Lower DR Research Articles

Shear strength enhancement at the sand-steel interface: A pioneering approach with Polyurethane Foam Adhesive (PFA)

This study explores a novel application of Polyurethane Foam Adhesive (PFA) injection to augment shear resistance at the interface, investigating various parameters such as PFA content, injection pressure, curing time, sand density, and surface roughness. Results demonstrate that injecting 10 % PFA increased the friction angle (ϕ) from 6.4 to 27.4° and 32.6–42° for sand-smooth and rough surface interfaces, respectively, under relative density (Dr) of 30 %. Correspondingly, cohesion (c) values rose from 0 to 124 and 62 kPa. Samples with lower Dr (30 %) exhibited a more significant increase in shear strength post-PFA injection, attributed to PFA penetration and enhanced shear performance of loose sands, showing a maximum 23 % difference compared to Dr = 90 % for the sand-smooth surface interface. Curing time notably influenced injected samples, particularly at lower normal stress levels, leading to increased mobilized shear strength with longer curing periods, with 28-day shear strength averaging 2.34 and 2.74 times higher than one-hour shear strength for smooth and rough surfaces, respectively. A substantial shear strength increase was observed one hour after injection, with more pronounced behavior after seven days. Additionally, increased injection pressure expanded the stabilized area at the interface, enhancing mobilized shear strength. At the sand-smooth surface interface, increasing injection pressure from 25 to 225 kPa resulted in average mobilized shear strength increases of 84% and 117% for Dr 30 % and 90 %, respectively. Examination under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) revealed that the inclusion of PFA additive serves to interconnect adjacent grains, consequently enhancing the mechanical properties of the mixture.

Simulation of latent heat thermal storage evaluation utilizing NEPCM for new ventilation system for building

In present attempt, MWCNT nano-powders were loaded inside paraffin (SP24E) to boost the rate of phase changing to liquid. The melting process needs heat and warm air flow supplies such heat. The air flow duct was combined with different circular cylinders which filled with paraffin. The flow inside air zone is laminar and gravity effect has been neglected. With changing the diameter of cylinder, four various arrangements have been generated and simulation of melting process have been presented via ANSYS FLUENT. Loading MWCNT can decrease the time of melting about 3.86% and the related percentage for the case with lower DR decreases about 1.11%. Reducing diameter ratio from 0.16 to 0.08 makes the completion time to reduce about 38.77%. The quickest charging occurs at φ = 0.04, DR = 0.08 in which melting completed after 247.75 min.

Effect of coefficient of uniformity on cyclic liquefaction resistance of granular materials

Using three-dimensional discrete element method, we analyze the particle size distribution (PSD) effect on the cyclic liquefaction resistance of spherical particle assemblies. For the same mean particle size and log-linear type PSD, the coefficient of uniformity (Cu) is chosen as a descriptor of the PSD. Samples with five levels of Cu are isotropically compressed to the same pressure and two relative densities (Dr) informed by the maximum and minimum achieved void ratios determined for each Cu. The ten samples are subjected to constant volume cyclic simple shearing at different cyclic stress ratios until reaching initial liquefaction, in 56 simulations. The simulations suggest that at each Dr the evolution pattern of excess pore pressure ratio against the number of loading cycles normalized by the number of cycles to liquefaction is minimally affected by the Cu. For the samples with lower Dr, increasing the Cu in the range 1–3 first increases and then decreases the liquefaction resistance; this trend reverses at the higher Dr. Two critical state parameters based on the void ratio and the coordination number at the pre-shearing state of the samples correlate well with the cyclic liquefaction resistance for the ranges of Cu and Dr considered in this study.

