DNA is a versatile heteropolymer that shows great potential as a building block for a diverse array of nanostructures. We present here a solution to the problem of designing and synthesizing a DNA-based nanostructure that will serve as the track along which an artificial molecular motor processes. This one-dimensional DNA track exhibits periodically repeating elements that provide specific binding

Infection commonly complicates diabetic foot ulcers and is associated with a poor outcome. In a cohort of individuals with an infected diabetic foot ulcer, we aimed to determine independent predictors of lower-extremity amputation and the predictive value for amputation of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) classification system and to develop a risk score for predicting

BACKGROUND: We report the development of a cutaneous melanoma risk algorithm based upon seven factors; hair color, skin type, family history, freckling, nevus count, number of large nevi, and history of sunburn, intended to form the basis of a self-assessment Web tool for the general public.METHODS: Predicted odds of melanoma were estimated by analyzing a pooled dataset from 16 case-control studie

Objectives: To explore how quality of life (QoL) and quality of care (QoC) for people with dementia (PwD) vary across 8 European countries; to explore how QoL and QoC for PwD vary across living arrangements; and to assess the association between QoL and QoC. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Institutional long term care and home care in 8 European countries (England, Estonia, Finland, Franc

Objectives This study sought to study the second-generation everolimus-eluting stent (EES) as compared with first-generation sirolimus-eluting (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Background There are limited data available comparing clinical outcomes in this setting with EES and SES, whereas studies comparing EES with PES are not powered for low-frequency

Women with a diagnosis of breast cancer are at increased risk of second primary cancers, and the identification of risk factors for the latter may have clinical implications. We have followed-up for 11 years 10,045 women with invasive breast cancer from a European cohort, and identified 492 second primary cancers, including 140 contralateral breast cancers. Expected and observed cases and Standard

European CH4 and N2O emissions are estimated for 2006 and 2007 using four independent inverse modelling systems, based on different global and regional Eulerian and Lagrangian transport models. This ensemble approach is designed to provide more realistic estimates of the overall uncertainties in the derived emissions, which is particularly important for verifying bottom-up emission inventories. We

To date, there are no known methods for preventing acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery. Increasing evidence suggests that erythropoietin has renal antiapoptotic and tissue protective effects. However, recent human studies have shown conflicting results. The authors aimed to study the effect of a single high-dose erythropoietin preoperatively on renal function after coronary artery bypass gra

We have performed a large-scale test of alchemical perturbation calculations with the Bennett acceptance-ratio (BAR) approach to estimate relative affinities for the binding of 107 ligands to 10 different proteins. Employing 20-Å truncated spherical systems and only one intermediate state in the perturbations, we obtain an error of less than 4 kJ/mol for 54% of the studied relative affinities and

Both pathological excess and deficiency of growth hormone (GH) are associated with cardiovascular mortality.

Patient-specific finite element models of the implanted proximal femur can be built from pre-operative computed tomography scans and post-operative X-rays. However, estimating three-dimensional positioning from two-dimensional radiographs introduces uncertainty in the implant position. Further, accurately measuring the thin cement mantle and the degree of cement-bone interdigitation from imaging d

The European common fisheries policy (CFP) advocates measures to sustain small-scale fisheries; hence, in the European Commission's proposal for a reformed CFP, these are exempted from a mandatory system with tradable fishing concessions. This opens up for management actions designed for small-scale fisheries, but also implies new management issues. This article provides insights into the topic ba

Due to the increasing cooling power and space limitation in vehicles, a new compact heat exchanger graphite foam heat exchanger is proposed for vehicle cooling application. The graphite foam has high thermal conductivity (the effective thermal conductivity is 40-150 W/m K) and low density (0.2-0.6 g/cm(3)), but it has high flow resistance which is a problem in heat exchanger applications. In order

Pretreatment is of vital importance in the production of ethanol and methane from agricultural residues. In this study, the effects of steam pretreatment with phosphoric acid on enzymatic hydrolysis (EH), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), anaerobic digestion (AD) and the total energy output at three different temperatures were investigated. The effect of separating the solids f

We discuss single diffractive gauge boson d (gamma*, W+/-, Z) production in proton-proton collisions at different (Large Hadron Collider and Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) energies within the color dipole approach. The calculations are performed for gauge bosons produced at forward rapidities. The diffractive cross section is predicted as a function of the fractional momentum and invariant mass

Effects of landscape heterogeneity and farming practice on species composition are less well known than those on species richness, in spite of the fact that community composition can be at least as important for ecosystem services, such as pollination. Here, we assessed the effect of organic farming and landscape heterogeneity on pollinator communities, focusing on multivariate patterns in species

The influence on the crack growth behaviour of a short edge crack under fatigue due to different configurations of a nearby located low angle grain boundary is investigated under quasi-static and plane strain conditions. The geometry is modelled by distributed dislocation dipole elements in a boundary element method approach, and the plasticity is described by discrete dislocations, located along

Dysregulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is a hallmark of colon cancer. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3 beta) can be a positive regulator of survival and proliferation of cultured colon cancer cell but its role in clinical colon cancer is unknown. Our objectives were to evaluate the role of GSK-3 beta in colon cancer. A tumor tissue microarray of primary colon cancers and metastases was