Locally induced neural stem cells/pluripotent stem cells for in vivo cell replacement therapy

ABSTRACT: Neural stem cells hold the key to innovative new treatments for age-associated degeneration and traumatic injury to the brain and spinal cord. We hypothesized that the in vivo induced pluripotent stem cells or neural stem cells through 'forced gene expression' can be used to repair damaged brain areas or treat degenerative diseases. Hopefully, these in vivo patient-specific stem cells can bring a new avenue for cell replacement therapies.published_or_final_versio

CFD investigation of a complete floating offshore wind turbine

This chapter presents numerical computations for floating offshore wind turbines for a machine of 10-MW rated power. The rotors were computed using the Helicopter Multi-Block flow solver of the University of Glasgow that solves the Navier-Stokes equations in integral form using the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation for time-dependent domains with moving boundaries. Hydrodynamic loads on the support platform were computed using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method. This method is mesh-free, and represents the fluid by a set of discrete particles. The motion of the floating offshore wind turbine is computed using a Multi-Body Dynamic Model of rigid bodies and frictionless joints. Mooring cables are modelled as a set of springs and dampers. All solvers were validated separately before coupling, and the loosely coupled algorithm used is described in detail alongside the obtained results

Cardiovascular risk protection from the Mediterranean diet and olive oil. A transcriptomic update in humans

This review highlights the human studies that explore the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and olive oil, based on gene expression analysis. We summarized consistent human transcriptomic studies on cardiovascular risk, based on TMD and olive oil interventions, with real life doses and conditions. A literature review was carried out leading up to February 2016. The results show that the TMD, specially supplemented with virgin olive oil, produces beneficial changes in the transcriptomic response of relevant genes in cardiovascular risk such as CAT, GPX1 and SIRT2. p65 and MCP-1, IL1B, IL6, CXCL1, INF-γ, ARHGAP15 and IL7R, which are involved in inflammation; and ABCA1, SR-B1, PPARBP, PPARα, PPARγ, PPARδ, CD-36 and COX-1, which play an important role in cholesterol efflux. The available data illustrate a transcriptomic effect on atherosclerosis, inflammation and oxidative stress pathways as well as the mentioned genes

Rare earth based nanostructured materials: Synthesis, functionalization, properties and bioimaging and biosensing applications

Rare earth based nanostructures constitute a type of functional materials widely used and studied in the recent literature. The purpose of this review is to provide a general and comprehensive overview of the current state of the art, with special focus on the commonly employed synthesis methods and functionalization strategies of rare earth based nanoparticles and on their different bioimaging and biosensing applications. The luminescent (including downconversion, upconversion and permanent luminescence) and magnetic properties of rare earth based nanoparticles, as well as their ability to absorb X-rays, will also be explained and connected with their luminescent, magnetic resonance and X-ray computed tomography bioimaging applications, respectively. This review is not only restricted to nanoparticles, and recent advances reported for in other nanostructures containing rare earths, such as metal organic frameworks and lanthanide complexes conjugated with biological structures, will also be commented on.European Union 267226Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-54852-

The Production and Fate of Volatile Organosulfur Compounds in Sulfidic and Ferruginous Sediment

Volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) link the atmospheric, marine, and terrestrial sulfur cycles in marine and marginal marine environments. Despite the important role VOSCs play in global biogeochemical sulfur cycling, less is known about how the local geochemical conditions influence production and consumption of VOSCs. We present a study of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), methanethiol (MeSH), and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in sulfide-rich (sulfidic) and iron-rich (ferruginous) salt marsh sediment from north Norfolk, UK. Initial results illustrate the importance of minimizing time between sampling in remote field locations and laboratory analysis, due to rapid degradation of VOSCs. With rapid analysis of sediment from different depths, we observe high concentrations of DMS, MeSH, and DMSP, with concentrations in surface sediment an order of magnitude higher than those in previous studies of surface water. We measure systematic differences in the concentration and depth distribution of MeSH and DMS between sediment environments; DMS concentrations are higher in ferruginous sediment, and MeSH concentrations are higher in sulfidic sediment. With repeated measurements over a short time period, we show that the degradation patterns for DMS and MeSH are different in the ferruginous versus sulfidic sediment. We discuss potential biogeochemical interactions that could be driving the observed differences in VOSC dynamics in ferruginous and sulfidic sediment.This work was supported by a Churchill Scholarship to J. V. W., NERC Grant NE/S001352/1 to A.V.T. and J. D. T., NERC Grant NE/K01546X/1 to K. R. R., and NERC Grants NE/P012671/1, NE/N002385/1, and NE/M004449/1 to J. D. T. Initial analyses were supported by ERCStG307582 (CARBONSINK) to A. V. T

The role of positive emotion and contributions of positive psychology in depression treatment: systematic review

