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Structural features of polyelectrolytes as single-stranded RNA or double-stranded DNA confined inside viral capsids and the thermodynamics of the encapsidation of the polyelectrolyte into the viral capsid have been examined for various polyelectrolyte lengths by using a coarse-grained model solved by Monte Carlo simulations. The capsid was modeled as a spherical shell with embedded charges and the
Little is known about solubility and soil solution concentrations of most elements occurring in the solid phase of soils. This study reports changes in solution concentrations of 60 mineral elements following CaCO3 addition to a moderately acid semi-natural soil, and possible mechanisms accounting for the differing solubility patterns as related to soil acidity are discussed. Soil solutions were o
An infant food product was manufactured by drum drying a pre-cooked slurry of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, Willd) flour. The chemical composition shows that the product is a potential source of valuable nutrients, like protein (16%), vitamin E (19 mg/kg), thiamine (0.7 mg/100 g), iron (70 mg/kg), zinc (48 mg/kg) and magnesium (1.8 g/kg), all the values expressed on dry basis, to pre-school children
The crystal structure of the flavodoxin-like protein WrbA with oxidized FMN bound reveals a close relationship to mammalian NAD(P) H:quinone oxidoreductase, Nqo1. Structural comparison of WrbA, flavodoxin, and Nqo1 indicates how the twisted open-sheet fold of flavodoxins is elaborated to form multimers that extend catalytic function from one-electron transfer between protein partners using FMN to
A homologous series of lipophilic polyamines was synthesized and evaluated for DNA delivery and transfection efficiency. The series contained 1,4-butanediamine, 1,8-octanediamine, 2-[2-(2-amino-ethoxy)-ethoxy]-ethylamine, homospermidine, and homospermine covalently attached via their N-1 terminus to a 3,4-bis(oleyloxy)-benzyl motif. In addition, homospermidine and homospermine were also attached v
The electronic transport through two coupled quantum dots in series can be described either in a fully coherent approach (e.g. density matrix description or nonequilibrium Green's functions) or in a simple sequential tunneling treatment (Pauli master equation with Fermi's Golden rule for coupling between the quantum dots). It turns out that both descriptions provide the same average current for no
To study the role of the dispersion of atrial repolarization (DAR) in the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF), monophasic action potentials (MAP) were recorded simultaneously from a catheter at the high lateral right atrium (HLRA) and a catheter moving around the high, middle and low lateral right atrium (RA) the high, anterior and posterior septal RA and the RA appendage in 15 patients with parox
Redox chemistry is central to the primary functions of chloroplasts and mitochondria, that is, to energy conversion in photosynthesis and respiration. However, these bioenergetic organelles always contain very small, specialized genetic systems, relics of their bacterial origin. At huge cost, organellar genomes contain, typically, a mere 0.1% of the genetic information in a eukaryotic cell. There
Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. One key strategic intervention is provision of early diagnosis and prompt effective treatment. A major setback has been the development of drug resistance to commonly used antimalarials. To overcome this, most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have adopted Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT) as a first line treatment fo
Sulfotransferase 1A1, an important member of sulfotransferase superfamily, is involved in the biotransformation of many compounds including tobacco carcinogens. A single nucleotide polymorphism (G638A) in the sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1) gene causes Arg213His amino acid change and consequently results in significantly reduced enzyme activity and thermostability. We thus hypothesized that the var
Some strains of the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes express a surface protein called protein H, which is released from the streptococcal surface by a cysteine proteinase produced by the bacteria. Here, we find that soluble protein H binds to the surface of lymphocytes and granulocytes, and that the molecule is taken up by lymphocytes and transported to the perinuclear region. The translocati
Earlier experimental studies have demonstrated the ability of day-migrating birds to perform migration under overcast skies, thereby indicating use of cues other than solar. The orientation behaviour of the chaffinch, a diurnal migrant, was investigated in orientation cage experiments during the autumn migration period. The aim of our experiments was to examine the relationship between different o
Five acute leukaemia or highly malignant lymphoma patients at a hospital in southern Sweden were interviewed about their daily living problems, their coping strategies and their opinions about the nursing care they received during the active phase of their treatment. In addition the EORTC QLQ-C30, the Global Life Quality and the Sense of Coherence scales were administered. The data were analysed f
BACKGROUND Monoamines play important roles in decidualization, implantation, immune modulation and inflammation. Furthermore, monoamines are potent vasoactive mediators that regulate blood flow and capillary permeability. Regulation of the uterine blood flow is important both during menstruation and pregnancy. Adequate monoamine concentrations are essential for a proper implantation and physiologi
It has recently been suggested that the rs738409 G allele in PNPLA3, which encodes adiponutrin, is strongly associated with increased liver fat content in three different ethnic groups. The aims of the present study were as follows: (1) to try to replicate these findings in European individuals with quantitative measures of hepatic fat content; (2) to study whether the polymorphism influences hepa
The “acidic mantle” of the skin surface has been related to several essential functions of the skin, although the origin of the acidity is still obscure. In this paper, we investigate how different transport processes can influence the local proton concentration inside a membrane consisting of oriented lipid bilayers. This system is chosen as a simple model of the extracellular lipids in the upper
Procollagen N-proteinase (EC 3.4.24.14) is the enzyme that specifically cleaves the NH2-terminal propeptides from type I procollagen. Two forms of N-proteinase with apparent molecular sizes of 300 and 500 kDa were found in partially purified preparations from fetal bovine tendon extracts. The 500-kDa form of enzyme was purified 16,000-fold with a recovery of 8% from the extracts of the tendons by
Continuing our development of artificial models for photosystem II in green plants, a series of compounds have been prepared in which a Ru(bpy)32+ photosensitizer is covalently linked to a manganese(II) electron donor. In addition to a trispicolylamine ligand, two other manganese ligands, dipicolylamine and aminodiacetic acid, have been introduced in order to study ligands that are appropriate for
