Objective: Low adipocyte IRS-1 protein expression is a biomarker for insulin resistance and early atherosclerosis. However, whether IRS-1 protein expression is related to systemic arterial stiffness, is unknown. Methods and results: Ten non-diabetic male subjects with low adipocyte IRS-1 protein expression (NIRS) were matched with 10 non-diabetic males with normal IRS-1 protein expression (NIRS).

To attract users from a wide range of scientific areas it is important to provide a variety of ways to access the Lunarc resources. Providing good user interfaces for all categories of users is a key factor for a high use of resources. One way of doing this is by providing access to common applications through a web-based portal. Existing grid portals are often geared toward's providing access to

The notion of proportional fairness has recently gained considerable interest as a potential means for a fair allocation of bandwidth between the end nodes of demands in the networks carrying elastic traffic. The issue of proportionally fair allocation of bandwidth for the nominal state of the network has been studied before, both in the capacitated (link capacities given) and the uncapacitated (l

Bactericidal/permeability-inereasing protein (BPI) neutralizes the proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide and is of potential clinical use in the treatment of fulminant Gram-negative infections. BPI is a cationic protein with antibacterial activity stored in azurophil (primary) granules of neutrophil granulocytes. However, the absence of BPI in patients with specific granule deficiency indi

Distraction osteogenesis is used both for leg lengthening and for bone transportation in the treatment of fractures and nonunions. The main problem with this method is that the time until full recovery may be up to a year, partly because of the time needed for the new formed bone to consolidate and become strong enough for weight bearing. We have studied whether intermittent parathyroid hormone (P

Veres, D., Lallier-Verges, E., Wohlfarth, B., Lacourse, T., KEravis, D., Bjorck, S., Preusser, F., Andrieu-Ponel, V. & Ampel, L.: Climate-driven changes in lake conditions during late MIS 3 and MIS 2: a high-resolution geochemical record from Les Echets, France. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2008.00066.x. ISSN 0300-9483. A new set of geochemical data obtained from a long sediment sequence from t

Homology search finds similar segments between two biological sequences, such as DNA or protein sequences. A significant fraction of computing power in the world is dedicated to performing such tasks. The introduction of optimal spaced seeds by Ma et al. has increased both the sensitivity and the speed of homology search and it has been adopted by many alignment programs such as BLAST. With the fu

The Clp protease is conserved among eubacteria and most eukaryotes, and uses ATP to drive protein substrate unfolding and translocation into a chamber of sequestered proteolytic active sites. The main constitutive Clp protease in photosynthetic organisms has evolved into a functionally essential and structurally intricate enzyme. The model Clp protease from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus consist

Understanding the development of spatial patterns in generalist predators will improve our ability to incorporate them into biological control programs. We studied the small-scale spatial patterns of spider webs in alfalfa by analyzing the relationship between web locations over distances ranging from 4 to 66 cm. Using a coordinate-based spatial statistic (O-ring) and assuming a heterogeneous dist

Two-pion correlations in roots(NN) = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC have been measured over a broad range of pair transverse momentum k(T) by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The k(T) dependent transverse radii are similar to results from heavy-ion collisions at roots(NN) = 4.1 , 4.9, and 17.3 GeV, whereas the longitudinal radius increases monotonically with beam energy. The ratio of the outwards

Petite-positivity - the ability to tolerate the loss of mtDNA - was examined after the treatment with ethidium bromide (EB) in over hundred isolates from the Saccharomyces/Kluyveromyces complex. The identity of petite mutants was confirmed by the loss of specific mtDNA DAPI staining patterns. Besides unequivocal petite-positive and petite-negative phenotypes, a few species exhibited temperature se

Biotite, muscovite and vermiculite were treated in HCl and H2SO4 solutions at pH ranging between 7 and 1. The solid residue was studied using Mossbauer spectroscopy at room temperature. The spectra of the untreated samples, D0Bio, D0Mus and DOVer were fitted assuming quadrupole splitting distribution, QSD. Different fitting models with different combinations of Gaussian components for the Fe sites

In this work, three-phase liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) based on a supported liquid membrane (SLM) sustained in the wall of a hollow fiber was investigated with special focus on optimization of the experimental procedures in terms of recovery and repeatability. Recovery data for doxepin, amitriptyline, clomipramine, and mianserin were in the range of 67.8-79.8%. Within-day repeatability data

The Arabidopsis MYB68 gene encodes a MYB family protein with N-terminal R2R3 DNA-binding domains. Analyses of MYB68 expression by RNA blot and a transposant gene-trap MYB68::GUS reporter indicated that MYB68 is expressed specifically in root pericycle cells. Root cultures of the myb68 mutant, caused by the gene trap insertion in the first MYB68 exon, produced increased biomass and lignin levels co

Background and purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using a novel protocol for the boronophenylalanine-fructose (BPA-F) infusion. Patient and methods: This phase II study included 30 patients, 26-69 years old, with a good performance status of which 27 have undergone debulking surgery. BPA-F (900 mg BPA/kg body weigh

Isolated segments (1-2 mm) of small subcutaneous arteries (diameter 0.1-0.9 mm) and veins (0.1-1.0 mm) from patients with hypertension (essential n = 13, renovascular n = 6) and controls (n = 17) were examined. The relaxant responses to the sensory transmitters calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P, and the contractile responses to potassium and noradrenaline were studied. Enhance

Elevated levels of CO2 and O-3 affect plant growth and phytochemistry, which in turn can alter physiological performance of associated herbivores. Little is known, however, about how generalist insect herbivores respond behaviorally to CO2- and O-3-mediated changes in their host plants. This research examined the effects of elevated CO2 and O-3 levels on host plant preferences and consumption of f

A field experiment was designed with the objective to reveal the interactions between soil moisture, temperature, total, dissolved, and phosphate buffer extractable C and N, and microbial activity in the control of in situ gross N mineralization and immobilization rates in a deciduous forest. We had three alternative hypotheses to explain variations of the gross N transformations: 1) microorganism

Total oxidation of propane with oxygen in the absence and the respective presence of SO2 in the feed gas was studied over 1 wt% Pt on gamma -Al2O3 using transient experiments with TAP (temporal analysis of products) and in situ DRIFT spectroscopy. The TAP experiments confirm the promoting role of SO2 on the conversion of propane and, moreover, show an inhibiting effect from SO2 on the conversion o