1,486 research outputs found
IL-13R alpha 2 reverses the effects of IL-13 and IL-4 on bronchial reactivity and acetylcholine-induced Ca2+ signaling
No full textBackground: The interleukins IL-4 and IL-13 play a key role in the pathophysiology of asthma. The interleukin receptor IL-13R alpha 2 is believed to act as a decoy receptor, but until now, the functional significance of IL-13R alpha 2 remains vague. Methods: Bronchial reactivity was quantified in murine lung slices by digital video microscopy and acetylcholine (ACH)-induced Ca2+ signaling was measured in human airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) using fluorescence microscopy. Results: IL-4 or IL-13 up to 50 ng/ml induced bronchial hyperreactivity. But after incubation with 100 ng/ml this effect was lost and bronchial responsiveness was again comparable to the control level. The effects of IL-4 and IL-13 on bronchial reactivity were paralleled by the effects on ASMC proliferation. Fifty nanograms per milliliter of IL-4 and IL-13 increased the Ca2+ response of human ASMC to ACH. At 100 ng/ml, however, the effects of the cytokines on the Ca2+ response were no longer evident. The expression of IL-13R alpha 2 increased with increasing concentrations of IL-4 or IL-13, reaching its maximum at 100 ng/ml. Blocking IL-13R alpha 2, the loss of the effect of IL-4 and IL-13 at 100 ng/ml on human ASMC proliferation and the ACH-induced Ca2+ response were no longer present. Conclusions: IL-4 and IL-13 induce bronchial hyperreactivity by changing the Ca2+ homeostasis of ASMC. These effects are counteracted by IL-13R alpha 2. The biological significance of IL-13R alpha 2 might be a protective function by regulating IL-13- and IL-4-mediated signal transduction and thereby limiting pathological alterations in Th2-mediated inflammatory diseases. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
Centrilobular and panlobular emphysema in smokers. Two distinct morphologic and functional entities.
No full textIn order to investigate the hypothesis that different morphologic patterns of disease might correspond to different mechanical properties of the lung in emphysema, pulmonary function tests and lung mechanics were measured in 34 subjects undergoing lung resection for peripheral lung tumors. Using standard microscopic criteria, pure or predominant centrilobular (n = 18) or panlobular (n = 16) emphysema was diagnosed in lungs. The degree of emphysema measured by the mean linear intercept (Lm) was not significantly different between the two groups. However, the coefficient of variation of the interalveolar wall distance (CV) was significantly higher for the same Lm in CLE than in PLE. This indicates that CLE has an uneven pattern of destruction, whereas PLE is more homogeneous. CLE had a higher degree of abnormalities in the small airways (SAD) than did PLE (p less than 0.05) mainly because of significantly higher muscle score (p less than 0.001) and fibrosis. CLE also had a higher proportion of airways less than 400 microns in diameter than did PLE (p less than 0.05). Static compliance, specific compliance, and the exponential constant (K) were significantly lower (p less than 0.005, p less than 0.001, and p less than 0.05, respectively) in CLE than in PLE. FEV1/FVC was significantly correlated with SAD in CLE (r = -0.69, p less than 0.01) but not in PLE (r = 0.29 p greater than 0.05); conversely, FEV1/FVC was significantly correlated with elasticity (K) in PLE (r = -0.72, p less than 0.01) but not in CLE (r = 0.08, p greater than 0.05
jDHBenelux Author Template
No full textThis repository contains the latest official GitHub hosted versions of the LaTeX template that authors are required to use when they finalize their contribtions to the DH Benelux Journal. The repository synchronises with the corresponding easy-to-use and well-documented Overleaf Template that provides authors with a low threshold environment for writing LaTeX – but can be used with any LaTeX compiler.
About this Release: Apart from some minor changes to the .cls, v2.0 introduces a number of new files to improve open source development with git and GitHub, including a README, a CC-BY 4.0 License, and a .gitignore file. It also prepares the repository for synchronisation with Zenodo, to improve sustainability.
Full Changelog: https://github.com/DHBenelux/jDHBenelux-author-template/compare/v1.1...v2.
