Effect of recombinant TRAIL in a murine co-culture system of osteoclastogenesis

Although some experimental evidence has implicated the TRAIL/TRAIL-receptor system in the regulation of osteoclastogenesis, the only available studies performed so far have been performed on isolated pre-osteoclasts, induced to differentiate by the addition of recombinant RANKL and M-CSF. Using a more physiological co-culture system in the absence of exogenous cytokines, we have here demonstrated that recombinant TRAIL inhibits osteoclast formation, but only at relatively high concentrations (500 ng/mL)

Clathrin-dependent endocytosis of membrane-bound RANKL in differentiated osteoclasts

Bone is continuously repaired and remodelled through well-coordinated activity of osteoblasts that form new bone and osteoclasts, which resorb it. Osteoblasts synthesize and secrete two key molecules that are important for osteoclast differentiation, namely the ligand for the receptor of activator of nuclear factor κB (RANKL) and its decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG). Active membrane transport is a typical feature of the resorbing osteoclast during bone resorption. Normally, one resorption cycle takes several hours as observed by monitoring actin ring formation and consequent disappearance in vitro. During these cyclic changes, the cytoskeleton undergoes remarkable dynamic rearrangement. Active cells show a continuous process of exocytosis that plays an essential role in transport of membrane components, soluble molecules and receptor-mediated ligands thus allowing them to communicate with the environment. The processes that govern intracellular transport and trafficking in mature osteoclasts are poorly known. The principal methodological problem that have made these studies difficult is a physiological culture of osteoclasts that permit observing the vesicle apparatus in conditions similar to the in vivo conditions. In the present study we have used a number of morphological approaches to characterize the composition, formation and the endocytic and biosynthetic pathways that play roles in dynamics of differentiation of mature bone resorbing cells using a tri-dimensional system of physiologic coculture

A general aspect-term-extraction model for multi-criteria recommendations

In recent years, increasingly large quantities of user reviews have been made available by several e-commerce platforms. This content is very useful for recommender systems (RSs), since it reflects the users' opinion of the items regarding several aspects. In fact, they are especially valuable for RSs that are able to exploit multi-faceted user ratings. However, extracting aspect-based ratings from unstructured text is not a trivial task. Deep Learning models for aspect extraction have proven to be effective, but they need to be trained on large quantities of domain-specific data, which are not always available. In this paper, we explore the possibility of transferring knowledge across domains for automatically extracting aspects from user reviews, and its implications in terms of recommendation accuracy. We performed different experiments with several Deep Learning-based Aspect Term Extraction (ATE) techniques and Multi-Criteria recommendation algorithms. Results show that our framework is able to improve recommendation accuracy compared to several baselines based on single-criteria recommendation, despite the fact that no labeled data in the target domain was used when training the ATE model

Silica containing composite anion exchange membranes by sol–gel synthesis: a short review

This short review summarizes the literature on composite anion exchange membranes (AEM) containing an organo-silica network formed by sol-gel chemistry. The article covers AEM for diffusion dialysis (DD), for electrochemical energy technologies including fuel cells and redox flow batteries, and for electrodialysis. By applying a vast variety of organically modified silica compounds (ORMOSIL), many composite AEM reported in the last 15 years are based on poly (vinylalcohol) (PVA) or poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) used as polymer matrix. The most stringent requirements are high permselectivity and water flux for DD membranes, while high ionic conductivity is essential for electrochemical applications. Furthermore, the alkaline stability of AEM for fuel cell applications remains a challenging problem that is not yet solved. Possible future topics of investigation on composite AEM containing an organo-silica network are also discussed

System and method for improved rotor tip performance

The present invention discloses systems and methods for the performance enhancement of rotary wing aircraft through reduced torque, noise and vibration. In one embodiment, a system includes a sail having an aerodynamic shape positioned proximate to a tip of the rotor blade. An actuator may be configured to rotate the sail relative to the blade tip. a A control system receives information from a rotorcraft system and commands the actuator to rotate the sail to a predetermined favorable rotor blade operating condition. In another embodiment, a method includes configuring the rotorcraft in a selected flight condition, communicating input signals to a control system operable to position sails coupled to tips of blades of a rotor assembly, processing the input signals according to a constraint condition to generate sail positional information, and transferring the sail positional information to the sail

A domain-independent framework for building conversational recommender systems

Conversational Recommender Systems (CoRSs) implement a paradigm where users can interact with the system for defining their preferences and discovering items that best fit their needs. A CoRS can be straightforwardly implemented as a chatbot. Chatbots are becoming more and more popular for several applications like customer care, health care, medical diagnoses. In the most complex form, the implementation of a chatbot is a challenging task since it requires knowledge about natural language processing, human-computer interaction, and so on. In this paper, we propose a general framework for making easy the generation of conversational recommender systems. The framework, based on a content-based recommendation algorithm, is independent from the domain. Indeed, it allows to build a conversational recommender system with different interaction modes (natural language, buttons, hybrid) for any domain. The framework has been evaluated on two state-of-the-art datasets with the aim of identifying the components that mainly influence the final recommendation accuracy

