Alignment and assembly tool for very large diameter cylinders

An alignment and assembly tool is disclosed for aligning the ends of two very large cylinders so that the ends may be welded with a cylindrical strengthening section inserted between the cylinders and aligned and welded into the joint. The tool has a U-shaped main body with a horizontal top section and two legs, which are attached to the ends of the top section and extend outward and downward. Horizontal bottom sections extend outward from the bottoms of two of the legs. The tool has one inner jackscrew and one outer jackscrew on each side of its center, extending downward from the top section. Each of the two bottom sections has an attached side clamp for clamping the alignment tool to two opposing skin stringers of two of the cylinders. The jackscrews are adjusted to bring the edges of a tee ring into precise alignment with the ends of the two large cylinders so that both joints may be welded around their circumference

How to evaluate physical fitness without a stress test?

To assess cardiorespiratory fitness (CF), usually a stress test is necessary. Our aims were to assess CF in a patient population with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD) based on a questionnaire (quest); to compare estimated CF with achieved workloads, and to evaluate its prediction of stress modality (physical/pharmacologic). Consecutive 612 patients undergoing myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) completed quest. They first chose one category which best described their daily physical activities. The second part contained patient characteristics (gender, age, BMI, and resting heart rate). An activity score was calculated and metabolic equivalents (METs) were estimated. Estimated and achieved results were compared. Patients with pharmacologic test (n=208) provided a lower estimate of their performance than physically stressed patients (n=404): 7.0±2.1 and 8.2±2.3 METs, respectively (P<0.0001). The latter showed a good correlation between estimated and achieved METs (r=0.63, P<0.0001). Regarding prediction of the stress modality, area under the curve (ROC) was 0.65 (P<0.0001). The quest can easily be applied in daily practice to assess CF in a patient population with CAD and for estimating whether an adequate physical stress test can be carried ou

Toll-like receptor stimulation induces higher TNF-alpha secretion in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with hyper IgE syndrome

Hyper IgE syndromes (HIES) are primary immunodeficiency disorders of unknown pathogenesis. Patients are typically affected with `cold' abscesses of the skin, recurrent cyst-forming pneumonia, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and other less frequent features such as progressive skeletal abnormalities. Defective signaling in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways has been suggested as a responsible pathologic mechanism, however, in previous reports, 10 patients revealed no defect in inflammatory cytokine responses to different TLR ligands. Here, we report the increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-8, following TLR2 and TLR4 stimulation in a larger cohort of 25 additional patients with HIES, and provide a meta-analysis of the TLR data in HIES. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Bayesian modeling of recombination events in bacterial populations

Background: We consider the discovery of recombinant segments jointly with their origins within multilocus DNA sequences from bacteria representing heterogeneous populations of fairly closely related species. The currently available methods for recombination detection capable of probabilistic characterization of uncertainty have a limited applicability in practice as the number of strains in a data set increases. Results: We introduce a Bayesian spatial structural model representing the continuum of origins over sites within the observed sequences, including a probabilistic characterization of uncertainty related to the origin of any particular site. To enable a statistically accurate and practically feasible approach to the analysis of large-scale data sets representing a single genus, we have developed a novel software tool (BRAT, Bayesian Recombination Tracker) implementing the model and the corresponding learning algorithm, which is capable of identifying the posterior optimal structure and to estimate the marginal posterior probabilities of putative origins over the sites. Conclusion: A multitude of challenging simulation scenarios and an analysis of real data from seven housekeeping genes of 120 strains of genus Burkholderia are used to illustrate the possibilities offered by our approach. The software is freely available for download at URL http://web.abo.fi/fak/ mnf//mate/jc/software/brat.html

