In this work, we reconstructed in vitro the behavior of two motor proteins-myosin and actin-responsible for the mechanical action of muscle cells. By transferring this in vivo system to an artificial environment, we were able to study the interaction between the proteins in more detail, as well as investigating the central mechanism of force production. Nm-patterning by e-beam lithography (EBL) co

A single biopsy is a poor estimator of the muscle fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) for a whole human muscle because of the large variability in the fibre area within a muscle. To determine how the sampling errors in biopsy techniques can be reduced, data on the CSA of type 1 and type 2 fibres obtained from cross-sections of whole vastus lateralis muscle of young men, have been analysed statistical

Speed and accuracy are crucial prerequisites in the application of proteomic methods to clinical medicine. We describe a microfluidic-based nanovial array for rapid proteolytic processing linked to MALDI-TOF MS. This microscale format consumes only minute amounts of sample, and it is compatible with rapid bioanalytical protocols and high-sensitivity readouts. Arrays of vials (300 mu m in diameter

Three models are used to study the effect of many-body polarization in the solvation of non-dipolar molecules and ions in water. Two of the models are very simplified and are used to show a number of basic principles of correlation of solvent degrees of freedom and asymmetric solvent structures. These principles are used to interpret results from the third model: an accurate simulation of para-ben

In this work, Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) is presented as a non-invasive tool to study drug transport in controlled release systems. ESPI is shown to be a feasible tool to measure drug film permeability via comparison with an ordinary diaphragm cell. A specially designed cuvette was used in the release study: the polymeric film separated the donor and the receiving chambers of

In a comparative investigation, 369 patients operated upon for perforated appendicitis were studied retrospectively. During the period 1973-1979 181 patients with perforated appendicitis, treated at Sundsvall Hospital, were all given postoperative peritoneal lavage, whereas 188 patients with the same diagnosis treated at Skovde Hospital received no such treatment. Appendicectomy was performed in a

The possibility and biological effects of substituting silicon in a-tricalcium phosphate (alpha-TCP) by way of solid-state reaction have been evaluated. a-TCP powders with varying substitution amounts (1 and 5 mol % Ca2SiO4) were synthesized by reacting mixtures of CaCO3, Ca(2)P(2)O7, and SiO2, at a rate of 4 degrees C(min)(-1) to 1100 degrees C, left to dwell for 2 h and then heated to 1325 degre

It is argued that the Achilles heel of contemporary sociology – and great parts of social science – is a) weak theory development, and b) absence of a meta-theory providing a common platform and a shared goal for its practitioners, fostering cumulativity. A meta-theory called causal realism (a variant of critical realism) is suggested for these purposes. The main tenets and key concepts of realism

Existing research on supranational autonomy in the European Union (EU) is predominantly concerned with political and judicial agenda-setting, whereas the supranational institutions' capacity to exert independent influence in post-decisional enforcement has received more limited attention. Employing principal-agent analysis, this article explores an important component of the supranational institut

Aim. This paper reports the findings of a study that aimed to elucidate the meaning of fatigue for women with multiple sclerosis (MS). Background. Living with chronic illness can involve giving up usual activities. MS is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Fatigue is a common experience among people with MS; however, little is known about the meaning of fatigue experienced

Radionuclide therapy is a promising modality for treatment of tumours of haematopoietic origin while the success for treatment of solid tumours so far has been limited. The authors consider radionuclide therapy mainly as a method to eradicate disseminated tumour cells and small metastases while bulky tumours and large metastases have to be treated surgically or by external radiation therapy. The p

In this article we present a spatio-temporal dynamic model that can be realized using image warping. Image warping is a non-linear deformation which maps every point in one image plane to a point in another image plane. Using thin-plate splines, these deformations are defined by how a small set of points is mapped, making the method computationally tractable. In our case the dynamics of the proces

Aspects of parental interaction were assessed in 20 families with diabetic, insulin-dependent children, using hour-long video-taped interviews, the children being in optimal (O, n = 10) or poor (P, n = 10) metabolic control and showing optimal or poor psychological adaptation. In comparison with the O-group parents, the P-group parents were less appreciative of one another, were less congruent in

When dealing with large-scale environmental contamination, as following the Chernobyl accident, changed land use such that the products of the land are radiologically acceptable and sustain an economic return from the land is a potentially sustainable remediation option. In this paper, willow short rotation coppice (SRC) is evaluated on radiological, technical and economic grounds for W. European

BACKGROUND: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is an abnormal phospholipid formed in mammalian cells that have been exposed to ethanol. It has been suggested that PEth mediates some of the damaging effects of ethanol on cells. This study was performed to investigate the level of PEth in organs of rats after in vivo alcohol exposure. METHODS: Three exposure models were studied: (1) acute, intraperitoneal i

Sera from 79 patients with acute self-limiting hepatitis, 17 patients with acute hepatitis B evolving into chronic HBsAg carriership, and 43 chronic HBsAg carriers without a history of acute hepatitis were analyzed for presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA by a molecular hybridization technique. In acute self-limiting hepatitis, HBV-DNA was cleared within a few weeks after the onset of clinical

Antimicrobial peptides are important effectors of the innate immune system. These peptides belong to a multifunctional group of molecules that apart from their antibacterial activities also interact with mammalian cells and glycosaminoglycans and control chemotaxis, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Here we demonstrate a novel antimicrobial activity of the heparin-binding and cell-binding domain 5 of h

Objective. Fibrotic skin changes in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are preceded by the appearance of an inflammatory infiltrate rich in T cells. Since no direct comparison with T cells in normal skin has been performed previously, this study was undertaken to functionally characterize T cells in the skin of patients with early active SSc and in normal skin. Methods. We characterized coreceptor expressio