The application of ultrasonic NDT techniques in tribology

The use of ultrasonic reflection is emerging as a technique for studying tribological contacts. Ultrasonic waves can be transmitted non-destructively through machine components and their behaviour at an interface describes the characteristics of that contact. This paper is a review of the current state of understanding of the mechanisms of ultrasonic reflection at interfaces, and how this has been used to investigate the processes of dry rough surface contact and lubricated contact. The review extends to cover how ultrasound has been used to study the tribological function of certain engineering machine elements

A Novel Greeting Selection System for a Culture-Adaptive Humanoid Robot

Robots, especially humanoids, are expected to perform human-like actions and adapt to our ways of communication in order to facilitate their acceptance in human society. Among humans, rules of communication change depending on background culture: greetings are a part of communication in which cultural differences are strong. Robots should adapt to these specific differences in order to communicate effectively, being able to select the appropriate manner of greeting for different cultures depending on the social context. In this paper, we present the modelling of social factors that influence greeting choice, and the resulting novel culture-dependent greeting gesture and words selection system. An experiment with German participants was run using the humanoid robot ARMAR-IIIb. Thanks to this system, the robot, after interacting with Germans, can perform greeting gestures appropriate to German culture in addition to a repertoire of greetings appropriate to Japanese culture

Effects of Preservation with Pre-Fermented Green Juice (FGJ) on Fermentation Quality and Energy and Nitrogen Utilization of Round-Baled Alfalfa Silage by Dairy Cattle

This study was conducted to examine the effects of pre-fermented green juice (FGJ) of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the fermentation quality and animal performance of round-baled alfalfa silage (Medicago stativa L.,cv. Dupuits). Ensiling treatments of wilting and FGJ additives (WFGJ) and direct-cut and FGJ additives (DFGJ) improved the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage more than that of wilting (W). Enhanced fermentation in the WFGJ and DFGJ silage was also associated with the increases of energy and nitrogen utilization of the silage by dry Holstein dairy cattle, as fed on diets formulated with alfalfa silage, oat hay, and oat grains

Anti-Tumor Effect against Human Cancer Xenografts by a Fully Human Monoclonal Antibody to a Variant 8-Epitope of CD44R1 Expressed on Cancer Stem Cells

BACKGROUND: CD44 is a major cellular receptor for hyaluronic acids. The stem structure of CD44 encoded by ten normal exons can be enlarged by ten variant exons (v1-v10) by alternative splicing. We have succeeded in preparing MV5 fully human IgM and its class-switched GV5 IgG monoclonal antibody (mAb) recognizing the extracellular domain of a CD44R1 isoform that contains the inserted region coded by variant (v8, v9 and v10) exons and is expressed on the surface of various human epithelial cancer cells. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrated the growth inhibition of human cancer xenografts by a GV5 IgG mAb reshaped from an MV5 IgM. The epitope recognized by MV5 and GV5 was identified to a v8-coding region by the analysis of mAb binding to various recombinant CD44 proteins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. GV5 showed preferential reactivity against various malignant human cells versus normal human cells assessed by flow cytometry and immunohistological analysis. When ME180 human uterine cervix carcinoma cells were subcutaneously inoculated to athymic mice with GV5, significant inhibition of tumor formation was observed. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injections of GV5markedly inhibited the growth of visible established tumors from HSC-3 human larynx carcinoma cells that had been subcutaneously transplanted one week before the first treatment with GV5. From in vitro experiments, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and internalization of CD44R1 seemed to be possible mechanisms for in vivo anti-tumor activity by GV5. CONCLUSIONS: CD44R1 is an excellent molecular target for mAb therapy of cancer, possibly superior to molecules targeted by existing therapeutic mAb, such as Trastuzumab and Cetuximab recognizing human epidermal growth factor receptor family

Redox Regulation of Mitochondrial Fission Protein Drp1 by Protein Disulfide Isomerase Limits Endothelial Senescence.

Mitochondrial dynamics are tightly controlled by fusion and fission, and their dysregulation and excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction. How redox signals regulate coupling between mitochondrial dynamics and endothelial (dys)function remains unknown. Here, we identify protein disulfide isomerase A1 (PDIA1) as a thiol reductase for the mitochondrial fission protein Drp1. A biotin-labeled Cys-OH trapping probe and rescue experiments reveal that PDIA1 depletion in ECs induces sulfenylation of Drp1 at Cys644, promoting mitochondrial fragmentation and ROS elevation without inducing ER stress, which drives EC senescence. Mechanistically, PDIA1 associates with Drp1 to reduce its redox status and activity. Defective wound healing and angiogenesis in diabetic or PDIA1+/- mice are restored by EC-targeted PDIA1 or the Cys oxidation-defective mutant Drp1. Thus, this study uncovers a molecular link between PDIA1 and Drp1 oxidoreduction, which maintains normal mitochondrial dynamics and limits endothelial senescence with potential translational implications for vascular diseases associated with diabetes or aging.This research was supported by NIH R01HL135584 (to M.U.-F.), NIH R21HL112293 (to M.U.-F.), NIH R01HL133613 (to T.F. and M.U.-F.), NIH R01HL116976 (to T.F. and M.U.-F.), NIH R01HL070187 (to T.F.), NIH R01HL112626 (to J.K.), Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review Grant 2I01BX001232 (to T.F.), AHA 16GRNT31390032 (to M.U.-F.), AHA 15SDG25700406 (to S.V.), AHA 16POST27790038 (to A.D.), and NIH T32HL07829 (to R.C.). We thank Mr. Kyle Taylor at Keyence Corporation for assisting with taking images using the Keyence microscope; Dr. John O’Bryan at UIC for assisting with the BiFC assays; Dr. Leslie Poole at Wake Forest University for providing DCP-Bio1, as well as Dr. Jody Martin and the Center for Cardiovascular Research-supported Vector Core Facility at UIC for amplifying adenoviruses.S

An interaction between Nrf2 polymorphisms and smoking status affects annual decline in FEV1: a longitudinal retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An Nrf2-dependent response is a central protective mechanism against oxidative stress. We propose that particular genetic variants of the <it>Nrf2 </it>gene may be associated with a rapid forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) decline induced by cigarette smoking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 915 Japanese from a general population. Values of annual decline in FEV₁were computed for each individual using a linear mixed-effect model. Multiple clinical characteristics were assessed to identify associations with annual FEV₁decline. Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the <it>Nrf2 </it>gene (rs2001350, rs6726395, rs1962142, rs2364722) and one functional SNP (rs6721961) in the <it>Nrf2 </it>promoter region were genotyped to assess interactions between the <it>Nrf2 </it>polymorphisms and smoking status on annual FEV₁decline.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Annual FEV₁decline was associated with smoking behavior and inversely correlated with FEV₁/FVC and FEV₁% predicted. The mean annual FEV₁declines in individuals with rs6726395 G/G, G/A, or A/A were 26.2, 22.3, and 20.8 mL/year, respectively, and differences in these means were statistically significant (p_corr= 0.016). We also found a significant interaction between rs6726395 genotype and smoking status on the FEV₁decline (p for interaction = 0.011). The haplotype rs2001350T/rs6726395A/rs1962142A/rs2364722A/rs6721961T was associated with lower annual decline in FEV₁(p = 0.004).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicated that an Nrf2-dependent response to exogenous stimuli may affect annual FEV₁decline in the general population. It appears that the genetic influence of <it>Nrf2 </it>is modified by smoking status, suggesting the presence of a gene-environment interaction in accelerated decline in FEV₁.</p