Research and development of liquid hydrogen (LH2) temperature monitoring system for marine applications

Monitoring the temperature in liquid hydrogen (LH₂) storage tanks on ships is important for the safety of maritime navigation. In addition, accurate temperature measurement is also required for commercial transactions. Temperature and pressure define the density of liquid hydrogen, which is directly linked to trading interests. In this study, we developed and tested a liquid hydrogen temperature monitoring system that uses platinum resistance sensors with a nominal electrical resistance of approximately 1000 Ω at room temperature, PT-1000, for marine applications. The temperature measurements were carried out using a newly developed temperature monitoring system under different pressure conditions. The measured values are compared with a calibrated reference PT-1000 resistance thermometer. We confirm a measurement accuracy of ±50 mK in a pressure range of 0.1 MPa–0.5 MPa.     

Functional Inactivation of Drosophila GCK Orthologs Causes Genomic Instability and Oxidative Stress in a Fly Model of MODY-2

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) type 2 is caused by heterozygous inactivating mutations in the gene encoding glucokinase (GCK), a pivotal enzyme for glucose homeostasis. In the pancreas GCK regulates insulin secretion, while in the liver it promotes glucose utilization and storage. We showed that silencing the Drosophila GCK orthologs Hex-A and Hex-C results in a MODY-2-like hyperglycemia. Targeted knock-down revealed that Hex-A is expressed in insulin producing cells (IPCs) whereas Hex-C is specifically expressed in the fat body. We showed that Hex-A is essential for insulin secretion and it is required for Hex-C expression. Reduced levels of either Hex-A or Hex-C resulted in chromosome aberrations (CABs), together with an increased production of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This result suggests that CABs, in GCK depleted cells, are likely due to hyperglycemia, which produces oxidative stress through AGE metabolism. In agreement with this hypothesis, treating GCK-depleted larvae with the antioxidant vitamin B6 rescued CABs, whereas the treatment with a B6 inhibitor enhanced genomic instability. Although MODY-2 rarely produces complications, our data revealed the possibility that MODY-2 impacts genome integrity.     

The Age-Sensitive Efficacy of Calorie Restriction on Mitochondrial Biogenesis and mtDNA Damage in Rat Liver

Calorie restriction (CR) is the most efficacious treatment to delay the onset of age-related changes such as mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the sensitivity of mitochondrial markers to CR and the age-related boundaries of CR efficacy are not fully elucidated. We used liver samples from ad libitum-fed (AL) rats divided in: 18-month-old (AL-18), 28-month-old (AL-28), and 32-month-old (AL-32) groups, and from CR-treated (CR) 28-month-old (CR-28) and 32-month-old (CR-32) counterparts to assay the effect of CR on several mitochondrial markers. The age-related decreases in citrate synthase activity, in TFAM, MFN2, and DRP1 protein amounts and in the mtDNA content in the AL-28 group were prevented in CR-28 counterparts. Accordingly, CR reduced oxidative mtDNA damage assessed through the incidence of oxidized purines at specific mtDNA regions in CR-28 animals. These findings support the anti-aging effect of CR up to 28 months. Conversely, the protein amounts of LonP1, Cyt c, OGG1, and APE1 and the 4.8 Kb mtDNA deletion content were not affected in CR-28 rats. The absence of significant differences between the AL-32 values and the CR-32 counterparts suggests an age-related boundary of CR efficacy at this age. However, this only partially curtails the CR benefits in counteracting the generalized aging decline and the related mitochondrial involvement.     

Defining Dry Eye from a Clinical Perspective

Over the past decades, the number of patients with dry eye disease (DED) has increased dramatically. The incidence of DED is higher in Asia than in Europe and North America, suggesting the involvement of cultural or racial factors in DED etiology. Although many definitions of DED have been used, discrepancies exist between the various definitions of dry eye disease (DED) used across the globe. This article presents a clinical consensus on the definition of DED, as formulated in four meetings with global DED experts. The proposed new definition is as follows: “Dry eye is a multifactorial disease characterized by a persistently unstable and/or deficient tear film (TF) causing discomfort and/or visual impairment, accompanied by variable degrees of ocular surface epitheliopathy, inflammation and neurosensory abnormalities.” The key criteria for the diagnosis of DED are unstable TF, inflammation, ocular discomfort and visual impairment. This definition also recommends the assessment of ocular surface epitheliopathy and neurosensory abnormalities in each patient with suspected DED. It is easily applicable in clinical practice and should help practitioners diagnose DED consistently. This consensus definition of DED should also help to guide research and clinical trials that, to date, have been hampered by the lack of an established surrogate endpoint.     

Using a multicultural lens to understand illnesses among Haitians living in America.

Currently, ethnic and racial minority individuals represent a large proportion of the U.S. population, and researchers expect that they will represent the majority of the population by 2050. This shift in U.S. demographics calls for a greater awareness and integration of cultural issues into the assessment and treatment of ethnically and linguistically diverse clients. This article examines the unique beliefs and manifestations of illnesses among Haitians in connection with the American Psychological Association's (APA, 2002) Multicultural Guidelines. The authors use a common culture-bound syndrome, Séizisman, to illustrate the cultural beliefs, assessment, and treatment of illnesses among Haitians. In so doing, they demonstrate how to incorporate the APA Multicultural Guidelines into treatment with clients of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Erythroid potentiating activity of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases on the differentiation of erythropoietin-responsive mouse erythroleukemia cell line, ELM-I-1-3, is closely related to its cell growth potentiating activity

The erythroid-potentiating activity (EPA) of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) was re-examined using ELM-I-1-3, a mouse erythroleukemia cell line, which responded well to erythropoietin. Depletion of pre-existing TIMP-1 from fetal calf serum in culture medium using monoclonal antibody suppressed erythropoietin-induced differentiation as measured by the induction of hemoglobin, commitment assay and globin mRNAs. The removal of TIMP-1 also suppressed the proliferation of ELM-I-1-3 as measured by cell number and de novo DNA synthesis. These changes were reversed by the addition of purified TIMP-1 to the culture medium. Anti-TIMP-1 antibody also blocked both hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA)-induced erythroid differentiation and the proliferation of both ELM-I-1-3 and Friend erythroleukemia cells. Considering previous reports analyzing the chemical induction of Friend mouse erythroleukemia cell differentiation, our results suggest that erythropoietin- or HMBA-induced erythroid differentiation might also be coupled with cell proliferation. Our 3H thymidine-uptake experiment shows that TIMP-1 removal was also effective in the inhibition of cell growth of various other cell lines in addition to erythroleukemia cell lines. These results suggest that EPA action of TIMP-1 on erythroid leukemia cell lines is closely related to its activity to promote the cell growth of various cell lines and cells including erythroleukemia cell lines.     

Dynamics of photosynthetic pigments in an Andean lake in Colombia

Guatavita Lake is a small, sheltered tropical high mountain lake located in the Colombian Andes, with a closed watershed and a maximum depth of 25 m. It is the freshwater source for human consumption in nearby small towns, as well as being a site of cultural value for the country, as it was a sacred place to indigenous peoples until about five centuries ago. As the structure and function of this aquatic ecosystem is poorly understood, this study provides initial knowledge on its phytoplankton biomass dynamics, which should be useful in designing efficient management plans with environmental baseline information for similar lakes elsewhere. Physical and chemical data, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations, were measured for the period November 1999–November 2000 at the central vertical axis of Guatavita Lake. The vertical profile of the chlorophyll‐a concentration was closely related to the dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations and the thermal stratification characteristics. The maximum chlorophyll‐a concentration in the metalimnion was recorded for the thermal stratification period (November 1999–June 2000). Deepening of the maximum chlorophyll‐a concentration began in February, continuing to June, when it reached its lowest value at the 15 m depth. The phytoplankton biomass values showed an increment within the entire water column at the beginning of the mixing period (July). The relation between the metalimnetic peak of chlorophyll‐a and the dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration suggests the growth of the phytoplankton community is limited mainly by the availability of nitrogen.     

A study of urinary dolichols as a biological marker for alcohol abuse. Report 2: Comparison of urinary dolichols/creatinine concentrations among non-drinkers, moderate-drinkers and heavy-drinkers

We report here the comparison of urinary dolichols/creatine (D/Cr) concentration ratios in male non-drinkers, moderate-drinkers and heavy drinkers at admission and during hospitalization, and also discuss its usefulness as a biological marker for alcohol abuse. Urine samples were collected from the following four experimental groups: non-(male and female) and moderate-drinker (male) volunteers, and alcoholic heavy-drinking patients (male) at admission for psychiatric treatment and after 9-15 days hospitalization (informed consent was obtained). Urinary dolichols were determined by high performance liquid chromatography after BondElutC18 (500 mg) extraction. Due to significant differences in urinary D/Cr concentrations between male and female groups in non-drinkers and because the heavy-drinkers available for this study were exclusively male, comparison of the value of urinary D/Cr concentration ratios was subsequently limited to male only. There were no statistical differences in urinary D/Cr concentrations in the male among non-drinkers, moderate-drinkers and heavy-drinkers at admission. The accuracy of urinary D/Cr as a biological marker for alcohol abuse, calculated using the mean +/- 2 s.d. in non- and moderate-drinkers as the normal range, is only 33.3% in heavy-drinkers at admission, while their value of gamma-GTP in serum was 88.3%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)