Several previous studies have addressed pheromone communication in various flour beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), including the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum (du Val). Different stereoisomers of 4,8-dimethyldecanal (DMD) were reported as the only components of an aggregation pheromone, but the behavioral activity of DMD is low. In the present study, additional previously reported s

We report here on a procedure to obtain large amounts of a chloroplast-localized heat shock protein (HSP21) with unknown structure and function, by using anEscherichia coliexpression system for the pea (Pisum sativum) protein and a purification procedure based on perfusion ion-exchange chromatography. After initial precipitation steps, the sample was applied to cation- and anion-exchange on two co

For a concrete beam resting on a bed of sand, an analytical solution technique is derived by which the mobility can be identified. To achieve realistic predictions, significant damping in the bed needs to be introduced. The modest damping of the concrete has little effect on the mobility for small frequencies whereas it has a significant effect for higher frequencies. An imperfection in the bed in

Background. Children born preterm (PT) have medical conditions and impairments that may affect their oral health. Hypothesis. Our hypothesis for the study was that PT children display more dental behaviour management problems (BMPs) and less favourable oral health behaviour than controls (C). Methods. Parents of 153 PT children and 153 C children were interviewed regarding the children's oral heal

A large number of methods have been developed over the years to study protein-protein interactions. Many of these techniques are now available to the nonspecialist researcher thanks to new affordable instruments and/or resource centres. A typical protein-protein interaction study usually starts with an initial screen for novel binding partners. We start this review by describing three techniques t

The procoagulant function of activated factor V (FVa) is inhibited by activated protein C (APC) through proteolytic cleavages at Arg(306), Arg(506), and Arg(679). The effect of APC is potentiated by negatively charged phospholipid membranes and the APC cofactor protein S. Protein S has been reported to selectively stimulate cleavage at Arg(306), an effect hypothesized to be related to reorientatio

A novel human apolipoprotein [apolipoprotein M (apoM)l was recently described and demonstrated to be a lipocalin. We have now examined apoM in wild-type mice and mice with genetically altered lipoprotein metabolism. Liver and kidney showed high mRNA expression, whereas spleen, heart, brain, and testis demonstrated low expression. ApoM gene expression was initiated on embryonic day 10. Western blot

During the formation of peribronchial fibrosis in asthma, remodeling of connective tissue is due to an increase in deposition of extracellular matrix components like that of specific types of collagens and proteoglycans. By taking bronchial biopsies, we were able to isolate cell cultures derived from asthmatic patients and healthy volunteers, which provides a good model system to study differences

The present work investigates the occurrence and significance of aberrant DNA methylation patterns during early stages of atherosclerosis. To this end, we asked whether the genetically atherosclerosis-prone APOEnull mice show any changes in DNA methylation patterns before the appearance of histologically detectable vascular lesion. We exploited a combination of various techniques: DNA fingerprinti

During a 2-year period, 5476 normal routine obstetrical ultrasound investigations were performed in the 2nd trimester (16th to 20th week). Data on biparietal diameter (BPD), abdominal diameter (AD) and femur length (FL) have been obtained from this material. Ratios between BPD/AD and BPD/FL have been calculated, and from these ratios, graphs were constructed. Only nine normal fetuses (0.2%) were f

The burden of disease/cost-effectiveness analysis (BoD/CE) was introduced as a method for detailed planning and budgeting in 13 districts of Uganda. This endeavor can be seen as a “natural experiment”, attempting to pursue policy implementation by means of a heavy focus on rationalistic/technical arguments as a main supportive factor. However, modern theory of policy implementation, e.g. the new i

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was analysed from 21 patients with breast cancer, stage T1N0M0, who had undergone tumour resection and post-operative local irradiation (accumulated dose 56 Gy). The lavage was performed two months after radiotherapy, in the anterior part of the lingula (left side) or of the right middle lobe (right side), depending on which side had been exposed to radiation. Th

The degradation and biogas production potential of sisal fibre waste could be significantly increased by pre-treatment for reduction of particle size. Batch-wise anaerobic digestion of sisal fibre waste was carried out in 1-l digesters with fibre sizes ranging from 2 to 100 mm, at an ambient temperature of 33 °C. Sediment from a stabilisation pond at a sisal production plant was used as starter se

Twice each year, millions of night-migratory songbirds migrate thousands of kilometers. To find their way, they must process and integrate spatiotemporal information from a variety of cues including the Earth's magnetic field and the night-time starry sky. By using sensory-driven gene expression, we discovered that night-migratory songbirds possess a tight cluster of brain regions highly active on

The influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the interfacial behavior of two amphiphilic polyelectrolytes, which are copolymers of the cationic monomers triethyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride and dimethyldodecyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride, at the silica-aqueous interface was studied. The fraction of amphiphilic monomers was varied, where ODT, 40DT, and 80DT contained 0, 40, and 80 mol % mon

Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) is one of the more common skeletal dysplasias and results from mutations in cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). Most COMP mutations identified to date cluster in the TSP3 repeat region of COMP and the mutant protein is retained in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) of chondrocytes and may result in increased cell death. In contrast, the pathomolecular mechan