Overall migration speed is likely to be a trait under selection pressure in animals migrating annually between habitats for reproduction and survival. A general expression was used for migration speed (V-migr), accounting for energy accumulation and transport, and derive how V-migr scales with body mass for three types of migratory locomotion: running, swimming and flying (powered and soaring flig

Background and Purpose - Warfarin prevents stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF); however, concerns regarding international normalized ratio control and hemorrhage limit its use in the elderly. The oral direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) are potential alternatives to warfarin, offering fixed dosing without drug and dietary interactions and the need for international normalized ratio monitoring. Althou

In this study the effect of different times of exposure to ethanol (1-7 days, 100 mM) on bradykinin and GTP(S)-stimulated activation of phospholipase C in NG 108-15 cells and on the binding of [3H]bradykinin to its receptors was investigated. Ethanol attenuated both agonist and GTP-analogue-induced hydrolysis of phosphoinositides for a period of up to 4 days of treatment, while exerting no effect

The essential protein Cdc13p binds the single-stranded telomeric 3' overhangs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and takes part in the regulation of telomere length. The DNA-binding domain (DBD) of Cdc13p is structurally established by an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB)-fold domain. The sequence homolog in Saccharomyces castellii (scasCDC13) was characterized previously, and the full-length

An ab initio coupled cluster investigation of the electric field gradient induced birefringence of three dipolar linear molecules—CO, N2O, and OCS—is presented. Special emphasis is given to the effect of triple excitations in the cluster operator on the so-called effective quadrupole center as well as to the accurate determination of the molecular electric quadrupole moment relative to this origin

Previous studies on the occurrence of catecholamines and serotonin in pancreatic islets using various histochemical and chemical methods have given widely different results. We therefore performed a comparative analysis of these amines in whole pancreas and islet tissue from hamster, guinea pig, rat, and mouse by the use of high performance liquid chromatography. Whole pancreas of guinea pig, hams

We study agents situated in partially observable environments, who do not have the resources to create conformant plans. Instead, they create conditional plans which are partial, and learn from experience to choose the best of them for execution. Our agent employs an incomplete symbolic deduction system based on Active Logic and Situation Calculus for reasoning about actions and their consequences

Bark necrosis and resin flows in Norway spruce have increased in southern Sweden over the last few decades. Frost damage late in spring has been suggested as a possible cause, but other factors besides the climate may have contributed to the damage. The nutrient status influences the hardening processes and plants with poor nutritional conditions have an increased sensitivity to frost. In this stu

OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease often clustered in families. We investigated the association between MHC haplotypes and SLE in multicase Caucasian families. METHODS: Ten consecutive families with 2 or more patients with SLE, in total 27 patients among 66 individuals, were studied. MHC haplotypes were determined by typing for HLA-A, B, C, DR, and DQ

Alpha1-microglobulin (alpha1m) is a small glycoprotein with immunomodulatory properties. It is a member of the lipocalin family, a group of proteins that exhibit a well-conserved three-dimensional structure despite low sequence identity and that are known to bind small hydrophobic ligands. The types of ligands carried by alpha1m are still unknown, but it is known that this protein has yellow-brown

We study the nature of the [Ti II] and [Ni II] emission from the so-called strontium filament found in the ejecta of eta Carinae. To this purpose, we employ multilevel models of the Ti II and Ni II systems, which are used to investigate the physical condition of the filament and the excitation mechanisms of the observed lines. For the Ti II ion, for which no atomic data were previously available,

Percutaneous endovascular techniques were used to treat an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) associated with pancreatic transplantation. A pancreatic transplant superior mesenteric artery-to-superior mesenteric-vein AVF was successfully embolized while flow to the pancreas transplant was preserved. The embolization was aided by the use of Guglielmi detachable coils and a detachable balloon. No complicat

The reduced transition probabilities between the first excited 2(+) state and the 0(+) ground state, B(E2; 0(+) -> 2(+)), have been measured in Sn-106,Sn-108,Sn-110 using sub-barrier Coulomb excitation in inverse kinematics at REX-ISOLDE. The results are, B(E2;0(+) -> 2(+)) = 0.220(22),0.226(17), and 0.228(32) e(2)b(2), for Sn-110, Sn-108, and Sn-106, respectively. The results for Sn-106,Sn-108 ar

Proprioception of the knee was measured in 19 healthy individuals to evaluate whether there were any differences between extension and flexion movements from two different starting positions. The threshold before detecting a passive movement, visual estimation on a protractor of a passive change in position (30 degrees angular change) and active reproduction of the same angular change were registe

Detailed examination of the structural and functional integration taking place during mycorrhiza formation necessitates rapid and aseptic synthesis of uniform mycorrhizal structures at well-defined stages of development. A system is described for formation of ectomycorrhizas between Betula pendula Roth. and Paxillus involutus (Batsch) Fr. Small sterile seedlings were placed directly on fungal colo

Stored-product moths cause large economic damage in food-processing industries and storage facilities. Control of indoor pests is currently dealt with locally, and control strategies seldom include different mills or cooperative industries in joint efforts to reduce infestations. In colder climates where conditions hinder flight dispersal of stored-product moths, we hypothesize that human transpor

We studied the projection patterns of antennal lobe (AL) interneurones sensitive to plant volatiles and female-produced sex pheromone components in the female moth, Spodoptera littoralis. Ten compounds (eight plant-derived compounds and two sex pheromone components) were singly applied to the antenna and, using intracellular recording and staining techniques, the physiological and morphological ch