We consider the possibility of measuring the true width of the narrow Fe II optical lines observed in spectra of the Weigelt blobs in the vicinity of eta Carinae. The lines originate as a result of stimulated amplification of spontaneous emission of radiation in quantum transitions between energy levels showing inverted population [Johansson, S., Letokhov, V., 2002. JETP Lett. 75 (10) 495; Johanss

In vitro studies have shown that Drosophila melanogaster has a highly efficient single deoxyribonucleoside kinase (dNK) multisubstrate enzyme. dNK is related to the mammalian Thymidine Kinase 2 (TK2) group involved in the nucleotide synthesis salvage pathway. To study the dNK function in vivo, we constructed transgenic Drosophila strains and impaired the nucleotide de novo synthesis pathway, using

Objective: GH causes insulin resistance, impairs glycemic control and increases the risk of vascular diabetic complications. Sulphonylureas stimulate GH secretion and this study was undertaken to investigate the possible stimulatory effect of repaglinide and nateglinide, two novel oral glucose regulators, on critical steps of the stimulus-secretion coupling in single rat somatotrophs. Methods: Pat

Wind direction conditions during the 20th century in Scania, southern Sweden, are investigated using an estimated series of monthly wind vector components (east-west u component and north-south v component). The series is developed from a regression relationship between pairwise (1973 to 1997) monthly averages of 10-m surface wind from Scania and a monthly geostrophic wind, based on mean sea level

Background: Boswellic acids, a type of pentacyclic triterpenoids, have been shown to induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway is crucial for cell proliferation and survival. Whether the apoptotic effects of boswellic acid could be affected by inhibition of PI3K/Akt pathway was examined. Materials and Methods: Colon cancer HT29

The purpose of the present study was to study if the connectivity of fetal neocortical tissue blocks placed in ischemic brain infarcts of adult rats would be enhanced in rats housed in an enriched environment. We also investigated whether the enriched housing conditions could enhance the postischemic and postgrafting functional outcome, in terms of motor behavior. This part of the study has been p

The use of tetraethyltin (TESn) and dimethylzinc (DMZn) as in situ n- and p-dopant precursors during particle-assisted growth of InP nanowires is reported. Gate voltage dependent transport measurements demonstrate that the nanowires can be predictably synthesized as either n- or p-type. These doped nanowires can be characterized based on their electric field response and we find that n- type dopin

Because quality differences between individuals affect fitness, much research has attempted, with limited success, to relate physiological condition (e.g., body reserves), to differences in life history between individuals. Recently, it has been suggested that immunocompetence may reflect condition, and it thus may mediate variation in individual quality and reproductive performance and, ultimatel

Decay kinetic properties of a two-level atom near the band edges of photonic crystals (PCs) with absolute gaps are studied based on the Green's function expression for the evolution operator. The local coupling strength between the photons and an atom is evaluated by an exact numerical method. It is found that the decay behavior of an excited atom can be fundamentally changed by the variation of t

Wetland creation aiming at a simultaneous increase in nutrient retention and species diversity in agricultural landscapes has recently become applied as a catchment-scale compensation measure for past wetland losses. Here, we evaluate if, and to what extend, dual-purpose wetlands benefit local and regional diversity of agricultural landscapes. We analysed composition and alpha, beta, and gamma div

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting destructive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the knee joint, and to compare this method with clinical examination and conventional radiography (CR). Methods: Clinical evaluations of the knee joint, followed by MRI and CR examinations were performed in 30 patients with early RA. The MRI examination included evaluati

The removal of trans-chlordane (C(10)H(6)Cl(8)) from aqueous solutions was studied using UV, UV/H(2)O(2), UV/H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+), UV/TiO(2), or UV/TiO(2)/H(2)O(2) treatment using either UV/Vis blue lamps or UVC lamps (254nm). H(2)O(2), FeSO(4) and TiO(2) were added at 1700, 456, and 2500mgL(-1), respectively. trans-Chlordane was not significantly removed in non-irradiated controls and in samples irrad

Objective. Lung damage is the most common cause of death in cystic fibrosis (CF). It is induced by bacterial colonization and inflammatory activity perpetuates its course. Autoantibodies directed against BPI (bactericidal permeability increasing protein), called BPI-ANCA, have recently been associated with cystic fibrosis. Here we confirm this association and evaluate the relation between ANCA and

A tree t-spanner T of a graph G is a spanning tree of G whose max-stretch is t, i.e., the distance between any two vertices in T is at most t times their distance in G. If G has a tree t-spanner but not a tree (t−1)-spanner, then G is said to have max-stretch of t. In this paper, we study the Max-Stretch Reduction Problem: for an unweighted graph G=(V,E), find a set of edges not in E originally wh

Recent studies have provided evidence for a major role of urothelially released ATP acting on a subpopulation of pelvic afferent nerves in mechano-afferent transduction in the bladder. We investigated whether desensitization of capsaicin-sensitive nerve fibres by systemic resiniferatoxin (RTX)-pretreatment can counteract the detrusor over-activity induced by intravesical capsaicin, acetic acid or

We studied the population structure of a high arctic breeding wader bird species, the White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis. Breeding adults, chicks and juveniles were sampled at seven localities throughout the species' breeding range in arctic Canada in 1999. The mitochondrial control region was analysed by DNA sequencing, feathers were analysed for carbon isotope ratios (C-13/C-12) by isot

A connection between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and endothelium pathology has been inferred from measured decreases in both blood flow and metabolism in the parietal and temporal cortex. However, it is not known whether these alterations are seen in normal aging. We performed regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measurements in 22 AD patients and in 44 non-demented subjects during a simple test of in

Here we investigate ERα and ERβ expression and regulation in vascular smooth muscle cells from mouse aorta. Immunocytochemistry showed nuclear staining for both ERα and ERβ. Double stainings revealed co-expression of ERα and ERβ in vascular smooth muscle cells. ERα (66 kDa) and ERβ (54 kDa) expression determined by Western blotting was unchanged within 7 h after inhibition of protein synthesis wit

We here study the interactions of a polyamide with large DNA, and compare to those of minor groove binder distamycin (DST), including high ligand/DNA binding ratios. Specific as well as nonspecific binding is probed using polarized-light spectroscopy combined with singular value decomposition analysis. Circular and linear dichroism data confirm binding geometries consistent with minor groove bindi