Mineralogical and geochemical studies of the non-marine Permian–Triassic (P–Tr) boundary across two stratigraphically wellconstrained sections (Commando Drift Dam and Wapadsberg, Eastern Cape Province) in the southern Karoo Basin, South Africa, have been undertaken to provide further input on the cause of this mass extinction event, and so has a sedimentological and geochemical evaluation of a thi

In a recent study we showed that all our dental personnel/patients were detected with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) and 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane (bis-GMA). We studied 90 patients tested to the acrylate and nail acrylics series at our department over a 10 year period to see whether screening allergens could be found. Patch testing with an acrylate and nail ac

A number of studies have documented interpopulation divergence in amphibian larval life-history traits across latitudes. Because many frogs are philopatric and have a patchy habitat distribution, genetic divergence could also exist on a much smaller geographical scale, revealed by recent estimates of population divergence using molecular markers. Whether this divergence is reflected in phenotypic

Background. The cause of increased schizophrenia rates among immigrants in Europe is unknown. This study explores psychotic features in persons aspiring and actively planning to emigrate, prior to their potential emigration. Method. Potential future emigrants and controls in Kampala (Uganda) were screened for delusional ideation and manic symptoms, using the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI

Single fibers, 25-40 mu m wide and 0.5-0.7 mm long, were isolated from the flexor digitorum brevis muscle of the mouse. Force and movement were recorded (21-27 degrees C) from the fiber as a whole and, in certain experiments, from a short marked segment that was held at constant length by feedback control. The maximum tetanic force, 368 +/- 57 kN/m(2) (N = 10), was not significantly different from

Scattering by planar geometries with plane metal inclusions are analysed. The metal inclusions can be of arbitrary shape,and the material of the supporting slabs can be any linear (bianisotropic) material. We employ the method of propagators to find the solution of the scattering problem. The method has certain similarities with a vector generalisation of the transmission line theory. A general rel

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the QT dispersion measured from 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) can estimate the global dispersion of ventricular repolarization (DVR) measured using a monophasic action potential (MAP) mapping technique. Monophasic action potentials were recorded from 75 +/- 12 left ventricular sites in 10 pigs and from 48 +/- 16 left or right ventricular sites in 15

The purpose of this case-control study was to investigate tobacco smoking as a risk factor for myelodysplastic syndromes, emphasizing karyotypic aberrations as markers for exposure and risk differentiation with respect to morphology. We obtained smoking history by interview of 330 cytogenetically investigated adult myelodysplastic syndrome cases and 337 controls, matched with respect to sex, year

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) stimulated the turnover of phosphoinositide in primary cultures of astroglia from the cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus and brain stem. Ketanserin and ritanserin, selective antagonists for the central 5-HT2 receptor, inhibited the 5-HT-stimulated formation of inositol monophosphate. In contrast, there was no statistically significant accumulation of cyclic AMP after

The stars that populate the solar neighbourhood were formed in stellar clusters. Through N-body simulations of these clusters, we measure the rate of close encounters between stars. By monitoring the interaction histories of each star, we investigate the singleton fraction in the solar neighbourhood. A singleton is a star which formed as a single star, has never experienced any close encounters wi

The aim of our study was to determine the neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor subtype responsible for the NPY-induced contraction of human subcutaneous (s.c.) resistance arteries. To elucidate this, we used (a) in vitro studies of NPY agonists: NPY, peptide YY (PYY), and Pro34NPY induced equally strong and equipotent concentration-dependent contractions of human s.c. resistance arteries, whereas NPY13-3

The binding of factor IX to cultured bovine endothelial cells was characterized using isolated domains of bovine factor IX. An NH2-terminal fragment that consists of the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) region linked to the two epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains bound to the endothelial cells with the same affinity as intact factor IX, indicating that the serine protease part of factor IX

A composite material produced from a poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel with entrapped particles of the strong anion-exchange resin Amberlite is presented. The properties of the composite material depended strongly on whether the resin was used in OH- form or Cl- form. The ion-exchange filler in OH- form caused both a significant reinforcement of the composite material and an increase in the gel fusion t

Aims/hypothesis Outcome data on individuals with diabetic foot ulcers are scarce, especially in those with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We therefore examined the clinical characteristics that best predict poor outcome in a large population of diabetic foot ulcer patients and examined whether such predictors differ between patients with and without PAD. Methods Analyses were conducted within

Background: Acupuncture is used for clinical pain relief but has not been evaluated under clinical anaesthesia. This study was designed to compare movement in response to surgical incision in anaesthetized patients subjected to electro-acupuncture (EA) or sham procedures. Our hypothesis was that EA stimulation would reduce the requirements for anaesthetic gas. Methods: Forty-six healthy women, sc

The Wilms tumor gene, WT1, encodes a zinc-finger DNA binding protein which is thought to function as a tissue specific transcription factor, regulating cell growth and differentiation. High expression of WT1 has been detected in a range of acute leukemias. To elucidate a role for WT1 in leukemogenesis, we transfected the monoblastic cell line U937, which lacks detectable levels of endogenous WT1,

New techniques allow for more efficient boundary integral algorithms to compute the Dirichlet–Neumann map for Laplace’s equation in two-dimensional exterior domains. Novelties include a new post-processor which reduces the need for discretization points with 50%, a new integral equation which reduces the error for resolved geometries with a factor equal to the system size, systematic use of regula