Within-tree variability in the drying properties for blackbutt timber in new south wales

The within-tree variability of drying properties, including the green and final moisture contents, the basic density, and the diffusion coefficient, has been investigated for regrowth blackbutt timber (Eucalyptus pilularis Sm).Timber boards from two regrowth trees were taken from Northern New South Wales in Australia, and dried in a lab scale kiln. The pattern of variation within the two trees was similar, such that the diffusion coefficient was strongly correlated with the initial moisture content and basic density. Principal components analysis suggested that the timber boards with low basic densities and high initial moisture contents had higher diffusion coefficients. A potential reason is that if there is less wood material per unit volume, then this leaves more space for water to occupy, and there is also less resistance for the diffusive transport of moisture. In addition, this suggested correlation was also evident in the analysis of variance (ANOVA).A simulation study, using the timber data measured from the experiments in this paper, was also conducted to estimate how different hardwood drying schedules are likely to affect the distribution of the final moisture contents, and the time taken to reach an average stack moisture content of 0.15 kg/kg. A revised version of the drying schedule used for the experiments in this paper, i.e. adding 5ºC to the dry and wet-bulb temperatures, has been predicted to be a better drying schedule out of the four drying schedules studied, due to it drying the timber quicker as well as having a small dispersion of final moisture contents

From vocational training to education: the development of a no-frontiers education policy for Europe?

This article focuses on developments towards an EU educational policy. Education was not included as one of the Community competencies in the Treaty of Rome. The first half of the article analyses the way that the European Court of Justice and the Commission of the European Communities between them managed to develop a series of substantial Community programmes out of Article 128 on vocational training. The second half of the article discusses educational developments in the community following the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty of Amsterdam. Whilst the legal competence of the community now includes education, the author's argument is that the inclusion of an educational competence will not result in further developments to mirror those in the years before the Treaty on Europe</p

T-cell subpopulations αβ and γδ in cord blood of very preterm infants : The influence of intrauterine infection

Open Access: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are creditedPreterm infants are very susceptible to infections. Immune response mechanisms in this group of patients and factors that influence cord blood mononuclear cell populations remain poorly understood and are considered insufficient. However, competent immune functions of the cord blood mononuclear cells are also described. The aim of this work was to evaluate the T-cell population (CD3+) with its subpopulations bearing T-cell receptor (TCR) αβ or TCR γδ in the cord blood of preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestation by mothers with or without an intrauterine infection. Being a pilot study, it also aimed at feasibility check and assessment of an expected effect size. The cord blood samples of 46 infants age were subjected to direct immunofluorescent staining with monoclonal antibodies and then analyzed by flow cytometry. The percentage of CD3+ cells in neonates born by mothers with diagnosis of intrauterine infection was significantly lower than in neonates born by mothers without infection (p = 0.005; Mann-Whitney U test). The number of cells did not differ between groups. Infection present in the mother did not have an influence on the TCR αβ or TCR γδ subpopulations. Our study contributes to a better understanding of preterm infants' immune mechanisms, and sets the stage for further investigations.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Alternatively activated dendritic cells regulate CD4+ T-cell polarization in vitro and in vivo

Interleukin-4 is a cytokine widely known for its role in CD4(+) T cell polarization and its ability to alternatively activate macrophage populations. In contrast, the impact of IL-4 on the activation and function of dendritic cells (DCs) is poorly understood. We report here that DCs respond to IL-4 both in vitro and in vivo by expression of multiple alternative activation markers with a different expression pattern to that of macrophages. We further demonstrate a central role for DC IL-4Rα expression in the optimal induction of IFNγ responses in vivo in both Th1 and Th2 settings, through a feedback loop in which IL-4 promotes DC secretion of IL-12. Finally, we reveal a central role for RELMα during T-cell priming, establishing that its expression by DCs is critical for optimal IL-10 and IL-13 promotion in vitro and in vivo. Together, these data highlight the significant impact that IL-4 and RELMα can have on DC activation and function in the context of either bacterial or helminth pathogens

Inhaled Nanoparticles Accumulate at Sites of Vascular Disease

The development of engineered nanomaterials is growing exponentially, despite concerns over their potential similarities to environmental nanoparticles that are associated with significant cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms through which inhalation of nanoparticles could trigger acute cardiovascular events are emerging, but a fundamental unanswered question remains: Do inhaled nanoparticles translocate from the lung in man and directly contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease? In complementary clinical and experimental studies, we used gold nanoparticles to evaluate particle translocation, permitting detection by high-resolution inductively coupled mass spectrometry and Raman microscopy. Healthy volunteers were exposed to nanoparticles by acute inhalation, followed by repeated sampling of blood and urine. Gold was detected in the blood and urine within 15 min to 24 h after exposure, and was still present 3 months after exposure. Levels were greater following inhalation of 5 nm (primary diameter) particles compared to 30 nm particles. Studies in mice demonstrated the accumulation in the blood and liver following pulmonary exposure to a broader size range of gold nanoparticles (2-200 nm primary diameter), with translocation markedly greater for particles <10 nm diameter. Gold nanoparticles preferentially accumulated in inflammation-rich vascular lesions of fat-fed apolipoproteinE-deficient mice. Furthermore, following inhalation, gold particles could be detected in surgical specimens of carotid artery disease from patients at risk of stroke. Translocation of inhaled nanoparticles into the systemic circulation and accumulation at sites of vascular inflammation provides a direct mechanism that can explain the link between environmental nanoparticles and cardiovascular disease and has major implications for risk management in the use of engineered nanomaterials

