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Direct Consequence (direct + consequence)
Selected AbstractsAutomated comparative protein structure modeling with SWISS-MODEL and Swiss-PdbViewer: A historical perspectiveELECTROPHORESIS, Issue S1 2009Nicolas Guex Abstract SWISS-MODEL pioneered the field of automated modeling as the first protein modeling service on the Internet. In combination with the visualization tool Swiss-PdbViewer, the Internet-based Workspace and the SWISS-MODEL Repository, it provides a fully integrated sequence to structure analysis and modeling platform. This computational environment is made freely available to the scientific community with the aim to hide the computational complexity of structural bioinformatics and encourage bench scientists to make use of the ever-increasing structural information available. Indeed, over the last decade, the availability of structural information has significantly increased for many organisms as a direct consequence of the complementary nature of comparative protein modeling and experimental structure determination. This has a very positive and enabling impact on many different applications in biomedical research as described in this paper. [source] A metabolic syndrome of hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and hypercholesterolaemia in the New Zealand obese mouseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 3 2000Ortlepp Background New Zealand obese (NZO) mice exhibit a polygenic obesity associated with hyperinsulinaemia and hyperglycaemia. Here we show that the strain presents additional features of a metabolic syndrome, i.e. elevated blood pressure, serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels. Materials and methods A back-cross model of NZO mice with the lean Swiss Jackson Laboratory (SJL) strain was established in order to investigate further the correlation between hypertension, obesity, serum insulin and hyperglycaemia. Results Systolic blood pressure was significantly elevated at 6 weeks of age and appeared to parallel the weight gain of the animals. Serum insulin levels, presumably reflecting insulin resistance, and systolic blood pressure values were significantly correlated with the body mass index (r2 = 0.707 and 0.486, respectively) in the back-cross mice. In contrast, blood pressure was only weakly correlated with serum insulin (r2 = 0.288) in non-diabetic mice, and was independent of serum insulin levels in diabetic animals. Conclusion The data are consistent with the concept that hypertension and insulin resistance are a characteristic consequence of the genetic constellation leading to obesity in the NZO strain, and that these traits reflect related mechanisms. It appears unlikely, however, that hypertension is a direct consequence of hyperinsulinaemia. [source] An exploration of anger phenomenology in multiple sclerosisEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 12 2009U. Nocentini Background and purpose:, Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are often emotionally disturbed. We investigated anger in these patients in relation to demographic, clinical, and mood characteristics. Patients and methods:, About 195 cognitively unimpaired MS patients (150 relapsing,remitting and 45 progressive) were evaluated with the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. The patients' anger score distribution was compared with that of the normal Italian population. Correlation coefficients among scale scores were calculated and mean anger scores were compared across different groups of patients by analysis of variance. Results:, Of the five different aspects of anger, levels of withheld and controlled Anger were respectively higher and lower than what is expected in the normal population. Although anger was correlated with anxiety and depression, it was largely independent from these mood conditions. Mean anger severity scores were not strongly influenced by individual demographic characteristics and were not higher in more severe patients. Conclusions:, The presence of an altered pattern of anger, unrelated to the clinical severity of MS, suggests that anger is not an emotional reaction to disease stress. An alteration of anger mechanisms might be a direct consequence of the demyelination of the connections among the amygdale, the basal ganglia and the medial prefrontal cortex. [source] Alcoholic skeletal muscle myopathy: definitions, features, contribution of neuropathy, impact and diagnosisEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 6 2001V. R. Preedy Alcohol misusers frequently have difficulties in gait, and various muscle symptoms such as cramps, local pain and reduced muscle mass. These symptoms are common in alcoholic patients and have previously been ascribed as neuropathological in origin. However, biochemical lesions and/or the presence of a defined myopathy occur in alcoholics as a direct consequence of alcohol misuse. The myopathy occurs independently of peripheral neuropathy, malnutrition and overt liver disease. Chronic alcoholic myopathy is characterized by selective atrophy of Type II fibres and the entire muscle mass may be reduced by up to 30%. This myopathy is arguably the most prevalent skeletal muscle disorder in the Western Hemisphere and occurs in approximately 50% of alcohol misusers. Alcohol and acetaldehyde are potent inhibitors of muscle protein synthesis, and both contractile and non-contractile proteins are affected by acute and chronic alcohol dosage. Muscle RNA is also reduced by mechanisms involving increased RNase activities. In general, muscle protease activities are either reduced or unaltered, although markers of muscle membrane damage are increased which may be related to injury by reactive oxygen species. This supposition is supported