The recent prospective isolation of a wide variety of somatically derived stem cells has affirmed the notion that homeostatic maintenance of most tissues and organs is mediated by tissue-specific stem and progenitor cells and fueled enthusiasm for the use of such cells in strategies aimed at repairing or replacing damaged, diseased, or genetically deficient tissues and organs. Hematopoietic stem c

Aims/hypothesis Among diabetic patients, glucose homeostasis may be affected by abnormal gastrointestinal motility and autonomic neuropathy. This study analysed whether oesophageal dysmotility, delayed gastric emptying or autonomic neuropathy affect glucose homeostasis. Materials and methods Oesophageal manometry and gastric emptying scintigraphy were performed in 20 diabetic patients. Heart-rate

Optical spectroscopy provides powerful means for studying geophysical gas emissions. An extensive research program in this field has been performed by Swedish researchers in collaboration with European partners during the last 10 years, and a review of the activities and results is given. The techniques suitable for geophysical gas monitoring include the differential absorption lidar (DIAL), diffe

The fundamental limits of the power efficiency of an antenna are explored. The antenna is confined in a sphere and all of the currents are assumed to run in a material with a conductivity that is a function of the radial coordinate. The analysis is based on the expansion of the electromagnetic fields in terms of vector spherical harmonics. Explicit expressions for the limits of efficiency are deri

To elucidate the organization of the ferret spinocervicothalamic pathway (SCTP), we examined the lateral cervical nucleus (LCN) and the termination of the cervicothalamic tract (CTY) in this species. In thionin-stained sections, the ferret LCN appeared as an easily delineated column of cells in the dorsolateral funiculus from about mid-C3 to the rostral end of C1, with most cells located in the C1

Universities are increasingly seen as potential contributors to regional innovative capacity by serving as local knowledge conduits, bringing global state-of-the-art science and technology into the region. In practice, however, more active university engagement with their regional innovation systems is not as straightforward as it may seem. The article uses examples from a successful case by which

The objective of this work was to use monomers from cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) nut shells to develop molecularly imprinted polymers. Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is a cheap and renewable agro byproduct consisting of versatile monomers. Solvent-extracted CNSL contains over 80% anacardic acid (AnAc) with more than 90% degree of unsaturation in its C-15 side chain. From AnAc monomer, anacar

The dentate gyrus (DG) is one of the few regions in the brain that continues to produce new neurons throughout adulthood. Seizures not only increase neurogenesis, but also lead to death of DG neurons. We investigated the relationship between cell death and neurogenesis following seizures in the DG of adult rats by blocking caspases, which are key components of apoptotic cell death. Multiple intrac

The extracellular matrix of the intervertebral disc structures contains many molecules also found in cartilage. The extremely polyanionic proteoglycans play a central role, particularly in the nucleus, by creating an osmotic environment leading to retention of water and ensuing resistance to deformation—important for the resilience of the tissue. Another major structural entity particularly impor

We have recently described frequency-dependent effects of mobile phone microwaves (MWs) of global system for mobile communication (GSM) on human lymphocytes from persons reporting hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields and healthy persons. Contrary to GSM, universal global telecommunications system (UMTS) mobile phones emit wide-band MW signals. Hypothetically, UMTS MWs may result in higher bi

The antennal lobe of insects has emerged as an excellent model for olfactory processing in the CNS. In the present review we compile data from areas where substantial progress has been made during recent years: structure-function relationships within the glomerular array, integration and blend specificity, time coding and the effects of neuroactive substances and hormones on antennal lobe processi

This paper describes a pre-screening procedure that was carried out with a number of candidate Human-Machine-Interaction solutions in three different modes (visual, auditory and haptic) for the concepts of “safe speed and safe distance” (referred to as SASPENCE) of an Advanced Driver Assistance System (termed as ADAS). This procedure was performed simultaneously in two European countries, Sweden a

The intracellular pathogenesis-related proteins have been identified in a broad range of flowering plants. Some display quite different patterns of expression, in many cases unrelated to the pathogenic response. Nevertheless, these proteins are all very similar and in most cases share more than 35% sequence identity. In this report we investigate the significance of a rather weak similarity betwee

A two-phase hollow-fiber (HF) liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) method was developed for determination of a quaternary ammonium compound surfactant, dicocodimethylammonium chloride, in aqueous samples. The porous HF was fixed on a metal rod support and was impregnated with approximately 6.6 mu L of organic extractant, which was immobilized in the HF pores. Surfactant extraction was facilitated b

Twenty-five patients with colorectal liver metastases had a subcutaneous portal connection with a peritoneal catheter implanted for the intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In five patients, the malignant disease rapidly progressed and the implanted catheter system was never used. Among the remaining 20 patients, seven patients had i.p. 5-FU as adjuvant treatment followi

The ground and excited state properties (e.g., the intramolecular charge and energy transfer, and electron-hole coherence) of the chromophore of the asFP595 chromoprotein from Anemonia sulcata in the neutral and anionic forms are theoretically studied with quantum chemistry methods. The ground-state properties of the asFP595 in the neutral and anionic forms, such as the alternations of the bond le

Presently, unrestrained plethysmography is widely used to assess bronchial responsiveness in mice. An empirical quantity known as enhanced pause is derived from the plethysmographic box pressure [P-b( t), where t is time] and assumed to be an index of bronchoconstriction. We show that P-b(t) is determined largely by gas conditioning when normal mice breathe spontaneously inside a closed chamber in