Restraint of the Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by a Nonfouling Zwitterionic Hydrogel

The success of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapies is largely dependent on the ability to maintain the multipotency of cells and control their differentiation. External biochemical and biophysical cues can readily trigger hMSCs to spontaneously differentiate, thus resulting in a rapid decrease in the multipotent cell population and compromising their regenerative capacity. Herein, we demonstrate that nonfouling hydrogels composed of pure poly(carboxybetaine) (PCB) enable hMSCs to retain their stem‐cell phenotype and multipotency, independent of differentiation‐promoting media, cytoskeletal‐manipulation agents, and the stiffness of the hydrogel matrix. Moreover, encapsulated hMSCs can be specifically induced to differentiate down osteogenic or adipogenic pathways by controlling the content of fouling moieties in the PCB hydrogel. This study examines the critical role of nonspecific interactions in stem‐cell differentiation and highlights the importance of materials chemistry in maintaining stem‐cell multipotency and controlling differentiation.     

Evaluation of 3D Printed Gelatin‐Based Scaffolds with Varying Pore Size for MSC‐Based Adipose Tissue Engineering

Adipose tissue engineering aims to provide solutions to patients who require tissue reconstruction following mastectomies or other soft tissue trauma. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) robustly differentiate into the adipogenic lineage and are attractive candidates for adipose tissue engineering. This work investigates whether pore size modulates adipogenic differentiation of MSCs toward identifying optimal scaffold pore size and whether pore size modulates spatial infiltration of adipogenically differentiated cells. To assess this, extrusion‐based 3D printing is used to fabricate photo‐crosslinkable gelatin‐based scaffolds with pore sizes in the range of 200–600 µm. The adipogenic differentiation of MSCs seeded onto these scaffolds is evaluated and robust lipid droplet formation is observed across all scaffold groups as early as after day 6 of culture. Expression of adipogenic genes on scaffolds increases significantly over time, compared to TCP controls. Furthermore, it is found that the spatial distribution of cells is dependent on the scaffold pore size, with larger pores leading to a more uniform spatial distribution of adipogenically differentiated cells. Overall, these data provide first insights into the role of scaffold pore size on MSC‐based adipogenic differentiation and contribute toward the rational design of biomaterials for adipose tissue engineering in 3D volumetric spaces.     

Structural features of an acidic polysaccharide with the potential of promoting osteoblast differentiation from Lycium ruthenicum Murr.

Abstract

The enhanced osteoblast differentiation is beneficial to the prevention of osteoporosis. In this study, a homogeneous polysaccharide (LRP-S2A) with the potential of promoting osteoblast differentiation was obtained from the fruits of Lycium ruthenicum, a traditional herb for treatment of postmenopausal metabolic disorders. Structural identification indicated that LRP-S2A, with a relative molecular weight of 2.65 × 10⁶ Da and an uronic acid content of 41.8%, contained Rha, Ara, Gal, Glc and GlcA in a molar ratio of 1.00 : 2.07 : 0.57 : 2.59 : 4.33 and was composed of a backbone consisting of 6-O-Me-α-(1→4)-D-GlcpA, 2-O-acetyl-α-(1→4)-D-Glcp, α-(1→2,4)-L-Rhap, β-(1→3)-D-Galp andα-(1→3,5)-L-Araf, and some branches consisting of 6-O-Me-α-(1→4)-D-GlcpA and terminal α-L-Araf. These results suggested that LRP-S2A with the potential of promoting osteoblast differentiation was a new acidic polysaccharide.     

Application of parameter differentiation for flow of a third grade fluid past an infinite porous plate

This article investigates the analytic solution for the flow of a third grade fluid past an infinite porous plate. The method of parameter differentiation is used to linearized the governing flow equation. The solution of the obtained linear equation is developed by differential transform method in combination with the method of superposition. The obtained results are compared with existing results in the literature and an excellent agreement is found. This shows that the parameter differentiation is a powerful technique for solving nonlinear problems. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2010     

Weighted differentiation composition operator from logarithmic Bloch spaces to Bloch‐type spaces

In this paper, we give a new characterization for the boundedness of weighted differentiation composition operator from logarithmic Bloch spaces to Bloch‐type spaces and calculate its essential norm in terms of the n‐th power of induced analytic self‐map on the unit disk. From which a sufficient and necessary condition of compactness of this operator follows immediately.     