by the observation that in the UK, , -tocopherol status is poor in myopathic alcoholics. Reduced , -tocopherol may pre-dispose the muscle to metabolic injury. However, experimental , -tocopherol supplementation is ineffective in preventing ethanol-induced lesions in muscle as defined by reduced rates of protein synthesis and in Spanish alcoholics with myopathy, there is no evidence of impaired , -tocopherol status. In conclusion, by a complex series of mechanisms, alcohol adversely affects skeletal muscle. In addition to the mechanical changes to muscle, there are important metabolic consequences, by virtue of the fact that skeletal muscle is 40% of body mass and an important contributor to whole-body protein turnover. [source] Lack of PSD-95 drives hippocampal neuronal cell death through activation of an ,CaMKII transduction pathwayEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 5 2002Fabrizio Gardoni Abstract The PSD-95 protein family organizes the glutamatergic postsynaptic density and it is involved in the regulation of the excitatory signal at central nervous system synapses. We show here that PSD-95 deficiency by means of antisense oligonucleotides induces significant neuronal cell death within 24 h both in primary hippocampal cultures and in organotypic hippocampal slices. On the other hand, cultured cortical neurons are spared by PSD-95 antisense toxicity until they reach a NR2A detectable protein level (24 days in vitro). The neurotoxic event is characterized by increased ,CaMKII association to NR2 regulatory subunits of NMDA receptor complex. As a direct consequence of ,CaMKII association, we found increased GluR1 delivery to cell surface in cultured hippocampal neurons paralleled by AMPA-dependent increase in [Na+]I levels. In addition, both CaMKII specific inhibitor KN-93 and AMPA receptor antagonists CNQX and NBQX rescued neuronal survival to control values. On the other hand, both the NMDA channel blocker MK-801 and Dantrolene, an inhibitor of calcium release from ryanodine-sensitive endoplasmic reticulum stores, failed to have any effect on neuronal survival in PSD-95 deficient neurons. Thus, our data provide clues that PSD-95 reduced expression in neurons is responsible for neuronal vulnerability mediated by direct activation of ,CaMKII transduction pathway in the postsynaptic compartment. [source] The emerging role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the regulation of myocardial functionEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Barbara Casadei The recent discovery of a NOS1 gene product (i.e. a neuronal-like isoform of nitric oxide synthase or nNOS) in the mammalian left ventricular (LV) myocardium has provided a new key for the interpretation of the complex experimental evidence supporting a role for myocardial constitutive nitric oxide (NO) production in the regulation of basal and ,-badrenergic cardiac function. Importantly, nNOS gene deletion has been associated with more severe LV remodelling and functional deterioration in murine models of myocardial infarction, suggesting that nNOS-derived NO may also be involved in the myocardial response to injury. To date, the mechanisms by which nNOS influences myocardial pathophysiology remain incompletely understood. In particular, it seems over simplistic to assume that all aspects of the myocardial phenotype of nNOS knockout (nNOS,/,) mice are a direct consequence of lack of NO production from this source. Emerging data showing co-localisation of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) and nNOS in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of rodents, and increased XOR activity in the nNOS,/, myocardium, suggest that nNOS gene deletion may have wider implications on the myocardial redox state. Similarly, the mechanisms regulating the targeting of myocardial nNOS to different subcellular compartments and the functional consequences of intracellular nNOS trafficking have not been fully established. Whether this information could be translated into a better understanding and management of human heart failure remains the most important challenge for future investigations. [source] Downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) epidemics on grapevine under climate changeGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2006SALINARI FRANCESCA Abstract As climate is a key agro-ecosystem driving force, climate change could have a severe impact on agriculture. Many assessments have been carried out to date on the possible effects of climate change (temperature, precipitation and carbon dioxide concentration changes) on plant physiology. At present however, likely effects on plant pathogens have not been investigated deeply. The aim of this work was to simulate future scenarios of downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) epidemics on grape under climate change, by combining a disease model to output from two general circulation models (GCMs). Model runs corresponding to the SRES-A2 emissions scenario, characterized by high projections of both population and greenhouse gas emissions from present to 2100, were chosen in order to investigate impacts of worst-case scenarios, among those currently available from IPCC. Three future decades were simulated (2030, 2050, 2080), using as baseline historical series of meteorological data collected from 1955 to 2001 in Acqui Terme, an important grape-growing area in the north-west of Italy. Both GCMs predicted increase of temperature and decrease of precipitation in this region. The simulations obtained by combining the disease model to the two GCM outputs predicted an increase of the disease pressure in each decade: more severe epidemics were a direct consequence of more favourable temperature conditions during the months of May and