Catalytic alcohols synthesis from CO and H2O on TiO2 catalysts calcined at various temperatures

The reaction performance for CO hydration on a TiO2 catalyst under different calcination temperatures was investigated. Under reaction conditions of T = 573 K, P = 0.5 MPa, CO flow rate of 30 ml min(-1), TOS = 12 h, and CO/H2O (g) = 3/2 (mol), the TiO2 catalyst with a futile content of 18% shows a maximum alcohols STY of 1.81 Mg m(-2) h(-1). In addition, the catalyst deactivation and regeneration were discussed.

Biodegradation of poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) tube stents in bile

The objective of this study was to evaluate degradation behavior and the feasibility of biodegradable polymeric stents in common bile duct (CBD) repair and reconstruction. Various molar ratios of lactide (LA) and glycolide (GA) in poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were synthesized and processed into a circular tubing of similar to 10.0 mm outer diameter and a wall thickness of about 2.0 mm.

In vivo mineralization and osteogenesis of nanocomposite scaffold of poly (lactide-co-glycolide) and hydroxyapatite surface-grafted with poly(L-lactide)

Nanocomposite of hydroxyapatite (HAP) surface-grafted with poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) (g-HAP) shows a wide application for bone fixation materials due to its improved interface compatibility, mechanical property and biocompatibility in our previous study. In this paper, a 3-D porous scaffold of g-HAP/poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) was fabricated using the solvent casting/particulate leaching method to investigate its applications in bone replacement and tissue engineering. The composite of un-grafted HAP/PLGA and neat PLGA were used as controls. Their in vivo mineralization and osteogenesis were investigated by intramuscular implantation and replacement for repairing radius defects of rabbits. After surface modification, more uniform distribution of g-HAP particles but a lower calcium exposure on the surface of g-HAP/PLGA was observed. Intramuscular implantation study showed that the scaffold of g-HAP/PLGA was more stable than that of PLGA, and exhibited similar mineralization and biodegradability to HAP/PLGA at the 12-20 weeks post-surgery.

Effects of Irradiance and Temperature on the Photosynthesis and Vegetative Propagation of Caulerpa serrulata

The photosynthetic oxygen evolution of Caulerpa serrulata was determined with oxygen electrodes. The effects of light and temperature on the growth and regeneration of fragmented C. serrulata thalli were analyzed. The regenerating rate and establishment of different sizes and portions of C. serrulata were studied. The results showed that the light saturation point of C. serrulata was 200 mu mol photons/m(2) per s and the optimum growth temperature was 25-30 degrees C. Under these conditions, the maximum photosynthetic oxygen evolution rate was 15.1 +/- 0.29 mg O-2/mg Chl a/h, the growth rate and elongation rate reached the highest values, 4.67 +/- 0.09 mg FW/d and 0.78 +/- 0.01 mm/d, respectively. The fragmented C. serrulata thalli was regenerated at 20-35 degrees C and survived at 15 degrees C and 200 mu mol photons/m(2) per s. A different survival rate was detected according to fragment size. All of these results indicated that C. serrulata was a candidate to become an invasive species if introduced into a new place. Therefore, we should pay more attention to C. serrulata for its potential threat to marine ecosystem when it is sold for aquarium use.

Regeneração óssea vertical na reabilitação com implantes

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Medicina Dentária

Reliability, Availability, Dependability and Performability: A User-centered View

Reliability and availability have long been considered twin system properties that could be enhanced by distribution. Paradoxically, the traditional definitions of these properties do not recognize the positive impact of recovery as distinct from simple repair and restart on reliability, nor the negative effect of recovery, and of internetworking of clients and servers, on availability. As a result of employing the standard definitions, reliability would tend to be underestimated, and availability overestimated. We offer revised definitions of these two critical metrics, which we call service reliability and service availability, that improve the match between their formal expression, and intuitive meaning. A fortuitous advantage of our approach is that the product of our two metrics yields a highly meaningful figure of merit for the overall dependability of a system. But techniques that enhance system dependability exact a performance cost, so we conclude with a cohesive definition of performability that rewards the system for performance that is delivered to its client applications, after discounting the following consequences of failure: service denial and interruption, lost work, and recovery cost.