LBODP048 Barriers To Diabetic Retinopathy Screening In Hospitalized Patients With Diabetes

Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable vision loss in the in the U. S., and DR screening is essential to prevent blindness. Yet minority populations have consistently lower DR screening rates than Non-Hispanic Whites and knowledge about barriers versus facilitators for completion of DR screening in these groups remains scant. Improvement in DR Screening rates in safety net populations has been observed after placing digital retinal cameras in primary care sites to capture images where patients get their basic health care. In this study, we therefore assessed DR screening in patients at time of hospitalization as a possible additional site to capture unscreened patients with diabetes. We identified patient with diabetes admitted for any reason to a safety net hospital to evaluate perceived barriers to DR screening. We performed an anonymous survey in English or Spanish in 156 hospitalized adult patients with diabetes during hospital stays between 10/2019-12/2021, using a convenience sample. Barriers specified in the survey were derived from the literature. The study population had a mean [+SD] age of 50+10.5 years, were predominantly male [72.4%], of low-income [83.7% <$25,000/year] and minority groups [Latinos 79.5% and African American [10.3%]. Diabetes duration was >5years in 63.6% of patients. Reported DR screening rate in the 12 months prior to admission was only 31.4%, despite 97% of patients confirming they were aware that diabetes causes impaired vision and blindness. The main perceived barriers to DR screening identified in the survey were financial [50%], transportation [22%] and depression [17%]. There were no significant differences in the number or nature of perceived barriers in those who reported DR screening vs. those who did not. Surprisingly, the pandemic appeared to have little impact on DR screening rates. Comparison of patients surveyed before (n=96; 10/2019-03/20) and after COVID lockdown (n=60; 08/2020-12/2021), did not show any significant differences in patient demographics, number or nature of perceived barriers, or DR screening rates (32% vs 30%). However, DR screening among patients without a Primary Care Provider (PCP) was considerably lower compared to patients with a PCP, 10% vs 49% (p<0. 001). In summary, this study reveals low prior outpatient DR screening rates in hospitalized patients with diabetes in low-income minorities in a safety-net hospital, and identifies potential remediable barriers associated with this. The results suggest that cost and transport barriers could be addressed by implementation of DR screening during hospitalization in safety net hospitals. These results also emphasize the significance of a having a PCP. We conclude that inpatient DR screening and facilitating PCP-patient connections might lead to improvement in DR screening rates and thus prevent blindness in this segment of the diabetes population. Presentation: No date and time listed

Syn‐Selektive Epoxidierung von chiralen, terminalen Allylalkoholen mit einem Titan‐Salalen‐Katalysator und Wasserstoffperoxid

AbstractIn der asymmetrischen Sharpless‐Epoxidierung von chiralen, sekundären Allylalkoholen wird ein Substratenantiomer bevorzugt zum anti‐Epoxyalkohol umgesetzt. In dieser Arbeit stellen wir die erste hoch syn‐selektive Epoxidierung von terminalen Allylalkoholen vor. Mit einem Titan‐Salalen‐Katalysator und H2O2 als Oxidationsmittel werden enantiomerenreine, terminale Allylalkohole mit bis zu 98 % Ausbeute und >99 : 1 dr (syn) zu Epoxyalkoholen umgesetzt. Diese syn‐Selektivität bleibt auch bei niedrigeren Katalysatorbeladungen (bis zu 1 mol‐%) erhalten. Auch die Modifizierung der Allylalkoholfunktion zu einem Ether beeinflusst die Diastereoselektivität nicht [>99 : 1 dr (syn)]. Wird die Katalysatorkonfiguration invertiert, so wird bevorzugt das anti‐Produkt gebildet, allerdings mit niedrigerem dr (ca. 20 : 1). Das Anwendungspotential wird am Beispiel der Synthese eines THF‐Bausteins mit drei Stereozentren im Grammmaßstab demonstriert, in welcher zwei Ti‐Salalen‐katalysierte Epoxidierungen durchlaufen werden.

Syn‐Selective Epoxidation of Chiral Terminal Allylic Alcohols with a Titanium Salalen Catalyst and Hydrogen Peroxide

In the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of chiral secondary allylic alcohols, one substrate enantiomer is predominantly converted to the anti‐epoxy alcohol. We herein report the first highly syn‐selective epoxidation of terminal allylic alcohols using a titanium salalen complex as catalyst, at room temperature, and aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. With enantiopure terminal allylic alcohols as substrates, the epoxy alcohols were obtained with up to 98 % yield and up to >99 : 1 dr (syn). Catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol % can be applied without eroding the syn‐diastereoselectivity. Modification of the allylic alcohol to an ether does not affect the diastereoselectivity either [>99 : 1 dr (syn)]. Inverting the catalyst configuration leads to the anti‐product, albeit at lower dr (ca. 20 : 1). The synthetic potential is demonstrated by a short, gram‐scale preparation of a tetrahydrofuran building block with three stereocenters, involving two titanium salalen catalyzed epoxidation steps.

