86,622 research outputs found
Possible pathophysiological roles of transglutaminase - catalyzed reactions in the pathogenesis of human neurodegenerative diseases
No full textTransglutaminases (TG, E.C. 2.3.2.13) are related and ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze
the cross linking of a glutaminyl residue of a protein/peptide substrate to a lysyl residue of a
protein/peptide co-substrate. These enzymes are also capable of catalyzing other post-translational
reactions important for cell life. The distribution and the physiological roles of human TGs have
been widely studied in numerous cell types and tissues and recently their roles in several diseases
have begun to be identified. It has been hypothesized that transglutaminase activity is directly
involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for several human diseases. In particular, tissue
TG (tTG, TG2), a member of the TG enzyme family, has been recently shown to be involved in the
molecular mechanisms responsible for a very widespread human pathology, Celiac Disease (CD),
one of the most common food intolerances described in the western population. The main food agent
that provokes the strong and diffuse clinical symptoms has been known for several years to be
gliadin, a protein present in a very large number of human foods derived from vegetables. Recently,
some biochemical and immunological aspects of this very common disease have been clarified, and
“tissue” transglutaminase, a multifunctional and ubiquitous enzyme, has been identified as one of the
major factors. The aim of this review is to summarize the most recent findings concerning the
relationships between the biochemical properties of the transglutaminase activity and the basic
molecular mechanisms responsible for some human diseases, with particular reference to
neuropsychiatric disorders. Possible molecular links between CD and neuropsychiatric disorders, and
the use of transglutaminase inhibitors are also discussed
Sexual Counseling Improved Erectile Rehabilitation After Non-Nerve-Sparing Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy or Cystectomy—Results of a Randomized Prospective Study
No full textAim. The efficacy of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)-intracavernous injection (ICI) therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED) after non-nerve-sparing (NNS) radical pelvic surgery depends on patient compliance. The purpose of this study was to verify the utility of sexual counseling in ICI in terms of treatment efficacy, compliance, and dropout rate.
Methods. In this prospective randomized study, 57 patients with ED after NNS radical prostatectomy or cystectomy were divided: 29 patients (group SC+) were treated with sexual counseling and PGE1-ICI therapy; the others 28 (group SC–) were treated with only ICI. At the start of the study all patients were administered the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire and ICI training test; follow-up (at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 months) was achieved by home Sildenafil test and ambulatory IIEF test; sexual counseling was provided only to group SC+.
Results. The mean IIEF score at the end of study was 26.5 (SC+) vs. 24.3 (SC–) (P < 0.05); eight patients (SC+, 27.5%) became responders to home Sildenafil vs. five (SC–, 17.8%) (P < 0.05); no dropout cases occurred (SC+) vs. eight (SC–, 28.5%) (P < 0.05). Moreover, we recorded best IIEF scores in group SC+ in sexual satisfaction (P < 0.05), sexual desire (P < 0.05), orgasmic function, and general satisfaction. Mean PGE1 doses were better in group SC+ (P < 0.05). ICI-oriented sexual counseling was utilized to motivate couples, to improve sexual intercourses, to correct mistakes in ICI administration. At the end of follow-up 21 patients (SC+) declared themselves satisfied vs. 12 (SC–).
Conclusions. ICI-oriented sexual counseling in ICI increased the efficacy of treatment, the compliance, and Sildenafil responders rate, decreased the dropout rate. Titta M, Tavolini IM, Dal Moro F, Cisternino A, and Bassi P. Sexual counseling improved erectile rehabilitation after non-nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy or cystectomy—results of a randomized prospective study
Variations on the Author
No full text“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
[Newspaper Clipping: Author Claims Evidence of Second JFK Assassin #1]
No full textNewspaper article titled "Author Claims Evidence of Second JFK Assassin." The article states that author Richard J. Whalen concluded "that there is circumstantial evidence to support the theory of a second assassin in the shooting of President John F. Kennedy.
