Grid technologies are still evolving, with standards yet to be defined and reliable production-level solutions yet to be found. Nevertheless, Grid already stepped out of the cradle and slowly but steadily finds its way to the world of the modern information technologies. Early testers and adopters of this innovative technology are researchers in various fields of science, primarily those that trad

The gamma decay of excited states in the waiting-point nucleus 130Cd82 has been observed for the first time. An 8+ two-quasiparticle isomer has been populated both in the fragmentation of a 136Xe beam as well as in projectile fission of 238U, making 130Cd the most neutron-rich N=82 isotone for which information about excited states is available. The results, interpreted using state-of-the-art nucl

Exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing Streptococcus thermophilus strains have attracted interest recently, since the EPSs act as natural viscosifiers and texture enhancers of fermented foods. We have previously reported that the low level of EPS production by S. thermophilus LY03 could be improved by altering the activities of enzymes in the central carbon metabolism involved in the nucleotide sugar m

The possible function of globules and irregular membrane-bound masses in the gonadotropin cells of the pituitary of Clarias gariepinus was studied. Strong secretory stimulation led to the disappearance of the secretory granules from gonadotropin cells but globules and irregular masses remained present. Acid phosphatase was detected enzyme-cytochemically in both globules and irregular masses. Radio

Gaboxadol (THIP; 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol) is an agonist at GABA(A) receptors. THIP concentrations (0.01-50 mM) were applied rapidly to Sf9 cells expressing the human alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2S) GABA(A) receptors. The EC50 values for the peak current in THIP alone or THIP plus 1 muM diazepam were 154 and 53 muM, respectively. In supersaturating THIP (10-50 mM) the rate of curren

The functional relation between receptive fields of climbing fibres projecting to the C1, C3 and Y zones and forelimb movements controlled by nucleus interpositus anterior via the rubrospinal tract were studied in cats decerebrated at the pre-collicular level. Microelectrode tracks were made through the caudal half of nucleus interpositus anterior. This part of the nucleus receives its cerebellar

Objectives: Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) autoantibodies are serologic markers for celiac disease (CD). The aim was to determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of different immunoglobulin isotypes against tTG. Methods: Immunoglobulin A (IgA)-tTG, IgG-tTG, and IgGl-tTG were measured in radioligand binding assays in 67 children with untreated and 89 children with treated CD and compared

The acute phase reactant and protease inhibitor alpha1-antichymotrypsin is considered to play a protective role in the airways, but it is not known. Objectives: We analyzed whether the common respiratory pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis interact with antichymotrypsin. Methods: We compared a series of clinical isolates in addition to wild type and

Angle-resolved resonant Auger-electron spectroscopy has been carried out on the nitrogen molecule at selected photon energies around 419 eV, where a 1s core electron and two valence electrons are promoted into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital 1pi(g). Significant enhancement of a specific band, which cannot be disentangled in direct photoionization, is observed at a binding energy of 37.6 eV

C4b-binding protein (C4BP), an important inhibitor of complement activation, has a unique spider-like shape. It is composed of six to seven identical alpha-chains with or without a single beta-chain, the chains being linked by disulfide bridges in their C-terminal parts. To elucidate the structural requirements for the assembly of the alpha-chains, recombinant C4BP was expressed in HEK 293 cells.

A Holocene sediment sequence from Lake Igelsjon, south central Sweden, was studied by stable oxygen- and carbon-isotope analyses of different carbonate components. The deposit, which covers the time-span from ca 11,500 cal BP to the present, was laid down in a small, kettle-hole lake, the hydrological balance of which is presently dominated by groundwater flow. Isotopic records obtained on bulk ca

The routine recommendation to women to count fetal movements daily during late pregnancy for the prevention of antepartum late fetal death in normally formed singletons has been evaluated. 68,000 women were randomly allocated within thirty-three pairs of clusters either to a policy of routine counting or to standard care, which might involve selective use of formal counting or informal noting of m

The accuracy of q-space measurements was evaluated at a 3.0-T clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, as compared with a 4.7-T nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. Measurements were performed using a stimulated-echo pulse-sequence on n-decane as well as on polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixed with different concentrations of water, in order to obtain bi-exponential signal decay cur

The meanings given to menopause by women themselves are often left aside. In this grounded theory study, based on interviews and on open-ended questions in questionnaires answered by middle-aged women, the authors found that not being able to know what would happen and what influence menopause would have on them as individuals were sources of uncertainty. A theory of a general pattern of behaviour

Objective No depression rating scale has yet been designed to identify all clinically important depressive states in elderly. Therefore, this study investigated the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), a self-rating scale for depression, to see if it was a sensitive indicator of major, minor and subsyndromal depression. Methods Structured interviews of 37 people with a high depressive score and

BACKGROUND. Today, intensive therapy that includes high-close melphalan with autologous stein cell transplantation (ASCT) is considered standard therapy in younger patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. When the current trial was initiated, combined vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (VAD) was the most commonly used induction therapy before ASCT and yielded rapid major responses without i

As part of a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) psychosocial programme during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, data were collected from a community sample of 2,976 children aged between 9 and 14 years. Children completed standardized self-report measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, and grief, as well as a report of the amount of their own exposure to war-related viol

In pancreatic B- and A-cells, metabolic stimuli regulate biochemical and electrical processes that culminate in Ca2+-influx and release of insulin or glucagon, respectively. Like in other (neuro)endocrine cells, Ca2+-influx triggers the rapid exocytosis of hormone-containing secretory granules. Only a small fraction of granules (