Post implantation fate of adipogenic induced mesenchymal stem cells on Type I collagen scaffold in a rat model

Regenerative medicine via its application in soft tissue reconstruction through novel methods in adipose tissue engineering (ATE) has gained remarkable attention and investment despite simultaneous reports on clinical incidence of graft resorption and impaired vascularization. The underlying malaise here once identified may play a critical role in optimizing implant function. Our work attempts to determine the fate of donor cells and the implant in recipient micro environment using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) on a type I collagen sponge, an established scaffold for ATE. Cell components within the construct were identified 21 days post implantation to delineate cell survival, proliferation & terminal roles in vivo. ASC’s are multipotent, while collagen type I is a natural extra cellular matrix component. Commercially available bovine type I collagen was characterized for its physiochemical properties and cyto-compatibility. Nile red staining of induced ASCs identified red globular structures in cell cytoplasm indicating oil droplet accumulation. Similarly, in vivo implantation of the cell seeded collagen construct in rat model for 21 days in the dorsal muscle, showed genesis of chicken wire network of fat-like cells, which was demonstrated histologically using a variety of staining techniques. Furthermore, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique established the efficiency of transplantation wherein the male donor cells with labeled Y chromosome was identified 21 days post implantation from female rat model. Retrieved samples at 21 days indicated adipogenesis in situ, with donor cells highlighted via FISH. The study provides an insight to stem cells in ATE from genesis to functionalization.     

A 0.15-V, 44.73% PCE charge pump with CMOS differential ring-VCO for energy harvesting systems

Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing - This paper proposes a dynamic voltage frequency scaling technique (DVFS) for a CMOS differential bootstrapped ring-voltage controlled oscillator...     

Chemical and functional properties of fibre concentrates obtained from by-products of coconut kernel

The coconut kernel residues obtained after extraction of coconut milk (MR) and virgin coconut oil (VOR) were analysed for their potential as dietary fibres. VOR was defatted and treated chemically using three solvent systems to isolate coconut cell wall polysaccharides (CCWP).     

Reticulated vitreous carbon from polyurethane foam-clay composites

Reticulated vitreous carbon foams were prepared by carbonizing polyurethane precursor foams which were first infused with furfuryl alcohol. The cell size and the fraction of open cells of the precursor foam were controlled by the addition of clay in the polyurethane foam formulation. Addition of clay permitted control of the cell size of carbon foams. The higher open cell content in foams with clay permitted uniform infusion of furfuryl alcohol in the precursor, and thus more uniform carbon foams of higher density. These foams had a lower electrical resistance as compared to foams without clay.     

Variable-Order Ant System for VLSI multiobjective floorplanning

Floorplanning is crucial in VLSI chip design as it determines the time-to-market and the quality of the product. In this work, Variable-Order Ant System (VOAS) is developed and combined with a floorplan model namely Corner List (CL) to optimize the area and wirelength. CL is used to represent the floorplan layout. Although CL has proven to have the same search space and time complexity as Corner Sequence (CS), comparatively, CL has more corners to be selected. This compensates the sequence weakness, where modules can be placed freely onto the corners, which are not bounded by the floorplan contour. Two groups of ants, namely VOAS and reconnaissance ants, which will collaborate with each other to determine the local information, are introduced. Through this cooperation, VOAS ant can ascertain its local information greedily, based on the local search space information carried out by reconnaissance ants. Subsequently, VOAS ant proposes a new variable-order property to prioritize the global and local explorations. The variable-order property enables the ants in VOAS to weigh a better choice of modules for the floorplanning, based on the local and global information. The update rules of VOAS are modified in order to handle two-dimensional problem, such as VLSI floorplanning. VOAS shows improved results in terms of purely area optimization as well as composite function of area and wirelength, as compared to other state-of-the-art and recent floorplanning/placement algorithms based on Microelectronics Centre of North Carolina (MCNC) and Gigascale Systems Research Center (GSRC) benchmarks.     

Ambient RF energy harvesting system: a review on integrated circuit design

This paper presents a comprehensive review of ambient RF energy harvester circuitry working on integrated circuits. The review covers 3 main blocks in an RF energy harvesting system implemented on chip. The blocks are the rectifier, impedance matching circuit and power management unit. The review of each block includes its operational principle, reported state-of-the-art circuit enhancement techniques, and design trade-offs. We compare the circuits in each block with respect to the techniques adopted to improve the performances for RF energy harvesting. To identify the benefits and limitations associated with the architecture we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the circuit topologies in each block of an ambient RF energy harvester.     

Phase Transition and Anomalous Low Temperature Ferromagnetic Phase in Pr0.6Sr0.4MnO3 Single Crystals

We report on the magnetic and electrical properties of Pr_0.6Sr_0.4MnO₃ single crystals. This compound undergoes a continuous paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition with a Curie temperature T _C∼301 K and a first-order structural transition at T _S∼64 K. At T _S, the magnetic susceptibility exhibits an abrupt jump, and a corresponding small hump is seen in the resistivity. The critical behavior of the static magnetization and the temperature dependence of the resistivity are consistent with the behavior expected for a nearly isotropic ferromagnet with short-range exchange belonging to the Heisenberg universality class. The magnetization (M–H) curves below T _S are anomalous in that the virgin curve lies outside the subsequent M–H loops. The hysteretic structural transition at T _S as well as the irreversible magnetization processes below T _S can be explained by phase separation between a high-temperature orthorhombic and a low-temperature monoclinic ferromagnetic phase.     

Effect of monomer temperature on foaming and properties of flexible polyurethane foams

Polyurethane foam formation involves simultaneous polymerization and expansion. In an open cell foam, foam lamellae rupture at some stage of foam formation, resulting in a foam with continuous air channels. Experiments are carried out to study the effect of initial temperature of monomers on the open cell content of water‐blown flexible polyurethane foams. The change in kinetics of the polymerization and blowing with initial monomer temperature is noted by measuring the gel and rise times during foaming. Both polymerization and blowing reactions are found to be faster with increasing monomer temperature. The cell size is found to increase with initial monomer temperature, and the height of the cured free rise foam is found to decrease. The open cell content of the foam increased considerably with initial monomer temperature, leading finally to the collapse of the foam at the highest temperatures studied. The mechanical properties of the foam at different monomer temperatures are determined by making molded foams. The indentation load deflection decreased with increasing monomer temperature indicating the formation of softer foams, but showed a slight increase near the temperature of collapse. Other mechanical properties showed a small degradation with increase in initial monomer temperatures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

A Comparative Analysis of Intelligent Algorithms for Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Personal Communications - In a smart and decision making environment the location information of the sensors and devices under monitoring and control, is very much important, otherwise the...