The Clp protease is conserved among eubacteria and most eukaryotes, and uses ATP to drive protein substrate unfolding and translocation into a chamber of sequestered proteolytic active sites. The main constitutive Clp protease in photosynthetic organisms has evolved into a functionally essential and structurally intricate enzyme. The model Clp protease from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus consist

We studied CSF-tau and CSF-Abeta42 in 16 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who at follow-up investigations 6-27 months later had progressed to Alzheimer's disease (AD) with dementia. For comparison, we studied 15 age-matched healthy individuals. At baseline, 14/16 (88%) of MCI patients had high CSF-tau and/or low CSF-Abeta42 levels. These findings show that these CSF-markers are abnorm

This paper describes a method to digitize high-resolution physical properties of annually laminated lake sediments. We modified a water-acetone epoxy exchange method in order to preserve all the fine structural details that varved sequences provide. By applying sediment microstratigraphical investigations (X-ray radiography, SEM) and semi-automatic image analysis, we were able to establish detaile

Antibody-based microarrays are among the novel classes of rapidly evolving proteomic technologies that holds great promise in biomedicine. Miniaturized microarrays (< 1 cm(2)) can be printed with thousands of individual antibodies carrying the desired specificities, and with biological sample (e.g., an entire proteome) added, virtually any specifically bound analytes can be detected. While consumi

Taking a social psychological approach to metacognitive judgments, this study analyzed the difference in realism (validity) in confidence and frequency judgments (i.e., estimates of overall accuracy) between one's own and another person's answers to general knowledge questions. Experiment 1 showed that when judging their own answers, compared with another's answers, the participants exhibited high

Background Previous trials of corticosteroid or antiviral treatments for Bell's palsy have been underpowered or have had insufficient follow-up. The aim of this study was to compare the short-term and long-term effects of prednisolone and valaciclovir in the recovery of the affected facial nerve in a large number of patients. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentr

A defect in proprioception has been found in selected patient groups that have an anterior cruciate ligament deficient knee at different times after the original injury. The time of development and the extent of such defects were studied longitudinally on 16 consecutive patients. During the first year after a primary knee injury, which included a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament,

Prevention of obesity should have the highest priority and be started as early in life as possible in high-risk families. This article covers the most promising areas of today's research aimed at finding better ways of treating obesity in the future and an overview of the treatment choices available today. The cause of obesity is genetic in approximately 40-50 percent of adults and probably to a h

Microsphere-based constitutive models are a helpful tool in the modelling of materials with a microstructure composed of contributing elements directionally arranged. This is the case, for instance, for fibred soft tissues. In these models, the macroscopic mechanical behaviour is obtained from the integration of the micro-structural contribution of each component (e.g. each fibre) over the surface

Emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels contribute to the greenhouse effect around the globe. It is therefore of great interest to reduce the use of fossil fuels and revert to some form of biofuel. Lignin, extracted from kraft black liquor, has the potential to become a significant contributor to the biofuel market. A modern pulp mill has an energy surplus that can amount to 7 GJ per tonne o

Shoot uptake of mineral nutrients (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, mg, Mn, P, S, Zn) by Agrostis stolonifera L. was compared with Festuca ovina L. under wet and dry cycles. Such conditions are typical for A. stolonifera sites, whereas F. ovina is growing mostly on consistently drier and better-drained soils. Plants were grown in a glasshouse, at controlled temperature and light conditions, using two moisture regim

Complex scaling of the Schrodinger equation on the halfaxis with a nontrivial boundary condition at the origin is investigated. A self-adjoint dilation of the corresponding dissipative operator is constructed. The relations between the scattering problems for the operator and it's dilation are clarified

1. With the aim to assess the combined and separate effects of waterfowl and fish on submerged vegetation and macroinvertebrates, we performed a replicated selective exclosure study in a shallow, eutrophic lake in southern Sweden. Our results are presented together with a literature review of the effects of fish and waterfowl on macroinvertebrates and submerged vegetation. 2. Based on our experime

We identify three semiclassical parameters in the QCD Dirac operator. Mutual coupling of the different types of degrees of freedom (translational, colour and spin) depends on how the semiclassical limit is taken. We discuss various semiclassical limits and their potential to describe spectrum and spectral statistics of the QCD Dirac operator close to zero virtuality. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rig

Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional signalling molecule, acting as a vasodilator, neurotransmitter, and modulator of inflammatory processes. It also participates in killing parasites, virus-infected cells, and tumor cells by formation of peroxynitrite, one of the most important initiators of the free radical damage. Uncontrolled production of NO can lead to nitrosative stress, causing damages t

This is the first attempt to budget average current annual carbon (C) and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) exchanges and transfers in a subarctic landscape, the Lake Torneträsk catchment in northern Sweden. This is a heterogeneous area consisting of almost 4000 km2 of mixed heath, birch and pine forest, and mires, lakes and alpine ecosystems. The magnitudes of atmospheric exchange of carbon in the

Thirteen isidiate taxa in the Teloschistales are briefly discussed, i.e. Letrouitia corallina (Müll. Arg.) Hafellner, L. leprolyta (Nyl.) Hafellner, Caloplaca bassiae (Ach.) Zahlbr., C. granulosa (Müll. Arg.) Jatta, C. herbidella (Hue) H. Magn., C. isidiigera Vězda, C. isidiosa (Vainio) Zahlbr., C. littorea Tavares, C. namibensis Kärnef., C. ochraceofulva (Müll. Arg.) Jatta, C. verruculifera (Vain

Anthropogenic N deposition may change soil conditions in forest ecosystems as demonstrated in many studies of coniferous forests, whereas results from deciduous forests are relatively scarce. Therefore the influence of N deposition on several variables was studied in situ in 45 oak-dominated deciduous forests along a N deposition gradient in southern Sweden, where the deposition ranged from 10 to