Laser Assisted Manufacturing: A Comparison of Mechanical Properties Between LAM and Conventional Manufacturing Techniques

Laser assisted manufacturing methods, such as direct metal deposition (DMD) and laser beam welding (LBW), are promising methods because of their higher precision and greater productivity when compared to traditional manufacturing methods. Because these methods are relatively new, the mechanical properties of samples produced by laser assisted manufacturing are not well understood. In this study the mechanical properties of samples produced by laser assisted manufacturing methods are analyzed and compared with data obtained from traditional manufacturing methods. The DMD process used Fe-TiC and Ti-TiC metal matrix composites, while LBW used AISI 304 stainless steel. The results vary widely with the materials and processes used. Although their use is highly dependent upon the individual applications and their needs, laser assisted manufacturing methods present an alternative to conventional techniques. This study can serve as a guide to comparing the results of various manufacturing methods and choosing the appropriate technique for the desired results

Synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effect of Yerba Maté (Illex Paraguariensis) polyphenols and Lox-1 silencing in foam cell model

Purpose: To elucidate the anti-atherosclerotic effect of Yerba Mate polyphenols (MP) as well as the anti-atherosclerotic effect of a combination of MP and silencing of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 interference group (LOX)-1.Methods: The anti-atherosclerotic effects of control group (CG), simvastatin group (SG), MP group (MP), LOX-1 interference group (LOX) and MP + LOX-1 interference group (MP-LOX) were determined using Oil Red O staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot assay.Results: The levels of foam cells, intracellular lipids, viz, total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC), cholesterol ester (CE) and acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1); LOX-1, inflammation (TNF-alpha, IL-6 and pNF-κB/NF-κB); adhesion molecular status (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in SG and in MP, LOX and MP-LOX groups were significantly decreased, when compared with CG (p < 0.01). The levels of these parameters were much lower in MPLOX group than in SG (p < 0.01). However, they were synergistically reduced in MP-LOX group, relative to MP group or LOX group (p < 0.01). Combination of LOX-1 gene silencing with MP produced synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effect which was reflected in decreases in foam cell formation, intracellular lipids, inflammatory status, adhesion molecular status, and MCP-1-mediated migration and infiltration of macrophages in foam cells.Conclusion: The synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effects of MP and LOX-1 gene silencing may be potential tools for development of anti-atherosclerotic agents

Can CD44+/CD24- Tumor Cells Be Used to Determine the Extent of Breast Cancer Invasion Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy?

breast cancers in relation to tumor size before and after the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: CD44 + / CD24- tumor cells obtained from breast cancer specimens were characterized in vivo and in vitro using tumor formation assays and mammosphere generation assays, respectively. The distribution of CD44+/CD24- tumor cells in 78 breast cancer specimens following administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was also evaluated using immunofluorescence assays, and this distribution was compared with the extent of tumor invasion predicted by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST). Results: In 27/78 cases, complete remission (CR) was identified using RECIST. However, 18 of these CR cases were associated with a scattered distribution of tumor stem cells in the outline of the original tumor prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 24 cases involved cancer cells that were confined to the tumor outline, and 21 cases had tumor cells or tumor stem cells overlapping the tumor outline. In addition, there were 6 patients who were insensitive to chemotherapy, and in these cases, both cancer cells and stem cells were detected outside the contours of the tumor volume imaged prior to chemotherapy. Conclusion: CD44+/CD24- tumor cells may be an additional parameter to evaluate when determining the extent of breast cancer invasion. Key Words: Breast neoplasms, Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Neoplasm invasion, Stem cell

Tuberculous Pericarditis Presenting as Multiple Free Floating Masses in Pericardial Effusion

Pericarditis is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis (Tb) in children. A 14-yr-old Korean boy presented with cardiac tamponade during treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. He developed worsening anemia and persistent fever in spite of anti-tuberculosis medications. Echocardiography found free floating multiple discoid masses in the pericardial effusion. The masses and exudates were removed by pericardiostomy. The masses were composed of pink, amorphous meshwork of threads admixed with degenerated red blood cells and leukocytes with numerous acid-fast bacilli, which were confirmed as Mycobacterium species by polymerase chain reaction. The persistent fever and anemia were controlled after pericardiostomy. This is the report of a unique manifestation of Tb pericarditis as free floating masses in the effusion with impending tamponade

