Timed Delivery of Therapy Enhances Functional Muscle Regeneration.

Cell transplantation is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of traumatic muscle injury in humans. Previous investigations have typically focused on the identification of potent cell and growth factor treatments and optimization of spatial control over delivery. However, the optimal time point for cell transplantation remains unclear.

Modeling Physiological Events in 2D vs. 3D Cell Culture.

Cell culture has become an indispensable tool to help uncover fundamental biophysical and biomolecular mechanisms by which cells assemble into tissues and organs, how these tissues function, and how that function becomes disrupted in disease. Cell culture is now widely used in biomedical research, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and industrial practices. Although flat, two-dimensional (2D) cell culture has predominated, recent research has shifted toward culture using three-dimensional (3D) structures, and more realistic biochemical and biomechanical microenvironments.

Distinguishing physical mechanisms using GISAXS experiments and linear theory: the importance of high wavenumbers.

In this work we analyze GISAXS measurements of the structure factor of Si surfaces evolving during 1 keV Ar+ ion bombardment. Using newly-developed methods sensitive to the full range of experimentally-available wavenumbers q, we extract the linear amplification rate R(q) governing surface stability over a range of wavenumbers 4-5 times larger than has previously been obtained. Comparing with theoretical models also retaining full wavenumber-dependence, we find an excellent fit of the experimental data over the full range of irradiation angles and wavenumbers.

Determinants of Participants' Follow-Up and Characterization of Representativeness in Flu Near You, A Participatory Disease Surveillance System.

Background: Flu Near You (FNY) is an Internet-based participatory surveillance system in the United States and Canada that allows volunteers to report influenza-like symptoms using a brief weekly symptom report.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the representativeness of the FNY population compared with the general population of the United States, explore the demographic and behavioral characteristics associated with FNY's high-participation users, and summarize results from a user survey of a cohort of FNY participants.

Methods: We compared (1) the representativeness of sex and age groups of FNY participants during the 2014-2015 flu season versus the general US population and (2) the distribution of Human Development Index (HDI) scores of FNY participants versus that of the general US population.

Toward an Assessment of the Global Inventory of Present-Day Mercury Releases to Freshwater Environments.

Aquatic ecosystems are an essential component of the biogeochemical cycle of mercury (Hg), as inorganic Hg can be converted to toxic methylmercury (MeHg) in these environments and reemissions of elemental Hg rival anthropogenic Hg releases on a global scale. Quantification of effluent Hg releases to aquatic systems globally has focused on discharges to the global oceans, rather than contributions to freshwater systems that affect local exposures and risks associated with MeHg. Here we produce a first-estimate of sector-specific, spatially resolved global aquatic Hg discharges to freshwater systems.

Direct Bonding of Chitosan Biomaterials to Tissues Using Transglutaminase for Surgical Repair or Device Implantation.

Natural biomaterials, such as chitosan and collagen, are useful for biomedical applications because they are biocompatible, mechanically robust, and biodegradable, but it is difficult to rapidly and tightly bond them to living tissues. In this study, we demonstrate that the microbial transglutaminase (mTG), can be used to rapidly (<5 min) bond chitosan and collagen biomaterials to the surfaces of hepatic, cardiac, and dermal tissues, as well as to functionalized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) materials that are used in medical products. The mTG-bonded chitosan patches effectively sealed intestinal perforations, and a newly developed two-component mTG-bonded chitosan spray effectively repaired ruptures in a breathing lung when tested ex vivo.

A review of polymeric membranes and processes for potable water reuse.

Conventional water resources in many regions are insufficient to meet the water needs of growing populations, thus reuse is gaining acceptance as a method of water supply augmentation. Recent advancements in membrane technology have allowed for the reclamation of municipal wastewater for the production of drinking water, i.e.

Anti-VEGF therapy induces ECM remodeling and mechanical barriers to therapy in colorectal cancer liver metastases.

The survival benefit of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients is limited to a few months because of acquired resistance. We show that anti-VEGF therapy induced remodeling of the extracellular matrix with subsequent alteration of the physical properties of colorectal liver metastases. Preoperative treatment with bevacizumab in patients with colorectal liver metastases increased hyaluronic acid (HA) deposition within the tumors.

Designing steep, sharp patterns on uniformly ion-bombarded surfaces.

We propose and experimentally test a method to fabricate patterns of steep, sharp features on surfaces, by exploiting the nonlinear dynamics of uniformly ion-bombarded surfaces. We show via theory, simulation, and experiment that the steepest parts of the surface evolve as one-dimensional curves that move in the normal direction at constant velocity. The curves are a special solution to the nonlinear equations that arises spontaneously whenever the initial patterning on the surface contains slopes larger than a critical value; mathematically they are traveling waves (shocks) that have the special property of being undercompressive.

Simple and Flexible Model for Laser-Driven Antibody-Gold Surface Interactions: Functionalization and Sensing.

Interactions between biomolecules and between substrates and biomolecules is a crucial issue in physics and applications to topics such as biotechnology and organic electronics. The efficiency of bio- and mechanical sensors, of organic electronics systems, and of a number of other devices critically depends on how molecules are deposited on a surface so that these acquire specific functions. Here, we tackle this vast problem by developing a coarse grained model of biomolecules having a recognition function, such as antibodies, capable to quantitatively describe in a simple manner essential phenomena: antigen-antibody and antibody substrate interactions.

Multilayer Dielectric Elastomers for Fast, Programmable Actuation without Prestretch.

