Water-soluble hemicellulose was extracted from corn fiber with microwave-assisted heat treatment. The effects of treatment temperature and initial pH of the aqueous extraction media were investigated regarding hemicellulose recovery and molecular mass of the isolated polysaccharides. In treatments carried out at neutral pH (simple water extraction), it has been demonstrated that hemicellulose reco

Time-domain terahertz spectroscopy allows measuring the complex conductivity spectrum of materials at frequencies on the order of 1 THz. Typically, terahertz (THz) studies produce conductivity spectra that are different from those predicted by the classical Drude model, especially in nanostructured materials. We claim that plasmon resonances in particles that are small compared to the THz waveleng

The present study examined plasma lipoprotein, lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and insulin levels in men with borderline hypertension (diastolic blood pressure 85 to 94 mm Hg) compared with age-matched normotensive control subjects (diastolic blood pressure less than or equal to 80 mm Hg, n = 75 + 75). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses were determined in a subset (n = 45 + 45). While t

A study was performed. to evaluate the cleaning and operation of the ultrafiltration plant at the Nymolla paper mill in southern Sweden Laboratory tests were carried out in order to find out what the fouling layer consists of and to find the most appropriate cleaning procedure Production data were analysed to establish if the membranes are cleaned unnecessarily often The fouling in the plant is ma

The issue of natural and forced groundwater movements, and its effect on the performance of ground heat exchangers is of great importance for the design and sizing of borehole thermal energy systems (BTESs). In Scandinavia groundwater filled boreholes in hard rock are commonly used. In such boreholes one or more intersecting fractures provide a path for groundwater flow between the borehole and th

We investigated the functional outcome of c-Jun activation in sympathetic and sensory neurons of neonatal rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG), respectively. Distinctly different roles of c-Jun activation have been suggested for these two types of neurons. In dissociated sympathetic neurons, c-Jun has been demonstrated to promote apoptosis, whereas in sensory neurons

The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a selective and important predator in lake ecosystems. Prey size in pike is limited by pike gape size, which is a linear function of pike body length. Here we show that the absolute gape-size limit in pike is greater than previously considered, and that maximum ingestible prey size is limited by prey body depth. Further, we experimentally show that pike prefer sh

Background: There is an association between elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and vascular disease in elderly patients suffering from organic and non-organic mental disease. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between plasma tHcy concentration and vascular disease in elderly patients with memory complaints. Methods: In 108 patients with memory compla

Neurogenin 2 (Ngn2) is a proneural gene involved in neuronal differentiation and subtype specification in various regions of the nervous system. In the ventral midbrain, Ngn2 is expressed in a spatiotemporal pattern that correlates with the generation of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons. We show here that lack of Ngn2 impairs the development of mesDA neurons, such that less than half of

We have investigated various modes of adherence of Helicobacter pylori to the human gastric epithelium, using transmission electron microscopy, in biopsies from nine patients with peptic ulcer disease and from four patients with chronic active gastritis. H. pylori was demonstrated in abundance in all cases within the surface mucous layer. In all ulcer- and in one out of four gastritis patients H.

Mixtures of cationic guar (cat-guar) or cationic hydroxyethylcellulose (cat-HEC) with the anionic surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium lauryl ether-3 sulfate have been investigated by a wide range of complementary techniques (phase studies, turbidity measurements, dynamic light scattering, gel-swelling experiments, and in situ null ellipsometry), with the following objectives in mind: (1)

A GUMS procedure was developed for the analysis of all major constituents of glycoproteins. The rationale for this approach is that by using GC/MS analysis of the constituents as heptafluorobutyrate derivatives, it was possible to quantitatively determine the sialic acid, monosaccharide, fatty acids (when present), and the amino acid composition with the sample remaining in the same reaction vesse

Objective - We explored the relationships between inflammatory proteins, occupation, and marital status, and their independent associations with incidence of cardiovascular disease ( CVD). Methods and Results - Five inflammation-sensitive proteins ( ISPs) ( fibrinogen, ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, orosomucoid) were measured in 6075 apparently healthy men. Incidence of coronary

Objective: In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), biomarkers reflecting inflammation and endothelial dysfunction have been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD biomarkers) and metabolic regulation. In T2DM patients, metformin and insulin secretagogues have demonstrated equal anti-hyperglycaemic potency. Here, we report the effect of metformin versus an insulin secretagogue, repaglinide

Laser-induced fluorescence is a technique for optical tissue characterisation. It has a real-time capability and as the excitation light and the fluorescence emission are transmitted through optical fibres the technique is compatible to various kinds of endoscopes for hollow organ investigation. The tissue fluorescence itself with the emission from the endogenous chromophores or enhanced with exog

The effect of burning piles of slash on a Norway spruce clear-cut in southern Sweden was followed for 3 years. The vegetation cover, soil chemistry, soil water at a depth of 30 - 40 cm and runoff water were studied. The burnt plots were without vegetation for several months after burning, while the control plots were almost totally covered by Deschampsia flexuosa and Galium saxatile. The remaining

Chromosomal aberrations in solid tumors appear in complex patterns. It is important to understand how these patterns develop, the dynamics of the process, the temporal or even causal order between aberrations, and the involved pathways. Here we present network models for chromosomal aberrations and algorithms for training models based on observed data. Our models are generative probabilistic model