1,423 research outputs found
A foam model highlights the differences of the macro- and microrheology of respiratory horse mucus
Native horse mucus is characterized with micro- and macrorheology and
compared to hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel as a model. Both systems show
comparable viscoelastic properties on the microscale and for the HEC the
macrorheology is in good agreement with the microrheology. For the mucus, the
viscoelastic moduli on the macroscale are several orders of magnitude larger
than on the microscale. Large amplitude oscillatory shear experiments show that
the mucus responds nonlinearly at much smaller deformations than HEC. This
behavior fosters the assumption that the mucus has a foam like structure on the
microscale compared to the typical mesh like structure of the HEC, a model that
is supported by cryogenic-scanning-electron-microscopy (CSEM) images. These
images allow also to determine the relative amount of volume that is occupied
by the pores and the scaffold. Consequently, we can estimate the elastic
modulus of the scaffold. We conclude that this particular foam like
microstructure should be considered as a key factor for the transport of
particulate matter which plays a central role in mucus function with respect to
particle penetration. The mesh properties composed of very different components
are responsible for macroscopic and microscopic behavior being part of
particles fate after landing.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of
Biomedical Material
Laser pulse analysis
Methods are presented for locating threshold points by using laser pulse analysis. It was found that there are errors involved in the determination of each of these quantities, and an attempt was made to separate their effects on the overall range correction. Several series of corrected range measurements for fixed reflectors and satellites were obtained. Residuals were computed by fitting the range measurements to either fixed-reflector distances or short arcs of satellite orbits. Root mean square values of these residuals are presented
Photoproduction of pi0-mesons from nuclei
Photoproduction of neutral pions from nuclei (carbon, calcium, niobium, lead)
has been studied for incident photon energies from 200 MeV to 800 MeV with the
TAPS detector using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer at the Mainz MAMI
accelerator. Data were obtained for the inclusive photoproduction of neutral
pions and the partial channels of quasifree single pi0, double pi0, and
pi0pi+/- photoproduction. They have been analyzed in terms of the in-medium
behavior of nucleon resonances and the pion - nucleus interaction. They are
compared to earlier measurements from the deuteron and to the predictions of a
Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) transport model for photon induced pion
production from nuclei.Comment: 15 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in EPJ
Spectral Function of Quarks in Quark Matter
We investigate the spectral function of light quarks in infinite quark matter
using a simple, albeit self-consistent model. The interactions between the
quarks are described by the SU(2) Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. Currently mean
field effects are neglected and all calculations are performed in the chirally
restored phase at zero temperature. Relations between correlation functions and
collision rates are used to calculate the spectral function in an iterative
process.Comment: final version, published in PRC; 15 pages, RevTeX
National Geodetic Satellite Program, Part II: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
A sequence of advances in the determination of geodetic parameters presented by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory are described. A Baker-Nunn photographic system was used in addition to a ruby-laser ranging system to obtain data for refinement of geodetic parameters. A summary of the data employed to: (1) derive coordinates for the locations of various tracking stations; and (2) determine the gravitational potential of the earth, is presented
Role of Tyk-2 in Th9 and Th17 cells in allergic asthma.
In a murine model of allergic asthma, we found that Tyk-2((-/-)) asthmatic mice have induced peribronchial collagen deposition, mucosal type mast cells in the lung, IRF4 and hyperproliferative lung Th2 CD4(+) effector T cells over-expressing IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13. We also observed increased Th9 cells expressing IL-9 and IL-10 as well as T helper cells expressing IL-6, IL-10 and IL-21 with a defect in IL-17A and IL-17F production. This T helper phenotype was accompanied by increased SOCS3 in the lung of Tyk-2 deficient asthmatic mice. Finally, in vivo treatment with rIL-17A inhibited local CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells as well as Th2 cytokines without affecting IL-9 in the lung. These results suggest a role of Tyk-2 in different subsets of T helper cells mediated by SOCS3 regulation that is relevant for the treatment of asthma, cancer and autoimmune diseases
Relativistic Diskoseismology. I. Analytical Results for 'Gravity Modes'
We generalize previous calculations to a fully relativistic treatment of
adiabatic oscillations which are trapped in the inner regions of accretion
disks by non-Newtonian gravitational effects of a black hole. We employ the
Kerr geometry within the scalar potential formalism of Ipser and Lindblom,
neglecting the gravitational field of the disk. This approach treats
perturbations of arbitrary stationary, axisymmetric, perfect fluid models. It
is applied here to thin accretion disks. Approximate analytic eigenfunctions
and eigenfrequencies are obtained for the most robust and observable class of
modes, which corresponds roughly to the gravity (internal) oscillations of
stars. The dependence of the oscillation frequencies on the mass and angular
momentum of the black hole is exhibited. These trapped modes do not exist in
Newtonian gravity, and thus provide a signature and probe of the strong-field
structure of black holes. Our predictions are relevant to observations which
could detect modulation of the X-ray luminosity from stellar mass black holes
in our galaxy and the UV and optical luminosity from supermassive black holes
in active galactic nuclei.Comment: 31 pages, 6 figures, uses style file aaspp4.sty, prepared with the
AAS LATEX macros v4.0, significant revision of earlier submission to include
modes with axial index m>
Modelling the bronchial barrier in pulmonary drug delivery: A human bronchial epithelial cell line supplemented with human tracheal mucus.
The airway epithelium together with the mucus layer coating it forms a protective system that efficiently filters and removes potentially harmful particles contained in inhaled air. The same mechanism, however, serves to entrap particulate drug carriers, precluding their interaction with their target. The mucus barrier is often neglected in in vitro testing setups employed for the assessment of pulmonary drug delivery strategies. Therefore, our aim was to more accurately model the bronchial barrier, by developing an in vitro system comprising a tight epithelial cell layer which may be optionally supplemented with a layer of human tracheal mucus. To form the epithelium in vitro, we used the cystic fibrosis cell line CFBE41o-, which can be grown as monolayers on Transwell® supports, expressing tight junctions as well as relevant transport proteins. In contrast to the cell line Calu-3, however, CFBE41o- does not produce mucus. Therefore, native human mucus, obtained from tracheal tubes of patients undergoing elective surgery, was used as a supplement. The compatibility of CFBE41o- cells with the human mucus was addressed with the MTT assay, and confirmed by fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide live/dead staining. Moreover, the CFBE41o- cells retained their epithelial barrier properties after being supplemented with mucus, as evidenced by the high trans-epithelial electrical resistance values (∼1000Ωcm(2)) together with a continued low level of paracellular transport of sodium fluorescein. Fluorescently-labeled chitosan-coated PLGA nanoparticles (NP, ∼168nm) were used as a model drug delivery system to evaluate the suitability of this in vitro model for studying mucus permeation and cell uptake. Comparing CFBE41o- cell monolayers with and without mucus, resp., showed that the NP uptake was dramatically reduced in the presence of mucus. This model may therefore be used as a tool to study potential mucus interactions of aerosolized drugs, and more specifically NP-based drug delivery systems designed to exert their effect in the bronchial region
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