June. These negative effects of increasing temperatures more than counterbalanced the effects of precipitation reductions, which alone would have diminished disease pressure. Results suggested that, as adaptation response to future climate change, more attention would have to be paid in the management of early downy mildew infections; two more fungicide sprays were necessary under the most negative climate scenario, compared with present management regimes. At the same time, increased knowledge on the effects of climate change on host,pathogen interactions will be necessary to improve current predictions. [source] Fatal postoperative pulmonary embolism in mild haemophiliaHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 2 2006J. H. BUTCHER Summary., The use of thromboprophylaxis in patients with haemophilia receiving factor replacement is often not considered necessary, but remains an area of debate. In this report we describe a patient with mild haemophilia A, who underwent major pelvic surgery. He had several underlying risk factors associated with the development of thromboembolism, and ultimately died as a direct consequence of multiple pulmonary emboli. The need for thromboprophylaxis and the risk balance ratio should always be considered in patients with bleeding disorders if they fall into what would otherwise be high-risk category for hospital acquired venous thromboembolism. [source] Increase of granzyme B-positive cells in ascitic fluid of patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitisHEPATOLOGY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008Alessandro Perrella Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) occurs as a direct consequence of bacteria entering ascitic fluid (AF) from the intestinal lumen trough in several ways, including the hematogenous and mesenteric lymph nodes route. There are few studies on the cytokine profile of ascitic-derived mononuclear cells of patients with SBP, particularly on granzyme B (GZB). The aim of the present study was to verify whether patients with SBP have GZB-positive cells, whether they are increased in patients with aseptic ascites, and their trend after antibiotic treatment. We enrolled 36 consecutive patients (24 males and 12 females) with SBP on histologically-proven hepatitis C virus cirrhosis (group A) and 20 patients (11 males and nine females with ascites, but without evidences of SBP (group B). The diagnosis of SBP was made according to the following criteria: positive colture in AF or blood (at least two cultures) and neutrophils in AF (>250 mL polymorphonuclear leukocytes). For these patients we used ELISpot to assay GZB production on purified mononuclear cells in ascitesand peripheral blood, coupled with tumor necrosis factor-, tested using ELISA. A non-parametric statistical analysis was used to assess significant differences and correlations. We found positive culture in all of the patients with SBP (80% Escherichia coli; 20% Enterococcus faecium). Furthermore, the patients in group A had a higher number of GZB spot-forming colonies than the patients in group B (P < 0.001). GZB-positive cells were lower in the peripheral blood than those found in the AF of patients with SBP, while no differences were found between blood and AF in group B. Furthermore, after antibiotic treatment, GZB was reduced in the patients with SBP (P < 0.05). In conclusion, GZB may be an important mediator of the immune response towards bacteria in AF and could be used as a diagnostic tool. [source] Microfluidics: Surface-Treatment-Induced Three-Dimensional Capillary Morphogenesis in a Microfluidic Platform (Adv. Mater.ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 47 200947/2009) The cover shows confocal images of 3D sprouting into matrix material in microfluidic channels. Roger Kamm and co-workers report on p. 4863 that robust induction of realistic angiogenesis into the 3D matrix material under simultaneous imaging and a stably controlled concentration gradient of chemoattractants can be achieved. The formation of a 3D vascular network is demonstrated to be a direct consequence of surface treatment of the region of the device-containing matrix material. [source] Surface-Treatment-Induced Three-Dimensional Capillary Morphogenesis in a Microfluidic PlatformADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 47 2009Seok Chung Robust induction of realistic angiogenesis into a 3D matrix material under simultaneous imaging and a stably controlled concentration gradient of chemoattractants is presented. The formation of a 3D vascular network is demonstrated to be a direct consequence of surface treatment of the region of the device-containing matrix material. [source] Design spaces, measures and metrics for evaluating quality of time operators and consequences leading to improved algorithms by design,illustration to structural dynamicsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 14 2005X. Zhou Abstract For the first time, for time discretized operators, we describe and articulate the importance and notion of design spaces and algorithmic measures that not only can provide new avenues for improved algorithms by design, but also can distinguish in general, the quality of computational algorithms for time-dependent problems; the particular emphasis is on structural dynamics applications for the purpose of illustration and demonstration of the basic concepts (the underlying concepts can be extended to other disciplines as well). For further developments in time discretized operators and/or for evaluating existing methods, from the established measures for computational algorithms, the conclusion that the most effective (in the sense of convergence, namely, the stability and accuracy, and complexity, namely, the algorithmic formulation and algorithmic