Background and Purpose: Natriuretic peptides predict poor outcomes in cardiovascular disease. However, the knowledge of their relationship to stroke is limited and prospective studies from the general population are few. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) p

A set of concotto samples, a type of fired mixture of various raw materials, coming from firing place of the perifiuvial protohistoric site of Longola (Campania region, southern Italy) was characterized by means of a multi-analytical approach, i.e. polarized light optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), X-r

The variables measured in modern pulse oximetry apparatuses include a graphical pulse curve and a specified perfusion value (PV) that could be a sensitive marker for detecting differences in sympathetic activity. We hypothesized that there is a correlation between a reduction of PV and the time to eye opening after general anaesthesia. The objective was to investigate whether PV can predict eye op

Recurrent prostate cancer remains a major clinical challenge. The lysine specific demethylase-1 (LSD1/KDM1A), together with the JmjC domain-containing JMJD2A and JMJD2C proteins, have emerged as critical regulators of histone lysine methylation. The LSD1-JMJD2 complex functions as a transcriptional co-regulator of hormone activated androgen and estrogen receptors at specific gene promoters. LSD1 a

The synthesis of a novel cholic acid derivative bearing in the C-3 position a residue of tryptophan linked through an amide bond is herein described. Acidic or basic conditions are needed for the solubilization of the derivative in water. In alkaline solutions the molecule shows a self-association similar to the one of its natural precursor leading to the formation of ellipsoidal micelles which do

The genus Katatopygia gen. n. is proposed for the Boletina erythropyga/punctus-group that was first introduced by Garrett (1924, 1925) and currently comprises eight described species. Molecular studies have strongly indicated that this group forms a monophyletic sister-group to a clade consisting of all other Boletina, Coelosia and Gnoriste, and its monophyly is supported by morphological data as

Carotenoid-based integument colouration is extremely widespread in the animal kingdom. It has been hypothesized that carotenoid colouration is used for communicating the health status of the bearers because carotenoids are efficient immunomodulators or antioxidants. However, the latter argument has been recently debated and the mechanisms by which carotenoids modulate immunity or oxidative balance

We screened promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) for activating somatic mutations in 188 tumors from patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Twelve tumors (6.4%) carried a mutation within the core promoter region of the gene. The mutations were less frequent in high grade tumors compared to low grade tumors [odds ratio (OR)=0.15, 95% confidence interval (CI

The current paper considers the asymptotic local power of second-generation panel unit root tests that are robust to the presence of cross-section dependence in the form of common factors. As a basis for our analysis, we take the PANIC approach of Bai and Ng (A PANIC Attack on Unit Roots and Cointegration, Econometrica 72, 1127–1177, 2004; Panel Unit Root Tests with Cross-Section Dependence: A Fur

For depth of field (DOF) rasterization, it is often desired to have an efficient tile versus triangle test, which can conservatively compute which samples on the lens that need to execute the sample-in-triangle test. We present a novel test for this, which is optimal in the sense that the region on the lens cannot be further reduced. Our test is based on removing half-space regions of the (u, v) -

This study reports findings from the first large-scale experiment investigating whether entrepreneurs differ 1 from other people in their willingness to expose themselves to various forms of uncertainty. A stratified random sample of 700 chief executive officers from the Yangzi delta region in China is compared to 200 control group members. Our findings suggest that in economic decisions, entrepre

A biocatalysis based method for the solvent-free production of N-alkanoyl-N-methylglucamide (MEGA) surfactants was developed and used as a case study for the evaluation of different environmental assessment tools, such as the freeware package EATOS (Environmental Assessment Tool for Organic Synthesis). In order to also consider energy usage and process facilities, e. g. heating, stirring and vacuu

Recent advances in experimental plant biology have led to an increased potential to investigate plant development at a systems level. The emerging research field of Computational Morphodynamics has the aim to lead this development by combining dynamic spatial experimental data with computational models of molecular networks, growth, and mechanics in a multicellular context. The increased number of

Engineered nanoparticles have been under increasing scrutiny in recent years. High aspect ratio nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes and nanowires have raised safety concerns due to their geometrical similarity to asbestos fibers. III-V epitaxial semiconductor nanowires are expected to be utilized in devices such as LEDs and solar cells and will thus be available to the public. In addition, clea

MYCN, a proto-oncogene normally expressed in the migrating neural crest, is in its amplified state a key factor in the genesis of human neuroblastoma (NB). However, the mechanisms underlying MYCN-mediated NB progression are poorly understood. Here, we present a MYCN-induced miRNA signature in human NB involving the activation and transrepression of several miRNA genes from paralogous clusters. Sev

The influence of climate change on tourism demand patterns will be shaped by the response of tourists to the complexity of mitigation policy anti its impacts on transportation systems, the wide range of climate change impacts on destinations, as well as broader impacts on society and economic development. Tourists have the largest adaptive capacity of elements within the tourism system because of

The trienoic and tetraenoic polyenes, (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene, (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-henicosatriene, and (3Z,6Z,9Z)-1,3,6,9-henicosatetraene were found in the abdominal cuticle and pheromone gland of the Winter Moth Operophtera brumata L. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), in addition to the previously identified single component sex pheromone (3Z,6Z,9Z)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraene. The pheromone biosynt

Is the cohomology of the classifying space of a p-compact group, with Noetherian twisted coefficients, a Noetherian module? In this paper we provide, over the ring of p-adic integers, such a generalization to p-compact groups of the Evens-Venkov theorem. We consider the cohomology of a space with coefficients in a module, and we compare Noetherianity over the p-adic integers, in the case when the