Extracellular Vesicles and Asthma—More Than Just a Co-Existence

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous structures, which are secreted by almost every cell type analyzed so far. In addition to their importance for cell-cell communication under physiological conditions, EVs are also released during pathogenesis and mechanistically contribute to this process. Here we summarize their functional relevance in asthma, one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases. Asthma is a complex persistent inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by reversible airflow obstruction and, from a long-term perspective, airway remodeling. Overall, mechanistic studies summarized here indicate the importance of different subtypes of EVs and their variable cargoes in the functioning of the pathways underlying asthma, and show some interesting potential for the development of future therapeutic interventions. Association studies in turn demonstrate a good diagnostic potential of EVs in asthma.     

Boosting the activity of FeOOH via integration of ZIF-12 and graphene to efficiently catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction

Transition metal oxyhydroxides have been used as promising electrocatalysts for water splitting however, their catalytic activity is restricted due to low surface area and poor conductivity. Herein, we report novel composite FeOOH@ZIF-12/graphene composite as electrocatalyst for water oxidation, whereby ZIF-12 provide extra surface for the FeOOH dispersion whilst graphene act as excellent electron mediator. The composite shows a low overpotential value of 291 mV to attain a current density of 10 mA cm^?2 and a low Tafel slope value of 78 mV dec^?1. The catalyst offers a maximum current density of 101 mA cm^?2, while it gives a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 0.031 s^?1 at an overpotential of 291 mV only. The excellent activity and remarkable stability of composite is attributed to highly conductive and porous support.     

Restoration of blood pressure by choline treatment in rats made hypotensive by haemorrhage

1. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of choline (25-150 micrograms) increased blood pressure in rats made acutely hypotensive by haemorrhage. Intraperitoneal administration of choline (60 mg kg-1) also increased blood pressure, but to a lesser extent. Following i.c.v. injection of 25 micrograms or 50 micrograms of choline, heart rate did not change, while 100 micrograms or 150 micrograms i.c.v. choline produced a slight and short lasting bradycardia. Choline (150 micrograms) failed to alter the circulating residual volume of blood in haemorrhaged rats. 2. The pressor response to i.c.v. choline (50 micrograms) in haemorrhaged rats was abolished by pretreatment with mecamylamine (50 micrograms, i.c.v.) but not atropine (10 micrograms, i.c.v.). The pressor response to choline was blocked by pretreatment with hemicholinium-3 (20 micrograms, i.c.v.). 3. The pressor response to i.c.v. choline (150 micrograms) was associated with a several fold increase in plasma levels of vasopressin and adrenaline but not of noradrenaline and plasma renin. 4. The pressor response to i.c.v. choline (150 micrograms) was not altered by bilateral adrenalectomy, but was attenuated by systemic administration of either phentolamine (10 mg kg-1) or the vasopressin antagonist [beta-mercapto-beta,beta-cyclopenta-methylenepropionyl1, O-Me-Tyr2,Arg8]-vasopressin (10 micrograms kg-1). 5. It is concluded that the precursor of acetylcholine, choline, can increase and restore blood pressure in acutely haemorrhaged rats by increasing central cholinergic neurotransmission. Nicotinic receptor activation and an increase in plasma vasopressin and adrenaline level appear to be involved in this effect of choline.     

Enhanced Image Detection on an ARM based Embedded System

This paper presents a new technique for thedetection of Integrated Circuits within images of Printed Circuit Boards autonomouslyand without the need to be assisted by CAD data. The technique is a key partof a suite of algorithms targeted for an embedded System On Chip architecturebased on the ARM7 platform for real time detection of PCB images for diagnosticpurposes. The technique has a significant reduction in complexity when comparedto conventional approaches such as the Hough Transform. The reduction in complexitymakes the approach ideal for an embedded vision application suchas the one described in this paper. This paper presents the technique, thetarget embedded architecture and results showing the reduction in complexitywhen compared to a Hough Transform.     

Development of an Expert System for Selection of Dam Type on Alluvium Foundations

. A knowledge-based expert system was developed to aid in the selection of the type of dam. The dam type selector expert system (DTSA ES) was designed to determine the type of dam on the alluvium foundations. Detailed expert knowledge is required to estimate the type of dam and to develop an expert system. The DTSA ES utilizes rules of thumb used by an expert for determining the selection of the type of dam. The DTSA ES was developed using a shell program. The expert system was tested on several dam sites in order to validate the decision obtained. The use of this expert system, containing knowledge about the selection of dam type, can be helpful to students, potential owners or contractors in selecting dam types. The current prototype always needs additional parameters for more detailed analyses of new developments. However, the current DTSA ES is designed to include existing information about dam types.     

Effect of the sulfonylurea glyburide on glycogen synthase activity in alloxan-induced diabetic rat adipocytes

1. The effect of glyburide (glibenclamide) treatment in vivo on the adipose tissue glycogen synthase activity of type II diabetic rats has been studied. 2. Three week treatment of diabetic animals with glyburide (5 mg/kg orally, in saline) increased adipose glycogen synthase activity and decreased blood glucose levels. 3. These results demonstrate that the sulfonylurea glyburide is capable of exerting direct insulin-like effect on adipose glycogen-synthase activity of type II diabetic rats in vivo.     

Lung nodules detection using semantic segmentation and classification with optimal features

Neural Computing and Applications - Lung cancer is a deadly disease if not diagnosed in its early stages. However, early detection of lung cancer is a challenging task due to the shape and size of...     

Use of electrodialysis to remove silver ions frommodel solutions and wastewater

The feasibility of the removal of Ag⁺ ions in a model solution and a sample of rinse water provided from an industrial plating plantwas investigated in a batch electrodialysis system. The experiments were carried out using two different types of ion-exchange membranes. The effects of applied potential, pH value and initial silver concentration on the duration of electrodialysis and energy consumption were examined. Full removal of Ag+ ions was achieved from model solutions and the sample of rinse water. The most convenient applied voltage and energy consumption values to remove silver ions are reported. These results will be useful for designing and operating different capacities of electrodialysis plants for recovering Ag⁺ ions.     

A Game Theoretical Approach for Improving the Operational Efficiencies of Less-than-truckload Carriers Through Load Exchanges

Less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation offers fast, flexible and relatively low-cost transportation services to shippers. In order to cope with the effects of economic recessions, the LTL industry implemented ideas such as reducing excess capacity and increasing revenues through better yield management. In this paper, we extend these initiatives beyond the reach of individual carriers and propose a collaborative framework that facilitates load exchanges to reduce the operational costs. Even though collective solutions are proven to provide benefits to the participants by reducing the inefficiencies using a system-wide perspective, such solutions are often not attainable in real-life as the negotiating parties are seeking to maximize their individual profits rather than the overall profit and also they are unwilling to share confidential information. Therefore, a mechanism that enables collaboration among the carriers should account for the rationality of the individual participants and should require minimal information transfer between participants. Having this in mind, we propose a mechanism that facilities collaboration through a series of load exchange iterations and identifies an equilibrium among selfish carriers with limited information transfer among the participants. Our time-efficient mechanism can handle large instances with thousands of loads as well as provide significant benefits over the non-collaborative management of LTL networks.

     

Characteristics of forming presses and recent developments for precision and net shape forming

The trend in metal forming is to produce parts with increased precision and geometric complexity. Thus, research and development is being conducted worldwide to develop presses and tooling for near-net and net shape forming of difficult-to-form components. As a result, presses with increased precision and multi-action tooling are being used routinely by advanced companies around the world. This paper will discuss the interactions between press characteristics and part production in precision forming and review some of the new press and tooling designs recently developed by various domestic and foreign manufacturers.