Biglyean and decorin are small chondroitin/dermatan sulphate proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix of connective tissue that belong to the family of structurally related proteoglycans called small leucine-rich repeat proteins. We show for the first time that biglycan and decorin induce morphological and cytoskeletal changes in fibroblasts, resulting in an increase in migration. Biglycan change

Two major events marked 2002 as a milestone year for the sustainable development agenda and in particular for the tourism sector. The declaration by the United Nations of 2002 as ‘International Year of Ecotourism’ (IYE), culminated in the organisation of the World Ecotourism Summit (WES) in May 2002. This was followed in August 2002 by the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), a global

Background: The first tissues to be deprived of perfusion and oxygenation in a hypovolemic situation and the last ones to be reperfused are the subcutaneous tissue and the gastrointestinal mucosa. We hypothesized that measurements of subcutaneous tissue gases and pH might reflect simultaneous changes in oxygenation of the intestinal mucosa. The aim of this study was to evaluate tissue gases and pH

A novel approach to the control of a GDI engine is presented. Thecontroller consists of a combination of subcontrollers, where torquefeedback is a central part. The subcontrollers are with a fewexceptions designed using simple linear feedback and feedforwardcontrol-design methods, in contrast to traditional table-based enginecontrol. A silent extremum-controller is presented. It is used tominimize

Treatment of [Ru-3(CO)(12)] with thianthrene in refluxing toluene afforded [(mu(4)-S)Ru-4(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(9)(mu(4)-eta(2)-C6H4)] (1), [(mu(5)-S)Ru-6(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(15)(mu-eta(3)-C12H8S)] (2), and [(mu(5)-S)Ru-5(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(11)(mu-eta(3)-C12H8S)(mu(4)-eta(2)-C6H4)] (3) in 18%, 8%, and 16% yields, respectively. Thermolysis of 2 in refluxing heptane gave compounds 1 and 3. A similar thermolysis of 3 i

This paper presents theory and algorithms for validation in system identification of state-space models from finite input-output sequences in a subspace model identification framework. Our formulation includes the problem of rank-deficient residual covariance matrices, a case which is encountered in applications with mixed stochastic-deterministic input-output properties as well as for cases where

Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy is central to the long-term management of asthma and is extensively used in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While administration via inhalation limits systemic exposure compared with oral or injected corticosteroids and, therefore, the risk of systemic corticosteroid-related adverse effects, concerns over the long-term safety of

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II is of critical importance for the induction of immune responses. Levels of MHC class II in the nervous system are normally low, but expression is up-regulated in many disease conditions. In rat and human, variation in the MHC class II transactivator gene (Uta) is associated with differential expression of MHC class II and susceptibility to autoimmune

The heat transfer in a general bone-cement-prosthesis system was modelled. A quantitative understanding of the heat transfer and the polymerization kinetics in the system is necessary because injury of the bone tissue and the mechanical properties of the cement have been suggested to be effected by the thermal and chemical history of the system. The mathematical model of the heat transfer was base

We present a detailed theoretical study of pressure-broadened Raman line shapes in binary mixtures of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. The semiclassical Robert-Bonamy theory was used to calculate self-broadened Q-branch linewidths of N-2 and CO, and Lennard-Jones (LJ) potential energy surface parameters were fixed by comparing our results with extensive experimental linewidth data. For the case of N-

In this study a column leaching method for investigation of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) leaching from soil was developed. The method set-up is based on a recycled flow of sterile water through a soil column with a sedimentation chamber mounted on top of the column, in connection with on-line filtration. The combination of a sedimentation chamber and an on-line filtration enables the me

Objective: Low adipocyte IRS-1 protein expression is a biomarker for insulin resistance and early atherosclerosis. However, whether IRS-1 protein expression is related to systemic arterial stiffness, is unknown. Methods and results: Ten non-diabetic male subjects with low adipocyte IRS-1 protein expression (NIRS) were matched with 10 non-diabetic males with normal IRS-1 protein expression (NIRS).

Nocturnal animals relying on vision typically have eyes that are optically and morphologically adapted for both increased sensitivity and greater information capacity in dim light [1]. Here, we investigate whether adaptations for increased sensitivity also are found in their photoreceptors by using closely related and fast-flying nocturnal and diurnal bees as model animals. The nocturnal bee Megal

Recent clinical studies have highlighted that female sex hormones represent potential neuroprotective mediators against damage caused by acute and chronic brain diseases. This evidence has been confirmed by experimental studies documenting the protective role of female sex hormones both in vitro and in vivo, although these studies did not specifically focus on Huntington's disease (HD). We therefo

This paper introduces a new substrate for reverse-phase protein microarray applications based on macroporous silicon. A key feature of the microarray substrate is the vastly surface enlarging properties of the porous silicon, which simultaneously offers highly confined microarray spots. The proof of principle of the reverse array concept was demonstrated in the detection of different levels of cyc

Inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) is a 180-kDa serum protein consisting of three polypeptides. Two of these, the heavy chains 1 and 2 (H1 and H2), are of 75-80 kDa and have similar amino acid sequences. The third polypeptide, bikunin, has a molecular mass of 25 kDa and contains a 7-kDa chondroitin sulfate chain that is covalently linked to the C-terminal amino acid residues of H1 and H2. IalphaI has