The brightness discrimination ability of a mate harbor seal was investigated at an ambient illumination of 0.9 lx. The visual stimuli consisted of circular gray discs that were presented on a black background on a TFT monitor. Eight standard intensities were tested against sets of lower comparison intensities. In accordance with Weber's law we observed a constant gain of the just noticeable intens

Phosphorus uptake and translocation through intact mycelial systems of Paxillus involutus and Suillus variegatus infecting Pinus contorta seedlings was monitored non-destructively using a beta-scanner. Mycorrhizal plants were grown in flat perspex chambers (20 x 6 cm(2)) and root growth was restricted to the upper portion of each chamber enabling mycelial translocation to be studied over distances

The influence of intra-ventral tegmental area administration of gamma-amino-butyric-acid-B (GABAB) receptor agonist and antagonist on the expression and acquisition of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in morphine-sensitized female rats was examined. Our pilot experiment showed that subcutaneous administration of morphine-(2.5, 5 and 7.5 mg/kg) induced CPP. Administration of one

Forest certification can be conceived as one of many rapidly growing non-state market driven (NSMD) modes of governance. The environmental effectiveness of forest certification is oftentimes evaluated by indicators such as stringency of standards, degree of participation by key stakeholders, certified area, etc. In political science, forest certification as an NSMD governance arrangement is usuall

All living cells require specific mechanisms that target proteins to the cell surface. In eukaryotes, the first part of this process involves recognition in the endoplasmic reticulum of amino-terminal signal sequences and translocation through Sec translocons, whereas subsequent targeting to different surface locations is promoted by internal sorting signals(1). In bacteria, N-terminal signal sequ

Background: Nursing care provided at night has a different purpose and objective to that provided during the day. A review of the literature does not reveal any scientifically tested research instruments for evaluating and comparing the nurse's assessment of nursing care with the patient's perception at night. Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and test an instrument for eva

The molecular basis of the three major alleles (Fy(a)/Fy(b)/Fy) of the Duffy (FY) blood group system has recently been established but the Fy(x) phenotype associated with weak expression of the Fy(b) and other FY antigens is poorly understood. In the Fy(x) genes of five unrelated British and Swedish donors with the Fy(a+b+weak) phenotype we found two missense mutations predicting amino acid change

Development of artificial neural network (ANN) models using real plant data for the prediction of fresh steam properties from a brown coal-fired boiler of a Slovenian power plant is reported. Input parameters for this prediction were selected from a large number of available parameters. Initial selection was made on a basis of expert knowledge and previous experience. However, the final set of inp

Bread products with three different levels (35, 50 and 75%) of the (1 -> 3; 1 -> 4)-beta-glucan rich barley genotype Prowashonupana (PW), 50% common barley (CB) or 100% white wheat, were given as a breakfast meal to 10 men and their postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses were measured. In addition, the viscosity of (1 -> 3; 1 -> 4)-beta-glucans isolated from the pw flours was measured, a

An overview of the new field of Gas in Scattering Media Absorption Spectroscopy (GASMAS) is presented. GASMAS combines narrow-band diode-laser spectroscopy with diffuse media optical propagation. While solids and liquids have broad absorption features, free gas in pores and cavities in the material is characterized by sharp spectral signatures, typically 10,000 times sharper than those of the host

Lumbar arteries are important because they are the main source of blood supply to the lumbar spine structures. However, these vessels and their flow characteristics have received little attention and their role in conditions such as low back pain remains unclear. The present study 1. describes the application of duplex ultrasonography in the assessment of lumbar artery blood flow and 2. evaluates

Ag/alumina catalysts with different silver contents for octane-SCR were prepared by impregnation and incipient wetness methods. Activity tests revealed that the decisive factor for high activity is not only a high dispersion of silver, but also the ability of the system to redisperse clustered silver. Determination of dispersion by TEM/HAADF and O-2-chemisorption experiments resulted in values clo

Purpose: Promoter hypermethylation of, for example, tumor-sup pressor genes, is considered to be an important step in cancerogenesis and a negative risk factor for survival in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); however, its role for response to therapy has not been determined. This study was designed to assess the effect of methylation status on the outcome of conventional induction ch

Poly(styrene-b-vinylphosphonic acid) diblock copolymers have been prepared via sequential anionic polymerization and evaluated as nanostructured polymer electrolytes. The ionic block copolymers were synthesized by first initiating the polymerization of styrene using n-butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran at −78 °C. 1,1-Diphenylethylene was then added to the living polystyryl anions before charging diet

PURPOSE: To assess the visual results, retinal detachment (RD) rate, incidence of glaucoma, and intraocular lens (IOL) placement after vitrectomy for removal of retained lens fragments in the vitreous after phacoemulsification. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Lund, Lund, Sweden. METHODS: This retrospective noncomparative interventional case series included all cases of