Feedback Control of Flow Separation Using Plasma Actuator and FBG Sensor

A feedback control system for mitigating flow separation was developed by using a string-type dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) plasma actuator and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor. Tangential jets were induced from the string-type DBD plasma actuator, which was located at 5% chord from the leading edge of an NACA0024 airfoil. The FBG sensor was attached to the interior surface near the root of the cantilever beam modeled on the pressure surface of the airfoil. The strain at the cantilever root was reflected in the form of Bragg wavelengths (λB) detected by the FBG sensor when the cantilever tip was vibrated by the flow near the trailing edge of the airfoil. It was found that calculating running standard deviations in the Bragg wavelength (λB′) detected by the sensor was valuable for judging flow separation in real time. The feedback control of flow separation on the NACA0024 airfoil was successfully demonstrated by setting λB′=0.0028 with periodic flow separations generated in a wind tunnel by oscillating a side wall of the test section with frequency fw=0.42 Hz. It was confirmed that the appearance probability of flow separation tends to decrease with a decrease in the duration for calculating λB′ and with an increase in the duration of jet injection

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace for the ISS

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has just started the development of Electrostatic Levitation Furnace to be launched in 2014 for the ISS. This furnace can control the sample position with electrostatic force and heat it above 2000 degree Celsius using semiconductor laser from four different directions. The announcement of Opportunity will be issued soon for this furnace. In this paper, we will show the specifications of this furnace and also the development schedul

Early and Definitive Diagnosis of Toxic Shock Syndrome by Detection of Marked Expansion of T-Cell-Receptor Vβ2-Positive T Cells

We describe two cases of early toxic shock syndrome, caused by the superantigen produced from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and diagnosed on the basis of an expansion of T-cell-receptor Vβ2-positive T cells. One case-patient showed atypical symptoms. Our results indicate that diagnostic systems incorporating laboratory techniques are essential for rapid, definitive diagnosis of toxic shock syndrome

Enzymatic measurement of ether phospholipids in human plasma after hydrolysis of plasma with phospholipase A1

Objectives: Ethanolamine ether phospholipids (ePE) and choline ether phospholipid (ePC) are present in human serum or plasma. Decreases in ether phospholipids (plasmalogens) in serum (plasma) have been reported in several diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, metabolic syndrome, schizophrenia. Therefore, need for assay of ether phospholipids in plasma may increase in the future. Nowadays, measurement of the ether phospholipids in human plasma seem to depend on tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), but a system for LC/MS/MS is too expensive for most of ordinary clinical laboratories, moreover, use and maintenance of the system are time consuming. Design and methods: Phospholipase A1 (PLA1) hydrolyzes ester (acyl) bond at the sn-1 position of glycerophospholipids, but it does not act on ether bond at the sn-1 position. We confirmed by a HPLC method that treatment of plasma with PLA1 causes complete disappearance of all diacyl phospholipids, but ether phospholipids remain intact. On the basis of these observations, we developed an enzymatic assay method for ePE and ePC in human plasma by use of a fluorescence plate reader. Results: The amount of ePE in human plasma measured by the enzymatic method was well correlated to that by LC/ESI-MS method (R2 > 0.94), but the correlation of ePC between the two methods was bit poorer (R2 > 0.77) than that of ePE. Conclusion: The enzymatic method may be applied to assay of ether phospholipids (ePE and ePC) not only in human plasma but also to assay of ePE and ePC in the other tissues

Improvement of Blood Plasmalogens and Clinical Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease by Oral Administration of Ether Phospholipids: A Preliminary Report

Introduction. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). With the ageing of population, the frequency of PD is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. L-DOPA (1,3,4-dihydroxyalanine) is the most effective drug in the symptomatic treatment of PD. Nonmotor symptoms in PD include sleep problems, depression, and dementia, which are not adequately controlled with dopaminergic therapy. Here, we report the efficacy of oral administration of scallop-derived ether phospholipids to some nonmotor symptoms of PD. Methods. Ten (10) patients received oral administration of 1 mg/day of purified ether phospholipids derived from scallop for 24 weeks. Clinical symptoms and blood tests were checked at 0, 4, 12, 24, and 28 weeks. The blood levels of plasmalogens in patients with PD were compared with those of 39 age-matched normal controls. Results. Initial levels of plasma ethanolamine ether phospholipids in PD and ethanolamine plasmalogen of erythrocyte from PD were lower than those of age-matched normal controls. Oral administration of 1 mg/day of the purified ether phospholipids increased plasma ether phospholipids in PD and increased the relative composition of ether phospholipids of erythrocyte membrane in PD. The levels of ether phospholipids in peripheral blood reached to almost normal levels after 24 weeks. Furthermore, some clinical symptoms of PD improved concomitantly. Conclusion. 1 mg/day of oral administration of purified ether phospholipids derived from scallop can increase ether phospholipids in peripheral blood and concomitantly improve some clinical symptoms of PD

Efficacy and Blood Plasmalogen Changes by Oral Administration of Plasmalogen in Patients with Mild Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

Background: Plasmalogens (Pls) reportedly decreased in postmortem brain and in the blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently we showed that intraperitoneal administration of Pls improved cognitive function in experimental animals. In the present trial, we tested the efficacy of oral administration of scallop-derived purified Pls with respect to cognitive function and blood Pls changes in patients with mild AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: The study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 24 weeks. Participants were 328 patients aged 60 to 85 years who had 20 to 27 points in Mini Mental State Examination-Japanese (MMSE-J) score and five or less points in Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Version-Japanese (GDS-S-J). They were randomized to receive either 1 mg/day of Pls purified from scallop or placebo. The patients and study physicians were masked to the assignment. The primary outcome was MMSE-J. The secondary outcomes included Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), GDS-S-J and concentration of phosphatidyl ethanolamine plasmalogens (PlsPE) in erythrocyte membrane and plasma. This trial is registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network, number UMIN000014945. Findings: Of 328 patients enrolled, 276 patients completed the trial (140 in the treatment group and 136 in the placebo group). In an intention-to-treat analysis including both mild AD (20 ≤ MMSE-J ≤ 23) and MCI (24 ≤ MMSE-J ≤ 27), no significant difference was shown between the treatment and placebo groups in the primary and secondary outcomes, with no severe adverse events in either group. In mild AD patients, WMS-R improved significantly in the treatment group, and the between group difference was nearly significant (P = 0.067). In a subgroup analysis of mild AD patients, WMS-R significantly improved among females and those aged below 77 years in the treatment group, and the between-group differences were statistically significant in females (P = 0.017) and in those aged below 77 years (P = 0.029). Patients with mild AD showed a significantly greater decrease in plasma PlsPE in the placebo group than in the treatment group. Interpretation: Oral administration of scallop-derived purified Pls may improve cognitive functions of mild AD. Funding: The Japanese Plasmalogen Society

Changes in Phospholipid Composition of Erythrocyte Membrane in Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: There are several reports indicating a decrease of ethanolamine plasmalogen (pl-PE) in brain tissues and in serum of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The present study aimed to examine the composition of erythrocyte phospholipids including pl-PE in patients with AD. Method: A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method that can separate intact plasmalogens and all other phospholipid classes by a single chromatographic run was used. Results: The ratios of pl-PE, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) to sphingomyelin were low as compared to those of the age-matched controls. Conclusion: These changes in erythrocyte phospholipids may reflect changes induced by oxidative stress, indicating the presence of high oxidative stress in the peripheral blood of AD patients