Schizophrenia is a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder that generates a broad symptomology. These symptoms include positive, negative, and cognitive dysfunctions, and many of these symptoms are well-replicated in animal models. One such model involves sub-chronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP) to non-human primates. The action of PCP results in the blockade of NMDA receptors, leading to glutamatergic dysfunction, which has become a basis for study of schizophrenia-like pathologies. The prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain involved in higher cognitive abilities, such as working memory and executive function. Impairments within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) have shown to mimic the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. The current study investigates the effect of the PCP model on the cells of the dlPFC. Layer V/VI pyramidal neurons of the dlPFC were analyzed in female juvenile, male juvenile, and male adolescent non-human primates after PCP administration. The pyramidal cells from female juvenile monkeys administered PCP did not demonstrate any statistical difference in dendrite morphology compared to age-matched controls (saline-injected). The cells from male juveniles administered PCP contained greater dendritic length in a spatial analysis of the apical arbor relative to controls. Finally, the cells from the male adolescents administered PCP demonstrated reduced dendritic length in certain values in the basal arbor compared to age-matched controls. The apical dendrites of the cells from the male adolescent subjects also had a reduced number of segments, branch points, branch tips, and dendritic length close to the soma. These findings suggest age and gender may affect the cell morphology in the dlPFC in schizophrenia-like pathologies. / acase@tulane.edu

The progressing cavity pump is a type of positive displacement pump that is capable of moving nearly any fluid. This type of pump transports fluids in a series of discrete cavities formed by the helical geometries of its rigid rotor and elastomeric stator. With appropriate materials for the rotor and stator, this pump can move combinations of liquids, suspended solids, and gasses equally well. Because of its versatility, the progressing cavity pump is widely used in the oil industry to transport mixtures of oil, water, and sediment; this investigation was prompted by a desire to extend the use of progressing cavity pumps to wet gas pumping applications. One of the progressing cavity pump's limitations is that the friction between the rotor and stator can generate enough heat to damage the rotor if the pump is not lubricated and cooled by the process fluid. Conventional wisdom dictates that this type of pump will overheat if it pumps only gas, with no liquid in the process fluid. If a progressing cavity pump is used to boost the output from a wet gas well, it could potentially be damaged if the well's output is too dry for an extended period of time. This project seeks to determine how a progressing cavity pump behaves when operating at gas volume fractions between 0.90 and 0.98. A progressing cavity pump manufactured by seepex, model no. BN 130-12, is tested at half and full speed using air-water mixtures with gas volume fractions of 0.90, 0.92, 0.94, 0.96, and 0.98. The pump's inlet and outlet conditions are controlled to produce suction pressures of 15, 30, and 45 psi and outlet pressures 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 psi higher than the inlet pressure. A series of thermocouples, pressure transducers, and turbine flow meters measures the pump's inlet and outlet conditions, the flow rates of water and air entering the pump, and pressures and temperatures at four positions within the pump's stator. Over all test conditions, the maximum recorded temperature of the pump stator did not exceed the maximum safe rubber temperature specified by the manufacturer. The pump’s flow rate is independent of both the fluid's gas volume fraction and the pressure difference across the pump, but it increases slightly with the pump's suction pressure. The pump's mechanical load, however, is dependent only on the pressure difference across the pump and increases linearly with that parameter. Pressure measurements within the stator demonstrated that the leakage between the pump's cavities increases with the fluids gas volume fraction, indicating that liquid inside the pump improves its sealing capability. However, those same measurements failed to detect any appreciable leakage between the two pressure taps nearest the pump's inlet. This last observation suggests that the pump could be shortened by as much as 25 percent without losing any performance in the range of tested conditions; shortening the pump should increase its efficiency by decreasing its frictional mechanical load.

No description available.

Endothelial cells (ECs) respond to flow but the exact mechanism producing alignment is not completely understood. We characterized EC alignment in microfluidic channels, 4 mm wide by 350 um high, to generate shear of 20 dynes / cm2 across the cell surface. In microchannels, ECs aligned perpendicular under flow. Analytical tools were developed to quantify nuclear alignment at 67% for human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs); cell elongation under shear flow shifted aspect ratio from 2.41 to 2.86. We next sought to probe the mechanism through which ECs communicate during realignment. The planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway is involved in cell organization and coordination during development. A number of genes are known to affect the formation and organization of cellular structures through PCP signaling in human ECs. Higher expression of Vangl1 and Dvl1 proteins did not alter cell reorganization; knockdown of Vangl1 expression decreased EC alignment.

Endothelial cells (ECs) respond to flow but the exact mechanism producing alignment is not completely understood. We characterized EC alignment in microfluidic channels, 4 mm wide by 350 um high, to generate shear of 20 dynes / cm2 across the cell surface. In microchannels, ECs aligned perpendicular under flow. Analytical tools were developed to quantify nuclear alignment at 67% for human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs); cell elongation under shear flow shifted aspect ratio from 2.41 to 2.86. We next sought to probe the mechanism through which ECs communicate during realignment. The planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway is involved in cell organization and coordination during development. A number of genes are known to affect the formation and organization of cellular structures through PCP signaling in human ECs. Higher expression of Vangl1 and Dvl1 proteins did not alter cell reorganization; knockdown of Vangl1 expression decreased EC alignment.

No description available.

No description available.