A novel method for the fabrication of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) combines acrylic polymers and single wall carbon nanotube network electrodes. DEAs made using this technique do not require prestretching, have extremely thin electrodes, and can be actuated at low voltage. The method is applied to create a multimorph device with nine actuation modes based on just four inputs.

Detecting regional patterns of changing CO2 flux in Alaska.

With rapid changes in climate and the seasonal amplitude of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Arctic, it is critical that we detect and quantify the underlying processes controlling the changing amplitude of CO2 to better predict carbon cycle feedbacks in the Arctic climate system. We use satellite and airborne observations of atmospheric CO2 with climatically forced CO2 flux simulations to assess the detectability of Alaskan carbon cycle signals as future warming evolves. We find that current satellite remote sensing technologies can detect changing uptake accurately during the growing season but lack sufficient cold season coverage and near-surface sensitivity to constrain annual carbon balance changes at regional scale.

Obesity-Induced Inflammation and Desmoplasia Promote Pancreatic Cancer Progression and Resistance to Chemotherapy.

Unlabelled: It remains unclear how obesity worsens treatment outcomes in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In normal pancreas, obesity promotes inflammation and fibrosis. We found in mouse models of PDAC that obesity also promotes desmoplasia associated with accelerated tumor growth and impaired delivery/efficacy of chemotherapeutics through reduced perfusion.

Cloud-based Electronic Health Records for Real-time, Region-specific Influenza Surveillance.

Accurate real-time monitoring systems of influenza outbreaks help public health officials make informed decisions that may help save lives. We show that information extracted from cloud-based electronic health records databases, in combination with machine learning techniques and historical epidemiological information, have the potential to accurately and reliably provide near real-time regional estimates of flu outbreaks in the United States.

Bioprinting Organotypic Hydrogels with Improved Mesenchymal Stem Cell Remodeling and Mineralization Properties for Bone Tissue Engineering.

3D-manufactured hydrogels with precise contours and biological adhesion motifs are interesting candidates in the regenerative medicine field for the culture and differentiation of human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). 3D-bioprinting is a powerful technique to approach one step closer the native organization of cells. This study investigates the effect of the incorporation of collagen type I in 3D-bioprinted polysaccharide-based hydrogels to the modulation of cell morphology, osteogenic remodeling potential, and mineralization.

A Pure Life: The Microbial Ecology of High Purity Industrial Waters.

The microbial ecology of various natural environments has been an active area of research since the earlier part of the twentieth century. Remote and sometimes extreme environments such as the deep ocean and the deep terrestrial subsurface have revealed a remarkable array of microorganisms. The majority of these environments are nutrient limited, and microorganisms-principally, bacteria-have developed a number of survival strategies that enable their survival and, in some cases, replication.

Unobtrusive Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Through Home Monitoring.

The early detection of dementias such as Alzheimer's disease can in some cases reverse, stop, or slow cognitive decline and in general greatly reduce the burden of care. This is of increasing significance as demographic studies are warning of an aging population in North America and worldwide. Various smart homes and systems have been developed to detect cognitive decline through continuous monitoring of high risk individuals.

Hidden in the mist no more: physical force in cell biology.

To drive its migration through a fibrillar matrix—and thus to spread, invade or metastasize—a cancer cell must exert physical forces. The first visualization of these forces in three dimensions reveals surprising migration dynamics.

Seasonal fluxes of carbonyl sulfide in a midlatitude forest.

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS), the most abundant sulfur gas in the atmosphere, has a summer minimum associated with uptake by vegetation and soils, closely correlated with CO2. We report the first direct measurements to our knowledge of the ecosystem flux of OCS throughout an annual cycle, at a mixed temperate forest. The forest took up OCS during most of the growing season with an overall uptake of 1.

Problems in biology with many scales of length: Cell-cell adhesion and cell jamming in collective cellular migration.

As do all things in biology, cell mechanosensation, adhesion and migration begin at the scale of the molecule. Collections of molecules assemble to comprise microscale objects such as adhesions, organelles and cells. And collections of cells in turn assemble to comprise macroscale tissues.

Combining Search, Social Media, and Traditional Data Sources to Improve Influenza Surveillance.

We present a machine learning-based methodology capable of providing real-time ("nowcast") and forecast estimates of influenza activity in the US by leveraging data from multiple data sources including: Google searches, Twitter microblogs, nearly real-time hospital visit records, and data from a participatory surveillance system. Our main contribution consists of combining multiple influenza-like illnesses (ILI) activity estimates, generated independently with each data source, into a single prediction of ILI utilizing machine learning ensemble approaches. Our methodology exploits the information in each data source and produces accurate weekly ILI predictions for up to four weeks ahead of the release of CDC's ILI reports.

Dynamics of individual perceptual decisions.

Perceptual decision making is fundamental to a broad range of fields including neurophysiology, economics, medicine, advertising, law, etc. Although recent findings have yielded major advances in our understanding of perceptual decision making, decision making as a function of time and frequency (i.e.

Rapid and Versatile Photonic Annealing of Graphene Inks for Flexible Printed Electronics.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) annealing of graphene inks is demonstrated for rapid post-processing of inkjet-printed patterns on various substrates. A conductivity of ≈25,000 S m(-1) is achieved following a single printing pass using a concentrated ink containing 20 mg mL(-1) graphene, establishing this strategy as a practical and effective approach for the versatile and high-performance integration of graphene in printed and flexible electronics.