Multifunctional tri-layer wound dressing containing ZNO nanoparticles and IGF-1 as an efficient biomaterial for healing of full thickness skin injuries.

The Coleman centrifugation procedure generates fractions with different adipocyte and progenitor cell densities. This study aimed to identify all fractions that are feasible for implantation. Human lipoaspirates were processed by Coleman centrifugation. The centrifugates were divided arbitrarily into upper, middle, and lower layers. Adipocyte viability, morphology, numbers of stromal vascular fraction cells, and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells of each layer were determined. The 12-week volume retention of subcutaneously implanted 0.3-ml lipoasperate of each layer was investigated in an athymic mice model. Most damaged adipocytes were located in the upper layers, whereas the intact adipocytes were distributed in the middle and lower layers. A gradient of stromal vascular fraction cell density was formed in the centrifugates. The implant volume retentions of samples from the upper, middle, and lower layers were 33.44 ± 5.9, 55.11 ± 4.4, and 71.2 ± 5.8 percent, respectively. Furthermore, the middle and lower layers contained significantly more adipose-derived stem cells than did the upper layer. The lower layer contains more viable adipocytes and stromal vascular fraction cells leading to the highest implant volume retention, whereas the most impaired cells are distributed in the upper layer, leading to the least volume retention. Although with a lower stromal vascular fraction content, the middle layer has a substantial number of intact adipocytes that are capable of retaining partial adipose tissue volume after implantation, suggesting that the middle layer may be an alternative fat source when large volumes of fat grafts are needed for transplantation.

ABSTRACTA field experiment was undertaken to measure diurnal variation in photosynthetic and light-response parameters of leaves of Phragmites australis growing in the Liaohe River Delta wetland, China. Four developmental stages (leaf-expansion, jointing, heading, and mature stages) and three (upper, middle, and lower layers) or five vertical layers (top, upper, middle, lower, and bottom layers) were delimited. Diurnal variations in net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate showed single-peak or double-peak curves that were lower in the morning and evening and higher at noon. The diurnal variation in intercellular CO2 concentration showed the opposite pattern, with higher values in the morning and evening and lower values at noon. Midday depression was observed under strong light, in the top, upper, and middle layers but not under weak light or in the lower and bottom layers. The net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were higher in the upper layer, and gradually decreased in value and in diurnal variability below the middle layer with increasing proximity to the plant base. Leaves showed a strong photosynthetic ability at the leaf-expansion stage, with the maximum net photosynthetic rate in the middle layer and the minimum net photosynthetic rate in the lower layer. Photosynthetic ability increased at the jointing and heading stages. The maximum net photosynthetic rate was in the upper or middle layers and the minimum in the bottom layer. Photosynthetic ability was weak at the mature stage. The light compensation point in leaves was 27.1–38.2, 24.6–29.5, 27.7–72.6, and 15.4–31.0 μmol⋅m−2⋅s−1 at the leaf-expansion, jointing, heading, and mature stages, respectively. The developmental stages of P. australis leaves were ranked, from highest ability to use weak light to lowest, as follows: mature stage > jointing stage > leaf-expansion stage > heading stage.

Asphalt mixture is a temperature sensitive material. With the change of external environment temperature, asphalt pavement is prone to temperature-related diseases. Adding phase change material (PCM) to asphalt pavement to adjust pavement temperature is one of the effective methods at present. At present, there are many types of research on PCMs, but the research on PCMs added to the pavement structure is very scarce. In this paper, through the temperature test of rutting plate specimens with different layer combinations, the cooling effect of pavement structure combinations with PCMs added to different layers (upper layer, middle layer, and bottom layer) in pavement structure under different illumination times are discussed. Through the self-designed environmental simulation box, the real-time monitoring of the temperature of different layers in the pavement structure is realized. The cooling effect between different layers in different phase change pavement structure combinations is analyzed, and compared with each layer of ordinary pavement structure, and the best addition method is obtained for phase change materials, which provides a certain reference for the construction and specific application of PCM asphalt pavement, and made important contributions to the development of asphalt cooling pavement. The results show that the PCM can effectively reduce the temperature of each layer of the pavement structure. Under different illumination durations, the cooling effect of the samples with PCM in the upper layer was the worst. The samples with phase change material in the middle layer had the best cooling effect in the upper and middle layers of the pavement. The addition of phase change material to both the upper and middle layers had the most obvious cooling effect on the lower layer of the pavement. Therefore, combined with the comprehensive consideration of economy and cooling effect, the comprehensive cooling effect of adding PCMs to the middle surface layer is the best. It is recommended to add phase change materials to the middle surface layer during asphalt cooling pavement construction.

