Recent advances in 3D printing of biomaterials.

3D Printing promises to produce complex biomedical devices according to computer design using patient-specific anatomical data. Since its initial use as pre-surgical visualization models and tooling molds, 3D Printing has slowly evolved to create one-of-a-kind devices, implants, scaffolds for tissue engineering, diagnostic platforms, and drug delivery systems. Fueled by the recent explosion in public interest and access to affordable printers, there is renewed interest to combine stem cells with custom 3D scaffolds for personalized regenerative medicine. Before 3D Printing can be used routinely for the regeneration of complex tissues (e.g. bone, cartilage, muscles, vessels, nerves in the craniomaxillofacial complex), and complex organs with intricate 3D microarchitecture (e.g. liver, lymphoid organs), several technological limitations must be addressed. In this review, the major materials and technology advances within the last five years for each of the common 3D Printing technologies (Three Dimensional Printing, Fused Deposition Modeling, Selective Laser Sintering, Stereolithography, and 3D Plotting/Direct-Write/Bioprinting) are described. Examples are highlighted to illustrate progress of each technology in tissue engineering, and key limitations are identified to motivate future research and advance this fascinating field of advanced manufacturing

Loss of vesicular dopamine release precedes tauopathy in degenerative dopaminergic neurons in a Drosophila model expressing human tau.

While a number of genome-wide association studies have identified microtubule-associated protein tau as a strong risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), little is known about the mechanism through which human tau can predispose an individual to this disease. Here, we demonstrate that expression of human wild-type tau is sufficient to disrupt the survival of dopaminergic neurons in a Drosophila model. Tau triggers a synaptic pathology visualized by vesicular monoamine transporter-pHGFP that precedes both the age-dependent formation of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangle-like pathology and the progressive loss of DA neurons, thereby recapitulating the pathological hallmarks of PD. Flies overexpressing tau also exhibit progressive impairments of both motor and learning behaviors. Surprisingly, contrary to common belief that hyperphosphorylated tau could aggravate toxicity, DA neuron degeneration is alleviated by expressing the modified, hyperphosphorylated tau(E14). Together, these results show that impairment of VMAT-containing synaptic vesicle, released to synapses before overt tauopathy may be the underlying mechanism of tau-associated PD and suggest that correction or prevention of this deficit may be appropriate targets for early therapeutic intervention

The ChIP-seq-defined networks of Bcl-3 gene binding support its required role in skeletal muscle atrophy

NF-kappaB transcriptional activation is required for skeletal muscle disuse atrophy. We are continuing to study how the activation of NF-kB regulates the genes that encode the protein products that cause atrophy. Using ChIP-sequencing we found that Bcl-3, an NF-kB transcriptional activator required for atrophy, binds to the promoters of a number of genes whose collective function describes two major aspects of muscle wasting. By means of bioinformatics analysis of ChIP-sequencing data we found Bcl-3 to be directing transcription networks of proteolysis and energy metabolism. The proteolytic arm of the Bcl-3 networks includes many E3 ligases associated with proteasomal protein degradation, including that of the N-end rule pathway. The metabolic arm appears to be involved in organizing the change from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis in atrophying muscle. For one gene, MuRF1, ChIP-sequencing data identified the location of Bcl-3 and p50 binding in the promoter region which directed the creation of deletant and base-substitution mutations of MuRF1 promoter constructs to determine the effect on gene transcription. The results provide the first direct confirmation that the NF-kB binding site is involved in the muscle unloading regulation of MuRF1. Finally, we have combined the ChIP-sequencing results with gene expression microarray data from unloaded muscle to map several direct targets of Bcl-3 that are transcription factors whose own targets describe a set of indirect targets for NF-kB in atrophy. ChIP-sequencing provides the first molecular explanation for the finding that Bcl3 knockout mice are resistant to disuse muscle atrophy. Mapping the transcriptional regulation of muscle atrophy requires an unbiased analysis of the whole genome, which we show is now possible with ChIP-sequencing.R01 AR041705 - NIAMS NIH HHS; R01 AR060217 - NIAMS NIH HHS; AR041705 - NIAMS NIH HHS; AR060217 - NIAMS NIH HH

