The Antiangiogenic Properties of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells in Corneal Neovascularization in a Rabbit Model

The purpose was to study the anti-angiogenic effect of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ADMSCs) on experimentally induced corneal injuries. Corneal neovascularization (NV) was induced by incising and subsequently suturing the corneal surface in 32 New Zealand rabbits. Following suturing, the rabbits were randomly allocated into 2 groups, and received either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (control) or ADMSCs, both administered via three different routes. Digital images of the cornea were obtained two weeks post-incision to measure the area of neovascularized cornea. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was immunohistochemically assessed in the both groups. The corneal tissue was evaluated for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The extent of corneal NV in all eyes was assessed photographically by an independent observer. Fourteen days after the incisions, the degree of corneal NV was substantially decreased in the ADMSC-treated group (1.87 ± 0.9 mm2, 1.4 % ± 0.67 % of corneal surface) compared to the control and PBS-treated group (4.66 ± 1.74 mm2, 3.51 % ± 1.31 %, p < 0.001). ADMSCs significantly decreased injury-induced corneal NV in New Zealand rabbits two weeks post-treatment. This strategy has potential for use in the control of corneal NV in vivo.Â

The Antiangiogenic Properties of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells in Corneal Neovascularization in a Rabbit Model

The purpose was to study the anti-angiogenic effect of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ADMSCs) on experimentally induced corneal injuries. Corneal neovascularization (NV) was induced by incising and subsequently suturing the corneal surface in 32 New Zealand rabbits. Following suturing, the rabbits were randomly allocated into 2 groups, and received either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (control) or ADMSCs, both administered via three different routes. Digital images of the cornea were obtained two weeks post-incision to measure the area of neovascularized cornea. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was immunohistochemically assessed in the both groups. The corneal tissue was evaluated for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The extent of corneal NV in all eyes was assessed photographically by an independent observer. Fourteen days after the incisions, the degree of corneal NV was substantially decreased in the ADMSC-treated group (1.87 ± 0.9 mm2, 1.4 % ± 0.67 % of corneal surface) compared to the control and PBS-treated group (4.66 ± 1.74 mm2, 3.51 % ± 1.31 %, p < 0.001). ADMSCs significantly decreased injury-induced corneal NV in New Zealand rabbits two weeks post-treatment. This strategy has potential for use in the control of corneal NV in vivo.

A new calorimetry design for assessing proposed technologies in low energy power production

As a method to measure heat sources for various mechanical, electrical and chemical processes, calorimeters have been used for many years. This project was conducted to develop, build, test and measure heat production with a Novel Calorimeter designed to detect excess heat for various processes. An energy balance analysis was conducted by restricting the change in input heat and output to near zero. The work term was also held near zero and attempts were made to make the response independent of steam quality. The data and results suggest that the calorimeter was able to run continuously and achieve close to ambient temperatures under adjusted flow rates. Suggestions are proposed to improve the design of the Novel Calorimeter.http://archive.org/details/anewcalorimetryd1094529612Lieutenant, Hellenic NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

ACUX Typology: A Harmonisation of Cultural-Visitor Typologies for Multi-Profile Classification

The modern cultural industry and the related academic sectors have shown increased interest in Cultural User eXperience (CUX) research, since it constitutes a critical factor to examine and apply when presenting cultural content. Recent CUX studies show that visitors tend to carry their own cultural characteristics and preferences when visiting destinations of cultural interest, thus obtaining a virtually unique experience. To cope with this tendency, various research efforts have been made to identify different profiles of cultural visitors based on their background and preferences and classify them into distinct visitor types. In this paper, we proposed the ACUX (Augmented Cultural User eXperience) typology for classifying visitors of cultural destinations. The proposed typology aims to provide the multi-profile classification of cultural visitors based on their visiting preferences. Methodology-wise, the ACUX typology was the output of a harmonisation process of existing cultural-visitor typologies that base their classification on visiting preferences. The proposed typology was evaluated in juxtaposition with the harmonised typologies from which it was derived through an experiment conducted using a recommender and a dataset of TripAdvisor user responses. The evaluation showed that the ACUX typology achieved a more accurate profiling of cultural visitors, enabling them to reduce information overload by directly suggesting content that is more likely to meet their diverse preferences and needs