Effect of the Charged Pressure on GM Cryocooler Performance.

Presented at the 16th International Cryocooler Conference, held May 17-20, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.This paper presents experimental results that show that the refrigeration efficiency of GM refrigerators can be improved by applying a charged pressure. Recently, there has been remarkable progress in superconducting systems, such as magnetic resonance imaging systems, silicon singlecrystal pull-up apparatus, and cryopumps. GM cryocoolers are used to cool these systems because of their high reliability. Thus, to improve the efficiency of superconducting systems, it is important to improve the efficiency of GM cryocoolers. If the compression ratio of a GM cryocooler is reduced, its coefficient of performance (COP) will approach the Carnot COP, since the cryocooler will operate with Simon expansion. Therefore, we investigated the effect of varying the charged pressure of a cryocooler and the cycle frequency on its refrigeration efficiency. We developed a GM cryocooler that can be operated at various charged pressures and we measured its efficiency at various charged pressures and operating frequencies. The optimum charged pressure and operating frequency were determined by comparing the experimental results with numerical simulation results

Työelämän muutosten vaikutus henkilöstöjohtamiseen linja-autoliikennealalla

Tässä tutkimuksellisessa opinnäytetyössä pyritään työelämän ja HR:n roolin kehittymistä kuvaamalla hahmottamaan se, millaiseksi HR:n rooli voisi muodostua tulevaisuudessa henkilökuljetusyrityksessä ja eteenkin linja-autoliikennealalla, johon tarkastelun näkökulma voimakkaimmin kohdistuu. Taustana opinnäytetyölle on koko henkilökuljetustoimialan murros, jonka vaikutuksia ei täysin vielä tunnisteta. Henkilökuljetusliiketoiminta, erityisesti linja-autoliikenne, on työvoimavaltainen ala, jonka menestymisen edellytykset liittyvät HR:n tehtäväkenttään kuuluviin tekemisiin. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on tuottaa lisätietoa ja kehitysideoita linja-autoliikenne toimialalla toimivien yritysten johdolle HR-toiminnon parantamiseksi. Tietoperustassa tarkastellaan työelämän kehittymistä sekä Suomen henkilökuljetustoimialaa. Työelämän kehittymisen kuvaaminen on tärkeää, jotta ymmärretään paremmin HR:n tarpeen syntyminen ja sen rooli yrityksissä. Tietoperustasta ilmenee, että HR:n rooli muuttuu ja kehittyy työelämän vaatimusten mukana. Linja-autoliikennealalla Suomessa on tapahtunut viimeisen kahden vuoden aikana merkittäviä muutoksia sääntelyn purkamisen sekä lupamenettelyn näkökulmasta ja koko ala on murroksessa. Koko henkilökuljetustoimialan suljetut markkinat avautuvat lähitulevaisuudessa kilpailulle kokonaan. Se millaiseksi HR:n rooli muodostuu tulevaisuudessa, auttaa ymmärtämään millaisten teemojen parissa HR-funktio tulee työskentelemään. Perinteisesti HR:n rooliin kuuluu strateginen rooli, osaamisen kehittäminen, työhyvinvoinnin johtaminen, palkitsemisen määritteleminen, muutoksen edistäminen sekä oikealaisen ja –aikaisen henkilöstöresurssin hankkiminen. HR:n rooliin voi kuulua paljon muutakin, riippuen organisaatiosta ja toimialasta, jolla yritys toimii. Linja-autoliikennealalla on myös ominaispiirteitä, jotka vaikuttavat HR:n roolin muodostumiseen. Tutkimuksessa pyritään löytämään vastauksia kysymykseen, mikä on HR:n rooli tulevaisuuden linja-autoliikenne toimialalla ja mitkä valmiudet HR-ammattilaisilla tulisi olla? Tutkimus toteutettiin teemahaastattelun avulla. Haastateltavat valittiin sillä perusteella, että he työskentelevät joko henkilökuljetustoimialalla tai he omaavat vahvan kokemuksellisen tiedon työelämän kehittämisestä. Kaikki haastateltavat toimivat liiketoiminnan tai henkilöstön johtotehtävissä. Haastattelun tulokset analysoitiin teemoittelun avulla. Teemahaastattelun aiheina olivat: Tulevaisuuden työelämä ja linja-autoliikenne ala sekä HR:n roolin painopisteet. Teemahaastatteluiden perusteella voidaan todeta, että linja-autoliikennealalla on edessä suuria rakenteellisia haasteita ja alan yritykset joutuvat muuttamaan toimintatapojaan merkittävästi. Muutokset kohdistuvat erityisesti henkilöstöön johtamisen, työskentelytapojen ja uusiutumiskyvyn näkökulmasta. HR:llä on merkittävä rooli alan yrityksissä, mutta sen painopisteet muuttuvat tulevaisuudessa

