Surfactant protein D modulates allergen particle uptake and inflammatory response in a human epithelial airway model

Background Allergen-containing subpollen particles (SPP) are released from whole plant pollen upon contact with water or even high humidity. Because of their size SPP can preferentially reach the lower airways where they come into contact with surfactant protein (SP)-D. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of SP-D in a complex three-dimensional human epithelial airway model, which simulates the most important barrier functions of the epithelial airway. The uptake of SPP as well as the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines was investigated. Methods SPP were isolated from timothy grass and subsequently fluorescently labeled. A human epithelial airway model was built by using human Type II-pneumocyte like cells (A549 cells), human monocyte derived macrophages as well as human monocyte derived dendritic cells. The epithelial cell model was incubated with SPP in the presence and absence of surfactant protein D. Particle uptake was evaluated by confocal microscopy and advanced computer-controlled analysis. Finally, human primary CD4+ T-Cells were added to the epithelial airway model and soluble mediators were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay or bead array. Results SPP were taken up by epithelial cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. This uptake coincided with secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. SP-D modulated the uptake of SPP in a cell type specific way (e.g. increased number of macrophages and epithelial cells, which participated in allergen particle uptake) and led to a decreased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conclusion These results display a possible mechanism of how SP-D can modulate the inflammatory response to inhaled allergen.

High-resolution computer simulations of stacking of weak bases using a transient pH boundary in capillary electrophoresis. 1. Concept and impact of sample ionic strength

The dynamics of focusing weak bases using a transient pH boundary was examined via high-resolution computer simulation software. Emphasis was placed on the mechanism and impact that the presence of salt, namely, NaCl, has on the ability to focus weak bases. A series of weak bases with mobilities ranging from 5 x 10(-9) to 30 x 10(-9) m2/V x s and pKa values between 3.0 and 7.5 were examined using a combination of 65.6 mM formic acid, pH 2.85, for the separation electrolyte, and 65.6 mM formic acid, pH 8.60, for the sample matrix. Simulation data show that it is possible to focus weak bases with a pKa value similar to that of the separation electrolyte, but it is restricted to weak bases having an electrophoretic mobility of 20 x 10(-9) m2/V x s or quicker. This mobility range can be extended by the addition of NaCl, with 50 mM NaCl allowing stacking of weak bases down to a mobility of 15 x 10(-9) m2/V x s and 100 mM extending the range to 10 x 10(-9) m2/V x s. The addition of NaCl does not adversely influence focusing of more mobile bases, but does prolong the existence of the transient pH boundary. This allows analytes to migrate extensively through the capillary as a single focused band around the transient pH boundary until the boundary is dissipated. This reduces the length of capillary that is available for separation and, in extreme cases, causes multiple analytes to be detected as a single highly efficient peak.

The development and evaluation of a computer-based program to test and to teach the recognition of facial affect

Autism is a chronic pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the early onset of social and communicative impairments as well as restricted, ritualized, stereotypic behavior. The endophenotype of autism includes neuropsychological deficits, for instance a lack of "Theory of Mind" and problems recognizing facial affect. In this study, we report the development and evaluation of a computer-based program to teach and test the ability to identify basic facially expressed emotions. 10 adolescent or adult subjects with high-functioning autism or Asperger-syndrome were included in the investigation. A priori the facial affect recognition test had shown good psychometric properties in a normative sample (internal consistency: rtt=.91-.95; retest reliability: rtt=.89-.92). In a prepost design, one half of the sample was randomly assigned to receive computer treatment while the other half of the sample served as control group. The training was conducted for five weeks, consisting of two hours training a week. The trained individuals improved significantly on the affect recognition task, but not on any other measure. Results support the usefulness of the program to teach the detection of facial affect. However, the improvement found is limited to a circumscribed area of social-communicative function and generalization is not ensured.

A new system for computer-aided preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation during corrective jaw surgery

A new system for computer-aided corrective surgery of the jaws has been developed and introduced clinically. It combines three-dimensional (3-D) surgical planning with conventional dental occlusion planning. The developed software allows simulating the surgical correction on virtual 3-D models of the facial skeleton generated from computed tomography (CT) scans. Surgery planning and simulation include dynamic cephalometry, semi-automatic mirroring, interactive cutting of bone and segment repositioning. By coupling the software with a tracking system and with the help of a special registration procedure, we are able to acquire dental occlusion plans from plaster model mounts. Upon completion of the surgical plan, the setup is used to manufacture positioning splints for intraoperative guidance. The system provides further intraoperative assistance with the help of a display showing jaw positions and 3-D positioning guides updated in real time during the surgical procedure. The proposed approach offers the advantages of 3-D visualization and tracking technology without sacrificing long-proven cast-based techniques for dental occlusion evaluation. The system has been applied on one patient. Throughout this procedure, we have experienced improved assessment of pathology, increased precision, and augmented control.

Comparative dose measurements by spiral tomography for preimplant diagnosis: the Scanora machine versus the Cranex Tome radiography unit

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the dose profile of the Cranex Tome radiography unit and compare it with that of the Scanora machine.Study design. The radiation dose delivered by the Cranex Tome radiography unit during the cross-sectional mode was determined. Single tooth gaps in regions 3 (16) and 30 (46) were simulated. Dosimetry was carried out with 2 phantoms, a head and neck phantom and a full-body phantom loaded with 142 thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and 280 TLD, respectively; all locations corresponded to radiosensitive organs or tissues. The recorded local mean organ doses were compared with those measured in another study evaluating the Scanora machine.Results. Generally, dose values from the Cranex Tome radiography unit reached only 50% to 60% of the values measured for the Scanora machine. The effective dose was calculated as 0.061 mSv and 0.04 mSv for tooth regions 3 (16) and 30 (46), respectively. Corresponding values for the Scanora machine were 0.117 mSv and 0.084 mSv.Conclusion. Cross-sectional imaging in the molar region of the upper and the lower jaw can be performed with the Cranex Tome unit, which delivers only approximately half of the dose that the Scanora machine delivers.