Value of abnormal HLA-DR expression on CD14+ monocytes in estimating immune function status and clinical prognosis of patients with hand, foot and mouth disease

Objective To investigate the value of abnormal expression of HLA-DR on peripheral blood monocytes in evaluating the immune function status, clinical prognosis and severity of patients with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Methods From June 2017 to October 2018, 100 cases of mild HFMD, 80 cases of severe HFMD, 32 cases of critical HFMD and 40 healthy children (control group) were recruited in this study. The patients were divided into two groups, lower DR group (DR-L, HLA-DR expression 30%) according to the HLA-DR expression on monocytes. Flow cytometry was used to detect the CD14+ monocytes expressing HLA-DR and the absolute count of lymphocyte subsets. Immunoturbidimetry was used to detect the levels of IgG, IgM and IgA in plasma samples. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 in plasma samples. Pediatric critical illness score (PCIS) and the pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ (PRISM Ⅲ) were used to estimate the severity of HFMD. Results ① There were significant differences in HLA-DR expression on monocytes among children with mild, severe and critical HFMD (F=47.102, P 0.05). ④ Compared with the DR-N group, the DR-L group showed decreased IFN-γ level and increased IL-10 level in plasma (P<0.05). The ratio of IFN-γ/IL-10 of the DR-L group was lower than that of the DR-N group and control group (P<0.05). HLA-DR expression was negatively correlated with the concentration of IL-10 in plasma (r=-0.704, P<0.05), and positively correlated with the IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio (r=0.773, P<0.05). ⑤ Compared with the DR-N group, the DR-L group showed lower PCIS and higher PRISM Ⅲ. HLA-DR expression was positively correlated with PCIS (r=0.715, P=0.00) and negatively correlated with PRISM Ⅲ (r=-0.610, P=0.00). ⑥ The incidence of pulmonary edema, pulmonary hemorrhage and cardiopulmonary failure and the mortality of HFMD patients in the DR-L group were significantly higher than those in the DR-N group (P<0.05). Conclusions Patients with severe or critical HFMD had cellular immune dysfunction and abnormal HLA-DR expression on CD14+ monocytes. Assessing the expression of HLA-DR on monocytes could be used to evaluate the cellular immunity of patients with severe or critical HFMD. Lower expression of HLA-DR on CD14+ monocytes might be associated with severe HFMD and poor prognosis. Key words: Hand, foot and mouth disease; HLA-DR; Cellular immunity

Toward a new method to classify the airblast sprayers according to their potential drift reduction: comparison of direct and new indirect measurement methods.

Drift is one of the most important issues to consider for realising sustainable pesticide sprays. This study proposes an alternative indirect methodology for comparative measurements of drift reduction potential (DRP) generated by airblast sprayers, aimed at overcoming the practical inconveniences and drawbacks of standardized ISO 22866:2005. A test bench in the absence of target crop and wind was employed to measure drift potential values (DPVs). A variation to the proposed method that introduced a crop between sprayer and test bench device was considered to study the canopy effect (absence/presence) and to validate the method. In parallel, direct spray drift measurements (ISO 22866) were performed to obtain the drift value (DV). A representative vineyard airblast sprayer was evaluated in four configurations (a combination of two fan airflow rates and two nozzle types). The configurations tested under the three methods (direct and indirects) were classified according to achieved drift reduction percentages (ISO 22369-1:2013) and compared. Indirect methods discriminated DPVs from different nozzles (conventional, air induction) and fan airflow rate (high, low) combinations. Indirect methods also showed that despite crop influence on drift amount, target absence has a negligible effect when used specifically for DRP determination/classification. In fact, identical DRP final classifications were achieved for the two methodologies tested. Alternatively, all tested configurations resulted in lower DR values following the ISO 22866 field method, which caused different final classifications due to the high dependence of results on external factors. The alternative test bench methodology, characterized by the absence of target crop and calm of wind, was considered feasible for comparative measurements of airblast sprayer DRP. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