The present study aims to conduct a systematic review of the literature by checking the impact of positive emotion in the treatment of depression and on the use of strategies of positive psychology which involves positive emotion to treat and reduce symptoms of depression. For this purpose, we conducted searches in databases ISI Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO and PubMed and found a total of 3400 studies. After inclusion application and exclusion criteria, 28 articles remained, presented and discussed in this study. The studies have important relations between humor and positive emotion as well as a significant improvement in signs and symptoms of depression using differents strategies of positive psychology. Another relevant aspect is the preventative character of the proposed interventions by positive psychology by the fact that increase well-being and produce elements such as resilience and coping resources that reduce the recurrent relapses in the treatment of depression. The strategies of positive psychology, such as increasing positive emotions, develop personal strengths: seeking direction, meaning and engagement for the day-to-day life of the patients, appear as potentially tools for the prophylaxis and treatment of depression, helping to reduce signs and symptoms as well as for prevention of relapses

Developing a coding scheme for analysing classroom dialogue across educational contexts

The research reported sought to develop a framework for systematically analysing classroom dialogue for application across a range of educational settings. The paper outlines the development and refinement of a coding scheme that attempts to represent and operationalise commonalities amongst some key theorists in the field concerning productive forms of educational dialogue. The team has tested it using video recordings from classroom settings in the UK and Mexico, across age phases, subject areas, and different interactional contexts including whole class, group and paired work. Our Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis (SEDA) is situated within a sociocultural paradigm, and draws on Hymes' Ethnography of Communication to highlight the importance of context. We examined how such a tool could be used in practice. We found that concentrating on the ‘communicative act’ to explore dialogue between participants was an appropriate level of granularity, while clustering the 33 resulting codes according to function of the acts helped to highlight dialogic sequences within lessons. We report on the application of the scheme in two different learning contexts and reflect on its fitness for purpose, including perceived limitations. Development of specialised sub-schemes and a version for teachers is underway

Non-Abelian Vortices, Super-Yang-Mills Theory and Spin(7)-Instantons

We consider a complex vector bundle E endowed with a connection A over the eight-dimensional manifold R^2 x G/H, where G/H = SU(3)/U(1)xU(1) is a homogeneous space provided with a never integrable almost complex structure and a family of SU(3)-structures. We establish an equivalence between G-invariant solutions A of the Spin(7)-instanton equations on R^2 x G/H and general solutions of non-Abelian coupled vortex equations on R^2. These vortices are BPS solitons in a d=4 gauge theory obtained from N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in ten dimensions compactified on the coset space G/H with an SU(3)-structure. The novelty of the obtained vortex equations lies in the fact that Higgs fields, defining morphisms of vector bundles over R^2, are not holomorphic in the generic case. Finally, we introduce BPS vortex equations in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory and show that they have the same feature.Comment: 14 pages; v2: typos fixed, published versio

SUPERFICIES ARMÓNICAS DE TIPO GRÁFICO EN R3

In this research we study harmonic surfaces immersed in R3. We dened Harmonic surfaces of graphic type and showed that a harmonious surface graphic type is minimal if and only if it is part ofa plane or a helix. Also, we give a characterization of harmonic surfaces graphic type parameterized by asymptotic lines and some examples.En este trabajo estudiamos supercies armonicas inmersas en R3. Denimos las supercies armonicas de tipo graco y mostramos que una supercie armonica de tipo graco es mnima si y solamentesi es parte de un plano o de un helicoide. Tambien, damos una caracterizacion de las supercies armonicas de tipo graco parametrizadas por lneas asintoticas y presentamos algunos ejemplos

Gravitational waves in dynamical spacetimes with matter content in the Fully Constrained Formulation

The Fully Constrained Formulation (FCF) of General Relativity is a novel framework introduced as an alternative to the hyperbolic formulations traditionally used in numerical relativity. The FCF equations form a hybrid elliptic-hyperbolic system of equations including explicitly the constraints. We present an implicit-explicit numerical algorithm to solve the hyperbolic part, whereas the elliptic sector shares the form and properties with the well known Conformally Flat Condition (CFC) approximation. We show the stability andconvergence properties of the numerical scheme with numerical simulations of vacuum solutions. We have performed the first numerical evolutions of the coupled system of hydrodynamics and Einstein equations within FCF. As a proof of principle of the viability of the formalism, we present 2D axisymmetric simulations of an oscillating neutron star. In order to simplify the analysis we have neglected the back-reaction of the gravitational waves into the dynamics, which is small (<2 %) for the system considered in this work. We use spherical coordinates grids which are well adapted for simulations of stars and allow for extended grids that marginally reach the wave zone. We have extracted the gravitational wave signature and compared to the Newtonian quadrupole and hexadecapole formulae. Both extraction methods show agreement within the numerical errors and the approximations used (~30 %).Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in PR