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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is successfully applied since the late 1950s; however, its efficacy still needs to be increased. A promising strategy is to transplant high numbers of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Therefore, an improved ex vivo culture system that supports proliferation and maintains HSC pluripotency would override possible limitations in cell numbers gained from donors. To model the natural HSC niche in vitro, we optimized the HSC medium composition with a panel of cytokines and valproic acid and used an artificial 3D bone marrow-like scaffold made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This 3D scaffold offered a suitable platform to amplify human HSCs in vitro and, simultaneously, to support their viability, multipotency and ability for self-renewal. Silicon oxide-covering of PDMS structures further improved amplification of CD34+ cells, although the conservation of naïve HSCs was better on non-covered 3D PDMS. Finally, we found that HSC cultivated on non-covered 3D PDMS generated most pluripotent colonies within colony forming unit assays. In conclusion, by combining biological and biotechnological approaches, we optimized in vitro HSCs culture conditions, resulting in improved amplification, multipotency maintenance and vitality of HSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present spectrally resolved pump-probe experiments on the photoassociation of ultracold rubidium atoms with shaped ultrashort laser pulses. The pump pulse causes a free-bound transition leading to a coherent transient signal of rubidium molecules in the first excited state. In order to achieve a high frequency resolution the bandwidth of the pump pulse is reduced to a few wavenumbers. The frequency dependence of the transient signal close to the D1 atomic resonance is investigated for characteristic pump-probe delay times. The observed spectra, which show a pronounced dip for pump-probe coincidence, are interpreted using quantum dynamical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work concerns the design, the synthesis, and the characterization of the N-butyl-N-ethylpiperidinium N,N-bis(trifiuoromethane)sulfonimide (PP24TFSI) ionic liquid (IL). To impart Li-ion transport, a suitable amount of lithium N,N-bis(trifiuoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI) is added to the IL. The Li-IL mixture displays ionic conductivity values on the order of 10-4 S cm-1 and an electrochemical stability window in the range of 1.8-4.5 V vs Li+/Li. The voltammetric analysis demonstrates that the cathodic decomposition gives rise to a passivating layer on the surface of the working electrode, which kinetically extends the stability of the Li/IL interface as confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The LiTFSI-PP24TFSI mixture is incorporated in a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) matrix to form various electrolyte membranes with different LiTFSI-PP24TFSI contents. The ionic conductivity of all the membranes resembles that of the LiTFSI-IL mixture, suggesting an ionic transport mechanism similar to that of the liquid component. NMR measurements demonstrate a reduction in the mobility of all ions following the addition of LiTFSI to the PP24TFSI IL and when incorporating the mixture into the membrane. Finally, an unexpected but potentially significant enhancement in Li transference number is observed in passing from the liquid to the membrane electrolyte system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The identification of novel drug targets by assessing gene functions is most conveniently achieved by high-throughput loss-of-function RNA interference screening. There is a growing need to employ primary cells in such screenings, since they reflect the physiological situation more closely than transformed cell lines do. Highly miniaturized and parallelized approaches as exemplified by reverse transfection or transduction arrays meet these requirements, hence we verified the applicability of an adenoviral microarray for the elucidation of gene functions in primary cells. Results Here, we present microarrays of infectious adenoviruses encoding short hairpin RNA (shRNA) as a new tool for gene function analysis. As an example to demonstrate its application, we chose shRNAs directed against seven selected human protein kinases, and we have performed quantitative analysis of phenotypical responses in primary human umbilical vein cells (HUVEC). These microarrays enabled us to infect the target cells in a parallelized and miniaturized procedure without significant cross-contamination: Viruses were reversibly immobilized in spots in such a way that the seeded cells were confined to the area of the viral spots, thus simplifying the subsequent addressing of genetically modified cells for analysis. Computer-assisted image analysis of fluorescence images was applied to analyze the cellular response after shRNA expression. Both the expression level of knock-down target proteins as well as the functional output as measured by caspase 3 activity and DNA fractionation (TUNEL) were quantified. Conclusion We have developed an adenoviral microarray technique suitable for miniaturized and parallelized analysis of gene function. The practicability of this technique was demonstrated by the analysis of several kinases involved in the activation of programmed cell death, both in tumor cells and in primary cells.

Abstract: High-strength concrete (HSC) will experience thermal microcracking, explosive spalling, and undesirable chemical changes when exposed to high temperatures, such as during fire, engulfment by lava flow, or nuclear meltdown. Knowledge of the resultant changes in mechanical, physical, and chemical properties is paramount for hazard mitigation. We present a multidisciplinary study on the influence of thermal-stressing on HSC. Our study shows that thermal microcracking in HSC initiates at 180°C, is more prevalent during cooling, and exhibits the Kaiser “temperature-memory” effect. We show that residual compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, ultrasonic wave velocities, and Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio decrease, whilst porosity and permeability increase with increasing temperature. We discuss these data in terms of the chemical changes during thermal-stressing, provided by thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction, and from optical microscopic analysis of thermally-stressed samples. We provide implications for thermally-damaged HSC structures and a new method for non-destructive monitoring. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]