Disorders of the central nervous system are a major concern in modern human societies. Studies of these disorders require the use of suitable model systems that accurately reproduce the human situation. In this article we focus on the possibilities of using the human NT-2 teratocarcinoma cell line for studies on neuronal differentiation, cellular function and neurodegeneration. Neurons generated f

Studies of apparently homogeneous cell populations and single cells often give highly divergent results. Cells exhibit varying responsiveness to stimuli and gene expression and they are in many aspects stochastic and unpredictable. We have developed a method to measure gene expression quantitatively in individual cells with real-time RT-PCR. mRNA for hormones, ion channels and enzymes in pancreat

Popular Abstract in Swedish Denna avhandling handlar om modeller för plana solfångare, transparent isolering och verkningsgradsfaktorer. En ekvation för energiutbytet från en glasad plan solfångare härleds genom att modellera verkningsgradsfaktorn, F´, som en summa av en konstant och en temperaturberoende del. Ett alternativt sätt att testa en plan solfångare, baserat på denna modell, föreslås. EThis thesis deals with models of flat plate collectors, transparent insulation and efficiency factors. An equation for the energy output from a glazed flat plate collector is derived by modelling the collector efficiency factor, F´ as the sum of a constant and a temperature dependent part. An alternative way of testing a flat plate collector, based on this model, is suggested. A complete set of a

Popular Abstract in Swedish Koncentrationen av växthusgaser i atmosfären har ökat kontinuerligt under de senaste 200 åren, och ökningen tillskrivs huvudsakligen antropogena utsläpp. FN´s senaste klimatrapport slår vidare fast att den ökade halten av växthusgaser i atmosfären leder till klimatförändringar. Både förhöjda halter av växthusgaser i atmosfären och ett ändrat klimat påverkar dock omsättnAbstractThe cycling of carbon in its gaseous, solid and dissolved forms is of central importance to ecosystem science, particularly, when the natural carbon cycle has been perturbed by human activity. Mathematical models are commonly used to asses and predict global and regional patterns of terrestrial carbon exchange. At the same time, processes operating on smaller (sub-grid) scales are usually

Background Atherosclerosis begins early in life. Infections might contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated whether acute infections in children could alter the carotid wall morphology and the tipid profile. Methods Mean carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured by high-resolution ultrasound in 28 hospitatised children (mean age: 5 2 years), who fulf

A series of ab initio calculations employing a modified Langevin dipoles method to model neutral, cationic, and anionic cis-urocanic acid in human skin is presented. A comparison between the stability of the conformers in gas phase and in a condensed phase is performed. In particular, the energy barrier and transition state of the isomerization reaction of the anionic forms of cis-urocanic acid ha

Galectin-8 has two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs), both of which bind beta-galactosides, but have different. ne specificity for larger saccharides. Previously we found that both CRDs were needed for efficient cell surface binding and signaling by soluble galectin-8, but unexpectedly binding of the N-CRD to its best ligands, alpha 2-3-sialylated galactosides, was not needed. In search for

We generalize the supersymmetry method in random matrix theory to ensembles which are unitarily invariant, but otherwise arbitrary. Our exact approach extends a previous contribution in which we constructed a supersymmetric representation for the class of norm-dependent random matrix ensembles. Here, we derive a supersymmetric formulation under very general circumstances. A reduced probability den

Methacrylate-functionalized poly(ethylene oxide-co-ethylene carbonate) macromonomers were prepared in two steps by the anionic ring-opening polymerization of ethylene carbonate at 180 °C, with potassium methoxide as the initiator, followed by the reaction of the terminal hydroxyl groups of the polymers with methacryloyl chloride. The molecular weight of the polymer went through a maximum after app

The dynamics of the C-terminus of the dUTPases from Escherichia coli and equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) were studied by 1H-15N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The two enzymes differ with regard to flexibility in the backbone of the 15 most C-terminal amino acid residues, some of which are conserved and essential for enzymic activity. In the bacterial enzyme, the residues closest t

Background and Objectives. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive disease. Patients with this malignancy have a median survival of 3 years. To better understand disease progression, which is characterized by increased proliferation, we analyzed the gene expression of MCL with different proliferative indices, as determined by immunohistochemical staining for Ki-67. Furthermore, primary and rel