimental data in which physiological measures were recorded on players involved in an action game to characterize various gaming experiences . We show that , in addition to exploitation of the results to characterize users ' affective states through .typicality degrees, this approach is a systematic way to automatically define fuzzy rules from experimental data for an affective agent to be used in real -time continuous assessment of user's affective states.Physiology-based emotionally intelligent paradigms provide an opportunity to enhance human computer interactions by continuously evoking and adapting to the user experiences in real-time. However , there are unresolved questions on how to model real- time emotionally intelligent applications through mapping of physiological patterns to users ' affective states. In ·this study, we consider an approach for design of fuzzy affective agent based on the concept of typicality. We propose the use of typicality degrees of physiological patterns to construct the fuzzy rules representing the continuous transitions of user 's affective states. The approach was tested· on experimental data in which physiological measures were recorded on players involved in an action game to characterize various gaming experiences . We show that , in addition to exploitation of the results to characterize users ' affective states through .typicality degrees, this approach is a systematic way to automatically define fuzzy rules from experimental data for an affective agent to be used in real -time continuous assessment of user's affective states

Reinterpreting Interpretability for Fuzzy Linguistic Descriptions of Data

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Learning Tversky Similarity

In this paper, we advocate Tversky's ratio model as an appropriate basis for computational approaches to semantic similarity, that is, the comparison of objects such as images in a semantically meaningful way. We consider the problem of learning Tversky similarity measures from suitable training data indicating whether two objects tend to be similar or dissimilar. Experimentally, we evaluate our approach to similarity learning on two image datasets, showing that is performs very well compared to existing methods

Expression dynamics of metalloproteinases during mandibular bone formation: association with Myb transcription factor

As the dentition forms and becomes functional, the alveolar bone is remodelled. Metalloproteinases are known to contribute to this process, but new regulators are emerging and their contextualization is challenging. This applies to Myb, a transcription factor recently reported to be involved in bone development and regeneration. The regulatory effect of Myb on Mmps expression has mostly been investigated in tumorigenesis, where Myb impacted the expression of Mmp1, Mmp2, Mmp7, and Mmp9. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the regulatory influence of the Myb on Mmps gene expression, impacting osteogenesis and mandibular bone formation. For that purpose, knock-out mouse model was used. Gene expression of bone-related Mmps and the key osteoblastic transcription factors Runx2 and Sp7 was analysed in Myb knock-out mice mandibles at the survival limit. Out of the metalloproteinases under study, Mmp13 was significantly downregulated. The impact of Myb on the expression of Mmp13 was confirmed by the overexpression of Myb in calvarial-derived cells causing upregulation of Mmp13. Expression of Mmp13 in the context of other Mmps during mandibular/alveolar bone development was followed in vivo along with Myb, Sp7 and Runx2. The most significant changes were observed in the expression of Mmp9 and Mmp13. These MMPs and MYB were further localized in situ by immunohistochemistry and were identified in pre/osteoblastic cells as well as in pre/osteocytes. In conclusion, these results provide a comprehensive insight into the expression dynamics of bone related Mmps during mandibular/alveolar bone formation and point to Myb as another potential regulator of Mmp13

Interactions Between Laminin Receptor and the Cytoskeleton During Translation and Cell Motility

Human laminin receptor acts as both a component of the 40S ribosomal subunit to mediate cellular translation and as a cell surface receptor that interacts with components of the extracellular matrix. Due to its role as the cell surface receptor for several viruses and its overexpression in several types of cancer, laminin receptor is a pathologically significant protein. Previous studies have determined that ribosomes are associated with components of the cytoskeleton, however the specific ribosomal component(s) responsible has not been determined. Our studies show that laminin receptor binds directly to tubulin. Through the use of siRNA and cytoskeletal inhibitors we demonstrate that laminin receptor acts as a tethering protein, holding the ribosome to tubulin, which is integral to cellular translation. Our studies also show that laminin receptor is capable of binding directly to actin. Through the use of siRNA and cytoskeletal inhibitors we have shown that this laminin receptor-actin interaction is critical for cell migration. These data indicate that interactions between laminin receptor and the cytoskeleton are vital in mediating two processes that are intimately linked to cancer, cellular translation and migration

Concept Membership Modeling Using a Choquet Integral

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