Decoding Gobekli Tepe with archaeoastronomy: What does the fox say?

We have interpreted much of the symbolism of Göbekli Tepe in terms of astronomical events. By matching low-relief carvings on some of the pillars at Göbekli Tepe to star asterisms we find compelling evidence that the famous ‘Vulture Stone’ is a date stamp for 10950 BC ± 250 yrs, which corresponds closely to the proposed Younger Dryas event, estimated at 10890 BC. We also find evidence that a key function of Göbekli Tepe was to observe meteor showers and record cometary encounters. Indeed, the people of Göbekli Tepe appear to have had a special interest in the Taurid meteor stream, the same meteor stream that is proposed as responsible for the Younger-Dryas event. Is Göbekli Tepe the ‘smoking gun’ for the Younger-Dryas cometary encounter, and hence for coherent catastrophism

Label-free identification and characterization of living human primary and secondary tumour cells

Primary and secondary tumour cells exhibit biochemical differences (with Raman spectroscopy and imaging), and mechanical differences (with atomic force microscopy).</p

Fabrication and evaluation of poly(lactic acid), chitosan, and tricalcium phosphate biocomposites for guided bone regeneration

This study presents and evaluates an approach for fabricating poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/chitosan (CS)/tricalcium phosphate (TCP) electrospun scaffolds for guided bone regeneration, a dental procedure that uses membranes to direct and delineate regions of osteogenesis. Biomaterials were pre‐processed using cryomilling, a solid‐state grinding technique that facilitates the generation of powdered biocomposites conducive to electrospinning. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the generation of cryomilled blends consisting of PLA, CS, and TCP. Results from the differential scanning calorimetry showed an upward shift in glass transition temperature and an increase in crystallinity with the inclusion of TCP reinforcing the observations from XRD. Murine macrophages were used to confirm the biocompatibility of the cryomilled powders and was evaluated using CellTiter‐Blue (CTB) cell viability assay and brightfield microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphology of the fibers produced via electrospinning, while Raman spectroscopy confirmed material homogeneity. In vitro studies with MG‐63 cells validated the capacity of composite scaffolds to encourage proliferation, while Coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering and fluorescence microscopies provided visual evidence of cell proliferation. CTB assay revealed that cells maintain viability and metabolic activity at 3 and 7 days after seeding, demonstrating the potential of the biocomposite membranes

Novel Carbon-Fibre Powder-Epoxy Composites: Interface Phenomena and Interlaminar Fracture Behaviour

Carbon fibres with three different sizing agents were used to manufacture unidirectional composites based on a powder epoxy resin. Powder epoxy processing was investigated as a route for fast, cost-effective manufacturing of out-of-autoclave composites compared to more time-consuming vacuum infusion technologies. In this work, a heat-activated epoxy powder was used as a resin system in low-cost vacuum-bag-only prepregs for thick composite parts that are required in the renewable energy industry (e.g. wind turbine blade roots). The importance of interfacial bonding between fibres and the matrix is shown and the impact on the ultimate mechanical performance of the manufactured composites demonstrated. The surface characteristics of the sizing on the carbon fibres were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that the amount of sizing on the fibres' surfaces was inextricably linked with surface roughness and coverage. This in turn influenced the mechanical and chemical interlocking phenomena occurring at the fibre/matrix interface. The composites’ mechanical performance was evaluated using tensile, flexural and interlaminar fracture toughness tests. Fractographic analysis using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was likewise employed to analyse the fracture surfaces of the tested/failed composites. Interlaminar fracture toughness testing (DCB Mode-I) revealed that the interfacial adhesion differences could alter the fracture resistance of the composites, hence emphasizing the importance of the interfacial bonding strength between the polymer matrix and the carbon fibres

Fabrication and evaluation of poly(lactic acid), chitosan, and tricalcium phosphate biocomposites for guided bone regeneration

This study presents and evaluates an approach for fabricating poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/chitosan (CS)/tricalcium phosphate (TCP) electrospun scaffolds for guided bone regeneration, a dental procedure that uses membranes to direct and delineate regions of osteogenesis. Biomaterials were pre‐processed using cryomilling, a solid‐state grinding technique that facilitates the generation of powdered biocomposites conducive to electrospinning. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the generation of cryomilled blends consisting of PLA, CS, and TCP. Results from the differential scanning calorimetry showed an upward shift in glass transition temperature and an increase in crystallinity with the inclusion of TCP reinforcing the observations from XRD. Murine macrophages were used to confirm the biocompatibility of the cryomilled powders and was evaluated using CellTiter‐Blue (CTB) cell viability assay and brightfield microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphology of the fibers produced via electrospinning, while Raman spectroscopy confirmed material homogeneity. In vitro studies with MG‐63 cells validated the capacity of composite scaffolds to encourage proliferation, while Coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering and fluorescence microscopies provided visual evidence of cell proliferation. CTB assay revealed that cells maintain viability and metabolic activity at 3 and 7 days after seeding, demonstrating the potential of the biocomposite membranes.This article is published as Ramesh, Srikanthan, Lisa Lungaro, Dimitrios Tsikritsis, Eric Weflen, Iris V. Rivero, and Alistair PD Elfick. "Fabrication and evaluation of poly (lactic acid), chitosan, and tricalcium phosphate biocomposites for guided bone regeneration." Journal of Applied Polymer Science 135 (2018): 46692. DOI: 10.1002/app.46692. Posted with permission.</p

Next Generation Digital Pathology: Emerging Trends and Measurement Challenges for Molecular Pathology

Digital pathology is revolutionising the analysis of histological features and is becoming more and more widespread in both the clinic and research. Molecular pathology extends the tissue morphology information provided by conventional histopathology by providing spatially resolved molecular information to complement the structural information provided by histopathology. The multidimensional nature of the molecular data poses significant challenge for data processing, mining, and analysis. One of the key challenges faced by new and existing pathology practitioners is how to choose the most suitable molecular pathology technique for a given diagnosis. By providing a comparison of different methods, this narrative review aims to introduce the field of molecular pathology, providing a high-level overview of many different methods. Since each pixel of an image contains a wealth of molecular information, data processing in molecular pathology is more complex. The key data processing steps and variables, and their effect on the data, are also discussed

Confocal Raman Spectroscopic Characterization of Dermatopharmacokinetics Ex Vivo

Confocal Raman spectroscopy is being assessed as a tool with which to quantify the rate and extent of drug uptake to and its clearance from target sites of action within the viable epidermis below the skin’s stratum corneum (SC) barrier. The objective of this research was to confirm that Raman can interrogate drug disposition within the living layers of the skin (where many topical drugs elicit their pharmacological effects) and to identify procedures by which Raman signal attenuation with increasing skin depth may be corrected and normalized so that metrics descriptive of topical bioavailability may be identified. It was first shown in experiments on skin cross-sections parallel to the skin surface that the amide I signal, originating primarily from keratin, was quite constant with depth into the skin and could be used to correct for signal attenuation when confocal Raman data were acquired in a “top-down” fashion. Then, using 4-cyanophenol (CP) as a model skin penetrant with a strong Raman-active CN functionality, a series of uptake and clearance experiments, performed as a function of time, demonstrated clearly that normalized spectroscopic data were able to detect the penetrant to at least 40–80 μm into the skin and to distinguish the disposition of CP from different vehicles. Metrics related to local bioavailability (and potentially bioequivalence) included areas under the normalized CN signal versus depth profiles and elimination rate constants deduced post-removal of the formulations. Finally, Raman measurements were made with an approved dermatological drug, crisaborole, for which delivery from a fully saturated formulation into the skin layers just below the SC was detectable