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Lactobacillus reuteri is known to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS), which have the potential to be used as an alternative biothickener in the food industry. In this study, the effect of several environmental conditions on the growth and EPS production in the L. reuteri strain ATCC 55730 was determined. The expression of the corresponding reuteransucrase gene, gtfO, was investigated over time and t

One challenge that has to be addressed by the fast and frugal heuristics program is how people manage to select, from the abundance of cues that exist in the environment, those to rely on when making decisions. We hypothesize that causal knowledge helps people target particular cues and estimate their validities. This hypothesis was tested in three experiments. Results show that when causal inform

Accurate precordial electrode placement can be difficult in emergency situations leading either to loss of time or diminished accuracy. A possible solution is the quasi-orthogonal EASI lead system, with only five electrodes and easily defined landmarks to provide a derived 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that precordial waveforms in EASI-derive

Ion implantation modifies the surface properties of different materials. We have compared the biological properties of titanium implanted with nitrogen with those of pure titanium. Implants were inserted in the abdominal wall of rats. The implants with surrounding tissue were excised after 1 and 6 weeks, and embedded in epoxy resin. The bulk metal was removed electrochemically and the tissue cut f

The mucosal host defence discriminates pathogens from commensals, and prevents infection while allowing the normal flora to persist. Paradoxically, Toll-like receptors (TLR) control the mucosal defence against pathogens, even though the TLR recognise conserved molecules like LPS, which are shared between pathogens and commensals. This study proposes a mechanism of pathogen-specific mucosal TLR4 ac

The antilipolytic effect of insulin on human abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and skeletal muscle during local inhibition of cAMP-phosphodiesterases (PDEs) was investigated in vivo, by combining microdialysis with a euglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic clamp. During hyperinsulinaemia, the glycerol concentration decreased by 40% in fat and by 33% in muscle. Addition of the selective PDE3-inhibitor a

We recorded spectra of Ho II emitted by hollow-cathode lamps, using the ultraviolet Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at Lund Observatory and the 2-m FTS at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The combined wavenumber coverage spans the interval from 8000 to 49 600 cm(-1) (12 500 to 2016 angstrom). We measured 303 lines in these spectra and used them to determine energies and hyp

The aim of the study was to assess plasma volume (PV) and red cell volume (RCV) in preterm infants with a liquid chromatographic hemoglobin subtype method (HbST) based on dilution of autologous fetal hemoglobin (HbF) by donor adult hemoglobin and measurement of the amount of HbF. PV determination with the indocyanine green dye dilution technique (ICG) was used as a reference method. Eight infants,

Abnormal alpha-synuclein-positive glial cytoplasmic inclusions are found in Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and dementia with Lewy bodies. We have recently developed an in vitro model of alpha-synuclein-immunoreactive aggregations in U373 astrocytoma cells. We have additionally overexpressed wild-type and a C-terminally truncated form of alpha-synuclein in primary rat glial cells. Ast

The effects of medetomidine, a novel antifouling candidate, on the burrowing bivalve Abra nitida were studied. The burrowing behaviour, sediment reworking activity and faeces production were assessed after 24 h exposure of A. nitida to sublethal concentrations of medetomidine. Medetomidine caused a significant decrease in the burrowing response and in the sediment reworking activity. The median ef

Polysulfone has been sulfophenylated by lithiation and anionic reaction with 2-sulfobenzoic acid cyclic anhydride. This provides a new convenient method to modify polysulfones by attaching pendant sulfonated phenyl groups via ketone links. Membranes of the sulfophenylated polysulfones show promise for use in proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells. For example, a membrane with 0.9 sulfophenyl units pe

The authors propose that the enzyme hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which is the rate-limiting enzyme for hydrolysis of triacylglycerol in adipocytes, also regulates the intramyocellular triacylglycerol mobilization and is controlled by mechanisms similar to those regulating glycogen phosphorylase. From an exercise perspective, it is fascinating that the primary enzymatic setting allows simultaneo

As a part of a validation study, a comparative study of a PCR method and the standard culture-based method NMKL-71, for detection of Salmonella, was performed according to the validation protocol from the Nordic validation organ for validation of alternative microbiological methods (NordVal) on 250 artificially or naturally contaminated animal feed samples. The PCR method is based on culture enric

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the "black box" of top management team (TMT) processes such as communication and power distribution, examining the example of ethnically diverse TMTs in Latvia. Design/methodology/approach - The study relies on case studies of two multinational companies operating in Latvia. Findings - The findings suggest that ethnic diversity in TMTs leads to mor