Till Tender

Vulnerable, young, sensitive to pain, immature, not tough. These are some of the words and phrases that come up when you do a quick search of the definition of tender. I have felt every single one of these emotions over the past two years in depths I have not before. I have worked tirelessly, back and forth and in between, to try and figure out what it means to become oneself, while slowly untethering myself from the devotion to my Southern family. Trying to find the visual language for this process has transformed me into a tender being with no hard edges. At times, I feel I am slipping between my own fingers, turning myself inside out trying to figure out what it all means. Till Tender aims to capture all of the slippage, all of the hard bits, the time spent thinking and overthinking about memories and stories from my life. Which ones are the facades and which hold true to my own becoming? Which are being left behind, and which ones am I bringing with me into my own self? To answer these questions for myself, I often find myself working in a collage-based and process-driven practice. I am constantly taking photos when I travel back to Georgia that I compile with the large archive of photographs taken by my mother and grandmother. I use these photos as information, proof, and the blueprint for my collages. I paint, draw, and silkscreen onto different substrates. I manipulate paper and fabric by my own hand then scan them to continue the collage process further digitally. Once the collage has been digitally printed onto fabric I work back into it on the silkscreen table. Soon all of the slippage becomes a huge fabric collage that breathes my air and takes up the space I do not have the courage to take

An Investigation of Assembly and Performance of a Resistoflex Dynatube 1/4 Inch Fitting

Installation of titanium (6Al-4V) threaded fittings on 1/4 in. tubing is sensitive to workmanship and to the state of repair of the installation tooling. Tooling with very slight out-of-specification imperfections produces less than optimum swaged fittings. A significant quantity of samples were fabricated and X-rays were used to determine the depth of swage. Joint performance was assessed through static and dynamic testing

Increased apoptosis of immunoreactive host cells and augmented donor leukocyte chimerism, not sustained inhibition of B7 molecule expression are associated with prolonged cardiac allograft survival in mice preconditioned with immature donor dendritic cells plus anti-CD40L mAb

Background. We previously reported the association among donor leukocyte chimerism, apoptosis of presumedly IL-2-deficient graft-infiltrating host cells, and the spontaneous donor-specific tolerance induced by liver but not heart allografts in mice. Survival of the rejection-prone heart allografts in the same strain combination is modestly prolonged by the pretransplant infusion of immature, costimulatory molecule-(CM) deficient donor dendritic cells (DC), an effect that is markedly potentiated by concomitant CM blockade with anti-CD40L (CD154) monoclonal antibody (mAb). We investigated whether the long survival of the heart allografts in the pretreated mice was associated with donor leukocyte chimerism and apoptosis of graft-infiltrating cells, if these end points were similar to those in the spontaneously tolerant liver transplant model, and whether the pretreatment effect was dependent on sustained inhibition of CM expression of the infused immature donor DC. In addition, apoptosis was assessed in the host spleen and lymph nodes, a critical determination not reported in previous studies of either spontaneous or 'treatment-aided' organ tolerance models. Methods. Seven days before transplantation of hearts from B10 (H-2b) donors, 2 x 106 donor- derived immature DC were infused i.v. into C3H (H-2(k)) recipient mice with or without a concomitant i.p. injection of anti-CD40L mAb. Donor cells were detected posttransplantation by immunohistochemical staining for major histocompatibility complex class II (I-Ab) in the cells of recipient lymphoid tissue. CM expression was determined by two-color labeling. Host responses to donor alloantigen were quantified by mixed leukocyte reaction, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) assays. Apoptotic death in graft- infiltrating cells and in areas of T-dependent lymphoid tissue was visualized by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-catalyzed dUTP-digoxigenin nick-end labeling and quantitative spectrofluorometry. Interleukin-2 production and localization were estimated by immunohistochemistry. Results. Compared with control heart transplantation or heart transplantation after only DC administration, concomitant pretreatment with immature donor DC and anti- CD40L mAb caused sustained elevation of donor (I-Ab+) cells (microchimerism) in the spleen including T cell areas. More than 80% of the I-Ab+ cells in combined treatment animals also were CD86+, reflecting failure of the mAb to inhibit CD40/CD80/CD86 up-regulation on immature DC in vitro after their interaction with host T cells. Donor-specific CTL activity in graft-infiltrating cells and spleen cell populations of these animals was present on day 8, but decreased strikingly to normal control levels by day 14. The decrease was associated with enhanced apoptosis of graft-infiltrating cells and of cells in the spleen where interleukin-2 production was inhibited. The highest levels of splenic microchimerism were found in mice with long surviving grafts (> 100 days). In contrast, CTL activity was persistently elevated in control heart graft recipients with comparatively low levels of apoptotic activity and high levels of interleukin-2. Conclusion. The donor-specific acceptance of rejection-prone heart allografts by recipients pretreated with immature donor DC and anti-CD40L mAb is not dependent on sustained inhibition of donor DC CM (CD86) expression. Instead, the pretreatment facilitates a tolerogenic cascade similar to that in spontaneously tolerant liver recipients that involves: (1) chimerism-driven immune activation, succeeded by deletion of host immune responder cells by apoptosis in the spleen and allograft that is linked to interleukin-2 deficiency in both locations and (2) persistence of comparatively large numbers of donor-derived leukocytes. These tolerogenic mechanisms are thought to be generic, explaining the tolerance induced by allografts spontaneously, or with the aid of various kinds of immunosuppression

