The biological characteristics of different generation mesenchymal stem cells cultured in vitro and cocultured with vascular scaffold

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were used widely as seed cells in tissue engineering blood vessel construction. However, the biological characteristics difference of different generation MSCs in vitro culture is unknown, which laid a foundation for appropriate generation seeded cells selection for tissue engineering blood vessel construction. In this report, MSCs were isolated from SD rat bone marrow and identified by flow cytometry; cell growth curve test, cell surface antigen expression rate detection, cryopreservation resuscitation rate test, CD31 expression rate test, cell cycle analysis, and adhesion difference on vascular scaffold test were performed. The research results indicated that the MSCs shape was spindle and uniform with vigorous growth. CD105 and CD90 factor expression rate reached 82.5 and 84.9%, respectively, and the expression rate of CD45 was only 7.3%. The proliferation capacity of the fourth generation MSCs were more exuberant, with proliferation index as 20.3%; the cell proliferation index of the eighth generation decreased to only 9.1%. The cryopreservation resuscitation rate of the second generation and fourth generation MSCs were both higher than 80%, and the cryopreservation resuscitation rate of the eighth generation MSCs was only about 60%. After the induction for 5 days, MSCs had weak CD31 expression, and with the prolonged induction time, expression increased. All generation MSCs expressed CD31 after being induced for 10 days; however, the CD31 positive expression rate of the second generation, fourth generation, and sixth generation MSCs had significant difference with the eighth generation MSCs. Adhesion rate of MSCs before sixth generation was around 40%, but the adhesion rate of eighth generation MSCs was only about 27%. In all, biological characteristics of different generation MSCs existed certain differences, and especially the eighth generation MSCs aged seriously, whose cell activity decreased significantly. The researchers believed that the MSCs before the sixth generation can maintain excellent properties of MSCs, and can be used as seed cells for vascular tissue engineering.     

Bonding strength of HA/ZrO2 biomaterials with different interlayers

Yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) ceramic with hydroxyapatite (HA) coating has been recognized as one of the most common biomaterials. However, its lower interfacial bonding strength has restricted its clinical application. In this study, CaCO₃, Ca₃(PO₄)₂ (TCP), and Ag were added into the interface of the HA coating and Y-TZP substrate by a pressureless sintering process to increase interfacial bonding strength. The morphology and microstructure of the interlayers were analyzed by scanning electronic microscope. The results show that the comprehensive performances of HA/interlayer/ZrO₂ biomaterials were much better than that of the sample without interlayer, and the shear and tensile strengths of the HA/CaCO₃/ZrO₂ biomaterial reached 15.19 and 16.88 MPa, respectively, which were higher than those of TCP and Ag. The CaZrO₃ and carbonated apatite, formed by decomposed products of CaCO₃ and HA reacting with ZrO₂ at the interface under sintering, increased the mechanical properties of the biomaterial.     

Theoretical study of back-illuminated separated absorption and multiplication AlGaN APDs with different structural parameters

The low Al-content p-type layer was designed to utilize the polarization field to improve the performance of back-illuminated separated absorption and multiplication AlGaN avalanche photodiodes. The results show that the avalanche breakdown voltage decreases significantly when the polarization field has the same direction as reverse bias field in the multiplication region, and the maximum gain increasing as much as 235% is achieved. Moreover, the effects of both the doping concentration and thickness of each layer on the performance of device are investigated systematically. It is demonstrated that the parameters in inset n₁ layer play an important role on the properties of the device. Finally, the influences of density and distribution of defects on the breakdown voltage and gain are analyzed.     

