Tolerance of volunteers to cyclosporine A-dilauroylphosphatidylcholine liposome aerosol

Cyclosporine A (CsA) in liposomes of dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC), containing 118 micrograms of CsA/L of aerosol with a particle size of 1.6 to 1.7 micron diameter, was inhaled by 10 nonsmoking, normal volunteers each for 45 min. Aerosol was administered through an Aerotech II nebulizer (CIS-US, Inc., Bedford, MA) mouthpiece. Eight of the 10 volunteers had tracheal irritation and intermittent coughing following exposure. FEV1 and FVC values were mildly reduced, but returned to normal in 1 h. Blood chemical and hematologic values were unchanged at any time point after as opposed to before inhalation. Nine of the 10 volunteers later inhaled DLPC only, administered through the nebulizer mouthpiece. There was no change in FEV1 or FVC values, and there was no coughing or tracheal irritation. Subsequently, five of the volunteers who had previously had respiratory reactions inhaled CsA-DLPC liposome aerosol for 45-min, but through a mouth-only face mask. There was no tracheal irritation, coughing, or changes in spirometric measures. Blood concentrations of CsA at 15 min after the 45-min inhalation with a face mask averaged 83 +/- 42 ng/ml (mean +/- SD). At 24 h after treatment, CsA was undetectable in blood of the initial 10 volunteers. These studies indicate that CsA-DLPC liposome aerosol can be safely explored as a treatment for patients with moderately severe asthma.     

Effects of molecular weight and molecular structure of low profile additives on the properties of bulk molding compound (BMC)

The effects of molecular weight and molecular structure of styrene(St)‐based and vinyl acetate(VAc)‐based low‐profile additive (LPA) on the curing kinetics and compatibility of unsaturated polyester (UP)/LPA system and linear shrinkage, water absorption rate, surface gloss and pigmentability of bulk molding compound (BMC) were investigated. Results show that the curing reaction rate decreases with an increase of the molecular weight of LPA due to the chain entanglement effect. The plasticizing effect of LPA on the (UP) network was reduced with an increase of the molecular weight of LPA. Water absorption of BMC increases as the molecular weight of LPA increases, implying that more microvoids were formed inside the BMC, resulting a lower linear shrinkage rate, and worse pigmentability. However, good shrinkage control LPA does not necessarily lead to a smoother surface and better surface gloss. Furthermore, modified LPAs possess better compatibility with UP, the final curing conversion of UP is elevated, and both better shrinkage control and surface properties are also observed.     

Reducing drilling-induced delamination in composite tube by magnetic colloid back-up

Drilling is an indispensible machining process for building a load-carrying structure of composite materials. Delamination defect is often produced at the exit of drilling, which threatens the service safety of the structure. There are back-up methods to reduce delamination when drilling the open flat-plate composite structure, but none for drilling into the curved-surface or hollow-shape structures. This study describes an innovative method using electromagnet and the deformable inexpensive colloid mixed with iron powder to produce magnetic back-up force at drilling exit to suppress delamination in industrial tube parts. The delamination extent can be reduced by 60–80%. The optimal volume ratio of powder-to-colloid is found 1:3.     

Live animal performance, carcass traits, and meat palatability of calf- and yearling-fed cloned steers

Two groups of Brangus steers produced by nuclear transplantation cloning were used in parallel studies investigating the impact of calf- and yearling-feeding. The first group (n = 8) were fed as calves (CF; n = 4) or yearlings (YF; n = 4) to a constant age end point of 16 mo. The second group (n = 10) were fed as calves (CF; n = 5) or yearlings (YF; n = 5) to a constant live weight end point (530 kg). When slaughtered at the same age, CF and YF steers did not differ (P > .05) in feedlot ADG, but the CF steers were heavier and had higher dressing percentages, numeric yield grades, and quality grades (P < .05). Top loin steaks from the groups of steers did not differ (P > .05) in palatability traits. When fed to a constant live weight, the YF steers gained more rapidly (P < .05) and had lower (P < .05) numeric yield grades than did CF steers. Again CF steers had higher (P < .05) dressing percentages. There was no difference (P > .05) between the treatments in carcass quality grade or meat palatability characteristics. Thus, when finished to a constant weight end point, YF steers gained more rapidly, with no adverse effects on carcass quality grade or palatability traits; however, CF steers consistently produced higher dressing percentages, largely due to greater external fatness.     

Identification of a gene that causes primary open angle glaucoma

Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness and is characterized by progressive degeneration of the optic nerve and is usually associated with elevated intraocular pressure. Analyses of sequence tagged site (STS) content and haplotype sharing between families affected with chromosome 1q-linked open angle glaucoma (GLC1A) were used to prioritize candidate genes for mutation screening. A gene encoding a trabecular meshwork protein (TIGR) mapped to the narrowest disease interval by STS content and radiation hybrid mapping. Thirteen glaucoma patients were found to have one of three mutations in this gene (3.9 percent of the population studied). One of these mutations was also found in a control individual (0.2 percent). Identification of these mutations will aid in early diagnosis, which is essential for optimal application of existing therapies.     

