Innate immunity and apoptosis:CD14-dependent clearance of apoptotic cells

This is the first comprehensive book about the relationship between apoptosis and autoimmune diseases. It offers a unique up–to–date overview on research results on the defective execution of apoptosis and the incomplete clearance of apoptotic cells. The molecular and cellular mechanisms involved are described in detail. As a possible consequence of apoptotic dysfunction, the development of severe autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus) is discussed. An outlook on future research topics includes the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies.

Characterisation of ICAM-3 and extracellular vesicles in the clearance of apoptotic cells

Apoptotic cell clearance by phagocytes is a vital part of programmed cell death that prevents dying cells from undergoing necrosis which may lead to inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Apoptotic cells (AC) are removed by phagocytes, in a process that involves 'find me' and 'eat me' signals that facilitate the synapsing and engulfment of cell corpses. Extracellular vesicles (EV) are shed during apoptosis and promote phagocyte recruitment. Binding of AC is achieved by multiple ligand-receptor interactions. One interesting AC associated ligand is ICAM-3, a highly glycosylated adhesion molecule of the IgSF family, expressed on human leukocytes. On viable cells ICAM-3 participates in initiating immune responses, whereas on AC we show it attracts phagocytes through EV and aids in the binding of AC to the phagocytes. This project aims to characterize the role of ICAM-3 and EV in the clearance of AC and to identify the mechanisms that underlie their function in apoptotic cell clearance. Human B cells induced to apoptosis by UV irradiation were observed during their progression from viable to apoptotic via flow cytometry. The involvement of ICAM-3 in mediating interaction between AC and MØ was assessed. The ability of ICAM3 on EV to mediate chemoattraction was observed using chemotaxis assays. Additionally the anti-inflammatory effect was assessed using LPS-induced TNF-α production that suggested it may have anti-inflammatory effects. Future work in this project will assess the role of ICAM3 on EV from different phases of apoptosis to exert functional effects both in vitro and in vivo.

Vector Combinatorial Problems in a Space of Combinations with Linear Fractional Functions of Criteria

The paper considers vector discrete optimization problem with linear fractional functions of criteria on a feasible set that has combinatorial properties of combinations. Structural properties of a feasible solution domain and of Pareto–optimal (efficient), weakly efficient, strictly efficient solution sets are examined. A relation between vector optimization problems on a combinatorial set of combinations and on a continuous feasible set is determined. One possible approach is proposed in order to solve a multicriteria combinatorial problem with linear- fractional functions of criteria on a set of combinations.

Fractional Calculus of the Generalized Wright Function

Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33, 33C20.

Fractional Powers of Almost Non-Negative Operators

Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 47A60, 47D06.

Fractional Extensions of Jacobi Polynomials and Gauss Hypergeometric Function

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33, 33C45

A Fractional Analog of the Duhamel Principle

Mathematics Subject Classification: 35CXX, 26A33, 35S10

Some Fractional Extensions of the Temperature Field Problem in Oil Strata

This survey is devoted to some fractional extensions of the incomplete lumped formulation, the lumped formulation and the formulation of Lauwerier of the temperature field problem in oil strata. The method of integral transforms is used to solve the corresponding boundary value problems for the fractional heat equation. By using Caputo’s differintegration operator and the Laplace transform, new integral forms of the solutions are obtained. In each of the different cases the integrands are expressed in terms of a convolution of two special functions of Wright’s type.

Comparative Analysis of Viscoelastic Models Involving Fractional Derivatives of Different Orders

Mathematics Subject Classification: 74D05, 26A33

Bounds for Fractional Powers of Operators in a Hilbert Space and Constants in Moment Inequalities

Mathematics Subject Classification: 47A56, 47A57,47A63

Fractional Integration and Fractional Differentiation of the M-Series

Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33, 33C60, 44A15

Fractional Integration of the Product of Bessel Functions of the First Kind

Dedicated to 75th birthday of Prof. A.M. Mathai, Mathematical Subject Classification 2010:26A33, 33C10, 33C20, 33C50, 33C60, 26A09

Fractional Calculus of P-transforms

MSC 2010: 44A20, 33C60, 44A10, 26A33, 33C20, 85A99

Table 1 Core site, fractional abundance of individual isoprenoid GDGTs and TEX86 values

TEXL86 and TEXH86 are organic palaeothermometers based on the lipids of Group 1 Crenarchaeota, recently proposed as a modified version of the original TEX86 index, but with significantly improved geographical coverage. Since few data from the global core top calibration are from the Pacific, this study was carried out to assess whether the global core top calibration is regionally biased or not. The result of principal components analysis of the fractional abundance of GDGTs, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the comparison of the residuals of TEXH 86 derived sea surface temperature (SST) estimates of the Pacific subset with that of the global data set suggest that the Pacific subset has a similar TEXH 86-SST relationship with the global data set. However, the regression line through the Pacific data and an ANOVA on the residuals of TEXL 86 derived SST estimates suggest otherwise. The contradictory findings are likely to stem from the large scatter in the Pacific TEXL 86 values in the mid temperature range. While regionality does not seem to exert a strong bias on TEXL 86 and TEXH 86 calibration, it appears that there is a strong need to resolve the large scatter in the global data set, especially in the mid and high latitudes, in order to improve the calibration for a better SST estimation.

Fractional order of poling period for broadly tunable second harmonic generation

We demonstrate the possibility to use a fractional order of poling period of nonlinear crystal waveguides for tunable second harmonic generation. This approach allows one to extend wavelength coverage in the visible spectral range by frequency doubling in a single crystal waveguide.