Design and implementation of a 3D computer game controller using inertial MEMS sensors

Though 3D computer graphics has seen tremendous advancement in the past two decades, most available mechanisms for computer interaction in 3D are high cost and targeted for industry and virtual reality applications. Recent advances in Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) devices have brought forth a variety of new low-cost, low-power, miniature sensors with high accuracy, which are well suited for hand-held devices. In this work a novel design for a 3D computer game controller using inertial sensors is proposed, and a prototype device based on this design is implemented. The design incorporates MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes from Analog Devices to measure the three components of the acceleration and angular velocity. From these sensor readings, the position and orientation of the hand-held compartment can be calculated using numerical methods. The implemented prototype is utilizes a USB 2.0 compliant interface for power and communication with the host system. A Microchip dsPIC microcontroller is used in the design. This microcontroller integrates the analog to digital converters, the program memory flash, as well as the core processor, on a single integrated circuit. A PC running Microsoft Windows operating system is used as the host machine. Prototype firmware for the microcontroller is developed and tested to establish the communication between the design and the host, and perform the data acquisition and initial filtering of the sensor data. A PC front-end application with a graphical interface is developed to communicate with the device, and allow real-time visualization of the acquired data.

Design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine testbed

With energy demands and costs growing every day, the need for improving energy efficiency in electrical devices has become very important. Research into various methods of improving efficiency for all electrical components will be a key to meet future energy needs. This report documents the design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine dynamometer and test bed. This test cell system can be used for research in several areas including: electric drives systems, electric vehicle propulsion systems, power electronic converters, load/source element in an AC Microgrid, as well as many others. The test cell design criteria, and decisions, will be discussed in reference to user functionality and flexibility. The individual power components will be discussed in detail to how they relate to the project, highlighting any feature used in operation of the test cell. A project timeline will be discussed, clearly stating the work done by the different individuals involved in the project. In addition, the system will be parameterized and benchmark data will be used to provide the functional operation of the system. With energy demands and costs growing every day, the need for improving energy efficiency in electrical devices has become very important. Research into various methods of improving efficiency for all electrical components will be a key to meet future energy needs. This report documents the design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine dynamometer and test bed. This test cell system can be used for research in several areas including: electric drives systems, electric vehicle propulsion systems, power electronic converters, load/source element in an AC Microgrid, as well as many others. The test cell design criteria, and decisions, will be discussed in reference to user functionality and flexibility. The individual power components will be discussed in detail to how they relate to the project, highlighting any feature used in operation of the test cell. A project timeline will be discussed, clearly stating the work done by the different individuals involved in the project. In addition, the system will be parameterized and benchmark data will be used to provide the functional operation of the system.

Spin-strain coupling in a 3-D transition metal oxides

ab-initio Hartree Fock (HF), density functional theory (DFT) and hybrid potentials were employed to compute the optimized lattice parameters and elastic properties of perovskite 3-d transition metal oxides. The optimized lattice parameters and elastic properties are interdependent in these materials. An interaction is observed between the electronic charge, spin and lattice degrees of freedom in 3-d transition metal oxides. The coupling between the electronic charge, spin and lattice structures originates due to localization of d-atomic orbitals. The coupling between the electronic charge, spin and crystalline lattice also contributes in the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties in perovskites. The cubic and tetragonal crystalline structures of perovskite transition metal oxides of ABO3 are studied. The electronic structure and the physics of 3-d perovskite materials is complex and less well considered. Moreover, the novelty of the electronic structure and properties of these perovskites transition metal oxides exceeds the challenge offered by their complex crystalline structures. To achieve the objective of understanding the structure and property relationship of these materials the first-principle computational method is employed. CRYSTAL09 code is employed for computing crystalline structure, elastic, ferromagnetic and other electronic properties. Second-order elastic constants (SOEC) and bulk moduli (B) are computed in an automated process by employing ELASTCON (elastic constants) and EOS (equation of state) programs in CRYSTAL09 code. ELASTCON, EOS and other computational algorithms are utilized to determine the elastic properties of tetragonal BaTiO3, rutile TiO2, cubic and tetragonal BaFeO3 and the ferromagentic properties of 3-d transition metal oxides. Multiple methods are employed to crosscheck the consistency of our computational results. Computational results have motivated us to explore the ferromagnetic properties of 3-d transition metal oxides. Billyscript and CRYSTAL09 code are employed to compute the optimized geometry of the cubic and tetragonal crystalline structure of transition metal oxides of Sc to Cu. Cubic crystalline structure is initially chosen to determine the effect of lattice strains on ferromagnetism due to the spin angular momentum of an electron. The 3-d transition metals and their oxides are challenging as the basis functions and potentials are not fully developed to address the complex physics of the transition metals. Moreover, perovskite crystalline structures are extremely challenging with respect to the quality of computations as the latter requires the well established methods. Ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties of bulk, surfaces and interfaces are explored by employing CRYSTAL09 code. In our computations done on cubic TMOs of Sc-Fe it is observed that there is a coupling between the crystalline structure and FM/AFM spin polarization. Strained crystalline structures of 3-d transition metal oxides are subjected to changes in the electromagnetic and electronic properties. The electronic structure and properties of bulk, composites, surfaces of 3-d transition metal oxides are computed successfully.