Biofabrication of Hepatic Constructs by 3D Bioprinting of a Cell-Laden Thermogel: An Effective Tool to Assess Drug-Induced Hepatotoxic Response.

A thermoresponsive Pluronic/alginate semisynthetic hydrogel is used to bioprint 3D hepatic constructs, with the aim to investigate liver-specific metabolic activity of the 3D constructs compared to traditional 2D adherent cultures. The bioprinting method relies on a bioinert hydrogel and is characterized by high-shape fidelity, mild depositing conditions and easily controllable gelation mechanism. Furthermore, the dissolution of the sacrificial Pluronic templating agent significantly ameliorates the diffusive properties of the printed hydrogel.

COVID-19 in systemic lupus erythematosus: Data from a survey on 417 patients.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease characterised by autoimmunity and increased susceptibility to infections. COVID-19 is a systemic viral disease currently spreading as a pandemic. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 in patients with SLE.

Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with jets and two same-sign or at least three charged leptons in proton-proton collisions at .

A data sample of events from proton-proton collisions with at least two jets, and two isolated same-sign or three or more charged leptons, is studied in a search for signatures of new physics phenomena. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of at a center-of-mass energy of , collected in 2016-2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed using a total of 168 signal regions defined using several kinematic variables.

Measurements of tt[over ¯]H Production and the CP Structure of the Yukawa Interaction between the Higgs Boson and Top Quark in the Diphoton Decay Channel.

The first observation of the tt[over ¯]H process in a single Higgs boson decay channel with the full reconstruction of the final state (H→γγ) is presented, with a significance of 6.6 standard deviations (σ). The CP structure of Higgs boson couplings to fermions is measured, resulting in an exclusion of the pure CP-odd structure of the top Yukawa coupling at 3.

Additive Manufacturing Using Melt Extruded Thermoplastics for Tissue Engineering.

Melt extrusion of thermoplastic materials is an important technique for fabricating tissue engineering scaffolds by additive manufacturing methods. Scaffold manufacturing is commonly achieved by one of the following extrusion-based techniques: fused deposition modelling (FDM), 3D-fiber deposition (3DF), and bioextrusion. FDM needs the input material to be strictly in the form of a filament, whereas 3DF and bioextrusion can be used to process input material in several forms, such as pellets or powder.

Study of central exclusive production in proton-proton collisions at and 13TeV.

Central exclusive and semiexclusive production of pairs is measured with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at center-of-mass energies of 5.02 and 13TeV. The theoretical description of these nonperturbative processes, which have not yet been measured in detail at the LHC, poses a significant challenge to models.

A three-dimensional biomimetic peripheral nerve model for drug testing and disease modelling.

In vitro peripheral nerve models provide valuable tools to study neurobiology questions and assess drug performance, in a regenerative or pathology context. To this end, we have developed a representative model of the peripheral nerve that displays three-dimensional (3D) neural anisotropy and myelination, which we showcase here as a simple and low-cost platform for drug screening. The model is composed of three main parts, including rat primary Schwann cells (SCs) seeded onto an electrospun scaffold to create bands of Büngner (BoB), primed PC12 cells as neuronal cell population, and a fibrin hydrogel to provide three-dimensionality.

Modulating Alginate Hydrogels for Improved Biological Performance as Cellular 3D Microenvironments.

The rational choice and design of biomaterials for biomedical applications is crucial for successful and strategies, ultimately dictating their performance and potential clinical applications. Alginate, a marine-derived polysaccharide obtained from seaweeds, is one of the most widely used polymers in the biomedical field, particularly to build three dimensional (3D) systems for culture and delivery of cells. Despite their biocompatibility, alginate hydrogels often require modifications to improve their biological activity, namely via inclusion of mammalian cell-interactive domains and fine-tuning of mechanical properties.

Probing the pH Microenvironment of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Cultures on Additive-Manufactured Scaffolds.

Despite numerous advances in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, monitoring the formation of tissue regeneration and its metabolic variations during culture is still a challenge and mostly limited to bulk volumetric assays. Here, a simple method of adding capsules-based optical sensors in cell-seeded 3D scaffolds is presented and the potential of these sensors to monitor the pH changes in space and time during cell growth is demonstrated. It is shown that the pH decreased over time in the 3D scaffolds, with a more prominent decrease at the edges of the scaffolds.

Measurement of differential cross sections and charge ratios for -channel single top quark production in proton-proton collisions at .

A measurement is presented of differential cross sections for -channel single top quark and antiquark production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 by the CMS experiment at the LHC. From a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 , events containing one muon or electron and two or three jets are analysed.

Mixed higher-order anisotropic flow and nonlinear response coefficients of charged particles in collisions at and 5.02 .

Anisotropies in the initial energy density distribution of the quark-gluon plasma created in high energy heavy ion collisions lead to anisotropies in the azimuthal distributions of the final-state particles known as collective anisotropic flow. Fourier harmonic decomposition is used to quantify these anisotropies. The higher-order harmonics can be induced by the same order anisotropies (linear response) or by the combined influence of several lower order anisotropies (nonlinear response) in the initial state.

Measurement of the Jet Mass Distribution and Top Quark Mass in Hadronic Decays of Boosted Top Quarks in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV.

