Alamethicin is a membrane-active peptide isolated from the beneficial root-colonising fungus Trichoderma viride. This peptide can insert into membranes to form voltage-dependent pores. We have previously shown that alamethicin efficiently permeabilises the plasma membrane, mitochondria and plastids of cultured plant cells. In the present investigation, tobacco cells (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Bright

Exciton dynamics in alternating copolymer/fullerene solar cell blends have been investigated using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The acceptor concentrations have been varied over a wide range. Experimental data, kinetic modeling and simulations, all indicate that the efficiency of exciton conversion to charges is 100% even at acceptor concentrations as low as 20 wt%. The reported

We present a high-resolution magnesium/calcium proxy record of Holocene sea surface temperature (SST) from off the west coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, a region where interannual SST variability is dominated today by the influence of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Temperatures were lowest during the early to middle Holocene, consistent with documented eastern equatorial Pacific coo

Loss of biodiversity in European farmland has been attributed to agricultural intensification and the resulting loss of ecological heterogeneity. To alleviate the effect of agricultural intensification, farmers are compensated via agri-environment schemes for carrying out farming in ways to preserve and restore biodiversity. However, the effectiveness of these schemes has been questioned and evalu

Background: In mental health care practice and research it is increasingly recognized that clients' subjective perceptions of everyday occupations, such as satisfaction, are important in recovery from mental illness. Instruments thus need to be developed to assess satisfaction with everyday occupations. The aim of the present study was to assess psychometric properties of the 13-item Satisfaction

Recent experiments on flapping flight in animals have shown that a variety of unrelated species shed a wake behind left and right wings consisting of both tip and root vortices. Here we present an investigation using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) of the behaviour and interaction of trailing vortices shed by paired, fixed wings that simplify and mimic the wake of a flying animal with a non-lifti

We present a detailed theoretical study of the electronic spectrum and Zeeman splitting in hole quantum wires. The spin-3/2 character of the topmost bulk-valence-band states results in a strong variation in subband-edge g factors between different subbands. We elucidate the interplay between quantum confinement and heavy-hole-light-hole mixing and identify a certain robustness displayed by low-lyi

We report our experience with surgery for femoral metastatic lesions, based on 216 patients who underwent a total of 245 operations for femoral metastatic lesions. The median age was 66 (30-94) years, and the most common diagnosis breast cancer, followed by prostate cancer. All patients had pain on weight bearing, 196 had pain at rest, 147 were unable to walk preoperatively, and 148 were confined

We compiled the available information on the occurrence and timing of migratory bat activity across the Baltic Sea and south-eastern North Sea coasts and islands, based on ultrasonic monitoring projects at 19 localities in 2007-2009. The data refer to three species; Nathusius' pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii, soprano pipistrelle P. pygmaeus and common noctule Nyctalus noctula. Pipistrellus nathu

Between AD 900 and AD 1200 Vikings, being able to navigate skillfully across the open sea, were the dominant seafarers of the North Atlantic. When the Sun was shining, geographical north could be determined with a special sundial. However, how the Vikings could have navigated in cloudy or foggy situations, when the Sun's disc was unusable, is still not fully known. A hypothesis was formulated in 1

Using optimality perspectives is now regarded as an essential way of analysing and understanding adaptations and behavioural strategies in bird migration. Optimization analyses in bird migration research have diversified greatly during the two recent decades with respect to methods used as well as to topics addressed. Methods range from simple analytical and geometric models to more complex modeli

When robots are working in dynamic environments, close to humans lacking extensive knowledge of robotics, there is a strong need to simplify the user interaction and make the system execute as autonomously as possible. For industrial robots working side-by-side with humans in manufacturing industry, AI systems are necessary to lower the demand on programming time and expertise. We are convinced th

We present an overview of recent work on the spectroscopy of tungsten ions, related to tokamak edge plasma. The spectra were recorded from the newly-built low energy electron beam ion traps (EBITs) in the Shanghai EBIT laboratory. By analyzing the spectra with the help of accurate theoretical calculations, using state-of-the-art techniques, we were able to identify term and fine structure splittin

Background: The transcription factor SOX11 is of diagnostic and prognostic importance in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), respectively. Thus, there is an unmet clinical and experimental need for SOX11-targeting assays with low background, high specificity and robust performance in multiple applications, including immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) and flow cytometry, which

The thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase ResA from Bacillus subtilis fulfils a reductive role in cytochrome c maturation. The pK(a) values for the CEPC (one-letter code) active-site cysteine residues of Ill are unusual for thioredoxin-like proteins ill that they are both high (> 8) and within 0.5 unit of each other. To determine the contribution of the inter-cysteine dipeptide of ResA to its redox and a

Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) are commonly encountered in nontrauma surgical patients. Depending on the etiology of the patient's surgical illness (ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute pancreatitis, burns, etc.), both the incidence and mortality of IAH/ACS may be quite high. Recent advances in both the diagnosis and resuscitation of these surgical

The determination of acidic pharmaceuticals, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs and clofibric acid (metabolite of clofibrate), at low ngL(-1) levels in wastewater requires highly selective and sensitive analytical procedures. The removal of matrix components during sample preparation results in significant benefits towards reducing the matrix effects during LC-MS analysis. Theref

The in situ chlorination of graphene on Ir(111) has been achieved by depositing FeCl(3) followed by its thermal decomposition on the surface into FeCl(2) and Cl. This process is accompanied by an intercalation of Cl under graphene and formation of an epitaxial FeCl(2) film on top, which can be removed upon further annealing. A pronounced hole doping of graphene has been observed as a consequence o

Background. Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease often results in end-stage renal failure despite therapy with plasma exchange and immunosuppressive drugs. The newly discovered streptococcal enzymes IgG-degrading enzyme of S.pyogenes (IdeS) and endoglycosidase S (EndoS) act with remarkable specificity on circulating IgG. In this study, we investigate their ability in vivo to preven