Activatable Nanoreporters for Real-Time Tracking of Macrophage Phenotypic States Associated with Disease Progression

Diagnosis of inflammatory diseases is characterized by identifying symptoms, biomarkers, and imaging. However, conventional techniques lack the sensitivities and specificities to detect disease early. Here, it is demonstrated that the detection of macrophage phenotypes, from inflammatory M1 to alternatively activated M2 macrophages, corresponding to the disease state can be used to predict the prognosis of various diseases. Activatable nanoreporters that can longitudinally detect the presence of the enzyme Arginase 1, a hallmark of M2 macrophages, and nitric oxide, a hallmark of M1 macrophages are engineered, in real-time. Specifically, an M2 nanoreporter enables the early imaging of the progression of breast cancer as predicted by selectively detecting M2 macrophages in tumors. The M1 nanoreporter enables real-time imaging of the subcutaneous inflammatory response that rises from a local lipopolysccharide (LPS) administration. Finally, the M1-M2 dual nanoreporter is evaluated in a muscle injury model, where an initial inflammatory response is monitored by imaging M1 macrophages at the site of inflammation, followed by a resolution phase monitored by the imaging of infiltrated M2 macrophages involved in matrix regeneration and wound healing. It is anticipated that this set of macrophage nanoreporters may be utilized for early diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring of inflammatory responses in various disease models.     

Primary non-Hodgkin''s lymphoma of the larynx in an AIDS patient

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interscalene brachial plexus block is a useful technique to provide anesthesia and analgesia for the shoulder and proximal upper extremity. The initial needle direction at the interscalene groove has been described as being "perpendicular to the skin in every plane" (1). A cross-sectional (axial) approach may offer a more easily conceptualized directed needle placement. The purpose of this study is to define the cross-sectional anatomy and idealized needle angles important to interscalene brachial plexus block. METHODS: Following IRB approval, 50 patients were studied. Cross-sectional volume coil T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) were obtained from 50 patients undergoing cervical region imaging for other reasons. At the interscalene groove, a simulated needle path to contact the ventral rami or trunks of the brachial plexus was approximated at the level of C6 or C6-C7 interspace. The angle of this needle path intersecting the sagittal plane was recorded for each patient. RESULTS: The mean angle of the simulated needle path relative to sagittal plane was determined to be 61.1 +/- 6.1 degrees (range, 50-78 degrees). In 13 of 50 (26%) MRI scans, the cervical nerve roots were not visualized at the level of C6 and were measured at the C6-C7 level. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest initial needle placement at the interscalene groove should be angled less perpendicularly relative to the sagittal plane than is often observed. A cross-sectional approach enables more practical visualization of initial needle placement. A more accurate initial needle placement may minimize the number of needle passes necessary to contact the nerve roots, thereby more efficiently obtaining a successful block.     

Application of Heuristic Approaches for Prediction of Hydrological Drought Using Multi-scalar Streamflow Drought Index

Water Resources Management - Quantification and prediction of drought events are important for planning and management of water resources in coping with climate change scenarios at global and local...     

Design of Programmer’s Skill Evaluation Metrics for Effective Team Selection

Wireless Personal Communications - Software projects are now developed in critical environments with hard restrictions and contesting limitations. For developing a product under deadline, cost, and...     

High resolution target localization using rotating linear array radar

In this paper, an algorithm is proposed for detection and joint estimation of parameters of multiple targets using rotating antenna array. This paper is sequel to our previous work addressing a two element antenna array only. Joint estimation of number of targets, the targets’ range, Doppler and their directions of arrivals is carried while the effects of antenna rotation are compensated for a multi element linear array. The effectiveness of the algorithm is verified by the simulation results carried out for an eight element array. The proposed algorithm is able to resolve targets with same range and Doppler. The computations of the proposed algorithm are calculated and comparison is also given with other algorithms.

