Statistics show that large amounts of goods moved in distribution chains incur the risk for being stolen, counterfeited or contaminated. At the same time terror threats for smuggling weapons of mass destructions, or intentionally altering products, are pushing governments to require higher security from logistics and transport operators. As a consequence, supply chain managers have to face the dif

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is induced in cells by a variety of stress conditions, is known to be cytoprotective, and has been proposed to be neuroprotective during brain ischemia. A recently developed mouse model of 12-min global cerebral ischemia by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion with artificial ventilation and bilateral monitoring of regional cerebral blood flow by laser Doppler wa

Aqueous mixtures of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes undergo associative phase separation, resulting in coacervation, gelation, or precipitation. This phenomenon has been exploited here to form DNA gel particles by interfacial diffusion. We report the formation of DNA gel particles by mixing solutions of DNA (either single-stranded (ssDNA) or double-stranded (dsDNA)) with solutions of cationic

Type II NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductases are single polypeptide proteins widespread in the living world. They bypass the first site of respiratory energy conservation, constituted by the type I NADH dehydrogenases. To investigate substrate specificities and Ca2+ binding properties of seven predicted type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases of Arabidopsis thaliana we have produced them as T7-tagged fusion pro

In an attempt to identify diagnostically meaningful subgroups in a group of sixty women 18–34 years of age, 19 of them having a DSM-IV diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and 41 of bulimia nervosa, a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on their data obtained from the Defense Mechanism Technique modified (DMTm) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Variables also taken into account in the clus

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis of transnational tendencies in multinational enterprises (MNEs), to theoretically analyse the result and to study whether managers in MNEs have experienced the predicted tendencies. Design/methodology/approach – The synthesis is based on an extensive literature review which is analysed by transaction cost economics. Identified tendenc

The gene PTPN22 is located on chromosome 1p13 and encodes a protein tyrosine phosphatase called the lymphoid-specific phosphatase (Lyp). Lyp is expressed in lymphocytes, where it physically associates through its proline-rich motif ( called P1) with the SH3 domain of the protein tyrosine kinase Csk, an important suppressor of the Src family of kinases Lck and Fyn, which mediate TCR signaling. Ther

The paper analyses the ability of a non-linear asset pricing model suggested by Dittmar [Dittmar, R.F., 2002. Non-linear pricing kernels, kurtosis preference, and the cross-section of equity returns. Journal of Finance 57, 369–403] to explain the returns on international value and growth portfolios. For comparison we use competing pricing models such as the ICAPM, the exchange rate risk augmented

The aim of the present study was to gain information about adrenergic-, cholinergic- and nonadrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC)- transmitter systems/mediators in the rat vagina, and to characterize its smooth muscles functionally. Tissue sections from vagina of Sprague Dawley rats were immunolabelled with antibodies against protein gene product 9.5 (PGP), synaptophysin (Syn), tyrosine hydroxylase (

In recent years, the innovation process in biotechnology has become a subject of major interest to scholars from different disciplines. Despite an ever growing body of work, the nature of knowledge links and their particular geography remain a highly disputed issue. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on this topic. We will develop a model of knowledge interactions distinguishing betwe

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) mainly affects renal arteries. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) and surgery are effective treatments, but longtime follow-up is lacking. Retrospective follow-up for 7.0 +/- 4.7 years of 69 consecutive patients ( age 44 +/- 13 years) treated for hypertension due to FMD, 59 patients underwent PTRA and eight patients surgery. In two patients no PTRA was

Sperm storage in Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) was examined and compared between diapausing and non-diapausing females. We observed that non-diapausing females store on average 13,688 (+/-722, S.E.) sperm in their spermatheca and that every female examined had sperm in storage (n = 16). In contrast, most diapausing females had empty spermatheca and only two had sperm in storag

1. Using data from a 9-year study of the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus L. carried out in Sweden, I tested the main assumption of the polygyny threshold model (that there is a cost of polygyny) and the main prediction (that this cost is compensated for). The main question was whether a female that chose a mated male (secondary females) experienced the same fitness as a female that at

We report a case of an intrauterine fetal infection by the varicella-herpes zoster virus following maternal varicella at 17 weeks' amenorrhea. Prenatal diagnosis of fetal infection was confirmed by serology and fetal damage by ultrasonography. Autopsy of the fetus showed multiorgan manifestation with disseminated foci of necrosis and microcalcifications, encephalitis and unilateral segmental skin

Rosiglitazone, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist, is an insulin sensitizing agent in peripheral tissues. This study investigated islet hormones and hormone-like peptides expression patterns in rosiglitazone treated streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats by using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization methods. Animals were divided into four groups. I. Group: Intact contro

This study describes differences in species richness, diversity and composition of Carabidae in gradients from recently abandoned, non-grazed fields over stages of overgrowth into forest on formerly agricultural land in a large, sandy outwash plain, south Sweden. Totally 80 pitfall traps, (4 succession stages, each represented by 4 sites; 5 traps per site) installed on 29 March 2006 were emptied c

The lanthanide elements (Z=57?71) are characterized by the filling of the 4f electronic subshell, which lies close in energy to the 5d and 6s subshells. As a result, the lanthanide spectra can be quite complicated in terms of the number of optical spectral lines, and in some cases their hyperfine structure and isotopic shifts are extremely large. These characteristics have great implications for a

The transcription factor NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cells) plays a central role in mediating Ca(2+)-dependent gene transcription in a variety of cell types. Sustained increases in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) are presumed to be required for NFAT dephosphorylation by the Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein calcineurin and its subsequent nuclear translocation. Here, we pr

We introduce and study a class of model prototype hybrid systems comprised of a microscopic stochastic surface process modeling adsorption/desorption and/or surface di.usion of particles coupled to an ordinary di.erential equation (ODE) displaying bifurcations excited by a critical noise parameter. The models proposed here are caricatures of realistic systems arising in diverse applications rangin

Background: Dysfunction and damage of the human central nervous system can be detected with biochemical markers, and protein S-100B is the best-established such marker. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the protein is stable during longterm storage, to establish reference values for the new Elecsys((R)) S100 test and to compare this new method with the Liaison((R)) Sangtec((R)) 100 tes