Identification and synthesis of novel biomaterials based on spider structural silk fibers

The diversity in function and mechanical behavior of spider silks, and the ability to produce these silks recombinantly, have tremendous potential in creating a new class of biomimetic materials. Here we investigate the structural and mechanical properties of pyriform silks from the golden orb-weaver, Nephila clavipes. Nanoscale indentation measurements using atomic force microscopy on natural pyriform silk suggests that this biomaterial has high toughness that may be suitable for dissipating high amounts of mechanical energy. We also observed the occurrence of highly organized nanocrystals within the pyriform silk fibers that may contribute to the remarkable energy dissipation capability of these silks. It has been demonstrated that poly-(Gly–Ala) and poly-Ala stretches within the internal block repeat modules of dragline silk fibroins form nanocrystals, and these nanocrystalline structures may be responsible for the high extensibility of the dragline silks. In contrast, amino acid sequence analysis shows that PySp2 does not contain the same motifs. In the absence of poly-(Gly–Ala) and poly-Ala repeats, we hypothesized that PySp2 contains new protein motifs sufficient to polymerize into functional structures. To investigate the functional contributions of these novel motifs during pyriform fiber formation, we expressed different recombinant PySp2 fibroins with various segments spanning its block repeat units. We demonstrate that PySp2 recombinant proteins with the Pro-rich sub-block domain (PXP motifs, where X= sub-set of the amino acids A, L, or R) and/or the Ser + Gln + Ala-rich sub-block domain (QQSSVAQS motifs) are sufficient for artificial fiber formation. Moreover, we show that recombinant PySp2 proteins that contain a single block repeat unit can self-assemble into foam-like nanostructures. Collectively, our findings support the use of PySp2 recombinant proteins for a wide range of biomimetic materials with morphologies ranging from fibers to porous structures.     

A comparative study of different nanoclay-reinforced cellulose nanofibril biocomposites with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties

The objective of this research was to comprehensively compare the effects of nanoclay bentonite (BT), halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and sulfuric acid-etched halloysite nanotubes on the surface wettability, morphological, mechanical and thermal properties of cellulose nanofibril (CNF) biocomposites. A simple and environmental safe casting-evaporation method was used to fabricate these samples, which comprised up to 10 wt% of nanoclay. The surface wettability, tensile testing and TG results showed that the biocomposites with BT exhibited greater hydrophobicity, larger modulus and strength and better thermal stability than with HNTs at low content. However, at high content, the biocomposites with HNTs exhibited larger elongation at break. The DMA results indicated that biocomposites with HNTs exhibited better molecular motion restriction than with BT. These results combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) also indicated interfacial interactions between CNF matrix and nanoclay. Acid treatment would help promote the interfacial interactions between HNTs and CNFs, resulting in enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. This comparative study will help in the choice of appropriate nanoclay for use in functional biomaterials in industrial production applications.     

A comparative study on structural and optical properties of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO thin films obtained by ultrasonic spray method using different solvents

Transparent conducting ZnO and Al doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrate by ultrasonic spray method. The thin films with concentration of 0.1 M were deposited at 350 °C with 2 min of deposition time. The effects of ethanol and methanol solution before and after doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties were examined. The DRX analyses indicated that ZnO films have nanocrystalline nature and hexagonal wurtzite structure with (1 0 0) and (0 0 2) preferential orientation corresponding to ZnO films resulting from methanol and ethanol solution, respectively. The crystallinity of the thin films improved with methanol solution after doping to (0 0 2) oriented. All films exhibit an average optical transparency about 90%, in the visible range. The band gaps values of ZnO thin films are increased after doping from 3.10 to 3.26 eV and 3.27 to 3.30 eV upon Al doping obtained by ethanol and methanol solution, respectively. The electrical conductivity increase from 7.5 to 15.2 (Ω cm)⁻¹ of undoped to Al doped ZnO thin films prepared by using ethanol solution. However, for the methanol solution; the electrical conductivity of the film is stabilized after doping.     

Structure and properties of electrodeposited Fe-Ni-W alloys with different levels of tungsten content: A comparative study

Fe-Ni-W alloys with 18 wt%, 35 wt% and 55 wt% tungsten have been obtained by electrodeposition from an ammoniacal citrate bath. The deposits are smooth, of nice appearance, and adhere well to iron and steel. The morphology and structure of Fe-Ni-W alloys were studied by SEM and XRD, respectively. The structure of the as-plated deposits changed from crystalline to amorphous with increasing tungsten content. The amorphous structure crystallized under heat treatment condition. The wear and corrosion resistance of the deposits were tested by MPX-2000 wear-tear equipment and neutral salt spray test (NSS), respectively. The alloys with 55 wt% tungsten, after heat treatment at proper temperatures, appear to have good wear resistance and hardness. The alloys with 18 wt% tungsten are very corrosion-resistant.     

