Field-growing silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) clones (clone 4 and 80) were exposed to elevated CO2 and O-3 in open-top chambers for three consecutive growing seasons (1999-2001). At the beginning of the OTC experiment, all trees were 7 years old. We studied the single and interaction effects of CO2 and O-3 on silver birch below-ground carbon pools (i.e. effects on fine roots and mycorrhizas, so

Oral and pharyngeal dysfunction is common in Parkinson's disease. To reveal the frequency of swallowing dysfunction and correlate swallowing dysfunction with locomotor disturbances, we studied 75 patients with Parkinson's disease staged I-IV according to the Hoehn and Yahr score. We assessed oral and pharyngeal swallow during optimal medication by a quantitative test of swallowing (the ROSS test)

Nuclear power plants release C-14 during routine operation mainly as airborne gaseous effluents. Because of the long half-life (5730 years) and biological importance of this radionuclide (it is incorporated in plant tissue by photosynthesis), several countries have monitoring programs in order to quantify and control these emissions. This paper compares the activity of C-14 in soils taken within I

Radiative lifetimes have been measured for two excited levels of Ce IV using the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique. Ce3+ ions were produced in a laser-induced plasma. In the measurements, a suitable magnetic field was applied to reduce the recombination between electrons and the ions and thus the background light from the recombination, and special care was exercised to avoid flig

The coarse‐grained Monte Carlo (CGMC) algorithm was originally proposed in the series of works [M. A. Katsoulakis, A. J. Majda, and D. G. Vlachos, J. Comput. Phys., 186 (2003), pp. 250–278; M. A. Katsoulakis, A. J. Majda, and D. G. Vlachos, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 100 (2003), pp. 782–787; M. A. Katsoulakis and D. G. Vlachos, J. Chem. Phys., 119 (2003), pp. 9412–9427]. In this paper we further

An important tool for studying standard finitely presented algebras is the Ufnarovski graph. In this paper we extend the use of the Ufnarovski graph to automaton algebras, introducing the generalized Ufnarovski graph. As an application, we show how this construction can be used to test Noetherianity of automaton algebras.

Abstract in UndeterminedThree different inverse problems for the Schrodinger operator on a metric tree are considered, so far with standard boundary conditions at the vertices. These inverse problems are connected with the matrix Titchmarsh-Weyl function, response operator ( dynamic Dirichlet-to-Neumann map) and scattering matrix. Our approach is based on the boundary control ( BC) method and in p

The seasonal decline in reproductive success observed in many animal species may be caused by timing per se (timing hypothesis) or by variation in phenotypic quality between early and late breeding females (quality hypothesis). To distinguish between these two hypotheses, several studies of birds have used clutch removal experiments to manipulate breeding date. However; removal experiments also in

Previously the effect of atmospheric dispersion on telescope performance has attracted only relatively little attention. This may be due to the fact that the dispersion effects have been evaluated in relation to the size of the diffraction limited resolution angle of current telescopes, or to seeing limited telescopes. However, since the resolution angle is inversely proportional to telescope diam

BACKGROUND: Tumor growth and invasiveness occur through infiltration of tumor cells into the host cells and by angiogenesis, which is modulated by proteinases and antiproteinases released from tumor cells that carry out tissue remodelling. A number of studies have revealed variations in the plasma levels of serine proteases and their inhibitors among tumor types. PATIENTS AND METHODS: By immunolog

Certain structures of heparan sulfate (HS) inhibit cell proliferation of fibroblasts. Whether this inhibition is dependent on inhibition of mitogenic signaling pathways or nuclear translocation of HS is unknown. In this study we investigated possible mechanism(s) and structural requirements by which antiproliferative glycosaminoglycans exert their effects on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP k

The present study examined the emergence of structural remodeling in explanted neonatal rat retina. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated signs of glial and neuronal remodeling after I I days in vitro and included the activation of Muller cells, the formation of ectopic neuropil areas and sprouting of photoreceptor terminals. We also observed that cholinergic and GABA-ergic amacrine cells disp

Type II diabetes is caused by a failure of the pancreatic beta-cells to compensate for insulin resistance leading to hyperglycaemia. There is evidence for an essential role of an increased beta-cell apoptosis in type II diabetes. High glucose concentrations induce IL-1 beta production in human beta-cells, Fas expression and concomitant apoptosis owing to a constitutive expression of FasL. FASL and

Objectives To assess, first, the prevalence and severity of symptoms associated with the climacteric period and their treatment and, second, the prevalence of exercise, smoking and body weight in a population-based sample of Swedish women. Material and methods Prospective, longitudinal cohort study, initiated in 1992, in women aged 46, 50, 54, 58 and 62 years with a follow-up 6 years later. Inform

A horizontal packed-bed reactor with baffles (HPBR) and a continuously stirred tank reactor with intermittent paddle agitation have been shown to considerably reduce the CO2 entrapment when glucose is fermented with immobilized baker’s yeast in calcium alginate beads. Using high cell contents in the gel resulted in internal mass transfer hindrance. The highest productivity was obtained with the HP

The interactions between herbivorous insects and their host plants have been central in generating diversification in both groups. We used a community of four yucca moth species, monophagous on the host plant Hesperoyucca whipplei (Agavaceae), to examine how the type of interaction and where insects feed within a plant influence phylogeographic structure of herbivorous insects. These four species

Inactivation of the perlecan gene leads to perinatal lethal chondrodysplasia. The similarity to the phenotypes of the Col2A1 knock-out and the disproportionate micromelia mutation suggests perlecan involvement in cartilage collagen matrix assembly. We now present a mechanism for the defect in collagen type II fibril assembly by perlecan-null chondrocytes. Cartilage perlecan is a heparin sulfate or

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are group of enzymes thought to play an important role in trophoblastic and tumor invasion. The aim of our study was to investigate the trophoblastic expression of MMPs and p53 in normal trophoblast and hydatidiform moles (HM). Paraffin sections of 45 specimens, including 14 complete hydatidiform moles (CM), 15 partial hydatidiform moles (PM), 8 atypical partial hy