SpeB is a cysteine proteinase and virulence determinant secreted by the important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes. Recent investigations have suggested a role for SpeB in streptococcal entry into human cells. However, conflicting data concerning the contribution of SpeB to internalization have been presented. Protein F1 is a cell-wall-attached fibronectin (Fn)-binding protein that is present

This article examines some of the factors that may have affected the tendency for social workers to refer adolescents to a randomised controlled study of multisystemic therapy (MST). If we are to improve integration between researchers and the clinical setting in the future, it is important to consider those factors that affect implementation of research projects and evidence-based treatment metho

Protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms have been reported to be targeted to the Golgi complex via their C1 domains. We have shown recently that the regulatory domain of PKCtheta induces apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells and that this effect is correlated to Golgi localization via the C1b domain. This study was designed to identify specific residues in the C1 domains that mediate Golgi localization. We dem

The MYCN proto-oncogene is frequently amplified in a subgroup of highly aggressive neuroblastomas. The molecular mechanism(s) by which the overexpressed MYCN contributes to an aggressive tumor cell behavior is not well understood. Recently, it was reported that the ID2 gene is a direct target for the MYCN and MYC transcription factors, and that ID2 expression and MYCN amplification correlate posit

A wave of Salix (willow) planting rolled over Sweden in the early 1990s, driven by subsidies and optimistic market expectations. The expected economic life span of such investments is 20 years or more. But in fact, many plantations were terminated or reduced much sooner. This article explores the reasons for this retreat. In a survey to Salix farmers, 41 per cent either have retreated or regretted

Purpose. To investigate the structural development of the colloid phases generated during lipolysis of a lipid-based formulation in an in vitro lipolysis model, which simulates digestion in the small intestine. Materials and Methods. Small-Angle X-Ray scattering (SAXS) coupled with the in vitro lipolysis model which accurately reproduces the solubilizing environment in the gastrointestinal tract a

Monoterpenes, primarily emitted by terrestrial vegetation, can influence atmospheric ozone chemistry, and can form precursors for secondary organic aerosol. The short-term emissions of monoterpenes have been well studied and understood, but their long-term variability, which is particularly important for atmospheric chemistry, has not. This understanding is crucial for the understanding of future

Many fish and some terrestrial animals have multifocal lenses that compensate for chromatic aberration by a mechanism unique to biological optical systems. We describe four optical methods for the study of such lenses. Significantly improved methods (focal-area imaging, schlieren photography, and laser scanning) are explained in full detail. One method (photorefractometry) was only slightly modifi

This article analyses the general ethical milieu in a nursing home for elderly residents and provides a decision-making model for analysing the ethical situations that arise. It considers what it means for the residents to live together and for the staff to be in ethically problematic situations when caring for residents. An interpretative phenomenological approach and Sandman’s ethical model prov

In 1993-1995 artificial nests with attached model eggs were put into territories that were known to have been occupied by male great reed warblers, Acrocephalus arundinaceus, in previous years. Because the eggs were made of soft plasticine, predators left peckmarks in them and this enabled us to identify predators by comparing peckmarks with reference marks made by Various species. Previous field

Objectives: To investigate whether amniotic fluid concentrations of non protein bound iron (NPBI) vary with growth in healthy fetuses and also offer a reference curve in the second trimester of pregnancy. Design and methods: Amniotic fluid concentrations of NPBI were measured by HPLC in 118 women with physiological singleton pregnancies, who underwent amniocentesis for fetal karyotype between week

Competitive breath-hold divers try to achieve maximum times, depths, or distances underwater, thereby risking hypoxic syncope. In the present study, the cardiorespiratory responses to dynamic apnea (simultaneously initiated apneas and dynamic leg exercise) were investigated in 10 breath-hold divers. The divers performed 60 s dynamic apneas with the face in air (A) or face immersed in cold water (A

A novel 2D-technique for temperature visualization of single droplets and sprays is presented. Laser induced emission from thermographic phosphor seeded to the investigated liquid was detected by a fast framing camera. The subsequent phosphorescence images measured by seven consecutively gated CCD detectors allowed pixel-to-pixel lifetime evaluation of the phosphorescence emission. The temperature

We determine all weak traveling wave solutions of a model for nonlinear dispersive waves in cylindrical compressible hyperelastic rods. Besides the previously known smooth, peaked, and cusped solutions, the equation is shown to admit compactons, stumpons, and fractal-like waves.

An organic-aqueous two-liquid-phase partitioning system was developed to degrade high concentrations of pentachlorophenol (PCP). Dioctyl sebacate was selected among 12 non-aqueous phases as the most suitable solvent to control the delivery of PCP to the aqueous phase for being non-biodegradable and biocompatible. In shake-flask experiments, the two-phase system was able to support the removal of 1

The upgrade of the MAX-lab Injector and the construction of MAX III, provided the opportunity for upgrading the tagged-photon facility and thus lead to the possibility of more extensive program in nuclear physics research This upgrade increased the injected electron energy to all eventual maximum of 250 MeV and allows for the extraction of electrons from the MAX I ring operated in the stretcher mo

Simultaneous sacchatification and fermentation (SSF) of steam-pretreated wood constitutes an attractive process configuration for ethanol production from biomass. However, the high enzyme addition in SSF contributes to a high process cost. In this study we explore the effect of the non-ionic surfactant Tween-20 as an additive in SSE Tween-20 addition at 2.5 g/l had several positive effects on SSF: