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We tackle an important although rarely addressed question of accounting for a variety of asymmetries frequently observed in stochastic temporal/spatial records. First, we review some measures intending to capture such asymmetries that have been introduced on various occasions in the past and then propose a family of measures that is motivated by Rice's formula for crossing level distributions of t
Previous work implicated the complement system in adult neurogenesis as well as elimination of synapses in the developing and injured CNS. In the present study, we used mice lacking the third complement component (C3) to elucidate the role the complement system plays in hippocampus-dependent learning and synaptic function. We found that the constitutive absence of C3 is associated with enhanced pl
OBJECTIVE: Bone mineral density (BMD) in survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) seems to vary with time, type of treatments and GH status. We aimed to evaluate BMD in ALL patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), with and without GH therapy. DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: 44 (21 women) GHD patients (median 25 years), treated with cranial radiotherapy (18-24 Gy) and chemotherap
Cyclodextrins (CDs) can form inclusion complexes with a wide variety of molecules making them very attractive in different areas, such as pharmaceutics, biochemistry, food chemistry and textile. In this communication we will report on the physico-chemical characterization of cellulose modified with CDs by means of infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), cross polarization magic angle spinning solid state n
There is a great interest in searching for new environmentally sustainable techniques to enhance the use of agricultural byproducts. In this work, a response surface methodology was used to study the influence of the two independent variables, temperature (25-200 degrees C) and extraction time (3-17 min), in the extraction of antioxidants by pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) from industrial
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of separate and simultaneous dietary intake of atorvastatin (ATO) and the soluble fiber oat bran on serum and hepatic lipid levels and the degree of atherosclerosis. Ninety female LDL-receptor-deficient (LDLr-/-) mice were fed a Western-type diet containing either low dose (0.0025%), high dose (0.01%) or no ATO, with or without oat bran (27%) (n =
Biotin synthase was the first example of what is now regarded as a distinctive enzyme class within the radical S-adenosylmethionine superfamily, the members of which use Fe/S Clusters as the sulphur source in radical sulphur insertion reactions. The crystal structure showed that this enzyme contains a [2Fe-2S] cluster with a highly unusual arginine ligand, besides three normal cysteine ligands. Ho
The wood moisture content influences the service life of wood structures since wood is susceptible to decay by rot fungi if it is exposed to high moisture contents during long periods of time. In rain exposed structures, the moisture content close to end grain surfaces and joints can be significantly higher than the average moisture content, but moisture content determinations at such locations re
Multi-dimensional algorithms are hard to implement on classical platforms. Pipelining may exploit instruction-level parallelism, but not in the presence of simultaneous data; threads optimize only within the given restrictions. Tiled architectures do add a dimension to the solution space. With locally a large register store, data parallelism is handled, but only to a dimension. 3-D technologies ar
OBJECTIVE: To assess the reproducibility of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Single-leg Stance (SLS), and the validity of the SLS as an independent test of upright postural control in patients with chronic stroke. DESIGN: An intra-rater test-retest reproducibility study. The BBS and the SLS were assessed twice, 7 days apart. SETTING: A university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty individuals
In this mini-review, progress in our understanding of the link between miRNAs and cytokines in inflammatory skin diseases is highlighted with focus on miR-155 in mycosis fungoides (MF). MF is the most common variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and is characterized by malignant T-cell proliferation in a chronic inflammatory environment in affected skin. Recent data show that miR-155 is expr
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a liver disease that primarily affects women. Many become ill during childbearing age, and medication can be lifelong. Few studies exist on pregnancy outcome in women with AIH.
Sociology of the professions has faced difficulties in delineating and defining the core of its object of study, the concept and phenomenon of profession. Setting out from the so-called French epistemological tradition, this article tries out a new possibility. It is argued that if there are trans-historical elements in professions, they are found at the cognitive side, as a certain reasonably inv
Superficial damage, similar in appearance to salt scaling of concrete, has been observed at the waterline of hydraulic structures, such as hydro power structures, bridge columns, canals and harbours. Progressive damage to the concrete surface results in exposure of coarse aggregate. Deterioration rates of about 1 mm per year have been observed in some cases. A laboratory test method was developed
The catalyst layer (CL) of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell involves various particles and pores that span a wide range of length scales, from several nanometers to a few microns. The success of the CL design depends decisively on understanding the detailed structure in microscale or even in nanoscale. In this paper, the properties of nano-/microstructures are outlined, and the physical and ch
Clinical blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is becoming increasingly valuable in, e.g., presurgical planning, but the commonly used gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (GE-EPI) technique is sometimes hampered by macroscopic field inhomogeneities. This can affect the degree of signal change that will occur in the GE-EPI images as a response to neural
A previous study by the authors using a heated thermal manikin showed that the cooling rates of phase change material (PCM) are dependent on temperature gradient, mass, and covering area. The objective of this study was to investigate if the cooling effects of the temperature gradient observed on a thermal manikin could be validated on human subjects in extreme heat. The subjects wore cooling vest
