Cu(II) complexation at the water-goethite (alpha-FeOOH) interface was studied by XAFS, potentiometry, and sorption experiments. Thermodynamic data indicate that the initial Cu(II) sorption is not accompanied by release of a H+. As pH is raised, hydrolysis occurs, and a maximum of two H+ are released per sorbed ion. Sorption experiments also show that Cu(II) complexation is insensitive to variation

To elucidate the role of the gonadotropins in the multiple spawner Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) full length cDNAs encoding FSHbeta, LHbeta, and the common alpha-subunit were cloned from pituitary glands by RACE-PCR. The three cDNAs consisted of 614, 595, and 666 nucleotides encoding peptides of 131, 146, and 124 amino acids, respectively. Halibut FSHbeta and LHbeta showed unique st

Apoptotic cells have been reported to down- regulate membrane-bound complement regulatory proteins ( m- C- Reg) and to activate complement. Nonetheless, most apoptotic cells do not undergo complement- mediated lysis. Therefore, we hypothesized that fluid phase complement inhibitors would bind to apoptotic cells and compensate functionally for the loss of m- C- Reg. We observed that m- C- Reg are d

A suite of analyses was performed on sediments accumulated during the last 10 700 years in Lake Spaime, a small, hydrologically open water body in the modern alpine tundra zone of the Scandes Mountains, west-central Sweden. The study aimed to evaluate (1) the nature of climate changes that forced the late-Holocene lowering of altitudinal tree limit in the region, the timing of which is known from

The c-Myc and MYCN oncogenes strongly induce cell proliferation. Although a limited series of cell cycle genes were found to be induced by the myc transcription factors, it is still unclear how they mediate the proliferative phenotype. We therefore analysed a neuroblastoma cell line with inducible MYCN expression. We found that all members of the minichromosome maintenance complex (MCM2 - 7) and M

Beta-alanine is an intermediate in the reductive degradation of uracil. Recently we have identified and characterized the Saccharomyces kluyveri PYD4 gene and the corresponding enzyme beta -alanine aminotransferase ((Sk)Pyd4p), highly homologous to eukaryotic gamma-aminobutyrate aminotransferase (GABA-AT). S. kluyveri has two aminotransferases, GABA aminotransferase ((Sk)Uga1p) with 80% and (Sk)Py

The present study examined substance refusal skills of 44 conduct-disordered male adolescents. Fifty percent of these adolescents were dually diagnosed with substance abuse/dependence. Substance refusal skills were assessed utilizing a role-play test that consisted of four interpersonal scenarios in which a confederate prompted youths to engage in illicit drug and alcohol activity. The test demons

Mixed cultures of different EPS-producing Streptococcus thermophilus strains in combination with a Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strain with negligible EPS-production were used for yoghurt production. The yoghurt texture was characterised with respect to sensory, rheological and microstructural properties and the EPS-concentrations were determined. The cultures resulted in yoghurts w

The purpose of this study was to examine the contention that stimulation-induced damage, resulting in degeneration with subsequent regeneration, plays a major role in the transformation of fibre type brought about by chronic electrical stimulation. Data from histological and histochemical sections of 9-day-stimulated rabbit fast-twitch muscles were analysed with multivariate statistical techniques

We have studied the effect of axial ligation of chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll using density functional calculations. Eleven different axial ligands have been considered, including models of histidine, aspartate/glutamate, asparagine/glutamine, serine, tyrosine, methionine, water, the protein backbone, and phosphate. The native chlorophylls, as well as their cation and anion radical states an

Introduction Tibial osteotomy by the hemicallotasis technique is a clean elective operation. With external fixation pins inserted, close to the knee joint, the infection prophylaxis should be considered. The primary aim was to investigate the differences in the postoperative use of antibiotics during the time in external fixation between administrating prophylactic antibiotics for 3 days or as a s

The inherent limitations of a specific pencil beam model have been studied when applied to a cylindrical geometry simulating the neck region. A comparison is made between measured and calculated absorbed dose in a cylindrical phantom. The goal is to quantify the deviations in the absorbed dose level, i.e., the dose per monitor unit, when photons are used for the treatment of head and neck tumours.

Activated Factor V (FVa) functions as a membrane-bound cofactor to the enzyme factor Xa (FXa) in the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin, increasing the catalytic efficiency of FXa by several orders of magnitude. To map regions on FVa that are important for binding of FXa, site-directed mutagenesis resulting in novel potential glycosylation sites on FV was used as strategy. The consensus sequenc

Background— Inflammation is an important pathophysiological feature of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Whether elevated levels of inflammation-sensitive plasma proteins (ISPs) predict the long-term risk of fatal or repaired AAA is largely unknown. Methods and Results— Five ISPs (fibrinogen, orosomucoid, {alpha}1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, and ceruloplasmin) were measured in 6075 healthy men, mea

The PID relay auto-tuner of Astrom–Hagglund is one of the simplest and most robust auto-tuning techniques for process controllers and has been successfully applied to industry for more than 15 years. This tuner is based on an approximate estimation of the critical point on the process frequency response from relay oscillations. Many developments have recently been reported to extend its applicatio