X-ray and Laser Investigation of High Pressure Sprays

The diagnostics of multiphase flows is important to understand the correlation of parameters such as nozzle geometry, flow velocity, liquid breakup characteristics, atomization, and mass distribution. Investigation of each of these parameters can lead to various improvements on design and optimization, for example, of combustion in gas turbines and rocket engines. For this project, the X-ray and optical diagnostics of multiphase flows in propulsion is investigated for high pressures. Two x-ray tube sources are used to illuminate the spray, and the images are captured on phosphor plates coupled to high-speed cameras. Reconstruction of the mass distribution is accomplished using computer analysis by applying Beer’s-Lambert law. High temporal resolution and spatial resolution images were collected of various sprays composed of water and KI solutions for development and characterization of the technique with different window materials typically used in high-pressure vessels. Laser-based fluorescence was tested in vaporized jet-A fuel in a high-pressure vessels. The implications for X-ray and laser analysis of multiphase flows in sprays with high spatial and temporal resolution and high signal to noise ratio are investigated

Language experience impacts brain activation for spoken and signed language in infancy: Insights from unimodal and bimodal bilinguals

Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that monolingual infants activate a left lateralised fronto-temporal brain network in response to spoken language, which is similar to the network involved in processing spoken and signed language in adulthood. However, it is unclear how brain activation to language is influenced by early experience in infancy. To address this question, we present functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data from 60 hearing infants (4-to-8 months): 19 monolingual infants exposed to English, 20 unimodal bilingual infants exposed to two spoken languages, and 21 bimodal bilingual infants exposed to English and British Sign Language (BSL). Across all infants, spoken language elicited activation in a bilateral brain network including the inferior frontal and posterior temporal areas, while sign language elicited activation in the right temporo-parietal area. A significant difference in brain lateralisation was observed between groups. Activation in the posterior temporal region was not lateralised in monolinguals and bimodal bilinguals, but right lateralised in response to both language modalities in unimodal bilinguals. This suggests that experience of two spoken languages influences brain activation for sign language when experienced for the first time. Multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA) could classify distributed patterns of activation within the left hemisphere for spoken and signed language in monolinguals (proportion correct = 0.68; p = 0.039) but not in unimodal or bimodal bilinguals. These results suggest that bilingual experience in infancy influences brain activation for language, and that unimodal bilingual experience has greater impact on early brain lateralisation than bimodal bilingual experience

Hairpatches, a single gene mutation characterized by progressive renal disease and alopecia in the mouse. A potential model for a newly described heritable human disorder.

A new murine mutation, hairpatches (Hpt), is on chromosome 4, 18.1 recombination units distal to brown near the interferon alpha and beta chain structural gene complex. On the inbred HPT/Le strain background, Hpt is semi-dominant, and Hpt/Hpt mice die in utero by 6 to 8 days of gestation. Such death in utero is associated with abnormalities of embryonic ectodermal derivatives. However on the (C57BL/6J x C3HeB/FeJ-a/a) segregating hybrid background, Hpt is a fully dominant mutation. HPT/Le Hpt/+ mice can be recognized by 3 to 4 days of age by patches of lightly pigmented skin. These mice show reduced numbers of hair follicles, abnormalities in hair follicle structure, and patchy absence of hair throughout life. By 2 weeks of age, abnormal hair follicle development is accompanied by thickening of the epidermis, reduction in levels of subcutaneous fat, and dermal inflammation. Progressive glomerulosclerosis, resulting in chronic kidney failure, is accompanied by increases in glomerular mesangial matrix, deposition of immune complexes, and glomerular enlargement. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed abnormalities of podocytes including disorganization, swelling, and fusion of the foot processes. Increase in serum blood urea nitrogen levels accompanies conspicuous renal histopathologic changes. Cardiovascular changes in Hpt/+ mice are evidenced by hypertrophy of the left heart ventricle. Increased systolic blood pressure in these animals was found by 3 months of age. Anemia occurs in Hpt/+ mice by 40 weeks. The Hpt/+ mutation provides a valuable new animal model for chronic kidney disease accompanied by skin abnormalities and ventricular hypertrophy. The pathologic changes caused by this mutation are similar to those reported in affected family members with a newly described autosomal dominant human disease

The mouse mutation “thrombocytopenia and cardiomyopathy” (trac) disrupts Abcg5: a spontaneous single gene model for human hereditary phytosterolemia/sitosterolemia

The spontaneous mouse mutation “thrombocytopenia and cardiomyopathy” (trac) causes macrothrombocytopenia, prolonged bleeding times, anemia, leukopenia, infertility, cardiomyopathy, and shortened life span. Homozygotes show a 20-fold decrease in platelet numbers and a 3-fold increase in platelet size with structural alterations and functional impairments in activation and aggregation. Megakaryocytes in trac/trac mice are present in increased numbers, have poorly developed demarcation membrane systems, and have decreased polyploidy. The thrombocytopenia is not intrinsic to defects at the level of hematopoietic progenitor cells but is associated with a microenvironmental abnormality. The trac mutation maps to mouse chromosome 17, syntenic with human chromosome 2p21-22. A G to A mutation in exon 10 of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–binding cassette subfamily G, member 5 (Abcg5) gene, alters a tryptophan codon (UGG) to a premature stop codon (UAG). Crosses with mice doubly transgenic for the human ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes rescued platelet counts and volumes. ABCG5 and ABCG8 form a functional complex that limits dietary phytosterol accumulation. Phytosterolemia in trac/trac mice confirmed a functional defect in the ABCG5/ABCG8 transport system. The trac mutation provides a new clinically significant animal model for human phytosterolemia and provides a new means for studying the role of phytosterols in hematologic diseases and testing therapeutic interventions

Diagnosis and treatment of rotatory knee instability

BACKGROUND Rotatory knee instability is an abnormal, complex three-dimensional motion that can involve pathology of the anteromedial, anterolateral, posteromedial, and posterolateral ligaments, bony alignment, and menisci. To understand the abnormal joint kinematics in rotatory knee instability, a review of the anatomical structures and their graded role in maintaining rotational stability, the importance of concomitant pathologies, as well as the different components of the knee rotation motion will be presented. MAIN BODY The most common instability pattern, anterolateral rotatory knee instability in an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient patient, will be discussed in detail. Although intra-articular ACL reconstruction is the gold standard treatment for ACL injury in physically active patients, in some cases current techniques may fail to restore native knee rotatory stability. The wide range of diagnostic options for rotatory knee instability including manual testing, different imaging modalities, static and dynamic measurement, and navigation is outlined. As numerous techniques of extra-articular tenodesis procedures have been described, performed in conjunction with ACL reconstruction, to restore anterolateral knee rotatory stability, a few of these techniques will be described in detail, and discuss the literature concerning their outcome. CONCLUSION In summary, the essence of reducing anterolateral rotatory knee instability begins and ends with a well-done, anatomic ACL reconstruction, which may be performed with consideration of extra-articular tenodesis in a select group of patients