795 research outputs found
Dynamic compression can inhibit chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells
Funding was provided by Science Foundation Ireland (07-RFP-ENMF142) and Enterprise Ireland (PC/2006/384)
Development of a 3D-printed bioabsorbable composite scaffold with mechanical properties suitable for treating large, load-bearingarticular cartilage defects
Extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials have shown promise for treating small artucular-joint defetcs. However, ECM-based biomaterials generally lack appropriate mechanical properties to support physiological loads and are prone to delamination in larger cartilage defects. To overcome these common mechanical limitations, a collagen hyaluronic-acid (CHyA) matrix, with proven regenerative potential, was reinforced with a bioabsorbable 3D-printed framework to support physiological loads. Polycaprolactone (PCL) was 3D-printed in two configurations, rectilinear and gyroid designs, that were extensively mechanically characterised. Both scaffold designs increased the compressive modulus of the CHyA matrices by three orders of magnitude, mimicking the physiological range (0.5-2.0 MPa) of healthy cartilage. The gyroid scaffold proved to be more flexible compared to the rectilinear scaffold, thus better contouring to the curvature of a femoral condyle. Additionally, PCL reinforcement of the CHyA matrix increased the tensile modulus and allowed for suture fixation of the scaffold to the subchondral bone, thus addressing the major challenge of biomaterial fixation to articular joint surfaces in shallow defects. In vitro evaluation confirmed successful infiltration of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) within the PCL-CHyA scaffolds, which resulted in increased production of sulphated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG/DNA; p = 0.0308) compared to non-reinforced CHyA matrices. Histological staining using alcian blue confirmed these results, while also indicating greater spatial distribution of sGAG throughout the PCL-CHyA scaffold. These findings have a great clinical importance as they provide evidence that reinforced PCL-CHyA scaffolds, with their increased chondroinductive potential and compatibility with joint fixation techniques, could be used to repair large-area chondral defects that currently lack effective treatment options
Altering crystal growth and annealing in ice-templated scaffolds.
The potential applications of ice-templating porous materials are constantly expanding, especially as scaffolds for tissue engineering. Ice-templating, a process utilizing ice nucleation and growth within an aqueous solution, consists of a cooling stage (before ice nucleation) and a freezing stage (during ice formation). While heat release during cooling can change scaffold isotropy, the freezing stage, where ice crystals grow and anneal, determines the final size of scaffold features. To investigate the path of heat flow within collagen slurries during solidification, a series of ice-templating molds were designed with varying the contact area with the heat sink, in the form of the freeze drier shelf. Contact with the heat sink was found to be critical in determining the efficiency of the release of latent heat within the perspex molds. Isotropic collagen scaffolds were produced with pores which ranged from 90 μm up to 180 μm as the contact area decreased. In addition, low-temperature ice annealing was observed within the structures. After 20 h at -30 °C, conditions which mimic storage prior to lyophilization, scaffold architecture was observed to coarsen significantly. In future, ice-templating molds should consider not only heat conduction during the cooling phase of solidification, but the effects of heat flow during ice growth and annealing.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Gates Cambridge Trust, the Newton Trust, and ERC Advanced Grant 320598 3D-E. A.H. held a Daphne Jackson Fellowship funded by the University of Cambridge.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9343-
The cometary composition of a protoplanetary disk as revealed by complex cyanides
Observations of comets and asteroids show that the Solar Nebula that spawned
our planetary system was rich in water and organic molecules. Bombardment
brought these organics to the young Earth's surface, seeding its early
chemistry. Unlike asteroids, comets preserve a nearly pristine record of the
Solar Nebula composition. The presence of cyanides in comets, including 0.01%
of methyl cyanide (CH3CN) with respect to water, is of special interest because
of the importance of C-N bonds for abiotic amino acid synthesis. Comet-like
compositions of simple and complex volatiles are found in protostars, and can
be readily explained by a combination of gas-phase chemistry to form e.g. HCN
and an active ice-phase chemistry on grain surfaces that advances
complexity[3]. Simple volatiles, including water and HCN, have been detected
previously in Solar Nebula analogues - protoplanetary disks around young stars
- indicating that they survive disk formation or are reformed in situ. It has
been hitherto unclear whether the same holds for more complex organic molecules
outside of the Solar Nebula, since recent observations show a dramatic change
in the chemistry at the boundary between nascent envelopes and young disks due
to accretion shocks[8]. Here we report the detection of CH3CN (and HCN and
HC3N) in the protoplanetary disk around the young star MWC 480. We find
abundance ratios of these N-bearing organics in the gas-phase similar to
comets, which suggests an even higher relative abundance of complex cyanides in
the disk ice. This implies that complex organics accompany simpler volatiles in
protoplanetary disks, and that the rich organic chemistry of the Solar Nebula
was not unique.Comment: Definitive version of the manuscript is published in Nature, 520,
7546, 198, 2015. This is the author's versio
Chirality of nanophotonic waveguide with embedded quantum emitter for unidirectional spin transfer