Stereoscopic cultivation of Panax notoginseng: A new approach to overcome the continuous cropping obstacle

BackgroundUsing infection control barriers (ICBs) on light curing units (LCUs) became mandatory to achieve proper infection control measures without jeopardizing the integrity of the restorations, especially at deeper layers. This study explored the effect of two ICBs on the irradiance of the LCU, as well as the degree of conversion (DC) and flexural strength (FS) of two types of bulk-fill composites. Water vapor permeability (WVP) of both barriers was also assessed to evaluate the capability of such barriers to prevent transmission of blood and saliva droplets and aerosols.MethodsTwo bulk-fill composites (X-tra fil and Tetric N- ceram) and two ICBs (Pinnacle Cure sleeve and Sanita wrapping film) were used in this study. Light irradiance was recorded per experimental condition using spectroradiometer. For DC and FS, specimens of 4 mm thickness were prepared. Each specimen was composed of two separable upper and lower layers of thickness 2 mm. DC and FS were measured using Infra-red spectroscopy and three-point loading test respectively. WVP was investigated using the cup method. Means and standard deviations were calculated, and the data were statistically analyzed using factorial analysis of variance test (α = 0.05).ResultsLight irradiance showed highest values using no ICBs and lowest values using Pinnacle curing sleeve. Both bulk-fill composites showed higher DC mean values without ICBs and when using Sanita wrapping film for both upper and lower layers of the specimens compared to Pinnacle curing sleeve. The upper layers of composite specimens showed higher DC compared to lower layers for all experimental conditions. Both ICBs had no adverse effect on FS of both composites’ upper layers. Pinnacle sleeve significantly reduced FS of both composites’ lower layers. X-tra fil showed higher DC and FS compared to Tetric N-Ceram for all experimental conditions. Regarding WVP; the wrapping film showed higher WVP compared to the curing sleeve.ConclusionsSanita wrapping film can be used as a successful ICB, without jeopardizing the concept of bulk-fill composites. Pinnacle cure sleeve can be considered an effective ICB, however its influence on properties and serviceability of bulk-fill composites remains questionable.

비진도와 욕지도에 군락을 형성하고 있는 모밀잣밤나무림의 종 조성과 군락구조 분석을 통하여 효과적인 관리를 위한 기초적인 정보를 제공하기 위한 조사가 이루어졌다. 비진도와 욕지도 상 중 하층에 출현한 식물은 각각 10, 11, 27종과 9, 6, 28종으로 조사되었다. 두 조사지 모두 상.중층에서 모밀잣밤나무의 중요치가 가장 높게 나타났다. 초본식물은 비진도에서 33종, 욕지도에서 47종이 출현하였다. 종다양도는 비진도 모밀잣밤나무군락이 <TEX>$0.523{\sim}1.280$</TEX>, 욕지도 지역이 <TEX>$0.699{\sim}1.364$</TEX>로 분석되었으며, 우점도는 전층에서 0.5이하의 값을 나타내어 비진도와 욕지도 모밀잣밤나무군락은 다수의 종에 의해 우점되어 있다는 것을 알 수 있었다. Morisita 지수에 의한 모밀잣밤나무의 분포패턴은 두 조사 지역 모두 상층에서 임의분포하는 것으로 나타났다. This study was carried out to offer a basis data for application of effective management through species composition and community structure of Castanopsis cuspidata var. thunbergii stands (Bijindo and Yokjido). The upper, middle and lower layer in Bijindo and Yokjido consisted of 10, 11 and 27 species, and 9, 6 and 28 species, respectively. The importance value of Castanopsis cuspidata var. thunbergii were highest in upper and middle layer both two studied site. The herbaceous species were 33 and 47 species in Bijindo and Yokjido, respectively. The species diversity ranged from 0.523 to 1.280 in Bijindo and 0.699 to 1.364 in Yokjido. Dominance in Bijindo and Yokjido were 0.477 and 0.242 at upper layer, 0.231 and 0.102 at middle layer, and 0.106 and 0.057 at lower layer, which showed that Castanopsis cuspidata var. thunbergii stands are dominated by a large number of species at all layer. The distribution pattern by Morisita's index showed that Castanopsis cuspidata var. thunbergii was distributed randomly in upper layer both the studied sites.

