An Application Perspective on High-Performance Computing and Communications

We review possible and probable industrial applications of HPCC focusing on the software and hardware issues. Thirty-three separate categories are illustrated by detailed descriptions of five areas -- computational chemistry; Monte Carlo methods from physics to economics; manufacturing; and computational fluid dynamics; command and control; or crisis management; and multimedia services to client computers and settop boxes. The hardware varies from tightly-coupled parallel supercomputers to heterogeneous distributed systems. The software models span HPF and data parallelism, to distributed information systems and object/data flow parallelism on the Web. We find that in each case, it is reasonably clear that HPCC works in principle, and postulate that this knowledge can be used in a new generation of software infrastructure based on the WebWindows approach, and discussed in an accompanying paper

Noxic effects of polystyrene microparticles on murine macrophages and epithelial cells

Abstract Microplastic (MP) contamination has been identified as an ecological problem with an increasing impact on everyday life. Yet, possible effects of MP at the cellular level are still poorly understood. Here, the interaction of murine macrophages (J774A.1, ImKC) and epithelial cells (STC-1, BNL CL.2) with well-characterized poly(styrene) MP particles (MPP) of varying sizes (0.2–6.0 µm) was studied. Macrophages are expected to actively engulf particles which could be confirmed in this study, while epithelial cells are found in tissues with direct contact with ingested or inhaled MPP. Here, the epithelial cells from both investigated cell lines did not ingest MPP in significant numbers. Concomitantly, no cytotoxic effects nor any influence on cellular proliferation were observed. Cells from the two macrophage cell lines showed high ingestion of MPP of all sizes, but cytotoxic effects were observed only for one of them (ImKC) and only at MPP concentrations above 250 µg/mL. Indications of cellular stress as well as effects on cell proliferation were observed for cell populations with high particle cell interactions

Designing the Phytoremediation Landscape: Exploring phytoremediation of urban brownfields as a system and stage in designed and managed successional processes

The present day challenges facing the post-industrial city are economic reinvention, social equity, and environmental recovery. The urban mosaic of these places is vague and broken, and demands new and innovative solutions for the reclamation of vacant, abandoned, and contaminated landscapes that create a unification of economic, environmental, and cultural healing. A multi-scalar approach is proposed as a strategy for the integration of multiple components in multiple contexts. Particular focus is on the synthesis of community engagement and environmental remediation of these spoiled, derelict lands. Specifically, phytoremediation is explored as a solution for land reclamation, ecological and social recovery of parcel-scale urban open spaces. Discussion of how design intervention at multiple scales can be synthesized, the temporal dynamic of remediation, and the potential for integrating ecological natural attenuation and land-use activation simultaneously as a component of a staged and managed urban land succession, are explored. The problems and opportunities associated with the resurrection of the post-industrial city are vast and multifaceted. This project will propose strategies through design that attempt to merge the elements of sustainability into a new and replicable cultural, environmental and urban cleansing initiative

Investigating the HIV Reservoir in Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

Current antiretroviral therapies are not curative because they do not eradicate long-lived cells harboring HIV proviral DNA and thus, if a patient stops therapy, circulating virus will rebound. A subset of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) express HIV receptors (CD4 and CCR5 or CXCR4) that enable both active and latent infection. Thus, HSPCs have been implicated as a source of persistent virus in vivo. In this dissertation, we first show that HIV genomes can be detected in CD133-sorted HSPCs from a subset of donors with long- term viral suppression and in most cases cannot be explained by contamination with CD3+ T cells. In an analysis of a larger cohort of optimally treated HIV-infected donors, we wished to determine the tropism of virus in HSPCs and delineate which progenitor subsets are infected in vivo. In contrast to HIVs that utilize CXCR4, we found that CCR5-tropic viruses are likely to not infect hematopoietic stem cells. Instead, CCR5-tropic viruses may infect non-stem cell progenitors that may actually be long-lived in vivo as implicated by other recent studies. Finally, we describe a distinct CD4high HSPC subpopulation that is enriched in multipotent cells and preferentially infected by HIVs of both tropisms. In sum, these results provide evidence that HIV-infected HSPCs do persist in vivo and may be a relevant reservoir of the virus in HIV+ people on therapy.PHDCellular & Molec Biology PhDUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144124/1/nadiaseb_1.pd

High-speed imaging in fluids

High-speed imaging is in popular demand for a broad range of experiments in fluids. It allows for a detailed visualization of the event under study by acquiring a series of image frames captured at high temporal and spatial resolution. This review covers high-speed imaging basics, by defining criteria for high-speed imaging experiments in fluids and to give rule-of-thumbs for a series of cases. It also considers stroboscopic imaging, triggering and illumination, and scaling issues. It provides guidelines for testing and calibration. Ultra high-speed imaging at frame rates exceeding 1 million frames per second is reviewed, and the combination of conventional experiments in fluids techniques with high-speed imaging techniques are discussed. The review is concluded with a high-speed imaging chart, which summarizes criteria for temporal scale and spatial scale and which facilitates the selection of a high-speed imaging system for the applicatio

The Development of Thermoreversible Progesterone-Loaded Hydrogels for the Prevention of Preterm Birth

Preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks of gestation) is the second largest direct cause of mortality in children under the age of five. Infants born preterm often have various medical complications, including neurological disorders, leading to increased morbidity. PTB is multifactorial and few efficacious therapies exist. Currently, the only therapeutic that has shown efficacy against PTB is progesterone. Vaginal drug delivery is the preferred route for targeting the female reproductive tract. With effective localized delivery, vaginally delivered drugs have a high permeation range, avoid first pass metabolism, and experience lower enzymatic activity, which leads to an increased drug concentration in local tissues. However, key barriers to effective vaginal drug delivery, including the protective cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) that acts as a barrier and facilitates clearance, must be considered. Clinically, progesterone is often dosed vaginally for the prevention of preterm birth (PTB). Crinone® is a hypertonic gel containing micronized progesterone used for this purpose. The prevention of PTB with Crinone® has varied efficacy, likely due to its formulation which is hypertonic and micronized. Here, I describe a novel in-situ hydrogel for vaginal progesterone delivery that demonstrates more superior physical properties in terms of particle size, osmolality, surface charge and viscoelastic profile when compared to Crinone®. Previous studies have demonstrated that non-adhesive mucus penetrating particles (MPP) (with hydrophilic arms and a hydrophobic core) can effectively overcome the CVM to deliver drug loads to the underlying epithelium. However, due to liquid formulation MPP alone is not the most desirable mode of delivery. Here, I tested whether an in-situ hydrogel composed of progesterone loaded MPP could serve as a more effect mode of drug delivery. I hypothesized that Pluronic F127, a nonionic amphiphilic triblock copolymer with thermoreversible properties based on concentration, could create an in-situ gel upon vaginal delivery. Nanoparticles were developed using various Pluronics and the most desirable nanoparticle formulation was selected based size, ζ-potential, polydispersity and tonicity. Separately, various F127 gels were characterized for rheological properties such as sol-gel transition. Finally, nanoparticles and gels were combined and further tested for physical characteristics and in vivo properties. I found that nanoparticles with lower concentrations milled at higher volumes with ZsOBO5 beads with low concentrations of stabilizer had the smallest size, PDI, and ζ-potential, as desired. F127 gels from 14-18% w/w demonstrated the most desirable physical properties based on rheological and in vivo tests. Of all the hydrogels tested the 16% w/w gel with 2% F127 and 2% F68 coated NC had the greatest stability