The effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on bone healing in SR-PLLA rod fixed experimental distal femur osteotomy in rat

The effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (30 mW/cm²) were investigated in experimental cancellous bone fracture healing in bioabsorbable self-reinforced poly-l-lactide (SR-PLLA) rod fixed distal femur osteotomy in rats. A transverse transcondylar osteotomy was fixed with one SR-PLLA rod in 32 male Wistar rats of the age of 20 weeks. Half of the rats had a daily 20-min ultrasound exposure for three weeks. The follow-up times were three, six, and 12 weeks. Radiographical, histological, microradiographical, oxytetracycline labeling, and histomorphometrical analyses were performed. No foreign-body reactions were noted. The biocompatibility of SR-PLLA and ultrasound was found to be good. In the radiological and histological assessments there was a slight tendency for enhanced healing in the ultrasound group at three weeks, but at six and 12 weeks no differences were observed. The histomorphometrical and oxytetracycline labeling analyses showed that ultrasound exposure had no significant effects on bone healing. The present study shows that there were no obvious findings to support the hypothesis that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound enhances bone healing in self-reinforced poly-l-lactide (SR-PLLA) rod fixed experimental metaphyseal distal femur osteotomy in rats. The observed good biocompatibility provides a safe starting-point for clinical trials on bioabsorbable fixation combined with low-intensity ultrasound.     

Allocation of Congestion Rights: Implementation Not Completely Meeting Objectives

In the seven organized US wholesale electricity markets, locational pricing is used for day‐ahead and real‐time dispatch. Congestion pricing is an important part of this market construct. Congestion in the transmission system leads to differences in locational prices, giving a strong price signal to all users of the system. Many of the expected benefits of electricity markets spring from these price signals—they provide incentives for participants to use the transmission system in the most efficient manner and to maximize the value of their investment in infrastructure.     

Selectivity and tolerance calculations with half-cone-shaped reference beam in volume holographic storage

When developing a compact holographic storage system it is beneficial to use a reflection-type arrangement, where the entire optical system is on the same side of the storage material. For reflection type holographic discs, it is important to use half-cone-shaped spherical reference beams to avoid the ghost images caused by phase conjugate readout. The goal of this paper is to look for appropriate engineering tools to model diffraction efficiency of finite volume holograms created by half-cone-shaped reference beams. Two numerical methods – volume integral and beam propagation – were applied to calculate the shift selectivity curves. Simulation results show significant discrepancies between the shift selectivity curves corresponding to the approximated analytical equation and the numerically calculated shift selectivity curves; there are no Bragg zeros and there are no selective and nonselective directions. Beside the shift selectivity curves, track, focus, tilt and wavelength tolerance values are shown for finite volume holograms.     

γ-聚谷氨酸/壳聚糖负载紫杉醇复合纳米粒子的制备与研究

紫杉醇是美国FDA批准的用于治疗卵巢癌和乳腺癌的药物。本研究以γ-聚谷氨酸(γ-PGA)/壳聚糖(CS)为研究对象,制备壳聚糖/γ-聚谷氨酸复合纳米粒子。选择紫杉醇(TXL)作为模型药物,根据紫杉醇的浓度变化研究复合纳米粒子的载药性能。红外光谱表征和差示扫描量热分析及电子透射电镜证实药物包埋成功。     

A non-linear extension of the additivity rule

Starting with the traditional Scheil–Cahn additivity principle, a new phenomenological method has been developed for the prediction of the progress of non-isothermal diffusional transformation processes. It is shown, that by formal generalization of the conventional additivity rule, various types of kinetic differential equations can be derived from the same isothermal kinetic law. This new approach is applied to the derivation of Avrami type generalized kinetic functions. They are suitable for the phenomenological description of anisothermal, diffusion-controlled, transformation processes. First, based on computer simulations, fundamental features of generalized kinetic functions derived from extended additivity principle are discussed. Next, practical feasibility of the approach has been demonstrated by estimating the start of austenite/ferrite transformation (i.e. incubation time) in a hypoeutectoid steel during continuous cooling.     