Numerical simulation of failure properties of interbedded hydrate-bearing sediment and their implications on field exploitation

Levels of type VI collagen mRNAs were determined in cultured skin fibroblasts derived from the upper, middle, and lower layers. The level of alpha 1 (VI) collagen mRNA was the highest in the fibroblasts from the upper layer. In contrast, alpha 2 (VI) collagen mRNA level in the fibroblasts from the lower layer predominated over those in the upper and middle layers. The level of alpha 3 (VI) collagen mRNA was the same in the three dermal layers. When the fibroblasts from the upper layer were passaged successively, the alpha 1 (VI) collagen mRNA level declined and alpha 2 (VI) collagen mRNA level increased to those of the lower dermal fibroblasts. These results indicate that alpha 1 (VI) and alpha 2 (VI) collagen expressions in skin fibroblast cultures are heterogeneous and that successive passages of the upper dermal fibroblasts may result in transition of the phenotype of alpha 1 (VI) and alpha 2 (VI) expression to that of lower dermal fibroblasts. The modulation of the expression of alpha 1 (VI) and alpha 2 (VI) chains presumably reflects the process of cellular aging in vitro and should be a useful biochemical marker in studies of cell aging.

Using a two-layer system, a bottom layer containing treponema cells suspended in NOS (New Oral Spirochete)-Noble agar medium or NOS-Bacto agar medium and overlaid with cell-free NOS-agarose medium resulted in the spirochete cells migrating into the top layer. However, if the positions of the medium layers were reversed with the cells inoculated into the bottom layer containing NOS-agarose, there was no migration into the upper layer. This suggests migration of the spirochetes away from Bacto and Noble agars. Using a 3-layer system in which cells were inoculated into a middle layer consisting of NOS-agarose medium and sandwiched between cell-free NOS-agarose medium layers, cells remained within the middle layer. If the cells were inoculated into a middle layer consisting of NOS-Bacto agar medium while the upper and lower layers remained unchanged, cells migrated into both upper and lower layers. If cells that had migrated into the upper layer were transferred into a middle layer, they virtually all migrated into the upper layer repeatedly. Cells that had migrated into the lower layer and transferred to the middle layer migrated repeatedly into the lower layer. These results suggest the possible existence of two distinct locomotory phenotypes within this strain of treponeme.

This paper presents results of a field study of the influence of tillage and weed on the vertical distribution of microclimate in the upper, middle, and deeper layers of a winter wheat population and grain yield during the 2008&amp;ndash;2009 and 2009&amp;ndash;2010 winter wheat growing seasons. The results showed that the microclimate of the winter wheat canopy was different among the upper, middle, and deeper layers. Illumination was higher in the upper layer of the canopy than in the middle and deeper layers; under no-tillage + weed-reserving, a greater difference was found among the 3 layers. In the upper layer, illumination was the highest and lowest under no-tillage + weed-control and conventional tillage + weed-control, respectively. In the upper layer, air temperature was higher under no-tillage + weed-control than under conventional tillage + weed-control. The effects of air temperature in the middle and deeper layers were relatively low with tillage and considerably higher with weeds. Relative humidity was the highest and lowest under no-tillage + weed-reserving and conventional tillage + weed-control, respectively. During the winter wheat growing seasons, illumination and air temperature were lower at the heading stage and increased to a maximum at the filling stage, whereas the trend for relative humidity was the opposite. With weed-control, grain yield was significantly (LSD, P &amp;lt; 0.05) higher under conventional tillage than under no-tillage; with weed-reserving, no significant (LSD, P &amp;lt; 0.05) differences in grain yield were found between conventional tillage and no-tillage. The results showed that tillage and weed influenced microclimate vertical distribution in the winter wheat canopy and grain yield of winter wheat.

In the early 1990’s, the Neath Canal in South Wales, UK, received large amounts of drainage waters from nearby coal mines, which contributed to its contamination by heavy metals and arsenic. One sediment core and surface sediments were collected from the upstream section of the Neath Canal and characterized for their mineral composition and iron speciation using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The sediments show three distinctive layers that are defined by their physical properties including color, sediment components and dryness. The upper layer of the sediment (0–22 cm) is a reddish-brown wet precipitate dominated by iron oxides and hydroxides and a high content of arsenic. The middle layer (22–27 cm) is a soft wet deposit of yellow color which mainly contains calcite with sheet silicates (kaolinite) and goethite. Magnesium, calcium and manganese are enriched in this layer whereas iron is depleted compared to the upper layer. The lower part of the core (below 27 cm) is colored gray to dark gray and contains quartz, pyrite and clay minerals, similar to normal aquatic sediments. In addition, this layer also contains abundant coal particles. Silicon, aluminium, titanium, potassium, phosphorus and sodium concentrations are higher whereas iron, manganese, calcium and magnesium are lower in the lower portion of the core compared to the middle and upper layers. Mineral composition, major elements, and iron speciation indicate oxic conditions in the upper and middle layers whereas reducing conditions prevail in the lower layer, which likely control the distribution of hazardous elements. Given the variation of physico-chemical characteristics of the sediments with depth in the canal, different remediation treatments will likely be necessary for each layer of sediments.