System and method for improved rotor tip performance

Embodiments of systems and methods for enhancing the performance of rotary wing aircraft through reduced torque, noise and vibration are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes configuring the rotorcraft in a selected flight condition, communicating input signals to a control system operable to position sails coupled to tips of blades of a rotor assembly, processing the input signals according to a constraint condition to generate sail positional information, and transferring the sail positional information to the sail. Alternately, input signals may be communicated to a control system operable to position a plurality of sails, each sail having an aerodynamic shape and positioned proximate to a tip portion of the rotor blade. The input signals may be configured to rotate each sail about a longitudinal axis into a corresponding pitch angle independently of the other sails

Heisenberg scaling precision in multi-mode distributed quantum metrology

We consider the estimation of an arbitrary parameter φ, such as the temperature or a magnetic field, affecting in a distributed manner the components of an arbitrary linear optical passive network, such as an integrated chip. We demonstrate that Heisenberg scaling precision (i.e. of the order of 1/N, where N is the number of probe photons) can be achieved without any iterative adaptation of the interferometer hardware and by using only a simple, single, squeezed light source and well-established homodyne measurements techniques. Furthermore, no constraint on the possible values of the parameter is needed but only a preliminary shot-noise estimation (i.e. with a precision of) easily achievable without any quantum resources. Indeed, such a classical knowledge of the parameter is enough to prepare a single, suitable optical stage either at the input or the output of the network to monitor with Heisenberg-limited precision any variation of the parameter to the order of without the need to iteratively modify such a stage

Lamellar and «club-shaped» corpuscular nerve endings in human gingival mucosa. A light and electron microscopic study

A study on the presence of corpuscular nerve endings in human gingival mucosa was performed using both light and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. Both round and oval lamellar corpuscles were detected by light microscopy. They were located either subepithelially, close to the basement membrane, or within the papillae, deeply invaginated into the overlying epithelium. TEM techniques showed convoluted structures with unmyelinated fibre arborizations leading to an afferent fibre supported by the so called lamellar cells. The presence of blood vessels, collagenous fibrils, desmosome-like junctions, cytoplasmic organelles, as well as the similarity with some previously described mechanoreceptors, suggested the role of such corpuscular nerve endings in transmitting a nervous impulse induced by mechanical stimulation. Other simpler structures were also observed and named «club-shaped» corpuscles: they could support the more complex ones in responding to the strengths and the movements directly influencing the gingival mucosa.La présence de terminaisons nerveuses corpusculaires dans la muqueuse gingivale humaine a été observée tant en microscopie optique qu’en microscopie électronique à transmission. En microscopie optique on a remarqué des corpuscules lamellaires ronds et ovalaires, qui étaient localisés tant au dessous de l’épithélium, tout près de la membrane basale, qu’au dedans des papilles, profondément insérés dans l’épithélium.En microscopie électronique on a observé des structures convolutées pourvues d’arborisations de fibres nerveuses sans myéline qui vont se réunir dans une fibre afférente supportée par des cellules dites lamellaires. La présence de vaisseaux, de fibrilles collagènes, de jonctions telles que desmoses, d’inclusions cytoplasmiques autant que la ressemblance avec quelques mécanorécepteurs décrits en littérature, suggérait un rôle de ces terminaisons nerveuses corpusculaires en envoyant un impulse nerveux induit par une stimulation mécanique. On a aussi observé des corpuscules plus simples appelés «club-shaped» qui pourraient supporter les plus complexes dans la réponse aux forces et aux mouvements qui influencent directement la muqueuse gingivale

Inhibition of bone resorption by Tanshinone VI isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge

During the last decade, a more detailed knowledge of molecular mechanisms involved in osteoclastogenesis has driven research efforts in the development and screening of compound libraries of several small molecules that specifically inhibit the pathway involved in the commitment of the osteoclast precursor cells. Natural compounds that suppress osteoclast differentiation may have therapeutic value in treating osteoporosis and other bone erosive diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or metastasis associated with bone loss. In ongoing investigation into anti-osteoporotic compounds from natural products we have analyzed the effect of Tanshinone VI on osteoclasts differentiation, using a physiologic three-dimensional osteoblast/bone marrow model of cell co-culture. Tanshinone VI is an abietane diterpene extracted from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Labiatae), a Chinese traditional crude drug, “Tan-Shen”. Tashinone has been widely used in clinical practice for the prevention of cardiac diseases, arthritis and other inflammation-related disorders based on its pharmacological actions in multiple tissues. Although Tanshinone VI A has been used as a medicinal agent in the treatment of many diseases, its role in osteoclast-related bone diseases remains unknown. We showed previously that Tanshinone VI greatly inhibits osteoclast differentiation and suppresses bone resorption through disruption of the actin ring; subsequently, we intended to examine the precise inhibitory mechanism of Tanshinone VI on osteoclast differentiating factor. This study shows, for the first time, that Tanshinone VI prevents osteoclast differentiation by inhibiting RANKL expression and NFkB induction