Visual assessment methods used by designers in industry

This thesis concerns visual assessment methods that occur in the dealings of the Consultant Industrial Designer with his industrial clients. The present situation of Industrial Design consultancy in the United Kingdom is outlined in the introduction. This is followed by information on visual assessments. This information is presented from field data in the form of case studies from the personal files of the author. There are twenty case studies from six different companies, all trading in electronic goods. There are thirteen case studies of engineering goods, and seven case studies of consumer goods. In all case studies presented, the author was the principal Industrial Designer involved. In the reporting of the case studies all occasions of visual assessment are prominently noted. Supplementary information is presented from desk data in the form of published works. This data is classified into subjects on designers, the design process and techniques of visualisation, presentation and assessment. This information is analysed into the main constituents that contribute to the visual assessment methods, organised into a simple form and summarised. This summary is then synthesised into a number of models that describe the contributing constituents of visual assessment. The conclusions are presented as a series of models that describe the visual assessment methods under consideration. In the appendices are listed the formal academic submissions that supplement this thesis (Figs. 1 and 2)

Analysis of heteroantisera to cells from human malignant effusions by immunofluorescence and protein A binding.

Using cultured cells derived from human malignant effusions, hetero-antisera were raised in rabbits. The antisera were sequentially absorbed on various human non-tumour cells, reactivity being monitored by immunofluorescence and 125I-labelled staphylococcal protein A assays. The absorbed antisera possessed common reactivity to all tumour cells assayed. This reactivity was not histogenically determined, and our data suggest that it was not directed to oncofoetal antigens

Antitubercular specific activity of ibuprofen and the other 2-arylpropanoic acids using the HT-SPOTi whole-cell phenotypic assay

Objectives: Lead antituberculosis (anti-TB) molecules with novel mechanisms of action are urgently required to fuel the anti-TB drug discovery pipeline. The aim of this study was to validate the use of the high-throughput spot culture growth inhibition (HT-SPOTi) assay for screening libraries of compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and to study the inhibitory effect of ibuprofen (IBP) and the other 2-arylpropanoic acids on the growth inhibition of M tuberculosis and other mycobacterial species. Methods: The HT-SPOTi method was validated not only with known drugs but also with a library of 47 confirmed anti-TB active compounds published in the ChEMBL database. Three over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were also included in the screening. The 2-arylpropanoic acids, including IBP, were comprehensively evaluated against phenotypically and physiologically different strains of mycobacteria, and their cytotoxicity was determined against murine RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, a comparative bioinformatic analysis was employed to propose a potential mycobacterial target. Results: IBP showed antitubercular properties while carprofen was the most potent among the 2-arylpropanoic class. A 3,5-dinitro-IBP derivative was found to be more potent than IBP but equally selective. Other synthetic derivatives of IBP were less active, and the free carboxylic acid of IBP seems to be essential for its anti-TB activity. IBP, carprofen and the 3,5-dinitro-IBP derivative exhibited activity against multidrug-resistant isolates and stationary phase bacilli. On the basis of the human targets of the 2-arylpropanoic analgesics, the protein initiation factor infB (Rv2839c) of M tuberculosis was proposed as a potential molecular target. Conclusions: The HT-SPOTi method can be employed reliably and reproducibly to screen the antimicrobial potency of different compounds. IBP demonstrated specific antitubercular activity, while carprofen was the most selective agent among the 2-arylpropanoic class. Activity against stationary phase bacilli and multidrug-resistant isolates permits us to speculate a novel mechanism of antimycobacterial action. Further medicinal chemistry and target elucidation studies could potentially lead to new therapies against TB

Liquid Crystalline Hydroxyapatite Nanorods Orchestrate Hierarchical Bone‐Like Mineralization

Bone matrix exhibits exceptional mechanical properties due to its unique nanocomposite structure of type I collagen fibrils and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles in hierarchical liquid crystalline (LC) order. However, the regeneration mechanism of this LC structure is elusive. This study investigates the role of the LC structure of HAp nanorods in guiding aligned mineralization and its underlying molecular mechanism. A unidirectionally oriented LC phase of HAp nanorods is developed through engineering‐assisted self‐assembling. This is used to study the growth direction of long‐range aligned extracellular matrix (ECM) and calcium deposit formation during the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells. It is found that 2 key regulatory genes, COL1A1 and COL4A6, lead to the formation of aligned ECM. Activation of the PI3K‐Akt pathway enhances osteogenesis and promotes ordered calcium deposits. This study provides evidence for elucidating the mechanism of LC‐induced ordered calcium deposition at hierarchical levels spanning from the molecular to macro‐scale, as well as the switch from ordered to disordered mineralization. These findings illuminate bone regeneration, contribute to the development of biomimetic artificial bone with long‐range ordered structures, and suggest a basis for therapeutic targeting of microstructure‐affected bone disorders and the broader field of cell‐ECM interactions

Reconstitution Properties of Thymus Stem Cells in Murine Fetal Liver

Injection of day-12 murine fetal liver cells into thymus lobes of Thy-1 congenic adult recipients results in a wave of thymocyte development. The kinetics of repopulation by donor cells reaches a peak after 20–25 days. The frequency of thymic stem cells (TSC) in day-12 fetal liver was estimated, by limit dilution, as 1 in 4x104 cells. Within 8 hr of injection into a thymus lobe, fetal liver TSC commit to T-cell development, losing stem-cell activity. When fetal liver cells are maintained in culture for 7 days, with no exogenous cytokines added, and then injected intra-thymically (I.T.), thymus recolonization is not observed. However, TSC can be maintained in culture for 7 days with IL-1β, IL-3, IL-6, or LIF added, alone or in combination, with steel factor (SLF). Poisson analysis of fetal liver cells cultured with SLF and IL-3 together revealed a precursor frequency of 1 in 1.8x 105 cells. In contrast, the frequency of TSC in adult bone marrow was estimated by limit dilution as 1 in 12,000 cells