Lagrangian Theory of Tensor Fields over Spaces with Contravariant and Covariant Affine Connections and Metrics and Its Application to Einstein's Theory of Gravitation in V 4 Spaces

The Lagrangian formalism for tensor fields over differentiable manifolds with contravariant and covariant affine connections (whose components differ not only by sign) and a metric is considered. The functional, the Lie, the covariant, and the total variations of a Lagrangian density, depending on components of tensor fields (with finite rank) and their first and second covariant derivatives, are established. A variation operator is determined and the corollaries of its commutation relations with the covariant and the Lie differential operators are found. The canonical (common) method of Lagrangians with partial derivatives (MLPD) and the method of Lagrangians with covariant derivatives (MLCD) are outlined. They differ each other by the commutation relations the variation operator has to obey with the covariant and the Lie differential operator. The covariant Euler–Lagrange equations are found on the basis of the MLCD. The energy-momentum tensors are considered on the basis of the Lie variation and the covariant Noether identities.As an application of the investigated general scheme, (pseudo) Riemannian spaces with contravariant and covariant affine connections (whose components differ not only by sign) are considered as a special case of -spaces with Riemannian metric, symmetric covariant connection and a weaker definition of dual vector basis with conformal noncanonical contraction operator . The geodesic and autoparallel equations in -spaces are found as different equations in contrast to the case of V ₄-spaces. The Euler–Lagrange equations as Einstein's field equations in -spaces and the corresponding energy-momentum tensors (EMTs) are obtained and compared with the Einstein equations and the EMTs in V ₄-spaces. The geodesic and the auto-parallel equations are discussed.     

On the Convergence Behaviour of Variable Stepsize Multistep Methods for Singularly Perturbed Problems

In this note, we investigate the convergence behaviour of linear multistep discretizations for singularly perturbed systems, emphasising the features of variable stepsizes. We derive a convergence result for A()-stable linear multistep methods and specify a refined error estimate for backward differentiation formulas. Important ingredients in our convergence analysis are stability bounds for non-autonomous linear problems that are obtained by perturbation techniques.     

Optimal accumulation of Jacobian matrices by elimination methods on the dual computational graph

The accumulation of the Jacobian matrix F of a vector function can be regarded as a transformation of its linearized computational graph into a subgraph of the directed complete bipartite graph K_n,m. This transformation can be performed by applying different elimination techniques that may lead to varying costs for computing F. This paper introduces face elimination as the basic technique for accumulating Jacobian matrices by using a minimal number of arithmetic operations. Its superiority over both edge and vertex elimination methods is shown. The intention is to establish the conceptual basis for the ongoing development of algorithms for optimizing the computation of Jacobian matrices.     

Genetic differentiation and subspecies development of the giant panda as revealed by DNA fingerprinting

Over the last 100 years giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) have been separated into six completely isolated mountain ranges. DNA fingerprinting revealed different differentiation patterns in giant pandas, including early-stage, late-stage, recent divergence and recent genetic depression. A separation around 10 000 years ago resulted in highly significant differences in DNA fingerprints and morphological characteristics between Qinling and Sichuan populations. Supported by morphological differences, the genetic data were used to classify the Qinling population as a new subspecies, A. m. qinlingensis, while the Sichuan populations were classified into the original subspecies, A. m. melanoleuca. Thus, the Qinling population deserves management as a separate unit. In the Sichuan populations, two management units were defined, including Qionglai-Minshan and Daxiangling-Xiaoxiangling-Liangshan. Our data suggest urgent measures are needed to establish green corridors between subpopulations in each mountain range to increase gene flow and genetic variation to ensure long-term survival.