This study describes an efficient isolation procedure for the extraction of polar lipids from two strains of bifidobacteria - Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium angulatum. We first compared the lipid profiles of two strains of bifidobacteria and showed that the strains of the same genus may differ by lipid composition of cell walls. The polar lipids were isolated using the following condit

We argue that our common diseases should not necessarily be taken as a sign of physiological error. Regulatory networks developed by evolutionary forces to support reproductive fitness happen to include disease as a side-effect. For example, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are secondary to a strong defence against infections. An evolutionary perspective can help us understand why many drugs t

Six different ionomers having various aromatic polymer backbones with pendant 2-sulfobenzoyl side chains were prepared by nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of lithium 2,6-difluoro-2′-sulfobenzophenone with 4,4-biphenol, 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene, 4,4-isopropylidenediphenol, 4,4-dihydroxydiphenyl ether, 4,4′-thiodiphenol, and 4,4′-thiobisbenzenethiol, respectively, to produce four poly(ar

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) regulates platelet shedding of CD40L in abdominal sepsis. However, the signaling mechanisms controlling sepsis-induced shedding of CD40L from activated platelets remain elusive. Rac1 has been reported to regulate diverse functions in platelets; we hypothesized herein that Rac1 might regulate platelet shedding of CD40L in sepsis. The specific Rac1 inhibitor NSC237

Background Small studies suggest that postconditioning reperfusion interrupted by brief repetitive cycles of reocclusions, may protect the myocardium in the clinical setting. Objective To test the hypothesis that postconditioning limits infarct size in relation to the area at risk in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods 76 patients (aged 37-87 years) eligible for prima

Entanglement between spatially separated electrons in nanoscale transport is a fundamental property, yet to be demonstrated experimentally. Here we propose and analyse theoretically the transport statistics of a generic spin entangler coupled to a hybrid quantum dot-ferromagnet detector system. We show that the full distribution of charges arriving at the ferromagnetic terminals provides complete

We investigated atmospheric aerosol particle dynamics in a boreal forest zone in northern Scandinavia. We used aerosol number size distribution data measured with either a differential mobility particle sizer (DMPS) or scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) at three stations (Varrio, Pallas and Abisko), and combined these data with the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Traject

Immune system is highly integrated with the nervous and endocrine systems, which is thought to result in covariation between behavioural syndromes and stress- and immune-associated diseases. Very little is known about the associations between behaviour and immune traits in wild animals. Here we describe such an association in passerine birds, the greenfinches (Carduelis chloris). When wild-caught

The purpose of this research note is to provide an empirical indication of how China's increasing role in the South Pacific has been presented in their own and other nations' media over the last 20 years. What is the tone of coverage? Which issues are salient? How does this vary by nation? What changes are there over time? This research note reports information derived from over 1000 articles publ

This article introduces a new methodology for deriving the dynamics of visual segmentation in relation to the underlying cognitive processes involved. The method combines social semiotics approaches to visual segmentation with eye-tracking studies on authentic image viewing and simultaneous image description. The authors' thesis is that visual segmentation suggested by the social semiotic approach

Biofuels for transport are attracting considerable support from the European Union. However, the complexity of the biofuels industry and the diversity of actors create significant challenges for policy-making and governance. This paper explores the role of governance in the development of the biofuels industry in Europe focusing on Sweden and the UK. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the

The evolution of partial migration in birds is typically assumed to be the result of an optimization process. The fitness rewards for individuals choosing to migrate are balanced against the rewards of remaining in the breeding area all year around. This balancing is often thought to result in an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) such that an optimal fraction of the population becomes migratory

The incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), regulates gastric emptying, glucose-dependent stimulation of insulin secretion and glucagon release, and GLP-1 analogs are therefore approved for treatment of type II diabetes. GLP-1 receptors are expressed in reward-related areas such as the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens, and GLP-1 was recently shown to regulate several alcohol

Poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PSU) ionomers containing disulfonated aryl-SO2-aryl and tetrasulfonated aryl-SO2-aryl-aryl-SO2-aryl segments, respectively, were synthesized and studied to establish their structure–property relationships as proton-exchange membranes. High molecular weight PSUs with different distributions of sulfone bridges in the backbone were prepared by nucleophilic aromatic substi

Although many studies have been made for homogenous constant diffusion, bone is an inhomogeneous material. It has been suggested that bone porosity decreases from the inner boundaries to the outer boundaries of the long bones. The diffusivity of substances in the bone matrix is believed to increase as the bone porosity increases. In this study, an experimental set up is used where bovine bone samp

In this paper a new model describing drug release from a polymer matrix tablet is presented. The utilization of the model is described as a two step process where, initially, polymer parameters are obtained from a previously published pure polymer dissolution model. The results are then combined with drug parameters obtained from literature data in the new model to predict solvent and drug concent

Global land-use change has drastic consequences for biodiversity leading to losses of ecological functioning, ecosystem services and human well-being. While species dependent on undisturbed natural habitat are most affected by conversion to agriculture, even populations of disturbance-tolerant species can be endangered in landscapes dominated by high-input mono-cultural cropping systems. This has

The classical theory of nerve signal conduction, introduced half a century ago by Hodgkin and Huxley, was challenged in 2005 by the so called soliton theory introduced by Heimburg and Jackson. This latter theory is based on a bilayer phase transition forming a mechanical wave, involving a transition from a disordered conformation of the bilayer into the gel-state, and the electric pulse is regarde