7,065 research outputs found
ENG 5000-001: Intro to Methods in English Studies
The rheological behavior of a non-Brownian Newtonian concentrated suspension is investigated under
oscillatory shear at different strain amplitudes and at two frequencies. The data are in agreement with the literature
showing that the complex viscosity varies both with the number of oscillations imposed to the material and with the strain
amplitude. We here also show that the response to the oscillatory shear depends on the applied frequency. This result is
unexpected for a Newtonian suspension and implies the existence of some mechanism able to introduce a characteristic
time into the system. Can it be cage elasticity
Validation of a model of the GAL regulatory system via robustness analysis of its bistability characteristics
In Saccharomyces cerevisiĂŠ, structural bistability generates a bimodal expression of the galactose uptake genes (GAL) when exposed to low and high glucose concentrations. This indicates that yeast cells can decide between using either the limited amount of glucose or growing on galactose under changing environmental conditions. A crucial requirement for any plausible mechanistic model of this system is that it reproduces the robustness of the bistable response observed in vivo against inter-individual parametric variability and fluctuating environmental conditions
Agrochemical contamination of honey and bee bread collected in the piedmont region, Italy
This study shows the results of a local biomonitoring plan developed by a regional beekeeping association, Aspromiele, in several areas of Piedmont (Italy), in order to understand the status of contamination from pesticides present in the environment and eventually to evaluate their impact on apiculture. Glyphosate was the most abundant chemical found in the bee bread and honey samples. The other pesticides detected at lower concentrations and minor frequency were mandipropamid, tau-fluvalinate, metalaxil and spiroxamine. Even if in the present study the pesticides found in the bee bread and honey were limited to a few molecules, it is important to highlight that the presence of glyphosate could represent a hazard to bees. Honeybees are the main pollinators in agricultural ecosystems, and thus appropriate environmental management could lead to a reduction in the impact of these chemicals on bees and other beneficial insects
A deficit of spatial remapping in constructional apraxia after right-hemisphere stroke
This Article is provided by the Brunel Open Access Publising Fund - Copyright @ 2010 Oxford University PressConstructional apraxia refers to the inability of patients to copy accurately drawings or three-dimensional constructions. It is a common disorder after right parietal stroke, often persisting after initial problems such as visuospatial neglect have resolved. However, there has been very little experimental investigation regarding mechanisms that might contribute to the syndrome. Here, we examined whether a key deficit might be failure to integrate visual information correctly from one fixation to the next. Specifically, we tested whether this deficit might concern remapping of spatial locations across saccades. Right-hemisphere stroke patients with constructional apraxia were compared to patients without constructional problems and neurologically healthy controls. Participants judged whether a pattern shifted position (spatial task) or changed in pattern (non-spatial task) across two saccades, compared to a control condition with an equivalent delay but without intervening eye movements. Patients with constructional apraxia were found to be significantly impaired in position judgements with intervening saccades, particularly when the first saccade of the sequence was to the right. The importance of these remapping deficits in constructional apraxia was confirmed through a highly significant correlation between saccade task performance and constructional impairment on standard neuropsychological tasks. A second study revealed that even single saccades to the right can impair constructional apraxia patientsâ perception of location shifts. These data are consistent with the view that rightward eye movements result in loss of remembered spatial information from previous fixations, presumably due to constructional apraxia patientsâ damage to the right-hemisphere regions involved in remapping locations across saccades. These findings provide the first evidence for a deficit in remapping visual information across saccades underlying right-hemisphere constructional apraxia.European Commission Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (011457 to C.R.) and a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowship (to M.H.)
Plasma levels of tumour necrosis factorâα and adiponectin can differentiate patients with psoriatic arthritis from those with psoriasis
Preliminary results of phase II study of capecitabine and gemcitabine (CAP-GEM) in patients with metastatic pretreated thymic epithelial tumors (TETs)
Background: No previous prospective trials have been reported with capecitabine and gemcitabine (CAP-GEM) in patients with metastatic thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). We conducted a multicenter study to determine the activity and tolerability of this regimen in pretreated TETs. Patients and methods: A total of 15 patients were enrolled in the first stage of phase II study. All patients received CAP-GEM every 3 weeks. The primary end point was objective response rate (RR); secondary end points were toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. Results: Complete responses (CR) and partial responses were observed in three (20%) and three (20%) patients for a 40% RR, respectively. Grade 1-2 neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia were the most common side-effects, noted in seven (46.7%), five (33.3%) and five (33.3%) patients, respectively. The most common grade 3 toxicity was neutropenia in three patients (20%). Median PFS was 11 months (95% confidence interval 4-17). The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 80% and 67%, respectively. Conclusion: We have decided to publish the preliminary results because this regimen was more active than that expected. Although our results are preliminary, CAP-GEM shows activity and safety in pretreated TETs. Furthermore, multicenter trials, also in first-line setting, are necessary to confirm our results
Long-term outcome of subthalamic nucleus DBS in Parkinson's disease: from the advanced phase towards the late stage of the disease?