Scalable quantum technologies may be achieved by faithful conversion between matter qubits and photonic qubits in integrated circuit geometries. Within this context, quantum dots possess well-defined spin states (matter qubits), which couple efficiently to photons. By embedding them in nanophotonic waveguides, they provide a promising platform for quantum technology implementations. In this paper, we demonstrate that the naturally occurring electromagnetic field chirality that arises in nanobeam waveguides leads to unidirectional photon emission from quantum dot spin states, with resultant in-plane transfer of matter-qubit information. The chiral behaviour occurs despite the non-chiral geometry and material of the waveguides. Using dot registration techniques, we achieve a quantum emitter deterministically positioned at a chiral point and realize spin-path conversion by design. We further show that the chiral phenomena are much more tolerant to dot position than in standard photonic crystal waveguides, exhibit spin-path readout up to 95±5% and have potential to serve as the basis of spin-logic and network implementations
Event-related alpha suppression in response to facial motion
This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.While biological motion refers to both face and body movements, little is known about the visual perception of facial motion. We therefore examined alpha wave suppression as a reduction in power is thought to reflect visual activity, in addition to attentional reorienting and memory processes. Nineteen neurologically healthy adults were tested on their ability to discriminate between successive facial motion captures. These animations exhibited both rigid and non-rigid facial motion, as well as speech expressions. The structural and surface appearance of these facial animations did not differ, thus participants decisions were based solely on differences in facial movements. Upright, orientation-inverted and luminance-inverted facial stimuli were compared. At occipital and parieto-occipital regions, upright facial motion evoked a transient increase in alpha which was then followed by a significant reduction. This finding is discussed in terms of neural efficiency, gating mechanisms and neural synchronization. Moreover, there was no difference in the amount of alpha suppression evoked by each facial stimulus at occipital regions, suggesting early visual processing remains unaffected by manipulation paradigms. However, upright facial motion evoked greater suppression at parieto-occipital sites, and did so in the shortest latency. Increased activity within this region may reflect higher attentional reorienting to natural facial motion but also involvement of areas associated with the visual control of body effectors. © 2014 Girges et al
Influence of daily beer or ethanol consumption on physical fitness in response to a high-intensity interval training program. The BEER-HIIT study
The authors would like to thank all the participants that took part of the
study for their time and effort. We are grateful to Ms. Ana Yara PostigoFuentes for her assistance with the English language. This study is part of
Cristina Molina-Hidalgo’s Doctoral Thesis conducted in the Official Doctoral
Programme in Psychology of the University of Granada, Spain.Background: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an effective approach to improve physical fitness, but
consuming beer, which is a regular practice in many physically active individuals, may interfere with these effects.
The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of a 10-week (2 days/week) HIIT program on
cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and power parameters, and also to assess the possible influence on them
of a moderate consumption of beer (at least from Monday to Friday) or its alcohol equivalent.
Methods: Young (24 ± 6 years old) healthy adults (n = 73, 35 females) were allocated to five groups. Four groups
participated in the HIIT intervention program while the fifth group was a control Non-Training group (n = 15).
Participants in the training groups chose whether they preferred receiving alcohol or alcohol-free beverages. Those
choosing alcohol were randomized to either beer or ethanol intake: (i) T-Beer group (alcohol beer, 5.4%; n = 13) or
(ii) T-Ethanol (sparkling water with vodka, 5.4%; n = 14). Those choosing alcohol-free intake were randomized to (iii)
T-Water group (sparkling water, 0.0%; n = 16), or (iv) T-0.0Beer group (alcohol-free beer, 0.0%; n = 15). Men ingested
330 ml of the beverage at lunch and 330 ml at dinner; women ingested 330 ml at dinner. Before and after the
intervention, maximal oxygen uptake in absolute and relative terms (VO2max.), maximal heart rate, total test
duration, hand grip strength and four types of vertical jumps were measured.
Results: HIIT induced significant improvements in absolute and relative values of VO2max, and total test duration
(all p < 0.05) in all the training groups; also, clinical improvements were found in hand grip strength. These positive
effects were not influenced by the regular intake of beer or alcohol. No changes in the vertical jumps occurred in
any of the groups.
Conclusions: A moderate beer or alcohol intake does not mitigate the positive effect of a 10-week HIIT on physical
fitness in young healthy adults.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03660579. Registered 20 September 2018. Retrospectively registered.Centro de Informacion Cerveza y Salud (CICS), Madrid, SpainSpanish Government
FPU14/04172
FPU15/0396
Comparison of machine learning and semi-quantification algorithms for (I123)FP-CIT classification: the beginning of the end for semi-quantification?
Background
Semi-quantification methods are well established in the clinic for assisted reporting of (I123) Ioflupane images. Arguably, these are limited diagnostic tools. Recent research has demonstrated the potential for improved classification performance offered by machine learning algorithms. A direct comparison between methods is required to establish whether a move towards widespread clinical adoption of machine learning algorithms is justified.
This study compared three machine learning algorithms with that of a range of semi-quantification methods, using the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) research database and a locally derived clinical database for validation. Machine learning algorithms were based on support vector machine classifiers with three different sets of features:
Voxel intensities
Principal components of image voxel intensities
Striatal binding radios from the putamen and caudate.