The study of the intervertebral disc microstructure in matured rats with diffusion kurtosis imaging

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to use DKI to detect the microstructural change of the discs in matured normal rats. MethodsTotal 24 normal SD rats (12 males/12 females) underwent DWI/DKI and T2 sequences with a 3T MRI scanner to get the values of ADC, FA, MD, Da, Dr, MK, Ka and Kr. The discs were categorized using a five-grade degeneration grading system in the T2-images. The height of the discs and the parameters in DWI/DKI were measured to compare between the different grades and sexes. The histological images and the images of fiber tracking were also done in the discs. ResultsThere were 30 Grade 1 and 18 Grade 2 in the discs. Compared with Grade 1, decreased ADC, increased FA and MK values were observed in Grade 2 (P<0.05). By the ROC analysis of grades of the discs, there was low diagnostic accuracy in ADC value, while FA and MK showed higher accuracy. In Grade 1, there were lower ADC value, lower Dr, higher MK, Ka and Kr in male's group than them in female's group. There were no differences in the parameters except the ADC value in the two sexes in Grade 2. The different microstructure of the normal discs in the male and female rats had been proved by the histological images and the images of fiber tracking. ConclusionDKI is a noninvasive and sustainable means to test the changes of intervertebral discs. The discs in Grade 2 were also found in the normal matured SD rat tails. The assessment of the grade of the discs in T2-images should be done before the experimental management. There was microstructural difference in the nucleus pulposus in the discs in Grade 1 and 2. FA and MK showed higher diagnostic accuracy. The laboratory rats should be the same sex because the microstructure of the normal discs weren't the same.

HLA-DR Matching Is Associated With Improved Graft Survival in Recipients of Deceased Donor Kidneys. Review of OPTN Data.

Purpose: In May of 2003, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policy was amended to allow candidates for deceased donor kidneys HLA allocation points only for DRB1 (DR) matching; points for HLA-A and -B were removed. Candidates are given 2 points if there are no mismatched (MM) DR antigens. To assess the efficacy of this policy change the OPTN Histocompatibility Committee reviewed 8 yr. outcomes data stratified by the degree of DR MM. Methods: Results from 16,329 deceased donor (DD) kidney transplants performed from 2005-2007, with up to 8 years follow up, were analyzed. Recipients were excluded if they received a multi-organ transplant or if the level of DR mismatch (MM) was unknown. Pair-wise comparisons were made between 0, 1, and 2 DR MM groups. All results are based on OPTN data. Results: During this time, 20.9% of patients received 0-DR MM grafts, 41.5% 1 DR MM, and 37.6% 2 DR MM. Graft survival (GS) was significantly better for 0 DR MM transplants compared to 1 or 2 MMs (p <0.001). A single DR MM was sufficient to confer a statistically significant decrease in GS which was evident within 4 yrs. post transplant. For 0 DR MM transplants, 57% were also 0 AB MM. Interestingly, among the 0 MM DR group; 69% were also 0 MM for HLA DQ.Figure: No Caption available.Conclusions: These data demonstrate the GS benefit of DR matching among recipients of DD kidneys and supports the utility of awarding allocation points for DR match. Recipients with lower DR MMs enjoyed significantly better GS by 4 years post transplant. Importantly, more than half of the 0 DR MM group was also 0 AB MM suggesting that the 0 MM allocation policy is a predominant factor resulting in better DR matching. These results support the continued use of allocation points for DR matching and warrant additional analyses to determine if the current point values are adequate given the improved GS.