Towards the tumble resistant microlight
No full textThe tumble mode is a pitching departure from controlled flight which leads to a pitch autorotation that is generally unrecoverable – resulting in vertical ground impact, usually preceded by in-flight breakup (the mechanism for which, surprisingly, can sometimes prevent loss of life). This was identified in work led by the British Microlight Aircraft Association beginning in 1997 as a response to a number of fatal accidents in Rogallo winged microlight aeroplanes, although the tumble is also known to occur to hang-gliders. This paper explains how this class of aeroplane is controlled, and how it has been found that they can enter the tumble mode. The mechanism by which the tumble can be entered is described. This has led to work showing how flight testing can be used to establish and demonstrate resistance to tumble entry – particularly important with increasing number of very high performance flexwings. These flight tests will be explained, together with the significance of the results. Recent accident investigation work has also shown a new mechanism of tumble entry, through partial failure of the A-frame structure and the pitch-trimmer mechanism. Also described is a possible relevance to well known historical accidents to flying wing aeroplanes– specifically the YB-49 and dH-108, and discovered data on the characteristics of the BKB-1flying wing glider; are also described
Rotation frequency of human bronchial and nasal epithelial spheroids as an indicator of mucociliary function
No full textBackground: We evaluated a new in vitro model for mucociliary transport function. Spheroids of human respiratory epithelium show beating cilia at their surface. When cultured in their own mucus, spheroids can rotate along their axis due to coordinated ciliary beating. Objective and Methods: To assess whether this setup yields meaningful results we measured rotation frequency (RF) of human bronchial or nasal epithelial spheroids under different temperatures and concentrations of isoproterenol. Isoproterenol was administered either as caged compound releasing active isoproterenol after illumination with UV light, or through a permeable membrane in a two-chamber system. Results: Under stable conditions, RF remained constant over 200 min. Between 27 and 35 C, there was a temperature-dependent increase: RF27 degrees C = 0.27 +/- 0.08 s(-1), and RF37 degrees C = 0.43 +/- 0.10 s(-1) (means +/- SEM). Isoproterenol (10(-5), 10(-4) and 10(-3) mmol/l) induced concentration-dependent increases in RF (9, 20 and 25%, respectively; medians) if applied in the two-chamber system. The experiments with caged isoproterenol did not yield conclusive results, probably because the byproducts from photolysis negatively affected ciliary function. The transport velocity at the surface of bronchial and nasal spheroids was estimated to be 2.96 and 3.62 mm/min (medians), respectively, which is in the same range as mucus transport velocity measured in vivo in humans. Conclusions: This setup can be used to study mucociliary transport function under controlled conditions in vitro, in particular as RF is likely to reflect not only ciliary beat frequency, but also the coordination of ciliary beating and the properties of the mucus. Copyright (C) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel
Against the Grain: Reading for the Challenges of Collaborative DH Pedagogy
No full textThis article provides a critical review of the past five years of literature in digital humanities pedagogy and faculty-librarian collaboration, commingled with reflections on personal practice, which extend findings from the literature. Faculty-librarian partnerships in DH pedagogy reflect a rapidly evolving area of engagement calling for expertise in teaching, subject knowledge, scholarly communication, digital technologies, and DH research methodologies. Although there is a rapidly expanding body of literature on these partnerships, the challenges of the work tend to be minimized. This article expands upon commonly encountered difficulties, and it points to potential solutions and best practices.Peer reviewe
DH Moments, Caribbean Considerations: On Reaction, Response, and Relevance in the Digital Humanities
No full textThis essay was written specifically for NYCDHWeek 2018, the theme of which was DH in the Moment: Reaction, Response, Relevance. The author examines how we define digital humanities activism and how we frame its histories. Relying primarily on examples from Caribbean-oriented digital work, the author argues for a broad definition of DH activism that allows for a variety of projects and intended audiences. In particular, the essay responds to the tendency to focus on "DH in the moment" (projects that can be done quickly and yield a high social impact) as the primary form of activism, arguing that alongside such projects we include as activist projects that have a more cumulative and less immediate effect. Recently, we have begun to ask not just what the digital humanities does, but what the digital humanities does for others. This essay considers why it is that this has become a key question in this DH moment
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DH Moments, Caribbean Considerations: On Reaction, Response, and Relevance in the Digital Humanities
No full textThis essay was written specifically for NYCDHWeek 2018, the theme of which was DH in the Moment: Reaction, Response, Relevance. The author examines how we define digital humanities activism and how we frame its histories. Relying primarily on examples from Caribbean-oriented digital work, the author argues for a broad definition of DH activism that allows for a variety of projects and intended audiences. In particular, the essay responds to the tendency to focus on "DH in the moment" (projects that can be done quickly and yield a high social impact) as the primary form of activism, arguing that alongside such projects we include as activist projects that have a more cumulative and less immediate effect. Recently, we have begun to ask not just what the digital humanities does, but what the digital humanities does for others. This essay considers why it is that this has become a key question in this DH moment
Building Capacity for DH Work in the Library and Beyond
No full textUsing the Claremont Colleges Library as a case study, this interactive, workshop-style presentation offers ideas and suggestions about how to build capacity within the library and the broader campus community to support and advance Digital Humanities (DH) projects, as well as digital scholarship more broadly. Through workshops, spring symposia, summer institutes, and introductory short courses for faculty, grad students, and librarians, the Claremont Colleges Library has become an integral part of the DH community and digital skilling process at the colleges.
To meet the needs of interested but inexperienced faculty members, Digital Scholarship Coordinator, Dr. Ashley Sanders, offers a six-week course to introduce Digital Humanities concepts and methodologies. Each week participants examine a different trend or methodology, including data visualization, spatial and temporal visualizations, network analysis, and topic modeling. To build capacity to support DH projects at the Claremont Colleges, she also facilitates a series of professional development workshops on a range of digital scholarship topics specifically for librarians, including a five-week course on DH (available at http://dhatccl101.com), DH project consultations, digital identity and security, author rights, copyright and fair use, and more. The course and workshop series will be presented, along with commentary about what has worked well so far and lessons learned. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the ideas presented and begin an outline of topics and strategies that address some of the learning needs on their own campuses
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