RANTES-induced T cell activation correlates with CD3 expression

The chemokine RANTES induces a unique biphasic cytoplasmic Ca2+ signal in T cells. The first phase of this signal, similar to that of other chemokines, is G-protein mediated and chemotaxis associated. The second phase of this signal, unique to RANTES and evident at concentrations greater than 100 nM, is tyrosine kinase linked and results in a spectrum of responses similar to those seen with antigenic stimulation of T cells. We show here that certain jurkat T cells responded to RANTES solely through this latter pathway. A direct correlation between the RANTES-induced second phase response and CD3 expression was demonstrated in these cells. Sorting the Jurkat cells into CD3(high) and CD3(low) populations revealed that only the CD3(high) cells were responsive to RANTES. Furthermore, stimulation of these Jurkat cells with anti-CD3 mAb significantly depresses their subsequent response to RANTES. While a RANTES-specific chemokine receptor is expressed at a low level on these Jurkat cells, the RANTES-induced activation is dependent on the presence of the TCR. Thus, stimulation through TCR may partially account for RANTES' unique pattern of signaling in T cells.     

Modeling and mining of dynamic trust in complex service-oriented systems

The global scale and distribution of companies have changed the economy and dynamics of businesses. Web-based collaborations and cross-organizational processes typically require dynamic and context-based interactions between people and services. However, finding the right partner to work on joint tasks or to solve emerging problems in such scenarios is challenging due to scale and temporary nature of collaborations. Furthermore, actor competencies evolve over time, thus requiring dynamic approaches for their management. Web services and SOA are the ideal technical framework to automate interactions spanning people and services. To support such complex interaction scenarios, we discuss mixed service-oriented systems that are composed of both humans and software services, interacting to perform certain activities. As an example, consider a professional online support community consisting of interactions between human participants and software-based services. We argue that trust between members is essential for successful collaborations. Unlike a security perspective, we focus on the notion of social trust in collaborative networks. We show an interpretative rule-based approach to enable humans and services to establish trust based on interactions and experiences, considering their context and subjective perceptions.     

A mapping tool using anisotropic unstructured meshes to study mixing in periodic flows

The objective of the present work is to describe a new mapping tool using anisotropic unstructured meshes to study mixing within a spatially periodic pipe flow. Instead of tracking the boundaries of elementary cell flow domains as it was done in the original mapping method established by Kruijt et al. (A.I.Ch.E. J. 47 (5) (2001a) 1005; Int. Polym. Process. 16 (2) (2001b) 151) and Galaktionov et al. (Comput. Fluids 30 (3) (2001) 271), the deformation of elementary triangles (only three nodal points) between the inlet and exit pipe cross-sections is followed. It is however necessary to adapt the initial mesh according to criteria which takes into account the spatial stretching and folding of fluid elements. The method developed is applied to the twisted curved pipes (TCP) three-dimensional (3D) flow. We show the evolution of concentration distributions along the TCP mixer for chaotic advection flow regimes. This method allows the emphasis of isolated unmixed regions (KAM islands). The flexibility of the method allows also the possibility of studying multiple stirring protocols, thus contributing to a better comprehension of the physical phenomena involved in chaotic mixing. The method developed is also applicable to 2D temporally periodic flows.     

Evaluation of alternative tool combinations in a flexible manufacturing system

Flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) are often viewed as systems capable of processing a wide variety of parts in random order. The extent to which this is achieved is determined by the number of tools of each type that are active in the system at the same time. Too few tools can result in low system utilization and throughput. Too many tools in the system, however, can increase system cost. A continuous-time Markov chain model and an accompanying cost model are presented in this paper as an analytical means of examining the interrelationships between the number of tools and system performance and evaluating alternative tool combinations. A numerical example is given to illustrate the interrelationships and test the sensitivity of the model. Because of the large number of equations required to be solved, a computer program was written to obtain the results.     