Exact calculations of vertex sˉγb\bar{s}\gamma b and sˉZb\bar{s} Z b in the unitary gauge

In this paper, we present the exact calculations for the vertex $\bar{s}\gamma b$ and $\bar{s} Z b$ in the unitary gauge. We found that (a) the divergent- and $\mu$-dependent terms are left in the effective vertex function $\Gamma^\gamma_\mu(p,k)$ for $b \to s \gamma$ transition even after we sum up the contributions from four related Feynman diagrams; (b) for an on-shell photon, such terms do not contribute et al; (c) for off-shell photon, these terms will be canceled when the contributions from both vertex $\bar{s}\gamma b$ and $\bar{s} Z b$ are taken into account simultaneously, and therefore the finite and gauge independent function $Z_0(x_t)=C_0(x_t)+ D_0(x_t)/4$, which governs the semi-leptonic decay $b \to s l^- l^+$, is derived in the unitary gauge.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, Revte

Everyone loses when the values of employees clash with those of the firm

When employees suppress their values they risk burnout and firms' productivity falls, writes Chia-Huei W

Els neologismes en llengua xinesa

Xina, Hong Kong i Taiwan comparteixen bàsicament la mateixa cultura i llengua xineses, però cada un d'aquests tres llocs ha experimentat diferents transformacions socioculturals durant els dos últims segles. Per això, aquesta investigació, tesi doctoral de la investigadora Wu Chia-hua a la UAB, abasta i inclou l'estudi dels neologismes en aquestes tres regions (perspectiva diatòpica) durant els segles XX i XXI (perspectiva diacrònica), per tal d'analitzar i comparar les semblances i les diferències al llarg del temps tenint en compte els diferents processos d'interrelació cultural.China, Hong Kong y Taiwán comparten básicamente la misma cultura y lengua chinas, pero cada uno de estos tres lugares ha experimentado diferentes transformaciones socioculturales durante los dos últimos siglos. Por ello, esta investigación, tesis doctoral de la investigadora Wu Chia-hua en la UAB, abarca e incluye el estudio de los neologismos en esas tres regiones (perspectiva diatópica) durante los siglos XX y XXI (perspectiva diacrónica), con el fin de analizar y comparar las semejanzas y las diferencias a lo largo del tiempo teniendo en cuenta los diferentes procesos de interrelación cultural

Holocene Sedimentation on the Lanyang Plain and Adjacent Continental Shelf, Northwestern Taiwan

The Lanyang Plain, along the northeastern Taiwan orogen, provides an excellent example of the tectonic and climatic controls on erosion and subsequent riverine sediment supply to the coastal ocean and deep sea. 12 deep borings on the Lanyang Plain and 2 long cores in Southern Okinawa Trough (MD12403, ODP1202), together with high-resolution seismic data on Ilan Shelf, provide a good record of the depositional history during Holocene, in both on-land and offshore areas. Based on these data, we find the sediment thickness reaches 216 m in Lanyang Plain, and the average sediment rate is estimated to be 3.6 Mt/yr - 5 Mt/yr in both the Lanyang Plain and the Ilan shelf. This value is higher than previous estimation of 2.6 Mt/yr by Kao and Milliman (2008). We have divided on-land sedimentation rates over different periods (0-4 ka BP, 4-8 ka BP, and 8-12 ka BP) to document variations in Holocene sedimentation in response to event-enhanced and/or accommodation-space change. We find particularly high accumulation rates at 8-12 ka BP. Higher sedimentation rates noted in 2 offshore cores occurred at the same time. Together, this suggests greater sedimentation during this period, which we suggest may be related to the regional intensification of the southwest (summer) monsoon in Southern Asia, perhaps reflected by increased typhoon activity. Scrutinizing data from other previous studies, this event seems to have been characterized by higher sediment accumulation throughout Taiwan