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Geophysical and hydrochemical surveys were used to investigate the hydrogeological conditions in one of the Rio Sucio microbasins, in central Nicaragua. Zones of vertical structures (i.e. fractures and quartz veins) and weathering were mapped using Continuous Vertical Electrical Soundings (CVES), as such zones are of major importance for groundwater transport. Water from the springs was analysed t

The physico-chemical aspects of three native Andean starches from Arracacha xanthorriza, Canna edulis and Oxalis tuberosa were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy-investigations showed that granules of A. xanthorriza were the smallest with irregular shape and sizes between 7 and 23 pm, whereas granules of O. tuberosa and C. edulis were both ovally shaped with granular sizes between 20 and 5

Whether migrating birds compensate fur wind drift or not has been discussed frequently during the last decades. Observed behaviours seem to differ between species and situations. Even though complete compensation allows a bird to fly the shortest distance during its migration, this is not necessarily the optimal solution in all cases. There are certain situations when drifting with the wind, and t

Background: Guidelines for the prevention of coronary heart disease call for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction as the primary target of treatment and reduction of triglycerides (TG) as an additional target. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of atorvastatin and simvastatin to reduce LDL-C and TG concentrations and to meet 3 target lipid levels:

The role of electrostatic interactions in the assembly of a native protein structure was studied using fragment complementation. Contributions of salt, pH, or surface charges to the kinetics and equilibrium of calbindin D-9k reconstitution was measured in the presence of Ca2+ using surface plasmon resonance and isothermal titration calorimetry. Whereas surface charge substitutions primarily affect

Background Body Mass Index (BMI) is often used as a surrogate estimate of body fat in epidemiological studies. This study explores the association between BMI, body fat and body fat distribution assessed by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in younger children. Methods Cross-sectional study of 246 children (138 boys and 108 girls) aged 8-11 years. DXA was used to quantify abdominal fat mass (

Biomass cofiring in existing coal-fired boilers has emerged as a prospective option for voluntary reduction in CO2 emissions to mitigate the global warming problem. However, the associated cost increase plays a crucial role for this retrofitting. A techno-economic model for the estimation of economics of cofiring is presented in this paper using the pilot plant test results for biomass cofiring an

Objective— Atherosclerosis is associated with an immune response against oxidized LDL, which modulates the progression of the disease process. Methods and Results— Using a library of polypeptides covering the complete sequence of apoB-100, the only major protein of LDL, we have identified over 100 different human antibodies reacting against aldehyde-modified apoB-100 sequences. IgM antibody titer

Nerve fibres play an important role in the regulation of gastric emptying. The aims of this study were to clarify the distribution, projections and origin of neuronal type nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-, vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAchT)- and peptide-containing nerve fibres of the rat pyloric sphincter. Extrinsic and local denervations of the sphincter were perf

Five to 6 days after a right middle cerebral artery occlusion, a cell suspension of fetal neocortex was grafted into the infarcted area of adult spontaneously hypertensive rats. Three to 17 months later, functional integration of the grafts into the afferent somatosensory pathway was tested using the 2-[14C]deoxyglucose method for estimation of glucose utilization. Grafted rats (n = 8) and control

This paper explores the possibility of providing robots with an 'inner world' based on internal simulation of perception rather than an explicit representational world model. First a series of initial experiments is discussed, in which recurrent neural networks were evolved to control collision-free corridor following behavior in a simulated Khepera robot and predict the next time step's sensory i

We have calculated total energies of atoms and diatomic molecules from the Luttinger-Ward functional, using self-energy approximations to second order as well as the GW approximation. In order to assess the variational quality of this functional, we have also solved the Dyson equation self-consistently. The Luttinger-Ward functional is compared to the variational functional due to Klein, and we de

As there has been a considerable increase regarding the number of police reports on physical child abuse in Sweden since the mid-1980s, there should be an increased number of children in need of trauma-focused mental health treatment. During 1986 - 1996, there were 126 children reported as being physically abused by a parent or equivalent and reported to the police in a police district in Sweden.

This paper is one in a series of experimental studies on the effects of food composition on aging and longevity, using the golden-haired blowfly Calliphora stygia as the animal model Here we examine how diet. fat content affects blowfly life history traits such as longevity, reproduction, feeding rate, body mass, total fat content and membrane fatty acid composition. The highest median and maximum

It is recommended that the hip joints be flexed to 90 degrees during dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning of the lumbar spine in the anteroposterior projection; however, some patients are unable to maintain this position because of the presence of degenerative changes in lower limb joints. This study examines the effect of a lesser degree of hip flexion on the lumbar spine bone mineral densit

A thermostable, alkaline active xylanase was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant of an alkaliphilic Bacillus halodurans S7, which was isolated from a soda lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The molecular weight and the pI of this enzyme were estimated to be around 43 kDa and 4.5, respectively. When assayed at 70 degrees C, it was optimally active at pH 9.0-9.5. The optimum tempera