Foreign Body Response and Intravital Microscopy on AIW in Mice

The foreign body response is the body’s response to the insertion of an object. The foreign body response consists of two components, the innate and adaptive immune response, and lasts for the life of the inserted object. Accordingly, the foreign body response represents a significant challenge to the development of implanted medical devices. In addition to triggering the damaging consequences of inflammation, the foreign body response acts to encapsulate and isolate inserted objects, limiting the functional lifetime of medical devices such as glucose monitors. Accordingly, significant efforts have been devoted to understanding the cell biology of the foreign body response to identify approaches for limiting surface “biofouling”. We have developed an indwelling window system that support longitudinal intravital microscopy of mice. In studies of transgenic mice expressing fluorescent immune cells, we found that the window triggers a local inflammatory response. To explore the utility of this window system as an experimental platform for characterizing the foreign body response, we conducted an intravital microscopy study of 8 mice expressing GFP in myeloid immune cells (Lys-EGFP mice) with surgically implanted abdominal imaging windows. To identify differences in the responses to different surface chemistries, the windows were either left uncoated or coated with poly-L-lysine or type V mouse collagen prior to insertion. Intravital multiphoton microscopy studies conducted over a period of up to 3 weeks demonstrated that the window instigated a local recruitment of immune cells, followed by vascularization and giant cell formation that varied depending upon window surface treatment. These studies demonstrate the utility of the abdominal window as a model system for studying the cell biology of the foreign body response and represent the template for subsequent studies designed to compare the foreign body response to different coating materials designed to extend the useful lifetime of implanted devices.

A legal framework for sharing customs intelligence through the single window system

<p>Some customs agencies are implementing electronic single window systems. These single window systems enable an importer or exporter to digitally transmit their transaction information to the customs administration. The single window system shares relevant information with other government agencies involved in the import or export process. It relieves the importer or exporter of the need to lodge transaction information separately with each government agency. An international single window system is the interconnection of two or more national single window systems. It enables the exporter’s transaction information to be re-used in import processing, thereby reducing the amount of information required from importers. For states that already have customs intelligence-sharing agreements, a single window system could be used to exchange intelligence information about the import and export transactions processed by the system. Intelligence-sharing agreements can and should include transparent protection for human rights. The human rights relevant to this legal framework are access to justice, freedom from arbitrary search and seizure, freedom from torture and the right to privacy. The right to privacy is the human right most affected by intelligence-sharing. This thesis proposes a legal framework to enable intelligence to be shared through a single window system with transparent terms for managing human rights. This thesis suggests that public confidence would be improved by showing how privacy and other human rights are treated in the rules for customs intelligence-sharing using the system proposed here.</p>

A legal framework for sharing customs intelligence through the single window system

<p>Some customs agencies are implementing electronic single window systems. These single window systems enable an importer or exporter to digitally transmit their transaction information to the customs administration. The single window system shares relevant information with other government agencies involved in the import or export process. It relieves the importer or exporter of the need to lodge transaction information separately with each government agency. An international single window system is the interconnection of two or more national single window systems. It enables the exporter’s transaction information to be re-used in import processing, thereby reducing the amount of information required from importers. For states that already have customs intelligence-sharing agreements, a single window system could be used to exchange intelligence information about the import and export transactions processed by the system. Intelligence-sharing agreements can and should include transparent protection for human rights. The human rights relevant to this legal framework are access to justice, freedom from arbitrary search and seizure, freedom from torture and the right to privacy. The right to privacy is the human right most affected by intelligence-sharing. This thesis proposes a legal framework to enable intelligence to be shared through a single window system with transparent terms for managing human rights. This thesis suggests that public confidence would be improved by showing how privacy and other human rights are treated in the rules for customs intelligence-sharing using the system proposed here.</p>

Analysis of China’s Film Industry in 2020

The influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impacted the global film market in 2020. Across the world, the Chinese film market was the first to recover and, as a result, assumed a leading position. This was because the government launched a return-to-work policy, the capital market became more rational, the integration of film companies accelerated, the film industry model trended toward centralization, and market structures underwent deep adjustments. Despite shrinking market space and declining film production during 2020, the industry produced films that remained diverse in genre and subject. Where the “Matthew effect” of accumulated advantage is much more acute in the film industry, a more diverse distribution approach has emerged in the field of new media. With box office returns approaching a ceiling, it has become more urgent to stabilize the quality of top films, enrich and enhance the competitiveness of genre films, and strengthen the theatricality of art films. It also became urgent to improve the film industry system, the product system, the market system, and the box office window system.

An integrated space-based building maintenance management model using multi-objective optimization

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to minimize cost and minimize building condition. Weibull distribution approach was employed to generate deterioration curves over time. The third floor of Concordia University’s Engineering And Visual Arts (EV) Complex in Montreal, Canada, served as a case study to test the maintenance model and determine the optimal maintenance activities to be performed.Design/methodology/approachThis research has demonstrated that there is insufficient fund allocation for the maintenance of non-residential buildings. Therefore, this research focused on designing and developing a maintenance optimization model that provides the type of spaces (architectural system) in a building. Sensitivity analysis was used to calculate weights to validate the model. Particle swarm optimization, based explicitly on multiple objectives, was applied for the optimization problem using MATLAB.FindingsFollowing 100 iterations, 13 non-dominant solutions were generated. Not only was the overall maintenance cost minimized, but the condition of the building was also maximized. Moreover, the condition prediction model demonstrated that the window system type has the most rapid deterioration in educational buildings.Originality/valueThe model is flexible and can be modified by facility managers to align with the required codes or standards.

DEVELOPING STANDARD WINDOW TO FLOOR RATIO (WFR) SYSTEM FOR GREEN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN SUBTROPICS

ABSTRACT The window system is generally regarded as the most vulnerable building system for the indoor energy performance of green buildings. Window systems are given significant attention by architects and engineers, especially in areas with long summer and high solar radiation such as the subtropics. This study aims to develop a standard window-to-floor ratio (WFR) system for green residential buildings in the subtropics. Using Autodesk Revit as the interface, a real high-rise residential building was digitalized and imported into Ecotect for energy consumption analysis. Comparative analyses were conducted to determine the optimal WFR for building energy efficiency. Results demonstrated 0.23 as the optimal WFR in Xiamen, one of the typical subtropical cities in Asia. Furthermore, accompanied by a four-sidefins sunshade device and a double glass window (DGW) with clear “glass+air gap+reflective” glass, the building energy consumption was further reduced by 34.47% compared to the initial model, which successfully met the optimization target of 30%, set according to the green building standard. The results of this study are helpful to architects and building engineers when designing or retrofitting green buildings as we provide specific support for design features for energy performance.

To Ascertain the Level of Knowledge of Beneficiaries Regarding Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Providing Farm Services Adilabad District of Telangana

The present study would be carried out in the tribal dominant area of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Utnoor of Erstwhile Adilabad district in Telangana State. After reorganization of districts in Telangana State, ITDA, Utnoor spread over four districts namely Adilabad, Asifabad, Nirmal, and Mancherial. As per 2011 census in Telangana State total tribal population constitute 9.08%The population of Erstwhile Adilabad district is 27, 41,238 and among them 4, 95,794 people were tribes. There are 32 tribal communities in Telangana State where eight tribes dwelling in the Erstwhile Adilabad district, such as Gond-2,55,403, Lambada 1,43,554, Kolam/Mane- 52,772, Koya-26534, Pardhan-16,667, Andh-9922, Thoti-8998. Among them kolam and Thoti are Primitive Tribal Group (PTG)With the advent of ITDAs (Integrated Tribal Developmental Agencies), developmental efforts of various departments (Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary and Rural works departments) have been channelled through a single window system. Agriculture being the main thrust area, ITDAs is focusing on improving the productivity of the crops by provisioning inputs such as seeds of improved varieties, and chemicals to make the farmers economically better off. 120 respondents from utnoor mandal were randomly selected and data were collected and analysed by using appropriate statistical tool. (48.33%) of the respondents have Medium level of the knowledge about ITDA Farm services. Variables like age, caste, occupation, annual income, extension contacts and risk orientation has no significance relationship with the knowledge on ITDA Farm ,while variables like gender, land holding, education, mass media and extension contacts, innovativeness, risk orientation have positive correlation with the knowledge on ITDA Farm services.