100,693 research outputs found
Aspartic acid racemization and collagen degradation markers reveal an accumulation of damage in tendon collagen that is enhanced with aging
No full textChavaunne T. Thorpe, Ian Streeter, Gina L. Pinchbeck, Allen E. Goodship, Peter D. Clegg and Helen L. Birc
Interfacial instabilities: implications for multi-material moulding
No full textThis work investigates and identifies the mechanisms that are at work in the creation of instabilities during co-injection moulding. Two aspects are investigated, neither of which has been previously reported. One seeks to eliminate the instabilities, the other to control them to produce mechanical interlocking of incompatible polymeric materials. Complex rheological and thermodynamic interactions take place during the co-injection moulding of materials of different generic families, which need to be understood before successful multi material mouldings can be achieved. Moulding trials on miscible, compatibilised and immiscible polymer systems were carried out to determine processing parameter effects.
Analysis of tensile behaviour identified differences between injection moulding and co-injection moulding samples which are indicative of different heating and cooling regimes in the systems. Scanning electron microscopy analysis also assisted explanation of these effects. A previously unobserved bulk weakness in compatibilised systems was found. Surface profilometry was used to measure the size of disturbances at the wave fronts. The extent to which the interfacial instability occurs and to the material systems to which it applies was found. Instabilities were found or induced in all material systems investigated, including those where skin and core materials are the same. Mechanisms of instability at the melt front interface were determined and were found to be the result of stratification of elastic properties. Processing conditions were found to minimize instability by minimizing differences in elasticity at the interface. A novel process route using controlled instabilities was also proposed and investigated for the use of immiscible material systems. By controlling the moulding parameters, the potential problem of instability was used to provide a solution to bonding immiscible materials in co-injection mouldings without the use of compatibiliser
How I treat thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome
No full textThrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) are acute, rare life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathies that require rapid diagnosis and treatment. They are defined by microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia, with renal involvement primarily in aHUS and neurological and cardiological sequelae in TTP. Prompt treatment for most cases of both conditions is with plasma exchange initially and monoclonal therapy (rituximab in TTP and eculizumab in aHUS) as the mainstay of therapy. Here we discuss the diagnosis and therapy for both disorders
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Complement polymorphisms: Geographical distribution and relevance to disease
No full textThe evolution of man has been characterised by recurrent episodes of migration and settlement with infectious disease a constant threat. This long history of demographic change, together with the action of evolutionary forces such as natural selection and genetic drift, has shaped human genetic diversity. In particular, the interaction between humans, pathogens and the environment has played a crucial role in generating patterns of human genetic variation. The complement system plays a crucial role in the early protective immune response after exposure to a pathogen. Pathogens, over time, have developed mechanisms to circumvent the effects of complement which in turn has led to development of a more complex complement system. During the evolution of the complement system genes coding complement proteins have evolved polymorphisms, some of which have a functional effect, and this may reflect human-pathogen interaction and geographical origin. An example is the polymorphism Ile62Val (rs800292 (A>G)) in the complement regulator Factor H gene which alters the susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with the Ile62 polymorphism protecting against AMD. When sub-Saharan African and European populations are compared, the frequency of this polymorphism shows a very marked geographical distribution. Polymorphisms in other complement genes such as complement factor B show similar trends. This paper describes the geographical variation present in complement genes and discusses the implications of these observations. The analysis of genetic variation in complement genes is a promising tool to unravel mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction and can provide new insights into the evolution of the human immune system. © 2011 Elsevier GmbH
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
IL-1 receptor antagonist production by isolated mononuclear cells is a better indicator of bioincompatibility of hemodialysis membranes than that by stimulated whole blood
No full textPelevin’s Trinity in the novel “t”: author – protagonist – reader
No full textThe article attempts to interpret Pelevin's artistic strategy in the novel "T" by exploring its subject organization and addressing the key problems of the author, the protagonist, and the reader as they are seen by the researcher. The article analyzes the peculiarities of constructing the narrative reality in the novel "T", and goes on to discuss Pelevin's philosophic models of the development of the humankind, and the emergence of his new anthropology
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