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A fundamental assumption of theories of the ecology and evolution of inducible defences is that protective responses to attacks by parasites or predators should not only have benefits, but also costs. The vertebrate immune system is by far the best studied example of an inducible defence, yet little is known about the costs of an immune response, especially in natural populations. To test: if an i
Background: Free and total human kallikrein 2 (hK2) might improve the discrimination between prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Concentrations of hK2 are 100-fold lower than concentrations of prostate-specific antigen (PSA); therefore, an hK2 assay must have a low detection limit and good specificity. Methods: PSA- and hK2-specific monoclonal antibodies were used in solid-phase, two
The accurate quantitative analysis of high resolution ultraviolet spectra of ultra-sharp-lined early-type, chemically peculiar stars, obtained with the Goddard High Resolution spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, has been made possible by the synergism between state-of-the-art astro-physics and state-of-the-art atomic spectroscopy. We illustrate this with several examples, including the dis
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex systemic autoimmune disease caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Genome scans in families with SLE point to multiple potential chromosomal regions that harbor SLE susceptibility genes, and association studies in different populations have suggested several susceptibility alleles for SLE. Increased production of type I interferon (IFN) an
The use of antibiotic prophylaxis is an accepted and widely practiced feature of modern surgery. The prevention and control of infection is a priority in healthcare worldwide, and the emergence of antibiotic resistance is a global phenomenon. Hence, rational use of antibiotics is essential. We discuss the guidelines published with regard to endourologic procedures and review the limited evidence c
The structures of films of SP-B and mixtures of SP-B and DPPC at the air/water interface have been studied by neutron reflectometry (NR) and Langmuir film balance methods. From the film balance studies we observe that at very high pressures the isotherms of pure DPPC and SP-B/DPPC mixtures very nearly overlay one another, suggesting that the SP-B is being excluded from the film. The use of multipl
In Hungary an unusually high rate of parasitism on the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus by the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus has been maintained for at least the last one hundred years. We evaluated parasitism rate, antiparasite defence and genetic differentiation among Hungarian great reed warblers at three sites located 40-130 km from each other, where hosts suffered from a high (41-
Here we unravel the structural features of human IgM and IgA that govern their interaction with the human Fc alpha/mu receptor (hFc alpha/mu R). Ligand polymerization status was crucial for the interaction, because hFc alpha/mu R binding did not occur with monomeric Ab of either class. hFc alpha/mu R bound IgM with an affinity in the nanomolar range, whereas the affinity for dimeric IgA (dIgA) was
Purpose: To evaluate long-term patency and clinical efficacy of subintimal angioplasty (SAP) of occluded infrainguinal arteries 3 years post procedure. Methods: One hundred eighty-one patients (92 men; median age 79 years) underwent attempted SAP in 193 limbs with occluded infrainguinal arteries during the period 1999 to 2001. Nearly half (83, 46%) of the patients had diabetes. Most (172, 95%) had
We discuss four variants of the graph colouring problem, and present algorithms for solving them. The problems are k-COLOURABILITY, MAX IND k-COL, MAX VAL k-COL, and, finally, MAX k-COL, which is the unweighted case of the MAX k-CUT problem. The algorithms are based on the idea of partitioning the domain of the problems into disjoint subsets, and then considering all possible instances were the va
Purpose: To determine whether retrograde perfusion of cooled blood into one internal jugular vein (IJV) in the pig can selectively reduce the brain temperature without affecting the core body temperature (CBT). Methods: In 7 domestic pigs, the left IJV was catheterized on one side and a catheter placed with the tip immediately below the rete mirabile. Thermistors were placed in both brain hemisphe
In 1996, two searchable databases covering insect pathogens were posted on the World Wide Web: the Ecological Database of the World's Insect Pathogens (EDWIP) and the Viral Diseases of Insects in the Literature database (VIDIL). In this paper, we describe the format and contents of EDWIP and VIDIL on the World Wide Web. EDWIP contains over 9400 pathogen-host association records, 677 negative test
The potential of mean force between two spherical and like-charged macroions in a salt-free aqueous solution has been determined using an extended primitive model and canonical Monte Carlo simulations. The systems considered covered the range from a purely repulsive to a purely attractive potential of mean force as the electrostatic coupling was increased. The macroions were modeled as spherical d
Three-dimensional compaction simulations of geometries with circular and quadratic cross-sections are reported using dilatant viscoplastic material models representing a ductile steel powder. The simulations are compared with experiments using in situ measurements of the wall-tractions within the die. Two different porous viscoplastic material models have been used: the combined Fleck-Kuhn-MeMeeki
The Ordovician jawed polychaete annelid Rhytiprion magnus has hitherto been recorded in erratic boulders of probable East Baltic provenance and in drill cores from Poland and North Estonia. In this study the stratigraphical range and geographical distribution are extended as R. magnus is recorded from the Silurian of Gotland (Sweden) and Indiana (U.S.A.). Hence, R. magnus is now known from the Mid
The increasing demand for high fluxes of X-rays to perform crystallography and material physics at MAX-lab is met with the MAX wiggler. The MAX-wiggler is a cold bore superconducting wiggler with 47 3.5 T poles and a period length of 61 mm and it has been constructed in-house at MAX-lab. The MAX-wiggler has now been installed and commissioned on the 1.5 GeV MAX-II storage ring at MAX-lab. This pap
