Prognostic Analysis of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Based on Their Morphological Portrait and Expression of Pluripotent Markers

The ability of human pluripotent stem cells for unlimited proliferation and self-renewal promotes their application in the fields of regenerative medicine. The morphological assessment of growing colonies and cells, as a non-invasive method, allows the best clones for further clinical applications to be safely selected. For this purpose, we analyzed seven morphological parameters of both colonies and cells extracted from the phase-contrast images of human embryonic stem cell line H9, control human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line AD3, and hiPSC line HPCASRi002-A (CaSR) in various passages during their growth for 120 h. The morphological phenotype of each colony was classified using a visual analysis and associated with its potential for pluripotency and clonality maintenance, thus defining the colony phenotype as the control parameter. Using the analysis of variance for the morphological parameters of each line, we showed that selected parameters carried information about different cell lines and different phenotypes within each line. We demonstrated that a model of classification of colonies and cells by phenotype, built on the selected parameters as predictors, recognized the phenotype with an accuracy of 70–75%. In addition, we performed a qRT-PCR analysis of eleven pluripotency markers genes. By analyzing the variance of their expression in samples from different lines and with different phenotypes, we identified group-specific sets of genes that could be used as the most informative ones for the separation of the best clones. Our results indicated the fundamental possibility of constructing a morphological portrait of a colony informative for the automatic identification of the phenotype and for linking this portrait to the expression of pluripotency markers.     

Symmetric lithium-ion cell based on lithium vanadium fluorophosphate with ionic liquid electrolyte

Lithium vanadium fluorophosphate, LiVPO₄F, was utilized as both cathode and anode for fabrication of a symmetric lithium-ion LiVPO₄F//LiVPO₄F cell. The electrochemical evolution of the LiVPO₄F//LiVPO₄F cell with the commonly used organic electrolyte LiPF₆/EC-DMC has shown that this cell works as a secondary battery, but exhibits poor durability at room temperature and absolutely does not work at increased operating temperatures. To improve the performance and safety of this symmetric battery, we substituted a non-flammable ionic liquid (IL) LiBF₄/EMIBF₄ electrolyte for the organic electrolyte. The symmetric battery using the IL electrolyte was examined galvanostatically at different rates and operating temperatures within the voltage range of 0.01–2.8 V. It was demonstrated that the IL-based symmetric cell worked as a secondary battery with a Coulombic efficiency of 77% at 0.1 mA cm⁻² and 25 °C. It was also found that the use of the IL electrolyte instead of the organic one resulted in the general reduction of the first discharge capacity by about 20–25% but provided much more stable behavior and a longer cycle life. Moreover, an increase of the discharge capacity of the IL-based symmetric battery up to 120 mA h g⁻¹ was observed when the operating temperature was increased up to 80 °C at 0.1 mA cm⁻². The obtained electrochemical behavior of both symmetric batteries was confirmed by complex-impedance measurements at different temperatures and cycling states. The thermal stability of LiVPO₄F with both the IL and organic electrolytes was also examined.     

Some Characteristics of Free Cell Population in the Airways of Rats after Intratracheal Instillation of Copper-Containing Nano-Scale Particles

We used stable water suspensions of copper oxide particles with mean diameter 20 nm and of particles containing copper oxide and element copper with mean diameter 340 nm to assess the pulmonary phagocytosis response of rats to a single intratracheal instillation of these suspensions using optical, transmission electron, and semi-contact atomic force microscopy and biochemical indices measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Although both nano and submicron ultrafine particles were adversely bioactive, the former were found to be more toxic for lungs as compared with the latter while evoking more pronounced defense recruitment of alveolar macrophages and especially of neutrophil leukocytes and more active phagocytosis. Based on our results and literature data, we consider both copper solubilization and direct contact with cellular organelles (mainly, mitochondria) of persistent particles internalized by phagocytes as probable mechanisms of their cytotoxicity.     

Structure Formation,Electrophysical and Mechanical Properties of an Electrically Conducting Ceramic Composite Based on Silicon and Boron Carbides

How the structure of electrically conducting ceramic composites in the SiC B₄C system is formed has been studied. The mechanical and electrophysical properties have been investigated as a function of the ratio of the components and the sintering conditions.     

On the formalization and reuse of scientific research

The reuse of scientific knowledge obtained from one investigation in another investigation is basic to the advance of science. Scientific investigations should therefore be recorded in ways that promote the reuse of the knowledge they generate. The use of logical formalisms to describe scientific knowledge has potential advantages in facilitating such reuse. Here, we propose a formal framework for using logical formalisms to promote reuse. We demonstrate the utility of this framework by using it in a worked example from biology: demonstrating cycles of investigation formalization [F] and reuse [R] to generate new knowledge. We first used logic to formally describe a Robot scientist investigation into yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) functional genomics [f₁]. With Robot scientists, unlike human scientists, the production of comprehensive metadata about their investigations is a natural by-product of the way they work. We then demonstrated how this formalism enabled the reuse of the research in investigating yeast phenotypes [r₁ = R(f₁)]. This investigation found that the removal of non-essential enzymes generally resulted in enhanced growth. The phenotype investigation was then formally described using the same logical formalism as the functional genomics investigation [f₂ = F(r₁)]. We then demonstrated how this formalism enabled the reuse of the phenotype investigation to investigate yeast systems-biology modelling [r₂ = R(f₂)]. This investigation found that yeast flux-balance analysis models fail to predict the observed changes in growth. Finally, the systems biology investigation was formalized for reuse in future investigations [f₃ = F(r₂)]. These cycles of reuse are a model for the general reuse of scientific knowledge.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel hydrophobically modified polybetaines as pour point depressants

A novel hydrophobic monomer was synthesized from the acetoacetic ester and dodecylamine by condensation reaction in mild conditions. The modification by the dodecyl groups monomer was involved in the Michael addition reaction with acrylic (or methacrylic) acid followed by radical polymerization. Both linear and crosslinked novel betaine‐type polyampholytes bearing hydrophobic “tail” and hydrophilic “head” were obtained. The linear polymer was characterized by viscometry, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. Swelling–shrinking behavior of linear and crosslinked samples was studied in water–DMF and water–DMSO mixtures. The applicability of hydrophobically modified polybetaines as pour point depressants (fluidity improvers) was also demonstrated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1042–1048, 2004     

Geminal dithiols

The review gives exhaustive coverage over the period 1876 to 2002 of the syntheses and physical and chemical properties of gem-dithiols. gem-Dithiols, poorly understood until recently, are organic sulfur compounds that contain a >C(SH)₂ group.