Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is an abundant platelet alpha-granule chemokine released following platelet activation. PF4 interacts with thrombomodulin and the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain of protein C, thereby enhancing activated protein C (APC) generation by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. However, the protein C Gla domain not only mediates protein C activation in vivo, but also plays

Granule neurons from the rat dentate gyrus were acutely isolated and whole-cell currents recorded. Maximal enhancement of 7 muM gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA; EC30) evoked currents was obtained with 100 muM pentobarbital where the peak-current was 2.1 +/- 0.2 of control. One hundred muM pentobarbital alone evoked no current response whereas I mM pentobarbital elicited a current response that was 0

Surface complexation of orthophosphate ions at the water-suspended-and-aged gamma-Al2O3/water interface has been studied by means of a series of batch experiments in 0.1 M Na(Cl) medium at 25.0 degrees C in the range 4.8 < -log [H+] < 9.6. The ratio between phosphate concentration and concentration of surface active groups (=AlOH) was varied between 0.15 and 1.50. The suspensions were equilibrated

What is normally described as bias? A possible definition comprises attempts to distort or mislead to achieve a certain perspective, i.e. subjective descriptions intended to mislead. If designers were able to exclude bias from informing systems, then this would maximize their effectiveness. This implicit conjecture appears to underpin much of the research in our field. However, in our efforts to s

We compared three different molecular methods currently used for screening of Mhc variation in population studies of Atlantic salmon. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the entire class II gene detected 22 haplotypes. Seventeen exon 2 sequences were obtained from individuals carrying the 22 haplotypes, two of which had not been detected by RFLP. The six alleles (27%) detected by RF

In this article, we present the results from photoconductivity measurements in the infrared spectral region (3-10 mum) on ensembles of self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded in a matrix of InP. In the spectral distribution of the photocurrent, peaks are observed which we interpret in terms of transitions from the dots' ground- and first-excited states to the conduction band of the dots/matrix.

Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) by an open mixed culture enriched in glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) under alternating anaerobic-aerobic conditions with acetate as carbon source was investigated. The culture exhibited a stable enrichment performance over the 450 day operating period with regards to phenotypic behavior and microbial community structure. Candidatus Competibacter pho

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of borrelia serology (Quick ELISA C6 Borrelia assay kit) as a diagnostic tool in cases of suspected neuroborreliosis. A retrospective patient material consisting of 124 paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples with a positive anti-borrelia antibody index (AI) using the IDEIA Lyme Neuroborreliosis test was compared with 124 Al-negative matche

Objective: to ascertain the significant factors that influence women to stop/not stop smoking during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Design: Twenty-four women were interviewed two-three years after delivery with regard to their smoking habits during and after pregnancy. The material was analysed based on a phenomenological approach in order to provide an accurate description of lived experienc

[1] We present vertically integrated measurements of C(2)H(2), C(2)H(4), C(2)H(6), HCOOH, CO, H(2)CO, HCN and NH(3) through smoke plumes from Australian forest fires measured by ground-based solar absorption spectroscopy. The column amounts of these gases are highly correlated with simultaneous, colocated measurements of aerosol optical depth, providing a potential method of mapping biomass-burnin

Endothelins (ETs) are a family of novel regulatory peptides and various lines of evidence suggest an important role for ETs in regulating pulmonary function. Two receptors for endothelin, ETA and ETB, have been found in the human lung, and according to recent studies a non-ETA receptor seems to mediate the contraction of large sized human bronchi. Several studies have emphasized the importance of

The power expenditure of flapping flight in birds is characterised by a U-shaped function of speed through the air. From this relationship and the assumption of limited power available from flight muscles, it is possible to predict changes in the birds' airspeed in relation to external factors such as wind. These predictions are derived from flight mechanical theory and optimality criteria concern

Dyskinesias are a major complication of long-term l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) treatment in Parkinson's disease, and are believed to result from the intermittent and pulsatile supply of L-DOPA. Daily injections of L-DOPA can prime similar abnormal involuntary movements of the limb, orolingual and axial muscles in rats rendered parkinsonian by destruction of the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA)

Biological characteristics of virus quantitatively rescued from different cell types present in lymph nodes of HIV-1-infected individuals in various stages of their disease were determined, not including patients with AIDS defining illness. Viruses were obtained by cocultivation with donor monocyte-derived macrophages and T-lymphocytes and their biological phenotype compared to viruses obtained fr

Pt/Al2O3 catalysts with platinum contents of 0.1, 1.0 and 3.0 wt% were used for the low temperature combustion of methanol in the absence and the respective presence of a trace amount of ammonia. It is observed that ammonia inhibits the combustion of methanol, which is due to competition between methanol and ammonia for the same sites. For a fixed space velocity and without ammonia in the gas, the

Protein inhibitors of proteolytic enzymes regulate proteolysis and prevent the pathological effects of excess endogenous or exogenous proteases. Cysteine proteases are a large family of enzymes found throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Disturbance of the equilibrium between cysteine proteases and natural inhibitors is a key event in the pathogenesis of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporo

HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) is a tumoricidal complex consisting of partially unfolded protein and fatty acid, and was first identified in casein fractions of human breast milk. The complex can be produced from its pure components through a modified chromatographic procedure where pre-applied oleic acid binds with partially-unfolded alpha-lactalbumin on the stationar

Group G streptococcus (GGS) is a human pathogen of emerging clinical significance. It causes skin and soft tissue infections, occasionally resulting in life-threatening conditions such as sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis. We recently identified FOG, a novel surface protein of GGS with fibrinogen binding and immune evasion properties. Here we investigated the role of FOG in streptococcal primary ad

Pheromone-based monitoring is a promising new method for assessing the conservation status of many threatened insect species. We examined the versatility and usefulness of pheromone-based monitoring by integrating a pheromone–kairomone trapping system and pitfall trapping system in the monitoring of two saproxylic beetles, the hermit beetle Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and its pred

We have characterized 2 distinct mechanisms through which infectious agents may promote platelet adhesion and thrombus formation in flowing blood, thus contributing to the progression of disease. In one case, the process initiates when the integrin alpha(IIb)beta(3) mediates platelet arrest onto immobilized bacterial constituents that have bound plasma fibrinogen. If blood contains antibodies agai