Germline STAT3 gain-of-function mutations in primary immunodeficiency: Impact on the cellular and clinical phenotype.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a key transcription factor involved in regulation of immune cell activation and differentiation. Recent discoveries highlight the role of germline activating STAT3 mutations in inborn errors of immunity characterized by early-onset multi-organ autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation. Much progress has been made in defining the clinical spectrum of STAT3 GOF disease and unraveling the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this disease. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the disease and discuss the clinical phenotype, diagnostic approach, cellular and molecular effects of STAT3 GOF mutations and therapeutic concepts for these patients

Dependence oftheair consumption and thepositionofthe body on theselectedmethodofdivingkick and swimming speed

Název: Závislost spotřeby dýchaného média a polohy těla na vybraném způsobu potápěčského kopu a rychlosti plavání Cíle: Cílem práce je zjistit souvislosti mezi rychlostí plavání potápěče pod hladinou a spotřebou dýchaného média v případě použití dvou odlišných způsobů potápěčských kopů - kraulového a žabího kopu. Zároveň posoudit závislost polohy těla a polohy hlavy při těchto způsobech kopu na rychlosti a způsobu kopu. . Metody: Pro práci byla použita metoda sběru dat v reálných podmínkách za pomoci měřících zařízení a statistické vyhodnocení nasbíraných dat. Výsledky: Výsledky jednotlivých měření jsou prezentovány pomocí grafů, a to jak v textu práce, tak v přílohách pro jejich velký rozsah. Výsledky všech probandů jsou dále prezentovány v souhrnných grafech a pro vybrané hodnoty je v tabulkách vypočítána míra asociace pomocí Pearsonova korelačního koeficientu. Hlavním výsledkem je potvrzení zmenšování odchylky od vodorovné polohy při porovnání pomalé rychlosti a vyšších rychlostí plavání jak u kraulového, tak u žabího kopu. Jako nejefektivnější způsob pro překonání 50 m potápěčem pod vodní hladinou byl určen kraulový kop střední rychlostí (průměrně 0,37 m/s). Klíčová slova: potápění, poloha těla, poloha hlavy, spotřeba dýchaného média, rychlost plavání, kraulový kop, žabí kopTitle: Dependence of the air consumption and the position of the body on the selected method of diving kick and swimming speed Objectives: The goal of this work is to find out the relationship between the diver's swimming speed and the air consumption while using two different methods of diving kicks - flutter and frog kick. At the same time, assess the dependence of the position of the body and head on the swimming speed and method of diving kicks. Methods: In this work was used method of collecting data in real conditions by measuring devices and statistical evaluation of collected data. Results: The results are presented by graphs both in the text of this work and in attachment for its large size. The results of all probands are presented in summary graphs and for selected values the degree of association is calculated in tables using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The main result is the confirmation of the reduction of the deviation from the horizontal position when comparing the slow and higher swimming speeds of both flutter and frog kick. The most effective way for a diver to overcome 50 meters below the water surface was determined to be a flutter kick at medium speed (average 0,37 m/s). Keywords: scuba diving, body position, head position, air consumption, speed of swimming, flutter...Technické a úpolové sportyFakulta tělesné výchovy a sportuFaculty of Physical Education and Spor