Flexi-Focus Lens: PDMS Variable Focal Length Lens

The design of a variable focal length, or flexi-focus, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lens incorporating a light emitting diode (LED) source is intended for future use on board commercial aircraft. Specifically, the design is intended for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, serving as a personal reading light for the passengers seated in the cabin. Most current reading lights on board aircraft are rigid, incandescent, and have very limited freedom in terms of adjusting the emitted light. Incandescent lamps are also inefficient with respect to energy consumption and light output as well as a high heat output. In an economy of increasing demand for cost efficiency, environmentally friendly solutions, and user friendly devices, this lighting configuration is a hindrance in its application. The Flexi-Focus LED light system will remedy this problem by allowing the passenger the freedom to refocus the light from broad flood lighting to precise spot lighting, adequate for reading. A table of user needs can be seen in Table I of Appendix F. This system involves a variable-focal length lens fabricated with PDMS, incorporated with an LED, which has the ability to flex into a range of convex surfaces when the pressure in an airtight chamber behind it is increased, thus enabling optimization for a broad range of applications. The focal length of the lens is a function of the refractive index of the lens material and the radius of curvature created by the deflection. With a known refractive index for the material, the light can be made to focus at specific distances. In the application of interest for this project, this enables the area illuminated by the LED to vary

Noncanonical NF-κB signaling and the essential kinase NIK modulate crucial features associated with eosinophilic esophagitis pathogenesis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic disease of the esophagus driven by T cell and eosinophil responses to dietary allergens, resulting in chronic mucosal inflammation. Few spontaneous animal models of esophageal eosinophilia exist, with most studies relying on artificial sensitization procedures. NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK; MAP3K14) is a key signaling molecule of the noncanonical NF-κB (NFKB1) pathway, an alternative signaling cascade producing chemokines involved in lymphoid stroma development and leukocyte trafficking. Nik−/− mice have been shown to develop a hypereosinophilic syndrome in peripheral blood and major filtering organs; however, the gastrointestinal mucosa of these mice has not been well characterized. We show that Nik−/− mice develop significant, localized eosinophilic esophagitis that mimics human EoE, including features such as severe eosinophil accumulation, degranulation, mucosal thickening, fibrosis and basal cell hyperplasia. The remainder of the GI tract, including the caudal stomach, small intestine and colon, in mice with active EoE are unaffected, also similar to human patients. Gene expression patterns in esophageal tissue of Nik−/− mice mimics human EoE, with thymic stromal lymphopoetin (TSLP) in particular also elevated at the protein level. In gene expression data sets from human biopsy specimens, we further show that many genes associated with noncanonical NF-κB signaling are significantly dysregulated in EoE patients, most notably a paradoxical upregulation of NIK itself with concurrent upregulation of powerful protein-level destabilizers of NIK. These findings suggest that Nik−/− mice could be useful as a spontaneous model of specific features of EoE and highlight a novel role for noncanonical NF-κB signaling in human patients

Pulmonary Exposure to Magnéli Phase Titanium Suboxides Results in Significant Macrophage Abnormalities and Decreased Lung Function

Coal is one of the most abundant and economic sources for global energy production. However, the burning of coal is widely recognized as a significant contributor to atmospheric particulate matter linked to deleterious respiratory impacts. Recently, we have discovered that burning coal generates large quantities of otherwise rare Magnéli phase titanium suboxides from TiO2 minerals naturally present in coal. These nanoscale Magnéli phases are biologically active without photostimulation and toxic to airway epithelial cells in vitro and to zebrafish in vivo. Here, we sought to determine the clinical and physiological impact of pulmonary exposure to Magnéli phases using mice as mammalian model organisms. Mice were exposed to the most frequently found Magnéli phases, Ti6O11, at 100 parts per million (ppm) via intratracheal administration. Local and systemic titanium concentrations, lung pathology, and changes in airway mechanics were assessed. Additional mechanistic studies were conducted with primary bone marrow derived macrophages. Our results indicate that macrophages are the cell type most impacted by exposure to these nanoscale particles. Following phagocytosis, macrophages fail to properly eliminate Magnéli phases, resulting in increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ultimately apoptosis. In the lungs, these nanoparticles become concentrated in macrophages, resulting in a feedback loop of reactive oxygen species production, cell death, and the initiation of gene expression profiles consistent with lung injury within 6 weeks of exposure. Chronic exposure and accumulation of Magnéli phases ultimately results in significantly reduced lung function impacting airway resistance, compliance, and elastance. Together, these studies demonstrate that Magnéli phases are toxic in the mammalian airway and are likely a significant nanoscale environmental pollutant, especially in geographic regions where coal combustion is a major contributor to atmospheric particulate matter

Assessing the effects of subject motion on T 2 relaxation under spin tagging (TRUST) cerebral oxygenation measurements using volume navigators: Effects of Subject Motion on TRUST

© 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Purpose: Subject motion may cause errors in estimates of blood T2 when using the T2-relaxation under spin tagging (TRUST) technique on noncompliant subjects like neonates. By incorporating 3D volume navigators (vNavs) into the TRUST pulse sequence, independent measurements of motion during scanning permit evaluation of these errors. Methods: The effects of integrated vNavs on TRUST-based T2 estimates were evaluated using simulations and in vivo subject data. Two subjects were scanned with the TRUST+vNav sequence during prescribed movements. Mean motion scores were derived from vNavs and TRUST images, along with a metric of exponential fit quality. Regression analysis was performed between T2 estimates and mean motion scores. Also, motion scores were determined from independent neonatal scans. Results: vNavs negligibly affected venous blood T2 estimates and better detected subject motion than fit quality metrics. Regression analysis showed that T2 is biased upward by 4.1 ms per 1 mm of mean motion score. During neonatal scans, mean motion scores of 0.6 to 2.0 mm were detected. Conclusion: Motion during TRUST causes an overestimate of T2, which suggests a cautious approach when comparing TRUST-based cerebral oxygenation measurements of noncompliant subjects. Magn Reson Med 78:2283–2289, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Halide-free synthesis of metastable graphitic BC 3

