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Crack closure measurements during fatigue crack propagation using the electrical potential drop (PD) technique is evaluated using a combination of experiments and simulations. From finite element simulations it is shown that variations in the potential drop value over a fatigue cycle can be explained by crack closure and strain induced conductivity changes. It is also demonstrated that closure mea

The distribution of fine roots and external ectomycorrhizal mycelium of three species of trees was determined down to a soil depth of 55 cm to estimate the relative nutrient uptake capacity of the trees from different soil layers. In addition, a root bioassay was performed to estimate the nutrient uptake capacity of Rb+ and NH4+ by these fine roots under standardized conditions in the laboratory.

In a search for compounds inhibiting the inducible TNF-alpha promoter activity in T cells, a new spirocompound, designated oxaspirodion, was isolated from fermentations of the ascomycete Chaetomium subspirale. Oxaspirodion inhibited TNF-alpha promoterdriven luciferase reporter gene expression with an IC50 value of 2.5 mug/ml (10 muM) in TPA/ionomycinstimulated Jurkat T cells. Studies on the mode o

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate how flush-perfusion of the heart with cold cardioplegic solution, 2 or 12 hours of cold ischemic storage, and 24 hours of reperfusion affect coronary endothelial function and coronary vascular resistance. METHODS: Porcine coronary arterial endothelial and smooth muscle function was studied in organ baths. An adult porcine working heart model was

Aims/hypothesis: The objective of the study was to analyse the mortality, survival and cause of death patterns in incident cases of diabetes in the 15-34-year age group that were reported to the nationwide prospective Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden (DISS). Methods: During the study period 1983-1999, 6,771 incident cases were reported. Identification of deaths was made by linking the records to

Telomerase activity has been suggested to be critically involved in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. However, it has been unclear whether human HSCs have telomerase activity and how telomerase activity is regulated within the HSC and progenitor pool. Here, we isolated living cord-blood (CB) CD34+ cells with up-regulated human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression by using

Objective Uveal melanoma is a rare disease with poor prognosis and largely unknown etiology. We studied potential occupational risk factors. Methods A population based case-control study was undertaken during 1995-1997 in nine European countries using population and colon cancer controls with personal interviews. Occupational exposure to sunlight and artificial UV radiation was assessed with a job

The effect of CD40 ligation on infection by HIV-1 primary isolates with different R5 phenotypes was evaluated with a novel set of anti-CD40 monoclonal antibodies originating from a human phage display library. Five human monoclonal anti-CD40 antibodies of IgG1 subtype characterized by the ability to activate B cells via CD40 were tested for induction of the CC-chemokines RANTES and MIP-1alpha and

A coalescent-based method was used to investigate the origins of the allotetraploid Arabidopsis suecica, using 52 nuclear microsatellite loci typed in eight individuals of A. suecica and 14 individuals of its maternal parent Arabidopsis thaliana, and four short fragments of genomic DNA sequenced in a sample of four individuals of A. suecica and in both its parental species A. thaliana and Arabidop

We construct a nodal method for a two-dimensional absorption-diffusion problem. The method gives rise to a seven point stencil for which the truncation error analysis shows an accuracy of at least O(Δ2), where Δ is a uniform mesh parameter. We devise a numerical method which constructs a matrix whose entries are amplified according to contributions from each of the nodes in a rectangular domain. N

The Kyoto target for Romania was to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 8 % from the 1989 levels. The 1989 emissions were around 260 million tones. In 2000 the net CO2 emission - some 125 million tones - were 54% of the net CO2 emission in the reference year -1989, leaving some 115 million tones as a reserve or as a tradable resource to other countries that can not met their Kyoto targets. Assu

In a simulation model we investigated how much of the initial genetic variation that is retained in a population after a dominant mutation has brought apomixis to fixation in it. A marker allele associated with the apomixis mutation is generally retained after the fixation of apomixis, particularly if the two alleles are closely linked. The spread of asexuality, however, normally leads to almost n

We review and analyze the possible advantages and disadvantages of plant-stress-related metabolic and structural changes on applications in the fruit and vegetable processing industry. Knowledge of the cellular and tissue transformations that result from environmental conditions or industrial manipulation is a powerful means for food engineers to gain a better understanding of biological systems i