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An action spectrum for photosensitivity in sponge larvae published by Leys et al. [J. Comp. Physiol., A, 2002, 188, 199–202] was interpreted by the authors as being due to a combination of light absorption by flavin or carotenoid in the blue region, and another pigment such as pterin in the long-wavelength region. Here we show here that their action spectrum closely matches the absorption spectrum
Two alkaline protease producing alkaliphilic bacterial strains, designated as AL-20 and AL-89, were isolated from a naturally occurring alkaline habitat. The two strains were identified as Nesternkonia sp. and Bacillus pseudofirmus, respectively. Both strains grew and produced alkaline protease using feather as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Addition of 0.5% glucose to the feather medium
To determine whether drying of nerve grafts can affect axonal outgrowth and proliferation of non-neuronal cells, nerve segments dried for 0-60 min were used as nerve grafts to bridge a gap in transected rat sciatic nerves. Axonal outgrowth was measured by pinch reflex test and confirmed by immunocytochemical staining of neurofilaments. The proliferation of non-neuronal cells was measured by incorp
We studied host selection and exploitation, two crucial aspects of parasite ecology, in Achrysocharoides parasitoid wasps, which show remarkable host specificity and unusual offspring sex allocation. We estimated a molecular phylogeny of 15 Achrysocharoides species and compared this with host (plant and insect) phylogenies. This tri-trophic phylogenetic comparison provides no evidence for cospecia
Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) is the target enzyme for a number of herbicides. A S653N mutation in the AHAS gene results in an increased tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides. We have investigated the use of the mutated gene as selection gene for potato transformation. This resulted in a transformation system with a very high transformation frequency and low rate of escapes. The mutated AHAS ge
Joining chain (J-chain) is well known as an integrated component of dimeric immunoglobulin A (IgA) and pentameric IgM. We show here that the J-chain protein is also expressed in a subset of CD11c+ dendritic cells (DC) in C57BL/6 mice. J-chain knockout mice (J−/− mice) had a reduced fraction of CD4−/CD8α+ and mPDCA-1+ DC in the spleen. J−/− mice also had reduced levels of RNA for the immunoregulato
Timely regulation of phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate [PI(3,4)P2] and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P3] abundance in cells is essential for the control of cellular homeostasis. The concentrations of these lipids are low in quiescent cells but rapidly and transiently increase following growth factor receptor (GFR) stimulation, which triggers cellular metabolic changes, pro
Based on a nanometer-scale semiconductor channel with an intentionally broken geometric symmetry, we have realized a type of memory device that consists of only two terminals, rather than the minimum of three terminals in conventional semiconductor memories. The charge retention time is at least 10 h at cryogenic temperatures and a few minutes at room temperature. Furthermore, the simplicity of th
The development of metal tolerance in soil bacterial communities exposed to different heavy metals was examined under laboratory conditions. An agricultural soil amended with different Zn concentrations was studied most intensively, and measurements were made over a 28-month incubation period by means of the thymidine incorporation technique. Tolerance levels were not affected by metal concentrati
Low-lying resonance states in 7He(6He+n), formed after fragmentation reactions of a 227 MeV/nucleon 8He beam on a carbon target, have been studied. Coincidences between 6He nuclei and neutrons, corresponding to the one-neutron knockout channel in 8He, were selected. The relative energy spectrum in the 6He+n system shows a structure, which is interpreted as the 7He ( Ipi = 3/2(-)) ground state, unb
Leaf and bark volatiles from nonhost angiosperm trees were tested on lps duplicatus by gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and by pheromone-baited traps in Sweden and Inner Mongolia, China, respectively. GC-EAD analysis of the headspace volatiles from fresh bark chips of Betula pubescens revealed trans-conophthorin, two green leaf Volatiles (GLVs): 1-hexanol and (Z)-3-hexe
1. The ability to resist infection is an important component of survival and lifetime reproductive success. Mounting and maintaining an immunological defence is assumed to be energetically costly and nutritional resources expended on immune function may induce trade-offs with other energetically expensive functions, including reproduction. Resource limitation may even have transgenerational effect
A result is given, relating the leading principal minors of a direct product of matrices to the leading principal minors of the matrices.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate histologically proved endometritis as a clinical syndrome that is distinct from laparoscopically confirmed salpingitis. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of 152 women in an urban hospital with a suspected pelvic inflammatory disease. All women provided a standardized medical history and underwent physical examination, endometrial bi
OBJECTIVE: To compare effectiveness, complications, and cost of Amplatzer with surgical atrial septal defect (ASD) closure. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Tertiary cardiac referral centre. PATIENTS: 43 consecutive patients (excluding non-UK residents) aged between 2.1 and 56.8 years (median 7) undergoing ASD closure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Procedural success, complications, regression of righ
We investigate the Au-assisted growth of InAs nanowires on two different kinds of heterostructured substrates: GaAs/AlGaAs structures capped by a 50 nm thick InAs layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy and a 2 mu m thick InAs buffer layer on Si(111) obtained by vapor phase epitaxy. Morphological and structural properties of substrates and nanowires are analyzed by atomic force and transmission elec
In the present study, the turbulent heat transfer and fiction in a square duct roughened by continuous and truncated ribs on one wall has been investigated experimentally. The ribs are oriented transversely to the main stream in a periodic arrangement. For both cases, the rib height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio is 0.15, the rib pitch-to-height ratio is fixed at 12, and the Reynolds number varies fr