A Novel Cell-Based Model for a Rare Disease: The Tks4-KO Human Embryonic Stem Cell Line as a Frank-Ter Haar Syndrome Model System

Tyrosine kinase substrate with four SH3 domains (Tks4) scaffold protein plays roles in cell migration and podosome formation and regulates systemic mechanisms such as adult bone homeostasis and adipogenesis. Mutations in the Tks4 gene (SH3PXD2b) cause a rare developmental disorder called Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS), which leads to heart abnormalities, bone tissue defects, and reduced adiposity. We aimed to produce a human stem cell-based in vitro FTHS model system to study the effects of the loss of the Tks4 protein in different cell lineages and the accompanying effects on the cell signalome. To this end, we used CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated (Cas9)) to knock out the SH3PXD2b gene in the HUES9 human embryonic stem cell line (hESC), and we obtained stable homo- and heterozygous knock out clones for use in studying the potential regulatory roles of Tks4 protein in embryonic stem cell biology. Based on pluripotency marker measurements and spontaneous differentiation capacity assays, we concluded that the newly generated Tks4-KO HUES9 cells retained their embryonic stem cell characteristics. We propose that the Tks4-KO HUES9 cells could serve as a tool for further cell differentiation studies to investigate the involvement of Tks4 in the complex disorder FTHS. Moreover, we successfully differentiated all of the clones into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The derived MSC cultures showed mesenchymal morphology and expressed MSC markers, although the expression levels of mesodermal and osteogenic marker genes were reduced, and several EMT (epithelial mesenchymal transition)-related features were altered in the Tks4-KO MSCs. Our results suggest that the loss of Tks4 leads to FTHS by altering cell lineage differentiation and cell maturation processes, rather than by regulating embryonic stem cell potential.     

T6热处理对粉末触变成形技术制备Ti@(Al-Si-Ti)p/A356Al复合材料组织和性能的影响

本文采用粉末触变成形技术制备了由“芯-壳”结构粒子增强的A356Al复合材料,然后通过T6热处理进一步提高该复合材料的综合力学性能。研究结果表明,“芯-壳”结构增强体颗粒不仅能够提高复合材料的抗拉强度、屈服强度(增加率分别为18.0%和32.7%),而且使其(10.8%)具备与基体铝合金(11.3%)相当的塑性。在T6热处理过程中,随时效时间的延长,该复合材料的强度、硬度先增加(1-7h,即欠时效)后减小(9-12h,即过时效),在8h时达到最大值(即峰时效),此时复合材料的抗拉强度、屈服强度和硬度分别为325.4 MPa、254.4 MPa和104.0 HV,比热处理前分别提高了33.7%、74.0%和48.5%;峰时效延伸率为9.4%,与热处理前相比几乎没有下降。即经过T6热处理后,“芯-壳”结构增强体粒子能在提高复合材料强度的同时,最大程度地保留其良好的塑性。最后,通过对时效8h和12h的复合材料基体中析出相的尺寸、密度和类型的分析,对其强化机制进行了讨论。     

Amplification line of 119 μm wavelength of methanol molecules at the presence of He buffer gas

The gain line shape of wevelength 119 um of the methanol molecule is measured at different He buffer gas pressure. The amplitude of the gain decreases and the linewidth increases with the increase of the buffer gas pressure. The rate of the increase of the width is 3MHz/torr.     

The ursodeoxycholic acid-p-aminobenzoic acid test in the diagnosis of small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome

Contaminated small bowel syndrome is frequently associated with meteorism due to excessive gas formation, and diarrhoea as a result of bacterial fermentative processes, including splitting of carbohydrates or deconjugating and dehydroxylating bile salts. In addition to gas production, bacteria capable of metabolizing bile salts have been shown to release p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) from and Ursodeoxycholic-acid-PABA substrate. Our aim was to determine the possible complementary role of the UDCA-PABA test in the diagnosis of bacterial overgrowth. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The H2 breath and UDCA-PABA tests were performed simultaneously on 46 patients with suspected contaminated small bowel syndrome, and on 7 healthy subjects. The H2 breath test was performed by oral loading of 25 g lactose and/or 10 g lactulose. The UDCA-PABA test was carried out by determining urinary excretion of PABA after oral loading with 250 mg UDCA-PABA conjugate. The diagnosis of bacterial overgrowth was established, when either H2 breath, or UDCA-PABA test proved to be pathological. RESULTS: Based upon the pathologic values of either the H2 breath test, or the UDCA-PABA test, 25 out of 46 patients proved to have contaminated small bowel syndrome. In 10 out of 25 patients only pathologic urinary PABA excretion (12.772 +/- 1.707 vs 4.1 +/- 0.58), indicated bacterial overgrowth, and in 9 out of the same group only positive H2 breath test (early rise of > 20 ppm of H2) indicated the same, while in 6 cases both tests proved to be pathological. In 7 CSBS patients the urinary excretion of PABA significantly decreased following a 10 day Tinidazole treatment (5.48 +/- 1.286 vs 13.068 +/- 2.068). CONCLUSION: The UDCA-PABA test proved to be a valuable complementary method to detect bacterial overgrowth, when H2 production failed to reveal bacterial overgrowth.