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All animals have to cope with sensory conflicts arising from simultaneous input of incongruent data to different sensory modalities. Nocturnal activity in moths includes mate-finding behaviour by odour detection and bat predator avoidance by acoustic detection. We studied male moths that were simultaneously exposed to female sex pheromones indicating the presence of a potential mate, and artificia
The peptidyl diazomethanes Cbz-Gly-CHN2, Boc-Val-Gly-CHN2, H-Leu-Val-Gly-CHN2, Cbz-Leu-Val-Gly-CHN2 and Cbz-Arg-Leu-Val-Gly-CHN2, with peptidyl portions modelled after the proposed cysteine proteinase interacting N-terminal segment of human cystatin C, were synthesized. Their efficiency as cysteine proteinase inhibitors was tested against papain, human cathepsin B and bovine cathepsin B. All, exce
We investigated whether phytoplankton communities in two lakes in SW Greenland were phosphorus or nitrogen limited. The study lakes have contrasting water chemistry (mean conductivities differ ten fold) and are located near Kangerlussuaq, SW Greenland (similar to 67 degrees N, 51 degrees W). A microcosm nutrient enrichment experiment was performed in June 2003 to determine whether nitrate or phosp
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease that displays a multitude of symptoms and a vast array of autoantibodies. The disease course may vary substantially between patients. The current understanding of SLE aetiology includes environmental factors acting on a genetically prone individual during an undetermined time period resulting in autoimmunity and finally surpassing that individual's d
Neuropeptide Y is a cotransmitter in the sympathetic nervous system with potent contractile effects on blood vessels. The plasma levels of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity in patients with severe hypertension (> 120 mmHg) were increased compared with the levels in control subjects and were still elevated after long-term pharmacologic treatment of normotension. Neuropeptide Y stimulated DNA syn
Although Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produces analgesia, its effects on nociceptive primary afferents are unknown. These neurons participate not only in pain signaling but also in the local response to tissue injury. Here, we show that THC and cannabinol induce a CB1/CB2 cannabinoid receptor-independent release of calcitonin gene-related peptide from capsaicin-sensitive perivascular sensor
With a photoreversibly photochromic regulator pigment such as phytochrome, linear action dichroism could theoretically be obtained after photoselection even if the molecules are initially randomly oriented. If randomly oriented Pr (red-absorbing phytochrome) (plant photoregulators) molecules are partially converted to Pfr (far-red absorbing phytochrome) molecules by plane-polarized red light, thos
Neuronal regulation of smooth muscle tone in the female pig urethra has mainly been studied in vitro using electrical field stimulation (EFS) of nerves. Excitatory control is considered to be exerted by released noradrenaline, whereas inhibitory control is non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC), and mediated by nitric oxide (NO), and an as yet unidentified agent. We investigated the functional and
Objective: To evaluate whether T cells expressing CCR5 and CXCR3 from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are more resistant to apoptosis. Methods: Expression of CD69, TNF-R1, Fas, FasL, bcl-2, and bax was investigated in 41 MS patients and 12 healthy controls by flow cytometry in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing CCR5 and CXCR3. Results: In MS patients, the percentage of CD69 was increased and Fas ex
The scope of this presentation is a new methodology to correct conventional NIR data for scattering effects. The technique aims at measuring the absorption coefficient of the samples rather than the total attenuation, measured by conventional NIR spectroscopy. The main advantage of this is that the absorption coefficient is independent of the path length of the light inside the sample, and therefo
We describe a patient with facial cellulitis/erysipelas due to cowpox virus inoculation in the respiratory epithelium of the nose. A cytopathic agent was isolated in cell culture, and the diagnosis of cowpox was confirmed by electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction. The most likely source of infection was exposure to the family cats. In addition to the severe edematous cellulitis of the f
Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) include a large group of structurally related enzymes that are responsible for the hydrolysis of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). These enzymes belong to at least nine related gene families (PDEs 1–9) (1–5), which differ in their primary structures, affinities for cAMP and cGMP, responses to specific effect
A substantial part of nuclear containments in US and Europe are designed with an outer bearing concrete structure and an inner sealing consisting of a tight-welded steel liner. The liner constitutes the ultimate leak-barrier, which prevents leakage at high internal pressure loads. The purpose of this paper is to show which influence a through-wall concrete crack may have on the strain level in the
A comparatively simple way to generate time series of atmospherically distorted wave fronts is described and tested. Temporal power spectra of Zernike aberrations, extracted from the time series, agree very well with theoretical predictions. A method for generation of longer time series is also shown to give results in accordance with theory, except for the lowest temporal frequencies modeled. A w
A series of analogs with nitro or serinamide substituents at the C-2'-, C-5'-, or C-C-position of the combretastatin A-4 (CA4) B-ring was synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxic effects against heart endothelioma cells, blood flow reduction to tumors in SCID mice, and as inhibitors of tubulin polymerization. The synthesis of these analogs typically featured a Wittig reaction between a suitably fun
