Electrospinning and Additive Manufacturing: Adding Three-Dimensionality to Electrospun Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

The final biochemical and mechanical performance of an implant or scaffold are defined by its structure, as well as the raw materials and processing conditions used during its fabrication. Electrospinning and Additive Manufacturing (AM) are two contrasting processing technologies that have gained popularity amongst the fields of medical research i.e., tissue engineering, implant design, drug delivery. Electrospinning technology is favored for its ability to produce micro- to nanometer fibers from polymer solutions and melts, of which, the dimensions, alignment, porosity, and chemical composition are easily manipulatable to the desired application. AM, on the other hand, offers unrivalled levels of geometrical freedom, allowing highly complex components (i.e., patient-specific) to be built inexpensively within 24 hours. Hence, adopting both technologies together appears to be a progressive step in pursuit of scaffolds that better match the natural architecture of human tissues. Here, we present recent insights into the advances on hybrid scaffolds produced by combining electrospinning (melt electrospinning excluded) and AM, specifically multi-layered architectures consisting of alternating fibers and AM elements, and bioinks reinforced with fibers prior to AM. We discuss how cellular behavior (attachment, migration, and differentiation) is influenced by the co-existence of these micro- and nano-features.

Second-hand poetics: Dynamic shifts from home to monument

<p>This thesis began with an Antarctic story. There is something sublime about the adventures of Scott and Shackleton; their ability to entertain the emotive sensation of place, despite a physical detachment. Tales of exploration arrest moments of suspense, drama and inspiration and yet they are surrounded by the fact that Antarctica is a barren, isolated expanse. The opportunity of these particular constructs, which operate between intimacy and departure, to serve the creation of a special experience, it exists beyond the replication of these narratives; they might suggest how New Zealand national identity might be framed. The natural architecture of the frozen continent is grand. Its timelessness rivals the foundations that the rest of the developed world is built on. Yet simultaneously its stories create a rapport which personalises identity and allows memory to be mobilised. New Zealand built history has only recently emerged but representationally the identity of the nation is monumental, especially in relation to Antarctic. This thesis asks how the relationship between NZ and Antarctica might be physically manifested through architecture, in order to deepen the stability of NZ historical identity. The project is situated on the Lyttelton harbour where New Zealand and Antarctica have historically converged. At this location the vicarious nature of the Antarctic story is exploited so that the sense of place might exist even though, physically and temporally, it is not attached to the Antarctic. This is realised through a set of imagined dwellings on Dampier Bay, which are contained within the definition of ‘Home’. The programme of this research acts to acknowledge this duality and formalises it as the ‘monument’ and the ‘home’. The primary understanding of programme will however be domestic, as it is the point at which our most intimate memories are created. The realisation of the monument will be introduced through the act of designing itself. Architecture is used as a tool to negotiate the exchange of personality between the two places and ideas, with the poetics of representation providing a framework for investigation. Because the method is derived from such poetics, my own subjective will is asserted onto these interpretations. The process has therefore become non-quantifiable, it relies instead on a level of intuition. The Antarctic story resonates with the moments we find identity in, they have the potential to complement New Zealand’s Architectural history where it is wanting of poetic agency.</p>

Second-hand poetics: Dynamic shifts from home to monument

<p>This thesis began with an Antarctic story. There is something sublime about the adventures of Scott and Shackleton; their ability to entertain the emotive sensation of place, despite a physical detachment. Tales of exploration arrest moments of suspense, drama and inspiration and yet they are surrounded by the fact that Antarctica is a barren, isolated expanse. The opportunity of these particular constructs, which operate between intimacy and departure, to serve the creation of a special experience, it exists beyond the replication of these narratives; they might suggest how New Zealand national identity might be framed. The natural architecture of the frozen continent is grand. Its timelessness rivals the foundations that the rest of the developed world is built on. Yet simultaneously its stories create a rapport which personalises identity and allows memory to be mobilised. New Zealand built history has only recently emerged but representationally the identity of the nation is monumental, especially in relation to Antarctic. This thesis asks how the relationship between NZ and Antarctica might be physically manifested through architecture, in order to deepen the stability of NZ historical identity. The project is situated on the Lyttelton harbour where New Zealand and Antarctica have historically converged. At this location the vicarious nature of the Antarctic story is exploited so that the sense of place might exist even though, physically and temporally, it is not attached to the Antarctic. This is realised through a set of imagined dwellings on Dampier Bay, which are contained within the definition of ‘Home’. The programme of this research acts to acknowledge this duality and formalises it as the ‘monument’ and the ‘home’. The primary understanding of programme will however be domestic, as it is the point at which our most intimate memories are created. The realisation of the monument will be introduced through the act of designing itself. Architecture is used as a tool to negotiate the exchange of personality between the two places and ideas, with the poetics of representation providing a framework for investigation. Because the method is derived from such poetics, my own subjective will is asserted onto these interpretations. The process has therefore become non-quantifiable, it relies instead on a level of intuition. The Antarctic story resonates with the moments we find identity in, they have the potential to complement New Zealand’s Architectural history where it is wanting of poetic agency.</p>

A Review on Development of Bio-Inspired Implants Using 3D Printing

Biomimetics is an emerging field of science that adapts the working principles from nature to fine-tune the engineering design aspects to mimic biological structure and functions. The application mainly focuses on the development of medical implants for hard and soft tissue replacements. Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is an established processing norm with a superior resolution and control over process parameters than conventional methods and has allowed the incessant amalgamation of biomimetics into material manufacturing, thereby improving the adaptation of biomaterials and implants into the human body. The conventional manufacturing practices had design restrictions that prevented mimicking the natural architecture of human tissues into material manufacturing. However, with additive manufacturing, the material construction happens layer-by-layer over multiple axes simultaneously, thus enabling finer control over material placement, thereby overcoming the design challenge that prevented developing complex human architectures. This review substantiates the dexterity of additive manufacturing in utilizing biomimetics to 3D print ceramic, polymer, and metal implants with excellent resemblance to natural tissue. It also cites some clinical references of experimental and commercial approaches employing biomimetic 3D printing of implants.

