Blastomeres aggregation as an efficient alternative for trophoblast culture from porcine parthenogenetic embryos

Samples of heparinized blood, or bone marrow aspirates, or cell suspensions prepared from biopsied tissues (nodes, spleen, etc. ) are routinely prepared, after Ficoll-Hypaque concentration of the mononuclear leucocytes, for scanning electron microscopy. One drop of the cell suspension is placed in a moist chamber on a poly-l-lysine pretreated plastic coverslip (Mazia et al., J. Cell Biol. 66:198-199, 1975) and fifteen minutes allowed for cell attachment. Fixation, started in 2. 5% glutaraldehyde in culture medium at room temperature for 30 minutes, is continued in the same fixative at 4°C overnight or longer. Ethanol dehydration is immediately followed by drying at the critical point of CO2 or of Freon 13. An efficient alternative method for ethanol dehydrated cells is to dry the cells at low temperature (-75°C) under vacuum (10-2 Torr) for 30 minutes in an Edwards-Pearse freeze-dryer (de Harven et al., SEM/IITRI/1977, 519-524). This is preceded by fast quenching in supercooled ethanol (between -90 and -100°C).

A Consistent Implementation of Inelastic Material Models into Steady State Rolling

Tire Science and Technology ◽

10.2346/tire.16.440302 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 174-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mario A. Garcia ◽

Michael Kaliske ◽

Jin Wang ◽

Grama Bhashyam

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Numerical Simulations ◽

Viscoelastic Material ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian ◽

Ale Formulation ◽

Inelastic Material ◽

Material Formulation ◽

Steady State Rolling ◽

Efficient Alternative

ABSTRACT Rolling contact is an important aspect in tire design, and reliable numerical simulations are required in order to improve the tire layout, performance, and safety. This includes the consideration of as many significant characteristics of the materials as possible. An example is found in the nonlinear and inelastic properties of the rubber compounds. For numerical simulations of tires, steady state rolling is an efficient alternative to standard transient analyses, and this work makes use of an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation for the computation of the inertia contribution. Since the reference configuration is neither attached to the material nor fixed in space, handling history variables of inelastic materials becomes a complex task. A standard viscoelastic material approach is implemented. In the inelastic steady state rolling case, one location in the cross-section depends on all material locations on its circumferential ring. A consistent linearization is formulated taking into account the contribution of all finite elements connected in the hoop direction. As an outcome of this approach, the number of nonzero values in the general stiffness matrix increases, producing a more populated matrix that has to be solved. This implementation is done in the commercial finite element code ANSYS. Numerical results confirm the reliability and capabilities of the linearization for the steady state viscoelastic material formulation. A discussion on the results obtained, important remarks, and an outlook on further research conclude this work.

p-Sulfonic acid calix[n]arene catalyzed synthesis of bioactive heterocycles: A review

Current Organic Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1385272824999201019162655 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

Author(s):

Bubun Banerjee ◽

Gurpreet Kaur ◽

Navdeep Kaur

Keyword(s):

Supramolecular Chemistry ◽

Sulfonic Acid ◽

Catalytic Efficiency ◽

The Other ◽

Reaction Conditions ◽

Metal Free ◽

Bioactive Scaffolds ◽

Wide Range ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Bioactive Heterocycles

: Metal-free organocatalysts are becoming an important tool for the sustainable developments of various bioactive heterocycles. On the other hand, during last two decades, calix[n]arenes have been gaining considerable attention due to their wide range of applicability in the field of supramolecular chemistry. Recently, sulfonic acid functionalized calix[n] arenes are being employed as an efficient alternative catalyst for the synthesis of various bioactive scaffolds. In this review we have summarized the catalytic efficiency of p-sulfonic acid calix[n]arenes for the synthesis of diverse biologically promising scaffolds under various reaction conditions. There is no such review available in the literature showing the catalytic applicability of p-sulfonic acid calix[n]arenes. Therefore, we strongly believe that this review will surely attract those researchers who are interested about this fascinating organocatalyst.

A Functional Open-Tray Impression Technique for Implant-Retained Overdenture Prostheses

Journal of Oral Implantology ◽

10.1563/aaid-joi-d-10-00159 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 617-619 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tuncer Burak Ozcelik ◽

Burak Yilmaz

Keyword(s):

Impression Material ◽

Impression Technique ◽

Technical Report ◽

Efficient Alternative

Several implant impression techniques with different materials have been described in the literature. Generally, border molding, functional, and final impressions have been made with 3 different materials, which makes the procedure technique-sensitive and time-consuming. A combination of open-tray and functional impression techniques is described in this technical report. Border molding and functional impression procedures are made at the same time using a vinyl polysiloxane impression material, which makes this technique a simple and time-efficient alternative for clinicians.

