Visualization of hydrogen injection in a scramjet engine by simultaneous PLIF imaging and laser holographic imaging

Flowfield characterization has been accomplished for several fuel injector configurations using simultaneous planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) and laser holographic imaging (LHI). The experiments were carried out in the GASL-NASA HYPULSE real gas expansion tube facility, a pulsed facility with steady test times of about 350 microsec. The tests were done at simulated Mach numbers 13.5 and 17. The focus of this paper is on the measurement technologies used and their application in a research facility. The HYPULSE facility, the models used for the experiments, and the setup for the LHI and PLIF measurements are described. Measurement challenges and solutions are discussed. Results are presented for experiments with several fuel injector configurations and several equivalence ratios

Multistationary and Oscillatory Modes of Free Radicals Generation by the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Revealed by a Bifurcation Analysis

The mitochondrial electron transport chain transforms energy satisfying cellular demand and generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that act as metabolic signals or destructive factors. Therefore, knowledge of the possible modes and bifurcations of electron transport that affect ROS signaling provides insight into the interrelationship of mitochondrial respiration with cellular metabolism. Here, a bifurcation analysis of a sequence of the electron transport chain models of increasing complexity was used to analyze the contribution of individual components to the modes of respiratory chain behavior. Our algorithm constructed models as large systems of ordinary differential equations describing the time evolution of the distribution of redox states of the respiratory complexes. The most complete model of the respiratory chain and linked metabolic reactions predicted that condensed mitochondria produce more ROS at low succinate concentration and less ROS at high succinate levels than swelled mitochondria. This prediction was validated by measuring ROS production under various swelling conditions. A numerical bifurcation analysis revealed qualitatively different types of multistationary behavior and sustained oscillations in the parameter space near a region that was previously found to describe the behavior of isolated mitochondria. The oscillations in transmembrane potential and ROS generation, observed in living cells were reproduced in the model that includes interaction of respiratory complexes with the reactions of TCA cycle. Whereas multistationarity is an internal characteristic of the respiratory chain, the functional link of respiration with central metabolism creates oscillations, which can be understood as a means of auto-regulation of cell metabolism. © 2012 Selivanov et al

The McGill score as a screening test for obstructive sleep disordered breathing in children with co-morbidities

Background: The McGill score is used to stratify severity of oximetry in children referred for investigation of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) to identify those with more severe disease and prioritize treatment. We hypothesized that its Positive predictive value (PPV) and Negative predictive value (NPV) in detecting OSA differs significantly between children with medical conditions and otherwise healthy children. / Methods: We performed a two-year retrospective analysis of children referred for investigation of OSA who underwent a cardiorespiratory (CR) polygraphy study. McGill score was calculated from the oximetry trace blinded to polygraphy results. We looked at 2 definitions of OSA: Obstructive Apnoea Hypopnoea Index (oAHI) ≥1 and ≥5. McGill sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were calculated. McGill score=1 was considered normal or inconclusive, >1 abnormal. / Results: We studied 312 children, 190 males (61%), median age 4.5 (2.4-7.9) years. 129 were otherwise healthy and 183 had associated medical conditions. The PPV of the McGill score was significantly lower in children with medical conditions than otherwise healthy children. The NPV was similar in both groups of children. / Conclusions: The higher number of false positives in children with medical conditions may be due to non-obstructive causes such as central apnoeas. Children with underlying lung disease are also more likely to desaturate following a brief apnoea or hypopnoea. Children with co-morbidities who have an abnormal McGill score should not be assumed to have OSA and need more detailed sleep studies to determine the reason for the oxygen desaturations

Growth of donor-derived dendritic cells from the bone marrow of murine liver auograft recipients in response to granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor

Allografts of the liver, which has a comparatively heavy leukocyte content compared with other vascularized organs, are accepted permanently across major histocompatibility complex barriers in many murine strain combinations without immunosuppressive therapy. It has been postulated that this inherent tolerogenicity of the liver may be a consequence of the migration and perpetuation within host lymphoid tissues of potentially tolerogenic donor-derived ("chimeric") leukocytes, in particular, the precursors of chimeric dendritic cells (DC). In this study, we have used granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor to induce the propagation of progenitors that give rise to DC (CD45+, CDllc+, 33D1+, nonlymphoid dendritic cell 145 +, major histocompatibility complex class II+, B7-1+) in li-tuid cultures of murine bone marrow cells. Using this technique, together with immunocytochemical and molecular methods, we show that, in addition to cells expressing female host (C3H) phenotype (H-2Kk+; I-E+; Y chromosome-), a minor population of male donor (B10)-derived cells (H-2Kb+; I-A+; Y chromosome+) can also be grown in 10-d DC cultures from the bone marrow of liver allograft recipients 14 d after transplant. Highly purified nonlymphoid dendritic cell 145+ DC sorted from these bone marrow-derived cell cultures were shown to comprise ~1-10% cells of donor origin (Y chromosome +) by polymerase chain reaction analysis. In addition, sorted DC stimulated naive, recipient strain T lymphocytes in primary mixed leukocyte cultures. Evidence was also obtained for the growth of donor-derived cells from the spleen but not the thymus. In contrast, donor ceils could not be propagated from the bone marrow or other lymphoid tissues of nonimmunosuppressed C3H mice rejecting cardiac allografrs from the same donor strain (B10). These findings provide a basis for the establishment and perpetuation of cell chimerism after organ transplantation. © 1995, Rockefeller University Press., All rights reserved

Detection rates of congenital heart disease in Guatemala

AbstractObjectivesIn developing countries, congenital heart disease is often unrecognised, leading to serious morbidity and mortality. Guatemala is one of the few developing countries where expert paediatric cardiac treatment is available and affordable, and therefore early detection could significantly improve outcome. We assessed regional congenital heart disease detection rates in Guatemala, and determined whether they correlated with the regional human development index.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed all new cardiac referrals made in 2006 to the Unidad de Cirugia Cardiovascular Pediatrica, the only paediatric cardiac centre in Guatemala. We calculated regional detection rates by comparing the number of congenital heart disease referrals with the expected incidence using the National Ministry of Health birth data. We then compared the regional detection rates with the human development index data published in the United Nations 2006 Development Program Report using Spearman’s rank correlation.ResultsAn estimated 3935 infants with cardiac defects were born in Guatemala in 2006, an expected 1380 (35%) of whom had severe forms. Overall, only 533 children (14%) with cardiac defects were referred. Of these, 62% had simple shunt lesions, 13% had cyanotic lesions, and 10% had left-sided obstructive lesions. Only 11.5% of referred patients were neonates. Regional detection rates, ranged 3.2–34%, correlated with the regional human development index (r = 0.75, p &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsCurrent detection of congenital heart disease in Guatemala is low and correlates with the regional human development index. Those detected are older and have less severe forms, suggesting a high mortality rate among Guatemalan neonates with complex cardiac defects.</jats:sec

The stochastic matching problem

The matching problem plays a basic role in combinatorial optimization and in statistical mechanics. In its stochastic variants, optimization decisions have to be taken given only some probabilistic information about the instance. While the deterministic case can be solved in polynomial time, stochastic variants are worst-case intractable. We propose an efficient method to solve stochastic matching problems which combines some features of the survey propagation equations and of the cavity method. We test it on random bipartite graphs, for which we analyze the phase diagram and compare the results with exact bounds. Our approach is shown numerically to be effective on the full range of parameters, and to outperform state-of-the-art methods. Finally we discuss how the method can be generalized to other problems of optimization under uncertainty.Comment: Published version has very minor change