Monitoring Incomplete Heparin Reversal and Heparin Rebound After Cardiac Surgery

To assess the incidence of incomplete heparin reversal and heparin rebound after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the ability of the activated coagulation time (ACT) and thromboelastography (TEG) to detect these phenomena. Prospective single-center study. University hospital. Forty-one patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with CPB and with normal preoperative TEG parameters. ACT, TEG, and plasma heparin levels were measured in all patients at 5 different times between 20 minutes and 3 hours after protamine administration. The variability of TEG reaction time (R) with and without heparinase (delta-R [DR]) was used to detect the presence of residual heparin. Plasma heparin expressed as anti-FXa activity was detected in 180 (88%) samples. At univariate analysis, ACT, R-kaolin (R-k), and DR significantly correlated with plasma heparin concentration (respectively, p = 0.007, p = 0.006, and p = 0.002). At multivariate analysis, R-k and DR remained associated with plasma heparin concentration (respectively, p = 0.014 and p = 0.004). Greater quartiles of heparin were associated with higher values of R-k and DR. Combined procedures had significantly lower DR than isolated procedures (p = 0.017), and CPB time and heparinization time positively correlated with R-k (respectively, p = 0.044 and p = 0.022). No association was observed between heparin concentration, ACT, and TEG parameters with postoperative bleeding and need for blood and blood components transfusions. Heparin rebound and incomplete heparin reversal are very common phenomena after cardiac surgery with CPB; ACT is not able to detect residual heparin activity, whereas TEG analysis with and without heparinase allows the diagnosis of heparin rebound.

Full diffusion characterization implicates regionally disparate neuropathology in mild cognitive impairment.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used to detect tissue pathology. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) research, DTI has been used to elucidate differences in disease stages and to track progression over time and clinical severity. Many of these studies have identified the fornix as particularly vulnerable in the early stages of pathology associated with memory decline in prodromal AD. Emerging research suggests principal tensor components, axial (DA) and radial (DR) diffusivity, are more sensitive to underlying tissue pathology than are mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA). Given the established regionally specific tissue decline in MCI, we examined components of the full diffusion tensor (MD, FA, DR, and DA) for sensitivity to regional pathology associated with specific memory deficits in 18 individuals with MCI. We investigated multiple regions of interest, including fornix, temporal stem, and control regions for association with severity of impairment on multiple memory measures, including a type of neuropsychological task shown to be particularly sensitive to early memory decline in MCI. Better paired associate learning was selectively associated with lower DA (β = -0.663, p = 0.003), but not with DR, MD, or FA of the temporal stems. Conversely, better paired associate learning was associated with lower DR (β = -0.523, p = 0.026), higher FA (β = 0.498, p = 0.036), and lower MD (β = -0.513, p = 0.030), but not DA in the fornix. No association was found for control regions, or for control cognitive measures. These findings suggest disparate pathology of temporal stems and fornix white matter in association with early memory impairment in MCI. Further, they highlight the methodological importance of evaluating the full tensor, rather than only summative metrics in research using DTI.

Fixed-Pattern-Noise Correction for an Integrating Wide-Dynamic-Range CMOS Image Sensor

A 100 × 98 CMOS image sensor (CIS) fabricated in a standard 0.35-μm CMOS technology is described. The pixels in this CIS integrate the photocurrent in each pixel for a time that depends upon the photocurrent to map wide-dynamic-range (WDR) real-world scenes to a lower DR output. To improve their low-light sensitivity, these pixels include a MOSFET that restricts the voltage changes on the photodiode. In addition, the user-defined input voltage needed to generate a WDR response is one that preserves the low-light sensitivity of the pixels. This results in pixels with a linear response at low photocurrents and a logarithmic response at larger photocurrents. Results are presented, which show that a fixed-pattern-noise (FPN) correction procedure based upon assuming either a linear or a logarithmic response introduces artifacts into some images. An FPN correction procedure that both avoids these artifacts and accurately estimates the mean photocurrent in the array is then presented.

Stereoselective Syntheses of 3-Substituted Flavene Derivatives and Asymmetric Dehydration via Kinetic Resolution

