Age-Related Changes of Myelin Basic Protein in Mouse and Human Auditory Nerve

Age-related hearing loss (presbyacusis) is the most common type of hearing impairment. One of the most consistent pathological changes seen in presbyacusis is the loss of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Defining the cellular and molecular basis of SGN degeneration in the human inner ear is critical to gaining a better understanding of the pathophysiology of presbyacusis. However, information on age-related cellular and molecular alterations in the human spiral ganglion remains scant, owing to the very limited availably of human specimens suitable for high resolution morphological and molecular analysis. This study aimed at defining age-related alterations in the auditory nerve in human temporal bones and determining if immunostaining for myelin basic protein (MBP) can be used as an alternative approach to electron microscopy for evaluating myelin degeneration. For comparative purposes, we evaluated ultrastructural alternations and changes in MBP immunostaining in aging CBA/CaJ mice. We then examined 13 temporal bones from 10 human donors, including 4 adults aged 38–46 years (middle-aged group) and 6 adults aged 63–91 years (older group). Similar to the mouse, intense immunostaining of MBP was present throughout the auditory nerve of the middle-aged human donors. Significant declines in MBP immunoreactivity and losses of MBP+ auditory nerve fibers were observed in the spiral ganglia of both the older human and aged mouse ears. This study demonstrates that immunostaining for MBP in combination with confocal microscopy provides a sensitive, reliable, and efficient method for assessing alterations of myelin sheaths in the auditory nerve. The results also suggest that myelin degeneration may play a critical role in the SGN loss and the subsequent decline of the auditory nerve function in presbyacusis

An Integrated Approach for the Simulation Modeling and Risk Assessment of Coastal Flooding

The evaluation of storm surge flood risk is vital to disaster management and planning at national, regional and local levels, particularly in coastal areas that are affected more severely by storm surges. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method that includes two modules for the simulation modeling and risk assessment of coastal flooding. One is a hydrodynamic module for simulating the process of the flood inundation coastal inundation arising from storm surge, which is based on a cellular automata (CA) model. The other is a risk assessment module for quantitatively estimating the economic loss by using the inundation data and land use data. The coastal areas of Pearl River estuary in China were taken as a case study. Simulation results are compared to experimental results from MIKE 21 and depth data from a social-media-based dataset, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the CA model. By analyzing flood risk, the flood area and the direct economic losses predicted are close to the actual case incurred, further demonstrating the computational reliability of the proposed method. Additionally, an automatic risk assessment platform is designed by integrating the two modules in a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework, facilitating a more efficient and faster simulation of coastal flooding. The platform can provide the governments as well as citizens of coastal areas with user-friendly, real-time graphics for coastal flood disaster preparation, warning, response and recovery

Effects of Filler–Bitumen Ratio and Mineral Filler Characteristics on the Low-Temperature Performance of Bitumen Mastics

This study analyzed the effects of the filler–bitumen interaction of the content and the meso powder characteristics of the mineral filler on the low-temperature performance of bitumen mastics. Control strategies for the mineral filler content (filler–bitumen ratio (RFB)) were also determined. Panjin #90 bitumen and styrene–butadiene–styrene polymer-modified bitumen were used in the experiment. Four kinds of limestone powder were used, all of which satisfy the Chinese standard for powder particle size but exhibit different meso characteristics. Each kind of limestone powder was used to prepare bitumen mastic samples under five different RFBs. The meso voids in the unit mass (Vg) of the four kinds of mineral filler were tested on the basis of the principle of the Rigden void ratio. The fixed bitumen–free bitumen ratio in the bitumen mastic samples was determined using Vg, bitumen density, and RFB. The low-temperature cohesive strength of the bitumen mastics was used as the control index for critical failure, whereas variation rates of bending creep stiffness at low temperature were used as the control index for fatigue failure. Results showed that the effects of the filler–bitumen interaction of the content and the meso characteristics of the mineral filler are significant and such effects are determined by the fixed bitumen–free bitumen ratio. The optimal fixed bitumen–free bitumen ratio in the bitumen mastics under two low-temperature conditions (−30 °C and −10 °C) can be determined on the basis of the influence of the fixed bitumen–free bitumen ratio on the critical and the failure control indices. Moreover, RFB can be obtained through reverse calculation. The mineral filler content can therefore be precisely controlled, which is crucial for the rational use of mineral filler and for the improvement of the pavement performance of bitumen mastics at low temperatures