     

Comparison of EEG signal decomposition methods in classification of motor-imagery BCI

A brain–computer interface (BCI) provides a link between the human brain and a computer. The task of discriminating four classes (left and right hands and feet) of motor imagery movements of a simple limb-based BCI is still challenging because most imaginary movements in the motor cortex have close spatial representations. We aimed to classify binary limb movements, rather than the direction of movement within one limb. We also investigated joint time-frequency methods to improve classification accuracies. Neither of these, to our knowledge, has been investigated previously in BCI. We recorded EEG data from eleven participants, and demonstrated the classification of four classes of simple-limb motor imagery with an accuracy of 91.46% using intrinsic time-scale decomposition and 88.99% using empirical mode decomposition. In binary classifications, we achieved average accuracies of 89.90% when classifying imaginary movements of left hand versus right hand, 93.1% for left hand versus right foot, 94.00% for left hand versus left foot, 83.82% for left foot versus right foot, 97.62% for right hand versus left foot, and 95.11% for right hand versus right foot. The results show that the binary classification performance is slightly better than that of four-class classification. Our results also show that there is no significant difference in terms of spatial distribution between left and right foot motor imagery movements. There is also no difference in classification performances involving left or right foot movement. This work demonstrates that binary and four-class movements of the left and right feet and hands can be classified using recorded EEG signals of the motor cortex, and an intrinsic time-scale decomposition (ITD) feature extraction method can be used for real time brain computer interface.

     

Numerical investigation on 2D viscoelastic fluid due to exponentially stretching surface with magnetic effects: an application of non-Fourier flux theory

Two-dimensional flow of Casson fluid toward an exponentially stretched surface in view of Cattaneo–Christove flux theory is discoursed in current communication. Flow pattern within boundary layer under the effectiveness of magnetic field is also contemplated in the communication. Non-dimensionalized governing expressions are attained through transformation procedure. To anticipate the fascinating features of present work, solution of resulted nonlinear differential system is computed with the collaborated help of shooting scheme and Runge–Kutta method. The influence of involved variables on velocity and temperature fields is scrutinized. Contribution of thermal relaxation is explicitly pointed out. Evaluation of convective heat transfer and friction factor in the fluid flow is visualized through graphs and tables. Additionally, the assurance of present work is affirmed by developing comparison with previous findings in the literature which sets a trade mark for the implementation of numerical approach. It is inferred from the thorough examination of the analysis that present formulation reduces to classical Fourier’s problem by considering \(\varLambda = 0\). Furthermore, decreasing pattern in temperature distribution is depicted in the presence of Cattaneo–Christove flux law as compared to heat transfer due to the Fourier’s law.

     

Immunoregulation of Macrophages by Controlling Winding and Unwinding of Nanohelical Ligands

Developing materials with the capability of changing their innate features can help to unravel direct interactions between cells and ligand-displaying features. This study demonstrates the grafting of magnetic nanohelices displaying cell-adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) ligand partly to a material surface. These enable nanoscale control of rapid winding (“W”) and unwinding (“UW”) of their nongrafted portion, such as directional changes in nanohelix unwinding (lower, middle, and upper directions) by changing the position of a permanent magnet while keeping the ligand-conjugated nanohelix surface area constant. The unwinding (“UW”) setting cytocompatibility facilitates direct integrin recruitment onto the ligand-conjugated nanohelix to mediate the development of paxillin adhesion assemblies of macrophages that stimulate M2 polarization using glass and silicon substrates for in vitro and in vivo settings, respectively, at a single cell level. Real time and in vivo imaging are demonstrated that nanohelices exhibit reversible unwinding, winding, and unwinding settings, which modulate time-resolved adhesion and polarization of macrophages. It is envisaged that this remote, reversible, and cytocompatible control can help to elucidate molecular-level cell–material interactions that modulate regenerative/anti-inflammatory immune responses to implants.     

Multiple RGB images encryption algorithm based on elliptic curve,improved Diffie Hellman protocol

Multimedia Tools and Applications - For the asymmetric key, the Diffie Hellman Key (DHK) protocol is very efficient, but sometimes it is vulnerable against brute force attacks if the parameters are...     

A steady'state capillary cell method for measuring gas-liquid diffusion coefficients

A simple method for measuring diffusion coefficients of gases in liquids using capillary cells has been shown to give accurate results for the diffusivities of carbon dioxide in water, methane in carbon tetrachloride, and carbon dioxide in ethanol when compared with reported values. Diffusivities were also measured at 30°C. for ethane in n-hexane and ethane in n-heptane, and at 40°C. for ethane in n-heptane. The steady-state capillary cell technique appears to be capable of giving reliable diffusivities for a large number of gas-liquid systems.