Microvalve Bioprinting of MSC-Chondrocyte Co-Cultures.

Recent improvements within the fields of high-throughput screening and 3D tissue culture have provided the possibility of developing in vitro micro-tissue models that can be used to study diseases and screen potential new therapies. This paper reports a proof-of-concept study on the use of microvalve-based bioprinting to create laminar MSC-chondrocyte co-cultures to investigate whether the use of MSCs in ACI procedures would stimulate enhanced ECM production by chondrocytes. Microvalve-based bioprinting uses small-scale solenoid valves (microvalves) to deposit cells suspended in media in a consistent and repeatable manner.

Reliable inkjet printing of chondrocytes and MSCs using reservoir agitation.

Drop-on-demand (DoD) inkjet printing has been explored for a range of applications, including those to selectively deposit cellular material, due to the high accuracy and scalability of such systems when compared with alternative bioprinting techniques. Despite this, there remain considerable limitations when handling cell suspensions due to the agglomeration and sedimentation of cells during printing, leading to a deterioration in jetting performance. The objective of this work was to design and assess the effectiveness of a custom agitation system to maintain cellular dispersion within the ink reservoir during printing.

60-Hertz electric-field exposures in transmission line towers.

This article reports on an investigation of 60-Hz electric-field exposures of line workers in 230- to 765-kV transmission line towers. The exposures were based on computations of the unperturbed electric field along climbing routes and at work positions on the towers and on insulated ladders suspended in towers. Computed exposures were expressed in terms of the unperturbed electric field averaged over the body as stipulated by guidelines.