I. Scientific signalling and safety at sea

I-34: Steroid Hormone Signalling at the FetomaternalInterface

Background: Progesterone is indispensable for differentiation of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) into decidual cells, a process that critically controls embryo implantation. However, HESCs also abundantly express androgen receptors (AR), yet the role of this member of the superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors in the decidual process remains poorly elucidated. Materials a...

I-7: Maternal Signalling to the Placenta

Background: Though it is well established that maternal blood-borne signals influence highly the growth of the placenta, the mechanisms are not known. In vitro trophoblast culture models are limited by an inability to reconstruct the polarised bilayer of the human hemochorial placenta. We have used a first trimester villous tissue explant system to investigate how growth factors interact with p...

Safety at sea: a forgotten frontier?

I-AUV Docking and Panel Intervention at Sea

The use of commercially available autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has increased during the last fifteen years. While they are mainly used for routine survey missions, there is a set of applications that nowadays can be only addressed by manned submersibles or work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with teleoperated arms: the intervention applications. To allow these heavy v...

Scientific Discussion I. Scientific Discussion