Smart designing of new hybrid materials based on brushite-alginate and monetite-alginate microspheres: bio-inspired for sequential nucleation and growth.

In this report new hybrid materials based on brushite-alginate and monetite-alginate were prepared by self-assembling alginate chains and phosphate source ions via a gelation process with calcium ions. The alginate served as nanoreactor for nucleation and growth of brushite or/and monetite due to its gelling and swelling properties. The alginate gel framework, the crystalline phase and morphology of formed hybrid biomaterials were shown to be strongly dependent upon the concentration of the phosphate precursors. These materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX).

Application of an acoustic noise removal method to aircraft-based atmospheric temperature measurements.

An acoustic noise removal method is used to reject engine acoustical disturbances from aircraft-based atmospheric temperature measurements. Removal of engine noise from atmospheric temperature measurements allows a larger wave number range to be fit while quantifying the magnitude of atmospheric temperature turbulence. The larger wave number range was found to result in a more statistically certain spectral slope estimate, with up to a 50% reduction in the standard deviation of measured spectral slopes. The noise removal technique was found to break down under conditions of weak atmospheric temperature turbulence where the engine acoustical disturbance can be several orders of magnitude larger than atmospheric temperature turbulence.

T-cell depletion and graft survival induced by anti-human CD3 immunotoxins in human CD3epsilon transgenic mice.

BACKGROUND: Anti-CD3 immunotoxins are broad-spectrum immunosuppressive agents in a wide range of organ transplantation animal models with potential use in eliciting antigen-specific tolerance. However, the anti-CD3 immunotoxins used in animal studies do not cross-react with human T cells, limiting extrapolation to humans and hindering clinical development. METHODS: Three anti-human CD3-directed immunotoxins, DT389-scFv(UCHT1), scFv(UCHT1)-PE38, and UCHT1-CRM9, were compared in vitro and in transgenic mice, tg(epsilon)600+/-, that have T cells expressing both human and murine CD3epsilon antigens. RESULTS: These immunotoxins were extraordinarily potent in vitro against human or transgenic mouse T cells, with IC50 values in cellular assays ranging from pM to fM. Systemic administration of these immunotoxins dose-dependently depleted >99% of tg(epsilon)600+/- lymph node and spleen T cells in vivo. Depletion was specific for T cells. The loss of the concanavalin A-induced, but not the lipopolysaccharide-induced, splenic proliferative response from immunotoxin-treated animals further demonstrated specific loss of T-cell function. Immunotoxin treatment prolonged fully allogeneic skin graft survival in tg(epsilon)600+/- recipients to 25 days from 10 days in untreated animals. T-cells recovered to approximately 50% of normal levels after approximately 22 days in animals with or without skin grafts; T-cell recovery correlated with skin graft rejection. All three immunotoxins elicited >100 day median survival of fully allogeneic heterotopic heart grafts. By 100 days, T cells recovered to normal numbers in these animals, but the grafts showed chronic rejection. CONCLUSION: These immunotoxins profoundly deplete T cells in vivo and effectively prolong allogeneic graft survival.

Levantamiento de suelos, clasificación de unidades de tierra, análisis de la dinámica eólica, del Parque Regional Lomas de Arena en el Departamento de Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Bolivia

El parque Regional "Lomas de Arena" está ubicado en las proximidades de la Ciudad de Santa Cruz, encerrando el área natural protegida una diversidad de microecosistemas que requieren de estudios para planificar y elaborar un instrumento de gestión "El Plan General de Manejo del Area Protegida", que proporcione normativas y reglamentaciones de acuerdo a los mencionados estudios, uno de ellos en el componente edafológico al cual se orienta el presente trabajo. Objetivos. Identificar cada una de las unidades de tierras, clasificar taxonómicamente, por capacidad de uso y elaborar la cartografía a escala 1:25.000 en ambos casos, sugerir alternativas de manejo de suelos del Parque Regional "Lomas de Arena". Se delimitaron unidades de tierras, al interior de las unidades fisiográficas mayores, identificándose 48 unidades de tierras diferentes en el contexto vegetacional, pero en muchos casos similes en formología y taxonomía de suelos. Las unidades morfo-fisiográficas predominantes son las áreas casi planas ocupando el 61.11

ligeramente onduladas con el 12.18

. Para analizar y comprender la génesis del área y en partricular de los suelos del Parque se formuló la siguiente hipótesis: "el principal agente de sabanización seria el avance de las dunas", que se introducen al interior de las formaciones boscosas en forma típica de "horquillas" sofocando el bosque y dejando tras su camino: formación de horizontes orgánicos enterrados, substratos inhóspitos para la regeneración de la vegetación, con la napa superficial más o menos cerca de la superficie (50-150 cm), constituído el lecho impermeable, por paleoalfisoles y/o paleoultisoles, duros compactos procedentes del Terciario; deflación de arenas y limos superficiales dejando al descubierto los depósitos aluviales antiguos compactos e impermeables, produciendo la formación de cuerpos de agua estacionales y/o permanentes. Quedando también formaciones edaficamente condicionadas: series psammofilas sobre substratos arenosos, serie edafo higrofila en sitios depresivos, islas de vegetación típica "termitera". Basándose en esta información se elaboraron los mapas: mapa 1: Imagen satelital; mapa ": fisiográfico; mapa 3: Unidades de tierras, mapa 4: Taxonomía de suelos, mapa 5: clasificación de tierras por capacidad de uso.