Fluorescence labeling and interaction of atherogenic lipoproteins with cultured cells

We prepared lipoprotein (a) and LDL covalently labeled with either BODIPY or rhodamine. A dual wavelength method was used for the microscopic observation of both lipoproteins during their interaction with HepG2 cells. Since a large proportion of Lp(a) colocalized with LDL on the cell surface and inside the cells, it was concluded that Lp(a) uptake into cells is mediated by LDL via internalization of LDL.     

A comparative study of H2-air premixed flame in micro combustors with different physical and boundary conditions

A numerical study of H₂-air premixed combustion in the micro channels with a detailed chemical reaction mechanism is performed by solving the two-dimensional fully elliptic governing equations of continuity, momentum, energy and species, coupled with the energy equation in the solid wall. A reference case is defined as the combustion in a cylindrical tube with 0.8 mm inner diameter and 8 mm length with a non-slip wall and a uniform velocity profile at the inlet plane. Different physical and boundary conditions have been applied in order to investigate their respective effects on the flame temperature. The conditions studied in the current paper include the combustor size and geometry, inlet velocity profile, axial heat conduction in the solid wall and slip-wall and temperature jump at the gas–solid interface. It is noted that effects of Knudsen number (slip-wall and temperature jump) on the thermal and fluid field are not very significant in a d = 0.4 mm micro combustor. Furthermore, the qualitative effects of Knudsen number on the flame temperature are analysed. The results of this paper indicate that these various boundary and physical conditions have effects on the flame temperature to different extent and should be carefully monitored when applied for different applications.     

First principles study of structural and electronic properties of different phases of boron nitride

A theoretical study of structural and electronic properties of the four phases of BN (zincblende, wurtzite, hexagonal and rhombohedral) is presented. The calculations are done by full potential (linear) augmented plane wave plus local orbitals (APW+lo) method based on the density functional theory (DFT) as employed in WIEN2k code. Using the local density approximation (LDA) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBE) for the exchange correlation energy functional, we have calculated lattice parameters, bulk modulus, its pressure derivative and cohesive energy. In order to calculate electronic band structure, another form of the generalized gradient approximation proposed by Engel and Vosko (GGA-EV) has been employed along with LDA and GGA-PBE. It is found that all the three approximations exhibit similar band structure qualitatively. However, GGA-EV gives energy band gap values closer to the measured data. Our results for structural and electronic properties are compared with the experimental and other theoretical results wherever these are available.     

A comparative study on dual colour soft aperture cascaded second-order mode-locking with different nonlinear optical crystals

A comparative study in terms of optimized output power and stability is made on cascaded second-order nonlinear optical mode-locking with KTP, BBO and LBO crystals for both 1064 nm and 532 nm. Large nonlinear optical phase shift achieved in a non-phase-matched second harmonic generating crystal, is transformed into amplitude modulation through soft aperturing the nonlinear cavity mode variation at the laser gain medium to mode-lock a Nd:YVO4 laser. The laser delivers stable dual wavelength cw mode-locked pulse train with pulse duration 10.3 ps and average power of 1.84 W and 255 mW at 1064 nm and 532 nm respectively for the optimum performance in type-II KTP crystal. The exceptional stability achieved with KTP is accounted by simulating the mode-size variation with phase mismatch.     

Ethanol and methane fueled solid oxide fuel cells: A comparative study

Ethanol and methane are compared as candidate fuels for generation of electrical power in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). The thermodynamic analysis of both alternatives was undertaken considering that a SOFC operates with the equilibrium products of the steam reforming of each raw fuel. The comparison was made assuming SOFC operation under atmospheric total pressure in the temperature range of 800–1200K, and results were obtained in terms of the maximun theoretical electromotive force (emf) and the thermodynamic efficiency of total energy conversion. It was found that although methane fueled SOFCs are able to provide slightly higher efficiencies, ethanol is a competitive alternative fuel with suitable characteristics. Paper presented at the 7th Euroconference on Ionics, Calcatoggio, Corsica, France, Oct. 1–7, 2000.     

