The city as a system.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Thesis. 1968. M.Arch.Includes bibliography.M.Arch

A STUDY OF MOTION CHARACTERISTICS LED BY CONNECTION METHODS AND POSITIONS OF A WAVE-ENERGY CONVERTER IN A REGULAR WAVE

The potential of wave power as an alternative energy resource is being studied to address problems associated with fossil fuel exhaustion and environmental pollution. In this paper, to improve the power generation efficiency of a floating-type wave-energy converter that has an activating body, the effects of the positions of a connecting bridge and different connecting methods between a main body and the activating body of the wave-energy converter were studied. In order to research the activating body’s motion characteristics that are caused by the changes of connecting bridge’s position and connecting methods; hinged or fixed connector, the wave-energy converter was modeled and simulated by using a commercial software. The moment and angular velocity of the axis of power generation were measured from the results of simulations and then the power outputs were calculated based on the moment and angular velocity. The outputs, which were analyzed under several regular wave conditions, were compared to each other

Trapping a Free-propagating Single-photon into an Atomic Ensemble as a Quantum Stationary Light Pulse

Efficient photon-photon interaction is one of the key elements for realizing quantum information processing. The interaction, however, must often be mediated through an atomic medium due to the bosonic nature of photons, and the interaction time, which is critically linked to the efficiency, depends on the properties of the atom-photon interaction. While the electromagnetically induced transparency effect does offer the possibility of photonic quantum memory, it does not enhance the interaction time as it fully maps the photonic state to an atomic state. The stationary light pulse (SLP) effect, on the contrary, traps the photonic state inside an atomic medium with zero group velocity, opening up the possibility of the enhanced interaction time. In this work, we report the first experimental demonstration of trapping a free-propagating single-photon into a cold atomic ensemble via the quantum SLP (QSLP) process. We conclusively show that the quantum properties of the single-photon state are preserved well during the QSLP process. Our work paves the way to new approaches for efficient photon-photon interactions, exotic photonic states, and many-body simulations in photonic systems

Electrical Characterization of Proposed Transpositional Acupoints on the Urinary Bladder Meridian in a Rat Model

Specific electrical characteristicsof acupointswere investigated on the urinary bladder (BL) meridian in 14 rats. BL acupointsand non-acupoints on the back were selected and their electrical voltages were measured by using aSPACsystem.The mean voltages of each point or each line were statistically analyzed by using the ANOVA test.The BL meridian showed voltages higher than those of the reference line (P < .05). Bilateral 1st BL lines presented higher voltages than bilateral 2nd BL lines (P < .05). Most BL acupoints had voltageshigher than those for the corresponding reference points (P < .05). In particular, theright BL16 exhibited the biggest difference from the reference point, followed by the left extra BL point-2, the right BL27, the left BL17, and theleft BL45. Additionally, the distributions of neurofilamentsfor several points were investigated by using immunohistochemistry. There was a trend for the BL acupoints to have larger numbers of neurofilaments than the reference points, and that trend seemed to be directly proportional to the difference in voltage between the points.In conclusion, BL acupoints on the back in ratsexhibited specific electric and histologic characteristics. Therefore, those acupointsmay be utilized to investigate the efficacy of acupuncturewith laboratory animals

Agaricus blazei Extract Induces Apoptosis through ROS-Dependent JNK Activation Involving the Mitochondrial Pathway and Suppression of Constitutive NF-κB in THP-1 Cells

Agaricus blazei is widely accepted as a traditional medicinal mushroom, and it has been known to exhibit immunostimulatory and anti-cancer activity. However, the apoptotic mechanism in cancer cells is poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated whether A. blazei extract (ABE) exerts antiproliferative and apoptotic effects in human leukemic THP-1 cells. We observed that ABE-induced apoptosis is associated with the mitochondrial pathway, which is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and prolonged c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. In addition, the ABE treatment resulted in the accumulation of cytochrome c in the cytoplasm, an increase in caspase activity, and an upregulation of Bax and Bad. With those results in mind, we found that ABE decreases constitutive NF-κB activation and NF-κB-regulated gene products such as IAP-1 and -2. We concluded that ABE induces apoptosis with ROS-dependent JNK activation and constitutive activated NF-κB inhibition in THP-1 cells

Enhanced cardiac expression of two isoforms of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in experimental diabetes mellitus.

BackgroundDiabetic cardiomyopathy (DM CMP) is defined as cardiomyocyte damage and ventricular dysfunction directly associated with diabetes independent of concomitant coronary artery disease or hypertension. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-2, have been reported to underlie the pathogenesis of DM CMP by increasing extracellular collagen content.PurposeWe hypothesized that two discrete MMP-2 isoforms (full length MMP-2, FL-MMP-2; N-terminal truncated MMP-2, NTT-MMP-2) are induced by high glucose stimulation in vitro and in an experimental diabetic heart model.MethodsRat cardiomyoblasts (H9C2 cells) were examined to determine whether high glucose can induce the expression of the two isoforms of MMP-2. For the in vivo study, we used the streptozotocin-induced DM mouse heart model and age-matched controls. The changes of each MMP-2 isoform expression in the diabetic mice hearts were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Immunohistochemical stains were conducted to identify the location and patterns of MMP-2 isoform expression. Echocardiography was performed to compare and analyze the changes in cardiac function induced by diabetes.ResultsQuantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining showed that the two MMP-2 isoforms were strongly induced by high glucose stimulation in H9C2 cells. Although no definite histologic features of diabetic cardiomyopathy were observed in diabetic mice hearts, left ventricular systolic dysfunction was determined by echocardiography. Quantitative RT-PCR and IHC staining showed this abnormal cardiac function was accompanied with the increases in the mRNA levels of the two isoforms of MMP-2 and related to intracellular localization.ConclusionTwo isoforms of MMP-2 were induced by high glucose stimulation in vitro and in a Type 1 DM mouse heart model. Further study is required to examine the role of these isoforms in DM CMP

Recombinant uteroglobin prevents the experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis

Recombinant uteroglobin prevents the experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis.BackgroundAlthough uteroglobin is known to have an immunomodulatory property and prevents the deposition of immune-complexes on the glomeruli of mice, the therapeutic potential of uteroglobin is uncertain in glomerulonephritis. To test the hypothesis that uteroglobin can prevent glomerulonephritis, we have studied the effects of recombinant uteroglobin on the development of experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis that is induced by anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) antibodies.Methods and ResultsGlomerulonephritis was induced by the intravenous injection of rabbit anti-GBM globulin antibodies into mice (C57BL/6), and renal injury was evaluated 7, 14, and 21 days afterward. Recombinant uteroglobin or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were given intravenously to mice for 3 days after anti-GBM antibody injection. Proteinuria was significantly reduced in mice treated with recombinant uteroglobin compared with disease-control mice at 7 and 14 days after an anti-GBM antibody injection, although the serum creatinine concentration was similar in both groups. The amount of proteinuria was similar in recombinant uteroglobin-treated and normal control mice. By histologic analysis, mesangial matrix expansion, mesangial proliferation, and cellular crescents representing crescentic glomerulonephritis were markedly attenuated by injection of recombinant uteroglobin. The in vitro proliferative responses of mesangial cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were blunted by the addition of recombinant uteroglobin in a dose-dependent manner. The preventive effects exerted by recombinant uteroglobin treatment were based on the inhibition of antibodies and complement-3 deposition on the glomeruli.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the preventive effects of recombinant uteroglobin in an experimental model of crescentic glomerulonephritis, and suggests the therapeutic implications of uteroglobin for human chronic glomerulonephritis