Monthly Archives: December 2015
Death and stroke risks after surgical aortic valve replacement: A real world perspective
With a rapidly rising proportion of aging population, aortic stenosis (AS) represents one of the most common valvular heart diseases affecting adults in the US and accounts for at least 92,000 aortic valve replacements (AVR) annually in
Increased stress hormone exposure can be beneficial
Under challenging circumstances, such as predator exposure or lack of food, animals naturally secrete stress hormones. Production, secretion and release into the bloodstream of these hormones is tightly regulated by the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (the stress axis), a
Marine oily wastewater treatment: process simulation and control using soft computing approaches
The chronic discharge of oily wastewater, mainly including bilge water, offshore produced water and ballast water, has been referred to as a major contributor to marine oil pollution. Although gravity – based treatment techniques (e.g., hydrocyclone and
Cost compared to effects of food and micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy for rural Bangladeshi women
When under nutrition affects pregnant women it many leave long lasting consequences on the newborn baby. Even though over nutrition in the form of overweight and obesity is now sweeping the world, in low-income countries under nutrition
Assessment of the influence of traffic-related particles in dust
Dust particles present in our daily lives consist of a mixture of materials from different sources, such as soils, traffic-related particles, pavement particles, etc. Due to their low particle size, dust particles can be easily re-suspended and
Oxygen-transfer performance of a new, very low-volume membrane oxygenator
During heart surgery, an external system (extracorporeal circulation) is often needed to replace the normal function of the heart and lungs to ensure blood circulation to the brain and all other organs. One key element of this
From milliseconds to lifetimes: dynamic behavior of transcription factors in gene networks
When living organisms are exposed to a sudden change in the environment, many genes are turned on in an organized manner to enable the organism to cope and respond to the changing environment. This coordinated genome-wide response
How to design a plasmonic sensor more sensitive to the environment?
Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as Au NPs and Ag NPs support localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs), which are the light-coupled coherent oscillations of free electrons confined within the NPs. The LSPRs, which are characterized by the
Gaining insight in biological hydrogen production by computational approaches
Hydrogen is one of the most important raw materials for the chemical industry and has an undisputed future importance as an environmentally friendly fuel. At present, 96% of the 500 billion m3 of hydrogen gas that is
Fully human anti-CAIX antibodies for RCC immunotherapy
Globally, there are roughly 270,000 new cases and 116,000 deaths attributed to kidney cancer occur each year. More than 90% of kidney neoplasms are classified as renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which accounts for 3% of all adult
Utilizing inkjet printing for low-cost glucose monitoring
Diabetes is a disease affecting more and more people across the world every year. In low-income countries, this growth is most detrimental since they lack the healthcare infrastructure necessary to deal the growing problem. Work is being
Fluid flow dynamics in a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance system
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a very powerful analysis method employed in biology and chemistry. It helps us to gain information about the molecular structure of a wide range of molecules. For example food production companies employ
A slipped-alignment of rhodamine dyes results in pink-to-blue color change
Color originates from absorption and reflection of visible light. The reason that a molecule can absorb a certain color of light is the interaction between molecular electrons and incident light. If the electronic state of a molecule
The influence of pollution on bone premature aging: the case of the fishbone
Bone is one of the most sophisticated biological structures developed by nature, its major constituent is a calcium phosphate mineral that is similar, in composition and structure, to minerals within the apatite group which are naturally formed
Granule formation in pancreatic acinar cells
The pancreas is an important gland organ within the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine and exocrine gland. The endocrine part produces several important hormones such as insulin which are released in
Allylic oxidation of steroidal olefins
The goal of steroid chemistry is to chemically modify naturally occurring steroids in a way that will alter their biological activity to the benefit of mankind, livestock, and plants. This process can be achieved by adding a
Potential for therapeutic intervention in lung diseases
The major function of the lung is to enable ambient oxygen uptake (essential for life) and eliminate carbon dioxide (a waste byproduct of metabolism) from the body. Surfactant protein A (SP-A), is a protein found in the
Hybrid mimics, a new strategy for increased food production
The growth of the world’s population is presenting a major challenge to agricultural industries to produce enough food for all people. We have been carrying out research which could provide a component of the needed food supply
Effects of untreated and treated oilfield-produced water on seed germination of sunflower
Currently, about 70% of water consumption is dedicated to agricultural irrigation and the growing use of bioenergy tends to aggravate water scarcity. The oilfield produced water is produced in large quantities in onshore and offshore oil exploitation.
Molecular giants detected in agarose gels
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are the major biological macromolecules of the surface from Gram-negative bacteria (fig. A), are of huge interest in medicine. Large amounts of LPS in the bloodstream cause diverse pathophysiological effects, causing thousands of deaths