Acinetobacter baumannii Infection Inhibits Airway Eosinophilia and Lung Pathology in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma

Allergic asthma is a dysregulation of the immune system which leads to the development of Th2 responses to innocuous antigens (allergens). Some infections and microbial components can re-direct the immune response toward the Th1 response, or induce regulatory T cells to suppress the Th2 response, thereby inhibiting the development of allergic asthma. Since Acinetobacter baumannii infection can modulate lung cellular and cytokine responses, we studied the effect of A. baumannii in modulating airway eosinophilia in a mouse model of allergic asthma. Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice were treated with live A. baumannii or phosphate buffered saline (PBS), then intranasally challenged with OVA. Compared to PBS, A. baumannii treatment significantly reduced pulmonary Th2 cytokine and chemokine responses to OVA challenge. More importantly, the airway inflammation in A. baumannii-treated mice was strongly suppressed, as seen by the significant reduction of the proportion and the total number of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, A. baumannii-treated mice diminished lung mucus overproduction and pathology. However, A. baumannii treatment did not significantly alter systemic immune responses to OVA. Serum OVA-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a levels were comparable between A. baumannii- and PBS-treated mice, and tracheobronchial lymph node cells from both treatment groups produced similar levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in response to in vitro OVA stimulation. Moreover, it appears that TLR-4 and IFN-γ were not directly involved in the A. baumannii-induced suppression of airway eosinophilia. Our results suggest that A. baumannii inhibits allergic airway inflammation by direct suppression of local pulmonary Th2 cytokine responses to the allergen

Oral tolerance inhibits pulmonary eosinophilia in a cockroach allergen induced model of asthma: a randomized laboratory study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antigen desensitization through oral tolerance is becoming an increasingly attractive treatment option for allergic diseases. However, the mechanism(s) by which tolerization is achieved remain poorly defined. In this study we endeavored to induce oral tolerance to cockroach allergen (CRA: a complex mixture of insect components) in order to ameliorate asthma-like, allergic pulmonary inflammation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared the pulmonary inflammation of mice which had received four CRA feedings prior to intratracheal allergen sensitization and challenge to mice fed PBS on the same time course. Respiratory parameters were assessed by whole body unrestrained plethysmography and mechanical ventilation with forced oscillation. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and lung homogenate (LH) were assessed for cytokines and chemokines by ELISA. BAL inflammatory cells were also collected and examined by light microscopy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CRA feeding prior to allergen sensitization and challenge led to a significant improvement in respiratory health. Airways hyperreactivity measured indirectly via enhanced pause (Penh) was meaningfully reduced in the CRA-fed mice compared to the PBS fed mice (2.3 ± 0.4 vs 3.9 ± 0.6; p = 0.03). Directly measured airways resistance confirmed this trend when comparing the CRA-fed to the PBS-fed animals (2.97 ± 0.98 vs 4.95 ± 1.41). This effect was not due to reduced traditional inflammatory cell chemotactic factors, Th2 or other cytokines and chemokines. The mechanism of improved respiratory health in the tolerized mice was due to significantly reduced eosinophil numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (43300 ± 11445 vs 158786 ± 38908; p = 0.007) and eosinophil specific peroxidase activity in the lung homogenate (0.59 ± 0.13 vs 1.19 ± 0.19; p = 0.017). The decreased eosinophilia was likely the result of increased IL-10 in the lung homogenate of the tolerized mice (6320 ± 354 ng/mL vs 5190 ± 404 ng/mL, p = 0.02).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results show that oral tolerization to CRA can improve the respiratory health of experimental mice in a CRA-induced model of asthma-like pulmonary inflammation by reducing pulmonary eosinophilia.</p