Analysis of the Effects of Ageing on the Cohesive Strength of Polymer-Modified Bitumen at Low Temperatures

The decay law on the ageing process of the cohesive strength of styrene-butadiene-styrene(SBS)- and polyethylene(PE)-modified bitumens at low temperatures was investigated. The rotated-thin-film oven test was used to age the two types of polymer-modified bitumens. The cohesive strengths at different low-temperature conditions were tested quantitatively according to technology for testing the low-temperature cohesive strength of bitumen. The decay curve of bitumen low-temperature cohesive strengths was drawn, and the embrittlement time of bitumen at different ageing states was obtained according to the decay curve. Results showed that ageing time definitely influenced the attenuation degree of the low-temperature cohesive strength of the two types of polymer-modified bitumens and influenced the appearance of the low-temperature cohesive strength peak, i.e., the bitumen embrittlement time, which advanced after ageing. The lightweight components of polymer-modified bitumen were lost after ageing. The bitumen embrittlement time was advanced, and the sharp attenuation of the low-temperature cohesive strength of bitumen appeared. In the future, bitumen antiageing technology and lighter part pre-supplement technology should be studied in-depth

The Gavel

About the Gavel (Pitch Competition): The culmination of the Enterprise Studio course is the Gavel event that takes place at the end of the academic year. Out of all the superb project ideas that were entered in this inaugural competition, 6 of the most innovative and market-focused business ideas were selected to participate in the pitch competition. The Pitch Competition winner will receive the Gavel Prize, which consists of: The Award of a prize of seed capital of up to £30,000/$40,000 One year of start-up space for your project team in New York or London Dedicated mentor support for the first year of the business launch process Industry and investment introductions tailored to the winner\u27s business proposal. Meet the Judges Panel: MICHAEL CHUNG - CEO of BrandEd ADAM DINWIDDIE - Product Team Leader at Fairchain MELANIE GERLIS - Art market columnist for the Financial Times VISHAL KUMAR - CEO and co-Founder of the Alice Camera JEREMY RHODES - Director of Business Development and Originations for Yieldstreet / Athena Art Financehttps://digitalcommons.sia.edu/speaker/1030/thumbnail.jp

Analysis of miR‐376 RNA cluster members in the mouse inner ear

Summary Mutations in phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase 1 (PRPS1) are associated with a spectrum of non‐syndromic to syndromic hearing loss. PRPS1 transcript levels have been shown to be regulated by the microRNA‐376 genes. The long primary RNA transcript of the miR‐376 RNA cluster members undergo extensive and simultaneous A → I editing at one or both of two specific sites (+4 and +44) in particular human and mouse tissues. The PRPS1 gene, which contains target sites for the edited version of miR‐376a‐5p within its 3′UTR, has been shown to be repressed in a tissue‐specific manner. To investigate whether the transcription of Prps1 is regulated by miR‐376 cluster members in the mouse inner ear, we first quantified the expression of the mature miR‐376 RNAs by quantitative real‐time‐PCR. The spatio‐temporal patterns of miR‐376 expression were assessed by in situ hybridization. Finally, we examined whether A →I editing of pri‐miR‐376 RNAs occurs in mouse inner ear by direct sequencing. Our data showed that the miR‐376a‐3p, b‐3p, c‐3p are present in mouse embryonic inner ears and intensive expression of miR‐376a‐3p/b‐3p was detected in the sensory epithelia and ganglia of both auditory and vestibular portions of the inner ear. In adult inner ear, the expression of miR‐376a‐3p/b‐3p is restricted within ganglion neurons of auditory and vestibular systems as well as the cells in the stria vascularis. Only unedited pri‐miR‐376 RNAs were detected in the cochlea suggesting that the activity of PRPS1 in the inner ear may not be regulated through the editing of miR‐376 cluster

