Computer experiments to determine whether over- or under-counting necessarily affects the determination of difference in cell number between experimental groups

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Computer cell counting experiments were performed in order to examine the consequences of over- or under-counting. The three-dimensional reaggregate culture laboratory environment for cell counting was used as a model for computer simulation. The laboratory environment for aggregate and cell sizes, numbers and spatial placement in gelatin blocks was mimicked in the computer setup. However, in the computer, cell counting was set to be either ideally unbiased, or deliberately biased in regard to over- or under-counting so as to compare eventual results when using the various cell counting methods. It was found that there was no effect of the cell counting methods used in determining whether there was a significant difference in cell number between two experimental groups. In addition, it was found that under the conditions of these simulations, the optical disector method behaved similarly, on the average, as the ideal method of counting cell centers and in both of those cases, the average ratio between actual cell number in a flask and estimated number was close to 1.00. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks

In this chapter, we present a literature survey of an emerging, cutting-edge, and multi-disciplinary field of research at the intersection of Robotics and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which we refer to as Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks (RWSN). We define a RWSN as an autonomous networked multi-robot system that aims to achieve certain sensing goals while meeting and maintaining certain communication performance requirements, through cooperative control, learning and adaptation. While both of the component areas, i.e., Robotics and WSN, are very well-known and well-explored, there exist a whole set of new opportunities and research directions at the intersection of these two fields which are relatively or even completely unexplored. One such example would be the use of a set of robotic routers to set up a temporary communication path between a sender and a receiver that uses the controlled mobility to the advantage of packet routing. We find that there exist only a limited number of articles to be directly categorized as RWSN related works whereas there exist a range of articles in the robotics and the WSN literature that are also relevant to this new field of research. To connect the dots, we first identify the core problems and research trends related to RWSN such as connectivity, localization, routing, and robust flow of information. Next, we classify the existing research on RWSN as well as the relevant state-of-the-arts from robotics and WSN community according to the problems and trends identified in the first step. Lastly, we analyze what is missing in the existing literature, and identify topics that require more research attention in the future

Quantitative PCR of ear discharge from Indigenous Australian children with acute otitis media with perforation supports a role for Alloiococcus otitidis as a secondary pathogen

Otitis media is endemic in remote Indigenous communities of Australia’s Northern Territory. Alloiococcus otitidis is an outer ear commensal and putative middle ear pathogen that has not previously been described in acute otitis media (AOM) in this population. The aims of this study were to determine the presence, antibiotic susceptibility and bacterial load of A. otitidis in nasopharyngeal and ear discharge swabs collected from Indigenous Australian children with AOM with perforation.Financial support for this study was provided by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation; The Trust Foundation; and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)

Molecular mechanisms of vaspin action: from adipose tissue to skin and bone, from blood vessels to the brain

Visceral adipose tissue derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin) or SERPINA12 according to the serpin nomenclature was identified together with other genes and gene products that  were specifically expressed or overexpressed in the intra abdominal or visceral adipose tissue  (AT) of the Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty rat. These rats spontaneously develop visceral  obesity, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia and ‐glycemia, as well as hypertension and thus represent a well suited animal model of obesity and related metabolic disorders such as type  2 diabetes.  The follow-up study reporting the cloning, expression and functional characterization of  vaspin suggested the great and promising potential of this molecule to counteract obesity induced insulin resistance and inflammation and has since initiated over 300 publications, clinical and experimental, that have contributed to uncover the multifaceted functions and molecular mechanisms of vaspin action not only in the adipose, but in many different cells, tissues and organs. This review will give an update on mechanistic and structural aspects of vaspin with a focus on its serpin function, the physiology and regulation of vaspin expression, and will summarize the latest on vaspin function in various tissues such as the different adipose tissue depots as well as the vasculature, skin, bone and the brain