Current computer-generated actors (CGAs) demonstrate several shortfalls that may enable human opponents to rapidly identify and defeat CGAs; a situation that results in an inadequate, and often negative, training experience. Our research is intended to correct some of these deficiencies by inserting into CGAs reasoning qualities that allow the portrayal of more human-like behaviors. The work we...

Innate immunity involving antimicrobial peptides represents an integrated and highly effective system of molecular and cellular mechanisms that protects host against infections. One of the most frequent hospital-acquired pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, capable of producing proteolytic enzymes, which can degrade the host defence agents and tissue components. Numerous antimicrobial peptides der...

UNLABELLED The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) is a simple function based frailty screening tool that can be also administered by the nonclinical personnel within 5 minutes and has been validated in the out- and in patient clinic and acute medical care settings. The aim of the study was to validate the accuracy of the VES-13 screening method for predicting the frailty syndrome based on a CGA ...

Chromogranins (Cgs) are acidic proteins that have been described in the large, dense core vesicles (LDCVs) of adrenal chromaffin cells and that have been shown to promote LDCV formation, even in nonsecretory cells. Catecholamines (CAs) are adsorbed by Cgs in vitro, and the absence of Cgs modifies the storage and exocytosis of CAs in chromaffin cells. In this study, we set out to assess the role...

This book is called a ‘Guide to Geometric Algebra in Practice’. It is composed of chapters by experts in the field and was conceived during the AGACSE-2010 conference in Amsterdam. As you scan the contents, you will find that all chapters indeed use geometric algebra but that the term ‘practice’ means different things to different authors. As we discuss the various Parts below, we guide you thr...

BACKGROUND In contrast with the histamine2 (H2) blockers, proton pump inhibitors have not been shown to give rebound hypersecretion of acid. Taking into consideration the hyperplasia of the enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell provoked by hypergastrinaemia secondary to profound acid inhibition and the central role of histamine from ECL cells in the regulation of acid secretion, the lack of any rebo...

BACKGROUND Patients with malignant midgut carcinoids are occasionally diagnosed with limited tumor spread, and surgery with radical intention is performed. Despite curative intent, recurrences occur frequently, motivating long-term biochemical and radiological follow-up. This study aimed to compare the usefulness of various methods in detecting such recurrences. METHODS This retrospective stu...

thelial cell shape and barrier function by chromogranin A. Ann NY Acad Sci 2002;971:355–358. 32. Ferrero E, Scabini S, Magni E, Foglieni C, Belloni D, Colombo B, Curnis F, Villa A, Ferrero ME, Corti A. Chromogranin A protects vessels against tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced vascular leakage. FASEB J 2004;18:554–556. 33. Steiner HJ, Weiler R, Ludescher C, Schmid KW, Winkler H. Chromogranins A...