Structural Insights into Mechanisms Underlying Mitochondrial and Bacterial Cytochrome c Synthases.

Mitochondrial holocytochrome c synthase (HCCS) is an essential protein in assembling cytochrome c (cyt c) of the electron transport system. HCCS binds heme and covalently attaches the two vinyls of heme to two cysteine thiols of the cyt c CXXCH motif. Human HCCS recognizes both cyt c and cytochrome c of complex III (cytochrome bc).

Developing and Investigating a Nanovibration Intervention for the Prevention/Reversal of Bone Loss Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Osteoporosis disrupts the fine-tuned balance between bone formation and resorption, leading to reductions in bone quantity and quality and ultimately increasing fracture risk. Prevention and treatment of osteoporotic fractures is essential for reductions in mortality, morbidity, and the economic burden, particularly considering the aging global population. Extreme bone loss that mimics time-accelerated osteoporosis develops in the paralyzed limbs following complete spinal cord injury (SCI).

An EEG study on artistic and engineering mindsets in students in creative processes.

This study aims to take higher-education students as examples to understand and compare artistic and engineering mindsets in creative processes using EEG. Fifteen Master of Fine Arts (MFA) visual arts and fifteen Master of Engineering (MEng) design engineering students were recruited and asked to complete alternative uses tasks wearing an EEG headset. The results revealed that (1) the engineering-mindset students responded to creative ideas faster than artistic-mindset students.

Engineered Surfaces That Promote Capture of Latent Proteins to Facilitate Integrin-Mediated Mechanical Activation of Growth Factors.

Conventional osteogenic platforms utilize active growth factors to repair bone defects that are extensive in size, but they can adversely affect patient health. Here, an unconventional osteogenic platform is reported that functions by promoting capture of inactive osteogenic growth factor molecules to the site of cell growth for subsequent integrin-mediated activation, using a recombinant fragment of latent transforming growth factor beta-binding protein-1 (rLTBP1). It is shown that rLTBP1 binds to the growth-factor- and integrin-binding domains of fibronectin on poly(ethyl acrylate) surfaces, which immobilizes rLTBP1 and promotes the binding of latency associated peptide (LAP), within which inactive transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is bound.

An engineered periosteum for efficient delivery of rhBMP-2 and mesenchymal progenitor cells during bone regeneration.

During bone regeneration, the periosteum acts as a carrier for key regenerative cues, delivering osteochondroprogenitor cells and crucial growth factors to the injured bone. We developed a biocompatible, 3D polycaprolactone (PCL) melt electro-written membrane to act as a mimetic periosteum. Poly (ethyl acrylate) coating of the PCL membrane allowed functionalization, mediated by fibronectin and low dose recombinant human BMP-2 (rhBMP-2) (10-25 μg/ml), resulting in efficient, sustained osteoinduction in vitro.

Surface-Modified Piezoelectric Copolymer Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) Supporting Physiological Extracellular Matrixes to Enhance Mesenchymal Stem Cell Adhesion for Nanoscale Mechanical Stimulation.

There is an unmet clinical need to provide viable bone grafts for clinical use. Autologous bone, one of the most commonly transplanted tissues, is often used but is associated with donor site morbidity. Tissue engineering strategies to differentiate an autologous cell source, such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), into a potential bone-graft material could help to fulfill clinical demand.

Tapered whisker reservoir computing for real-time terrain identification-based navigation.

This paper proposes a new method for real-time terrain recognition-based navigation for mobile robots. Mobile robots performing tasks in unstructured environments need to adapt their trajectories in real-time to achieve safe and efficient navigation in complex terrains. However, current methods largely depend on visual and IMU (inertial measurement units) that demand high computational resources for real-time applications.

Impacts of Cognitive Factors on Creativity Quality in Design: Identification from Performances in Recall, Association and Combination.

The reason why people have different creativity quality levels may depend on their different performances relating to other cognitive factors that are important for creativity. This study was designed to identify the performance of three cognitive factors (recall, association, and combination) that a designer may use in a creative process and then identify how the differing performance for these cognitive factors will affect creativity quality levels. Seventy-one participants were recruited to undertake a design task and complete a semi-structured interview.

Understanding creativity process through electroencephalography measurement on creativity-related cognitive factors.

Introduction: Neurotechnology approaches, such as electroencephalography (EEG), can aid understanding of the cognitive processes behind creativity.

Methods: To identify and compare the EEG characteristics of creativity-related cognitive factors (remote association, common association, combination, recall, and retrieval), 30 participants were recruited to conduct an EEG induction study.

Results: From the event-related potential (ERP) results and spectral analysis, the study supports that creativity is related to the frontal lobe areas of the brain and common association is an unconscious process.

WikiLink: An Encyclopedia-Based Semantic Network for Design Creativity.

Data-driven design is a process to reuse data sources and provide valuable information to provoke creative ideas in the stages of design. However, existing semantic networks for design creativity are built on data sources restricted to technological and scientific information. Existing studies build the edges of a semantic network on statistical or semantic relationships, which are less likely to make full use of the benefits from both types of relationships and discover implicit knowledge for design creativity.

The Creativity Diamond-A Framework to Aid Creativity.

There are many facets to creativity, and the topic has a profound impact on society. Substantial and sustained study on creativity has been undertaken, and much is now known about the fundamentals and how creativity can be augmented. To draw these elements together, a framework was developed called the creativity diamond, formulated on the basis of reviews of prior work, as well as the consideration of 20 PhD studies on the topics of creativity, design, innovation, and product development.

Nanovibrational stimulation inhibits osteoclastogenesis and enhances osteogenesis in co-cultures.

