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Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): A consortium of six companies in Korea (Daiichi Sankyo, Boston Scientific, Terumo, Biotronik, Qualitech Korea, and Dio). Background Patients with coronary artery disease and impaired renal function are at higher risk for both bleeding and ischemic adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Purpose We assessed the efficacy and safety of a prasugrel based de-escalation strategy in patients with impaired renal function. Methods We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the HOST-REDUCE-POLYTECH-ACS study. Patients with available estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (n=2,311) were categorized into three groups. (high eGFR: ≥90 mL/min; intermediate eGFR: ≥60 and Results With respect to net adverse clinical events, prasugrel de-escalation was beneficial regardless of baseline renal function (p for interaction = 0.508). The relative reduction in bleeding risk from prasugrel de-escalation was higher in the low eGFR group compared with that from both the intermediate and high eGFR groups (relative reduction: 64% [HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15–0.83] vs. 50% [HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.90] and 52% [HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.21-1.13] for low, intermediate, and high eGFR groups, p for interaction=0.646). Ischemic risk from prasgurel de-escalation was not significant in all eGFR groups ([HR 1.18, 95% CI 0.47-2.98], [HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.53-1.69], and [HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.26-1.39)], respectively, p for interaction=0.119). The probability risk ratio was highest in low eGFR group (1.06 vs. 1.26 vs. 1.36, for high, intermediate, and low eGFR groups, respectively, p for trend Conclusion The beneficial effect of prasugrel-based de-escalation strategy was consistent regardless of the baseline renal function, which was mostly driven by a reduction in bleeding risk which was greatest in those with low eGFR.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, K-5 teachers were forced to shift their teaching practices from in-person instruction to an emergency remote teaching (ERT) format. Using the TPACK framework (Koehler et al., 2014), this study explores how teachers’ pedagogical practices for STEM instruction may have changed during and after ERT. The results indicate no significant differences in terms of direct instruction. Still, there were noticeable changes with collaborative learning and teachers’ use of technological tools in STEM classrooms. Teachers’ self-reporting of their pedagogical practices shift highlights the need for further professional development in the practical use of technological tools to meet current needs. © 2021, North American Business Press. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a crucial role in tumor initiation, metastasis and recurrence, which are therefore regarded as promising therapeutic target. Aberrant NF-κB signaling has been identified in many cancers, and proven to promote CSC formation via several mechanisms, including an induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. Tannic acid (C76H52O46, TA) was reported to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, however there was no data regarding the effect of TA on CSCs. The present study investigated the effects of TA on CSC formation, NF-κB signaling, and EMT in breast cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of TA on mammosphere formation and the activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) was investigated in MCF7 cells. IKK phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of p65 and the expression of IκBα and CSCs markers (CD44/CD24, ALDH1) were assessed by western blotting. Role of NF-κB signaling in EMT of MCF7 cells were evaluated using p65 siRNA (sip65) and NF-κB specific inhibitor (PDTC) or IKK inhibitor (Bay11-7082). The effect of TA on tumor growth was also examined in a mouse xenograft model established by subcutaneous implantation of MCF7 cells (1.5 x 107) in 6-week-old Balb/c nude mice with intraperitoneal injection of TGFβ (40 ng/kg, 3 times/week). In 4 weeks of intraperitoneal administration of TA (2 mg/kg, twice/week), tumor volume was measured with an evaluation of the alteration of CSC markers and NF-κB signaling. RESULTS: TA (10 μM) inhibited the formation and growth of mammosphere in MCF7 cells expressed as a decrease in mammosphere formation efficiency (MFE) and ALDH1 activity. An activation of NF-κB pathway was observed in MCF7-derived mammosphere shown as an up-regulation of p65, a degradation of IκBα and an increased IL-6. Blocking of NF-κB signaling by sip65, PDTC or Bay11-7082 resulted in a decrease in the MFE, the expression of ALDH1, and an increase in CD44high/CD24low ratio. TA alleviated the markers of NF-κB activation in MCF7-derived mammosphere. TGFβ (10 ng/mL)-induced EMT, increase in MFE and NF-κB activation was alleviated by TA. In murine xenograft model, tumor volume was decreased by TA with a decrease in CD44 expression and IKK phosphorylation in xenograft. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that TA inhibited mammosphere formation in breast cancer cells, which was associated with an alleviation of both NF-kB signaling and EMT. Moreover, TA treatment ameliorated tumor growth in an in-vivo mouse xenograft of breast cancer. These data suggest TA may serve as an effective therapeutic agent for breast cancer patients. Citation Format: Kim D-A, Ryu E-S, Kang H-J, Kang D-H. Tannic acid inhibited TGFβ-induced phenotype transition and mammosphere formation of breast cancer cells via modulation of NF-κB signaling [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-08-09.

Quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (QC-LDPC) codes are being widely used in communication standards, and the decoder of QC-LDPC codes requires a unique type of rotator. The unique rotator, called a multi-size cyclic-shifter (MSCS), should be able to rotate data with various sizes, and many structures have been proposed for the operation. A low-complexity, high-speed MSCS structure is proposed, in which a part of the previous smallest structure is replaced with a structure with less delay and comparable area. The synthesis results present that the proposed structure achieves not only the highest speed but also the lowest complexity after synthesis.

Background:Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as important biological regulators and the aberrant expression of lncRNAs has been reported in various diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus. However, the role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unknown.Objectives:Thus, we studied lncRNAs influenced by IL-1, which is one of the key mediators in the pathogenesis of RA, and also investigated whether regulation of NF-κB activation, which is known to be induced by IL-1, could lead to the changes of expression of those lncRNAs.Methods:Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were obtained from the knee joints of the patients with RA. The next-generation sequencing (NGS) data were analyzed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs between unstimulated RA FLS and IL-1-stimulated RA FLS. The expression levels of the top 5 candidates in NGS data were validated by RT-qPCR using extended number of unstimulated RA FLS and IL-1-stimulated RA FLS. IMD-0560, an inhibitor of IκB kinase (IKK) was used for the regulation of NF-κB activation. Activation and inhibition of NF-κB were confirmed by Western blotting. Changed expressions of the lncRNAs were identified by RT-qPCR.Results:NGS analysis revealed up-regulated 30 lncRNAs and down-regulated 15 lncRNAs in IL-1-treated RA FLS compared with unstimulated RA FLS. Top 5 lncRNAs were selected among 30 lncRNAs up-regulated by IL-1 in RA FLS based on fold-change with P-value cutoff. The up-regulated lncRNAs including NR_046035, NR_027783, NR_033422, NR_003133, and NR_049759 were validated by RT-qPCR. IMD-0560 inhibited phosphorylation of IκBα induced by IL-1 in RA FLS. Overexpression of lncRNAs induced by IL-1 was also inhibited by IMD-0560 in RA FLS.Conclusion:Our study revealed that IL-1 increased the expression of NR_046035, NR_027783, NR_033422, NR_003133, and NR_049759 in RA FLS. In addition, the expression of these lncRNAs was regulated by inhibition of NF-κB activation. Thus, our data suggest that the lncRNAs might be involved in the pathogenesis of RA through NF-κB signaling pathway.References:[1]Long noncoding RNAs and human disease. Trends Cell Biol. 2011 Jun;21(6):354-61.[2]A long noncoding RNA mediates both activation and repression of immune response genes. Science. 2013 Aug 16;341(6147):789-92.[3]Long noncoding RNA expression profile in fibroblast-like synoviocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2016 Oct 6;18(1):227.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

A variety of biomedical and food quality assessment tasks have been solved by statistical processing of speckle patterns formed on the surface of diffusely reflecting objects. The output of pointwise processing of a temporal sequence of correlated speckle images is a two-dimensional spatial contour map which characterizes the time scales of the ongoing physical or biological activity within the studied objects. In this work, we check efficiency of the dynamic speckle analysis for temporal characterization of migration of cosmetic ingredients from the skin surface to the lower skin layers. At illumination with a He–Ne laser, formation of speckle patterns on the skin surface is governed by the diffusely reflected photons which have undergone a lot of scattering events in the bulk of the tissue. This entails low time-correlation of the formed speckle patterns. Activity maps have been built for sections of treated and non-treated skin on the arm of a volunteer. We found out that a bare skin exhibited high activity which decreased for a skin treated by a cream or cosmetic oil. We proved that the observed difference between the activity maps for a bare skin and a treated skin would allow for monitoring of the time scales of penetration of various cosmetic products into the skin to perform their quality assessment.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the immunomodulating property of Polygonum multiflorum extracts using various in vitro and in vivo tests. In this study, Polygonum multiflorum extracts were shown to exhibit immunomodulating activities such as cytokine production in normal rat splenocyte and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression model. The immunostimulant effects of Polygonum multiflorum extracts were further tested for various immunological markers. Polygonum multiflorum extracts significantly enhanced cytokines production activity in rat splenocyte. Consistently oral administration of Polygonum multiflorum extracts enhanced blood cytokine production and ameliorated spleen damage in cyclophosphamide immunosuppressed rat. In conclusion, the present investigation revealed that Polygonum multiflorum extracts possessed immunomodulating and immunostimulating properties.

The intramuscular fat (IMF) content of the LM, also known as marbling, is particularly important in determining the price of beef in Korea, Japan, and the United States. Deposition of IMF is influenced by both genetic (e.g., breed, gender, and genotype) and nongenetic factors (e.g., castration, nutrition, stressors, animal weight, and age). Castration of bulls markedly increases deposition of IMF, resulting in improved beef quality. Here, we present a comparative gene expression approach between bulls and steers. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies have demonstrated that the combined effects of increases in lipogenesis, fatty acid uptake, and fatty acid esterification and decreased lipolysis are associated with increased IMF deposition in the LM. Several peripheral tissues (LM, adipose tissues, and the liver) are involved in lipid metabolism. Therefore, understanding the significance of the tissue network in lipid metabolism is important. Here, we demonstrate that lipid metabolism in LM tissues is crucial for IMF deposition, whereas lipid metabolism in the liver plays only a minor role. Metabolism of body fat and IMF deposition in bovine species has similarities with these processes in metabolic diseases, such as obesity in humans and rodents. Extensive studies on metabolic diseases using epigenome modification (DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA), microbial metagenomics, and metabolomics have been performed in humans and rodents, and new findings have been reported using these technologies. The importance of applying "omics" fields (epigenomics, metagenomics, and metabolomics) to the study of IMF deposition in cattle is described. New information on the molecular mechanisms of IMF deposition may be used to design nutritional or genetic methods to manipulate IMF deposition and to modify fatty acid composition in beef cattle. Applying nutrigenomics could maximize the expression of genetic potential of economically important traits (e.g., marbling) in animals.

We found 140 neutrino-induced muons in 854.24 live days in the MINOS far detector. We looked for evidence of neutrino disappearance in this data set by computing the ratio of the number of low momentum muons to the sum of the number of high momentum and unknown momentum muons for both data and Monte Carlo expectation in the absence of neutrino oscillations. The ratio of data and Monte Carlo ratios is consistent with an oscillation signal. A fit to the data for the oscillation parameters excludes the null oscillation hypothesis at the 94% confidence level. We separated the muons by charge sign in both the data and Monte Carlo events and found the ratio of the total number of negative to positive muons in both samples. The ratio of those ratios is a test of CPT conservation. The result is consistent with CPT conservation., 14 pages, 15 figures

We introduce the concept of “Ultrasound Spectroscopy”. The premise of ultrasound spectroscopy is that by acquiring ultrasound RF data at multiple power and frequency settings, a rich set of features can be extracted from that RF data and used to characterize the underlying tissues. This is beneficial for a variety of problems, such as accurate tissue classification, application-specific image generation, and numerous other quantitative tasks. These capabilities are particularly relevant to point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) applications, where operator experience with ultrasound may be limited. Instead of displaying B-mode images, a POCUS application using ultrasound spectroscopy can, for example, automatically detect internal abdominal bleeding. In this paper, we present ex vivo tissue phantom studies to demonstrate the accuracy of ultrasound spectroscopy over previous approaches. Our studies suggest that ultrasound spectroscopy provides exceptional accuracy and informative features for classifying blood versus other tissues across image locations and body habitus.

Comparison of outcomes between autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for peripheral T-cell lymphomas with central review of pathology

The biogenesis of intracellular lipid bodies (LBs) is dependent upon the symbiotic status between host corals and their intracellular dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium), though aside from this observation, little is known about LB behavior and function in this globally important endosymbiosis. The present research aimed to understand how LB formation and density are regulated in the gastrodermal tissue layer of the reef-building coral Euphyllia glabrescens. After tissue fixation and labeling with osmium tetroxide, LB distribution and density were quantified by imaging analysis of serial cryo-sections, and a diel rhythmicity was observed; the onset of solar irradiation at sunrise initiated an increase in LB density and size, which peaked at sunset. Both LB density and size then decreased to basal levels at night. On a seasonal timescale, LB density was found to be significantly positively correlated with seasonal irradiation, with highest densities found in the summer and lowest in the fall. In terms of LB lipid composition, only the concentration of wax esters, and not triglycerides or sterols, exhibited diel variability. This suggests that the metabolism and accumulation of lipids in LBs is at least partially light dependent. Ultrastructural examinations revealed that the LB wax ester concentration correlated with the number of electron-transparent inclusion bodies. Finally, there was a directional redistribution of the LB population across the gastroderm over the diel cycle. Collectively, these data reveal that coral gastrodermal LBs vary in composition and intracellular location over diel cycles, features which may shed light on their function within this coral–dinoflagellate mutualism.

We evaluated 56 patients for neurological deficit after enucleation of a histopathologically confirmed schwannoma of the upper limb. Immediately after the operation, 41 patients (73.2%) had developed a new neurological deficit: ten of these had a major deficit such as severe motor or sensory loss, or intolerable neuropathic pain. The mean tumour size had been significantly larger in patients with a major neurological deficit than in those with a minor or no deficit. After a mean 25.4 months (12 to 85), 39 patients (70%) had no residual neurological deficit, and the other 17 (30%) had only hypoaesthesia, paraesthesiae or mild motor weakness. This study suggests that a schwannoma in the upper limb can be removed with an acceptable risk of injury to the nerve, although a transient neurological deficit occurs regularly after the operation. Biopsy is not advised. Patients should be informed pre-operatively about the possibility of damage to the nerve: meticulous dissection is required to minimise this.

The aim of the study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and safety of the combination of bortezomib and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP) as first-line therapy in advanced, aggressive T-cell lymphoma. Patients received increasing doses of bortezomib on days 1 and 8 (weekly schedule, 1.0, 1.3, and 1.6 mg/m(2)/dose) in addition to 750 mg/m(2) cyclophosphamide, 50 mg/m(2) doxorubicin, 1.4 mg/m(2) vincristine on day 1 and 100 mg/day prednisolone on days 1 to 5, every 3 weeks. Six cycles of therapy administered every 21 days were planned. Thirteen patients, who had stage III/IV chemonaive aggressive T-cell lymphoma, received a total of 55 cycles of treatment. One patient experienced hematologic dose-limiting toxicity (grade 4 neutropenia associated with febrile episode) at the 1.0 mg/m(2)/dose of bortezomib. There was no dose-limiting non-hematologic toxicity. The MTD was not reached at 1.6 mg/m(2) dose level of bortezomib. The overall complete remission rate in all patients was 61.5% (95% confidence interval = 31.6-86.1). Bortezomib can be safely combined with CHOP chemotherapy and constitutes an active regimen in advanced-stage, aggressive T-cell lymphoma patients. The recommended dose for subsequent phase II studies of bortezomib plus CHOP is 1.6 mg/m(2)/dose of bortezomib on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks as first-line treatment.

This randomised multicentre phase II study was conducted to investigate the activity and safety of two oral fluoropyrimidines, capecitabine or S-1, in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Elderly (>or=65 years) chemo-naive patients with AGC were randomly assigned to receive capecitabine 1250 mg m(-2) two times daily on days 1-14 every 3 weeks or S-1 40-60 mg two times daily according to body surface area on days 1-28 every 6 weeks. Ninety-six patients were enrolled and 91 patients were randomised to capecitabine (N=46) or S-1 (N=45). Overall response rate, the primary end point, was 27.2% (95% CI, 14.1-40.4, 12 of 44 assessable patients) with capecitabine and 28.9% (95% CI, 15.6-42.1, 13 of 45) with S-1. Median times to progression and overall survival in the capecitabine arm (4.7 and 9.5 months, respectively) were similar to those in the S-1 arm (4.2 and 8.2 months, respectively). The incidence of grade 3-4 granulocytopenia was 6.8% with capecitabine and 4.8% with S-1. Grade 3-4 nonhaematologic toxicities were: asthenia (9.1% with capecitabine vs 7.1% with S-1), anorexia (6.8 vs 9.5%), diarrhoea (2.3 vs 0%), and hand-foot syndrome (6.8 vs 0%). Both capecitabine and S-1 monotherapies were active and tolerable as first-line treatment for elderly patients with AGC.

Information on the clinical outcome of patients with diabetes with silent myocardial ischaemia is limited. We compared the clinical and angiographic characteristics, and the clinical outcomes of diabetic patients with asymptomatic or symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD).Three hundred and ten consecutive diabetic patients with CAD were divided into two groups according to the presence of angina and followed for a mean of 5 years. Fifty-six asymptomatic patients with a positive stress test and CAD on coronary angiography were compared with 254 symptomatic patients, 167 with unstable angina and 87 with chronic stable angina.Although the severity of coronary atherosclerosis was similar in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, revascularization therapy was performed less frequently in the asymptomatic than the symptomatic patients (26.8 vs. 62.0%; P0.001). Asymptomatic patients experienced a similar number of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs; death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and revascularization; 32 vs. 28%; P = 0.57), but had higher cardiac mortality than symptomatic patients (26 vs. 9%; P0.001). However, patients who underwent revascularization therapy at the time of CAD diagnosis in these two groups showed similar MACE and cardiac mortality (20.0 vs. 22.5%, 6.7 vs. 5.3%, respectively; all P0.05).This study suggests that diabetic patients with asymptomatic CAD have a higher cardiac mortality risk than those with symptomatic CAD, and that lack of revascularization therapy may be responsible for the poorer survival.

Despite all ships being built according to fire safety rules and regulations, ship fire accidents still occur. Currently, computational simulation tools are used to predict and mitigate fire propagation. However, fires have no reproducibility, and many types of flammable equipment and facilities cannot be considered in such simulations. Vague and varying simulation requirements can confuse ship designers. Time and budget limitation of design process also should be considered. Therefore, a framework for using computational fire simulations was explored in this study. The frame work started from the viewpoint ship designers with understanding of real ship design and building process.

Long-range two-dimensional superstructure in the superconducting electron-doped cuprate Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4 B. J. Campbell,1,* S. Rosenkranz,2,† H. J. Kang,3 H. T. Stokes,1 P. J. Chupas,2,4 S. Komiya,5 Y. Ando,6 Shiliang Li,7,8 and Pengcheng Dai9 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA 2Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA 4Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA 5Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Nagasaka, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 240-0196, Japan 6Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan 7Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China 8Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China 9Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA (Received 2 October 2014; revised manuscript received 17 June 2015; published 29 July 2015)

Electrical resistivity, specific heat, and magnetization measurements to temperatures as low as 80 mK and magnetic fields up to 16 T were made on the filled skutterudite compound PrOs4As12. The measurements reveal the presence of two ordered phases at temperatures below approximately 2.3 K and in fields below approximately 3 T. Neutron-scattering experiments in zero field establish an antiferromagnetic ground state 2below 1.6 K and 0 ≤H≤ 1.25 T. The temperature and magnetic-field dependence of the electrical resistivity and specific heat in the paramagnetic state are consistent with single-ion Kondo behavior with a low Kondo temperature on the order of 1 K. The electronic-specific heat in the paramagnetic state can be described by the resonance-level model with a large zero-temperature electronic-specific heat coefficient that decreases with increasing magnetic field from approximately 1 J/mol·K2at 3 T to approximately 0.2 J/mol·K2at 16 T.

The bubble stability of tubular film extrusion in metallocene linear low density polyethylene(m-LLDPE) and metallocene linear low density polyethylene/linear low density polyethylene(m-LLDPE/LLDPE) blend was investigated. Unstable bubble characteristics in m-LLDPE were found at low draw down ratio (DR) with a symmetric periodic bubble instability at low blow up ratio (BUR) and a helical instability at high blow up ratio. However, m-LLDPE showed better operation windows in tubular film extrusion than that of LLDPE, especially in bubble instability at low BUR. Both bubble instability and helical instability in LLDPE tubular film extrusion were enhanced by the blending with m-LLDPE. m-LLPE possesses higher melt elasticity as compared to m-LLDPE and LLDPE due to the long chain branching introduced by 1-octene co-monomer during polymerization. Blending resulted in broadening of molecular weight distribution (MWD) and thus increase in activation energy.

In the early stage of helicopter design, an optimal configuration is usually determined after a numerous parametric study about the aerodynamic performance due to geometric variation. In order to improve the aerodynamic performance of a shrouded tail rotor, optimization of the tip clearance gap between blade and shroud, the blade planform shape, and the arrangement of blade spacing is required. In the present study, the aerodynamic performance characteristics of a shrouded tail rotor due to geometric variation was investigated by using an inviscid compressible unstructured mesh flow solver for rotary wings.

Antioxidative potential of lyophilized citrus (Citrus unshiu) peel extract in raw and cooked meat systems was investigated. Beef pork, chicken, and salmon patties were prepared without (control), with lyophilized citrus peel extract (0.1%, NICP), and with 20 kGy-irradiated, lyophilized citrus peel extract (0.1%, ICP). TBARS value showed that the addition of lyophilized citrus peel (NICP or ICP) inhibited the development of lipid oxidation of raw and cooked meat patties during storage for 8 days at 20C (P

SUMMARY Complement receptor 1-related gene/protein y (Crry) is a potent murine complement regulator that inhibits C3 convertases. Transgenic mice that overexpress soluble Crry (sCrry), directed systemically by the metallothionein-I promoter, have been used as an animal model for chronic blockade of complement activation. Recently we have found that alternative pathway (AP) activity in Crry transgenic mice was not inhibited as much as expected. To elucidate the mechanism of this effect, we evaluated the AP activities and levels of sCrry and AP complement components in transgenic and non-transgenic mice. In transgenic mice, expression of sCrry was induced by feeding zinc sulphate solution to 70·1 ± 42·7 µg/ml mean serum level. Its corresponding level of purified sCrry inhibited 49% of AP activity of normal mice serum; however, the actual AP activities in transgenic mice were not decreased when compared to non-transgenic mice (130·2 ± 9·0%versus 113·0 ± 35·4%). Expressed sCrry was functional, as immunoprecipitation and removal of sCrry from transgenic sera with rabbit anti-Crry polyclonal antibody resulted in enhanced AP activity, consistent with initial levels of sCrry. We then compared the changes to C3, factor B, factor H and factor D serum levels in transgenic and non-transgenic mice after induction of sCrry expression. Of these only C3 was increased after zinc feeding in transgenic mice compared to non-transgenic mice (142·8 ± 14·1%versus 121·4 ± 15·1%, P = 0·023). These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of chronic exposure to sCrry is compensated by concomitant alteration in C3 levels. This result also suggests the presence of a complement regulatory protein controls the level of serum C3, which has potential importance in the design and interpretation of studies involving chronic use of complement inhibitors.

Effects of extraction conditions, gamma-irradiation and storage conditions on bioactivities of Citrus (Citrus unshiu) peel extract were investigated. The Hunter color L^*- and a^*-values of the extract increased but b^*-value decreased with an increase in absorbed irradiation dose. DPPH radical scavenging, tyrosinase inhibition and nitrite scavenging activities were not affected by irradiation but reduced by increased storage time. Nitrite scavenging activity of the extract was the highest at pH 1.2 followed by pH 4.2 and 6.0 and not changed by storage. Results indicated that there is potential for using citrus peel byproducts as a bioactive ingredient, and that gamma irradiation brightens the color of the extract without adversely altering its biological activity.

The effect of coiling temperature on precipitates and solid solution was investigated in P-free and P-added Ti-stabilized ultra low carbon steels. The volume fractions of the fine precipitates smaller than 60 nm were evaluated by using small-angle neutron scattering technique. The solute P was quantified from the lattice parameters obtained from neutron diffraction patterns. In the P-free steels, TiC and Ti4C2S2 with various sizes ranging from 5~60 nm were observed. In addition to these precipitates, FeTiP precipitates of a size exceeding 50 nm were also observed in the P-added steel. The amount of fine precipitates smaller than 10 nm and the concentration of solute P was higher in the samples coiled at low temperature. The recrystallization temperature increases if the coiling temperature decreases in both, P-free and P-added steels. The recrystallization temperature of P-free steels is lower than that of P-added steels. In the P-free steels, the pinning effect of fine precipitates played a key role for the retardation of the recrystallization. In the P-added steels, the retardation of recrystallization is due to both, the pinning effect of fine precipitates and the solute drag effect of P in solid solution.

The thermal stability and degradation mechanism of a multiply alkylated cyclopentane and perfluoropolyether is investigated as a function of aluminum oxide, exposure time and environmental conditions. It is found that the multiply alkylated cyclopentane does not catalytically react with Al2O3 since fluorine atoms and acetal units leading to Lewis acid are absent in cyclopentane molecules. However, the multiply alkylated cyclopentane is affected by temperature leading to thermal oxidation. The perfluoropolyether is strongly affected by the presence of Al2O3 leading to chain scission at both mid and end-chain. This results in faster weight loss than for the multiply alkylated cyclopentane, i.e., the thermal stability of the multiply alkylated cyclopentane is superior to that of the perfluoropolyether. Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Cancun, Mexico October 27–30, 2002

It is suggested from a previous theoretical study that an angular distribution function can be successfully used for describing the directional distribution of incident energy on the wall, instead of the field incidence assumption being used in the prediction of sound transmission loss. This study is devoted to an experimental investigation on the directionality of incidence sound field for validating the underlying assumption in the theoretical work. To this end, the directional magnitudes of incident energy on a wall in a reverberation chamber are measured by employing the sound intensimetry. The experimental results suggest that the transmission coefficient formula should be revised by introducing a proper angular distribution function as a weighting function for describing the directional energy density distribution, which replaces the conventional field incidence method. The revised formula is applied to the prediction of transmission loss for a double-leaf panel with an air cavity, in which its effectiveness is strongly supported by good agreements between measured and predicted values.

A numerical robust stability analysis for the fuzzy feedback linearisation regulator is presented using linear matrix inequalities (LMI) theory. The well known Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model is used as the nonlinear plant model. Uncertainty is assumed to be included in the model structure with known bounds. For this structured uncertainty, the closed system can be cast into a Lur'e system by a simple transformation. From the LMI stability condition for the Lur'e system, we can derive the robust stability condition for the fuzzy feedback linearisation regulator based on the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model. The effectiveness of the proposed analysis is illustrated by a computer simulation.

SummaryIntroduction Current recommendations for coagulation testing storage and thawing are based on historical studies that were performed using unbuffered 3.8% sodium citrate. We sought to measure the effects of freezing and thawing conditions 3.2% buffered sodium citrate plasma samples that have been stored in vials with either snap or sealed screw tops, frozen in −70 °C freezer or dry ice and thawed either capped or uncapped. Methods Shed blood samples were pooled and then aliquoted into four snap top and four screw tops vials. Half the vials were stored in a −70 °C freezer, and half on dry ice for at least 16 h. Afterwards, half the frozen samples were thawed in 37 °C waterbath capped, and other half were thawed capped. After thawing cycles, samples were tested for PT, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen, D-dimer, factor assays, von Willebrand factor activity, plasminogen, antithrombin, protein C and lupus anticoagulant. Results Prothrombin time, APTT, factor X, and lupus anticoagulant testing were affected by all vials, freezing and thawing conditions, whereas fibrinogen, D-dimer, von Willebrand activity or protein C were not affected by any vial, freezing or storage condition. Conclusions Storage vials, freezing and thawing condition affect coagulation testing, although these differences may not be clinically significant.

Close talk between inflammatory mediators and immunological cytokines has been discovered and reported. In this study, the role of nuclear factor of activated T cell-2 (NFAT2) in regulation of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) release was investigated. THP-1 cell and HEK293T cell were incubated and stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Firstly, binding site between HMGB1 and NFAT2 was identified by co-immunoprecipitation (IP). Box A, Box B and CT domain of HMGB1 were constructed, as well as Rel-homology-domain (RHD), pre-RHD and pro-RHD of NFAT2. THP-1 cell was harvested, cell lysate and culture medium were collected at appointed times. Binding between HMGB1 and NFAT2 was measured, HMGB1 protein level in culture medium was analyzed at the same time. Secondly, the role of NFAT2 in regulating HMGB1 release was investigated. When THP-1 cell was cultured for 24 h, HMGB1 protein level was measured at appointed times with or without siRNA to inhibit NFAT2 expression. Our data show that HMGB1 bound to NFAT2 in THP-1 cell cytoplasm. Further experiments showed that box B domain of HMGB1 could bind to pre-RHD of NFAT2. After stimulation by LPS, interaction between HMGB1 and NFAT2 was discovered decreasing gradually. However, HMGB1 protein level increased in culture medium at the same time. Furthermore, HMGB1 release could be enhanced by NFAT2 inhibition. Taken together, release of HMGB1 could be regulated by NFAT2 in human monocytes.