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Chronic autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP) is a common hematologic disorder in which platelet-specific autoantibodies bind to platelets and enhance their destruction by the reticuloendothelial system. While there has been considerable investigation of the humoral immune abnormalities in ATP, little work has been performed on the cellular immunoregulatory aspects of this autoimmune disorder.
There is interest in increasing the consumption of foods with high dietary fiber content due to the health problems associated with its low intake. Plantain (Musa paradisiaca L.) flour (PF) (non-thermostable) and Hi-Maize 260 (HA) (thermostable) were used as resistant starch (RS) sources to elaborate blends with wheat (WF) and rice flours (RF) in a 50:50 ratio. Five blends were prepared (PF-WF, PF
This document presents design considerations of a sample for accelerated thermal aging tests. The proposed specimen is a parallel wired solenoid that is evaluated by using an axi-symmetric 2D finite element (FE) model in Comsol multi-physics. The aim of the design model is visualizing an interior stress distribution of an idealized coil in order to interpret the physics-of-failure in a more comple
This article discusses ineffective knowledge and information communication as an important barrier to improving energy efficiency in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and considers how to make functional communication an enabler of future SME energy-efficiency programmes. Energy audits – important tools when addressing energy efficiency in companies – are often performed by professionals w
We develop an optimization model with two decision variables to explore optimal migration mechanisms to facilitate optimal breeding timing in migratory songbirds. In the model, fitness is a function of date-dependent mortality, speed-dependent predation risk, and phenological match at arrival. The model determines the optimal combination of departure date for spring migration and migration speed,
Background The WHO estimates a global shortage of 2.8 million physicians, with severe deficiencies especially in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). The unequitable distribution of physicians worldwide is further exacerbated by the migration of physicians from LMICs to high-income countries (HIC). This large-scale migration has numerous economic consequences which include increased mortality a
In patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the addition of long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) to glucocorticosteroids (GCS) results in better control than increasing the dose of GCS alone. In smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts, one apparent underlying mechanism involves the ability of LABAs to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The present study investigates the effect
In this chapter I try to discern the shape of a phantom. The phantom is the people in a democracy. The first argument which will be put forward is that democracy cannot exist without such a phantom. But this phantasmagorical presence of the people in society can threaten the very democracy which it makes possible, in two ways. First, the phantom can prove to be no more than that – a mere figment o
WNT5A is a well-known mediator of melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via its ability to activate protein kinase C (PKC), which is monitored by phosphorylation of the endogenous PKC substrate myristoylated alanine-rich c-kinase substrate (MARCKS). However, a possible direct contribution of MARCKS in WNT5A-mediated melanoma cell invasion has not been investigated. Analyses of melanoma patient dat
In order to observe a patent application at the firm level, two conditions need to be met: new products need to be of patentable quality, which depends both on the degree of novelty of innovations and on the total number (portfolio) of innovations; and the benefits of patents need to be higher than the costs of owning them. Analyzing the patent propensity of small and large UK firms using a novel
In the ActivAbles and STARR projects we are developing interactive training tools for stroke survivors. Our initial user studies pointed to balance being a key ability, therefore one of the developed tools is an interactive balance pad. Equipment exists for persons with good balance (eg. Wii), but most consumer games and exercises are less suited for many stroke survivors. The development process
Background: Brevican, neurocan, tenascin-C, and tenascin-R are extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins that are mainly expressed in the brain. They play important roles in proliferation and migration of neurons and other cell types in the brain. These ECM proteins may also be involved in various pathologies, including reactive gliosis. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate if ECM protein
Obesity is one of the principal human health problems and one of the main treatments against it is the inhibition of pancreatic lipase, the main responsible enzyme of lipid digestion. For that purpose, previous studies have tested several phenolic compounds against lipase, without considering their aggregation behavior in aqueous solutions. Because of this, the present study focuses on understandi
Background We determined time frames for dilatation of anastomotic strictures (ASs) occurring during the first 2 years after esophageal atresia (EA) repair. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on children with EA (Gross type C) who underwent direct repair between January 2008 and March 2015 at a single tertiary center of pediatric surgery. Endoscopic signs of stricture were indications for
As almost all combustion processes of practical interest take place in the presence of turbulence, the development of the increasingly refined turbulence–chemistry interaction (TCI) models has led to highly sophisticated approaches. Nearly all of the studies comparing different models focus on stable premixed/non-premixed flame configurations. In this work, the focus is on well-documented, lean pr
With origins in post-war development thinking, the core-periphery concept has spread across the social and, increasingly, the natural sciences. Initially reflecting divergent socioeconomic properties of geographical regions, its relational connotations rapidly led to more topological interpretations. In today's network science, the standard core-periphery model consists of a cohesive set of core a
The aim of this article is to problematize tourism enterprising fishermen ́s understanding of nature. From a discourse-theoretic outlook, I explore how fishermen “know” nature. Here, “knowing nature” is a positioning practice which means that views of nature are uttered and negotiated by people in relation to another person or a group of people. The empirical material that is analyzed was created
To survive organisms must defend themselves against pathogens. Classical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes play a key role in pathogen defense by encoding molecules involved in pathogen recognition. MHC gene diversity influences the variety of pathogens individuals can recognize and respond to and has consequently been a popular genetic marker for disease resistance in ecology and evolu
Galaxies are complex objects, yet the number of independent parameters to describe them remains unknown. We present here a non-parametric method to estimate the intrinsic dimensionality of large data sets. We apply it to wide-band photometric data drawn from the COSMOS2020 catalogue and a comparable mock catalogue from the HORIZON-AGN simulation. Our galaxy catalogues are limited in signal-to-nois
ER-positive/HER2-negative (ERpHER2n) breast cancer classified as PAM50 HER2-enriched (ERpHER2n-HER2E) represents a small high-risk patient subgroup. In this study, we investigate genomic, transcriptomic, and clinical features of ERpHER2n-HER2E breast tumors using two primary ERpHER2n cohorts comprising a total of 5640 patients. We show that ERpHER2n-HER2E tumors exhibit aggressive clinical feature