Assessing leaf nitrogen concentration of winter oilseed rape with canopy hyperspectral technique considering a non-uniform vertical nitrogen distribution

A study on the biomass of fine roots and its relationship with water-stable aggregates (WSA) was conducted in two herbaceous models, triploid Populus tomentosa + Lolium multiflorum (TL) and triploid P. tomentosa + natural grass (TN). Both of the model triploid P. tomentosa stands were four years old converted from agriculture. Unconverted steep slope farmland was used as a control site. Results showed that the biomass of fine roots (⩽ 1 mm) in different layers varied in the following descending order: upper layer, middle layer and lower layer, at approximate ratios of 50:30:20. The average annual biomass of fine roots in ryegrass was twice that of the mixed natural grass-forest land. The total amount of natural grass roots was 4.4 times that of the ryegrass model. Water-stable aggregates of the upper, middle and lower layers and the unconverted farmland did not show any significant differences, whereas the amounts of water-stable aggregates of big-particles in the upper and middle layers were much larger than those of unconverted lands. The amounts of water-stable aggregates of natural grass-forest lands (TN model) were higher than those of managed grass-forest lands (TL model). Two-way analysis of variance indicated that fine roots (≤ 1 mm) could significantly enhance water-stable aggregates and total water-stable aggregates. We conclude that the program of converting agricultural lands to forest-grass lands is an effective way in improving soil anti-erosion capability.

Abstract. The South China Sea (SCS) is the largest semi-enclosed marginal sea in the western Pacific. It exhibits a unique vertically rotating cyclonic, anticyclonic, and cyclonic circulation in its upper, middle, and deep layers. Over slope topography, these layered currents interact and significantly shape the structure and intensity of the basin circulation. In this study, we employ process-oriented numerical simulations to investigate how upper-layer processes, characterized by greater magnitude and variability, influence the layered circulation over the irregular topographic slope. The simulations reveal that stronger upper intrusion from the open ocean directly enhances upper-layer circulation, which subsequently strengthens the middle and the deep slope currents. Vorticity dynamics illustrate that changes in the middle and deep slope current are largely related to the vertical stretching (ζ_DIV) induced by bottom geostrophic cross-isobath transport (CGTb). As the upper-layer cyclonic slope current intensifies, it modulates the bottom pressure distribution, resulting in stronger negative ζ_DIV predominantly over the northwestern slope to intensify the middle anticyclone slope current. Similarly, for the deep cyclonic slope current, the CGTb maintains downwelling in the northern part and upwelling over the southern slope. Over the southern slope, the strengthening of the positive CGTb is induced by the increment of the advection of relative vorticity and planetary vorticity in the water column, in which the middle layer has an important contribution, but the upper layer has a minimal impact. Conversely, on the northern slope, the strengthening of the negative CGTb is primarily influenced by the upper layer.

The physico-chemical properties of soils of tropical moist forest (Charkoshe jungle) in Sunsari district of eastern Nepal were analyzed. The samples were collected during summer season from three depths: upper (0-15 cm), middle (15-30 cm) and deep (30-45 cm). They were analyzed for texture, pH, moisture, water holding capacity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, organic matter and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. The forest soil of upper and middle layers was loamy whereas that of deep layer was sandy loam. The pH value was lower (5.6) in upper layer than in the deep layer (6.6). The moisture content, water holding capacity, organic carbon, total nitrogen and organic matter were higher in upper layer and decreased with increasing depth. The higher level of soil nutrients in upper layer was due partly to reduction in the loss of top soil and partly to the increased supply of nutrients from the decomposed form of litter and fine roots of the forest plants. The average value of microbial biomass carbon in the soil was 676.6 μg g-¹and microbial biomass nitrogen was 59.0 μg g-¹. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 14, No. 1 (2013) 35-40 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v14i1.8876