The prerequisites for accurate prediction of protein secondary structural class (all-alpha, all-beta, alpha+beta, alpha/beta or multidomain) were studied, and a new similarity-based method is presented for the prediction of the secondary structural class of a protein from its sequence. The new method uses representatives of nuclear families as a learning set. For the sequence to be predicted, the

The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems is particularly sensitive to climatic changes in autumn and spring(1-4), with spring and autumn temperatures over northern latitudes having risen by about 1.1 degrees C and 0.8 degrees C, respectively, over the past two decades(5). A simultaneous greening trend has also been observed, characterized by a longer growing season and greater photosynthetic a

A method for studying human sinus cavities and inflammation status is described. Diode laser spectroscopy of molecular oxygen gas in the cavity is performed at 760 nm through the strongly scattering facial tissue in a backscattering geometry. Model experiments on tissue-like scattering plastics were made to elucidate the possible penetration depths and the expected signal levels. Measurements on t

Fibromodulin belongs to the small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycan family, interacts with collagen type I, and controls collagen fibrillogenesis and assembly. Here, we show that a major fibromodulin-binding site for collagen type I is located in leucine-rich repeat 11 in the C terminus of the leucine-rich repeat domain. We identified Glu-353 and Lys-355 in repeat 11 as essential for binding, and t

The purpose of this work was to study how the pixel size of digital detectors can affect shape determination of microcalcifications in mammography. Screen-film mammograms containing microcalcifications clinically proven to be indicative of malignancy were digitised at 100 lines/mm using a high-resolution Tango drum scanner. Forty microcalcifications were selected to cover an appropriate range of s

The composition and mode of attachment of Cu(II) complexes at the gamma-Al2O3-water interface in suspensions containing a simple amino acid (glutamate) were characterized with EXAFS and FTIR spectroscopies. The spectroscopic results indicate that two types of Cu(II)-glutamate-alumina interactions are primarily responsible for Cu(II) and glutamate uptake between pH 4 and 9. In acidic suspensions of

Experimental and theoretical uncertainties in the measurement of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) with a continuous-flow thermal-gradient CCN counter from Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT-CCNC) have been assessed by model calculations and calibration experiments with ammonium sulfate and sodium chloride aerosol particles in the diameter range of 20–220 nm. Experiments have been performed in th

We studied a vertical 'quantum dot molecule', where one of the dots is occupied by electrons and the other by holes. We find that different phases occur in the ground state, depending on the carrier density and the interdot distance. When the system is dominated by shell structure, orbital degeneracies can be removed either by Hund's rule, or by Jahn-Teller deformation. Both mechanisms can lead to

Two conformationally different [1,2,7,8]tetrathiacyclododecino[4,3-b:5,6-b':10,9-b":11,12-b''']tetraind oles 9a and 9b have been isolated in good yields, and the existence of a third conformer 9c in solution was demonstrated by mass spectrometry and H-1 NMR spectroscopy. The interconversions of the tetraindoles 9a-c have also been studied. The conformation of 9b was confirmed by X-ray crystallogra

The hypothesized existence of a Neoproterozoic supercontinent called Rodinia is based on a series of geological and paleomagnetic observations, with details about the configuration and evolution of this supercontinent still a matter for debate. Regrettably, we found that the comment by Piper (this volume) lacks scientific objectiveness. The 'Palaeopangaea' that he promotes is, in our view, based o

The treatment of simulated wastewater containing Acid Scarlet BS was tested with a two-step process that the pretreatment of Fe(II)-mediated decolorization was followed by the electrochemical oxidation with a three-phase three-dimensional electrodes. The experimental results showed that the decolorization mechanism was reductive destruction for the azo group of the dye molecular rather than floccu

This study was aimed at finding a correlation between the experienced off-flavor in packed foods and the presence of specific degradation products in LDPE packaging films. The possibility to trap degradation products by chemical reactions with scavengers, i.e., a zeolite additive or antioxidants, was investigated This would prevent degradation products from migrating to the polymer film surface an

Aims/hypothesis The mechanisms by which glucose regulates glucagon release are poorly understood. The present study aimed to clarify the direct effects of glucose on the glucagon-releasing alpha cells and those effects mediated by paracrine islet factors. Materials and methods Glucagon, insulin and somatostatin release were measured from incubated mouse pancreatic islets and the cytoplasmic Ca2+ c

Microdialysis was used to study how ischemia-evoked gastric mucosal injury affects rat stomach histamine, which resides in enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells and mast cells. A microdialysis probe was inserted into the gastric submucosa, and the celiac artery was clamped (30 min), followed by removal of the clamp. Microdialysate histamine was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addit

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) represents a heterogeneous soft tissue sarcoma entity. The authors compared different methods to determine immunohistochemical staining in whole tissue sections, evaluated the tissue microarray technique, and assessed immunohistochemical heterogeneity using the proliferation marker Ki-67 in 47 histopathologic tumor blocks from 11 MFHs. Whole tissue sections wer