structure) computational algorithm should appear in a certain algorithmic structure of the design space amongst comparable algorithms is drawn. With this conclusion, and also with the notion of providing new avenues leading to improved algorithms by design, as an illustration, a novel computational algorithm which departs from the traditional paradigm (in the sense of LMS methods with which we are mostly familiar with and widely used in commercial software) is particularly designed into the perspective design space representation of comparable algorithms, and is termed here as the forward displacement non-linearly explicit L-stable (FDEL) algorithm which is unconditionally consistent and does not require non-linear iterations within each time step. From the established measures for comparable algorithms, simply for illustration purposes, the resulting design of the FDEL formulation is then compared with the commonly advocated explicit central difference method and the implicit Newmark average acceleration method (alternately, the same conclusion holds true against controllable numerically dissipative algorithms) which pertain to the class of linear multi-step (LMS) methods for assessing both linear and non-linear dynamic cases. The conclusions that the proposed new design of the FDEL algorithm which is a direct consequence of the present notion of design spaces and measures, is the most effective algorithm to-date to our knowledge in comparison to the class of second-order accurate algorithms pertaining to LMS methods for routine and general non-linear dynamic situations is finally drawn through rigorous numerical experiments. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modelling Overdispersion for Complex Survey DataINTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2001E.A. Molina Summary The population characteristics observed by selecting a complex sample from a finite identified population are the result of at least two processes: the process which generates the values attached to the units in the finite population, and the process of selecting the sample of units from the population. In this paper we propose that the resulting observations by viewed as the joint realization of both processes. We overcome the inherent difflculty in modelling the joint processes of generation and selection by exploring second moment and other simplifying assumptions. We obtain general expressions for the mean and covariance function of the joint processes and show that several overdispersion models discussed in the literature for the analysis of complex surveys are a direct consequence of our formulation, undere particular sampling schemes and population structures. Résumé Les caracté d'une population sont observées grâce à un échantillon complexe sélectionnéâ partir d'une poplation finie. Ces caractéristiques sont le résultat de l'échantillon des unités de ette population. Dans cet article, nous considérons que l'observation globale peut être vue comme une réalisation simultanée de ces deux processus. Nous tentons de surmonter la difficulté intrinsèque liée à la modélisation du double processus de génération et de sélection par une étude du moment d'ordre deux et en considérant d'autres hypothèses simplificatrices. Nous obtenons une expression générale pour la moyenne et la covariance liée au sondage complexes, sont une conséquence directe de notre formulation, losque l'on considère un plan de sondage particulier et une population ayant une structure spécifique. [source] Experience of parents with head and neck cancer who are caring for young childrenJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2010Cherith J. Semple semple c.j. & mccance t. (2010) Experience of parents with head and neck cancer who are caring for young children. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(6), 1280,1290. Abstract Title.,Experience of parents with head and neck cancer who are caring for young children. Aim., This paper is a report of a study exploring the experience and support needs of parents with head and neck cancer, who are also caring for their young children. Background., The incidence of head and neck cancer is steadily rising in the younger age groups (under 50 years). As a direct consequence, more parents of young children are being diagnosed with this cancer. Methods., Using a qualitative descriptive design, 12 patients with young children under the age of 16 were interviewed during 2008. The data were analysed using cognitive mapping. Findings., At diagnosis, parents experienced the fear of missing milestones in the life of their children and fear of telling the children about their diagnosis. During treatment, parents' inevitable stays in hospital led to separation from the children and the need to prepare their children for the first hospital visit. Parents experienced many debilitating effects of treatment, which had an impact on family activities, especially those that involved eating. There was often changing roles within the family. After treatment, the experience of living with cancer for parents resulted in the desire to get back to day-to-day life. Parents had an increased appreciation of life but were also living with uncertainties. The most important support networks for parents were their spouse, family and friends. Conclusion., Oncology nurses are in an excellent position to offer support and guidance to parents with cancer who have children, and should encourage them to explore with the family the best way of managing role change during treatment. [source] The irreversible cattle-driven transformation of a seasonally flooded Australian savannaJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2003Ben R. Sharp Abstract Aim ,Anecdotal historical and photographic evidence suggests that woody vegetation is increasing dramatically in some northern Australian savanna habitats. Vegetation change in savannas has important implications for pastoral land-use, conservation management, and landscape-scale carbon storage, and informs theoretical debates about ecosystem function. This study seeks to determine the nature, extent and cause(s) of woody vegetation change in a seasonally flooded alluvial savanna habitat. Location ,The study area is located within the seasonally inundated alluvial zone of the tidal portion of the Victoria River, Northern Territory, Australia. The study area has been grazed by domestic stock since c. 1900, prior to which the area was inhabited and more likely regularly burnt by Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Methods ,Digital georeferenced aerial photographic coverages were used to examine and quantify woody vegetation change between 1948 and 1993. Transect surveys of woody and herbaceous vegetation were carried out to ground-truth air-photo results and determine the nature and causes of observed vegetation changes. Results ,There has been a dramatic increase in woody vegetation cover throughout the study area. Vegetation change patterns are roughly uniform across the full range of edaphic habitat variation and are unrelated to the depositional age of fluvial sediments. Two woody species, Eucalyptus microtheca and Excoecaria parvifolia, are predominantly responsible for observed increases. Demographic analyses reveal that woody invasions have been episodic and indicate that in most locations peak woody species establishment occurred in the mid-1970s. Grasses are almost absent in a majority of habitats within the study area. Instead, large areas are covered by scalded soil, dense invasive weed populations, and unpalatable forbs and sedges. What grasses do occur are predominantly of very low value for grazing. The condition of the herbaceous layer renders most of the study area almost completely non-flammable; what fires do burn are small and of low intensity. Main conclusions ,Multiple working hypotheses explaining observed patterns of woody vegetation increase were considered and rejected in turn. The only hypothesis consistent with the evidence is as follows: (1) observed changes are a direct consequence of extreme overgrazing by cattle, most likely when stocking rates peaked in the mid-1970s; (2) prolonged heavy grazing effected the complete transformation of much of the herbaceous vegetation to a new state that is not flammable; and (3) in the absence of regular fire mortality, woody vegetation increased rapidly. The relatively treeless system that existed in 1948 was apparently stable and resilient to moderate grazing levels, and perhaps also to episodic heavy grazing events. However, grazing intensity in excess of a sustainable threshold has forced a transition that is irreversible in the foreseeable future. Stable-state transitions such as this one inform debates at the heart of ecological theory, such as the nature of stability, resilience, equilibrium and carrying capacity in dynamic savanna ecosystems. [source] Genetic signatures in an invasive parasite of Anguilla anguilla correlate with differential stock managementJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010S. Wielgoss In this article, it is shown that available genetic tools for the omnipresent parasite Anguillicoloides crassus in European eels Anguilla anguilla are sensitive to different immigration rates into local A. anguilla stocks for two separated river systems. Relying on four highly polymorphic microsatellite markers, it was inferred that under natural recruitment, nematode samples meet Hardy,Weinberg expectations for a single panmictic population, while genetic signals show signs for a strong Wahlund effect most likely due to very recent population mixing under frequent restocking of young A. anguilla. This was indicated by a low but significant FST value among within-host populations (infrapopulations) along with high inbreeding indices FIS consistent over all loci. The latter signal is shown to stem from high levels of admixture and the presence of first-generation migrants, and alternative explanations such as marker- and sex-specific biases in the nematode populations could be dismissed. Moreover, the slightly increased degree of relatedness within infrapopulations in the stocked river system cannot explain the excessive inbreeding values found and are most likely a direct consequence of recent influx of already infected fish harbouring parasites with different genetic signatures. Applying a simulation approach using known variables from the nematode's invasion history, only the artificial introduction of a Wahlund effect leads to a close match between simulated and real data, which is a strong argument for using the parasite as a biological tag for detecting and characterizing fish translocation. [source] Efficacy and safety of pimobendan in canine heart failure caused by myxomatous mitral valve diseaseJOURNAL OF SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE, Issue 3 2005P. J. Smith Objectives: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of pimobendan by comparing it with ramipril over a six-month period in dogs with mild to moderate heart failure (HF) caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Methods: This was a prospective randomised, single-blind, parallel-group trial. Client-owned dogs (n=43) with mild to moderate HF caused by MMVD were randomly assigned to one of two groups, which received either pimobendan (P dogs) or ramipril (R dogs) for six months. The outcome measures studied were: adverse HF outcome, defined as failure to complete the trial as a direct consequence of HF; maximum furosemide dose (mg/kg/day) administered during the study period; and