Invasive versus noninvasive measurement of allergic and cholinergic airway responsiveness in mice

BACKGROUND: This study seeks to compare the ability of repeatable invasive and noninvasive lung function methods to assess allergen-specific and cholinergic airway responsiveness (AR) in intact, spontaneously breathing BALB/c mice. METHODS: Using noninvasive head-out body plethysmography and the decrease in tidal midexpiratory flow (EF(50)), we determined early AR (EAR) to inhaled Aspergillus fumigatus antigens in conscious mice. These measurements were paralleled by invasive determination of pulmonary conductance (GL), dynamic compliance (Cdyn) and EF(50 )in another group of anesthetized, orotracheally intubated mice. RESULTS: With both methods, allergic mice, sensitized and boosted with A. fumigatus, elicited allergen-specific EAR to A. fumigatus (p < 0.05 versus controls). Dose-response studies to aerosolized methacholine (MCh) were performed in the same animals 48 h later, showing that allergic mice relative to controls were distinctly more responsive (p < 0.05) and revealed acute airway inflammation as evidenced from increased eosinophils and lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage. CONCLUSION: We conclude that invasive and noninvasive pulmonary function tests are capable of detecting both allergen-specific and cholinergic AR in intact, allergic mice. The invasive determination of GL and Cdyn is superior in sensitivity, whereas the noninvasive EF(50 )method is particularly appropriate for quick and repeatable screening of respiratory function in large numbers of conscious mice

Oxidative addition of organic halides on palladium(0) complexes stabilized by dimethylfumarate and quinoline-based N-P or N-S spectator ligands

We have studied the oxidative addition of some organic halides on palladium(0) dimethylfumarate complexes bearing heteroditopic (N–P or N–S) quinoline-based spectator ligands from the experimental and theoretical point of view. We have measured the half-life of some oxidative addition reactions carried out in two different solvents (CD2Cl2 and CD3CN). The reactions were studied under mild conditions by NMR and the reactivities of different oxidants towards the complexes under study were compared. The rates of reaction were influenced by the nature of the spectator ligands and the solvent. The thioquinoline derivatives display a higher reactivity than that of the phosphoquinoline complexes and in general the reaction rates are higher in CD3CN than in CD2Cl2, although such a behavior is not always observed. We propose a plausible mechanism for the oxidative reaction in different solvents based on the experimental results and an adequate computational approach. Finally, the solid state structures of two reaction products were resolved and reported.We have studied the oxidative addition of some organic halides on palladium(0) dimethylfumarate complexes bearing heteroditopic (N-P or N-S) quinoline-based spectator ligands from the experimental and theoretical point of view. We have measured the half-life of some oxidative addition reactions carried out in two different solvents (CD2Cl2 and CD3CN). The reactions were studied under mild conditions by NMR and the reactivities of different oxidants towards the complexes under study were compared. The rates of reaction were influenced by the nature of the spectator ligands and the solvent. The thioquinoline derivatives display a higher reactivity than that of the phosphoquinoline complexes and in general the reaction rates are higher in CD3CN than in CD2Cl2, although such a behavior is not always observed. We propose a plausible mechanism for the oxidative reaction in different solvents based on the experimental results and an adequate computational approach. Finally, the solid state structures of two reaction products were resolved and reported. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Preface to MDSE4AmI 2007

The implementation of AmI applications is a task of tremendous complexity requiring the seamless integration of heterogeneous systems in an open and flexible way while providing the means for adaptivity and context-awareness. Ubiquitous devices have to cooperate to realize smart environments, multimodal user interfaces have to adapt to the available modalities for interaction and context information has to be taken into account. Therefore, new engineering approaches are needed in order to facilitate efficient design, development and deployment of AmI applications

Integrating Context Information into Enterprise Applications for the Mobile Workforce - Case Study

information) into mobile applications and services is one of the most crucial requirements to achieve a broader usability and hence acceptance of these. So far location information is used for typical business-to-consumer applications such as mobile MapQuest or ATM-finder. The application of location awareness in typical enterprise or business applications, such as logistics or Customer Relationship Management (CRM), is currently addressed rather poor. In this paper we discuss the enhancement of mobile enterprise applications by context information. Starting from a customer demand and for a mobile sales force scenario, our objective was the improvement of the usability of mobile enterprise applications by introducing context information to these

Systemlösungen für die Entwicklung adaptiver Anwendungen für mobile und ubiquitäre Infrastrukturen

Mobile Technologien (wie z.B. mobile Endger&auml;te, PDAs, Smartphones und drahtlose Netzwerke) sind heute Bestandteil vieler IT-Infrastrukturen. Die fortschreitende Entwicklung der Mikroelektronik, Kommunikationstechnik und der Materialwissenschaft ermöglicht immer kleinere Ger&auml;te mit vielfältigen Möglichkeiten zur Kommunikation und Integration mit dem Ziel, die Interaktion mit dem Menschen weiter zu vereinfachen und zu verbessern. Die Verschmelzung von Alltagsgegenst&auml;nden und elektronischen Ger&auml;ten zu so genannten ubiquitären Infrastrukturen wird die Komplexit&auml;t und Heterogenität heutiger mobiler Infrastrukturen signifikant erhöhen und stellt damit eine erhebliche Herausforderung für die Anwendungsentwicklung dar. Eine notwendige Voraussetzung, um die Anwendungsentwicklung mobiler und ubiquit&auml;rer Systeme effizient, finanzier- und gleichzeitig bedienbar zu halten, ist eine automatisierte Anpassung von Anwendungen an die Fähigkeiten der Endger&auml;te, deren Kommunikations- und Interaktionsm&ouml;glichkeiten sowie an den jeweiligen Benutzungskontext. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden eigene Adaptionsans&auml;tze f&uuml;r die dynamische Anpassung von Anwendungen beschrieben. Der Beitrag möchte vor allem Entscheidungen und Erfahrungen bei der Realisierung adaptiver Anwendungen vermitteln, auf m&ouml;gliche Probleme hinweisen und L&ouml;sungen aufzeigen