Random Effects Models for Understanding Variability and Association between Brain Functional and Structural Connectivity.

The human brain is organized as a complex network, where connections between regions are characterized by both functional connectivity (FC) and structural connectivity (SC). While previous studies have primarily focused on network-level FC-SC correlations (i.e.

Analysis of functional connectivity changes from childhood to old age: A study using HCP-D, HCP-YA, and HCP-A datasets.

We present a new clustering-enabled regression approach to investigate how functional connectivity (FC) of the entire brain changes from childhood to old age. By applying this method to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data aggregated from three Human Connectome Project studies, we cluster brain regions that undergo identical age-related changes in FC and reveal diverse patterns of these changes for different region clusters. While most brain connections between pairs of regions show minimal yet statistically significant FC changes with age, only a tiny proportion of connections exhibit practically significant age-related changes in FC.

Numerical Simulation Analysis of the Bending Performance of Straw-Concrete Combined Floor Slabs.

Straw-concrete combined floor slabs consist of straw boards, shear-resistant connectors, and concrete slabs. These slabs offer various advantages over traditional reinforced concrete slabs due to the straw boards' properties of excellent insulation and sound absorption. Research using ABAQUS software created 15 composite floor models to study the impact of connection methods, bond strength, connector spacing, and thickness of straw and concrete on the flexural performance.

Early molecular events of autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease in marmosets with PSEN1 mutations.

Introduction: Fundamental questions remain about the key mechanisms that initiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the factors that promote its progression. Here we report the successful generation of the first genetically engineered marmosets that carry knock-in (KI) point mutations in the presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene that can be studied from birth throughout lifespan.

Methods: CRISPR/Cas9 was used to generate marmosets with C410Y or A426P point mutations in PSEN1.

Vaccine adverse event enrichment tests.

Vaccination safety is critical for individual and public health. Many existing methods have been used to conduct safety studies with the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) database. However, these methods frequently identify many adverse event (AE) signals and they are often hard to interpret in a biological context.

Accelerated wound healing by injectable star poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(propylene sulfide) scaffolds loaded with poorly water-soluble drugs.

Injectable hydrogel matrices take the shape of a wound cavity and serve as scaffold for tissue repair and regeneration. Yet these materials are generally hydrophilic, limiting the incorporation of poorly water soluble, hydrophobic drugs. Here we show this shortcoming is circumvented through a star-shaped amphiphilic block copolymer comprising poly(ethylene glycol) and poly (propylene sulfide).

Integrating light-sheet imaging with virtual reality to recapitulate developmental cardiac mechanics.

Currently, there is a limited ability to interactively study developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology. We therefore combined light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) with virtual reality (VR) to provide a hybrid platform for 3D architecture and time-dependent cardiac contractile function characterization. By taking advantage of the rapid acquisition, high axial resolution, low phototoxicity, and high fidelity in 3D and 4D (3D spatial + 1D time or spectra), this VR-LSFM hybrid methodology enables interactive visualization and quantification otherwise not available by conventional methods, such as routine optical microscopes.

Hydrogels with precisely controlled integrin activation dictate vascular patterning and permeability.

Integrin binding to bioengineered hydrogel scaffolds is essential for tissue regrowth and regeneration, yet not all integrin binding can lead to tissue repair. Here, we show that through engineering hydrogel materials to promote α3/α5β1 integrin binding, we can promote the formation of a space-filling and mature vasculature compared with hydrogel materials that promote αvβ3 integrin binding. In vitro, α3/α5β1 scaffolds promoted endothelial cells to sprout and branch, forming organized extensive networks that eventually reached and anastomosed with neighbouring branches.

Particle Hydrogels Based on Hyaluronic Acid Building Blocks.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides tissues with the mechanical support, space, and bioactive signals needed for homeostasis or tissue repair after wounding or disease. Hydrogel based scaffolds that can match the bulk mechanical properties of the target tissue have been extensively explored as ECM mimics. Although the addition of microporosity to hydrogel scaffolds has been shown to enhance cell/tissue-material integration, the introduction of microporosity often involves harsh chemical methods, which limit bioactive signal incorporation and injectability.

Cutaneous wound healing through paradoxical MAPK activation by BRAF inhibitors.

BRAF inhibitors are highly effective therapies for the treatment of BRAF(V600)-mutated melanoma, with the main toxicity being a variety of hyperproliferative skin conditions due to paradoxical activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in BRAF wild-type cells. Most of these hyperproliferative skin changes improve when a MEK inhibitor is co-administered, as it blocks paradoxical MAPK activation. Here we show how the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib accelerates skin wound healing by inducing the proliferation and migration of human keratinocytes through extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and cell cycle progression.