BACKGROUND: The production of bio-ethanol from softwood is considered a promising alternative to fossil fuels in Sweden. In order to make fuel ethanol economically competitive with fossil fuels, it is important to reduce the production cost, which can be done by increasing the dry matter content of the fermentation medium, thus reducing the energy demand in the final distillation of the fermentati

Utilizing semiconductor nanowires for (opto)- electronics requires exact knowledge of their current−voltage properties. We report accurate on-top imaging and I−V characterization of individual as-grown nanowires, using a subnanometer resolution scanning tunneling microscope with no need for additional microscopy tools, thus allowing versatile application. We form Ohmic contacts to InP and InAs nan

OBJECTIVE: To compare measurements of the arterial blood volume (aBV), a perfusion parameter calculated from arterial spin labelling (ASL), and cerebral blood volume (CBV), calculated from dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI. In the clinic, CBV is used for grading of intracranial tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Estimates of aBV from the model-free ASL technique quantitative STAR labelling of

Context:The cardiac natriuretic peptides are involved in blood pressure regulation, and large cross-sectional studies have shown lower plasma levels of N-terminal pro-natriuretic peptide levels [N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide (N-ANP) and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP)] in patients with insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes.Objective:In this study, we prospectively tested w

Background: Opsins are key proteins in animal photoreception. Together with a light-sensitive group, the chromophore, they form visual pigments which initiate the visual transduction cascade when photoactivated. The spectral absorption properties of visual pigments are mainly determined by their opsins, and thus opsins are crucial for understanding the adaptations of animal eyes. Studies on the ph

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are major players in development aid today. It is widely believed they represent civil society and that, for example, the UN and the World Bank would be strengtened if NGOs were given a larger influence over policy formulation and development. As one can hardly speak of an NGO community, the issue of representation is far from easily solved. NGOs often compete

This paper describes the development of a fuzzy inference system (FIS) for emulating an analog joystick using an inductive tongue-computer interface. The principle of operation of the interface and the inductive sensors signals are described. The FIS receives sensor signals and output the Cartesian position of the virtual joystick, which can be used to control the mouse pointer in a personal compu

Background: Poor mental health predicts sexual risk behaviours in high-income countries, but little is known about this association in low-income settings in sub-Saharan Africa where HIV is prevalent. This study investigated whether depression, psychological distress and alcohol use are associated with sexual risk behaviours in young Ugandan adults. Method: Household sampling was performed in two

Although it is a central question in biology, how cell shape controls intracellular dynamics largely remains an open question. Here, we show that the shape of Arabidopsis pavement cells creates a stress pattern that controls microtubule orientation, which then guides cell wall reinforcement. Live- imaging, combined with modeling of cell mechanics, shows that microtubules align along the maximal te

The initial oxidation of Fe(110) in oxygen gas at 400 degrees C beyond initial adsorbate structures has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Formation of several ordered phases of surface oxides is observed at oxygen coverages between approximately 2.3 and 3.5 oxygen atoms/Fe(11

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib exerts immunosuppressive effects on T-cells and NK-cells in vitro. However, in some dasatinib-treated leukemia patients, clonal lymphocytosis with large granular lymphocyte (LGL) morphology develops, and this is associated with enhanced therapeutic responses. To elucidate the mechanistic basis for this paradoxical observation, we conducted detailed phenotypi

The @b-delayed charged particle emission from 11Li has been studied with emphasis on the three-body n@a6He and five-body 2@a3n channels from the 10.59 and 18.15 MeV states in 11Be. Monte Carlo simulations using an R-matrix formalism lead to the conclusion that the AHe resonance states play a significant role in the break-up of these states. The results exclude an earlier assumption of a phase-spac

In this work, we provide a detailed microscopic picture of the behavior of benzoic acid at the aqueous solution/vapor interface in its neutral as well as in its dissociated form (benzoate). This is achieved through a combination of highly surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments and fully atomistic molecular simulations. We show that significant changes occur in the interface

Language is context free in the sense that it builds well-formed structures like "ideas sleep" and "ghosts live" (NP + VP) without regard to meaning and specific contexts (Chomslcy, 1957). However, it is also context sensitive in the sense that it makes use of linguistic objects such as personal pronouns and other indexical expressions that cannot have any reference unless they are embedded in som

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate most biological processes and have been found dysregulated in a variety of diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we characterized miRNAs that associate with susceptibility to develop experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats, a well-established animal model of MS. Using Illumina next-generation sequencing, we detected 544

Structural behavior of complexes formed by a charged and branched copolymer and an oppositely charged and linear polyion was examined by Monte Carlo simulations employing a coarse-grained bead-spring model. The fractional bead charge and the branching density were systematically varied; the former between 0e and 1e and the latter such that both the comb-polymer and the bottle-brush limits were inc