We found that the secreted serine protease xHtrA1, expressed in the early embryo and transcriptionally activated by FGF signals, promotes posterior development in mRNA-injected Xenopus embryos. xHtrA1 mRNA led to the induction of secondary tail-like structures, expansion of mesoderm, and formation of ectopic neurons in an FGF-dependent manner. An antisense morpholino oligonucleotide or a neutraliz

Sometimes instances of perceived causation turn out to lack causal relata. The reasons may vary. Causation may display itself as prevention, or as omission, and in some cases causation occurs within such complex environments that few of the things we associate with causes and effects are true of them, etc. But even then, there may be causal explanations to be had. This suggests that the explanator

We compute Poisson kernels for integer weight parameter standard weighted biharmonic operators in the unit disc with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The computations performed extend the supply of explicit examples of such kernels and suggest similar formulas for these Poisson kernels to hold true in more generality. Computations have been carried out using the open source computer algebra package

The hydrolytic specificity of the recombinant 20S proteasom from the deep-sea thermophile Methanococcus jannaschii was evaluated toward oxidized insulin B-chain across a range of temperatures (35degrees, 55degrees. 75degrees, and 90degreesC) and hydrostatic pressures (1, 250, 500, and 1,000 atm). Of the four temperatures considered, the same maximum overall hydrolysis rate was observed at both 55d

We studied the effect of kindling, a model of temporal lobe epilepsy, on the frequency-dependent information transfer from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus in vitro. In control rats repetitive synaptic activation of layer III projection cells resulted in a frequency dependent depression of the synaptic transfer of action potentials to the hippocampus. One-to-two-days after kindling this ef

In this paper we examine health among breast cancer 5-year survivors. We raise two questions: (1) how do the health level of this survival group compare to the health level of the general population; and (2) how have the health levels among these survivors changed over time. We found that 5-year breast cancer survivors assess their health lower than the general population, and that having being di

Phthalocyanines (Pcs) are capable of converting sunlight into electric energy when adsorbed on TiO2 in a dye-sensitized solar cell. Of special interest in this type of cell is the energy level alignment as well as how molecules adsorb on the surface as it determines the output of the cell. We investigated the FePc-TiO2(110) interface using scanning tunneling microscopy, synchrotron-based photoelec

The surface and bulk components of the x-ray photoelectron spectra of free noble gas clusters are shown to display differences in the influence of postcollision interaction between the photoelectron and the Auger electron on the spectral line shape; the bulk component is observed to be less affected than the surface and atomic parts of the spectra. A model for postcollision interaction in nonmetal

Aberrant expression of several key regulators controlling the G1/S phase of the cell cycle has been implicated in human male germ cell tumorigenesis. Given the critical role of cyclin A2 at both the G1/S and G2/M transitions and the essential role for cyclin A1 in male germ cell development, our present study focused on the involvement of the A-type cyclins in the transformation and progression of

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible associations between working technique, sex, symptoms and level of physical load in VDU-work. A study group of 32 employees in the editing department of a daily newspaper answered a questionnaire, about physical working conditions and symptoms from the neck and the upper extremities. Muscular load, wrist positions and computer mouse forces were

Objectives: In most clinics, follow-up after inguinal hernia surgery is not a routine procedure and complications may pass unnoticed, thus impairing quality assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, spectrum, and risk factors of short-term adverse events after groin hernia repair. Methods: All patients aged 15 years or older with a primary unilateral inguinal or femoral h

After the enthusiastic celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 2007, the work for the protection of the ozone layer continues. The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel is one of the three expert panels within theMontreal Protocol. This “EEAP” deals with the increase of the UV irradiance on the Earth’s surface and its effects on h

Although the dic(9;20)(p11-13;q11) is a recurrent chromosomal abnormality in paediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (BCP ALL), occurring in approximately 2% of the cases, its molecular genetic consequences have not been elucidated. In the present study, high-resolution genome-wide array-based comparative genomic hybridisation (array-CGH) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (F

Synthetic gibbsite was prepared and thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared techniques. The protonation and charging of the particle surface(s) in 20 and 100 mM (Na)Cl ionic media were investigated using potentiometric titrations and zeta potential measurements. These measurements in

Extra-tropical cyclone frequency and intensity are Currently under intense scrutiny because of the destruction recent windstorms have brought to Europe, and because they are a major meridional heat transport mechanism that may respond to differential latitudinal warming trends. Several studies using reanalysis data covering the second half of the 20th century Suggest increasing storm intensity in

It is today possible to manufacture so smooth surfaces that they can elastically conform totally to each other over the whole Hertzian contact area. For pure rolling lubrication such surfaces only need an oil film of molecular dimensions to get total separation. When the rolling motion is combined with sliding, the pressure fluctuations inside the Hertzian contact redistribute the oil and make met

Chromite is the only common meteoritic mineral surviving long-term exposure on Earth, however, the present study of relict chromite from numerous Ordovician (470 Ma) fossil meteorites and micrometeorites from Sweden, reveals that when encapsulated in chromite, other minerals can survive for hundreds of millions of years maintaining their primary composition. The most common minerals identified, in