Models of bone remodelling could be useful in drug discovery, particularly if the model is one that replicates bone regeneration with reduction in osteoclast activity. Here we use nanovibrational stimulation to achieve this in a 3D co-culture of primary human osteoprogenitor and osteoclast progenitor cells. We show that 1000 Hz frequency, 40 nm amplitude vibration reduces osteoclast formation and activity in human mononuclear CD14 blood cells.

Materials-driven fibronectin assembly on nanoscale topography enhances mesenchymal stem cell adhesion, protecting cells from bacterial virulence factors and preventing biofilm formation.

Post-operative infection is a major complication in patients recovering from orthopaedic surgery. As such, there is a clinical need to develop biomaterials for use in regenerative surgery that can promote mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) osteospecific differentiation and that can prevent infection caused by biofilm-forming pathogens. Nanotopographical approaches to pathogen control are being identified, including in orthopaedic materials such as titanium and its alloys.

Hurdles to uptake of mesenchymal stem cells and their progenitors in therapeutic products.

Twenty-five years have passed since the first clinical trial utilising mesenchymal stomal/stem cells (MSCs) in 1995. In this time academic research has grown our understanding of MSC biochemistry and our ability to manipulate these cells in vitro using chemical, biomaterial, and mechanical methods. Research has been emboldened by the promise that MSCs can treat illness and repair damaged tissues through their capacity for immunomodulation and differentiation.

Nanovibrational Stimulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induces Therapeutic Reactive Oxygen Species and Inflammation for Three-Dimensional Bone Tissue Engineering.

There is a pressing clinical need to develop cell-based bone therapies due to a lack of viable, autologous bone grafts and a growing demand for bone grafts in musculoskeletal surgery. Such therapies can be tissue engineered and cellular, such as osteoblasts, combined with a material scaffold. Because mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are both available and fast growing compared to mature osteoblasts, therapies that utilize these progenitor cells are particularly promising.

Plasma polymerised nanoscale coatings of controlled thickness for efficient solid-phase presentation of growth factors.

The engineering of biomaterial surfaces and scaffolds for specific biomedical and clinical application is of growing interest. Certain functionalised surfaces can capture and deliver bioactive molecules, such as growth factors (GF), enhancing the clinical efficacy of such systems. With a custom-made plasma polymerisation reactor described here we have developed bioactive polymer coatings based on poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA).

Reduction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation through the application of nanoscale vibration.

Bacterial biofilms pose a significant burden in both healthcare and industrial environments. With the limited effectiveness of current biofilm control strategies, novel or adjunctive methods in biofilm control are being actively pursued. Reported here, is the first evidence of the application of nanovibrational stimulation (nanokicking) to reduce the biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Design, construction and characterisation of a novel nanovibrational bioreactor and cultureware for osteogenesis.

In regenerative medicine, techniques which control stem cell lineage commitment are a rapidly expanding field of interest. Recently, nanoscale mechanical stimulation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to activate mechanotransduction pathways stimulating osteogenesis in 2D and 3D culture. This has the potential to revolutionise bone graft procedures by creating cellular graft material from autologous or allogeneic sources of MSCs without using chemical induction.

Multi-metal 4D printing with a desktop electrochemical 3D printer.

4D printing has the potential to create complex 3D geometries which are able to react to environmental stimuli opening new design possibilities. However, the vast majority of 4D printing approaches use polymer based materials, which limits the operational temperature. Here, we present a novel multi-metal electrochemical 3D printer which is able to fabricate bimetallic geometries and through the selective deposition of different metals, temperature responsive behaviour can thus be programmed into the printed structure.

Nanoscale Coatings for Ultralow Dose BMP-2-Driven Regeneration of Critical-Sized Bone Defects.

While new biomaterials for regenerative therapies are being reported in the literature, clinical translation is slow. Some existing regenerative approaches rely on high doses of growth factors, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in bone regeneration, which can cause serious side effects. An ultralow-dose growth factor technology is described yielding high bioactivity based on a simple polymer, poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), and mechanisms to drive stem cell differentiation and bone regeneration in a critical-sized murine defect model with translation to a clinical veterinary setting are reported.

Control of cell behaviour through nanovibrational stimulation: nanokicking.

Mechanical signals are ubiquitous in our everyday life and the process of converting these mechanical signals into a biological signalling response is known as mechanotransduction. Our understanding of mechanotransduction, and its contribution to vital cellular responses, is a rapidly expanding field of research involving complex processes that are still not clearly understood. The use of mechanical vibration as a stimulus of mechanotransduction, including variation of frequency and amplitude, allows an alternative method to control specific cell behaviour without chemical stimulation (e.

Publisher Correction: Stimulation of 3D osteogenesis by mesenchymal stem cells using a nanovibrational bioreactor.

In the version of this Article originally published, in Fig. 4f, the asterisk was missing; in Fig. 6a-c, the labels 'Wnt/β-catenin signalling', 'Wnt/Ca pathway' and 'ERK' and their associated lines/arrows were missing; and in Fig.

Stimulation of 3D osteogenesis by mesenchymal stem cells using a nanovibrational bioreactor.

Bone grafts are one of the most commonly transplanted tissues. However, autologous grafts are in short supply, and can be associated with pain and donor-site morbidity. The creation of tissue-engineered bone grafts could help to fulfil clinical demand and provide a crucial resource for drug screening.

Production of Nanoscale Vibration for Stimulation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Mechanical stimulation is becoming a common technique for manipulating cell behaviour in bioengineering with applications in tissue engineering and possibly regenerative therapy. Living organisms show biological responses in vivo and in vitro to various types of mechanical stimulation including vibration. The development of apparatus to produce vertical motions of nanoscale amplitude is detailed and their effect on mouse endothelial (Le2) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is investigated.