The effects of osmotic stress on the structure and function of the cell nucleus.

Osmotic stress is a potent regulator of the normal function of cells that are exposed to osmotically active environments under physiologic or pathologic conditions. The ability of cells to alter gene expression and metabolic activity in response to changes in the osmotic environment provides an additional regulatory mechanism for a diverse array of tissues and organs in the human body. In addition to the activation of various osmotically- or volume-activated ion channels, osmotic stress may also act on the genome via a direct biophysical pathway. Changes in extracellular osmolality alter cell volume, and therefore, the concentration of intracellular macromolecules. In turn, intracellular macromolecule concentration is a key physical parameter affecting the spatial organization and pressurization of the nucleus. Hyper-osmotic stress shrinks the nucleus and causes it to assume a convoluted shape, whereas hypo-osmotic stress swells the nucleus to a size that is limited by stretch of the nuclear lamina and induces a smooth, round shape of the nucleus. These behaviors are consistent with a model of the nucleus as a charged core/shell structure pressurized by uneven partition of macromolecules between the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm. These osmotically-induced alterations in the internal structure and arrangement of chromatin, as well as potential changes in the nuclear membrane and pores are hypothesized to influence gene transcription and/or nucleocytoplasmic transport. A further understanding of the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms involved in these processes would have important ramifications for a range of fields including differentiation, migration, mechanotransduction, DNA repair, and tumorigenesis.

Cysteine proteinase-1 and cut protein isoform control dendritic innervation of two distinct sensory fields by a single neuron.

Dendrites often exhibit structural changes in response to local inputs. Although mechanisms that pattern and maintain dendritic arbors are becoming clearer, processes regulating regrowth, during context-dependent plasticity or after injury, remain poorly understood. We found that a class of Drosophila sensory neurons, through complete pruning and regeneration, can elaborate two distinct dendritic trees, innervating independent sensory fields. An expression screen identified Cysteine proteinase-1 (Cp1) as a critical regulator of this process. Unlike known ecdysone effectors, Cp1-mutant ddaC neurons pruned larval dendrites normally but failed to regrow adult dendrites. Cp1 expression was upregulated/concentrated in the nucleus during metamorphosis, controlling production of a truncated Cut homeodomain transcription factor. This truncated Cut, but not the full-length protein, allowed Cp1-mutant ddaC neurons to regenerate higher-order adult dendrites. These results identify a molecular pathway needed for dendrite regrowth after pruning, which allows the same neuron to innervate distinct sensory fields.

The Innate Immune System in Acute and Chronic Wounds.

Significance: This review article provides an overview of the critical roles of the innate immune system to wound healing. It explores aspects of dysregulation of individual innate immune elements known to compromise wound repair and promote nonhealing wounds. Understanding the key mechanisms whereby wound healing fails will provide seed concepts for the development of new therapeutic approaches. Recent Advances: Our understanding of the complex interactions of the innate immune system in wound healing has significantly improved, particularly in our understanding of the role of antimicrobials and peptides and the nature of the switch from inflammatory to reparative processes. This takes place against an emerging understanding of the relationship between human cells and commensal bacteria in the skin. Critical Issues: It is well established and accepted that early local inflammatory mediators in the wound bed function as an immunological vehicle to facilitate immune cell infiltration and microbial clearance upon injury to the skin barrier. Both impaired and excessive innate immune responses can promote nonhealing wounds. It appears that the switch from the inflammatory to the proliferative phase is tightly regulated and mediated, at least in part, by a change in macrophages. Defining the factors that initiate the switch in such macrophage phenotypes and functions is the subject of multiple investigations. Future Directions: The review highlights processes that may be useful targets for further investigation, particularly the switch from M1 to M2 macrophages that appears to be critical as dysregulation of this switch occurs during defective wound healing.

Mechanobiology of the meniscus.