Yes / Background: Asenapine is a new pharmacological agent for the acute treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It has relatively higher affinity for serotonergic and α2-adrenergic than dopaminergic D2 receptors. We evaluated the effects of asenapine, risperidone, and olanzapine on acute and subchronic psychotomimetic-induced disruption of cued reversal learning in rats. Methods: After operant training, rats were treated acutely with D-amphetamine (0.75 mg/kg intraperitoneally [i.p.]) or phencyclidine (PCP; 1.5 mg/kg i.p.) or sub-chronically with PCP (2 mg/kg i.p. for 7 days). We assessed the effects of acute coadministration of asenapine, risperidone, or olanzapine on acute D-amphetamine– and PCP-induced deficits and the effects of long-term coadministration of these agents (for 28 additional days) on the deficits induced by subchronic PCP. Results: Deficits in reversal learning induced by acute D-amphetamine were attenuated by risperidone (0.2 mg/kg i.p.). Acute PCP-induced impairment of reversal learning was attenuated by acute asenapine (0.025 mg/kg subcutaneously [s.c.]), risperidone (0.2 mg/kg i.p.), and olanzapine (1.0 mg/kg i.p.). Subchronic PCP administration induced an enduring deficit that was attenuated by acute asenapine (0.075 mg/kg s.c.) and by olanzapine (1.5 mg/kg i.p.). Asenapine (0.075 mg/kg s.c.), risperidone (0.2 mg/kg i.p.), and olanzapine (1.0 mg/kg i.p.) all showed sustained efficacy with chronic (29 d) treatment to improve subchronic PCP-induced impairments. Conclusion: These data suggest that asenapine may have beneficial effects in the treatment of cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. However, this remains to be validated by further clinical evaluation. / This research was supported by Schering-Plough Corporation, now Merck & Co., Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

No / Acute administration of the psychotomimetic phencyclidine (PCP) can mimic some features of schizophrenia, while a repeated treatment regimen of PCP may provide a more effective way to model in animals the enduring cognitive dysfunction observed in many schizophrenic patients. The present study aims to investigate behavioural and neuropathological effects of sub-chronic PCP administration. The cognitive deficit induced by sub-chronic PCP was examined using a previously established operant reversal-learning paradigm. Subsequently, the effect of sub-chronic PCP on parvalbumin-immunoreactive (parvalbumin-IR) neurons was assessed using immunohistochemical techniques. Rats were trained to respond for food in an operant reversal-learning paradigm for approximately 6 weeks, followed by sub-chronic administration of PCP (2mg/kg) or vehicle twice daily for 7 days followed 7 days later by behavioural testing. Six weeks post PCP, brains were analysed using immunohistochemical techniques to determine the size and density of parvalbumin-IR in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. Sub-chronic PCP significantly reduced (p <0.001) percentage correct responding in the reversal phase relative to the initial phase, an effect that persisted throughout the experimental period (4 weeks). The density of parvalbumin-IR neurons was reduced in the hippocampus, with significant reductions in the dentate gyrus and CA2/3 regions (p <0.001). There were significant changes in the frontal cortex, with a reduction (p <0.01) in the M1 (motor area 1) region and increases in the M2 (motor area 2) region and cingulate cortex (p <0.01-p <0.001). These results parallel findings of profound hippocampal and more subtle cortical deficits of parvalbumin-IR neurons in schizophrenia, and provide evidence to suggest that sub-chronic PCP can induce a lasting cognitive deficit, an effect that may be related to the observed neuronal deficits.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2016-11-10T13:42:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 SUZANA ALVES MENDANHA.pdf: 4085845 bytes, checksum: ed8772928c3151a3f2d34b1b727c09b3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-10T13:42:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SUZANA ALVES MENDANHA.pdf: 4085845 bytes, checksum: ed8772928c3151a3f2d34b1b727c09b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-14 / The Planning and Production Control Department influence directly in the management of the organization of the production control, if this department does not perform adequately its functions will directly affect other sectors of the company, such as stocks, production and financial sector. This research aims to structure and monitor the implementation of the Kanban production model, integrating the existing MRP system in a food industry to meet the peculiarities of lack and scarcity of semi-finished products existing in the reality of the company. Using the references found in the literature and adding the acquired knowledge by practical study from the research-action, this research shows the development and deployment of a hybrid model. With this deployment, after the cycles of action research, it was possible to see a reduction in the stock of semifinished products at 25% and the value of capital employed at 24%, plus a reduction of finished product shortage cuts at 73%, even with an increase of 15% in this volume. From these results the hybrid model has become satisfactory to the company, since the MRP system and the Kanban production model was integrated complementary, even with the difficulty of the factory floor staff to follow the flow of the hybrid model of PCP. / O departamento de Planejamento e Controle da Produção influencia diretamente na gestão da organização do controle da produção, caso este departamento não desempenhar adequadamente suas funções afetará diretamente outros setores da empresa, como os estoques, a produção e o setor financeiro. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo estruturar e acompanhar a implantação do modelo Kanban de produção, integrando ao sistema MRP já existente em uma indústria alimentícia, a fim de atender as peculiaridades de falta e escassez de produtos semiacabados existentes na realidade da empresa. Utilizando as referências encontradas na literatura e acrescentando o conhecimento adquirido pelo estudo prático oriundo da pesquisa-ação, esta pesquisa apresenta o desenvolvimento e a implantação de um modelo híbrido. Com esta implantação, após os ciclos da pesquisa-ação, foi possível verificar uma redução do estoque de semiacabados em 25% e o valor de capital empregado em 24%, além de uma redução de cortes de faltas de produto acabado em 73%, mesmo com um aumento de 15% em seu volume. A partir destes resultados o modelo híbrido se tornou satisfatório para a empresa, visto que o sistema MRP e o modelo Kanban de produção se integraram de forma complementar, mesmo apresentando dificuldades pela equipe de chão de fábrica de seguir o fluxo do modelo híbrido de PCP.