Low-power clock-deskew buffer for high-speed digital circuits

An IC containing four clock deskew buffers using the delay-locked-loop technology has been fabricated in a 0.6 μm single poly double metal CMOS process. The core chip area is 0.9×0.9 mm ². The maximum operating frequency is 80 MHz, and the total power dissipation of the four deskew buffers is 59 mW for a 3 V supply voltage. The maximum clock skew after deskewing is less than 300 ps, and the peak-to-peak clock jitter is less than 170 ps. The deskew range is 0.5-3.8 ns     

Evaluation of turbo and hydro‐generator torques due to electromechanical interaction

Abstract

The computer prediction of turbogenerator behaviour following fault or disturbance conditions has become an important feature in the assessment of machine system design, pre‐commissioning test appraisals, system operational procedures, machine monitoring strategy and post‐event damage diagnoses. In this paper computer methods are described to assess the comparative severity of various electrical faults and disturbances, the effect of specific operational practices together with the prediction of peak torsional transient behaviour. This paper is supported by realistic examples simulating the transient behaviour of a number of generational units.     

A study on the magneto-assisted spiral polishing on the inner wall of the bore with magnetic hot melt adhesive particles (MHMA particles)

The spiral polishing mechanism employed a fast turning screw rod to drive the abrasive for workpiece surface polishing. In this study, the powerful ring magnet installed around the workpiece would attract the self-developed magnetic hot melt adhesive particles (MHMA particles) during the process of polishing, driving the SiC particles against the workpiece, the inner wall of the bore. At the same time, the flexibility of MHMA particles helped improve the surface quality of the bore by preventing the SiC particles from heavily scratching it. The effects of magnetic flux density, size and concentration of SiC particles, concentration of MHMA particles, viscosity of silicone oil, revolution speed of the spindle as well as machining time and machining gap on operation temperature, slurry viscosity, surface roughness, and material removal were discussed and the best parameter combination was identified based on the results of the experiment. The effects of each machining parameter on the finished surface topography of the workpiece were also examined. Both analysis of variance and F-test indicated that magnetic flux density and the concentration of MHMA particles were the two most important variables affecting the surface roughness. In other words, magnetic force helped improve spiral polishing. Furthermore, the results showed that adding new MHMA particles to the slurry greatly improved the surface quality, at a rate of 90 %, and reduced the workpiece surface roughness from 0.9 μm down to 0.094 μm.     

Effect of nano-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> addition on the microstructure and bonding strengths of Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu composite solder BGA packages with immersion Sn surface finish

The effects of nano-TiO₂ particles on the interfacial microstructures and bonding strength of Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu composite solder joints in ball grid array packages with immersion Sn surface finishes have been investigated. Metallography reveals that addition of nano-TiO₂ particle retarded wicker-Cu₆Sn₅ IMC formed in the Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu composite solder joints. The thickness of the interfacial intermetallic compounds of the solder joint was reduced with increased additions of nano-TiO₂ particles (0.25–1.0 wt%), but further additions up to 1.25 wt% decreased the beneficial influence. This indicates that the presence of a small amount of nano-TiO₂ particles is effective in suppressing the growth of the intermetallic compounds layer. In addition, the shear strength of the soldered joints was improved by larger nano-TiO₂ particle additions, with the peak shear strength occurring at 1.0 wt% of nano-TiO₂ particles into the Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu solder. The fracture mode also changed with increased amounts of nano-TiO₂ particles.     

Involvement of intracellular calcium in morphine tolerance in mice

We attempted to mimic in small upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) bioreactors the metabolic association found in nature between methanogens and methanotrophs. UASB bioreactors were inoculated with pure cultures of methanotrophs, and the bioreactors were operated by using continuous low-level oxygenation in order to favor growth and/or survival of methanotrophs. Unlike the reactors in other similar studies, the hybrid anaerobic-aerobic bioreactors which we used were operated synchronously, not sequentially. Here, emphasis was placed on monitoring various methanotrophic populations by using classical methods and also a PCR amplification assay based on the mmoX gene fragment of the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO). The following results were obtained: (i) under the conditions used, Methylosinus sporium appeared to survive better than Methylosinus trichosporium; (ii) the PCR method which we used could detect as few as about 2,000 sMMO gene-containing methanotrophs per g (wet weight) of granular sludge; (iii) inoculation of the bioreactors with pure cultures of methanotrophs contributed greatly to increases in the sMMO-containing population (although the sMMO-containing population decreased gradually with time, at the end of an experiment it was always at least 2 logs larger than the initial population before inoculation); (iv) in general, there was a good correlation between populations with the sMMO gene and populations that exhibited sMMO activity; and (v) inoculation with sMMO-positive cultures helped increase significantly the proportion of sMMO-positive methanotrophs in reactors, even after several weeks of operation under various regimes. At some point, anaerobic-aerobic bioreactors like those described here might be used for biodegradation of various chlorinated pollutants.