Aquaporins are water channel proteins belonging to the major intrinsic protein (MIP) superfamily of membrane proteins. More than 150 MIPs have been identified in organisms ranging from bacteria to animals and plants. In plants, aquaporins are present in the plasma membrane and in the vacuolar membrane where they are abundant constituents. Functional studies of aquaporins have hitherto mainly been

BACKGROUND: Gastrectomy (Gx) causes osteopenia. The hypothesis tested in the present study is that Gx affects Ca homeostasis and that an impaired ability to handle Ca contributes to the Gx-evoked osteopenia. METHODS: SHAM-operated and Gx rats were compared with respect to changes in blood Ca2+ after oral or intravenous loads of CaCl2 1-2 weeks or 2-4 months after the operations. RESULTS: Different

Membrane assisted extraction facilitates the integration of classical liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) chemistry to automated instrumental analysis. Various shortcomings of classical LLE are overcome by the membrane separation of sample (donor) and extract (acceptor): 1) reduced solvent usage, 2) higher enrichment factors, 3) no solvent evaporation and 4) no formation of emulsions. Membrane extracti

A theory of a strained p-Ge resonant-state THz laser is developed. A comprehensive study of the processes leading to the stimulated THz emission in strained p-Ge under an electric field applied is presented. The distribution functions of light and heavy holes are found. The scattering by optical and acoustic phonons, as well as resonant scattering by charged impurities are taken into account. The

Objectives Nuchal translucency (NT) screening increases antenatal detection of Down syndrome (DS) compared to maternal age-based screening. We wanted to determine if a change in policy for prenatal diagnosis would result in fewer babies born with DS. Methods A total of 39572 pregnant women were randomized to a scan at 12-14 gestational weeks including NT screening for DS (12-week group) or to a sc

Popular Abstract in Swedish Som en följd av de senaste årens förtätningstrend har stadens täthet blivit en aktuell stadsbyggnadsfråga. Förtätning är ett komplext fenomen som berör en rad centrala egenskaper hos staden. Förtätning är också en kontroversiell stadsbyggnadsstrategi. Det är motsättningen mellan förtätning och friytor som den här avhandlingen tar sin utgångspunkt i. Krymper mellanrummenThe new interest in density displayed by professional town planners and town-planning researchers is related to the present densification of the urban environment in many towns and cities. Research on densification is primarily concerned with the link between urban form and sustainable development. The point of departure of this thesis is to consider what a denser housing environment will mean to

Popular Abstract in Swedish Vi har de senaste decennierna sett stora förändringar vad gäller kontroll och tillgänglighet i det offentliga rummet. Både forskning och planering är i starkt behov av begrepp och teori för att klargöra den byggda miljöns roll i detta sammanhang. I avhandlingen utvecklas redskap för att beskriva och belysa arkitekturens roll i upprättandet av olika slags territorier inoThe point of departure of this dissertation is a consideration of the problems in the field of architecture, of conceptualizing and addressing aspects of the complex relationship between architectural form and use. The aim of the thesis is to create conditions for a discussion on architectural design and territorial power relations within the context of everyday life, and more specifically to inve

Popular Abstract in Swedish Den offentliga sektorn har vuxit drastiskt under det senaste århundradet och utgör idag en stor del av ekonomin i många västländer. Givet storleken på den offentliga sektorn och dess potentiella inflytande över såväl enskilda individer som samhälle är studier som dokumenterar effekterna av den offentliga sektorn värdefulla. Denna avhandling "Den Offentliga Sektorns BegrThe size of government has increased dramatically over the last century. Given the magnitude of government involvement in the economy and the potential influence it has on individuals as well as the economy, studies documenting the effects of government size may offer particularly timely insights. This thesis addresses some of these issues. Chapter two and three deal with welfare reform. Welfare

We report the application of mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy (IRPS) for detection of nascent CO2 and H2O in atmospheric pressure flames. The recorded IRPS spectra demonstrated both the quantitative nature of the method and the suppression of strong infrared emission from flames. In spite of the high line-density of the hot polyatomic ro-vibrational spectrum, lines belonging to different CO2

Bacillus subtilis YtlP is a protein that is predicted to belong to the bacterial and archael 2'-5' RNA-ligase family. It contains 183 residues and two copies of the HXTX sequence motif conserved among proteins belonging to this family. In order to determine the structure of YtlP and to compare it with the paralogue YjcG and identified 2'-5' RNA ligases, the gene ytlP was amplified from B. subtilis

PURPOSE: To investigate retrobulbar blood flow velocities and the effects of topical timolol treatment in eyes with newly detected, previously untreated open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. METHODS: Fifteen eyes with open angle glaucoma (OAG) and 12 eyes with ocular hypertension (OH), in the same number of patients, all untreated and newly detected, were examined with colour Doppler imaging

We examined the structure of the affinity-labeled insulin receptors in rat brain, rat liver, and human IM-9 lymphocytes using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In gels run under reducing conditions, the alpha-subunit of the insulin receptor in brain had an apparent Mr of 127,000 distinctly lower than that seen in both rat liver and human lymphocytes (apparent Mr = 136,000)

Cost-of-illness studies have shown diabetes to be associated with substantial direct and indirect costs, accounting for 5-6 percent of total health care expenditure. In a Swedish study, where total costs were divided into costs due to management of diabetes and costs due to complications, the total annual cost to the community was estimated to be SEK 5.7 billion in 1994, costs due to complications

Abstract is not available

Twenty-eight haemodialysis patients were randomized to L-carnitine, 2 g i.v. three times a week, and saline over a 6-week period. No obvious deficiency of carnitine was found in vastus lateralis with a median value of 12.9 mmol/kg dry weight; range 6.2-21.4. Female patients had lower total plasma carnitine compared to female controls, p less than 0.002, whereas no decrease was found in males. No r