Differentiation of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells into lipid-accumulating adipocytes is a physiological process induced by transcription factors in combination with hormonal stimulation. We have used Affymetrix microarrays to compare the adipogenic differentiation pathways of NIH-3T3 fibroblasts induced to undergo in vitro differentiation by ectopic expression of early B cell factor (EBF)-1 or

Many spatial patterns in biology arise through differentiation of selected cells within a tissue, which is regulated by a genetic network. This is specified by its structure, parameterisation and the noise on its components and reactions. The latter, in particular, is not well examined because it is rather difficult to trace. The authors use suitable local mathematical measures based on the Vorono

Combining state-of-the-art density functional theory (DFT) calculations with high resolution core level shift spectroscopy experiments we explored the reaction mechanism of the ammonia oxidation reaction over RuO2(1 1 0). The high catalytic activity of RuO2(1 1 0) is traced to the low activation energies for the successive hydrogen abstractions of ammonia by on-top O (less than 73 kJ/mol) and the

The paper is concerned with estimation of heat and power consumption in a conceptual plant to produce hydrogen from sucrose-containing or starchy biomass by fermentation. A hydrogen plant connected with a sugar factory is regarded as the basic option; the sugar factory serves as a source of sucrose-containing thick juice for the hydrogen plant, where this feedstock is processed to hydrogen. As ano

Perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a promising new method for detection of perfusion defects in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. In the present study we evaluated the first-pass characteristics of perfusion MR imaging in patients with pneumonia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), frequent differential diagnoses to pulmonary embolism. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR images o

The effect of the diving response on alveolar gas exchange was investigated in 15 subjects. During steady-state exercise (80 W) on a cycle ergometer, the subjects performed 40-s apneas in air and 40-s apneas with face immersion in cold (10°C) water. Heart rate decreased and blood pressure increased during apneas, and the responses were augmented by face immersion. Oxygen uptake from the lungs decr

The mechanisms affecting lift-off stabilization at diesel conditions were investigated by laser-igniting a diesel fuel jet upstream of its natural lift-off position. Single-nozzle fuel sprays penetrating into all optically accessible constant-volume chamber were ignited using laser-induced plasma formation both prior to natural autoignition or after a quasi-steady lift-off length was established.

To reassess earlier suggested type I diabetes (T1D) associations of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and the paired domain 4 gene (PAX4) genes, the Type I Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) evaluated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the two genomic regions. Sixteen SNPs were evaluated for IRS1 and 10 for PAX4. Both genes are biological candidate genes for T1D. Genotyping wa

Orientation experiments were performed with first-year snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) during their autumn migration in a natural near-vertical geomagnetic field approximately 400 km away from the magnetic north pole. Migratory orientation of snow buntings was recorded using two different techniques: orientation cage tests and freeflight release experiments. Experiments were performed under

Gene amplification is one of the mechanisms for oncogene activation in solid tumors. The size of the amplified regions may vary considerably among individual tumors, and more than one gene may be affected within the same amplicon. The main objective in analyzing genomic amplifications has therefore been to map the shortest region involved and to identify genes with increased expression as a result

We used giving-up densities (GUD) to study patch use decisions of small granivorous passerines throughout the year. We measured GUDs continuously in four sites for a period of 9-10 months per year during 2004 and 2005 in a savannah area in Jos, central Nigeria. The study thus covered a period from the middle of the dry season, through the wet season to the beginning of the next dry season in each

The study aimed at developing a process for making a wood coating wax based on the principles of green chemistry. The research was conducted within the Swedish interdisciplinary research programme Greenchem. Wax esters are attractive since they are non-hazardous, biodegradable and can be produced in an atom-efficient process from building blocks obtained from renewable resources. Four wax esters w

The article analyses how Islam, traditions and modernity are socially negotiated and reconstructed in the Arab Gulf states under the influence of globalization and new communication technologies. Although these concepts are subjected to 'reifications', they are important in the official rhetoric for the legitimization of political power. The author bases her study on conventional anthropological f

Helicobacter pylori has been proposed as a causative agent of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to define serum antibodies response against different H. pylori antigens in patients with gastric cancer. Serum samples were collected from 115 Lithuanian patients with non-cardia gastric cancer and 110 age- and sex-matched controls without cancer. Heat-stable, low-molecular-mass, and outer memb

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) in the contemporary CABG population. We also aimed to correlate the effective regurgitant orifice area (ERO) of any regurgitant mitral valve in patients with coronary artery disease with the semiquantitative integrated scale of IMR. Design. From March 15 through June 15, 2006, 510 conse

In this paper, we develop superfast approximative algorithms for the computationally efficient implementation of the recent Iterative Adaptive Approach (IAA) spectral estimate. The proposed methods are based on rewriting the IAA algorithm using suitable Gohberg-Semencul representations, solving the resulting linear systems of equations using the preconditioned conjugate gradient method, where a no

Embodied pedagogical agents – visually represented, computer generated characters in pedagogical roles, such as virtual instructors, mentors and learning companions – populate the digital society in increasing numbers. They are found in educational programmes from preschool to university, as well as in broader educational contexts in the form of medical counsellors, virtual health coaches, informa

We present time-resolved femtosecond photoelectron momentum images and angular distributions of dissociating, laser-aligned 1,4-dibromobenzene (C6H4Br2) molecules measured in a near-infrared pump, soft-x-ray probe experiment performed at an x-ray free-electron laser. The observed alignment dependence of the bromine 2p photoelectron angular distributions is compared to density functional theory cal