Vibration control of wood-polymeric composite structures using piezoelectric transducers

Vibration control has been a subject of engineering research for the past few decades. Recently, the use of smart materials-related components for vibration control has become an alternative to traditional vibration control techniques. Vibration control with smart materials have many advantages such as lighter weight, smaller size, flexibility in the structure and lower cost. They are especially suitable where the traditional techniques cannot be applied due to weight and size restriction. The scope of the study is to understand the nature of piezoelectric materials for converting mechanical energy to electrical energy and vice versa. Physical properties of piezoelectric materials for vibration sensing, actuation and dissipation were evaluated. An analytical study of the resistorinductor (R-L) passive piezoelectric vibration shunt control of a cantilever beam was undertaken. The modal and strain analyses were performed by varying the material properties and geometric configurations of the piezoelectric transducer in relation to the structure in order to maximize the mechanical strain produced in the piezoelectric transducer. Numerical modelling of structures was performed and field-coupled with the passive piezoelectric vibration shunt control circuitry. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used for the analysis and optimal design. Experiments with the passive piezoelectric vibration shunt control of beams were also carried out and the results compared to the analytical and computational work described above

Project-based learning as a contributing factor to graduates' work readiness

This paper explores what work readiness means for two cohorts of graduate engineers, one from a traditional curriculum, the second from a largely project-based curriculum. Professional bodies and employers have defined a set of attributes for engineering graduates so that graduates will be 'work ready'. Problem-based learning (PBL) is claimed to be a suitable approach to develop such skills

Design and rationale of a multi-center, pragmatic, open-label randomized trial of antimicrobial therapy - the study of clinical efficacy of antimicrobial therapy strategy using pragmatic design in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (CleanUP-IPF) clinical trial

Compelling data have linked disease progression in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with lung dysbiosis and the resulting dysregulated local and systemic immune response. Moreover, prior therapeutic trials have suggested improved outcomes in these patients treated with either sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim or doxycycline. These trials have been limited by methodological concerns. This trial addresses the primary hypothesis that long-term treatment with antimicrobial therapy increases the time-to-event endpoint of respiratory hospitalization or all-cause mortality compared to usual care treatment in patients with IPF. We invoke numerous innovative features to achieve this goal, including: 1) utilizing a pragmatic randomized trial design; 2) collecting targeted biological samples to allow future exploration of 'personalized' therapy; and 3) developing a strong partnership between the NHLBI, a broad range of investigators, industry, and philanthropic organizations. The trial will randomize approximately 500 individuals in a 1:1 ratio to either antimicrobial therapy or usual care. The site principal investigator will declare their preferred initial antimicrobial treatment strategy (trimethoprim 160 mg/ sulfamethoxazole 800 mg twice a day plus folic acid 5 mg daily or doxycycline 100 mg once daily if body weight is < 50 kg or 100 mg twice daily if ≥50 kg) for the participant prior to randomization. Participants randomized to antimicrobial therapy will receive a voucher to help cover the additional prescription drug costs. Additionally, those participants will have 4-5 scheduled blood draws over the initial 24 months of therapy for safety monitoring. Blood sampling for DNA sequencing and genome wide transcriptomics will be collected before therapy. Blood sampling for transcriptomics and oral and fecal swabs for determination of the microbiome communities will be collected before and after study completion. As a pragmatic study, participants in both treatment arms will have limited in-person visits with the enrolling clinical center. Visits are limited to assessments of lung function and other clinical parameters at time points prior to randomization and at months 12, 24, and 36. All participants will be followed until the study completion for the assessment of clinical endpoints related to hospitalization and mortality events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02759120

Characterization of an autotrophic sulfide-oxidizing marine Arcobacter sp. that produces filamentous sulfur

Author Posting. © American Society for Microbiology, 2002. This article is posted here by permission of American Society for Microbiology for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology 68 (2002): 316-325, doi:10.1128/AEM.68.1.316-325.2002.A coastal marine sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic bacterium produces hydrophilic filamentous sulfur as a novel metabolic end product. Phylogenetic analysis placed the organism in the genus Arcobacter in the epsilon subdivision of the Proteobacteria. This motile vibrioid organism can be considered difficult to grow, preferring to grow under microaerophilic conditions in flowing systems in which a sulfide-oxygen gradient has been established. Purified cell cultures were maintained by using this approach. Essentially all 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride-stained cells in a flowing reactor system hybridized with Arcobacter-specific probes as well as with a probe specific for the sequence obtained from reactor-grown cells. The proposed provisional name for the coastal isolate is "Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus." For cells cultured in a flowing reactor system, the sulfide optimum was higher than and the CO2 fixation activity was as high as or higher than those reported for other sulfur oxidizers, such as Thiomicrospira spp. Cells associated with filamentous sulfur material demonstrated nitrogen fixation capability. No ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase could be detected on the basis of radioisotopic activity or by Western blotting techniques, suggesting an alternative pathway of CO2 fixation. The process of microbial filamentous sulfur formation has been documented in a number of marine environments where both sulfide and oxygen are available. Filamentous sulfur formation by "Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus" or similar strains may be an ecologically important process, contributing significantly to primary production in such environments.This work was supported by National Science Foundation grant IBN-9630054

PAciFy Cough – A multicentre, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover trial of morphine sulfate for the treatment of PulmonAry Fibrosis Cough