The 2-phenyl-2H-chromene structural core is a widespread element in natural flavonoids and has attracted intense attention since a wide range of biological activities associated with the scaffold have been identified. Accordingly, the development of facile synthetic strategies to access such heterocycles is of considerable interest and a few asymmetric synthetic methods have been reported recently. Although the asymmetric methods could provide enantioenriched flavene derivatives, their development for more functionalized flavene skeleton has proven to be a challenging synthetic task. In this communication, we wish to report diastereoselective Reformatsky reaction of flavene-3-carbaldehydes to provide β-(2H-3-flavenyl)-β-hydroxy esters and disclose a new enantioselective synthetic method for 3substituted flavene derivatives by asymmetric dehydration via kinetic resolution. We have initially investigated the substrate controlled diastereoselective addition of Reformatsky reagent to flavene-3-carbaldehydes 1, in which the chiral center at the C(2) position of 2H-chromene exerts control over the formation of new stereogenic center. In an initial experiment, to a solution of BrZnCH2CO2t-Bu (3 equiv) in THF was added a solution of flavene-3-carbaldehyde 1a in THF, and the resulting mixture was heated to reflux to afford the products 2a and 3a in 91% yield with a diastereomeric ratio (dr) of 71:29. (entry 1, Table 1) Different experimental conditions have been tested on flavene-3-carbaldehyde 1a to improve the diastereoselectivity of the addition. Since the diastereoselectivity could be enhanced by effecting the reaction at low temperature, different reaction temperatures have been tested on flavene-3-carbaldehyde 1a as summarized in Table 1. As the reaction temperature decreases, the dr is improved as shown in entries 1-5. The ratio of major 2a to minor product 3a was 79:21 at rt, whereas it was 90:10 at −15 °C. At −30 °C, much slower reaction gave products 2a and 3a with only 15% conversion after 5 h and a slightly improved dr of 92:8. (entry 5) Polar solvents were then screened in an attempt to increase the solubility of the reagent and to enhance the rate and the selectivity of the reaction. The use of THF-DMSO (1:1), THF-p-dioxane (1:1) and p-dioxane respectively as solvent (entries 6-9) did not increase the stereoselection and decreased the yield of the reaction. Under the optimized condition at −15 °C in THF, the reaction of o-methoxy substituted flavene aldehyde 1b gave slightly lower dr (entry 10) and p-methoxy substituted flavene aldehydes 1c-e reacted with Reformatsky reagent leading to 2c-e and 3c-e with drs ranging from 89:11 to 91:9, which are practically independent on the presence of the substituents on the aromatic rings and substitution pattern. While 4chloro substituent increase the selectivity up to 94:6 dr (entry 16), 2-methyl substituted chromenes 1f and 1g showed much lower selectivity (entries 14-15). Non-enzymatic kinetic resolution of racemic compounds using chiral catalyst is an area of great importance in contemporary organic synthesis. We recently reported the first example of the kinetic resolution in dehydration of alcohols using D-Phg-L-Pro-derived chiral ligand 5. Given

Impact of Inherent Factors on the Radiolytic Degradation of Biorefractory Contaminants

Experiments were carried out to gain insight into the effect of inherent factors on the radiolytic degradation of two biorefractory contaminants, Acid Orange 7 (AO7) and nitrobenzene (NB). The effects of irradiation dose rate ( Dr ) , initial substrate concentration ( C0 ) , pH, and temperature of solutions were evaluated in terms of degradation kinetics, degradation efficiency, initial G values of substrate decomposition, and total organic carbon reduction. Higher C0 and lower Dr values were favorable for the efficient utilization of radiation energy, whereas higher Dr and lower C0 levels were beneficial for degradation rate. An increase in pH led to a reduction in degradation rate constant or degradation efficiency. The temperature of solutions had different effects on the radiolytic degradation of AO7 and NB. The degradation of AO7 followed the empirical Arrhenius law, whereas an increase in temperature led to a reduction in the degradation of NB.

Immunization-Induced Perturbation of Human Blood Plasma Cell Pool: Progressive Maturation, IL-6 Responsiveness, and High PRDI-BF1/BLIMP1 Expression Are Critical Distinctions between Antigen-Specific and Nonspecific Plasma Cells

The present study shows that reimmunization with tetanus toxoid (tet) caused a transient increase of the human blood plasma cell (PC) pool, detectable from 6th to 15th day postboost, as well as the temporal alteration of several PC features. Labeling of specific PC with FITC-tet C fragment (tetC) allowed kinetics analysis of the tetC(+) and tetC(-) PC, and revealed remarkable differences between them: 1) the kinetics of tetC(+) PC occurrence was exponential, and most of them appeared in a narrow time frame (5th to 8th day postboost), whereas the tetC(-) PC increase was lower (three to five times) and more prolonged (4th to 15th day postboost). 2) The tetC(+) PC subset contained a fraction of cycling cells, expressed high levels of DR, CD138, and CD126, and responded to IL-6 by improving their survival and Ig secretion; in contrast, the tetC(-) PC showed higher CXCR4 and lower DR and CD138, did not respond to IL-6, and contained a fraction of apoptotic cells. 3) Sequential phenotypic analysis revealed maturational changes within the tetC(+), but not tetC(-), PC subset; sequencing of tetC(+) PC IgVH genes showed clear features of Ag selection. 4) The tetC(+) PC expressed several times more positive regulatory domain I- binding factor 1/B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 transcription factor than the tetC(-) PC. 5) The tetC(-) PC and bone marrow resident PC similarly expressed low DR and high CXCR4, but differed in that the latter exhibited higher levels of CD31, CD138, and positive regulatory domain I- binding factor 1/B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1. These findings support the view that tetC(+) PC contain bone marrow PC precursors, and tetC(-) PC probably belong to a removable compartment of aged PC.

