Concentration of white blood cells from whole blood by dual centrifugo-pneumatic siphoning with density gradient medium

Due to the pervasiveness of HIV infections in developing countries there exists a need for a low-cost, user-friendly point-of-care device which can be used to monitor the concentration of T-lymphocytes in the patient’s blood expressing the CD4+ epitope. As a first step towards developing a microfluidic “lab-on-a-disc” platform with this aim we present the concentration of white blood cells from whole blood using a density medium in conjunction with centrifugo-pneumatic siphon valves [1]. Two such valves are actuated simultaneously, removing the bulk of plasma through the upper valve and the bulk of WBCs through the lower valve while leaving the vast majority of red blood cells in the centrifugal chamber

Implementation of the FAA research and development electromagnetic database

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been assisting the FAA in developing a database of information about lightning. The FAA Research and Development Electromagnetic Database (FRED) will ultimately contain data from a variety of airborne and ground-based lightning research projects. An outline of the data currently available in FRED is presented. The data sources which the FAA intends to incorporate into FRED are listed. In addition, it describes how the researchers may access and use the FRED menu system

Response to Teladorsagia circumcincta infection in Scottish Blackface lambs with divergent phenotypes for nematode resistance

peer-reviewedThe objective of this study was to identify Scottish Blackface lambs that were at the extremes of the spectrum of resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes and characterise their response to an experimental nematode challenge. Lambs (n = 90) were monitored for faecal egg count (FEC) (2 samples from each of 2 independent natural infections). The most resistant (n = 10) and susceptible (n = 10) individuals were selected and challenged with 30,000 Teladorsagia circumcincta larvae (L3) at 9 months of age. Response to infection was monitored by measuring FEC, plasma pepsinogen, serum antibodies against nematode larval antigens and haematology profile, until necropsy at 71 days post infection. Worm burden, worm fecundity and the level of anti-nematode antibodies in abomasal mucosa were determined at necropsy. FEC was consistently higher in susceptible animals (P < 0.05), validating the selection method. Worm fecundity was significantly reduced in resistant animals (P = 0.03). There was also a significant correlation (r = 0.88; P < 0.001) between the number of adult worms and FEC at slaughter. There was no effect of phenotype (resistance/susceptibility) on plasma pepsinogen or on haematology profile. Phenotype had a significant effect on the level of anti-nematode IgA antibodies in serum (P < 0.01), reflecting a higher peak in resistant animals at day 7 post infection. It is concluded that significant variation in the response to gastrointestinal nematode challenge exists within the Scottish Blackface population with resistant animals displaying significantly lower FEC, lower worm fecundity and higher concentration of anti-nematode IgA antibodies in serum.Kathryn McRae was supported by a Teagasc Walsh fellowship and the Allan and Grace Kay Overseas Scholarship

Soluble pre-fibrillar tau and β-amyloid species emerge in early human Alzheimer’s disease and track disease progression and cognitive decline

Acknowledgments We would like to gratefully acknowledge all donors and their families for the tissue provided for this study. Human tissue samples were supplied by the Brains for Dementia Research programme, jointly funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Alzheimer’s Society and the Medical Research Council, and sourced from the MRC London Neurodegenerative Diseases Brain Bank, the Manchester Brain Bank, the South West Dementia Brain Bank (SWDBB), the Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource and the Oxford Brain Bank. The Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource and Oxford Brain Bank are also supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Units. The South West Dementia Brain Bank (SWDBB) receives additional support from BRACE (Bristol Research into Alzheimer’s and Care of the Elderly). Alz-50, CP13, MC-1 and PHF-1 antibodies were gifted from Dr. Peter Davies and brain lystates from BACE1−/−mice were obtained from Prof Mike Ashford. The work presented here was funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK (Grant refs: ARUKPPG2014A-21 and ARUK-NSG2015-1 to BP and DK and NIH/NIA grants NIH/NINDS R01 NS082730 and R01 AG044372 to NK)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The toxicity of chlorpyrifos towards differentiating mouse N2a neuroblastoma cells

The aim of this work was to study the effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on the outgrowth of axons by differentiating mouse N2a neuroblastoma cells. This was achieved by morphological, Western blotting and enzymatic analyses of cells induced to differentiate in the presence and absence of CPF added either at the same time (co-differentiation) or 16 h after (post-differentiation) the induction of cell differentiation. The outgrowth of axon-like processes was impaired following 4 or 8 h exposure to CPF in both co- and post-differentiation experiments. Western blotting analysis revealed reduced levels of neurofilament heavy chain (NF-H) following 8 h of exposure but no significant effect at 4 h under both co- and post-differentiation conditions. By contrast, levels of the heat shock protein HSP-70 were raised at both time points, but only in co-differentiation experiments. Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) activity was lower than controls following 4 or 8 h of exposure under co-differentiation conditions, but not under any post-differentiation conditions. The results suggest that the inhibition of axon production and maintenance by CPF in differentiating N2a cells may involve multiple targets, which are different under co- and post-differentiation conditions

Retailers’ perceived value of manufacturers’ brands

Most of the theoretical and empirical research into brand equity has focused on business to consumer relationships and the value created with end-customers (consumer-based brand equity). Little is known of the processes where brands create value in business-to-business relationships such as in manufacturer-retailer relationships. This article reports the qualitative findings of a research project into this under-researched area investigating the role of brands in business-to-business relationships. The results show that manufacturers’ brand equity is linked to the value of the brand performance as perceived by the retailer. This perceived value has an impact on key relationship variables such as commitment, trust, dependence and cooperation. To obtain the optimal value from the brand, both manufacturers and retailers need to manage these sources of brand asset value within the business relationship. Although large brands have considerable influence in the relationship, smaller brands can also offer value to retailers and play an important part in the management of product categories within the store. A conceptual model is developed that shows the impact of the sources of brand value within a business-to-business relationship

Factors Associated with Research in Management in Australian Commerce and Business Faculties

Measurable research outputs have become part of the overall research management structure within Australian universities in the past ten years. As such, policy makers and administrators alike have come to regard effective management structures and mechanisms as fundamental components of a research environment capable of generating desired quantities of quality outcomes. This paper is based on empirical research carried out over the past year that surveyed academics from commerce and business faculties in Australian universities. The data show that factors such as gender, discipline, and academic level appear to impinge on the relative components that make up research management