Defensins represent an evolutionarily conserved group of small peptides with potent antibacterial activities. We report here that extracellular proteinases secreted by the human pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus pyogenes release dermatan sulphate by degrading dermatan sulphate-containing proteoglycans, such as decorin. Dermatan sulphate was found to bind to

In a sample of 1358 women and 858 men, >= 60 yr of age who have been followed-up for up to 15 yr, it was estimated that the mortality-adjusted residual lifetime risk of fracture was 44 % for women and 25 % for men. Among those with BMD T-scores = 60 yr of age as of 1989 of white background from the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study were analyzed. The participants have been followed for up to 1

The Euro50 is an extremely large telescope for optical and infrared wavelength with a 50 m primary mirror. It has a segmented, aspherical primary mirror and an aspherical, deformable secondary in a Gregorian layout. A tentative conceptual design exists and has been documented in a study report. Recent activities have concentrated on the science case for extremely large telescopes in the 50 m class

The mammalian heart contains two cardiac myosin isoforms: beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) is found predominantly in the ventricles of large mammals, and alpha-MHC is expressed in the atria. The sequence identity between these isoforms is approximately 93%, with nonidentical residues clustered in discrete, functionally important domains associated with actin binding and ATPase activity. It is well-es

Ellipsometry was used to determine the adsorbed layer thickness (d) and the surface excess (adsorbed amount, Gamma) of a nonionic diblock copolymer, E106B16, of poly(ethylene oxide) (E) and poly(butylene oxide) (13) at the air-water interface. The results were obtained (i) by the conventional ellipsometric evaluation procedure using the change of both ellipsometric angles, T and A and (ii) by usin

Summary: Topical butyrate has been shown to be effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Butyrate is derived from colonic fermentation of dietary fiber, and our aim was to study whether UC patients could safely increase the fecal butyrate level by dietary means. We enrolled 22 patients with quiescent UC (mean age, 44 years; 45% women; median time from last relapse, 1 year) in a contro

The steady-state model PROFILE was used to perform Monte Carlo simulations of critical loads of acidity and exceedances of forest soils for 128 sites in the province of Scania, southern Sweden. Statistical tests showed that 100 sites had normal distributed critical loads and exceedances and that the variance of these parameters was statistically equal for all sites. Pooled estimates df the standar

Thermally driven rotational and translational diffusion of proteins and other biomolecules is governed by frictional coupling to their solvent environment. Prediction of this coupling from biomolecular structures is a longstanding biophysical problem, which cannot be solved without knowledge of water dynamics in an interfacial region comparable to the dry protein in volume. Efficient algorithms ha

Along the Sutlej valley, the lower package of the Higher Himalayan Crystallines (HHC) exposes a small concordant to discordant intrusive grey granite-The Maglad Khad Granite, within garnet mica schist/banded gneiss of the Jeori Formation. This body is fine grained and foliated along the margins, whereas the central part is relatively undeformed. This body along with aplites and pegmatites intrudes

A review essay discussing the debate between Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser on recognition and redistribution, the topic of recognition in relation to the sociology of work, and recognition-research in the Nordic countries.

We have studied the dielectric properties of cement mortars, with water/cement ratios between 0.5 and 0.78, in the frequency range 10−3≤f≤107 Hz. The dielectric response can be modeled by an equivalent circuit incorporating electrode polarization and bulk conduction. The bulk dc conductance and the amplitude of a constant phase element describing the dispersive part of the bulk response display ch

This study gives an outlook on the carbon balance of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by presenting a summary of currently available results from the project CarboAfrica (namely net ecosystem productivity and emissions from fires, deforestation and forest degradation, by field and model estimates) supplemented by bibliographic data and compared with a new synthesis of the data from national communications

The distribution of low-arctic megafaunal remains in time and space from the area previously covered by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet(SIS) suggests the presence of breeding mammoth populations in the circum-Baltic region during the time interval from 44 to 26 ka ago. The transport history of 30 mammoth teeth and bones from southern and north-central Sweden was estimated and the remains were subjected

A dinuclear manganese complex ([Mn2L(m-OAc)2]PF6) has been synthesized, where L is the trianion of 2,6-bis{[(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]methyl}-4-methylphenol, a ligand with three phenolate groups. The two pseudo-octahedrally coordinated Mn ions are bridged via the two bidentate acetate ligands and the 4-methylphenolate group of the ligand. We have characterized the c