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1 Species-rich semi-natural grasslands in Europe developed during prehistoric times and have endured due to human activity. At the same time, intensive grassland management or changes in land use may result in species extinction. As a consequence, plant diversity in semi-natural calcareous grasslands may be related to both historical and current human population density. 2 We hypothesize that cur
Volumes and other structural properties of polyelectrolyte gels in equilibrium with pure water have been determined by Monte Carlo simulations. The role of chain length polydispersity and topological network defects of four different networks with varying cross-linking density, monomer charge, and chain stiffness have been investigated. Generally, a chain length polydispersity reduced the gel volu
Inactivation of the hormone-sensitive lipase gene (HSL) confers male sterility with a major defect in spermatogenesis. Several forms of HSL are expressed in testis. HSLtes mRNA and protein are found in early and elongated spermatids, respectively. The other forms are expressed in diploid germ cells and interstitial cells of the testis. To determine whether the absence of the testis-specific form o
Protein S interacts with activated protein C to play a crucial role in blood anticoagulation, and protein S deficiency is associated with increased risk of thrombosis. Despite the large volume of functional data available for this protein, no atomic resolution structure data have yet been reported. This is due at least in part to difficulties encountered when trying to produce fragments dissected
Streptococcus pyogenes of the M1 serotype can cause streptococcal toxic shock syndrome commonly associated with acute lung injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of neutrophils and their secretion products in M1 protein-induced lung damage. The degranulation of neutrophills by M1 protein was studied in whole blood using marker analysis for individual granule subsets. In m
Purpose Our focus was on patients with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who experienced relapse or died without becoming transplantation candidates. The purpose was to outline measures needed to improve the outcome. Patients and Methods We analyzed our population-based 20-year data on 3,385 Nordic children with ALL treated on Nordic Society for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology ALL pro
The micturition reflex can be initiated by contraction or distension of detrusor smooth muscle cells, or by signals from the urothelium. It has been shown that bladder distension causes release of ATP from the urothelium and that ATP can activate P2X(3) receptors on suburothelial afferent nerve terminals to evoke a neural discharge. However, most probably the activation of afferent fibres during b
Low B fractures and prevalent vertebral fractures are known risk factors for incident vertebral fractures. In 3001 men and women from the Rotterdam Study, prevalent nonvertebral fractures early for incident menopause, current smoking, and walking aid use were also strong risk factors for incident vertebral fractures.
Helicity-dependent total photoabsorption cross sections on the deuteron have been measured for the first time at ELSA (Bonn) in the photon energy range from 815 to 1825 MeV. Circularly polarized tagged photons impinging on a longitudinally polarized LiD target have been used together with a highly efficient 4 pi detector system. The data around 1 GeV are not compatible with predictions from existi
Despite their known transforming properties, the effects of leukemogenic FLT3-ITD mutations on hematopoietic stem and multipotent progenitor cells and on hematopoietic differentiation are not well understood. We report a mouse model harboring an ITD in the murine Flt3 locus that develops myeloproliferative disease resembling CMML and further identified FLT3-ITD mutations in a subset of human CMML.
This paper determines to what extent the estimated expect returns on European equity indices will be affected by different degrees of prior confidence in the ICAPM. We also measure how fragile the investors’ prior confidence in ICAPM should be in order to explain the home bias of European pension funds. A Bayesian approach is used to estimate the expected asset returns under different prior scenar
Homing of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into the bone marrow (BM) is a prerequisite for establishment of hematopoiesis during development and following transplantation. However, the molecular interactions that control homing of HSCs, in particular, of fetal HSCs, are not well understood. Herein, we studied the role of the alpha 6 and alpha A integrin receptors for homing and engraftment of fetal
Boronate-containing polymer brushes were synthesized by free radical copolymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) and N-acryloyl-m-phenylboronic acid (NAAPBA) (9:1) on the surface of 3-mercaptopropyl-silylated glass plates and capillaries. The brushes were characterized with time-of-flight secondary ion mass-spectrometry (ToF SIMS), atomic force microscopy and contact angle measurements. Fruc
A computer program, ARAGORN, identifies tRNA and tmRNA genes. The program employs heuristic algorithms to predict tRNA secondary structure, based on homology with recognized tRNA consensus sequences and ability to form a base-paired cloverleaf. tmRNA genes are identified using a modified version of the BRUCE program. ARAGORN achieves a detection sensitivity of 99% from a set of 1290 eubacterial, e
The objective of this study was to evaluate different methodologies with regard to their ability to extract the amorphous silica (ASi) content of soils from diverse geochemical settings. The methods used in this work included three acid extraction techniques (oxalate, citrate and acetate) and two alkaline extraction techniques (sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide) which are more commonly used fo
Objective: Cytokine-induced recruitment of leukocytes is an early feature during arterial injury and atherosclerotic plaque formation. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of the beta(2)-integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA- 1; CD11a/CD18) in cytokine-triggered firm leukocyte adhesion to arterial endothelium in vivo. Material and Methods: Intravital fluorescence microsco
