IL-6 in the Ecosystem of Head and Neck Cancer: Possible Therapeutic Perspectives

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a highly potent cytokine involved in multiple biological processes. It was previously reported to play a distinct role in inflammation, autoimmune and psychiatric disorders, ageing and various types of cancer. Furthermore, it is understood that IL-6 and its signaling pathways are substantial players in orchestrating the cancer microenvironment. Thus, they appear to be potential targets in anti-tumor therapy. The aim of this article is to elucidate the role of IL-6 in the tumor ecosystem and to review the possible therapeutic approaches in head and neck cancer.     

Cultivar differences of total anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in red and purple-fleshed potatoes and their relation to antioxidant activity

Total anthocyanins (TAC) and individual anthocyanidins (AN) after hydrolysis were measured in 15 red and purple-fleshed potato cultivars produced in five different locations in the Czech Republic and a new cultivar Blaue St. Galler from Switzerland. It was found that TAC, expressed as cyanidin content, varied between 0.7 mg 100 g⁻¹ FW (cv. Blue Congo) and 74.3 mg 100 g⁻¹ FW (cv. Blaue Ludiano). Major differences in cultivars were found for AN relative abundance. For cv. Highland Burgundy Red a high proportion of pelargonidin (98.7%) was characteristic, whereas cv. British Columbia Blue contained almost exclusively cyanidin. Cultivars Violette and Vitelotte showed a relatively high content of malvidin. Cultivar Shetland Black differed from others with its higher content of peonidin (on average 36.7%). High petunidin abundance in the cultivars Valfi, Blue Congo, Salad Blue, Blaue St. Galler, Blaue Hindel Bank, Blaue Ludiano, Blaue Schweden, Farbe Kartoffel and Salad Red was found. TAC and AN contents highly corresponded with antioxidant activity (AA) determined with the ABTS, FRAP and DPPH assays in vitro. High AA was shown by the cultivars Vitelotte, Violette, Blaue Ludiano, Hafija, and Highland Burgundy Red. Increased height above sea level, higher annual sum of precipitation, and lower annual average temperatures caused higher AA and TAC. A high degree of hydroxylation and/or methoxylation of individual anthocyanidins could contribute in conjunction with other phenolics to high AA (peonidin, delphinidin and malvidin in the cultivars Blue Congo, Highland Burgundy Red and Shetland Black). Consequently, new red and purple-fleshed cultivars with high TAC and highly methoxylated and/or hydroxylated AN could be a promising source of favourable antioxidants in human nutrition.     

3,5-Dinitrosalicylic acid-assisted synthesis of self-assembled polyaniline nanorods

Self-assembled polyaniline nanorods were synthesized by the oxidation of aniline with ammonium peroxydisulfate in an aqueous solution in the presence of 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid, using the template-free falling-pH method. The effects of the mole ratio of 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid to aniline, i.e., of starting pH, monomer concentration, and reaction time on the yield of polymerization, molecular-weight distribution, molecular structure, morphology, and conductivity of the prepared polyanilines have been studied by gel-permeation chromatography, elemental analysis, FTIR and Raman spectroscopies, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, and conductivity measurements. The weight-average molecular weights and polydispersity index were in the range 36,400-54,900 and 3.7-7.6, respectively. Synthesized polyaniline nanorods have a diameter of 25-280 nm and a length of 0.2-1.3 μm, and conductivities in the range (1.2-4.6) × 10⁻² S cm⁻¹. The formation mechanism of self-assembled polyaniline nanorods has been discussed.     

Gender differences in implicit and explicit processing of emotional facial expressions as revealed by event-related theta synchronization.

Emotion information processing may occur in 2 modes that are differently represented in conscious awareness. Fast online processing involves coarse-grained analysis of salient features and is not represented in conscious awareness; offline processing takes hundreds of milliseconds to generate fine-grained analysis and is represented in conscious awareness. These processing modes may be studied using event-related electroencephalogram theta synchronization as a marker of emotion processing. Two experiments were conducted that differed on the mode of emotional information presentation. In the explicit mode, subjects were explicitly instructed to evaluate the emotional content of presented stimuli; in the implicit mode, their attention was directed to other features of the stimulus. In the implicit mode, theta synchronization was most pronounced in the early processing stage, whereas in the explicit mode, it was more pronounced in the late processing stage. The early processing stage was more pronounced in men, whereas the late processing stage was more pronounced in women. Implications of these gender differences in emotion processing for well-documented differences in social behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimization of Root Section for Ultra-long Steam Turbine Rotor Blade

This study presents the comparison of aerodynamic performances of two successive designs of the root profiles for the ultra-long rotor blade equipped with a straight fir-tree dovetail. Since aerodynamic and strength requirements laid upon the root section design are contradictory, it is necessary to aerodynamically optimize the design within the limits given by the foremost strength requirements. The most limiting criterion of the static strength is the size of the blade cross-section, which is determined by the number of blades in a rotor and also by the shape and size of a blade dovetail. The aerodynamic design requires mainly the zero incidence angle at the inlet of a profile and in the ideal case ensures that the load does not exceed a limit load condition. Moreover, the typical root profile cascades are transonic with supersonic exit Mach number, therefore, the shape of a suction side and a trailing edge has to respect transonic expansion of a working gas. In this paper, the two variants of root section profile cascades are compared and the aerodynamic qualities of both variants are verified using CFD simulation and two mutually independent experimental methods of measurements (optical and pneumatic).     

