Pleiotropic,Unique and Shared Responses Elicited by IL-6 Family Cytokines in Human Vascular Endothelial Cells

Vascular endothelial cells express glycoprotein 130 (gp130), which is utilized as a signaling receptor by cytokines in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family. Several IL-6 family cytokines can be found in the circulatory system during physiological or pathological conditions, and may influence endothelial function and response. This study evaluated and compared the cellular and molecular responses induced by IL-6 family cytokines in human endothelial cells. A proteomic analysis showed that IL-6 family cytokines induce the release of a range of proteins from endothelial cells, such as C-C motif chemokine ligand 23, hepatocyte growth factor, and IL-6. Pathway analysis indicated that gp130-signaling in endothelial cells regulates several functions related to angiogenesis and immune cell recruitment. The present investigation also disclosed differences and similarities between different IL-6 family cytokines in their ability to induce protein release and regulate gene expression and intracellular signaling, in regards to which oncostatin M showed the most pronounced effect. Further, this study showed that soluble gp130 preferentially blocks trans-signaling-induced responses, but does not affect responses induced by classic signaling. In conclusion, IL-6 family cytokines induce both specific and overlapping molecular responses in endothelial cells, and regulate genes and proteins involved in angiogenesis and immune cell recruitment.     

Folate content in frozen vegetarian ready meals and folate retention after different reheating methods

Folate content and retention were evaluated in 10 different precooked vegetarian ready meals before and after reheating. Folate was quantified using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method. The only form of folate found was 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Folate content in thawed ready meals varied from 23 to 81 μg/portion (400 g) on fresh weight basis. Products served with couscous and potatoes contained more folate than products served with rice. Folate retention during reheating was investigated in the microwave oven (900 W/5.5 min), in a saucepan on stove until the food reached 85 °C, and in oven (225 °C/40 min). The true vitamin retention varied for the three investigated portions as follows: on stove (63-93%), microwaving (55-89%) and in oven (50-92%). Our results indicate that folate content in the ready meals prior to reheating, contributed to 6-27% of the recommended intake (300 or 400 μg folate per day). After reheating folate content was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in some meals but were kept constant in others and folate content was reduced to 3-25% of the recommended value. No clear pattern in folate retention between different heating methods was seen. However, the meals with ingredients suggesting high concentrations of antioxidants were less prone to loose folate when heated since the antioxidants probably protected the folates.     

Non-nominal path planning for robust robotic assembly

In manufacturing and assembly processes it is important, in terms of time and money, to verify the feasibility of the operations at the design stage and at early production planning. To achieve that, verification in a virtual environment is often performed by using methods such as path planning and simulation of dimensional variation. Lately, these areas have gained interest both in industry and academia, however, they are almost always treated as separate activities, leading to unnecessary tight tolerances and on-line adjustments.     

Retention of folates in cooked,stored and reheated peas,broccoli and potatoes for use in modern large-scale service systems

This study aimed to evaluate retention of folate in vegetables caused by different processes used in modern large-scale service systems and the food industry. The concentration of folates present in raw samples of peas, broccoli and potatoes was measured during different cooking methods, warm and cold holding and reheating. The main folate forms in vegetables, tetrahydrofolates and 5-methyltetrahydrofolates, were analysed using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.     

Recovery of nitrosamines from water

A method was devised for the recovery of dialkylnitrosamines in the parts/10⁹ level. The procedure involved the addition of K₂CO₃ to water samples and concentration of the nitroso compounds on Amberlite XAD-2 resin. The recoveries of dimethyl- and diethylnitrosamines were greater than 90%     

Solid-phase extraction for HPLC analysis of dietary folates

Phenyl and cyclohexyl bonded silicas used for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of dietary folates were studied and compared in terms of their retention capacities and recoveries. The SPE procedure was optimised to achieve the maximum recovery. The stabilities of folates in elution buffers and during the SPE procedure were also studied. The use of ascorbic acid throughout the SPE procedure was found to be important for the stabilisation of tetrahydrofolate – the most labile folate compound, whereas the use of both ascorbic acid and 2-mercaptoethanol was necessary to stabilise tetrahydrofolate during the storage of the eluates in the autosampler until analysis. Two purification methods, using phenyl endcapped (PH EC) cartridges or the combination of strong anion-exchange (SAX) and PH EC cartridges, were applied to the determination of folates in different food extracts, and verified by correlation with the usual purification method that uses SAX cartridges. The combination of SAX and PH EC cartridges was found to give the cleanest extracts.     

Developing a selective assembly technique for sheet metal assemblies

Applying the concept of Digital Twin in production processes supports the manufacturing of products of optimal geometry quality. This concept can be further supported by a strategy of finding the optimal combination of individual parts to maximise the geometrical quality of the final product, known as selective assembly technique. However, application of this technique has been limited to assemblies where the final dimensions are just function of the mating parts' dimensions and this is not applicable in sheet metal assemblies. This paper develops a selective assembly technique for sheet metal assemblies and investigates the effect of batch size on the improvements. The presented method utilises a variation simulation tool (Computer-Aided Tolerancing tool) and an optimisation algorithm to find the optimal combination of the mating parts. The approach presented is applied to three industrial cases of sheet metal assemblies. The results show that using this technique leads to a considerable reduction of the final geometrical variation and mean deviation for these kinds of assemblies. Moreover, increasing the batch size reduces the amount of achievable improvement in variation but increases the amount of achievable improvement in the mean deviation.