Bioactive Lipid O-cyclic phytosphingosine-1-phosphate Promotes Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Cardiomyocytes via ALK3/BMPR Signaling

Adult human cardiomyocytes have an extremely limited proliferative capacity, which poses a great barrier to regenerative medicine and research. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have been proposed as an alternative source to generate large numbers of clinical grade cardiomyocytes (CMs) that can have potential therapeutic applications to treat cardiac diseases. Previous studies have shown that bioactive lipids are involved in diverse cellular responses including cardiogenesis. In this study, we explored the novel function of the chemically synthesized bioactive lipid O-cyclic phytosphingosine-1-phosphate (cP1P) as an inducer of cardiac differentiation. Here, we identified cP1P as a novel factor that significantly enhances the differentiation potential of hESCs into cardiomyocytes. Treatment with cP1P augments the beating colony number and contracting area of CMs. Furthermore, we elucidated the molecular mechanism of cP1P regulating SMAD1/5/8 signaling via the ALK3/BMP receptor cascade during cardiac differentiation. Our result provides a new insight for cP1P usage to improve the quality of CM differentiation for regenerative therapies.     

Freeform fabrication by controlled droplet deposition of powder filled melts

A method of directly delivering highly filled hot-melt particulate suspensions using piezoelectric droplet generators is presented. Highly fluid suspensions of alumina in a mixture of long and short chain n-alkanes containing up to 40% by volume solids have been prepared. These fluids were subsequently used to deposit ceramic objects using a commercial ink-jet printer. These objects were then successfully sintered to near full density. The deposition mechanism is controlled by the propagation of acoustic waves in a droplet generating chamber. We have observed the change in resonance of this chamber with the introduction of particles into a fluid. A simple model is developed to explain these observations in terms of changes in the speed of sound of the fluid on the addition of solid particles in suspension.     

Fertiliser requirements of spring oilseed rape

Because of the increasing importance of oilseed rape in the United Kingdom, 26 field experiments were done on the fertiliser requirements of the spring-sown crop in the years 1973 to 1975. Seed and oil yield were increased by nitrogen in 23 of the 26 experiments, though oil content was reduced somewhat. On average, the crop required 187 kg/ha of N for optimum yield and there was little difference in yield between seedbed and split N applications. Response to P was small on average, varied between years and was not well correlated with soil analysis; a 2 tonne/ha crop removes about 32 kg/ha P₂O₅. Mean response to K was very small and a 2 tonne/ha crop removes about 15 kg/ha K₂O; spring oilseed rape appears to require no applied K, except perhaps on soils of low K status. The crop did not respond at all to application of S.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Biomarkers of Internal Exposure in U.S. Army Soldiers Serving in Kuwait in 1991

Biomarkers of exposure were applied to a cohort of U.S. Army soldiers who were deployed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1991 in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War. The U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency (currently the U.S Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine) monitored air and soil for ambient PAHs. In addition, a group of 61 soldiers kept diaries of daily activities. These soldiers provided blood and urine samples in June in Germany before deployment to Kuwait, in August after 8 weeks in Kuwait, and in October, one month after the return to Germany. DNA, prepared from white blood cells, was assayed for PAH-DNA adducts by immunoassay and bulky aromatic adducts by ³²P-postlabeling. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene-glucuronide (1-OH-PG) was determined by synchronous fluorescence spectrometry. Contrary to expectations, environmental monitoring showed low ambient PAH levels in the areas where these soldiers were working in Kuwait. In addition, literature values for ambient PAH monitoring in Germany in 1990 suggest that the soldiers may have been exposed to higher levels of ambient PAHs in Germany than in Kuwait. Blood cell DNA adduct levels were lowest in Kuwait and increased significantly after the return to Germany. Also, urinary 1-OH-PG levels were lowest in Kuwait and highest in Germany. This study demonstrates modulations in PAH exposure biomarker levels that appear to correlate with ambient PAH exposure.     

Nitrogen top-dressing requirements of winter oilseed rape

Forty-one field experiments were carried out on the spring N top-dressing requirements of winter oilseed rape in the years 1973 to 1977. The experiments were in the main rape-growing areas of England and Scotland, and almost all were on rape crops following one or more cereals. Seed and oil yield were increased by N top-dressing in 38 of the 41 experiments, with a mean requirement by satisfactory crops for about 230 kg ha^?1 of N. Those experiments with no response to N or no response beyond 90 kg ha^?1 of N were mostly low yielding and suffered from lodging, drought or bird damage. N reduced oil content by about 2% on average, but there was a considerably larger depression in 10 experiments, almost always associated with low yield, drought or lodging. N fertiliser increased the N content of the seed by about 0.5%. Timing of N application within the period mid-February to late March had little influence on seed yield or oil content but applying all or half the N in April tended to give a lower yield. There was no advantage from splitting the N application.     

