The relation between the isoform distribution of the myosin 17 kDa essential light chain (LC17) and the mechanical properties of smooth muscle was investigated. The relative content of the basic (LC17b) and acidic (LC17a) isoelectric variants of the 17 kDa myosin light chain was determined in different mammalian smooth muscle tissues. The relative content of LC17b varied between muscles: rabbit re

Wood is a material with mechanical properties that vary markedly, both within a tree and among trees. Moisture changes lead to shrinkage or swelling and modify the mechanical properties. In the present study both experimental and numerical work concerning the stiffness and the hygroexpansion properties of wood and of fibres and variations in them is presented. The experimental work involves both

Popular Abstract in Swedish Huvudtanken i svensk välfärdspolitik är att genom generella åtgärder skapa ett samhälle tillgängligt för alla medborgare. Det är därför viktigt att undvika segregering och särlösningar och i stället höja normalverksamhetens standard. Fritidshemmets mål och uppgifter är desamma för alla barn och kvaliteten i verksamheten ska vara så hög att alla barns behov tillgodoses. The main idea behind the Swedish welfare state is to create a society accessible to all citizens by using to general measures. It is, therefore, important to avoid segregation and special solutions, and instead increase the standard of normal activities. The objectives and tasks of day centres for school-age children are the same for all children and the quality of the operations should be of a st

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements have been utilized to determine the structural parameters of InAs amorphised by ion implantation. Relative to crystalline standards, increases in bond length and Debye-Walter factor were apparent. Our results indicate that a total coordination number of four atoms, as observed in the crystalline phase, is retained in the amorphous material. Fur

A method for the determination of methyltetrahydrophthalic acid (MTHP acid), a metabolite of methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA) in human urine, was developed. The investigated MTHP acid was obtained by hydrolysis of a commercial MTHPA mixture, composed of three major isomers. These were synthesized and identified as 3-methyl-delta 4-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride, 4-methyl-delta 4-tetrahydro

In this study, a tetracycline-regulated lentiviral vector system, based on the tetracycline-dependent transactivator rtTA2S-M2, was developed for controlled expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the rat brain. Expression of the marker gene green fluorescent protein (GFP) and GDNF was tightly regulated in a dose-dependent manner in neural cell lines in vitro. Injection

This article outlines an experimental and theoretical comparison between the fib 2000 model for elastic modulus of normal concrete, NC, and HPC and 144 laboratory tests. Two dimensions of specimen were studied (diameters 56 and 100 mm) and one climate (20 degreesC, sealed or with ambient relative humidity, RE, 60%). The age dependence did not seem to be well correlated between the derived and the

This article presents a critical discussion of the use of the notion “frame”, especially by computer scientists, as a theoretical construct to describe the cognitive representation of information. It is argued that an adequate description of “knowledge” requires the utilization of the notion “schema” as the theoretical construct. Based on this discussion, the construction of abstract cognitive mod

Spatial structure has a paramount influence on population dynamics. This has until recently been neglected in harvesting theory. In this paper, we demonstrate how source-sink and habitat selection theory can provide guidance for harvesting spatially structured populations. We also show how harvesting can affect the spatial distribution of the exploited resource, which has consequences for the desi

Although the beneficial effect on breast cancer of adjuvant tamoxifen (TAM) is well established, in the series studied by our group this effect seems to have been restricted to patients with steroid receptor (especially progesterone receptor (PgR)) positive tumors. However, as some patients with PgR-positive tumors manifested recurrence despite adjuvant TAM treatment, the question arose whether so

In spite of the fact that home care has grown considerably during the last few years and will continue to grow even more in the future, home care as a phenomenon and a concept is not clearly defined. The aim of this study was to review the empirical literature for the description of home care as a phenomenon and as a concept, especially with regard to who the care recipients are, what actions and

Aims: The aim of the study was to screen the Enterobacteriaceae flora of meat for the presence of bacteria harbouring the Yersinia high-pathogenicity island (HPI). Methods and Results: Bacteria from 29 meat and 29 liver samples were isolated on violetred bile glucose agar. A total of 197 isolates were screened for the presence of the irp2 gene, encoded within the HPI, by PCR. One isolate that was

Objective: To discover a possible absorption and/or secretion of enterostatin into the circulating blood, as well as to compare the levels of circulating enterostatin after high-fat feeding and low-fat feeding. Research Methods and Procedures: Using a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, plasma enterostatin levels were determined after feeding a high-fat, a high-fat/sucrose, or a low-fat me

Lake Poopo, within the large Altiplano basin of Bolivia, is connected upstream to Lake Titicaca and downstream to the salares, the big salt fields. Small changes in precipitation and river inflows strongly affect the extent of the lake surface area. For times when there are no satellite images, it is difficult to determine the extent of the lake from observations. Water balance computations were p

Object: The aim of the present study was to investigate the pattern of non-fatal heroin overdoses for men and women in Sweden, a country with late onset of heroin use. Material: Subjects were recruited through the Syringe Programme and the Addiction Centre in Malmoe. A total of 149 subjects were interviewed, 108 men and 41 women. They were asked about their social situation, experienced and obser

Popular Abstract in Swedish I den här avhandlingen beskrivs några nyutvecklade tekniker för att mäta lungfunktion på såväl möss som människor. Varför behöver vi fler sätt att mäta hur lungorna fungerar? En anledning är att ju tidigare man upptäcker att något är fel med luftvägarna eller lungorna desto större är chansen att en behandling eller livsstilsförändring ska vara effektiv. Ett exempel är sIn this thesis we explore and further develop several techniques used in the animal laboratory as well as in the clinical setting. In particular, we expand the understanding and usefulness of plethysmographic techniques in small rodents. Study I shows that the pressure signal from an un-restrained plethysmograph (UP) depends largely on heating and humidification of the inhaled air. This brings int