Semi-quantification methods were based on striatal binding ratios (SBRs) from both putamina, with and without consideration of the caudates. Normal limits for the SBRs were defined through four different methods:
Minimum of age-matched controls
Mean minus 1/1.5/2 standard deviations from age-matched controls
Linear regression of normal patient data against age (minus 1/1.5/2 standard errors)
Selection of the optimum operating point on the receiver operator characteristic curve from normal and abnormal training data
Each machine learning and semi-quantification technique was evaluated with stratified, nested 10-fold cross-validation, repeated 10 times.
Results
The mean accuracy of the semi-quantitative methods for classification of local data into Parkinsonian and non-Parkinsonian groups varied from 0.78 to 0.87, contrasting with 0.89 to 0.95 for classifying PPMI data into healthy controls and Parkinson’s disease groups. The machine learning algorithms gave mean accuracies between 0.88 to 0.92 and 0.95 to 0.97 for local and PPMI data respectively.
Conclusions
Classification performance was lower for the local database than the research database for both semi-quantitative and machine learning algorithms. However, for both databases, the machine learning methods generated equal or higher mean accuracies (with lower variance) than any of the semi-quantification approaches. The gain in performance from using machine learning algorithms as compared to semi-quantification was relatively small and may be insufficient, when considered in isolation, to offer significant advantages in the clinical context
Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of blended cement concrete including carbonation and durability
The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11367-013-0614-0Purpose Blended cements use waste products to replace
Portland cement, the main contributor to CO2 emissions in
concrete manufacture. Using blended cements reduces the
embodied greenhouse gas emissions; however, little attention
has been paid to the reduction in CO2 capture (carbonation)
and durability. The aim of this study is to determine if the
reduction in production emissions of blended cements compensates
for the reduced durability and CO2 capture.
Methods This study evaluates CO2 emissions and CO2 capture
for a reinforced concrete column during its service life
and after demolition and reuse as gravel filling material.
Concrete depletion, due to carbonation and the unavoidable
steel embedded corrosion, is studied, as this process consequently
ends the concrete service life. Carbonation deepens
progressively during service life and captures CO2 even after
demolition due to the greater exposed surface area. In this
study, results are presented as a function of cement replaced
by fly ash (FA) and blast furnace slag (BFS).
Results and discussion Concrete made with Portland cement,
FA (35%FA), and BFS blended cements (80%BFS) captures
47, 41, and 20 % of CO2 emissions, respectively. The service
life of blended cements with high amounts of cement replacement,
like CEM III/A (50 % BFS), CEM III/B (80 % BFS),
and CEMII/B-V (35%FA), was about 10%shorter, given the
higher carbonation rate coefficient. Compared to Portland
cement and despite the reduced CO2 capture and service life,
CEM III/B emitted 20 % less CO2 per year.
Conclusions To obtain reliable results in a life cycle assessment,
it is crucial to consider carbonation during use and
after demolition. Replacing Portland cement with FA, instead
of BFS, leads to a lower material emission factor, since
FA needs less processing after being collected, and transport
distances are usually shorter. However, greater reductions
were achieved using BFS, since a larger amount of cement
can be replaced. Blended cements emit less CO2 per year
during the life cycle of a structure, although a high cement
replacement reduces the service life notably. If the
demolished concrete is crushed and recycled as gravel filling
material, carbonation can cut CO2 emissions by half. A case
study is presented in this paper demonstrating how the results
may be utilized.This research was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (research project BIA2011-23602). The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and useful suggestions. The authors are also grateful for the thorough revision of the manuscript by Dr. Debra Westall.GarcÃa Segura, T.; Yepes Piqueras, V.; Alcalá González, J. (2014). Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of blended cement concrete including carbonation and durability. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 19(1):3-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-013-0614-0S312191Aïtcin PC (2000) Cements of yesterday and today: concrete of tomorrow. Cem Concr Res 30(9):1349–1359Angst U, Elsener B, Larsen C (2009) Critical chloride content in reinforced concrete—a review. Cement Concr Res 39(12):1122–1138Berge B (2000) The ecology of building materials. 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Global maps of the magnetic thickness and magnetization of the Earth’s lithosphere
International audienceWe have constructed global maps of the large-scale magnetic thickness and magnetization of Earth's lithosphere. Deriving such large-scale maps based on lithospheric magnetic field measurements faces the challenge of the masking effect of the core field. In this study, the maps were obtained through analyses in the spectral domain by means of a new regional spatial power spectrum based on the Revised Spherical Cap Harmonic Analysis (R-SCHA) formalism. A series of regional spectral analyses were conducted covering the entire Earth. The R-SCHA surface power spectrum for each region was estimated using the NGDC-720 spherical harmonic (SH) model of the lithospheric magnetic field, which is based on satellite, aeromagnetic, and marine measurements. These observational regional spectra were fitted to a recently proposed statistical expression of the power spectrum of Earth's lithospheric magnetic field, whose free parameters include the thickness and magnetization of the magnetic sources. The resulting global magnetic thickness map is compared to other crustal and magnetic thickness maps based upon different geophysical data. We conclude that the large-scale magnetic thickness of the lithosphere is on average confined to a layer that does not exceed the Moho
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