Sound radiation from an aperture in a rectangular enclosure under low modal conditions.

This paper investigates both theoretically and experimentally the sound radiation from an aperture placed in an enclosure wall for the particular case of low modal sound field. The incidence field is composed of the enclosed sound field, which is calculated using the theoretical modal model presented. The transmitted sound is calculated by the Rayleigh radiation equation after continuity conditions have been applied in the aperture plane, assuming the condition of a thin wall. The model is experimentally validated by measuring the directivity and sound pressure radiated from an aperture in the side of a rectangular box. Because the walls of the enclosure are not rigid, an experimental procedure to determine its admittance is also presented. The experiments have been carried out for the first four modes of the enclosed sound field, and good agreement is found between the theoretical and experimental results. These results indicate that the admittance of the aperture, its radiation efficiency, and its directivity are all functions of the predominant mode shape, and the frequency, as well as the location and shape, of the aperture relative to the predominant enclosed mode shape.

Antiviral CD8+ T cells in the genital tract control viral replication and delay progression to AIDS after vaginal SIV challenge in rhesus macaques immunized with virulence attenuated SHIV 89.6.

The recently failed clinical efficacy trial of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) vaccine that elicits antiviral CD8(+) T-cell responses has emphasized the challenge of producing an effective vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/ rhesus monkey model of AIDS, live-attenuated lentivirus 'vaccines' provide the best protection from uncontrolled viral replication and clinical disease after pathogenic SIV challenge. This review summarizes a recent series of studies in which we show that after vaginal SIV challenge of rhesus macaques immunized with an attenuated lentivirus protection from uncontrolled viral replication is primarily mediated by CD8(+) T cells in the vaginal mucosa. Immunization with a chimeric simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) results in a systemic infection that induces a moderate population of SIV-specific CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells with cytolytic potential in the vaginal mucosa. Depletion of CD8(+) T cells at the time of SIV challenge completely abrogates the protection mediated by prior infection with attenuated SHIV. Further after vaginal SIV challenge, the only significant expansion of SIV-specific T cells occurs in the vagina in these animals. No significant expansion of T-cell responses was observed in systemic lymphoid tissues. Thus, the presence of SIV-specific CD8(+) T cells in the vagina on the day of vaginal SIV challenge and a modest expansion of local effector T cells is sufficient to stop uncontrolled SIV replication. It seems that T-cell based vaccine strategies that can elicit mucosal effector CD8(+) T-cell populations and avoid inducing systemic T-cell proliferation upon exposure to HIV have the greatest potential for mimicking the success of live-attenuated lentiviral vaccines.

Protective attenuated lentivirus immunization induces SIV-specific T cells in the genital tract of rhesus monkeys.

Live attenuated lentivirus immunization is the only vaccine strategy that elicits consistent protection against intravaginal challenge with pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). To determine the mechanism of protection in rhesus monkeys infected with attenuated simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)89.6, a detailed analysis of SIV Gag-specific T-cell responses in several tissues including the genital tract was performed. Six months after SHIV infection, antiviral T-cell responses were rare in the cervix; however, polyfunctional, cytokine-secreting, and degranulating SIV Gag-specific CD4(+) T cells were consistently found in the vagina of the immunized macaques. SIV-specific CD8(+) T cells were also detected in the vagina, blood, and genital lymph nodes of most of the animals. Thus, an attenuated SHIV vaccine induces persistent antiviral T cells in tissues, including the vagina, where these effector T-cell responses may mediate the consistent protection from vaginal SIV challenge observed in this model.

Actin cytoskeleton derangement induces apoptosis in renal ischemia/reperfusion.

UNLABELLED: This study evaluated whether cytoskeletal alterations during the ischemic conditions associated with kidney preservation could determine apoptosis. Cytoskeletal alterations are among the main effects of ischemia and may induce apoptosis. Rat kidneys were preserved in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution for 24 h. Some groups of animals underwent 45 min of warm ischemia (WI) to evaluate its effect on both the actin cytoskeleton and apoptosis (assessed by caspase-3 activity and TUNEL staining). Swinholide A (SwinA) and Latrunculin B (LB), two actin cytoskeleton-targeted agents, were administered to assess the effect of direct actin disruption on apoptosis. Jasplakinolide (JP), a compound that stabilizes actin filaments, was administered to evaluate the effect of actin stabilization. Apoptosis was evaluated at 3 h of ex vivo reperfusion using the isolated perfused rat kidney (IPK) model. RESULTS: Apoptosis increased during reperfusion with WI or administration of actin disruptor agents. Administration of stabilizing agents reversed apoptosis in kidneys that had previously undergone WI or had received an actin disruptor agent. CONCLUSION: The disruption of the actin cytoskeleton during ischemic conditions associated with kidney preservation induces apoptosis upon reperfusion through caspase-3 activation.

Spatial sampling for night levels estimation in urban environments.

The procedure for spatial sampling in order to find out the relation between L(day) and L(night) for urban noise is presented. From that data, other parameters like L(dn) or L(den) can be easily obtained from L(day) values. To this end, a long-term measuring campaign was carried out in eight cities of different types and sizes in northeastern Spain. The statistical treatment of the measures was based on a characterization of the streets in view of their type, including factors such as traffic and land use, which enabled a final classification of six types of streets. The results show that streets of the same type located in different cities do not have the same value for L(day)-L(night), due to socioeconomic factors, but analyzed city by city have a close to normal (or t-Student) distribution. Under this behavior, it is demonstrated that a sample of between 14 and 25 points, depending on the city characteristics, is needed in order to calculate L(day)-L(night), with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of +/- 1 dB(A).