Antibody Production, Anaphylactic Signs, and T-Cell Responses Induced by Oral Sensitization With Ovalbumin in BALB/c and C3H/HeOuJ Mice

Elena Molina,,Ivan López-Expósito,Daniel Lozano-Ojalvo,Rosina López-Fandiño,Elena Molina 대한천식알레르기학회 2016 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.8 No.3

Purpose: Two mouse strains, BALB/c and C3H/HeOuJ, broadly used in the field of food allergy, were compared for the evaluation of the allergenic potential of ovalbumin (OVA). Methods: Sensitization was made by administering 2 different OVA doses (1 and 5 mg), with cholera toxin as Th2-polarizing adjuvant. Antibody levels, severity of anaphylaxis, and Th1 and Th2 responses induced by the allergen were assessed. In addition, because the mice selected had functional toll-like receptor 4, the influence of contamination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the immunostimulating capacity of OVA on spleen cells was also evaluated. Results: Both strains exhibited similar susceptibility to OVA sensitization. The 2 protein doses generated similar OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 levels in both strains, whereas C3H/HeOuJ mice produced significantly more IgG2a. Oral challenge provoked more severe manifestations in C3H/HeOuJ mice as indicated by the drop in body temperature and the severity of the anaphylactic scores. Stimulation of splenocytes with OVA led to significantly higher levels of Th2 and Th1 cytokines in BALB/c, and these were less affected by protein contamination with LPS. Conclusions: The antibody and cytokine levels induced by OVA in BALB/c mice and the observation that BALB/c spleen cell cultures were more resistant than those of C3H/HeOuJ mice to the stimulus of LPS make this strain prone to exhibit Th2-mediated food allergic reactions and very adequate for the study of the features of OVA that make it allergenic.

Modeling and Control of Integrated STATCOM-SMES System to Improve Power System Oscillations Damping

Molina, Marcelo G.,Mercado, Pedro E. The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2008 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.3 No.4

Primary frequency control(PFC) has the ability to regulate short period random variations of frequency during normal operation conditions and also to respond rapidly to emergencies. However, during the past decade, numerous significant sized blackouts occurred worldwide that resulted in serious economic losses. Therefore, the conclusion has been reached that the ability of the current PFC to meet an emergency is poor, and security of power systems should be improved. An alternative to enhance the PFC and thus security is to store excessive amounts of energy during off-peak load periods in efficient energy storage systems for substituting the primary control reserve. In this sense, superconducting magnetic energy storage(SMES) in combination with a static synchronous compensator(STATCOM) is capable of supplying power systems with both active and reactive powers simultaneously and very rapidly, and thus is able to enhance the security dramatically. In this paper, a new concept of PFC based on incorporating a STATCOM-SMES is presented. A complete detailed model is proposed and a new control scheme is designed, comprising an enhanced frequency control scheme, and a fully decoupled current control strategy in d-q coordinates with a novel controller to prevent dc bus capacitors voltage drift/imbalance. The performance of the proposed control schemes is validated through digital simulation carried out using MATLAB/Simulink.

DISTRIBUTIONAL FRACTIONAL POWERS OF SIMILAR OPERATORS WITH APPLICATIONS TO THE BESSEL OPERATORS

Molina, Sandra Monica Korean Mathematical Society 2018 대한수학회논문집 Vol.33 No.4

This paper provides a method to study the nonnegativity of certain linear operators, from other operators with similar spectral properties. If these new operators are formally self-adjoint and nonnegative, we can study the complex powers using an appropriate locally convex space. In this case, the initial operator also will be nonnegative and we will be able to study its powers. In particular, we have applied this method to Bessel-type operators.

Mitigating irreversible capacity losses from carbon agents via surface modification

Molina Piper, Daniela,Son, Seoung-Bum,Travis, Jonathan J.,Lee, Younghee,Han, Sang Sub,Kim, Seul Cham,Oh, Kyu Hwan,George, Steven M.,Lee, Se-Hee,Ban, Chunmei Elsevier 2015 Journal of Power Sources Vol.275 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Greatly improved cycling performance has been demonstrated with conformally coated lithium-ion electrodes by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) techniques. This paper reports the impact of coating on the electrode additives towards mitigating undesired parasitic reactions during cycling. The ALD and MLD coatings with conformality and atomic scale thickness control effectively stabilize the surface of the electrode components, and the current collector, resulting in the increase of coulombic efficiency throughout cycling. The organic fragment integrated into the recently developed MLD process allows the coating to possess excellent mechanical properties and enhanced ionic conductivity, which significantly reduces cell polarizations throughout cycling. This work validates the importance of ALD and MLD as surface modifiers and further demonstrates their versatility and compatibility with lithium-ion battery technology.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Synthesis of ultrathin, conformal coating with atomic/molecular layer deposition. </LI> <LI> Mitigated parasitic reactions for the electrode additives via surface modification. </LI> <LI> Integrated organic fragments in coating chemistry for flexible, conductive coatings. </LI> <LI> Demonstrated the versatility and compatibility of atomic/molecular layer deposition with lithium-ion battery technology. </LI> </UL> </P>

