Fiber clotting

The strength characteristics of steel fiber-reinforced RubCon depend on the reinforcement ratio p. The results of experiments show that an optimum saturation by fiber reinforcement is in the range of 2%-3%. Fiber clotting is observed at greater volumes of reinforcement, and results in a decrease in RubCon strength and serious constructive defects. 

Blood coagulation. The third major step in hemostasis is coagulation, or the formation of a blood clot. This complex process involves a series of reactions that result in formation of a protein fiber meshwork that stabilizes the platelet plug. Three essential steps lead to clotting (see Figure 16.1) ... 

Aside from its murky role in brain function, alpha-linolenic acid has some well-documented effects on heart disease. It reduces the risk of blood-clot formation, lowers the chance of potentially lethal irregular heartbeat, and probably has an antiinflammatory effect on blood vessels. Several studies have found a link between increased intake of the acid and reduced risk of death from heart disease. Alpha-linolenic acid helps lower blood cholesterol, but flaxseed has another component that performs this function even more effectively. This is soluble fiber, which isn t absorbed by the body and passes right through the digestive system. On its journey through the digestive tract, the fiber binds cholesterol and prevents it from... 

Some proteins, such as plasma fibronectin and albumin, interact with fibrin to alter clot structure and properties, although the former becomes crosslinked to fibrin while the latter does not. As a result of these and other interactions, fibrin clots formed in plasma have very different properties than those made with purified proteins (Blomback et al, 1994 Carr, 1988 Shah et al., 1987). Albumin has significant effects on the extent of lateral aggregation, yielding either thicker or thinner fibers depending on its concentration and other experimental conditions (Galanakis et al, 1987 Torbet, 1986). 

Medical applications of biodegradable shape memory polymers include their use for removing blood clots formed during strokes. Preshaped foams can be used to fill cranial aneurisms. Loosely tied sutures made from fibers that have been stretched at 50 °C will tighten when heated just above room temperature. 

To take up the questions raised in this book, one would need to find papers with titles such as Twelve Intermediate Steps Leading to the Bacterial Photosynthetic Reaction Center, A Proto-Cilium Could Generate a Power Stroke Sufficient to Turn a Cell by Ten Degrees, Intermediates in Adenosine Biosynthesis Effectively Mimic Adenosine Itself in RNA Function, and A Primitive Clot Made of Randomly Aligned Fibers Would Block Circulation in Veins Smaller Than 0.3 Millimeters. But the papers are missing. Nothing remotely like this has been published. 

In 1987,1 introduced the notion that certain foods could actually lower cholesterol, thereby protecting the heart. The soluble fiber in oats and beans reduces LDL cholesterol without lowering the protective HDL, and fish oils prevent excessive blood clot production. Similarly, certain foods and recipes that contain soluble fiber can actively affect blood pressure. I ve included some representative recipes in this chapter to inspire you to eat more fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in potassium, such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and mangos, and more seafood, which not only affects blood clot formation but also lowers blood pressure. 

The second even more striking manifestation of contractile activity is clot retraction. Here again, the major problem consists in explaining how the contractile material can come in contact with the fibrin fibers. In the presence of fibrin, and different from VM in a fibrin-free system. 

In some proteins, the linear polypeptide chain is cross-linked. The most common cross-links are disulfide bonds, formed by the oxidation of a pair of cysteine residues (Figure 3.21). The resulting unit of linked cysteines is called cystine. Extracellular proteins often have several disulfide bonds, whereas intracellular proteins usually lack them. Rarely, nondisulfide cross-links derived from other side chains are present in some proteins. For example, collagen fibers in connective tissue are strengthened in this way, as are fibrin blood clots. 

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