An example of university/industrial collaboration: Control of steel cold rolling

Much lip service is paid to the idea of Universities collaborating with industry. There are perhaps as many modes of such collaboration as there are Universities. The paper describes an experiment in University/Industrial Collaboration in which the relationship between four partners involved was unusually close and the commitment by the University exceptionally large.The project concerned the development of an integrated computer control scheme for a 5-stand steel cold rolling mill. The four parties were a user, a supplier, the University and a government ministry who underwrote the research and development costs in the first instance. The main novelty of the arrangement has been the role of the Control Group at Imperial College, whose work on control theory modelling and design has led to the possibility of practical and advanced control systems. They were firmly associated with the management of the project under a special development contract and in the end provided the project director.The project is of some technical interest since it represents a good example of the application of advanced control ideas to a working installation. The evolution of the project is described.The experience of close collaboration between firms with an industrial commitment and a University has led to some lessons being learnt which we would be well advised to note if this mode of working is to become a permanent feature of industrial life. From the academic point of view the requirement of commercial confidentiality means that there will be delays in publication of results. The question of continuity at the end of a contract of this sort can raise problems also. None of these problems is insuperable but they need to be resolved. Not all the problems of collaboration lie on the one side of the fence. The question of contractual obligations would be a difficult one for a firm dependent on a University. However, with this project we have been demonstrating with some success that it can be worthwhile for an industrialist to resolve his problems of collaboration.     

Natural methylamine osmolytes, trimethylamine N-oxide and betaine, increase tau-induced polymerization of microtubules

The natural osmolyte trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) at 200 mM increases the extent and the rate of formation of polymerized microtubule (MT) complex caused by tau. TMAO at this concentration has no effect on tubulin alone. Urea at 200 mM blocks tubulin assembly caused by tau, but this inhibition can be reversed by an equal amount of TMAO. Besides TMAO, betaine, another natural osmolyte, was found to have the same effects on MT as TMAO. On the contrary, glycerol (a carbohydrate osmolyte) and glycine (an amino acid osmolyte) do not increase tau-induced MT assembly. The mechanism by which TMAO and betaine enhance tau's effectiveness is not known, but physical studies suggest that the secondary structure of tau is not appreciably changed by 200 mM TMAO. This is the first report showing that natural osmolytes, TMAO and betaine, at a near physiological concentration are able to stimulate tau-induced tubulin assembly.     

The relationships between age, sex, and the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer disease: a meta-analysis

Cremophor EL (CR) is a solubilizing agent and a modulator of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated anticancer multidrug resistance. The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether doxorubicin (Dox) pharmacokinetics, therapeutic activity and cardiotoxicity in Swiss albino mice is modified when combined with CR treatment. CR (2.5 ml/kg, i.p) given simultaneously with Dox (20 mg/kg, i.p.) increased Dox levels in plasma, heart, liver and kidneys of healthy mice. Using an Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing mice experimental model, CR (2.5 ml/kg) improved the survival and antitumor activity of Dox. The enhanced antitumor activity of Dox was related to a significant increase in EAC tumor cellular Dox content by CR. Furthermore, CR (1 microg/ml) potentiated the in vitro cytotoxicity of Dox in cultured EAC cells. In healthy mice, Dox-induced mortality was markedly reduced by simultaneous treatment with CR. CR enhanced DOX-induced increase in plasma lactate dehydrogenase, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and CPK-MB isozyme activities, as well as the cardiac malondialdehyde level. CR also increased Dox-induced focal necrotic myocardial lesions. These findings suggest that CR increased DOX antitumor activity and cardiotoxicity as a result of enhancing its bioavailability, and decreased Dox-induced mortality in mice by a mechanism not yet defined.     

Myrtol standardized in the treatment of acute and chronic respiratory infections in children. A multicenter post-marketing surveillance study

A total of 106 children suffering from perennial rhinitis and/or asthma, and all allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP), underwent nasal provocation challenge (NPC) with DP to determine the best method of diagnosis. Posterior rhinomanometry was uninterpretable in 17 patients and gave negative results in 31. Clinical scores for sneezing and rhinorrhea were more effective but did not diagnose the disorder in 11 children. However, nine of the 11 had significant increases in eosinophil count in the late phase. Clinical scores and cytology were also useful for assessing whether NPC with allergens was positive in children. The feasibility and safety of NPC with DP are high for rhinitic and stable asthmatic patients, but mild reactions may occur during the late phase.