Combining bistatic and monostatic radar measurements for retrieving soil moisture
No full textThe problem of soil moisture retrieval by means of a bistatic radar system, for the purpose of investigating a candidate bistatic mission, is addressed in this paper. The optimal geometric configuration of measurement in terms of incidence and observation (scattering) directions is identified. Such a configuration should ensure good sensitivity to soil moisture and good spatial coverage. We use a theoretical scattering model to simulate the bistatic scattering coefficient of bare soil for analyzing the sensitivity to soil moisture. The error variance of a linear regression estimator is employed for this purpose. This index is computed as function of elevation and azimuth scattering angles. Results shows that the best performances in terms of soil moisture retrieval can be achieved by complementing the bistatic measurements with the monostatic ones, which are supposed to be available through already operating spaceborne radars. The problem of the feasibility of the bistatic configuration identified through the sensitivity study is also addressed focusing on the duty cycle and the spatial coverage. © 2009 SPIE
Also By The Same Author: AKTiveAuthor, a Citation Graph Approach to Name Disambiguation
No full textThe desire for definitive data and the semantic web drive for inference over heterogeneous data sources requires co-reference resolution to be performed on those data. In particular, name disambiguation is required to allow accurate publication lists, citation counts and impact measures to be determined. This paper describes a graph-based approach to author disambiguation on large-scale citation networks. Using self-citation, co-authorship and document source analyses, AKTiveAuthor clusters papers, achieving precision of 0.997 and recall of 0.818 over a test group of eight surname clusters
Feasibility of spaceborne bistatic radar missions for land applications
No full textThis paper deals with a feasibility analysis of spaceborne bistatic missions for Earth Observation, with signals at microwave bands. The analysis, performed in the frame of a wider study financed by ESA, considers as input bistatic configurations, investigated in another paper, suitable for typical land applications i.e. soil moisture and vegetation biomass retrieval. Signal sources are GPS constellation and spaceborne SAR's. This analysis mainly encompasses the design of possible orbits implementing the desired bistatic configurations, and the characterization of the system performances. The latter are evaluated through several different parameters, grouped in two classes: target observation parameters, strictly related to the illuminator-target- receiver geometry at given epoch (e.g. signal to noise ratio, spatial resolution, observation angles) and system parameters such as: spatial coverage (measuring whether or not a point is accessible by the satellites in bistatic configuration), number of bistatic accesses to the target area, revisit time (indicating the delay between two successive bistatic acquisitions of the same area). © 2007 IEEE
John F. Kennedy telegram to Roosevelt
No full textJersey Homesteads (later the Borough of Roosevelt) was established in the 1930s as an agro-industrial cooperative community. It was established specifically for urban Jewish garment workers, many of whom had emigrated from Europe. President John F. Kennedy sent a telegram to the citizens of Roosevelt, New Jersey, apologizing for not being able to attend the memorial dedication in honor of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (Jersey Homesteads became Roosevelt in 1945 in honor of the president.) President Kennedy expressed his gratitude to the people of Roosevelt for constructing the memorial, and commented that it will serve as a constant reminder of Roosevelt's good works
Logarithmic variance profiles and the corresponding f-1 spectra of temperature fluctuations in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection
No full textWe report experimental results for the temperature variance 2(z) and the corresponding frequency spectra P(f) in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC) in a cylindrical sample of aspect ratioT= D/L = 1:00 (D = 1:12 m is the diameter and L = 1:12 m the height). The measurements were conducted in the Rayleigh-number range 1011 < Ra < 1:35 1014 and Pr ' 0:8. For Ra = 1:35x1014, 2(z) could be described well by a logarithmic dependence on the vertical position z in a range of z 1 < z < z 2 with z 1 ' 70 and z 2 = 0:1L. Here L=(2Nu) is the thickness of a thin thermal sublayer adjacent to the horizontal plate where the heat flux (denoted by the Nusselt number Nu) is carried mostly by thermal diffusion. In the log layer, we found that the temperature spectra had a significant frequency range over which P(f) f with close to 1. As Ra decreased, increased so that the log layer became thinner. At Ra = 2:05 1011, z 2 < z 1 and therefore there was no range for a log layer. Correspondingly, the temperature spectrum near the horizontal plate did not have the f1 scaling form either
Maine author Franklin F. Gould recalls his first glimpse of the outside world
No full textMaine author Franklin F. Gould recalls his first glimpse of the outside world as he relates how, as a young farm boy in the late 1800\u27s, he drove his father\u27s horses on an errand to an icebound river
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