Interleukin-17 regulation: an attractive therapeutic approach for asthma

Interleukin (IL)-17 is recognized to play a critical role in numerous immune and inflammatory responses by regulating the expression of various inflammatory mediators, which include cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. There is growing evidence that IL-17 is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. IL-17 orchestrates the neutrophilic influx into the airways and also enhances T-helper 2 (Th2) cell-mediated eosinophilic airway inflammation in asthma. Recent studies have demonstrated that not only inhibitor of IL-17 per se but also diverse regulators of IL-17 expression reduce antigen-induced airway inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and Th2 cytokine levels in animal models of asthma. This review will summarize the role of IL-17 in the context of allergic airway inflammation and discuss the therapeutic potential of various strategies targeting IL-17 for asthma

Differentiation of Schizophrenia Patients from Healthy Subjects by Mismatch Negativity and Neuropsychological Tests

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder with diverse presentations. The current and the proposed DSM-V diagnostic system remains phenomenologically based, despite the fact that several neurobiological and neuropsychological markers have been identified. A multivariate approach has better diagnostic utility than a single marker method. In this study, the mismatch negativity (MMN) deficit of schizophrenia was first replicated in a Han Chinese population, and then the MMN was combined with several neuropsychological measurements to differentiate schizophrenia patients from healthy subjects. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 120 schizophrenia patients and 76 healthy controls were recruited. Each subject received examinations for duration MMN, Continuous Performance Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Third Edition (WAIS-III). The MMN was compared between cases and controls, and important covariates were investigated. Schizophrenia patients had significantly reduced MMN amplitudes, and MMN decreased with increasing age in both patient and control groups. None of the neuropsychological indices correlated with MMN. Predictive multivariate logistic regression models using the MMN and neuropsychological measurements as predictors were developed. Four predictors, including MMN at electrode FCz and three scores from the WAIS-III (Arithmetic, Block Design, and Performance IQ) were retained in the final predictive model. The model performed well in differentiating patients from healthy subjects (percentage of concordant pairs: 90.5%). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: MMN deficits were found in Han Chinese schizophrenia patients. The multivariate approach combining biomarkers from different modalities such as electrophysiology and neuropsychology had a better diagnostic utility

Protective Effector Memory CD4 T Cells Depend on ICOS for Survival

Memory CD4 T cells play a vital role in protection against re-infection by pathogens as diverse as helminthes or influenza viruses. Inducible costimulator (ICOS) is highly expressed on memory CD4 T cells and has been shown to augment proliferation and survival of activated CD4 T cells. However, the role of ICOS costimulation on the development and maintenance of memory CD4 T cells remains controversial. Herein, we describe a significant defect in the number of effector memory (EM) phenotype cells in ICOS−/− and ICOSL−/− mice that becomes progressively more dramatic as the mice age. This decrease was not due to a defect in the homeostatic proliferation of EM phenotype CD4 T cells in ICOS−/− or ICOSL−/− mice. To determine whether ICOS regulated the development or survival of EM CD4 T cells, we utilized an adoptive transfer model. We found no defect in development of EM CD4 T cells, but long-term survival of ICOS−/− EM CD4 T cells was significantly compromised compared to wild-type cells. The defect in survival was specific to EM cells as the central memory (CM) ICOS−/− CD4 T cells persisted as well as wild type cells. To determine the physiological consequences of a specific defect in EM CD4 T cells, wild-type and ICOS−/− mice were infected with influenza virus. ICOS−/− mice developed significantly fewer influenza-specific EM CD4 T cells and were more susceptible to re-infection than wild-type mice. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a role for ICOS costimulation in the maintenance of EM but not CM CD4 T cells

Deep whole-genome sequencing reveals recent selection signatures linked to evolution and disease risk of Japanese

Understanding natural selection is crucial to unveiling evolution of modern humans. Here, we report natural selection signatures in the Japanese population using 2234 high-depth whole-genome sequence (WGS) data (25.9×). Using rare singletons, we identify signals of very recent selection for the past 2000–3000 years in multiple loci (ADH cluster, MHC region, BRAP-ALDH2, SERHL2). In large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset (n = 171,176), variants with selection signatures show enrichment in heterogeneity of derived allele frequency spectra among the geographic regions of Japan, highlighted by two major regional clusters (Hondo and Ryukyu). While the selection signatures do not show enrichment in archaic hominin-derived genome sequences, they overlap with the SNPs associated with the modern human traits. The strongest overlaps are observed for the alcohol or nutrition metabolism-related traits. Our study illustrates the value of high-depth WGS to understand evolution and their relationship with disease risk