A Wireless sEMG Recording System and Its Application to Muscle Fatigue Detection

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is an important measurement for monitoring exercise and fitness. Because if its high sampling frequency requirement, wireless transmission of sEMG data is a challenge. In this article a wireless sEMG measurement system with a sampling frequency of 2 KHz is developed based upon a MSP 430 microcontroller and Bluetooth transmission. Standard isotonic and isometric muscle contraction are clearly represented in the receiving user interface. Muscle fatigue detection is an important application of sEMG. Traditional muscle fatigue is detected from the median frequency of the sEMG power spectrum. The regression slope of the linear regression of median frequency is an important muscle fatigue index. A more negative slope value represents a higher muscle fatigue condition. To test the system performance, muscle fatigue detection was examined by having subjects run on a pedaled-multifunctional elliptical trainer for approximately 30 minutes at three loading levels. Ten subjects underwent a total of 60 exercise sessions to provide the experimental data. Results showed that the regression slope gradually decreases as expected, and there is a significant gender difference

Catheter Ablation of a Left Free-Wall Accessory Pathway via the Radial Artery Approach

Catheter ablation of the left free-wall accessory pathways (APs) is normally performed by the retrograde transaortic approach via a femoral artery or the transseptal approach. Here we report a case of an overt left free-wall AP, which was successfully ablated with a retrograde transaortic approach via the radial artery without any vascular complications. The patient has remained free of any symptoms or pre-excitation observed on the ECG during a 10-month post-ablation follow-up

Automatic event-level textual emotion sensing using mutual action histogram between entities

International audienceAutomatic emotion sensing in textual data is crucial for the development of intelligent interfaces in many interactive computer applications. This paper describes a high-precision, knowledgebase-independent approach for automatic emotion sensing for the subjects of events embedded within sentences. The proposed approach is based on the probability distribution of common mutual actions between the subject and the object of an event. We have incorporated web-based text mining and semantic role labeling techniques, together with a number of reference entity pairs and hand-crafted emotion generation rules to realize an event emotion detection system. The evaluation outcome reveals a satisfactory result with about 85% accuracy for detecting the positive, negative and neutral emotions

Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 in the granulomatous lesions of paratuberculosis-infected bovine intestine

The presence of galectin-3 was immunohistochemically quantified in bovine intestines infected with paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) to determine whether galectin-3 was involved in the formation of granulation tissue associated with the disease. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection was histochemically confirmed using Ziehl-Neelsen staining and molecularly diagnosed through rpoB DNA sequencing. Galectin-3 was detected in the majority of inflammatory cells, possibly macrophages, in the granulomatous lesions within affected tissues, including the ileum. These findings suggest that galectin-3 is associated with the formation of chronic granulation tissues in bovine paratuberculosis, probably through cell adhesion and anti-apoptosis mechanisms

A Bile Based Study of Clonorchis sinensis Infections in Patients with Biliary Tract Diseases in Ulsan, Korea

Stool examination is believed to be the most reliable method for detecting Clonorchis sinensis (CS) eggs. However, it has limited value for diagnosing clonorchiasis when the biliary tract is obstructed or when there is a light infection. We evaluated the infection states of CS in patients with biliary tract diseases using a bile sample. From January 2001 to August 2003, 238 patients who had undergone endoscopic biliary drainage were prospectively included in the study. The patients' bile samples were obtained directly from the nasobiliary drainage tube and then analyzed to detect CS eggs. The overall CS egg positive rate was 28.2% (35.4% in males, 19.4% in females). The egg positive rate was similar in all age groups examined: 26.7% in 30-39 years, 25.0% in 40-49 years, 24.4% in 50-59 years, 30.2% in 60-69 years, 35.3% in 70-79 years, and 25.0% in 80 years of age and over. There were no significant differences in the egg positive rate between the disease groups: 32.6% in bile duct cancer, 38.5% in gallbladder cancer, and 26.4% in gallstone diseases. Our results show that the CS infection rate was very high, regardless of the age, gender, and type of diseases of the patients. Although the study population was limited to patients with biliary tract diseases, it is assumed that clonorchiasis is still an endemic disease in Ulsan, Korea