Topology optimization in Bernoulli free boundary problems

In this work we consider the topology optimization of systems governed by the external Bernoulli free boundary problem arising, for example, from the mathematical modelling of electro-chemical machining. In this work we combine, for the first time, the so-called pseudo-solid approach to the solution of governing free boundary problems and the level set method, which is used to define the design domain. Previous studies of the problem showed a tendency towards topological changes in the design, which can now automatically take place thanks to level set parametrization. The scalar function used in the level set method is parametrized using radial basis functions, converting the problem into a parametric optimization problem, which is solved using a gradient-based method.     

Spatial and temporal variation of turbulence characteristics in combined sewer flow

Flow unsteadiness is a typical feature of both combined and storm sewer flow. The following study therefore deals with both theoretical and experimental investigations of the steady uniform and transient turbulent open-channel flows in a circular conduit with smooth walls as well as over rough sediment deposits. The aim of the study is to define the relationship between flow unsteadiness and selected flow/turbulence characteristics estimated in a circular tube running partially full using the ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP) method. The temporal/spatial turbulence intensities and the Reynolds stress distribution were identified in the mid-vertical of the pipe. Generally, the absolute values of turbulent characteristics are larger in the rising branch of the hydrograph than in the descending one for the same flow depths. This difference in absolute values is related to the flow equilibrium parameter. Furthermore, the influence of the sediment bed on selected flow/turbulence variables was studied. The results show a strong impact of cross-section geometry on local values of friction velocity, i.e. bottom shear stress, along the wetted perimeter of the channel cross-section. Interestingly, their relative values decreased along with an increase in flow depth.     

Desorption and ionization mechanisms in desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization

The factors influencing desorption and ionization in newly developed desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization-mass spectrometry (DAPPI-MS) were studied. Redirecting the DAPPI spray was observed to further improve the versatility of the technique: for dilute samples, parallel spray with increased analyte signal was found to be the best suited, while for more concentrated samples, the orthogonal spray with less risk for contamination is recommended. The suitability of various spray solvents and sampling surface materials was tested for a variety of analytes with different polarities and molecular weights. As in atmospheric pressure photoionization, the analytes formed [M + H](+), [M - H](-), M(+*), M(-*), [M - H + O](-), or [M - 2H + 2O](-) ions depending on the analyte, spray solvent, and ionization mode. In positive ion mode, anisole and toluene as spray solvents promoted the formation of M(+*) ions and were therefore best suited for the analysis of nonpolar compounds (anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, and tetracyclone). Acetone and hexane were optimal spray solvents for polar compounds (MDMA, testosterone, and verapamil) since they produced intensive [M + H](+) ion peaks of the analytes. In negative ion mode, the type of spray solvent affected the signal intensity, but not the ion composition. M(-*) ions were formed from 1,4-dinitrobenzene, and [M - H + O](-) and [M - 2H + 2O](-) ions from 1,4-naphthoquinone, whereas acidic compounds (naphthoic acid and paracetamol) formed [M - H](-) ions. The tested sampling surfaces included various materials with different thermal conductivities. The materials with low thermal conductivity, i.e., polymers like poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (Teflon) were found to be the best, since they enable localized heating of the sampling surface, which was found to be essential for efficient analyte desorption. Nevertheless, the sampling surface material did not affect the ionization mechanisms.     

Epoxy/poly(ɛ‐caprolactone) nanocomposites: Effect of transformations of structure on crystallization

The influence of morphology of the epoxy/poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) system and corresponding nanocomposites with organophilized layered silicate on PCL crystallization was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. The results obtained indicate a significant affecting of nonisothermal PCL crystallization by phase morphology brought about by the reaction‐induced phase separation (RIPS) influenced either by various nanoclay contents or the epoxy/PCL ratio. Dispersed morphology of PCL matrix with epoxy globules induces crystallization at higher temperatures. The inverse dispersed morphology of epoxy matrix with PCL inclusions causes crystallization at lower temperature. The co‐continuous morphology induces crystallization in both steps. Rate of the second crystallization step is substantially higher than that in the first step. No nucleation effect has been found in the nanocomposites with the added nanofiller. Multicomponent samples show retarded crystallization, i.e., lower crystallinities and lower overall crystallization rate compared with neat PCL. The results obtained suggest that it is primarily morphological/interfacial effects that play a decisive role in the crystallization behavior of PCL in the epoxy/PCL/clay system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3197–3204, 2013     

ALIPHATIC C-H BOND RESPONSES IN THE 900-700 cm−1 REGION OF THE FTIR SPECTRA OF COAL TARS

ABSTRACT

Four bituminous coals were comprehensively separated by column chromatography into a number of fractions. Four aromatic hydrocarbon fractions of each tar were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, and the 900-700 cm^?1 spectral region was evaluated. This spectral region was found to be composed of at least 14 separate bands, which were resolved by using self-deconvolution and curve-fitting procedures. The bands near 821 cm^?1, 791 cm^?1, and 784 cm^?1 were proposed to originate from rocking vibrations of aliphatic C-H bonds. For the tar samples with a proton aromaticity between 0.21 and 0.37, these bands account for on average 12% of the total integral intensity of the 900-700 cm^?1 region. This percentage cannot likely be neglected in a correct quantitative evaluation of the region and calculation of the aromatic hydrogen concentration. However, a correct resolution of the bands can be very difficult in the FTIR spectra of a complex material, such as coal.