The interface between designer and maintainer

The usual aim of computer-aided design is to bridge the interface between design and production. However, an interface also exists between design and maintenance. The author of this paper introduces some concepts, which are currently being considered, for improving design for maintainability with manual design processes and indicates their potential development for use with c-a.d. systems.     

Apollo over the Ganges an Agro-Industrial Complex for Increasing Food Production in India

The geological origin of the vast alluvial Ganges plain is sketched as the filled-in foredeep of the Himalayan mountains. The prevalence offamine conditions there, in spite of the excellent soil and year-round growing season and good ground water supply, is noted. Prof. Stout's diagnosis in terms of the need for energy from external nonagricultural sources is set forth. An example employing a 1000 Mwe power plant and grid for irgation pumping and nitrogen fixation, together with an improved strain of wheat from Mexico, is presented and some rough cost and benefit estimates are made. It appears that this single project, providing one additional crop each year on a tenth of the cultivated land, could lift the entire 200 million people of the Ganges Valley from semistarvation to a healthful diet level     

Coating of TiO2 nanoparticles with PbS thin films and preparation of PbS nanoparticles using a one-pot sonochemical reaction under the multibubble sonoluminescence conditions

Preparations of PbS-coated titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and lead sulfide (PbS) nanoparticles under ultrasonic field at the multibubble sonoluminescence (MBSL) conditions were tested in water solutions. Under the optimal MBSL conditions (20 kHz and 220 W power input), PbS nanoparticles (diameter = 40-50 nm) were prepared by treating lead nitrate and thioacetamide for 20 min in water solutions. The size of PbS nanoparticles was found to be easily increased to about 90 nm in diameter by increasing the reactant concentration twice. A similar sonochemical reaction with TiO₂ nanoparticles (about 20-30 nm in diameter) gave rise to PbS-coated TiO₂ nanoparticles with a core/shell structure. The PbS thin film coating was quite uniform and the average coating depth of PbS on the TiO₂ nanoparticles was about 2-3 nm under the described conditions. It is interesting to note that the coating depth was found to be controlled to 2-10 nm range by increasing the amounts of reactants for Pb and S twice with a sonication time of 30 min.     

Effect of surface structure on biomechanical properties and osseointegration

The purpose of this study is to improve the bone-bonding ability between titanium implants and living bone through the control of geometric design and chemical compositions of an implant surface. We compared the tissue healing response and resulting implant stability for three surface designs by characterizing the histological and mechanical properties of the healing tissue around smooth-surfaced Ti–6Al–4V (SS), CP-Ti plasma-spray-coated (PSC), alkali- and heat-treated (AHT) implants. The implants were transversely inserted into a dog thighbone and evaluated at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Histological examination indicated that initial matrix mineralization leading to osseointegration occurred more rapidly with the AHT implant. During the 4, 8, and 12 week healing periods, new bone on the surface of AHT implant showed denser growth than that on the SS and PSC implants. The more extensive tissue integration and more rapid matrix mineralization with the AHT implant were reflected in the mechanical test data, which demonstrated superior attachment strength and interfacial stiffness for the AHT implant after healing for 4, 8 and 12 weeks of healing because of the mechanical interlocking in the micrometer sized rough surface and the large bonding area between bone and implant caused by the nanosized porous surface structure. Histological and mechanical data demonstrate that with the appropriate surface design selection, bone bone-bonding ability can be improved and can induce acceleration of the healing response, thereby improving the potential for implant osseointegration.     

Genipin,an Inhibitor of UCP2 as a Promising New Anticancer Agent: A Review of the Literature

Genipin is a protein cross-linking agent extracted from Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) fruits. This fruit has conventionally been used as a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammation and jaundice and as an edible colorant in oriental countries. Uncoupling protein (UCP)-2 is a member of the family of uncoupling proteins, which are anion transporters positioned in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Genipin has been shown to have hepatoprotective activity, acting as an effective antioxidant and inhibitor of mitochondrial UCP2, and is also reported to exert significant anticancer effects. In this review, the author presents the latest progress of genipin as an anticancer agent and concisely describes its various mechanisms of action. In brief, genipin inhibits UCP2 to attenuate generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to ROS/c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent apoptosis of cancer cells. Genipin also increases the tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases (MMP)-2, a kind of tumor promoter in a variety of cancers, as well as induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in in vitro and in vivo models. These findings suggest that genipin can serve as a promising novel antitumor agent that could be applicable for chemotherapy and/or chemoprevention for cancers.     

The P2X4 Receptor: Cellular and Molecular Characteristics of a Promising Neuroinflammatory Target

The adenosine 5′-triphosphate-gated P2X4 receptor channel is a promising target in neuroinflammatory disorders, but the ability to effectively target these receptors in models of neuroinflammation has presented a constant challenge. As such, the exact role of P2X4 receptors and their cell signalling mechanisms in human physiology and pathophysiology still requires further elucidation. To this end, research into the molecular mechanisms of P2X4 receptor activation, modulation, and inhibition has continued to gain momentum in an attempt to further describe the role of P2X4 receptors in neuroinflammation and other disease settings. Here we provide an overview of the current understanding of the P2X4 receptor, including its expression and function in cells involved in neuroinflammatory signalling. We discuss the pharmacology of P2X4 receptors and provide an overview of P2X4-targeting molecules, including agonists, positive allosteric modulators, and antagonists. Finally, we discuss the use of P2X4 receptor modulators and antagonists in models of neuroinflammatory cell signalling and disease.