CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells can have multiple effects on an immune response, including the activation, regulation and attraction of innate immune cells, and modulation of adaptive immunity. Recent studies reveal that there are distinct subsets of NKT cells which selectively perform some of the functions attributed to CD1d-restricted cells, but the mechanisms underlying these funct

The ultrafast photophysics of [Ru(bpy)(2)dppz](2+) (dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]-phenazine) embedded into the walls of phospholipid vesicles has been studied by femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. While [Ru(bpy)(2)dppz](2+) has been studied intensively with respect to its intramolecular charge transfer processes, which are associated with the well known light-switch effect, this s

Aims. The aim of our new laboratory measurements is to measure accurate absolute oscillator strengths for neutral manganese transitions in the infrared needed for the study of late-type stars and ultracool dwarfs. Methods. Branching fractions have been measured by high resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy and combined with radiative level lifetimes in the literature to yield oscillator streng

The MUC1 mucin is differentially expressed and glycosylated in cancer tissue as opposed to healthy tissue. Due to these differences, MUC1 is considered a potential biomarker suitable for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In a previous study, the human MUC1-specific antibody 12ESC-6 was able to bind a sequence variant of the tandem repeat of MUC1 that is not recognized by many other MUC1-specific antib

When we speak of the “Cultural Revolution” in China, we actually refer not to the past but to a narrative interpretation of the past, a particular organization of knowledge which has gone unquestioned for a long time. This paper attempts to develop an alternative narrative scope from which to view the final ten-plus years of politics in the People’s Republic under Mao Zedong. It looks at that same

In this study, we extend pioneering studies and demonstrate straightforward applicability of the corrin-based chemosensor, aquacyanocobyrinic acid (ACCA), for the instantaneous detection and rapid quantification of endogenous cyanide in fresh and processed cassava roots. Hydrolytically liberated endogenous cyanide from cyanogenic glycosides (CNp) reacts with ACCA to form dicyanocobyrinic acid (DCC

Background. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are increasingly implemented in hospital care. They aim to simultaneously optimize outcomes for individual patients with infections and reduce financial and health-associated costs of overuse of antibiotics. Few studies have examined the effects of antimicrobial stewardship programs in settings with low proportions of antimicrobial resistance, such as

Objectives: As exposures to airborne particulates in the European rubber industry might still be causing genotoxic risks, it is important to assess trends in levels of inhalable dust and its cyclohexane soluble fraction (CSF) between the 1970s and 2003. Methods: 13 380 inhalable and 816 respirable dust and 5657 CSF measurements, collected within the framework of the European Union Concerted Action

BACKGROUND: Sexual reproduction entails the encounter of the sexes and the multiplicity of rituals is parallel to the diversity of mating systems. Evolutionary mechanisms such as sexual selection and sexual conflict have led to the elaboration of traits to gain attention and favours from potential partners. A paradox exists about how coordinated systems can evolve and diverge when there would seem

Polarized light (PL) sensitivity is relatively well studied in a large number of invertebrates and some fish species, but in most other vertebrate classes, including birds, the behavioural and physiological mechanism of PL sensitivity remains one of the big mysteries in sensory biology. Many organisms use the skylight polarization pattern as part of a sun compass for orientation, navigation and in

Popular Abstract in Swedish Avhandlingen består av fyra uppsatser som handlar om individers hälsorelaterade beteende och investeringar i högre utbildning. Tre av uppsatserna fokuserar på olika aspekter av läkemedelsanvändning och syftar till att förklara varför individer med liknande medicinska behov är olika benägna att använda receptbelagda läkemedel. Den fjärde uppsatsen studerar hälsans betydeThis thesis consists of four essays on individual health behaviour and investment in higher education. Three of them consider different aspects of pharmaceutical utilization and aim at explaining some of the observed individual variation in access and adherence to treatment regimens. The fourth explores the potential link from health in young adulthood to subsequent university education. The firs

An ongoing discussion whether traditional toxicological methods are sufficient to evaluate the risks associated with nanoparticle inhalation has led to the emergence of Air-Liquid interface toxicology. As a step in this process, this study explores the evolution of particle characteristics as they move from the airborne state into physiological solution. Airborne gold nanoparticles (AuNP) are gene

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Differences in risk factor profiles between lacunar and other ischemic stroke subtypes may provide evidence for a distinct lacunar arteriopathy, but existing studies have limitations. We overcame these by pooling individual data on 2875 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke from 5 collaborating prospective stroke registers that used similar, unbiased methods to define ri

Homoleptic ([Ru(L)(3)](2+)) and heteroleptic (Ru(NCS)(2)(bpy)(L)) complexes carrying rigid anchor-cum-spacer ligands (L), comprised of ethynylene-phenylene spacer groups and a designated anchor group, including the isophthalic group (Ipa), have been studied computationally using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. The results of the c

This paper concerns the use of sequential Monte Carlo methods (SMC) for smoothing in general state space models. A well-known problem when applying the standard SMC technique in the smoothing mode is that the resampling mechanism introduces degeneracy of the approximation in the path space. However, when performing maximum likelihood estimation via the EM algorithm, all functionals involved are of

Several organic cations, such as guanidino compounds and polyamines, have been found to accumulate in plasma of patients with kidney failure due to inadequate renal clearance. Here, we studied the interaction of cationic uremic toxins with renal organic cation transport in a conditionally immortalized human proximal tubule epithelial cell line (ciPTEC). Transporter activity was measured and valida