Impact of negatively charged patches on the surface of MHC class II antigen-presenting proteins on risk of chronic beryllium disease.

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a granulomatous lung disease that occurs primarily in workers who are exposed to beryllium dust or fumes. Although exposure to beryllium is a necessary factor in the pathobiology of CBD, alleles that code for a glutamic acid residue at the 69th position of the HLA-DPbeta1 gene have previously been found to be associated with CBD. To date, 43 HLA-DPbeta1 alleles that code for glutamic acid 69 (E69) have been described. Whether all of these E69 coding alleles convey equal risk of CBD is unknown. The present study demonstrates that, on the one hand, E69 alleloforms of major histocompatibility complex class II antigen-presenting proteins with the greatest negative surface charge convey the highest risk of CBD, and on the other hand, irrespective of allele, they convey equal risk of beryllium sensitization (BeS). In addition, the data suggest that the same alleles that cause the greatest risk of CBD are also important for the progression from BeS to CBD. Alleles convey the highest risk code for E26 in a constant region and for E69, aspartic acid 55 (D55), E56, D84 and E85 in hypervariable regions of the HLA-DPbeta1 chain. Together with the calculated high binding affinities for beryllium, these results suggest that an adverse immune response, leading to CBD, is triggered by chemically specific metal-protein interactions.     

Viscosity and Acoustic Behavior of Ceramic Suspensions Optimized for Phase-Change Ink-Jet Printing

The application of ink-jet printing technologies to direct-write and freeform fabrication of ceramics requires the development of appropriate printing fluids. The critical parameter controlling fluid printing ability is viscosity, although surface tension and density are also important. Additionally, in piezoelectric-driven ink-jets, drop ejection is governed by a series of electric pulses exciting a transducer at acoustic frequencies and hence the fluid acoustic wave speed is also important. Here, suspensions of sterically stabilized fine ceramic powders in solidifying hydrocarbon systems exhibiting suitable rheology for ink-jet printing have been formulated and their acoustic behavior has been characterized. For the particle sizes and frequencies used in this study, acoustic wave speed as a function of solids content is accurately predicted by effective medium theory. Suspensions containing up to 45% particulate by volume can be successfully passed through conventional printing heads.     

Survival in food systems of Lactobacillus rhamnosus R011 microentrapped in whey protein gel particles

ABSTRACT:  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of whey protein isolate (WPI) gel microentrapment on the viability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus R011 during the production and storage of biscuits, frozen cranberry juice, and vegetable juice. Viability of microentrapped (ME) cells was compared to free cells freeze-dried in a milk-based protective solution as well as in a WPI-based solution (ungelled). During the production of biscuits and their storage for 2 wk at 23 °C, the highest stability was obtained with the cells ME in WPI gel particles. However, free cells prepared in the milk-based matrix were those that maintained the highest viability during storage of vegetable juice as well as during freezing and storage of cranberry juice. The culture prepared in a WPI-based solution had the highest drops in viable counts following the heating process of biscuits as well as during storage of vegetable juice and freezing and storage of cranberry juice. Although the WPI-based solution was not efficient in protecting free cells, it is concluded that the process of microentrapment in WPI can help in protecting the freeze-dried cells against subsequent acidic and alkaline pH conditions as well as heating and freezing of food products.     

Seedbed fertilizer requirements of winter oilseed rape

Thirty-four field experiments were carried out on the seedbed fertilizer requirements of winter oilseed rape in the main rape-growing areas of England and Scotland. Average seed yield was increased by seedbed N from 2.711 ha^?1 to 2.881 ha^?1 (when 200 kg ha^?1 N was given in spring). Economic analysis showed 60 kg ha^?1 as likely to be the most profitable rate of seedbed N for most situations. P fertilizer increased yield significantly on soils with low or moderate levels of available soil P but there was little response to K fertilizer on soils of high or medium K status and too few experiments on low K status soils to quantify requirements thereon. S application to the seedbed (as calcium sulphate) did not increase yield. Seedbed N decreased seed oil content slightly and not always significantly while P, K and S had no effect. Nutrient removal in the seed of an average 3 t ha^?1 crop would be 90 kg ha^?1 of N, 17 kg ha^?1 of P (40 kg ha^?1 P₂O₅) and 17 kg ha^?1 of K (20 kg ha^?1 K₂O).