Water Affinity to Epitaxial Graphene: The Impact of Layer Thickness

The sensitivity to water vapour of one‐, two‐, and three‐layer epitaxial graphene (1, 2, and 3LG) is examined in this study. It is unambiguously shown that graphene's response to water, as measured by changes in work function and carrier density, is dependent on its thickness, with 1LG being the most sensitive to water adsorption and environmental concentration changes. This is furthermore substantiated by surface adhesion measurements, which bring evidence that 1LG is less hydrophobic than 2LG. Yet, surprisingly, it is found that other contaminants commonly present in ambient air have a greater impact on graphene response than water vapor alone. This study indicates that graphene sensor design and calibration to minimize or discriminate the effect of the ambient, in which it is intended to operate, are necessary to insure the desired sensitivity and reliability of sensors. The present work will aid in developing models for realistic graphene sensors and establishing protocols for molecular sensor design and development.     

Design and characterization of a chitosan physical gel promoting wound healing in mice

In this study, a sterile and biocompatible chitosan (CHI) gel for wound healing applications was formulated. CHI powder was treated in autoclave (ttCHI) to prepare sterile formulations. The heat treatment modified the CHI molecular weight, as evidenced by GPC analysis, and its physical–chemical features. Differential scanning calorimetry studies indicated that the macromolecules, before and after thermal treatment, differ in the strength of water-polymer interaction leading to different viscoelastic and flow properties. Thermally treated CHI exhibited the following effects: (i) increased the proliferation and migration of human foreskin foetal fibroblasts at 24 h; (ii) accelerated wound healing (measured as area of lesion) at 3 and 10 days in an in vivo model of pressure ulcers. These effects were linked to the increase of the hydroxyproline and haemoglobin content as well as Wnt protein expression. Moreover, we found a reduction of myeloperoxidase activity and TNF-α mRNA expression. These observations suggest the potential of this novel CHI gel in wound healing and other therapeutic applications.     

The New Microtubule-Targeting Agent SIX2G Induces Immunogenic Cell Death in Multiple Myeloma

Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are effective drugs for cancer treatment. A novel diaryl [1,2]oxazole class of compounds binding the colchicine site was synthesized as cis-restricted-combretastatin-A-4-analogue and then chemically modified to have improved solubility and a wider therapeutic index as compared to vinca alkaloids and taxanes. On these bases, a new class of tricyclic compounds, containing the [1,2]oxazole ring and an isoindole moiety, has been synthetized, among which SIX2G emerged as improved MTA. Several findings highlighted the ability of some chemotherapeutics to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD), which is defined by the cell surface translocation of Calreticulin (CALR) via dissociation of the PP1/GADD34 complex. In this regard, we computationally predicted the ability of SIX2G to induce CALR exposure by interacting with the PP1 RVxF domain. We then assessed both the potential cytotoxic and immunogenic activity of SIX2G on in vitro models of multiple myeloma (MM), which is an incurable hematological malignancy characterized by an immunosuppressive milieu. We found that the treatment with SIX2G inhibited cell viability by inducing G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, we observed the increase of hallmarks of ICD such as CALR exposure, ATP release and phospho-eIF2α protein level. Through co-culture experiments with immune cells, we demonstrated the increase of (i) CD86 maturation marker on dendritic cells, (ii) CD69 activation marker on cytotoxic T cells, and (iii) phagocytosis of tumor cells following treatment with SIX2G, confirming the onset of an immunogenic cascade. In conclusion, our findings provide a framework for further development of SIX2G as a new potential anti-MM agent.     

Whole Body Vibration Improves Brain and Musculoskeletal Health by Modulating the Expression of Tissue-Specific Markers: FNDC5 as a Key Regulator of Vibration Adaptations

Whole body vibration (WBV) is well known to exert beneficial effects on multiple tissues, improving synaptic transmission, muscle mass, bone quality, and reducing anxiety and depressive behavior. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood, and organs and tissues may respond differently to the vibratory stimulus depending on multiple factors. Therefore, we investigated the WBV effects on the brain and musculoskeletal tissue of 4-month-old young mice, evaluating synaptic plasticity by electrophysiological recordings and tissue organization by histology and histomorphometric analysis. Specifically, WBV protocols were characterized by the same vibration frequency (45 Hz), but different in vibration exposure time (five series of 3 min for the B protocol and three series of 2 min and 30 s for the C protocol) and recovery time between two vibration sessions (1 min for the B protocol and 2 min and 30 s for the C protocol). In addition, immunohistochemistry was conducted to evaluate the expression of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), as well as that of tissue-specific markers, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in brain, myostatin in muscle and collagen I (COL-1) in bone. Our results suggest that the WBV effects depend closely on the type of protocol used and support the hypothesis that different organs or tissues have different susceptibility to vibration. Further studies will be needed to deepen our knowledge of physiological adaptations to vibration and develop customized WBV protocols to improve and preserve cognitive and motor functions.     

