Proton acceleration from the interaction of ultra-short laser pulses with thin foil targets at intensities greater than 10(18) W cm(-2) is discussed. An overview of the physical processes giving rise to the generation of protons with multi-MeV energies, in well defined beams with excellent spatial quality, is presented. Specifically, the discussion centres on the influence of laser pulse contrast

We show the implications of the commonly observed age-related decline in aboveground productivity of forests, and hence forest age structure, on the carbon dynamics of European forests in response to historical changes in environmental conditions. Size-dependent carbon allocation in trees to counteract increasing hydraulic resistance with, tree height has been hypothesized to be responsible for th

This study was performed to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the transport of albumin and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) across capillary walls in vivo. To separate transcytosis from passive, 'porous' transport, we tested the effects of the transcytosis inhibitors N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and filipin given intraperitoneally on the peritoneal capillary clearance of LDL and albumin in anesthe

PURPOSE: To improve preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma with MR imaging, using a double-contrast technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Imaging was performed in 12 patients before and after i.v. injection of Gd-DTPA and rectal administration of a superparamagnetic contrast medium, mainly containing magnetite. The diagnostic information was evaluated and compared with findings at surgery and histopa

Culture of dispersed smooth muscle cells is known to cause rapid modulation from the contractile to the synthetic cellular phenotype. However, organ culture of smooth muscle tissue, with maintained extracellular matrix and cell-cell contacts, may facilitate maintenance of the contractile phenotype. To test the influence of culture conditions, structural, functional, and biochemical properties of r

Intramyocellular triglyceride is an important energy store which is related to insulin resistance. Mobilization of fatty acids from this pool is probably regulated by hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which has recently been shown to exist in muscle and to be activated by epinephrine via PKA and by contractions via PKC and ERK. 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular fuel gauge wh

Diabetes and obesity have long been known to be related. The recently characterized adipocyte hormone resistin (also called FIZZ3/ADSF) has been implicated as a molecular link between impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and obesity in mice. A search for sequence variants at the human resistin locus identified nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) but no coding variants. An investigation into th

In this investigation, the modulating effects of non-immune human IgG and rheumatoid factors (RFs) on antigen-antibody complexations were studied. Non-immune human IgG, as well as RF, were found to inhibit the binding of antigen to specific antibodies of both human and rabbit origin. In addition, human immunoglobulins were also able to modify the composition of preformed antigen-antibody complexes

Many promising robotics research results were obtained during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Some examples include Cartesian force control and advanced motion planning. Now, 20 years and many research projects later, many technologies still have not reached industrial usage. An important question to consider is how this situation can be improved for future deployment of necessary technologies. To

According to landscape theory proteins do not fold by localised pathways, but find their native conformation by a progressive organisation of an ensemble of partly folded structures down a folding funnel. Here, we use kinetics and protein engineering to investigate the shape of the free-energy profile for two-state folding, which is the macroscopic view of the funnel process for small and rapidly

Popular Abstract in Swedish Den här avhandlingen är ett bidrag till utvecklingen av en metodik som gör det möjligt att med hjälp av fossila pollen d.v.s. pollen som lagrats i mossar och sjöar, rekonstruera historiska och förhistoriska landskap så precist som möjligt vad gäller utbredning av skog, olika typer av öppen mark samt vegetationens sammansättning. Den tolknings metodik som för närvarande Fossil pollen records retrieved from peat and lake sediments have great potential for quantifying past plant cover. This thesis is a contribution to the development of a palynological interpretation tool for reconstructing past cultural landscapes in terms of plant abundance and distribution. The aims of this thesis are (1) to explore pollen-vegetation relationships in the ancient, traditional cul

Autoimmune thyroid disease is common among women of childbearing age. Thyroid autoantibodies are predominantly of the immunoglobulin G (IgG)-type and pass the placental barrier from mother to child. Recent studies have suggested a pathogenetic role for transplacentally transmitted autoantibodies in the development of autoimmune disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate if children a

Role of R-(-)-deprenyl in adhesion of neuronal and non-neuronal cells. The beneficial effect of the anti-parkinsonian monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor, R-(-)-deprenyl has been shown in a number of different diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis or tumor formation. The role of the cytoskeleton, the main component of cell adhesion, has been suggested in the development

The subject of this study is the re-intensified dispute between rhetoric and philosophy in the times of the Second Sophistic. The focus of our investigation has been on two authors of this period who have left behind treatises the explicit purpose of which is to attack or defend rhetoric: Sextus Empiricus who is sharply criticising rhetoric and Aelius Aristides who is defending it. Our purpose has