A new approach to transfect NF-κB decoy oligodeoxynucleotides into the periodontal tissue using the ultrasound-microbubble method

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the ultrasound-microbubble technique in nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) decoy oligodeoxynucleotide(ODN) transfection in the gingival tissue in mice. The 6-FAM-labeled scrambled decoy ODN with microbubbles was applied to the periodontal tissue in 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice by ultrasound radiation at low(LUM-Sc) and high(HUM-Sc) intensities to optimize the transfection condition of the ultrasound-microbubble method.Histological inspections were performed two hours after transfection to compare the expression with that in the sham-operated group without ultrasound radiation(A-Sc). Then, an NF-κB decoy was transfected into the periodontal tissue using the highintensity ultrasound-microbubble(HUM-NF) technique to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of the decoy ODN. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the expression of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1)in the gingival tissues in the HUM-Sc, the HUM-NF and control groups. The fluorescence microscopy results showed that the fluorescent intensity in the periodontal tissues in the LUM-Sc and HUM-Sc groups was significantly higher than that in the A-Sc and the control groups. The fluorescent intensity in the HUM-Sc group, especially in the gingival connective tissue,was the highest of all groups. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and ICAM-1 in the HUM-NF group were significantly lower than those in the HUM-Sc and the control groups. These findings suggest that the high-intensity ultrasound-microbubble technique is an effective tool for decoy transfection into the periodontal tissue.

Responsiveness Improvement of Idling Speed Control for Automotive Using SMC

To improve the responsiveness of engine speed control to disturbances, robust controls were investigated by simulation. The intake air control system of a gasoline engine is a typical nonlinear system, and the disturbances and parameter perturbations are generally regarded as being the unstable factors with regard to engine control. In this paper, a Mean-Value Engine Model (MVEM) with disturbances and parameter perturbations is investigated using Sliding Mode Control (SMC), which is a form of variable structure control, with a view to address instability in the idle speed control process. The simulation results confirmed that, compared with a conventional PI (Proportional-Integral) controller, the stability of the idle speed for an engine that is being subjected to disturbances, parameter variations and background noise is greatly improved by the application of SMC.

Adaptive Back-Stepping Control of Automotive Electronic Control Throttle

Back-stepping control (BSC), which is deemed effective for a non-holonomic system, is applied to improving both responsiveness and resolution performance of an electronic control throttle (ECT) used in automotive engines. This paper is characterized by the use of a two-step type BSC in a manner that achieves an improvement in responsiveness with the ETC operated in a fully opened state by adding a derivative term in Step 1 and the improvement in resolution performance with the ETC operated in a minutely opened state by adding an adaptive feature in the form of an integral term using the control deviation in Step 2. This paper presents an ECT control expressed as a second-order system including nonlinearities such as backlash of gear train and static friction in sliding area, a BSC system designed based on Lyapunov stability, and a determination method for control parameters. Also, a two-step type BSC system is formulated using Matlab/Simulink with a physics model as a control object. As a result of simulation analyses, it becomes clear that the BSC system can achieve quicker response because the derivative term works effectively and finer resolution because the adaptive control absorbs the error margin of the nonlinear compensation than conventional PID control.