We have studied the effects of cholesterol and steroid-based antibiotic fusidic acid (FA) on the behavior of lipid bilayers using a variety of experimental techniques together with atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Capillary electrophoretic measurements showed that FA was incorporated into fluid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine membranes. Differential scanning calorimetr

The Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus is known only from the type specimen, collected in Himachal Pradesh, India, in 1867. The specimen is poorly prepared, and it has been suggested that it could represent an isolated form of the Clamorous Reed Warbler A. stentoreus or an aberrant Blyth's Reed Warbler A. dumetorum. We tested the affinity of A. orinus by (1) re-examining the morphology

Benzodiazepines, which are widely used clinically for relief of anxiety and for sedation, are thought to enhance synaptic inhibition in the central nervous system by increasing the open probability of chloride channels activated by the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Here we show that the benzodiazepine diazepam can also increase the conductance of GABAA channels activa

It is an undeniable fact that software project managers need reliable techniques and robust tool support to be able to exercise a fine control over the development process so that products can be delivered in time and within budget. Therefore, managers need to be trained so that they could learn and use new techniques and be aware of their possible impacts. In this context, effective learning is a

Clinical and radiographic data provide important information in the evaluation of soft tissue lesions/neoplasms. Morphologic tissue and cytologic examination is considered to be a necessary part of the diagnostic work-up. The standard procedure for obtaining tumor tissue for morphologic evaluation has been incisional (open) or core needle biopsy. An increasing use of minimally invasive diagnostic

Huntington's disease is a severe progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG-expansion in the IT15 gene, which encodes huntingtin. The disease primarily affects the neostriatum and cerebral cortex and also associates with increased incidence of diabetes. Here, we show that mutant huntingtin disrupts intracellular transport and insulin secretion by direct interference with microtubular b

The mutational mechanism underlying the striking diversity in MHC (major histocompatibility complex) genes in vertebrates is still controversial. In order to evaluate the role of inter- and intragenic recombination in MHC gene diversification, we examined patterns of nucleotide polymorphism across an exon/intron boundary in a sample of 31 MHC class IIB sequences of three-spined stickleback (Gaster

Housing rats in an enriched environment after focal brain ischemia improves functional outcome without changes in infarct volume, suggesting neuroplastic changes outside the lesion. In this study, permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was followed by housing in an enriched or a standard environment. Nerve growth factor-induced gene A and glucocorticoid receptor messenger RNA expression

Two-step steam pretreatment of softwood was investigated with the aim of improving the enzymatic digestibility for ethanol production. In the first step, softwood was impregnated with SO2 and steam pretreated at different severities. The first step was performed at low severity to hydrolyze the hemicellulose and release the sugars into the solution. The combination of time and temperature that yie

The transcription factor Rex has been implicated in regulation of the expression of genes important for fermentative growth and for growth under conditions of low oxygen tension in several Gram-positive bacteria. Rex senses the redox poise of the cell through changes in the NADH/NAD(+) ratio. The crystal structures of two essentially identical Rex proteins, from Thermus aquaticus and T. thermophil

We have previously shown that the number of satellite cells is lower in old than young men and women. The aim of this study was to further explore the effects of aging on the regenerative potential of skeletal muscle in 16 young and 26 old men and women with comparable physical activity level (young, 25 +/- 4 years; old, 75 +/- 4 years). Mean and minimum telomere lengths were determined using Sout

The ionization sensor is an electrical probe for diagnostics in internal combustion engines. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) imaging of fuel, hydroxyl (OH), and nitric oxide (NO) distributions has been employed to extend our knowledge about the governing processes leading to its signal. By monitoring the flame propagation in quiescent and turbulent mixtures, the cycle-to-cycle variations in the e

We describe a fixed parameter algorithm for computing the minimum weight triangulation (MWT) of a simple polygon with (n - k) vertices on the perimeter and k hole vertices in the interior, that is, for a total of n vertices. Our algorithm is based on cutting out empty triangles (that is, triangles not containing any holes) from the polygon and processing the parts or the rest of the polygon recurs

Steady linear gravity waves of small amplitude travelling on a current of constant vorticity are found. For negative vorticity we show the appearance of internal waves and vortices, wherein the particle trajectories are not any more closed ellipses. For positive vorticity the situation resembles that of Stokes waves, but for large vorticity the trajectories are affected.

The REXEBIS is an Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) developed particularly for charge breeding of rare and short-lived isotopes produced at ISOLDE for the REX-ISOLDE post accelerator. Bunches of singly charged radioactive ions are injected into the EBIS and charge bred to a charge-to-mass ratio of approximately 114 and thereafter extracted and injected into a short LINAC. This novel concept, employi

Brain expression of transferrin (Tf) and transthyretin (TTR) mRNA has been demonstrated in different species, TTR being found only in the choroid plexus. We report here that both these mRNAs are also expressed in the meninges. In vitro studies have shown that Tf secretion by the rat choroid plexus is stimulated by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) while sympathetic nerves regulate different transport fun

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) have gained increased attention because of their multipotency and adult stem cell character. They have been shown to differentiate into other cell types of the mesenchymal lineage and also into non-mesenchymal cells. The exact identity of the original cells, which are isolated from bone marrow by their selective adherence to plastic, remains unknown to date. We hav

Background: Activated fibroblasts, which have previously been obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), are proposed to be important cells in the fibrotic processes of asthma and scleroderma (SSc). We have studied the motility for BALF derived fibroblasts in patients with SSc that may explain the presence of these cells in the airway lumen. Furthermore, we have compared phenotypic alterat

We present a laser lithography technique based on lift-off, for fast and flexible prototyping of micro and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). The technique is based on direct laser writing on substrates coated with a resist bi-layer consisting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) on lift-off resist (LOR). Laser writing melts and evaporates the PMMA exposing the LOR. Oxygen ashing removes PMMA

We consider the problem of computing a minimum weight pseudo-triangulation of a set S of n points in the plane. We first present an O(nlogn)-time algorithm that produces a pseudo-triangulation of weight O(wt(M(S))logn) which is shown to be asymptotically worst-case optimal, i.e., there exists a point set S for which every pseudo-triangulation has weight Omega(wt(M(S))logn), where wt(M(S)) is the w