Relations between reactive oxygen species and Raman spectral variations of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with different viability

Laser Physics - In this study, the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels in Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hUC-MSCs) with different cell viability were measured by ROS probe...     

Acoustic recognition of voice disorders: a comparative study of running speech versus sustained vowels

The signals of running speech and sustained vowels of normals and subjects suffering from dysphonia were analyzed statistically with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The distribution of the SNR measured in multiple overlapping frames in the speech signal was described by a linear combination of the distribution frequencies for SNR = 0 dB, 0 dB less than SNR less than 15 dB, and SNR greater than or equal to 15 dB. The values of the linear combination, the SNR of the vowels, and clinical assignment of the voices to normal and pathologic populations based on laryngoscopic and stroboscopic investigation parameters were used to compare the different evaluations of the voices. The SNR distribution in speech remained stable over signal lengths of more than 30 s. The correlation coefficient between the SNR measure for running speech and the SNR of sustained vowels amounted to only 0.63. The error rate in the discrimination between normal and dysphonic voices amounted to 22.6% in application to sustained vowels and 5.6% when the SNR distribution was used. Possible reasons for the observed discrepancies are discussed, and the results are compared to those of other studies.     

Comparative study of structural and magnetic properties of NiZnCu ferrite powders prepared via chemical coprecipitation method with different coprecipitators

We prepared NiZnCu ferrite powders with nominal composition Ni_0.4−xZn_0.6Cu_xFe₂O₄ (x=0-0.2) via chemical coprecipitation method with NaOH and Na₂CO₃ as coprecipitators. The structural and magnetic properties of these compounds were studied and compared. It is found that all the specimens exhibit single-phase structure after annealing. The saturation magnetization of specimens with NaOH as coprecipitator is lower than that with Na₂CO₃ as coprecipitator. It is also found that the growth of grains is hindered for specimens using Na₂CO₃ as coprecipitator.     

In vitro comparative study of vibro-acoustography versus pulse-echo ultrasound in imaging permanent prostate brachytherapy seeds

Background

Permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) is a common treatment for early stage prostate cancer. While the modern approach using trans-rectal ultrasound guidance has demonstrated excellent outcome, the efficacy of PPB depends on achieving complete radiation dose coverage of the prostate by obtaining a proper radiation source (seed) distribution. Currently, brachytherapy seed placement is guided by trans-rectal ultrasound imaging and fluoroscopy. A significant percentage of seeds are not detected by trans-rectal ultrasound because certain seed orientations are invisible making accurate intra-operative feedback of radiation dosimetry very difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, intra-operative correction of suboptimal seed distributions cannot easily be done with current methods. Vibro-acoustography (VA) is an imaging modality that is capable of imaging solids at any orientation, and the resulting images are speckle free.

Objective and methods

The purpose of this study is to compare the capabilities of VA and pulse-echo ultrasound in imaging PPB seeds at various angles and show the sensitivity of detection to seed orientation. In the VA experiment, two intersecting ultrasound beams driven at f₁ = 3.00 MHz and f₂ = 3.020 MHz respectively were focused on the seeds attached to a latex membrane while the amplitude of the acoustic emission produced at the difference frequency 20 kHz was detected by a low frequency hydrophone.

Results

Finite element simulations and results of experiments conducted under well-controlled conditions in a water tank on a series of seeds indicate that the seeds can be detected at any orientation with VA, whereas pulse-echo ultrasound is very sensitive to the seed orientation.

Conclusion

It is concluded that vibro-acoustography is superior to pulse-echo ultrasound for detection of PPB seeds.     

Proventriculus of Cephalotes ants: A structural and comparative analysis

The use of optic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy propitiated the comparative examination of the structure of the proventriculus bulb of Cephalotes atratus, Cephalotes clypeatus and Cephalotes pusillus. This portion of the digestive tract possesses highly sclerotized projections which act in the selection of victuals. This structure is of importance to phylogeny studies and thus was compared with others known species of ants in a dendrogram adapted from Eisner (1957). We did not detect differences among the three studied species in the nature of histochemistry and ultra morphology.