Lipoids and blood platelets with reference to blood coagulation and the hemorrhagic diseases

By specifically analysing for the various active principles of plasma, platelets, tissues and their fractions, much new information has been obtained concerning the role of lipoids and platelets in blood coagulation and in the hemostatic mechanisms in health and disease. Analysed components are studied in artificial clotting systems, especially a two-stage thrombin- forming system. Some 86 cases of bleeding disorders, 32 new born normal infants and their mothers, and many normal adult bloods have been analysed with respect to components of the clotting and hemostatic functions. The detailed considerations embodied in the thesis are encompassed under the following heads: 1) the importance of certain lipoids, especially cephalin 2) the normal need, in plasma clotting, for platelets, 3) the particular significance of a platelet component, which has many analogies to cephalin, in the thromboplastic system, 4) potentiation of the thromboplastic actions of cephalin, of platelets, and of tissue thromboplastin (to some extent) by a variety of experimental additives. Part of this may be explained as a 'thromboplastin generation' through co-participation of certain plasmatic components (antihemophilic globulin, PTC" etc. ) . Part, however, may be the result of certain proteolytic enzymes, particularly trypsin, 'disaggregating' lipoproteins and thus rendering their phospholipid (and sometimes calcium) available for participation in the clotting reactions, 5) possible Ca-containing and lipid-containing 'intermediates’ in the thrombin-forming reactions, 6) myelin figure formation as an explanation of ‘alterations' of platelets and certain other formed elements such as thrombocytes, megakaryocytes, and stromatolytic erythrocytes 7) the multiplicity of factors which platelets may contribute to the blood clotting and hemostatic mechanisms 8) the occurrence of many clinical disorders due to deficiency of platelet functions. Thrombocytopenias denote deficient numbers ('counts' and total bulk in body). Thrombocytopathies are deficiencies of specific platelet components, e . g. thromboplastic factor, accelerator, vasoconstrictor (5-hydroxy tryptamine), or retractor factor. Such deficiencies can be clinically significant even when the platelet count is normal. Bleeding in leukaemias, uremias, etc. may often be accounted for in these terms, 9) the nature and modes of action of heparin and other 'antithromboplastic’ inhibitors, and of some antiproteases, in relation to the mechanisms discussed 10) the ‘cephalin availability theory' of the author, as a useful working hypothesis to explain the importance of the natural thromboplastic phospholipid. Lipid release from platelet, tissue, or possibly plasma sources may very well be the long-obscure 'trigger mechanism' which initiates blood coagulation

A comparison of a selected group of athletes with an equated group of non-athletes.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Motion Planning in Urban Environments: Part I

We present the motion planning framework for an autonomous vehicle navigating through urban environments. Such environments present a number of motion planning challenges, including ultra-reliability, high-speed operation, complex inter-vehicle interaction, parking in large unstructured lots, and constrained maneuvers. Our approach combines a model-predictive trajectory generation algorithm for computing dynamically-feasible actions with two higher-level planners for generating long range plans in both on-road and unstructured areas of the environment. In this Part I of a two-part paper, we describe the underlying trajectory generator and the on-road planning component of this system. We provide examples and results from ldquoBossrdquo, an autonomous SUV that has driven itself over 3000 kilometers and competed in, and won, the Urban Challenge

Finding middle ground between intellectual arrogance and intellectual servility: Development and assessment of the limitations-owning intellectual humility scale

Recent scholarship in intellectual humility (IH) has attempted to provide deeper understanding of the virtue as personality trait and its impact on an individual's thoughts, beliefs, and actions. A limitations-owning perspective of IH focuses on a proper recognition of the impact of intellectual limitations and a motivation to overcome them, placing it as the mean between intellectual arrogance and intellectual servility. We developed the Limitations-Owning Intellectual Humility Scale to assess this conception of IH with related personality constructs. In Studies 1 (n= 386) and 2 (n = 296), principal factor and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor model – owning one's intellectual limitations, appropriate discomfort with intellectual limitations, and love of learning. Study 3 (n = 322) demonstrated strong test-retest reliability of the measure over 5 months, while Study 4 (n = 612) revealed limitations-owning IH correlated negatively with dogmatism, closed-mindedness, and hubristic pride and positively with openness, assertiveness, authentic pride. It also predicted openness and closed-mindedness over and above education, social desirability, and other measures of IH. The limitations-owning understanding of IH and scale allow for a more nuanced, spectrum interpretation and measurement of the virtue, which directs future study inside and outside of psychology

Organizing the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST): National Institutes of Health, Health Care Financing Administration, and industry funding

The Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST) is a prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) versus carotid artery stenting (CAS) as prevention for stroke in patients with symptomatic stenosis greater than or equal to 50%. CREST is sponsored by the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), with additional support by a device manufacturer, and will provide data to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for evaluation of a stent device. Because of budget constraints for CREST, Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) reimbursement for hospital costs incurred by CREST patients will be essential. The involvement of academic scientists, industry, and three separate government agencies (NIH, FDA, HCFA) has presented many challenges in conducting the trial. A review of the pathways followed to meet these challenges may be helpful to others seeking to facilitate sharing of the costs and burdens of conducting innovative clinical research

Sleep habits around the world

The purpose of this study is to examine a relationship between sleep habits in college students at Clemson University and at The University of Vienna. Using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), we define sleep habits as a) time they go to bed, b) time they wake up, and c) amount they slept at night. 324 Clemson participants and 292 Vienna participants from undergraduate psychology courses were asked to complete surveys regarding their sleep quality (PSQI). An independent sample t-test showed a significant difference in both the average times Clemson and Vienna students went to bed and woke up (p \u3c .001) as well as in the average total hours they slept at night (p \u3c .001). Our data findings suggest that Clemson students went to bed later, woke up earlier, and slept less on average than Vienna students