Adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and significant chronic pulmonary regurgitation are at risk for progressive right ventricular (RV) dilatation and dysfunction. The assessment of RV function is important in the management in these patients. There is still a lack of an adequate geometric model to quantify RV function by echocardiography. The myocardial performance index (MPI) is a nonvolumet

Here, we investigated effects of increased atmospheric CO2 concentration, increased temperatures, and both factors in combination on ericoid mycorrhizal colonization, mycorrhizal functioning and below-ground carbon allocation in a subarctic forest understorey, to evaluate the hypothesis that photosynthesis is a primary driver for mycorrhizal colonization. Treatment effects on ecosystem processes w

The proteinuria selectivity index (SI) describes changes of the glomerular permeability for macromolecules. In the present study, we examine the implications of SI as a diagnostic (199 patients) and a prognostic (49 patients) marker in glomerular diseases. Using SI based on alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)-M-SI) or on IgM (IgM-SI) we found that minimal change nephropathy could be discriminated by

Single-tricot warp-knitted structures made from polyester-fibre (PET-fibre) yarns are analysed for their geometrical properties and their uniaxial tensile behaviour. A detailed study is devoted to the inter-yarn friction in these structures, since yarn slippage is one of the effects dominating large-scale deformations of the fabrics. Both static (initiation of slippage) and sliding (ongoing slippa

Concentration of nutrients and balance between nutrients in trees can affect tree vitality, and are dependent on soil conditions and atmospheric deposition. The aim of this investigation was to survey the concentration of nutrients in beech bark and to look for relationships with the frost sensitivity of the bark. Beech trees with bark lesions were compared to undamaged beech trees on five experim

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) is an enzyme that is produced by inflammatory cells (macrophages, T-lymphocytes and mast cells) and hydrolyzes oxidized phospholipids in LDL. Several epidemiology studies indicate that Lp-PLA(2) appears to be an independent marker of cardiovascular risk. This study was conducted to define the distribution of Lp-PLA(2) in a large population-base

Little is known about the contribution of bacteria and fungi to decomposition of different carbon compounds in arctic soils, which are an important carbon store and possibly vulnerable to climate warming. Soil samples from a subarctic tundra heath were incubated with C-13-labeled glucose, acetic acid, glycine, starch, and vanillin, and the incorporation of C-13 into different phospholipid fatty ac

Pheromone communication systems have a reliable signal with a restricted window of amounts and ratios released and perceived. We propose a model based on a Gaussian response profile that allows a quantification of the response peak (location of optimum) and a measure of the peak width (response window). Interpreting the Gaussian curve, fitted by nonlinear regression (NLR), as a standard normal dis

A biologically active protein fraction was isolated from rabbit intestine, purified by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE and stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue. A predominant band of approximately 110-130 kDa was excised and digested in-gel with trypsin. The resulting peptides were extracted then separated by microbore reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mass spectrometric data

The widespread bryophyte Hylocomium splendens was sampled in a hierarchical fashion from populations representing four Scandinavian vegetation zones. Allozyme electrophoresis revealed variation at 11 out of 13 screened loci, allowing accurate identification of genotypes. From a total sample of 298 shoots 79 genotypes could be detected, giving the proportion of distinguishable genotypes (PD) of 0.2

MIA/CD-RAP is a small, soluble protein secreted from malignant melanoma cells and from chondrocytes. Recent evidence has identified MIA/CD-RAP as the prototype of a small family of extracellular proteins adopting an SH3 domain-like fold. It is thought that interaction between MIA/CD-RAP and specific epitopes in extracellular matrix proteins regulates the attachment of tumor cells and chondrocytes.

We have characterized a stereospecific transport mechanism for L-dopa into human epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs). It is different from any other amino acid transport system. It is highly concentrative, largely pH-independent, and independent of exogenous Na+, glucose and oxygen, and fuelled by a renewable intracellular energy source inhibited by iodoacetate but not by arsenate. We propose that th

Yields for J/psi production in Cu+Cu collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV have been measured over the rapidity range |y|< 2.2 and compared with results in p+p and Au+Au collisions at the same energy. The Cu+Cu data offer greatly improved precision over existing Au+Au data for J/psi production in collisions with small to intermediate numbers of participants, in the range where the quark-gluon plasma

We used a crossing experiment to investigate post-zygotic barriers that might limit introgression between a pair of closely-related, gynodioecious plant species - the widespread weed Silene vulgaris and the local Swedish endemic S. uniflora ssp. petraea. The study not only considered the effects of hybridization on conventionally-used (primary) fitness components such as seed set and progeny survi

Aberrant dopaminergic signaling is a critical determinant in multiple psychiatric disorders, and in many disease states, dopamine receptor number is altered. Here we identify a molecular mechanism that selectively targets D2 receptors for degradation after their activation by dopamine. The degradative fate of D2 receptors is determined by an interaction with G protein coupled receptor-associated s

1. Within a single year, long-distance migrants undergo a minimum of four cycles of fuel storage and depletion because their migrations have at least one stopover. Each cycle includes an almost twofold change in body mass (m(b)). Pervasive predation threats beg the question whether escape flight abilities keep up with such large changes in m(b). 2. We derive aerodynamic predictions how pectoral mu

Many species from diverse taxa are known to display synchronous fluctuations across vast geographical ranges. It is often thought that climate factors influencing the growth of conspecific populations are correlated over large distances and hence produce the synchronous population dynamics - an effect known as the Moran effect. However, for species embedded in a food web the Moran effect needs not

1. Basal metabolic rates (BMR) were measured in 36 adult and 119 juvenile waders of 19 species on autumn migration in southern Sweden. 2. Ina comparison with literature data, it was found that juvenile BMR was generally lower than at the onset of migration in the Arctic and slightly higher than on African wintering grounds. 3. The seasonal differences may reflect local physiological adaptations or

Follicular lymphoma is the second most frequent type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in adults. The basic molecular defect consists of the t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation, juxtaposing the B-cell lymphoma protein 2 gene BCL2 to the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus IGH@, and leading to the antiapoptotic BCL2 protein overproduction. Variations in the t(14;18) are rare and can be classified into two categor

Spherical brushes composed of diblock polyampholytes (diblock copolymers with oppositely charged blocks) grafted onto solid spherical particles in aqueous solution are investigated by using the primitive model solved with Monte Carlo simulations and by lattice mean-field theory. Polyampholyte chains of two compositions are considered: a copolymer with a long and a short block, A(100)B(10), and a c