First identified in activated T cells, the calcium (Ca2+)-dependent transcription factor, nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), has since been shown to play a role in nonimmune cells, including cells of the cardiovascular system. In arterial smooth muscle, the diverse array of calcium-signaling modalities, the functional interplay between smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and the influenc

Zone folded coherent acoustic phonons were generated in a multilayered GaSb/InAs epitaxial heterostructure via rapid heating by femtosecond laser pulses. These phonons were probed by means of ultrafast x-ray diffraction. Phonons both from the fundamental acoustic branch and the first back-folded branch were detected. This represents the first clear evidence for phonon branch folding based directly

Background Subjects in treatment for affective disorders are usually less satisfied with life compared to subjects with schizophrenia. Aims The aims of this study were to compare subjective quality of life (QoL) at adult age of adolescent onset psychotic disorders and analyse associated factors. Method Fifty-three patients with adolescent onset psychotic disorders were followed up at age 25, diagn

This study describes the prevalence of hepatitisG virus (HGV) in Iceland, in blood donors and in persons with parenteral risk factors. Among 370 randomly selected Icelandic blood donors, the prevalence of HGV viraemia was 3.8%, whereas the prevalence of HGV antibodies in the same donor group was found to be 13.2%, thus indicating that at least 17% of blood donors in Iceland had previously been exp

The aim of this study was to establish if repeated quantitative 201Tl SPET scanning during follow-up of astrocytoma therapy can provide information that is relevant for clinical management. Sixteen consecutive patients, with histopathologically verified highly malignant astrocytoma, were followed during PCV chemotherapy. Imaging with 201Tl SPET and CT was performed repeatedly over 8-16 weeks until

The degradation kinetics of normal and branched chain butyrate and valerate are important in protein-fed anaerobic systems, as a number of amino acids degrade to these organic acids. Including activated and primary wastewater sludge digesters, the majority of full-scale systems digest feeds with a significant or major fraction of COD as protein. This study assesses the validity of using a common k

For quantum few-body systems, a method of spectral representation generated by specially extracted sub-Hamiltonians is developed. In this approach, the connections between the geometry of a base manifold, the spectral structure of sub-Hamiltonians, and the geometric characteristics of induced Hilbert bundles are investigated. The appropriate relations between connections on these Hilbert bundles a

Projective invariants provide a framework for computer vision where the image of an object is described by its intrinsic properties, independently of the particular view. It is advantageous if these intrinsic properties are defined in terms of computationally simple features. An area-measurement provides a good candidate that is easy to reliably compute from a particular image of the object. The m

In this paper, we seek to explain venture capitalists' reactions to disappointments caused by entrepreneurs. Our basic assumption is that venture capitalists' social environment, defined as exposure to venture capital and business communities, will influence their responses to problematic situations. The results of our study suggest that venture capitalists with strong ties to their colleagues and

Retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) are self-renewing cells capable of differentiating into the different retinal cell types including photoreceptors, and they have shown promise as a source of replacement cells in experimental models of retinal degeneration. We hypothesized that a biodegradable polymer scaffold could deliver these cells to the subretinal space in a more organized manner than bolus in

Many recent studies of intraspecific geographic variation in maternally inherited chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in European trees have revealed haplotype distributions that can be interpreted in terms of scenarios of postglacial migration and range expansion. However, there is still a lack of comparable information from widespread herb species. In the present study, we investigated the geographic distri

Plasma proteins occur in the airway lumen in inflammatory airway diseases. This study tests the hypothesis that airway microvascular-epithelial exudation of plasma proteins, as induced by a non-injurious inflammatory mediator, is characterized by loss of size-selectivity. Using a nasal pool-device, the nasal mucosa of 10 allergic individuals, without current disease, was sequentially exposed to sa

Nine neutral and five acidic oligosaccharides were isolated from feces of a preterm (30th postmenstrual week) blood group A nonsecretor infant fed on pooled breast milk. Structural analyses were carried out using sugar and methylation analyses, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and 1H NMR. The acidic oligosaccharides are well-known components of human milk. The neutral oligosaccharides are

The levels of different reactive species, especially those of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite, were determined in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat tissues, before the development of histopathological damages. Significantly higher steady state free radical concentrations were found in the liver 3 weeks after the onset of diabetes compared to age-matched control groups. Increased nitric oxide leve

Acidic ribosomal P proteins form a distinct lateral protuberance on the 60S ribosomal subunit. In yeast, this structure is composed of two heterocomplexes (P1A-P2B and P1B-P2A) attached to the ribosome with the aid of the P0 protein. In solution, the isolated P proteins P1A and P2B have a flexible structure with some characteristics of a molten globule [Zurdo, J., et al. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 89

The lignocellulosic materials spruce (softwood), Salix (hardwood) and corn stover (agricultural residue) are all potential feedstock for ethanol production. In this study the utilization of these materials for bioethanol production was compared in terms of production cost and energy demand using a process concept based on SO2-catalysed steam pretreatment followed by simultaneous saccharification a