In two laboratory experiments, we examined short- and long-term responses of the detritivorous amphipod Gammarus pulex to chemical cues from potential predators fed various diets. In the first experiment we studied the short-term effect on G. pulex (locomotory activity) when exposed to chemical cues from three co-existing predators; sculpin (Cottus gobio), trout (Salmo trutta), and signal crayfish

The varying degrees of protonation of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine (PMG, glyphosate) were investigated with infrared JR) spectroscopy and ab initio frequency calculations. The zwitterionic nature of PMG in solution was confirmed, and intramolecular hydrogen bonding was identified. Successive protonation of the PMG molecule follows the order amine, phosphonate, carboxylate. Intramolecular hydrogen bo

The electronic structure of Mn/ZnO system has been invesigated by synchrotron radiation photoemission. Manganese vacuum deposition was done at room temperature onto a ZnO(0001) single crystal for coverage Mn-Theta = 1.2 ML shows at least three features: a major Mn3d structure at 3.8-4.5 eV below the Fermi edge, a valence structure at lower binding energy (1-3 eV) and a broad satelite in the 5.5-9

Background. Lung transplantation using "donation after cardiac death" donors is a potential means to alleviate the shortage of suitable donor lungs for transplantation, but the practicality and utility of the various possible techniques need to be clarified. Methods. Using a dog model, we explored seven variations of standoff (ischemic) time (50 to 240 minutes), topical cooling (60 to 120 minutes)

A critical cell cycle regulatory protein, cyclin A1, has been implicated in the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we have examined the expression and clinical significance of cyclin A1 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cyclin A1 was highly expressed in lymphoblastic leukemic cell lines and in 22 of 30 ALL patients (73%). Cyclin A1 expression correlated with patient

This paper addresses one of the important dimensions of the experience of youth in contemporary urban Vietnam; that is their sexual practices, behaviour and attitudes. Within a conceptual framework that focuses on sexuality and social change in a modernising and increasingly open society, and based on data collected from ethnographic fieldwork in Hanoi from 1999 to 2004., this paper describes an e

The article describes qualitative variation in micro processes of learning, focusing the dynamic interplay between conceptions, expressions and meanings of expressions in students' learning in higher education. The intentional-expressive approach employed is an alternative approach to the function of language use in learning processes. In the empirical investigation, a dialogue model was used that

A scheme for treating unsymmetrical coupled systems is outlined. Such systems occur naturally in connection with fluid-structure interaction, where an acoustic fluid is contained in an elastic structure. The discretization is performed by means of the finite element method, using displacement formulation in the structure and either pressure or displacement potential in the fluid. Based on the eige

The sweat bee Megalopta (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), unlike most bees, flies in extremely dim light. And although nocturnal insects are often equipped with superposition eyes, which greatly enhance light capture, Megalopta performs visually guided flight with apposition eyes. We examined how light limits Megalopta's flight behavior by measuring flight times and corresponding light levels and compari

Aims/hypothesis The receptor for AGE (RAGE) is considered to be mainly an intracellular signal-transducer or pro-inflammatory peptide of possible importance for inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Our aim was to study whether the -374 T/A polymorphism in the gene encoding RAGE (AGER) is associated with diabetes type and presence of diabetic complications. Methods The AGER -374 T/A polymorphism w

Growth rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi were measured in pure culture at pH 3-8 on MMN-agar and sterilized peat, with and without nutrients added. Mycorrhizas were synthesized with Pinus sylvestris L. seedlings and the growth rate of the external mycelium was measured in peat at pH 3.8 and 7.3. The fungi were three isolates of Piloderma croceum Erikss. & Hjorts., two isolates of an unidentified

OBJECTIVES: Inhibitors of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-degrading enzyme, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV), are being explored in the treatment of diabetes. We examined the long-term influence of a selective, orally active inhibitor of DPPIV (NVP DPP728), in normal female C57BL/6J mice and such mice rendered glucose-intolerant and insulin-resistant by feeding a high-fat diet. DESIGN: In mice

Enzymatic degradation of model cellulose films prepared by a spin-coating technique was investigated by ellipsometry. The cellulose films were prior to degradation characterized by ellipsometry, contact angle measurements, ESCA (electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis) and AFM (atomic force microscopy). At enzyme addition to preformed cellulose films an initial adsorption was observed, which w

1 In a 4-year fertilization experiment we studied the effects of increased nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) supply on productivity and potential decay in the acrotelm of Sphagnum-dominated Swedish peatlands at northern (low atmospheric N input: low-N site) and southern (high atmospheric N input: high-N site) sites. 2 During the experimental period, there was a severe summer drought at the high-N sit

Neuronal plasticity in the enteric nervous system (ENS) is probably a key step in intestinal adaptation during growth, maturation and ageing as well as in several pathophysiological situations. Studies on cultured myenteric neurons have revealed an increased vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) expression in neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-expressing neurons. In addition, both VIP and nitric o

Although it is well documented that children undergo a productive vocabulary spurt late in the second year, it is unclear whether this development is accompanied by equally significant advances in receptive word processing. In the present study, we tested an electrophysiological procedure for assessing receptive word learning in young children, and the impact of productive vocabulary size for perf

Most myxoid liposarcomas (MLS) are characterized cytogenetically by a t(12;16)(q13;p11). It is reasonable to assume that this translocation corresponds to the consistent rearrangement of one or two genes in 12q13 and/or 16p11, and that the loci thus affected are important in the normal control of fat cell differentiation and proliferation. We have used Southern blot technique to test whether a gen

Aim: The role of islet nitric oxide (NO) production in insulin releasing mechanisms is unclear. We examined whether the beneficial effects of the imidazoline derivative RX 871024 (RX) on beta-cell function might be related to perturbations of islet NO production. Methods: Experiments were performed with isolated islets or intact mice challenged with glucose or carbachol with or without RX treatmen

Self-incompatibility (SI) in the Brassicaceae plant family is controlled by the SRK and SCR genes situated at the S locus. A large number of S haplotypes have been identified, mainly in cultivated species of the Brassica and Raphanus genera, but recently also in wild Arabidopsis species. Here, we used DNA sequences from the SRK and SCR genes of the wild Brassica species B. cretica, together with p