Polygenic Risk of Hypertriglyceridemia Is Modified by BMI

Background: Genetic risk scores (GRSs) have partially improved the understanding of the etiology of moderate hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), which until recently was mainly assessed by secondary predisposing causes. The main objective of this study was to assess whether this variability is due to the interaction between clinical variables and GRS. Methods: We analyzed 276 patients with suspected polygenic HTG. An unweighted GRS was developed with the following variants: c.724C > G (ZPR1 gene), c.56C > G (APOA5 gene), c.1337T > C (GCKR gene), g.19986711A > G (LPL gene), c.107 + 1647T > C (BAZ1B gene) and g.125478730A > T (TRIB gene). Interactions between the GRS and clinical variables (body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, age and gender) were evaluated. Results: The GRS was associated with triglyceride (TG) concentrations. There was a significant interaction between BMI and GRS, with the intensity of the relationship between the number of alleles and the TG concentration being greater in individuals with a higher BMI. Conclusions: GRS is associated with plasma TG concentrations and is markedly influenced by BMI. This finding could improve the stratification of patients with a high genetic risk for HTG who could benefit from more intensive healthcare interventions.     

A relativistic temporal algebra for efficient design of distributed systems

Adequate methods for checking the specification and design of distributed systems must allow for reasoning about asynchronous activities; efficient methods must perform the reasoning in polynomial time. This paper lays the groundwork for such an efficient deductive system by providing a very general temporal relation algebra that can be used by constraint propagation techniques to perform the required reasoning. Major choices exist when selecting an appropriate temporal model: discrete/dense, linear/nonlinear, and point/interval. James Allen and others have indicated the possible atomic relations between two intervals for the dense-linear-interval model, while Anger, Ladkin, and Rodriguez have shown those needed for a dense-branching-interval model. Rodriguez and Anger further developed a dense-relativistic-interval model based on Lamport'sprecede andcan affect arrows, determining a large number of atomic relations. This paper shows that those same atomic relations are exactly the correct ones for intervals in dense relativistic space-time if intervals are taken as pairs of points (E _s ,E _f ) in space-time such that it is possible to move fromE _s toE _f at less than the speed of light. The relations are defined and named consistently with the earlier work of Rodriguez and Anger, and the relationship between the two models is pursued. The relevance of the results to the verification of distributed specifications and algorithms is discussed.     

Synthesis, characterization and polymerization of isobutylbis(glycidylpropylether) phosphine oxide

In an attempt to obtain flame-retardant epoxy resins, a new diglycidylphosphine oxide, isobutylbis(glycidylpropylether)phosphine oxide (IHPO-Gly) was synthesized by reaction of isobutylbis(hydroxypropyl)phosphine oxide with epichlorohydrin and NaOH under phase transfer catalyst conditions. The thermal behaviour of IHPO-Gly was investigated by DSC and TGA and, together with thermal homopolymerization, isomerization and decomposition were detected. The reactivity of this novel diglycidyl compound was studied using boron trifluoride monoethylamine (BF₃·MEA) or 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) as catalysts and 2,4-diaminotoluene (DAT), hexahydrophtalic acid anhydride (HPA) or dicyandiamide (DICY) as hardeners. The thermal and flame retardant properties of the final thermosets were studied and V-0 materials were obtained in all cases except when BF₃·MEA was used as catalyst.     

Recent advances in the automatic inspection of integrated circuits for pattern defects

Automatic inspection has become an essential part of manufacturing technology for integrated circuit (IC) chips, but three trends in the geometries of ICs and the chips that they comprise have serious implications for inspection, making further advances in technology challenging. The individual devices (e.g., transistors) are becoming smaller, with the smallest features on some advanced products already crossing the optical resolution threshold; the chip areas are becoming larger; and the chips consist of more layers and undergo more processing steps. Not only are the smallest defects more difficult to detect due to the optical resolution limit, they are also much rarer because the tolerable defect density decreases as the chip area increases. This paper addresses automated IC inspection, surveying recent advances and future challenges. An overview of all inspection on IC chips during the manufacturing process is followed by a detailed discussion of pattern defect inspection (PDI) and its unique requirements, such as detection probability, false alarm rate, throughput, and minimum defect size. The core material of the paper consists of a discussion of approaches and systems for PDI, emphasizing recent developments, but reviewing older work to set the proper context. Both work reported in the literature and commercial systems are considered.     

Chlordiazepoxide attenuates activity-induced anorexia and weight loss in rats.

Studied the effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDP) on body weight and food intake in male rats. In Exp 1, the effect of repeated injections of 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg of CDP on food intake and body weight was studied in rats on an activity anorexia (AA) regimen. For several days before CDP testing began, rats lived in activity wheels and had one 60-min meal/day. During CDP testing, this regimen continued except that each rat was injected with an appropriate dose of CDP or saline 30 min before each meal. CDP enhanced food intake; 5.0 mg/kg seemed most effective. However, the CDP-induced increase in eating did not noticeably stem weight loss. In Exp 2, after several days of AA training, CDP (5.0 mg/kg) was tested under less severe conditions; food remained restricted, but access to the wheels was discontinued. Rats given CDP ate more and gained more weight than controls. These findings suggest that benzodiazepines such as CDP may help in treating anorexia nervosa and other anorectic conditions in humans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stressful situations in caregiving: Relations between caregiver coping and well-being.

We examined ways in which caregivers cope with stressful caregiving situations and the relations between coping strategies and caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Respondents were 58 family caregivers to patients discharged from a rehabilitation hospital. Caregivers identified a recent stressful event in caregiving and indicated strategies used to cope with this event. After controlling for patients' impairment level, analyses indicated that caregivers engaging in more escape–avoidance coping reported greater depression and more conflict in their personal relationships. Those using more positive reappraisal demonstrated greater positive affect. Younger caregivers, many of whom were women, used more avoidance strategies. Results have implications for therapeutic interventions with family caregivers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)