Effect of Hot Band Grain Size on the Anisotropy of Warm Rolled Low Carbon Steels

In warm rolled steels, the intensity of the &lt;111&gt;//ND annealing texture, which favours formability, has been related to the formation of shear bands during rolling. Coarse hot band grain sizes (HBGS’s) facilitate flow localization, the mechanism associated with the formation of shear bands.In this work, the effect of grain size after hot rolling was studied in a low carbon steel containing small additions of Cr and Mn. The formation of shear bands and their subsequent influence on the normal anisotropy rm and planar anisotropy Dr in the annealed steels were of particular interest. Two HBGS’s (18 and 30mm) were employed and the specimens were warm rolled to reductions of 65 and 80% at various temperatures between 640 and 700°C. The results show that the frequency of shear banding is slightly lower for the smaller grain size. The normal anisotropy was not affected by the HBGS; by contrast, much lower Dr values were associated with the finer grained steel.

In vitro starch digestibility changes during storage of maize flour tortillas.

Nixtamalized maize flours elaborated by four factories in Mexico were used for tortilla preparation. Samples were stored at 4 degrees C for up to 72 h and their in vitro starch digestibility features were evaluated. Moisture content was different between flour and tortilla but no evident relation could be established. Protein and lipid levels were lower in tortillas than in flour but ash content was not different in both samples. A decrease in available starch content was observed upon 48 h cold storage (4 degrees C), changes that were concomitant with increased total resistant starch (RS) levels. These changes were due mainly to retrogradation, as suggested by the increased retrograded resistant starch (RRS) levels recorded in stored tortillas; in some samples, RRS represented up to 100% of total RS. The digestion (alpha-amylolysis) rate (DR) of freshly prepared tortillas differed for the various samples. Although the amylolysis patterns for fresh and 72 h-stored tortillas were similar, lower DR values were shown for the stored materials. The differences found among the various tortilla samples may be due to variations in processing conditions during commercial maize flour preparation, and to the use of different maize varieties.

Linear-lumped-parameter modeling of pulmonary impedance in monkeys.

Pulmonary impedance, ZL, measured from 2 to 32 Hz in anesthetized, intubated and paralyzed bonnet monkeys (Macaca radiata) was fitted to a variety of linear-lumped parameter mechanical networks. Parameter values for each network were obtained by minimizing the average of the percent distance, Dr, between the computed network impedance and measured ZL at all frequencies. Measured resistance, RL, decreased from 2 to 8 Hz and increased from 8 to 32 Hz indicating that a single series resistance-inertance-compliance (RIC) network was not optimal (Dr approximately 19%). Networks consisting of two series RIC pathways in parallel resulted in a lower Dr (approximately 14%), but parameter values were difficult to interpret. Despite not modeling the decrease in RL with frequency below 8 Hz, an airway wall compliance, Caw, network in which the airways were separated into central and peripheral components resulted in an even lower Dr (approximately 11%). In addition, parameter values were easy to interpret, consistent among our "normal" monkeys and changed consistently and explainably with change in lung mechanics induced by decrease in lung volume. We conclude that networks containing both parallel pathways and Caw are necessary to model ZL over the entire frequency range (2-32 Hz), the effect of Caw is an important determinant of ZL above 8 Hz, and a six-parameter Caw network with the ratio of Caw to parenchymal compliance, Cp, fixed may prove useful in interpreting changes in ZL induced by alterations in lung mechanics in monkeys.