Laminin–integrin interactions can in some settings activate the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) but the control mechanisms are poorly understood. Herein, we studied ERK activation in response to two laminins isoforms (-1 and -10/11) in two epithelial cell lines. Both cell lines expressed {beta}1-containing integrins and dystroglycan but lacked integrin {alpha}6{beta}4. Antibody pertu

In this work, the effect of composition, particle size and particle size ratio on the tensile properties of well-characterized hard/soft latex blends was investigated. Four blends of hard/soft latices, with varying particle sizes (either small or large), and volume fractions of 100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, 20/80 and 0/100 were studied. The stress at break increased and the strain at break de

A diverse microvertebrate assemblage has been extracted from a limnic lowermost Cretaceous (Berriasian) stratum on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. The assemblage includes numerous remains of a wide variety of vertebrate groups including fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Herein, we describe the amphibian and reptilian (excluding Archosauria and Chelonia) part of the assemblage including in

To elucidate possible mechanisms behind the endocrine control of parr-smolt transformation, the daily plasma profiles in thyroid hormones (TH; free thyroxine (FT(4)), total thyroxine (TT(4)), and total 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (TT(3))), growth hormone (GH) and cortisol were studied in Atlantic salmon parr and smolts under simulated-natural winter (8 L:16D) and spring (16.5 L:7.5D) photoperiods, res

We wanted to illustrate the right-to-left impulse propagation routes during sinus in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), as alterations in conduction patterns have been linked to the pathogenesis of PAF, and as no large patient materials have been published. Patients underwent 3-D electroanatomical contact mapping prior to catheter ablation. The site of the earliest left atrial (LA

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have occurred with increasing frequency in recent years with eutrophication and other anthropogenic alterations of coastal ecosystems. Many of these blooms severely alter or degrade ecosystem function, and are referred to here as ecosystem disruptive algal blooms (EDABs). These blooms are often caused by toxic or unpalatable species that decrease grazing rates by plankt

A method of correcting the asymmetry in the scattering of the tangential beam configuration in a rheo-small-angle neutron scattering experiment is proposed. The asymmetry of the scattering in the tangential beam configuration can be attributed to the difference in pathlength for neutrons that are scattered toward compared with those which are scattered away from the axis of rotation of the shear c

The surface speciation Of Oxalate at the water-boehmite (gamma -AlOOH) interface during adsorption and dissolution reaction,; wa,; studied by means of attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. The structural interpretations of infrared (IR) data were based on comparison with results from theoretical frequency calculations. Two different surface complexes were identified: an inner-sphere

Population fluctuations may occur in synchrony among several rodent species at a given site, and they may occur in synchrony over large geographical areas. We summarize information on synchrony in lemmings and voles from the Canadian Arctic for the past 20 years. The most detailed available information is from the central Canadian Arctic, where snap-trap samples have been taken annually at several

In recent years, nanostructure technology involving Ill-V semiconductors have made significant progress in areas such as optoelectronics and spintronics. A number of new materials and nanostructures have been invented, most of them being of a very dilute character or extremely small. Because of these properties, their structural characterization on an atomic scale is of profound importance. One im

Oxalate (C(2)O(4)(2-)) acts synergistically on the dissolution of goethite (alpha-FeOOH) in the presence of siderophores that are secreted by plants and microorganisms to sequester iron. We report here the first in situ molecular-scale observations of synergistic ligand-promoted dissolution processes. We show that there are conditions under which oxalate promotes goethite dissolution, but dissolve

The European steady-state Simple Mass Balance (SMB) model and the dynamic soil acidification model SAFE were used to assess the risk of future forest soil acidification in Switzerland. 2010 deposition forecasts on a 150x150 km grid resolution as well as corresponding ecosystem protection levels were obtained from RAINS model runs based on the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol obligations under the UN/ECE L

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) in women with urinary incontinence (UI) after ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and thirty-nine medical records of stroke patients were searched. Twenty-six subjects were randomised to a Treatment Group (14 subjects) or a Control Group (12 subjects) in a single blinded, randomised stud

The optical properties of crystalline lenses were studied in eleven species of coral reef fish from the Red Sea in Eilat, Israel. Three species each of diurnal planktivores, nocturnal planktivores and diurnal herbivores constituted three groups of animals with little within-group variability. In addition we studied two predators, which differed with respect to body size, prey preference, hunting m

Background and aims After resection and repair of the intestines, tissue degradation leads to weakening of the repair site and risk of postoperative leakage. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are thought to be responsible for collagenolysis in the direct vicinity of surgical sutures in many tissues. Several experimental studies show that MMP inhibitors administered systemically alleviate postoperat

Enterohepatic Helicobacter species have been associated with chronic infections of the hepatobiliary tract and lower bowel in naturally and experimentally infected mice, Helicobacter-infected animals should thus not be used in studies of diseases associated with chronic inflammation. Helicobacter species induce inflammation and modulate host immune responses, thus emphasizing the need to diagnose