any requirement for additional visits to the clinic as a direct consequence of HF. Results: Treatment with pimobendan was well tolerated compared with treatment with ramipril. P dogs were 25 per cent as likely as R dogs to have an adverse HF outcome (odds ratio 4.09, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.03 to 16.3, P=0.046). Clinical Significance: R dogs had a higher overall score and thus may have had more advanced disease than P dogs at baseline (P=0.04). These results should be interpreted cautiously but such a high odds ratio warrants further investigation. [source] Cure of gastric antral vascular ectasia by liver transplantation despite persistent portal hypertension: A clue for pathogenesisLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2002Catherine Vincent Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a rare cause of chronic bleeding in cirrhotic patients. It has been suggested that these gastric lesions might be related to portal hypertension, hepatic insufficiency, or both parameters. We report two cases of cirrhotic patients in whom GAVE was the source of recurrent bleeding. These patients also had complete portal vein thrombosis. Liver transplantation was performed and an end-to-end cavoportal anastomosis was performed, leaving patients with persistent portal hypertension after surgery. We observed complete disappearance of the antral lesions several weeks after transplantation, which shows that the GAVE is not related to portal hypertension but is rather a direct consequence of liver failure. Possible pathophysiologic mechanisms are discussed. [source] Surface roughness effects on thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication of journal bearings lubricated with bubbly oilLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2006A. M. A. El-Butch In this paper, the combined effect of surface roughness and bubbles content on the hydrodynamic performance of journal bearings is studied. In the analysis, it is assumed that the bearing and shaft surfaces are covered with homogeneous isotropic roughness, the air bubbles are evenly distributed through the lubricant and the bubble size is very small. The modified Reynolds equation governing the pressure generation in the bearing gap for compressible fluid is solved simultaneously with the energy equation. Temperature and pressure distributions, coefficient of friction, bearing load capacity and attitude angle as affected by surface roughness, bubble content and some bearing parameters are presented. Results showed that the bearing load carrying capacity is higher at higher values of average roughness and higher bubble content as a direct consequence of the higher pressure values attained, and the average roughness and the bubbles content had no significant effect on the attitude angle. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multi-dimensional combustion waves for Lewis number close to oneMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 3 2007A. Ducrot Abstract This paper is devoted to the study of multi-dimensional travelling wave solution for a thermo-diffusive model, describing the propagation of curved flames in an infinite cylinder. The linear dependence of the components of the reaction rate together with the existence of an ignition temperature ensure that the corresponding linearized operator does not satisfy the Fredholm property. A direct consequence is that solvability conditions for the linearized operator are not known and classical methods of nonlinear analysis cannot be directly applied. We prove in this paper existence results of such travelling waves, by first introducing a suitable re-formulation of the equations and then by choosing suitable weighted spaces that allows us to move the essential spectrum away from zero. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hölder continuity for two-phase flows in porous mediaMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 11 2006Li-Ming Yeh Abstract This work is to prove the Hölder continuity of the solutions of the degenerate differential equations describing two-phase, incompressible, immiscible flows in porous media. The differential equations allow degeneracy at two end points and the assumption on mild degeneracy is not required in this study. The regularity result is proved by an alternative argument. Uniqueness of the weak solutions of the differential equations is a direct consequence from this Hölder continuity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source] On a class of holomorphic functions representable by Carleman formulas in the disk from their values on the arc of the circleMATHEMATISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1-2 2007Lev Aizenberg Abstract Let D be a unit disk andM be an open arc of the unit circle whose Lebesgue measure satisfies 0 < l (M) < 2,. Our first result characterizes the restriction of the holomorphic functions f , ,(D), which are in the Hardy class ,1 near the arcM and are denoted by ,, ,1M(,,), to the open arcM. This result is a direct consequence of the complete description of the space of holomorphic functions in the unit disk which are represented by the Carleman formulas on the open arc M. As an application of the above characterization, we present an extension theorem for a function f , L1(M) from any symmetric sub-arc L , M of the unit circle, such that , M, to a function f , ,, ,1L(,,). (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Population fragmentation leads to spatial and temporal genetic structure in the endangered Spanish imperial eagleMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2007B. MARTÍNEZ-CRUZ Abstract The fragmentation of a population may have important consequences for population genetic diversity and structure due to the effects of