Immunomodulatory properties of stem cells and bioactive molecules for tissue engineering

Molina, Eric R.,Smith, Brandon T.,Shah, Sarita R.,Shin, Heungsoo,Mikos, Antonios G. Elsevier 2015 Journal of controlled release Vol.219 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The immune system plays a crucial role in the success of tissue engineering strategies. Failure to consider the interactions between implantable scaffolds, usually containing cells and/or bioactive molecules, and the immune system can result in rejection of the implant and devastating clinical consequences. However, recent research into mesenchymal stem cells, which are commonly used in many tissue engineering applications, indicates that they may play a beneficial role modulating the immune system. Likewise, direct delivery of bioactive molecules involved in the inflammatory process can promote the success of tissue engineering constructs. In this article, we will review the various mechanisms in which modulation of the immune system is achieved through delivered bioactive molecules and cells and contextualize this information for future strategies in tissue engineering.</P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Evaluation of existing bridges using neural networks

Molina, Augusto V.,Chou, Karen C. Techno-Press 2002 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.13 No.2

The infrastructure system in the United States has been aging faster than the resource available to restore them. Therefore decision for allocating the resources is based in part on the condition of the structural system. This paper proposes to use neural network to predict the overall rating of the structural system because of the successful applications of neural network to other fields which require a "symptom-diagnostic" type relationship. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the potential of using neural network in civil engineering applications and, particularly, in bridge evaluations. Data collected by the Tennessee Department of Transportation were used as "test bed" for the study. Multi-layer feed forward networks were developed using the Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm. All the neural networks consisted of at least one hidden layer of neurons. Hyperbolic tangent transfer functions were used in the first hidden layer and log-sigmoid transfer functions were used in the subsequent hidden and output layers. The best performing neural network consisted of three hidden layers. This network contained three neurons in the first hidden layer, two neurons in the second hidden layer and one neuron in the third hidden layer. The neural network performed well based on a target error of 10%. The results of this study indicate that the potential for using neural networks for the evaluation of infrastructure systems is very good.

Purification and Characterization of Two Isolectins with Arginase Activity from the Lichen Xanthoria parietina

Molina, M. C.,Vicente, C. Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biol 2000 Journal of biochemistry and molecular biology Vol.33 No.4

Two glycoproteins were purified and biochemically characterized from the lichen X. parietina. Both behaved as enzymes with arginase activity and haemaglutinins. Secreted arginase (SA) contained galactose and glucose in the saccharide moiety and an isoelectric point of 4.54. The algal binding-protein (ABP) had N-acetyl-glucosamine and glucose as glycosidic residues and an isoelectric point of 3.53. Both proteins had the same molecular mass (58.6 kDa) and the same qualitative amino acidic composition. The results allowed us to consider these glycoproteins as isolectins, which have significant physiological roles in the relationship between photobiont and mycobiont of symbiotic association.

Closing of the Central American Gateway and its effects on the distribution of late Pliocene radiolarians in the eastern tropical Pacific

( Molina Cruz Adolfo ) 한국고생물학회 1997 Abstract volume Vol.- No.-

Enrichment of single neurons and defined brain regions from human brain tissue samples for subsequent proteome analysis.

Molina, Mariana,Steinbach, Simone,Park, Young Mok,Yun, Su Yeong,Di Lorenzo Alho, Ana Tereza,Heinsen, Helmut,Grinberg, Lea T,Marcus, Katrin,Leite, Renata E Paraizo,May, Caroline Springer 2015 JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION Vol.122 No.7

<P>Brain function in normal aging and neurological diseases has long been a subject of interest. With current technology, it is possible to go beyond descriptive analyses to characterize brain cell populations at the molecular level. However, the brain comprises over 100 billion highly specialized cells, and it is a challenge to discriminate different cell groups for analyses. Isolating intact neurons is not feasible with traditional methods, such as tissue homogenization techniques. The advent of laser microdissection techniques promises to overcome previous limitations in the isolation of specific cells. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for isolating and analyzing neurons from postmortem human brain tissue samples. We describe a workflow for successfully freezing, sectioning and staining tissue for laser microdissection. This protocol was validated by mass spectrometric analysis. Isolated neurons can also be employed for western blotting or PCR. This protocol will enable further examinations of brain cell-specific molecular pathways and aid in elucidating distinct brain functions.</P>

Purification and Characterization of Two Isolectins with Arginase Activity from the Lichen Xanthoria parietina

Molina, M.C.,Vicente, C. The Korea Science and Technology Center 2000 BMB Reports Vol.33 No.4

Two glycoproteins were purified and biochemically characterized from the lichen X. parietina. Both behaved as enzymes with arginase activity and haemaglutinins. Secreted arginase(SA) contained galactose and glucose in the saccharide moiety and an isoelectric point of 4.54. The algal binding-protein (ABP) had N-acetyl-glucosamine and glucose as glycosidic residues and an isoelectric point of 3.53. Both proteins had the same molecular mass (58.6 kDa) and the same qualitative amino acidic composition. The results allowed us to consider these glycoprotiens as isoelectric, which have significant physicological roles in the relationship between photobiont and mycobiont of symbiotic association.