The price of immersion: language learners as a cheap workforce in Malta’s voluntourism industry

Multilingua ◽

10.1515/multi-2020-0178 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Larissa Semiramis Schedel

Keyword(s):

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Learning ◽

English Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Voluntary Work ◽

Island State ◽

Classroom Language ◽

Mediterranean Island ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Travel Industry

Abstract This contribution treats “language immersion” as a linguistic ideology and explores narratives, practices, and subjectivities pertinent to that notion in the context of language-motivated voluntourism. Voluntourism programs offer short-term sojourns abroad, which combine voluntary work with holidays while promising “immersion” as an efficient alternative to classroom language learning. In the Mediterranean island state of Malta, whose population is mostly bilingual in English and Maltese, voluntourism has become an attractive product for the booming English language travel industry. Since there is a lack of critical sociolinguistic and second language acquisition research on the language learning trajectories of voluntourists, this piece examines the promise of immersion through the example of a hostel that figures as a workplace. Drawing on ethnographic data, it investigates how learning English through immersion while working abroad is imagined and promoted, whether or not it occurs, and what gains (linguistic or otherwise) it generates and for whom. The article argues that the voluntourism industry appropriates the discourse of immersion to responsibilize English learners for their linguistic self-skilling, thereby constituting them as neoliberal subjects that can easily be exploited as a cheap workforce.

An Efficient Alternative to the CDC Gravid Trap for Southern House Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Surveillance

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjaa259 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Timothy D McNamara ◽

Thomas A O’Shea-Wheller ◽

Nicholas DeLisi ◽

Emily Dugas ◽

Kevin A Caillouet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Mosquito Species ◽

Red Light ◽

Light Trap ◽

The United States ◽

Light Traps ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Gravid Trap ◽

Trapping Trials

Abstract West Nile virus (WNV) is the most prevalent arbovirus found throughout the United States. Surveillance of surface breeding Culex vectors involved in WNV transmission is primarily conducted using CDC Gravid traps. However, anecdotal claims from mosquito abatement districts in Louisiana assert that other trap types may be more suited to WNV surveillance. To test the validity of these assertions, we conducted a series of trapping trials and WNV surveillance over 3 yr to compare the efficacy of multiple trap types. First, we compared the CDC Gravid trap, CO2-baited New Standard Miniature Blacklight traps, and CO2-baited CDC light traps with either an incandescent light, a red light, or no light. We found that the CDC Gravid trap and CO2-baited no-light CDC Light trap collected the most mosquitoes. Second, we conducted additional, long-term trapping and WNV surveillance to compare these two trap types. We found that CO2-baited no-light CDC traps collected more of the local WNV vector, Culex quinquefasciatus (Say, Diptera, Culicidae), and detected WNV with greater sensitivity. Finally, we conducted trapping to compare the physiological states of Cx. quinquefasciatus and diversity of collected mosquitoes. CO2-baited no-light CDC light traps collected more unfed Cx. quinquefasciatus while Gravid traps collected more blooded Cx. quinquefasciatus; both traps collected the same number of gravid Cx. quinquefasciatus. Additionally, we found that CO2-baited no-light CDC light traps collected a larger diversity of mosquito species than Gravid traps.

Some transpose-free CG-like solvers for nonsymmetric ill-posed problems

Journal of Numerical Mathematics ◽

10.1515/jnma-2018-0107 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 15-32

Author(s):

Silvia Gazzola ◽

Paolo Novati

Keyword(s):

Krylov Subspace ◽

Main Idea ◽

System Matrix ◽

Numerical Tests ◽

New Methods ◽

Arnoldi Algorithm ◽

Ill Posed ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Original Class ◽

Theoretical Insight

AbstractThis paper introduces and analyzes an original class of Krylov subspace methods that provide an efficient alternative to many well-known conjugate-gradient-like (CG-like) Krylov solvers for square nonsymmetric linear systems arising from discretizations of inverse ill-posed problems. The main idea underlying the new methods is to consider some rank-deficient approximations of the transpose of the system matrix, obtained by running the (transpose-free) Arnoldi algorithm, and then apply some Krylov solvers to a formally right-preconditioned system of equations. Theoretical insight is given, and many numerical tests show that the new solvers outperform classical Arnoldi-based or CG-like methods in a variety of situations.