genetic drift and reduced gene flow. We studied the genetic consequences of the fragmentation of the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) population into small patches through a temporal analysis. Thirty-four museum individuals representing the population predating the fragmentation were analysed for a 345-bp segment of the mitochondrial control region and a set of 10 nuclear microsatellite loci. Data from a previous study on the current population (N = 79) were re-analysed for this subset of 10 microsatellite markers and results compared to those obtained from the historical sample. Three shared mitochondrial haplotypes were found in both populations, although fluctuations in haplotype frequencies and the occurrence of a fourth haplotype in the historical population resulted in lower current levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity. However, microsatellite markers revealed undiminished levels of nuclear diversity. No evidence for genetic structure was observed for the historical Spanish imperial eagle population, suggesting that the current pattern of structure is the direct consequence of population fragmentation. Temporal fluctuations in mitochondrial and microsatellite allelic frequencies were found between the historical and the current population as well as for each pairwise comparison between historical and current Centro and historical and current Parque Nacional de Doñana nuclei. Our results indicate an ancestral panmictic situation for the species that management policies should aim to restore. A historical analysis like the one taken here provides the baseline upon which the relative role of recent drift in shaping current genetic patterns in endangered species can be evaluated and this knowledge is used to guide conservation actions. [source] Connectedness of digraphs and graphs under constraints on the conditional diameterNETWORKS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2005X. Marcote Abstract Given a digraph G with minimum degree , and an integer 0, , , ,, consider every pair of vertex subsets V1 and V2 such that both the minimum out-degree of the induced subdigraph G[V1] and the minimum in-degree of G[V2] are at least ,. The conditional diameter D, of G is defined as the maximum of the distances d(V1, V2) between any two such vertex subsets. Clearly, D0 is the standard diameter and D0 , D1 , ··· , D, holds. In this article, we guarantee appropriate lower bounds for the connectivities and superconnectivities of a digraph G when D, , h(,,), h(,,) being a function of the parameter ,,,which is related to the shortest paths in G. As a corollary of these results, we give some constraints of the kind D, , h(,,), which assure that the digraph is maximally connected, maximally edge-connected, superconnected, or edge-superconnected, extending other previous results of the same kind. Similar statements can be obtained for a graph as a direct consequence of those for its associated symmetric digraph. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 45(2), 80,87 2005 [source] The Essence of Islamist Resistance: A Different View of Iran, Hezbollah and HamasNEW PERSPECTIVES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2009ALASTAIR CROOKE The Iranian revolution,the political realization of the "Great Refusal" of Western modernization,was a direct consequence a half century later of the forced secularization of the Ottoman Caliphate by Kemal Ataturk. With the superstructure of the Muslim ummah dismantled and replaced by the Turkish nation state, insurgent religious movements, from the (Sunni) Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Shiite imams of Qum and Najaf, moved into the vacuum to reclaim Islam from the shadow of Western dominance. Now, history is turning again. Iran has been seized by violent turmoil as it seeks to reconcile democracy and religious rule. Secular Turkey is governed by an Islamist-rooted party. As they struggle to regain their balance, the global economic meltdown threatens a convergence against globalization that joins the Islamist resistance with populist backlashes elsewhere. Two legendary intelligence agents, a Hezbollah leader, an Iranian dissident philosopher and Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Laureate, examine this historical turn. [source] Hezbollah: Islamist Resistance Comes of AgeNEW PERSPECTIVES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2009SHEIKH NAIM QASSEM The Iranian revolution,the political realization of the "Great Refusal" of Western modernization,was a direct consequence a half century later of the forced secularization of the Ottoman Caliphate by Kemal Ataturk. With the superstructure of the Muslim ummah dismantled and replaced by the Turkish nation state, insurgent religious movements, from the (Sunni) Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Shiite imams of Qum and Najaf, moved into the vacuum to reclaim Islam from the shadow of Western dominance. Now, history is turning again. Iran has been seized by violent turmoil as it seeks to reconcile democracy and religious rule. Secular Turkey is governed by an Islamist-rooted party. As they struggle to regain their balance, the global economic meltdown threatens a convergence against globalization that joins the Islamist resistance with populist backlashes elsewhere. Two legendary intelligence agents, a Hezbollah leader, an Iranian dissident philosopher and Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Laureate, examine this historical turn. [source] Apoptosis, anoikis and their relevance to the pathobiology of colon cancerPATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2000Minalini Shanmugathasan The maintenance of a constant number of cells in an adult organism is a tightly regulated process. This is particularly