Monocot residues such as corn stover and straw are often not fully exploited and constitute a potential substrate for bioethanol production. However, a number of factors such as high enzyme loadings make large-scale utilization economically difficult. Addition of non-ionic surfactants and poly(ethylene glycol) to enzymatic hydrolysis of various lignocellulosic substrates has been found to increase

The R2 protein subunit of class I ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) belongs to a structurally related family of oxygen bridged diiron proteins. In wild-type R2 of Escherichia coli, reductive cleavage of molecular oxygen by the diferrous iron center generates a radical on a nearby tyrosine residue (Tyr122), which is essential for the enzymatic activity of RNR, converting ribonucleotides into deoxyribo

Aim: To examine the prevalence and characteristics of uncontrolled hypertension (HT). Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study (1992-93) was carried out in Skara, Sweden, including 894 patients who consecutively underwent an annual follow-up at the hypertension outpatient clinic in primary care. Controlled HT was defined as diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 160 mmHg and DBP 5.5 mmol/l more o

Nanovials, microarrays, and microfluidics are brought together for the exploration of complex biological problems.

The enzyme chloroperoxidase (CPO) found in Calclariomyces fumago is able to catalyze several stereoselective oxidation reaction by using a dean oxidant, usually hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), without the need for expensive cofactor generation. CPO's lack of operational stability however, is a major limitation for its commercial use. In the present study, a capillary-LC on-line trypsin- digestion system

In situ postgrowth annealing of (Ga,Mn)As layers under As capping is adequate for achieving high Curie temperatures (T-C) in a similar way as ex situ annealing in air or in N-2 atmosphere practiced earlier. Thus, the first efforts give an increase of T-C from 68 to 145 K after 2 h annealing at 180 degrees C. These data, in combination with lattice parameter determinations and photoemission results

Tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) regulate the breakdown of extracellular matrix components and play an important role in tissue remodelling and growth, in both physiological and pathological conditions. We studied the autoimmune response to TIMPs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Eighty- nine paired blood and synovial fluid samples from patients with RA were assesse

Complement is involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and has also a seemingly paradoxical protective role in the development of the disease. Low levels of components within the classical pathway of complement especially C1q, C4 and C3 have a high specificity for SLE diagnosis and should be considered as promising for inclusion in classification criteria of SLE.

Podophyllotoxin (CPH86), at concentrations of 5 ng/ml or more, inhibited [3H]-thymidine uptake of ConA-induced proliferation of human peripheral mononuclear blood cells. Tween80, the detergent included in the anti-inflammatory drug Proresid, containing podophyllum lignan derivatives, also inhibited lymphocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Combination of the two drugs did not, or did on

We describe a new method for gas flux measurements that is a combination of differential absorption lidar (DIAL) and wind videography. The wind speed was measured by an imaging method that calculates the horizontal displacement of the plume with cross-correlation techniques. High spatial and temporal resolution is achieved with histogram equalization and window-filtering techniques. Simultaneous m

Objective - People living in eastern Finland have approximate to 40% higher coronary heart disease mortality rates than western Finns. Whether this is because of genetic or environmental factors is unknown. We examined the effect of geographic family origin on subclinical atherosclerosis among young Finns. Methods and Results - As part of a longitudinal follow-up study, we measured carotid intima-

The adsorption of two cationic amphiphilic polyelectrolytes, which are copolymers of two charged monomers, triethyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride and dimethyldodecyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride (which is the amphiphilic one) with different contents of amphiphilic groups (40% (40DT) and 80% (80DT)), onto the hydrophilic silica-aqueous solution interface has been studied by in situ null ellipsomet

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between coagulation factor level and bleeding frequency during prophylactic treatment of haemophilia after stratification of the patients according to joint scores. The secondary aim was to obtain a systematic overview of the doses of coagulation factors prescribed for prophylaxis at the Malmo haemophilia treatment centre d

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe form of mental retardation, which is caused by spontaneous mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2. How the loss of MeCP2 function leads to RTT is currently unknown. Mice lacking the Mecp2 gene initially show normal postnatal development but later acquire neurological phenotypes, including heightened anxiety, that resemble RTT. The MECP2 gene encodes a methyl-CpG-bindi

Disorders of the vestibular nerve and end organs are the most common causes of vertigo. The advances in recognizing different forms of canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis, which sometimes present with continuous positional nystagmus, have revealed a peripheral vestibular aetiology in which central nervous system lesions were previously suspected. Treatments using repositioning manoeuvres are also

Near- and deep-ultraviolet (UV) resonance Raman spectroscopy of pyrazine-Al-4 complex and Al-3-pyrazine-Al-3 junction was investigated theoretically with a quantum chemical method. Here, 325 and 244 nm were employed as near- and deep-UV sources in our theoretical study The intensities of static normal Raman spectra of pyrazine-Al-4 complex and Al-3-pyrazine-Al-3 junction were enhanced oil the orde

We study the interaction of a transcritical (or saddle-node) bifurcation with a codimension-0/codimension-2 heteroclinic cycle close to (but away from) the local bifurcation point. The study is motivated by numerical observations on the traveling wave ODE of a reaction–diffusion equation. The manifold organization is such that two branches of homoclinic orbits to each fixed point are created when

Good genes" are genetic elements that contribute to lifetime reproductive success, regardless of an individual's additional genotype. Their existence is debated, and most work has targeted their viability benefits to the offspring of choosy females. In the present study, we analyze a case of potential good genes effects in adult male sand lizards ( Lacerta agilis). We show that males with a partic