A measurement is reported of the jet mass distribution in hadronic decays of boosted top quarks produced in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9  fb^{-1}.

Fabrication of a self-assembled honeycomb nanofibrous scaffold to guide endothelial morphogenesis.

Controlling angiogenesis within tissue engineered constructs remains a critical challenge, especially with regard to the guidance of pre-vascular network formation. Here, we aimed to regulate angiogenesis on a self-assembled honeycomb nanofibrous scaffold. Scaffolds with honeycombs patterns have several desirable properties for tissue engineering, including large surface area, high structural stability and good permeability.

SCREENED: A Multistage Model of Thyroid Gland Function for Screening Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in a Biologically Sex-Specific Manner.

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are chemicals that contribute to health problems by interfering with the physiological production and target effects of hormones, with proven impacts on a number of endocrine systems including the thyroid gland. Exposure to EDs has also been associated with impairment of the reproductive system and incidence in occurrence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases during ageing. SCREENED aims at developing in vitro assays based on rodent and human thyroid cells organized in three different three-dimensional (3D) constructs.

Additive manufactured, highly resilient, elastic, and biodegradable poly(ester)urethane scaffolds with chondroinductive properties for cartilage tissue engineering.

Articular cartilage was thought to be one of the first tissues to be successfully engineered. Despite the avascular and non-innervated nature of the tissue, the cells within articular cartilage - chondrocytes - account for a complex phenotype that is difficult to be maintained in vitro. The use of bone marrow-derived stromal cells (BMSCs) has emerged as a potential solution to this issue.

Bioprinting: From Tissue and Organ Development to Models.

Bioprinting techniques have been flourishing in the field of biofabrication with pronounced and exponential developments in the past years. Novel biomaterial inks used for the formation of bioinks have been developed, allowing the manufacturing of models and implants tested preclinically with a certain degree of success. Furthermore, incredible advances in cell biology, namely, in pluripotent stem cells, have also contributed to the latest milestones where more relevant tissues or organ-like constructs with a certain degree of functionality can already be obtained.

Constraints on the χ_{c1} versus χ_{c2} Polarizations in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=8 TeV.

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_{c1} and χ_{c2} mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=8  TeV. The χ_{c} states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_{c}→J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e^{+}e^{-}, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_{c2} to χ_{c1} yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ→μ^{+}μ^{-} decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum.

Strategies to Improve Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering.

The biofabrication of biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering applications is a field in continuous expansion. Of particular interest, nanofibrous scaffolds can mimic the mechanical and structural properties (e.g.

Mechanosensitive regulation of stanniocalcin-1 by zyxin and actin-myosin in human mesenchymal stromal cells.

Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) secreted by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) has anti-inflammatory functions, reduces apoptosis, and aids in angiogenesis, both in vitro and in vivo. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of its regulation. Here, we show that STC1 secretion is increased only under specific cell-stress conditions.

Bio-Fabrication: Convergence of 3D Bioprinting and Nano-Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

3D Bioprinting (3DBP) technologies open many possibilities for the generation of highly complex cellularized constructs. Nano-biomaterials have been largely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) for different purposes and functions depending on their intrinsic properties and how they have been presented in the biologic environment. Combination of bioprinting and nano-biomaterials paves the way for unexpected opportunities in the biofabrication scenario, by improving critical weakness of these manufacturing processes while enhancing their efficiency by spatially arranging nano-features.

Decellularization of porcine heart tissue to obtain extracellular matrix based hydrogels.

The use of hydrogels derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissue engineering applications aims to overcome the conundrum of mimicking the complexity of ECM composition in vitro. In this chapter, we describe a method of decellularization and subsequent formation of an ECM-based hydrogel using porcine heart tissue. These decellularized ECM hydrogels could be used to create semi-interpenetrating networks or as bioinks in bioprinting applications to further enhance the bioactivity and increase the biomimicry degree of the biological cardiac constructs.

Search for a Narrow Resonance Lighter than 200 GeV Decaying to a Pair of Muons in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV.

A search is presented for a narrow resonance decaying to a pair of oppositely charged muons using sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC. In the 45-75 and 110-200 GeV resonance mass ranges, the search is based on conventional triggering and event reconstruction techniques. In the 11.

Multivalency Enables Dynamic Supramolecular Host-Guest Hydrogel Formation.

Supramolecular and dynamic biomaterials hold promise to recapitulate the time-dependent properties and stimuli-responsiveness of the native extracellular matrix (ECM). Host-guest chemistry is one of the most widely studied supramolecular bonds, yet the binding characteristics of host-guest complexes (β-CD/adamantane) in relevant biomaterials have mostly focused on singular host-guest interactions or nondiscrete multivalent pendent polymers. The stepwise synergistic effect of multivalent host-guest interactions for the formation of dynamic biomaterials remains relatively unreported.

Search for direct pair production of supersymmetric partners to the lepton in proton-proton collisions at .

A search is presented for slepton pairs produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 . The search is carried out in events containing two leptons in the final state, on the assumption that each slepton decays primarily to a lepton and a neutralino. Events are considered in which each lepton decays to one or more hadrons and a neutrino, or in which one of the leptons decays instead to an electron or a muon and two neutrinos.