Bioequivalence of controlled-release calcium antagonists

In this review, several deficiencies of published bioequivalence studies for controlled-release calcium antagonists have become apparent. As a consequence, some of the published conclusions based on such studies must be viewed with care. A proper statistical analysis of bioequivalence is not frequently reported. A proper statistical analysis of the pharmacokinetic variables involves the calculation of 90% confidence intervals (CI) for the test: reference ratio of the means of the pharmacokinetic variables of the test and reference product. The CI must fall completely within the predetermined bioequivalence range (usually 0.8 to 1.25) for the products to be declared bioequivalent. Serious methodological errors, such as a conclusion of bioequivalence based on a lack of statistically significant difference between products, and conversely, a conclusion of bioequivalence because of a statistically significant difference, or because of a mere failure to show bioequivalence, are still made. With calcium antagonists in particular, an assessment of the rate of absorption and of the maximum concentration is important, as those characteristics may have implications for the safety profile with this class of drugs. As a minimum, in single doses studies the maximum concentration (Cmax), and the time to the maximum concentration (tmax), and in multiple-dose studies the Cmax, and the peak-trough fluctuation (%PTF) must be considered. Some bioequivalence studies of calcium antagonists are deficient in this respect. To show bioequivalence for controlled-release formulations, multiple-dose studies are required but some published bioequivalence studies contain only single-dose assessments. Similarly, bioequivalence studies under fed conditions are rarely published, although food may have a significant effect on the absorption rate of these drugs. Some calcium antagonists, such as verpamil, show stereo-selective pharmacokinetics, so that enantiomers may have to be investigated. Unfortunately, few of the published studies of controlled-release calcium antagonists satisfy all requirements. One would expect that data submitted to regulatory authorities for approval of generic formulations are more complete; published data are in many cases not satisfactory.     

Sonographic detection of focal changes in the liver hilus in patients receiving corticosteroid therapy

OBJECTIVE: While diffuse deposition of fat may occur with corticosteroid (CS) administration both in the liver and in other organs, comparatively little is known about focal changes in the liver under corticosteroid medication. Therefore, we evaluated pattern and extent of focal hepatic steatosis by ultrasound (US) in patients receiving corticosteroids. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 93 patients with known inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) received corticosteroids during a period of at least six weeks prior to the ultrasound examination and 28 IBD-patients had no corticosteroids within the last three years. 13 additional patients received corticosteroids for other reasons than IBD for > 1 year. 80 healthy volunteers served as controls. Focal changes of the liver as assessed by high resolution ultrasound (Acuson 128, 3.5 and 5 MHz) were defined as areas of brighter echogenicity compared to the general aspect of the liver. The size of the hyperechoic areas was documented (photoprint). RESULTS: 40/93 IBD-patients with corticosteroids (43%) had definite areas of brighter echos in the hilus region of the liver. In IBD-patients without corticosteroids only one patient showed a focal brighter echogenicity, whereas in the non-IBD group with corticosteroids 8/13 had focal lesions (62%). In the control group only four healthy subjects showed brighter areas (5%). CONCLUSION: Bright focal areas in the liver hilus occur in > 40% of IBD-patients during corticosteroid medication. This phenomenon occurs in IBD-patients as frequently and as intense as in other patients with longstanding corticosteroid therapy. There is a hilar area of the liver with typical size and location which reacts to corticosteroid administration with hyperechoic reflexes at ultrasound investigation. This is important to know when it comes to the differential diagnosis of focal changes.     

The antioxidants of the osage orange fruit

Summary The fruit of the osage orange tree (Maclua pomifera [Raf.] Schneider) was shown to contain at least four pigments with antioxidant activity. Pomiferin was present as 3 to 4% of the dry fruit and, as a primary antioxidant, was responsible for 20–25% of the activity exhibited by methanol extracts. An unidentified substance was also present which reacted synergistically with pomiferin, increasing its contribution to the overall activity to approximately 75%. The three new pigments, totalling 0.5% to .75% of the dry fruit, all showed antioxidant activity exceeding that of pomiferin when tested at equal concentrations. A chromatographic procedure, employing anhydrous magnesium sulfate, was developed and applied successfully in separating mixtures of several iso-flavone pigments. Journal Paper No. 913 of the Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station. The subject-matter of this paper was undertaken initially in cooperation with the Committee on Food Research of the Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces. The opinions or conclusions contained in this report are those of the authors. They are not to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views or endorsements of the War Department.     

Cramer-Rao bound and phase-diversity blind deconvolution performance versus diversity polynomials

Information theoretic bounds on the estimated Zernike coefficients for various diversity phase functions are presented. We show that, in certain cases, defocus diversity may yield a higher Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) than some other diversity phase functions. Using simulated images to evaluate the performance of the phase-diversity algorithm, we find that, for an extended scene and defocus diversity, the phase-diversity algorithm achieves the CRLB for known objects. Furthermore, the phase-diversity algorithm achieves the CRLB by a factor of approximately 2 for unknown objects.