important in organs where cells are in a constant rate of renewal during the entire lifespan. In these organs, cell number homeostasis is the direct consequence of a bal-ance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. The colonic epithelium is an example of such a site and the high prevalence of colon cancer makes the understanding of cell number homeostasis more important to define. Normal colonic epithelium is organized in crypts where cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis are topographically organized in a linear fashion along the crypt axis. Normal colonic crypts are composed of stem cells at the base, a proliferation and a differentiation zone in the lower third of the crypt, a migration zone in the upper two-thirds, and the surface epithelium where senescent cells are eliminated by apoptosis. Globally, apoptosis can be defined as a normal process of cell suicide, critical for development and tissue homeostasis. Colonic epithelial cells migrate from the base of the crypt to the surface epithelium in 6,7 days. The normal architecture of the crypt is maintained by a balance between cell proliferation at the base and apoptosis at the top of the crypt and surface epithelium. [source] Bronchial compression due to stent placement in pulmonary artery in a child with congenital heart diseasePEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA, Issue 12 2005MÓNICA NÚÑEZ MD Summary Congenital heart disease, such as transposition of the great vessels (TGV), requires surgical procedures which can lead to important complications. We report on a case of bronchial obstruction following placement of a pulmonary artery stent in a 4-year-old boy who had undergone a Rastelli procedure to correct TGV, ventricular septal defect and pulmonary stenosis. There are many complications that can arise as a consequence of intravascular stents in heart surgery, as well as many causes of bronchial compression. However we have not found any report which describes bronchial compression as a direct consequence of endovascular stent. [source] Utilization of common ditch vegetation in the reduction of fipronil and its sulfone metabolitePEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 12 2008Robert Kröger Abstract BACKGROUND: Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, and its oxidative sulfone metabolite are two potential pollutants from treated rice and cotton production. A consequence of these pollutants occurring in surface runoff is degradation of downstream aquatic ecosystems. Utilization of primary intercept drainage ditches as management practices to reduce fipronil concentrations and loads has not been examined. This study used ditch mesocosms planted with monospecific stands of common emergent wetland vegetation to determine if certain plant species were more proficient in fipronil mitigation. RESULTS: Three replicates of four plant species were compared against a non-vegetated control to determine differences in water column outflow concentrations (µg L,1) and loads (µg). There were no significant differences between vegetated and control treatments in outflow concentrations (F = 0.35, P = 0.836) and loads (F = 0.35, P = 0.836). The range of fipronil reduction was 28,45% for both concentration and load. Unlike fipronil, fipronil sulfone concentrations and load increased by 96,328%. CONCLUSION: The increase in fipronil sulfone was hypothesized as a direct consequence of oxidation of fipronil within each mesocosm. The type of ditch vegetation had no effect on fipronil reduction. Future research needs to examine initial concentrations and hydraulic retention times to examine potential changes in reduction capacities. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Adverse drug reaction-related hospitalisations: a population-based cohort studyPHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 4 2008Cornelis S. van der Hooft MD Abstract Purpose To evaluate the extent, characteristics and determinants of adverse drug reaction (ADR)-related hospitalisations on a population-based level in 2003. Methods We performed a cohort study in the Integrated Primary Care Information (IPCI) database, a general practitioners (GPs) research database with longitudinal data from electronic patient records of a group of 150 GP throughout the Netherlands. Hospital discharge letters and patient records were reviewed to evaluate ADR-related hospitalisations applying WHO causality criteria. The prevalence of ADR-related hospitalisations per total admissions and the incidence per drug group were calculated. Avoidability and seriousness of the ADRs causing admission were assessed applying the algorithm from Hallas. Results We identified 3515 hospital admissions, 1277 elective and 2238 acute. Of the acute admissions, 115 were caused by an ADR giving a prevalence of 5.1% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 4.3,6.1%). The prevalence of ADR-related acute admissions increased with age up to 9.8% (95%CI: 7.5,12.7) for persons >75 years. The ADRs that most frequently caused hospitalisations were gastro-intestinal bleeding with anti-thrombotics, bradycardia/hypotension with cardiovascular drugs and neutropenic fever with cytostatics. The incidence rate of ADR-related hospitalisations per drug group was highest for anti-thrombotics and anti-infectives and was relatively low for cardiovascular drugs. Fatality as a direct consequence of the ADR-related admission was 0.31%. In elderly patients 40% of the ADRs causing hospitalisation were judged to be avoidable. Conclusions The extent and potential avoidability of ADR-related hospitalisations is still substantial, especially in elderly patients. Measures need to be put into place to reduce the burden of ADRs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||