Study on the Law of Harmful Gas Release from Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker 1857) during Maintenance Period of Water Tunnel Based on K-Means Outlier Treatment

It is of great significance for air pollution control and personnel safety guarantee to master the release characteristics of harmful gases in the process of Limnoperna fortunei corruption. In view of the lack of research on the environmental pollution caused by the corruption of Limnoperna fortunei, a model experiment was designed to study the three harmful gases of NH3, H2S, and CH4 in the putrid process of Limnoperna fortunei by considering the density of Limnoperna fortunei and the time of leaving water. The results show that: (1) The recognition and processing of outliers based on wavelet decomposition and K-means algorithm can effectively reduce the standard deviation and coefficient of variation of the data set and improve the accuracy of the data set. (2) The variation of NH3 and H2S gas concentrations with the time of water separation satisfies polynomial linear regression (R2 > 99%). (3) At a density of 0.5–7.0 × 104 mussels/m2, the highest concentration of NH3 reached 47.9777–307.9454 mg/m3 with the increase in the density of Limnoperna fortunei and the extension of the time away from water, far exceeding the occupational exposure limit of NH3 of 30 mg/m3, potentially threatening human health and safety. The highest detection value of H2S concentration is 0.1909–5.0946 mg/m3, and the highest detection concentration of CH4 is 0.02%, both of which can be ignored

Study on the Law of Harmful Gas Release from <i>Limnoperna fortunei</i> (Dunker 1857) during Maintenance Period of Water Tunnel Based on K-Means Outlier Treatment

It is of great significance for air pollution control and personnel safety guarantee to master the release characteristics of harmful gases in the process of Limnoperna fortunei corruption. In view of the lack of research on the environmental pollution caused by the corruption of Limnoperna fortunei, a model experiment was designed to study the three harmful gases of NH3, H2S, and CH4 in the putrid process of Limnoperna fortunei by considering the density of Limnoperna fortunei and the time of leaving water. The results show that: (1) The recognition and processing of outliers based on wavelet decomposition and K-means algorithm can effectively reduce the standard deviation and coefficient of variation of the data set and improve the accuracy of the data set. (2) The variation of NH3 and H2S gas concentrations with the time of water separation satisfies polynomial linear regression (R2 > 99%). (3) At a density of 0.5–7.0 × 104 mussels/m2, the highest concentration of NH3 reached 47.9777–307.9454 mg/m3 with the increase in the density of Limnoperna fortunei and the extension of the time away from water, far exceeding the occupational exposure limit of NH3 of 30 mg/m3, potentially threatening human health and safety. The highest detection value of H2S concentration is 0.1909–5.0946 mg/m3, and the highest detection concentration of CH4 is 0.02%, both of which can be ignored

High cell density and high-resolution 3D bioprinting for fabricating vascularized tissues.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting techniques have emerged as the most popular methods to fabricate 3D-engineered tissues; however, there are challenges in simultaneously satisfying the requirements of high cell density (HCD), high cell viability, and fine fabrication resolution. In particular, bioprinting resolution of digital light processing-based 3D bioprinting suffers with increasing bioink cell density due to light scattering. We developed a novel approach to mitigate this scattering-induced deterioration of bioprinting resolution. The inclusion of iodixanol in the bioink enables a 10-fold reduction in light scattering and a substantial improvement in fabrication resolution for bioinks with an HCD. Fifty-micrometer fabrication resolution was achieved for a bioink with 0.1 billion per milliliter cell density. To showcase the potential application in tissue/organ 3D bioprinting, HCD thick tissues with fine vascular networks were fabricated. The tissues were viable in a perfusion culture system, with endothelialization and angiogenesis observed after 14 days of culture