A Study of Features and Deep Neural Network Architectures and Hyper-Parameters for Domestic Audio Classification

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11114880 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 4880

Author(s):

Abigail Copiaco ◽

Christian Ritz ◽

Nidhal Abdulaziz ◽

Stefano Fasciani

Keyword(s):

Network Architecture ◽

Single Channel ◽

Classification Performance ◽

Network Size ◽

Directed Acyclic Graphs ◽

Spectral Features ◽

Audio Classification ◽

Resource Requirements ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Computational Resources

Recent methodologies for audio classification frequently involve cepstral and spectral features, applied to single channel recordings of acoustic scenes and events. Further, the concept of transfer learning has been widely used over the years, and has proven to provide an efficient alternative to training neural networks from scratch. The lower time and resource requirements when using pre-trained models allows for more versatility in developing system classification approaches. However, information on classification performance when using different features for multi-channel recordings is often limited. Furthermore, pre-trained networks are initially trained on bigger databases and are often unnecessarily large. This poses a challenge when developing systems for devices with limited computational resources, such as mobile or embedded devices. This paper presents a detailed study of the most apparent and widely-used cepstral and spectral features for multi-channel audio applications. Accordingly, we propose the use of spectro-temporal features. Additionally, the paper details the development of a compact version of the AlexNet model for computationally-limited platforms through studies of performances against various architectural and parameter modifications of the original network. The aim is to minimize the network size while maintaining the series network architecture and preserving the classification accuracy. Considering that other state-of-the-art compact networks present complex directed acyclic graphs, a series architecture proposes an advantage in customizability. Experimentation was carried out through Matlab, using a database that we have generated for this task, which composes of four-channel synthetic recordings of both sound events and scenes. The top performing methodology resulted in a weighted F1-score of 87.92% for scalogram features classified via the modified AlexNet-33 network, which has a size of 14.33 MB. The AlexNet network returned 86.24% at a size of 222.71 MB.

Green Production of Cladribine by Using Immobilized 2′-Deoxyribosyltransferase from Lactobacillus delbrueckii Stabilized through a Double Covalent/Entrapment Technology

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom11050657 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 657

Author(s):

Cintia Wanda Rivero ◽

Natalia Soledad García ◽

Jesús Fernández-Lucas ◽

Lorena Betancor ◽

Gustavo Pablo Romanelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Silica Nanoparticles ◽

Enzymatic Synthesis ◽

Calcium Alginate ◽

Covalent Immobilization ◽

Chemical Processes ◽

Lactobacillus Delbrueckii ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Enzymatic Production ◽

Green Production ◽

Efficient Alternative

Nowadays, enzyme-mediated processes offer an eco-friendly and efficient alternative to the traditional multistep and environmentally harmful chemical processes. Herein we report the enzymatic synthesis of cladribine by a novel 2′-deoxyribosyltransferase (NDT)-based combined biocatalyst. To this end, Lactobacillus delbrueckii NDT (LdNDT) was successfully immobilized through a two-step immobilization methodology, including a covalent immobilization onto glutaraldehyde-activated biomimetic silica nanoparticles followed by biocatalyst entrapment in calcium alginate. The resulting immobilized derivative, SiGPEI 25000-LdNDT-Alg, displayed 98% retained activity and was shown to be active and stable in a broad range of pH (5–9) and temperature (30–60 °C), but also displayed an extremely high reusability (up to 2100 reuses without negligible loss of activity) in the enzymatic production of cladribine. Finally, as a proof of concept, SiGPEI 25000-LdNDT-Alg was successfully employed in the green production of cladribine at mg scale.

Clinical outcomes of the piggyback secondary implantation of a novel multifocal lens in the ciliary sulcus: A case series

European Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1177/11206721211029474 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 112067212110294

Author(s):

Gerardo Valvecchia ◽

Guadalupe Cervantes-Coste ◽

Oscar Asis ◽

Federico Pereyra ◽

Manuel Garza-León ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Case Series ◽

Visual Outcome ◽

Iol Implantation ◽

Secondary Implantation ◽

Intermediate Distance ◽

Efficient Alternative ◽

Monofocal Iol ◽

Multifocal Lens ◽

Prospective Case Series

Purpose: Evaluate the clinical outcomes of the secondary piggyback add-on IOL implantation in the ciliary sulcus for pseudophakic patients previously implanted with a monofocal IOL, who pursue a spectacle-free option after IOL surgery. Methods: A prospective case series including seven pseudophakic patients who underwent an in-the-bag monofocal IOL implantation. All eyes underwent a piggyback IOL implantation of the new sulcus designed A4 AddOn IOL in the ciliary sulcus as a secondary procedure for pseudophakic patients pursuing a spectacle-free option for near and intermediate distance after IOL surgery. Results: Seven eyes from six patients were included in this study, from which 4 (71.43%) were female, with a mean age of 58.33 ± 3.5 years (range 54–63; 95% CI 54.66, 62.01). The postoperative spherical equivalent at the 3-month visit was −0.10 m ± 0.82. Also, the UDVA was 0.11 ± 0.08 logMAR, the UIVA 0.01 ± 0.03, and the UNVA 0.01 ± 0.03 3 months after their surgical procedure. Conclusions: The A4 AddOn multifocal IOL’s secondary piggyback implant is an efficient alternative for monofocal pseudophakic patients seeking presbyopia solutions. This sulcus-designed IOL provides an optimal visual outcome for near and distance vision.