What influences selection of native phosphorelay architectures?

Phosphorelays are signal transduction circuits that combine four different phosphorylatable protein domains for sensing environmental changes and use that information to adjust cellular metabolism to the new conditions in the milieu. Five alternative circuit architectures account for more than 99% of all phosphorelay operons annotated in over 9000 fully sequenced genomes, with one of those architectures accounting for more than 72% of all cases.Here we asked if there are biological design principles that explain the selection of preferred phosphorelay architectures in nature and what might those principles be. We created several types of data-driven mathematical models for the alternative phosphorelay architectures, exploring the dynamic behavior of the circuits in concentration and parameter space, both analytically and through over 108 numerical simulations. We compared the behavior of architectures with respect to signal amplification, speed and robustness of the response, noise in the response, and transmission of environmental information to the cell.Clustering analysis of massive Monte Carlo simulations suggests that either information transmission or metabolic cost could be important in selecting the architecture of the phosphorelay. A more detailed study using models of kinetically well characterized phosphorelays (Spo0 of Bacillus subtilis and Sln1-Ypd1-Ssk1-Skn7 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae) shows that information transmission is maximized by the natural architecture of the phosphorelay. In view of this we analyze seventeen additional phosphorelays, for which protein abundance is available but kinetic parameters are not. The architectures of 16 of these are also consistent with maximization of information transmission.Our results highlight the complexity of the genotype (architecture, parameter values, and protein abundance) to phenotype (physiological output of the circuit) mapping in phosphorelays. The results also suggest that maximizing information transmission through the circuit is important in the selection of natural circuit genotypes.

Community-Based Homestay Service: A Proposed Livelihood Project for the Dumagats

Introduction: The study is founded on a sustainable eco-tourism built on indigenous peoples’ economic empowerment without compromising their cultural heritage. The main objective of the study was to assess the economic viability of the community-based homestay service as a livelihood project to help improve the quality of life of the Dumagats who are native residents of Daraitan. The main service of the project is to provide accommodation and campsite for tourists who usually go for trekking at Mt. Daraitan. Methods: The descriptive survey method was employed in this study. Validated survey questionnaires were given out to 430 local and foreign tourists who visited the nature reserve. Data were tabulated and analyzed using the descriptive statistics and financial ratios; such as liquidity ratios, test of return on sales, gross profit ratio, and return on capital. Result: The financial assessment of the homestay service yielded an average of 27.25% return on sales; 85.4% gross profit ratio, and 79.37% return on capital. A portion of the profit will be appropriated for charitable purposes. Discussion: Mt. Daraitan is one of the to-go-to spots in the Philippines, where nature still can be seen at its most pristine state. Results of financial estimates showed that the economic viability of the project, through development, preservation of the natural architecture of the park, and a livelihood program for the natives that inhabit the area, are very strong reasons to push through with the proposal.

3D polyelectrolyte scaffolds to mimic exocrine glands: a step towards a prostate-on-chip platform

We report our approach to creating a microfluidic chip (namely UroLOC) that mimics the acinar/tubular structure and the luminal microenvironment of exocrine glands. The chip utilises a nanostructured membrane that is designed to provide a 3-dimensional supporting scaffold for the growth of exocrine acinus epithelial cells. The nanostructured membrane was produced using layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolytes, and formed into 3-dimensional hemispherical cavities and “finger-like” structures in order to mimic the natural architecture of acini found in exocrine glands. We utilised normal (PNT2) and cancerous (PC3, LNCaP) prostate epithelial cells to demonstrate the proof-of-concept of using MALDI (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation) profiling of secretions collected after 48 hours of cell growth, with no concentration or purification steps and without any a priori on the knowledge of targeted proteins. This MALDI profiling analysis of the crude supernatants from 3 different cell lines (PNT2, PC3 and LNCaP) demonstrated the capacity of the MALDI profiling approach to discriminate between the different secretome signatures. The UroLOC concept and secretome profiling that we describe opens new opportunities in terms of liquid-biopsy based diagnosis, particularly for the early stages of carcinogenesis.

In vivo polymerization and manufacturing of wires and supercapacitors in plants

Electronic plants, e-Plants, are an organic bioelectronic platform that allows electronic interfacing with plants. Recently we have demonstrated plants with augmented electronic functionality. Using the vascular system and organs of a plant, we manufactured organic electronic devices and circuits in vivo, leveraging the internal structure and physiology of the plant as the template, and an integral part of the devices. However, this electronic functionality was only achieved in localized regions, whereas new electronic materials that could be distributed to every part of the plant would provide versatility in device and circuit fabrication and create possibilities for new device concepts. Here we report the synthesis of such a conjugated oligomer that can be distributed and form longer oligomers and polymer in every part of the xylem vascular tissue of a Rosa floribunda cutting, forming long-range conducting wires. The plant’s structure acts as a physical template, whereas the plant’s biochemical response mechanism acts as the catalyst for polymerization. In addition, the oligomer can cross through the veins and enter the apoplastic space in the leaves. Finally, using the plant’s natural architecture we manufacture supercapacitors along the stem. Our results are preludes to autonomous energy systems integrated within plants and distribute interconnected sensor–actuator systems for plant control and optimization.

Rapid fabrication of functionalised poly(dimethylsiloxane) microwells for cell aggregate formation

Cell aggregates reproduce many features of the natural architecture of functional tissues, and have therefore become an important in vitro model of tissue function.