A Model-Based Methodology for Spray-Drying Process Development

Solid amorphous dispersions are frequently used to improve the solubility and, thus, the bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Spray-drying, a well-characterized pharmaceutical unit operation, is ideally suited to producing solid amorphous dispersions due to its rapid drying kinetics. This paper describes a novel flowchart methodology based on fundamental engineering models and state-of-the-art process characterization techniques that ensure that spray-drying process development and scale-up are efficient and require minimal time and API. This methodology offers substantive advantages over traditional process-development methods, which are often empirical and require large quantities of API and long development times. This approach is also in alignment with the current guidance on Pharmaceutical Development Q8(R1). The methodology is used from early formulation-screening activities (involving milligrams of API) through process development and scale-up for early clinical supplies (involving kilograms of API) to commercial manufacturing (involving metric tons of API). It has been used to progress numerous spray-dried dispersion formulations, increasing bioavailability of formulations at preclinical through commercial scales

Lymphoid tissue inducer–like cells are an innate source of IL-17 and IL-22

The interleukin (IL) 17 family of cytokines has emerged to be critical for host defense as well as the pathogenesis of autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders, and serves to link adaptive and innate responses. Recent studies have identified a new subset of T cells that selectively produce IL-17 (Th17 cells; Bettelli, E., T. Korn, and V.K. Kuchroo. 2007. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 19:652–657; Kolls, J.K., and A. Linden. 2004. Immunity. 21:467–476), but the regulation of IL-17 production by innate immune cells is less well understood. We report that in vitro stimulation with IL-23 induced IL-17 production by recombination activating gene (Rag) 2−/− splenocytes but not Rag2−/− common γ chain−/− splenocytes. We found that a major source of IL-17 was CD4+CD3−NK1.1−CD11b−Gr1−CD11c−B220− cells, a phenotype that corresponds to lymphoid tissue inducer–like cells (LTi-like cells), which constitutively expressed the IL-23 receptor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, and CCR6. In vivo challenge with the yeast cell wall product zymosan rapidly induced IL-17 production in these cells. Genetic deletion of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 reduced but did not abrogate IL-17 production in LTi-like cells. Thus, it appears that splenic LTi-like cells are a rapid source of IL-17 and IL-22, which might contribute to dynamic organization of secondary lymphoid organ structure or host defense

Improved outcome in children with advanced stage B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL): results of the United Kingdom Children Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) 9002 protocol

From July 1990 to March 1996, 112 children with stage III or IV B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) with up to 70% FAB L3-type blasts (n= 42) in the bone marrow without central nervous system (CNS) disease were treated on the United Kingdom Children Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) 9002 protocol (identical to the French LMB 84). The median age was 8.3 years. There were 81 boys and 31 girls. According to the extent of the primary disease, patients were sub-staged into three groups: IIIA with unresectable abdominal tumour (n= 39); IIIB with abdominal multiorgan involvement (n= 57) and IIIX with extra-abdominal primary lymphoma often presenting as pleural effusion (n= 16). Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to evaluate the prognostic significance of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level at diagnosis, the sub-stage and the time to achieve complete remission (CR). With a median follow up of 48 months (range 12–92), the overall and event free survival (EFS) is 87% (95% confidence interval (CI) 79.2–92.1%) and 83.7% (95% CI 76.3–89.2%) respectively. Six patients (5.4%) never achieved CR, of whom one is alive following high-dose therapy. Eight patients (7.1%) relapsed after achieving CR, three are alive after second-line therapy. There were three early toxic deaths (2.7%), mainly from infection, and one late death from a second cancer. There was no significant difference in EFS according to LDH level at diagnosis, the sub-stage or the time to CR. This study confirms the overall good prognosis and low rate of toxic deaths in patients with advanced B-NHL treated with this intensive regimen. No significant difference in EFS according to the sub-stage, the time to achieve CR or LDH level at diagnosis making it difficult to identify a group that should not receive intensive therapy. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Expression of αvβ6integrin in oral leukoplakia

The distribution of αvβ6integrin was examined in oral leukoplakia, lichen planus and squamous cell carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Controls included oral mucosal wounds, chronically inflamed and normal oral mucosa. Integrins β1, β3, β4, β5, fibronectin and tenascin were also studied. The integrin αvβ6was highly expressed throughout the whole lesion of 90% of the squamous cell carcinomas but was not present in any of the normal specimens. αvβ6integrin was also expressed in 41% of the leukoplakia specimens, and 85% of the lichen planus samples, but in none of the tissues with inflammatory hyperplasia or chronic inflammation. The expression of β1 integrins was localized in the basal layer, and that of the β4at the cell surface facing the basement membrane of all specimens. The integrins β3and β5were absent from all normal and leukoplakia specimens. Fibronectin and tenascin were present in the connective tissue underneath the epithelium of all the sections, and their expression was similar in both αvβ6-positive and αvβ6-negative tissues. A group of 28 leukoplakia patients were followed 1–4 years after first diagnosis. In this group, initially αvβ6integrin-positive leukoplakia specimens had high tendency for disease progression while αvβ6-negative specimens did not progress. These results suggest that the expression of αvβ6integrin could be associated in the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakias. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig