Abstract: Introduction: There is growing evidence that polymorphic variants in genes other than CFTR play an important role in determining severity of CF lung disease. We recently demonstrated that the innate immune receptor TLR5 mediates much of the damaging inflammatory response generated by CF airway cells following exposure to P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, it has been suggested that TLR5 is involved in bacterial clearance from the airways in humans and mice. Together, this evidence identifies TLR5 as a biologically plausible candidate gene that may modify CF lung disease. Objective: To confirm the pro-inflammatory phenotype of CF airway epithelial cells and to determine if polymorphisms in the TLR5 gene modify the severity of pulmonary disease in patients with CF. Methods: CF and non-CF cell lines were stimulated with P. aeruginosa wt and a strain lacking flagellin (?fliC). We genotyped one functional non-synonymous SNP in the TLR5 gene (TLR5 R392X, rs5744168) in healthy individuals and stimulated PBMCs from carriers and non carriers with purified flagellin to asses the impact of the SNP on TLR5 signaling capacity. TLR5 genotypes of 2,441 CF patients were correlated with severity of CF lung disease. Outcome variables measured were a) lung function (i.e. cross-sectional measurement of FEV1 %predicted) and b) the annual decline of lung function (i.e. longitudinal measurement of FEV1 %predicted). Results and Conclusions: CF epithelial cell lines recognize P. aeruginosa through the flagellin-TLR5 interaction and produce an exaggerated pro-inflammatory cytokine response. The TLR5 R392X SNP was functionally active, significantly decreasing TLR5 responsiveness of PBMCs up to 75% (p < 0.0001). Our data identify TLR5 as an excellent biologically plausible candidate gene that may modify CF lung disease. As a follow up to this study, the TLR5 R392X SNP has been genotyped in 2,441 CF patients and ongoing statistical analysis of the impact of this SNP on lung function will examine whether genetic variation in TLR5 modifies CF lung disease.

Abstract: rapid and sensitive detection methods. Our aims are to develop robust and simple sequential injection analysis (SI) methods for the essay of pharmaceutical samples and to investigate various luminescence detection modes in combination with SIA system. The approaches compared will be spectrophotomety, micellar enhanced fluorescence, and lanthanide enhanced luminescence and chemiluminescence (CL). Method: The development of analytical protocols for monitoring of various drugs is presented. The chemical system is developed based on the structural properties of the given drug. When compounds lack efficient chromophores the use of a metal ion or organic derivatizing agents that can form highly absorbing or fluorescent products is necessary. On the other hand lanthanides such as Eu(III), and Tb(III) are used to sensitize the luminescence of drug samples offering excellent analytical characteristics. CL is also emerging as an efficient tool when coupled to flow techniques. Ru(III) complexes were used to develop simple and robust assay for group of common drugs such as chlorpheniramine (CPA) and ephedrine(EP) and some fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Several types of SI designs were employed. The development of the analytical system thereafter hinges on the selection of the most suitable environmental factors that result in an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore a systematic optimization protocol must be used for this purpose. Then the methods developed are validated and compared to standard and official methods. Results: using spectrophotometric techniques penicillamine (PA) was complexed with Fe(II) ions in acidic media forming blue complex that absorbs strongly at 600 nm. A linear dynamic range for the determination of PA of 25-300 ppm was obtained with sampling frequency of 50 h -1. PA and ephedrine were determined using tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) as a CL reagent and potassium peroxydisulfate as an oxidant in the presence of light.. Derivatization of PA and EP with aldehydes produced a significant enhancement of the CL emission, leading to detection limits (LOD) of 0.1ppm for PA and 0.03 ppm for EP. Optimum conditions for the determination of BRZ in pharmaceutical formulation were 0.6 % tergitol surfactant in the presence of 0.1 M lactose. Piroxicam (PX) and ibuprofen (IB) were assayed using lanthanide sensitized luminescence. Eu(III) when complexed to PX resulted in a huge enhancement in the emission of the EU(III) bands.. which allow the determination of 100?1000 ppb of PX with LOD of 29 ppb. Recoveries of PX in pharmaceutical formulations and in urine samples were 100.87?1.7% and 97.57?2.0%. IB was determined after complexation with Tb (III) ions giving a detection limit of 1.0 ? 10?7 mol/L. Fluoroquoinolone antibiotics eg levefloxacin ( LV), were determined using Ce(IV) ions as oxidant and tris(1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(III) as the CL reagent giving characteristic orange emission with LOD of 0.02 ppm. Conclusions: SIA is a powerful tool when coupled to sensitive luminescence methods for the determination of drugs in the pharmaceutical formulations and in biological fluid. This combination results in an increased sampling frequency and an enhanced sensitivity. The use of micelles has lead to an increase in the solubilisation of BRZ and an improvement in the sensitivity of the method. Lanthanide sensitized luminescence lead to a sensitize detection of the drugs with emission in the longer wavelength of the lanthanide ion that achieve a better selectivity of the methods. Future work include the development of methodology for the determination of drugs in various environmental samples such as round water and sewage, in order to cope with the increase problem of pollution brought about by the continuous charging of drugs into the environment. All

Abstract: Wireless Ad Hoc networks are composed of various computer systems, more or less complex, constituting nodes. These have the ability to communicate independently using radio waves. Nodes can cooperate and interact to exchange services. The Hello messages play an important role in maintaining connectivity between nodes in an ad hoc network, and location of the latter. Two key variables control the determination of connectivity: the Hello interval and the loss left by the Hello messages. The Hello interval specifies a maximum interval between two successive receptions of a Hello message from one node before considering it lost. It is important that the calculation of the value of the Hello interval is based on waiting time of Hello messages at the receiving node. In this work, we model the reception of Hello messages at a node by a queue where customers are the Hello messages; the service is defined as the processing of these messages. Using the theory of random walks, we determined the exact expression of the distribution of waiting times.

Abstract: In 2007 The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation awarded $5 million in grants to a total of four national and local organizations in a quest to aid the recovery of the Maumee watershed. Environmental Defense will work to expand and target agricultural conservation incentives available to farmers. The Nature Conservancy will enlist Indiana farmers to test an improved design for drainage ditches that, in initial tests, dramatically reduced sediment and improved water quality entering local streams; further downstream, TNC will seek to reduce runoff from expanding suburban developments by restoring wetlands in the ecologically rich Oak Openings area and in creating a ?green ribbon? along the lower Maumee River. Partners for Clean Streams Inc. will test strategies for reversing ecological damage from a dam structure on Swan Creek in Toledo, complete risk assessments for Duck Creek and Otter Creek, and create inventory and restoration plans for the Swan Creek and the Ottawa River. American Rivers will work with local government and residents in Toledo to capture and filter storm water in gardens, rain barrels, wetlands, and other forms of ?green infrastructure? and keep it out of the sewer system, thus reducing floods and sewage overflows into the river and Lake Erie.