The meniscus plays a critical biomechanical role in the knee, providing load support, joint stability, and congruity. Importantly, growing evidence indicates that the mechanobiologic response of meniscal cells plays a critical role in the physiologic, pathologic, and repair responses of the meniscus. Here we review experimental and theoretical studies that have begun to directly measure the biomechanical effects of joint loading on the meniscus under physiologic and pathologic conditions, showing that the menisci are exposed to high contact stresses, resulting in a complex and nonuniform stress-strain environment within the tissue. By combining microscale measurements of the mechanical properties of meniscal cells and their pericellular and extracellular matrix regions, theoretical and experimental models indicate that the cells in the meniscus are exposed to a complex and inhomogeneous environment of stress, strain, fluid pressure, fluid flow, and a variety of physicochemical factors. Studies across a range of culture systems from isolated cells to tissues have revealed that the biological response of meniscal cells is directly influenced by physical factors, such as tension, compression, and hydrostatic pressure. In addition, these studies have provided new insights into the mechanotransduction mechanisms by which physical signals are converted into metabolic or pro/anti-inflammatory responses. Taken together, these in vivo and in vitro studies show that mechanical factors play an important role in the health, degeneration, and regeneration of the meniscus. A more thorough understanding of the mechanobiologic responses of the meniscus will hopefully lead to therapeutic approaches to prevent degeneration and enhance repair of the meniscus.

Intermolecular Multiple Quantum Coherences Enable Accurate Thermal Imaging of Red Bone Marrow During Thermal Therapy of Bone Metastases

Prostate and breast cancers are two of the most common types of cancer in the United States, and those cancers metastasize to bone in more than two thirds of patients. Recent evidence suggests that thermal therapy is effective at treating metastatic bone cancer. For example, thermal therapy enables targeted drug delivery to bone, ablation of cancer cells in bone marrow, and palliation of bone pain. Thermal therapy of bone metastases would be greatly improved if it were possible to image the temperature of the tissue surrounding the disease, which is usually red bone marrow (RBM). Unfortunately, current thermal imaging techniques are inaccurate in RBM.

This dissertation shows that many of the difficulties with thermal imaging of RBM can be overcome using a magnetic resonance phenomenon called an intermolecular multiple quantum coherence (iMQC). Herein, iMQCs are detected with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pulse sequence called multi-spin-echo HOMOGENIZED with off resonance transfer (MSE-HOT). Compared to traditional methods, MSE-HOT provided ten-fold more accurate images of temperature change. Furthermore, MSE-HOT was translated to a human MRI scanner, which enabled imaging of RBM temperature during heating with a clinical focused ultrasound applicator. In summary, this dissertation develops a MRI technique that enables thermal imaging of RBM during thermal therapy of bone metastases.

Metastatic bone disease

The skeleton is the first and most common site of distant relapse in breast and prostate carcinomas. Tumor bone disease is responsible for a considerable morbidity, which also makes major demands on resources for healthcare provision. Increased bone resorption in tumor bone disease appears to be essentially mediated by the ostoclasts, explaining why bisphosphonates have been successfully used for the treatment of malignant ostolysis. Hypercalcemia occurs in 10-20% of the patients with advanced cancer, and the uncoupling between bone resorption and bone formation is easily demonstrated by the measurement of bone markers. The differential diagnosis between tumor-induced hypercalcemia and primary hyperparathyroidism is most often easy when using intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) assays; moreover, parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) determination can be useful in selected cases. The diagnosis of bone metastases is often easy when the patient is symptomatic. The diagnostic usefulness of bone markers is limited, and the available data indicate that bone markers are so far unsuitable for an early diagnosis of neoplastic skeletal involvement on an individual basis. However, by combining bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) or modern bone resorption markers with specific tumor markers, such as PSA or CA15.3, the diagnostic sensitivity of bone markers can be improved. Their degree of elevation correlates with the tumor burden and has been shown to be an independent prognostic factor for several tumors. On the other hand, biochemical markers of bone turnover have the unique potential to simplify and improve the monitoring of metastatic bone disease, which remains a continuous challenge for the oncologist. Peptide-bound cross-links could be quite useful to discriminate between patients progressing early on treatment from those with longer disease control. Also, the diagnostic efficiency of a 50% increase in these markers could identify imminent progression. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.