The impact of comorbidities on interleukin-17 inhibitor therapy in psoriatic arthritis: a Danish population-based cohort study
Objective
To investigate the influence of comorbidities on treatment response, disease activity and persistence with first-line IL-17 inhibitor (IL-17i) treatment in patients with PsA.
Methods
Patients were divided into three groups depending on the presence and/or severity of comorbidities using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Groups were CCI 0: no comorbidities, CCI 1: one comorbidity and CCI â„2: two or more comorbidities or one or more severe comorbidities. Outcomes in the groups were compared for treatment persistence, treatment response and disease activity.
Results
A higher CCI score was associated to an elevation in baseline CRP, swollen joint count and frequency of depression and/or anxiety. The median drug persistence in the groups were CCI 0: 1.8âyears, CCI 1: 1.9âyears and CCI â„2: 1.5âyears, but was not statistically significant to the CCI score. There were no significant differences in clinical response rates between the groups.
Conclusion
The presence of comorbidities was associated with increased baseline disease activity and frequency of depression and/or anxiety, but was not associated with shorter treatment persistence or lower clinical response rates in a cohort of 155 Danish patients with PsA treated with first-line IL-17i
Inflammatory bowel disease: New insights into the interplay between environmental factors and pparÎł
The pathophysiological processes of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), i.e., Crohnâs disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are still not completely understood. The exact etiology re-mains unknown, but it is well established that the pathogenesis of the inflammatory lesions is due to a dysregulation of the gut immune system resulting in over-production of pro-inflammatory cy-tokines. Increasing evidence underlines the involvement of both environmental and genetic factors. Regarding the environment, the microbiota seems to play a crucial role. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors that exert pleiotropic effects on glucose homeo-stasis, lipid metabolism, inflammatory/immune processes, cell proliferation, and fibrosis. Further-more, PPARs modulate interactions with several environmental factors, including microbiota. A significantly impaired PPARÎł expression was observed in UC patientsâ colonic epithelial cells, suggesting that the disruption of PPARÎł signaling may represent a critical step of the IBD pathogenesis. This paper will focus on the role of PPARÎł in the interaction between environmental factors and IBD, and it will analyze the most suitable in vitro and in vivo models available to better study these relationships
Design, Computational Modelling and Experimental Characterization of Bistable Hybrid Soft Actuators for a Controllable-Compliance Joint of an Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot
This paper presents the mechatronic design of a biorobotic joint with controllable compliance, for innovative applications of âassist-as-neededâ robotic rehabilitation mediated by a wearable and soft exoskeleton. The soft actuation of robotic exoskeletons can provide some relevant advantages in terms of controllable compliance, adaptivity and intrinsic safety of the control performance of the robot during the interaction with the patient. Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (PAMs), which belong to the class of soft actuators, can be arranged in antagonistic configuration in order to exploit the variability of their mechanical compliance for the optimal adaptation of the robot performance during therapy. The coupling of an antagonistic configuration of PAMs with a regulation mechanism can achieve, under a customized control strategy, the optimal tuning of the mechanical compliance of the exoskeleton joint over full ranges of actuation pressure and joint rotation. This work presents a novel mechanism, for the optimal regulation of the compliance of the biorobotic joint, which is characterized by a soft and hybrid actuation exploiting the storage/release of the elastic energy by bistable Von Mises elastic trusses. The contribution from elastic Von Mises structure can improve both the mechanical response of the soft pneumatic bellows actuating the regulation mechanism and the intrinsic safety of the whole mechanism. A comprehensive set of design steps is presented here, including the optimization of the geometry of the pneumatic bellows, the fabrication process through 3D printing of the mechanism and some experimental tests devoted to the characterization of the hybrid soft actuation. The experimental tests replicated the main operating conditions of the regulation mechanism; the advantages arising from the bistable hybrid soft actuation were evaluated in terms of static and dynamic performance, e.g., pressure and force transition thresholds of the bistable mechanism, linearity and hysteresis of the actuator response
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