Layered BC3, a metastable phase within the binary boron-carbon system that is composed of graphite-like sheets with hexagonally symmetric C6B6 units, has never been successfully crystallized. Instead, poorly-crystalline BC3-like materials with significant stacking disorder have been isolated, based on the co-pyrolysis of a boron trihalide precursor with benzene at around 800 °C. The halide leaving group (-X) is a significant driving force of these reactions, but the subsequent evolution of gaseous HX species at such high temperatures hampers their scaling up and also prohibits their further use in the presence of hard-casting templates such as ordered silicates. Herein, we report a novel halide-free synthesis route to turbostratic BC3 with long-range in-plane ordering, as evidenced by multi-wavelength Raman spectroscopy. Judicious pairing of the two molecular precursors is crucial to achieving B-C bond formation and preventing phase-segregation into the thermodynamically favored products. A simple computational method used herein to evaluate the compatibility of bottom-up molecular precursors can be generalized to guide the future synthesis of other metastable materials beyond the boron-carbon system

AGE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DO NOT IMPACT CIRCULATING SOLUBLE CD14 CONCENTRATION IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS

BACKGROUND: Soluble CD14 (sCD14) (cluster of differentiation 14) is a co-receptor of bacterial lipopolysaccharide that is released from monocytes upon activation. There is a well-recognized role of sCD14 in inflammation, and aging has been associated with increased inflammation and cardiometabolic health risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure [BP], hyperglycemia). However, there is limited information on the combined influence of aging and physical activity on circulating sCD14. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of aging on plasma sCD14 concentration and the potential influence of physical activity. METHODS: Twenty young (11 females, age 22.7± 2.6, body mass index 26.7 ± 3.3, BP 119/73 ± 7/8 mmHg) and 21 old (11 female, age 58.4 ± 7.4, body mass index 27.8 ± 4.8, BP 125/76 ± 12/8 mmHg) adults participated in the study. Physical activity (PA) was assessed using waist worn ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers for a minimum of 5-days (7.6 ± 1.6 days) to obtain average daily steps, sedentary time, and moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA). We measured brachial BP using a SpyghmoCor XCEL after 10-minutes of supine rest. We assessed plasma concentrations of sCD14 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Normality was assessed using Shapiro-Wilk. Students’ T Test or Mann Whitney test were used to make age comparisons between young (\u3c35 years) and older (\u3e45 years) adults. Pearson’s correlation and Spearman’s rho, controlled for age, body mass index, and sex, were used to assess relations between MVPA and steps with sCD14. Statistical significance was set as p ≤ 0.05 RESULTS: There was not a difference between young and older adults in circulating sCD14 concentration (young: 2348 ± 441 vs. older: 2487 ± 541 pg/ml, p = 0.501). There was not a difference between young and older adults in MVPA (young: 47 ± 25 vs. older: 48 ± 24 min/day, p = 0.873) or average daily steps (young: 7179 ± 3171 vs. older: 7797 ± 3595 steps/day, p = 0.679). There were not associations between sCD14 and daily MVPA (r = -0.176, p = 0.343) or Steps (rho = -0.278, p = 0.130). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data indicate that there were no age differences in circulating sCD14 and no associations between habitual physical activity and circulating sCD14

AGE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DOES NOT IMPACT LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-BINDING PROTEIN CONCENTRATION IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS

BACKGROUND: LBP (lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein) is an acute‐phase protein that binds lipopolysaccharide in the blood and plays a role in subsequent activation of immune cells through the production of proinflammatory cytokines. LBP is associated with future cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adults. However, there is limited information on the combined influence of aging and physical activity on circulating LBP. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of aging on plasma LBP concentration and the potential influence of physical activity. METHODS: Ten young (4 females, age 23.5 ± 2.2, body mass index 26.3 ± 2.5 blood pressure 120/74 ± 8/8 mmHg) and 11 old (4 female, age 60.7 ± 5.5, body mass index 27.2 ± 3.2, blood pressure 124/74 ± 12/6 mmHg) participated in the study. Physical activity (PA) was assessed using waist worn ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers for a minimum of 6-days (7.1 ± 0.5 days) to obtain average daily steps, sedentary time, and moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA). We measured brachial blood pressure using a SpyghmoCor XCEL after 10-minutes of supine rest. We assessed plasma concentrations of LBP using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Normality was assessed using Shapiro-Wilk. Students’ T Test or Mann Whitney test were used to make age comparisons between young (\u3c35 years) and older (\u3e45 years) adults. Pearson’s correlation, controlled for age, body mass index, and sex, was used to assess relations between MVPA and steps with LBP. Statistical significance was set as p ≤ 0.05 RESULTS: There was not a difference between young and older adults in circulating LBP concentration (young: 8045 ± 3222 vs. older: 8905 ± 7087 pg/ml, p = 0.605). There was not a difference between young and older adults in MVPA (young: 56 ± 30 vs. older: 51 ± 28 min/day, p = 0.748) or average daily steps (young: 8150 ± 4315 vs. older: 8358 ± 4158 steps/day, p = 0.921). There were not associations between LBP and daily MVPA (r = -0.188, p = 0.519) or Steps (r = -0.267, p = 0.356). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data indicate that there were no age differences in circulating LBP and no associations between habitual physical activity and circulating LBP