For the measurement of rare gamma decays with low gamma-ray multiplicities (M-gamma < 15) dedicated Ge-detector arrays are being developed. They are optimized with respect to the full-energy peak efficiency rather than the resolving power. These so-called miniball arrays will pre dominantly be used at radioactive ion beam facilities. The detector arrays will have a high granularity using segmented

Illumination of a chick’s eye allows light to pass through to the retina of the contralateral eye. Electroretinographic (ERG) recording employing the scalp or comb as a reference results in shorter implicit time, higher amplitude and lower sensitivity during the day than during the night in a light:dark (LD) cycle and in constant darkness (DD). ERG recordings employing the contralateral eye as ref

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine (NE) cells and nerves in the prostate gland are thought to play a central role in the regulation of growth, cellular differentiation and homeostasis of secretory activity. The objective of this experimental study was to describe the effects of peripheral denervation and castration on NE cells and nerves in the guinea pig prostate. METHODS: Guinea pigs underwent sham-oper

Abstract is not available

In this work, we present a ridged, microfabricated, force sensor that can be used to investigate mechanical interactions between cells exhibiting contact guidance and the underlying cell culture substrate, and a proof-of-function evaluation of the force sensor performance. The substrates contain arrays of vertical pillars between solid ridges that were microfabricated in silicon wafers using photo

Regulation of serine protease activity is considered to be the sole mechanism for the function of alpha(1)-antitrypsin (AAT). However, recent reports of the anti-inflammatory effects of AAT are hard to reconcile with this classical mechanism. We discovered that two key activities of AAT in vitro, namely inhibition of endotoxin-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-a and enhancement of interleukin-10 in

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of single-dose pharmacokinetic data for factor IX (FIX) to predict multidose pharmacokinetics and explore their use for pharmacokinetic dosing in prophylactic treatment of haemophilia B. Eight patients with severe haemophilia B were enrolled. Using single-dose pharmacokinetic data for each patient, plasma factor IX procoagulant activity (FIX:C) curv

The rheological behavior of amylopectin-beta-lactoglobulin-water system in the region of incompatibility was studied by performing constant shear rate and oscillatory measurements. Phase-segregated samples were prepared at concentrations that laid over the binodal and tie-lines. The results were interpreted in terms of the isostress and isostrain blending laws. For this purpose the bases of Takaya

The hottest developments in the fields of cancer research, neuroscience, genomics and proteomics, anti-virals and more, with a pick of the key research papers in these areas.

The interaction between bacteriophage T4 DNA and cationic gemini surfactants was studied by the use of fluorescence microscopy. Upon addition of surfactant, DNA undergoes a transition from random coil to globule, with an intermediate coexistence region. The state behavior of a DNA-gemini surfactant system was found to depend on spacer length, valency, head group size, and tail length. A series of

In this work, a progress variable approach is used to model diesel spray ignition with detailed chemistry. The flow field and the detailed chemistry are coupled using the flamelet assumption. A flamelet progress variable is transported by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The progress variable source term is obtained from an unsteady flamelet library that is evaluated in each grid cell.

We prove one decomposition theorem of complex Monge-Ampere measures of plurisubharmonic functions in connection with their pluripolar sets.

Reactions of cis-[PtCl(NH3)(CyNH2)(OH2)](+) (Cy = cyclohexyl) with thione-containing single-stranded oligonucleotides d(T8XT8) and d(XT16) (X = I-s6 or U-s4) and the mononucleotides 4-thiouridine ((UMP)-U-s4) and 6-mercaptoinosine ((IMP)-I-s6) have been studied in aqueous solution at pH 4.1. The reaction kinetics was followed using HPLC methodology as a function of ionic strength in the interval 5

Background The yeast Malassezia is considered to be one of the factors that can contribute to atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives To investigate the reactivity to Malassezia allergens, measured as specific serum IgE, positive skin prick test and positive atopy patch test (APT), in adult patients with AD. Methods In total, 132 adult patients with AD, 14 with seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD) and 33 heal

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy, caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, is an autosomal recessive autoimmune disease characterized by the breakdown of tolerance to organ-specific antigens. The 545 amino acid protein encoded by AIRE contains several structural motifs suggestive of a transcriptional regulator and bears similarity to cellular prote

Anaesthesia systems that minimize the use of volatile anaesthetics to reduce cost and pollution are of interest. Closed circuit anaesthesia is the ideal solution, but requires continuous adjustment of fresh gas flow and composition and thus is demanding in routine practice. We describe an alternative system, the Reflector system, which is open in regard to oxygen, nitrogen and N2O, and semiclosed