Purpose: Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is an enzyme that hydrolyses sphingomyelin in a bile salt-dependent manner in the gastrointestinal tract, and has been proposed as an inhibitor of colon carcinogenesis. Ursolic acid (UA) is a plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenoid that has been shown to have anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells, with activa

In spectra obtained from foil-excited and laser-produced plasmas, we have identified 70 new lines as belonging to the spectra of fluorine-like scandium and vanadium ions, Sc XIII and V XV The new lines in the wavelength region from 70 to 600 Angstrom represent 2p(4)3s-3p, 3p-3d and 3d-4f transition arrays. The spectra have been interpreted with the aid of theoretical calculations, and the consiste

Environmental processes have been modelled for decades. However. the need for integrated assessment and modeling (IAM) has,town as the extent and severity of environmental problems in the 21st Century worsens. The scale of IAM is not restricted to the global level as in climate change models, but includes local and regional models of environmental problems. This paper discusses various definitions

Wind erosion causes severe damage on sandy soils in agricultural areas of north-west Europe. The weather conditions during erosion events are the result of the general atmospheric circulation and are key components in the erosion process. Principal component analysis (PCA) in combination with a non-hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted on de-seasonalized daily mean-sea-level pressure (MSLP)

INTRODUCTION: Sperm chromatin integrity assessment has been suggested as a fertility predictor. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the results of sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and the outcome of IVF, ICSI and intrauterine insemination (IUI). METHODS: A total of 306 consecutive couples undergoing assisted reproduction were included. IUI was performed in 131, IVF

Infectious agents may be involved in atherothrombogenesis. The potential pathogenic pathway, however, remains unclear. We investigated the association between various infectious agents and lipoproteins known to have an atherogenic effect, We recruited 470 healthy blood donors and 238 patients with angiographically proven coronary heart disease (CHD), aged 40 to 68 years. Seropositivity to Chlamydi

The important air pollutant sulfur dioxide has a strong structured absorption band in the ultraviolet (UV) region around 300 nm. Recently, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with structureless emission in a band about 15-nm wide in the UV region have become available. We demonstrate that they can be ideal sources for gas absorption measurements combined with the gas correlation technique, where an absor

Reaction monitoring by Raman microspectroscopy in levitated room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) droplets is reported. Due to their non-volatility, RTIL droplets are well-suited to act as wall-less microreactors. The droplets were produced by a piezoelectric flow-through microdispenser connected to an automated flow injection system and were levitated by an acoustic trap. Taking advantage of the f

One of the major research areas in computer vision is scene reconstruction from image streams. The advent of RGB-D cameras, such as the Microsoft Kinect, has lead to new possibilities for performing accurate and dense 3D reconstruction. There are already well-working algorithms to acquire 3D models from depth sensors, both for large and small scale scenes. However, these methods often break down w

Risk is a key topic in the communication between developers of infrastructure projects, permit-granting authorities, and civil society. The nature of risk communication is contested among academics, however. Whereas some scholars conceive of risk communication as a matter of effectively communicating expert knowledge on factual matters to the public, others emphasize the role of symbolic construct

The HAMLET family of compounds (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumours) was discovered during studies on the properties of human milk, and is a class of protein-lipid complexes having broad spectrum anti-cancer, and some specific anti-bacterial properties. The structure of HAMLET-like compounds consists of an aggregation of partially unfolded protein making up the majority of the compound'

Aqueous mixtures of gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD) and the thermosensitive cationic diblock copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride (PNIPAAM(24)-b-PAMPTAM(+)(9)) or the PNIPAAM homopolymer PNIPAAM(47) have been investigated using various experimental methods. Solid g-CD-polymer inclusion complexes (pseudopolyrotaxanes) form at ambient temperatures

An increased use of forest fuels is important in the reduction of our dependence on fossil fuels and in attempting to mitigate climate change. However, an increased use will also result in an intensified forestry. Recovery of forest residues (logging residues and stumps) results in a higher pressure on the forest ecosystems and adds environmental effects to those already existing in conventional f

Thirty wild blue rock pigeons (Columba livia) were caught from Multan city (Pakistan). Hematological values were established for total red blood cells, total white blood cells, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and differential leukocyte count. Serum bio chemistry values were determined for

Popular Abstract in Swedish Graviditetsdiabetes är diabetes som uppkommer eller först upptäcks under en graviditet. Mellan 1-14 % av alla gravida kvinnor runt om i världen drabbas av graviditetsdiabetes och i Sverige är det ungefär 2 %. I Sverige behandlas graviditetsdiabetes med kostråd och om detta inte räcker lägger man till insulinbehandling. Kända riskfaktorer för att utveckla graviditetsdiabGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs as a complication in 2% of all pregnancies in Sweden. Women with GDM have a substantial risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, but the risk of developing type 1 diabetes is also increased. GDM increases the risk for macrosomia and caesarean delivery. However, long term prognosis and eventual future risks for children born to mothers with a prev

Ca(Fe1-xCox)(2)As-2 single crystals with concentration x = 0.032, 0.051, and 0.063 were investigated by means of neutron diffraction under hydrostatic pressure. The region of existence of the high-temperature tetragonal, low-temperature orthorhombic, and pressure-induced collapsed tetragonal phases have been determined and the corresponding p-T phase diagrams for the three compositions have been c

Changes in the structure and function of the small airways (

Aim of the study was to access how individual's motives for participation in sports impact on self-reported outcomes 2 years after an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Based on a longitudinal cohort study, this secondary analysis present data from the Knee Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Nonsurgical versus Surgical Treatment (KANON) study, a randomized controlled trial. At baseline, 121 patients reco

The invasion status of tumour-draining lymph nodes (LNs) is a critical indicator of cancer stage and is important for treatment planning. Clinicians currently use planar scintigraphy and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with (99m)Tc-radiocolloid to guide biopsy and resection of LNs. However, emerging multimodality approaches such as positron emission tomography combined with magn

The topic of this thesis is adaptive CPU resource management for multicore platforms. The work was done as a part of the resource manager component of the adaptive resource management framework implemented in the European ACTORS project. The framework dynamically allocates CPU resources for the applications. The key element of the framework is the resource manager that combines feedforward and fee