Measurements of concentration of sensitizers for photodynamic therapy can provide important information in the dosimetry planning and can also give input to the optimal time for treatment. There has been skepticism towards fluorescence techniques for this purpose, as the signal depends on the fluorescence yield and optical properties of the tissue. Absorption based techniques, lack on the other ha

We summarize here the results of a major eight-year investigation of the extraordinarily detailed UV spectrum of the sharp-lined, nonmagnetic, main-sequence, chemically peculiar star chi Lupi (B9.5p HgMn + A2 Vm). The UV observations are composed of 345 Angstrom of the spectrum acquired with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope at an average resolutio

In spinal neurons, plateau potentials serve to amplify neuronal input signals. To a large extent, the underlying persistent inward current is mediated by a subtype of the L-type calcium channel (Ca(v)1.3). In the present investigation, we have studied its distribution and cellular localization in the cat spinal cord by light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry. The results show that Ca(v

Study Design. A retrospective study. Objective. To evaluate the reliability of computed tomography (CT) with low radiation dose in the assessment of implant status in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Summary of Background Data. The use of all-pedicle screw construct in scoliosis corrective surgery continues to gain increasing popularity since their introduction 1994 although th

Cosmological long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are thought to originate from the core collapse to black holes (BHs) of stripped massive stars. Those with sufficient rotation form a centrifugally supported torus whose collapse powers the GRB. We investigate the role of tidal locking within a tight binary as a source of the necessary angular momentum. We find that the binary orbit must be no wi

Nonlinear propagation of electromagnetic waves is an important problem in optics. Often the properties of the nonlinear media are not fully understood. The solution of an inverse problem can provide an aid to that understanding. An inverse transmission problem is posed; it is one of reconstructing the medium parameters, by measurement of a wave that has been propagated through the nonlinear mediu

Reduction of bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,6-dione to (1R, 4S, 6S)-6-hydroxy-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2-one by whole cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was improved using an engineered recombinant strain and process design. The substrate inhibition followed a Han-Levenspiel model showing an effective concentration window between 12 and 22 g/l, in which the activity was kept above 95%. Yeast growth stage, subs

Purpose To investigate whether previously observed correlations between tumor karyotype and risk of metastases could be reproduced in an independent set of high-grade soft tissue sarcomas (STSs). Patients and Methods In a previous study on high-grade STSs with clonal chromosome aberrations, we identified a number of cytogenetic variables, besides tumor grade and size, that were associated with sig

An algorithm is presented in which the Colour-Dipole Cascade Model as implemented in the Ariadne program is corrected to match the fixed order tree-level matrix elements for e e(+) --> n jets. The result is a full parton level generator for e e(+) annihilation where the generated states are correct on tree-level to fixed order in alpha(s) and to all orders with modified leading logarithmic (MLLA)

The theory of parental investment and brood sex ratio manipulation predicts that parents should invest in the more costly sex during conditions when resources are abundant. In the polygynous great reed warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus. females of primary harem status have more resources for nestling provisioning than secondary females, because polygynous males predominantly assist the primary fe

All stars are formed in some form of cluster or association. These environments can have a much higher number density of stars than the field of the galaxy. Such crowded places are hostile environments: a large fraction of initially single stars will undergo close encounters with other stars or exchange into binaries. We describe how such close encounters and exchange encounters will affect the pr

Rheology and phase separation were investigated for aqueous mixtures of two oppositely charged hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes. The typical phase separation, normally seen for oppositely charged polymer mixtures, is dramatically reduced by the presence of hydrophobic modification, and phase separation is only detected close to the point of charge neutralization. While the two polyelectro

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine which leads in the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) are the best for detecting acute coronary syndrome (ACS) among chest pain patients in the emergency department. Methods: Neural network classifiers were used to determine the predictive capability of individual leads and combinations of leads from 862 ECCs from chest pain

The study extends a previous investigation on the use of oral decongestants during pregnancy with another 1 000 women (1 017 infants) who reported the use of such drugs in early pregnancy and 1 125 women (1 145 infants) who had such drugs prescribed later in pregnancy. The results on the beneficial delivery outcome after late use of the drugs with a reduced rate of preterm birth and low birth weig

Abstract in UndeterminedAll types of organizations are under increasing pressure to integrate green considerations in their purchasing practices. A number of tools aimed for the practitioners have been developed in response to their new challenges. However, the application of such tools among private firms is not well known, and one important question is how well the tools correspond with practiti

An integrative approach to managing host–parasite interactions that threaten species communities will benefit from identifying variation in parasite impact across host species, and host–parasite responses to annual climatic variation. We examine interannual, inter- and intraspecific variation in Philornis downsi intensity – an introduced blood sucking fly that causes high fitness costs in Darwin’s

Perseid and sporadic meteor hourly rates and magnitudes observed in 1953-1983 by a team of visual observers at the Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, are analysed. A high-resolution study of the zenithal hourly rates of bright Perseid meteors /(m

This study describes the effects of acute ethanol exposure on the mRNA levels of c-jun,junB and junD in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. An acute exposure to 100 mM ethanol did not influence the basal and phorbol ester-induced expression of c-jun and junB, whereas the basal mRNA level of junD was attenuated by 30%. This effect was dose- and time-dependent with maximal inhibition being de