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease that leads to lung scarring, Cough is reported by 85% of patients with IPF and can be a distressing symptom with a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. There are no proven effective therapies for IPF related cough. While morphine is frequently used as a palliative agent for breathlessness in IPF, its effects on cough have never been tested. PAciFy Cough is a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of morphine sulfate for the treatment of cough in IPF. Methods: We will recruit 44 subjects with IPF prospectively from three interstitial lung disease units in the UK, namely the Royal Brompton Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Patients will be randomized (1:1) to either placebo twice daily or morphine sulfate 5mg twice daily for 14 days. They will then crossover after a 7 day washout period. The primary endpoint is the percent change in daytime cough frequency (coughs per hour) from baseline as assessed by objective cough monitoring at Day 14 of treatment. Discussion: This multicentre, randomised trial will assess the effect of opioids on cough counts and cough associated quality of life in IPF subjects. If proven to be an effective intervention, it represents a readily available treatment for patients. Trial registration: The study was approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (Ref: CTA 21268/0224/001-0001 – EUDRACT 2019-003571-19 – Protocol Number RBH2019/001) on 08 April 2020, in compliance with the European Clinical Trials Directive and the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 and its subsequent amendments. The study was provided with ethical approval by the London Brent Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 20/LO/0368) on 21 May 2020 and is registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04429516) on 12 June 2020, available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0442951

Long-lived photoexcited states in polydiacetylenes with different molecular and supramolecular organization

With the aim of determining the importance of the molecular and supramolecular organization on the excited states of polydiacetylenes, we have studied the photoinduced absorption spectra of the red form of poly[1,6-bis(3,6-didodecyl-N-carbazolyl)-2,4-hexadiyne] (polyDCHD-S) and the results compared with those of the blue form of the same polymer. An interpretation of the data is given in terms of both the conjugation length and the interbackbone separation also in relation to the photoinduced absorption spectra of both blue and red forms of poly[1,6-bis(N-carbazolyl)-2,4-hexadiyne] (polyDCHD), which does not carry the alkyl substituents on the carbazolyl side groups. Information on the above properties is derived from the analysis of the absorption and Raman spectra of this class of polydiacetylenes

Biomarkers of collagen synthesis predict progression in the PROFILE idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cohort.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodelling. Measuring this activity provides an opportunity to develop tools capable of identifying individuals at-risk of progression. Longitudinal change in markers of ECM synthesis was assessed in 145 newly-diagnosed individuals with IPF. Serum levels of collagen synthesis neoepitopes, PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 (collagen type 3 and 6), were elevated in IPF compared with controls at baseline, and progressive disease versus stable disease during follow up, (PRO-C3 p  0 vs. LOW slope, slope < =0) demonstrated no relationship with mortality for these markers (PRO-C3 (HR 1.62, p = 0.080); PINP (HR 0.76, p = 0.309); PRO-C6 (HR 1.14, p = 0.628)). As previously reported, rising concentrations of collagen degradation markers C1M, C3M, C6M and CRPM were associated with an increased risk of overall mortality (HR = 1.84, CI 1.03–3.27, p = 0.038, HR = 2.44, CI 1.39–4.31, p = 0.002; HR = 2.19, CI 1.25–3.82, p = 0.006; HR = 2.13 CI 1.21–3.75, p = 0.009 respectively). Elevated levels of PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 associate with IPF disease progression. Collagen synthesis and degradation biomarkers have the potential to enhance clinical trials in IPF and may inform prognostic assessment and therapeutic decision making in the clinic

Gene co-regulation by Fezf2 selects neurotransmitter identity and connectivity of corticospinal neurons

The neocortex contains an unparalleled diversity of neuronal subtypes, each defined by distinct traits that are developmentally acquired under the control of subtype-specific and pan-neuronal genes. The regulatory logic that orchestrates the expression of these unique combinations of genes is unknown for any class of cortical neuron. Here, we report that Fezf2 is a selector gene able to regulate the expression of gene sets that collectively define mouse corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN). We find that Fezf2 directly induces the glutamatergic identity of CSMN via activation of Vglut1 (Slc17a7) and inhibits a GABAergic fate by repressing transcription of Gad1. In addition, we identify the axon guidance receptor EphB1 as a target of Fezf2 necessary to execute the ipsilateral extension of the corticospinal tract. Our data indicate that co-regulated expression of neuron subtype–specific and pan-neuronal gene batteries by a single transcription factor is one component of the regulatory logic responsible for the establishment of CSMN identity

Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors as a Third-Line Oral Antihyperglycaemic Agent in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Impact of Ethnicity

Aims. The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of adding a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor to patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by metformin and sulphonylurea combination treatment. The response of Asian and non-Asian patients to this regimen was also examined. Methods. The medical and computerized records of 80 patients were examined. These patients had baseline HbA1c levels ranging from 7.0 to 12.5% and had a DPP-4 inhibitor add-on therapy for a minimum period of 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c level before and after DPP-4 inhibitor treatment. Results. During oral triple therapy, there was a reduction of HbA1c from 8.3% (7.7–8.9) to 7.2% (6.8–7.6) and 26 patients (32.5%) achieved an HbA1c <7%. Poor baseline glycaemic control, lower BMI, and younger age were associated with a better response, but duration of diabetes and gender did not affect outcome. The HbA1c reduction was not different between Asians and non-Asians group [−1.00% (0.6–1.3) vs −0.90% (0.4–1.6)]. Conclusions. DPP-4 inhibitor as a third-line add-on therapy can achieve significant glycaemic improvement in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on the combination of metformin and sulphonylurea. The improvement in HbA1c was similar between Asian and non-Asian patients