We consider the origin of the so-called S stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the very center of the Galaxy. These are usually assumed to be massive main-sequence stars. We argue instead that they are the remnants of low-to-intermediate mass red giants that have been scattered into near-radial orbits and tidally stripped as they approach the central black hole. Such stars retain only low

Here, the ligand binding, activation, and tissue distribution of the orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR92 were studied. GPR92 binds and is activated by compounds based on the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) backbone. The binding of LPA to GPR92 was of high affinity (K(D) = 6.4 +/- 0.9 nM) and led to an increase in both phosphoinositide hydrolysis and cAMP production. GPR92 is atypical in tha

The topography of the antigen-binding site as well as the number and the positioning of the antigen contact residues are strongly correlated with the size of the antigen with which the antibody interacts. On the basis of these considerations, we have designed a focused scFv repertoire biased for haptens, designated the cavity library. The hapten-specific scFv, FITC8, was used as a scaffold for lib

The electrochemical and the electrocatalytic behavior for NADH oxidation of a newly synthesized phenothiazine derivative, 16H,18H-dibenzo[c,1]-7,9-dithia-16,18-diazapentacene (DDDP), adsorbed on solid spectrographic graphite and on graphite powder or on zirconium phosphate (ZP), both entrapped in carbon paste, were compared. Experiments using cyclic voltammetry and a rotating disk electrode, perfo

Whey protein adsorption on stainless steel surfaces was investigated by in situ ellipsometry under well-defined flow conditions and protein solution residence times. The size distribution in solution of the protein aggregates formed under the same conditions was determined by dynamic light scattering. The adsorption was performed at 72 degrees C and 85 degrees C which is below and above the unfold

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus at 6 months and 5 years after shunt Surgery. METHODS: Seventy-five patients (mean age, 72.5 +/- 9 yr), with normal pressure hydrocephalus symptoms were included. Fifty-four patients with positive lumbar infusion and/or cerebrospinal fluid tap tests received a cerebrospinal fluid shunt, whereas 21 patients w

P-mode oscillations in the Sun and stars are excited stochasticly by Reynolds stress and entropy fluctuations produced by convection in their outer envelopes. The excitation increases with increasing effective temperature (until envelope convection ceases in the F stars) and also increases with decreasing gravity.

Background: Training of neuromuscular control has become increasingly important and plays a major role in rehabilitation of subjects with an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Little is known, however, of the influence of this training on knee stiffness during loading. Increased knee stiffness occurs as a loading strategy of ACL-injured subjects and is associated with increased joint

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of stent-graft implantation on the pressure within an abdominal aortic aneurysm. METHODS: Aneurysm exclusion was performed using an aorto-uniiliac stent-graft in eight patients. Following stent-graft implantation, pressure measurements were performed through a catheter adjacent to the graft in the aneurysm. This "aneurysm pressure" was compared with radial arterial

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a locus-specific dual DNA probe (LSI EGR-1SO/D5S23SG) for chromosome 5 was used in combination with morphology to study bone marrow cell lineage involvement of the abnormal chromosomal clone in 13 patients with deletion 5q[del(5q)], either as a sole aberration or as part of a complex karyotype, and in six cases with monosomy 5 by metaphase cytogenetic

Examples from Czech and Swedish conversations illustrate how conversationalists use quotations when they define their own identity and when they speak about the identity of the others. The analysis is based on Tannens concept of constructed dialogue where direct quotation is seen as the creation of the speaker rather than the party quoted. The results indicate that quotations can be used strategic

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The issue of weight preoccupation and eating disorders are receiving growing interest in the sport environment. Success in some sports requires an extremely lean appearance, which may lead to pressure from coaches and parents to be thin. Other sports use weight classifications that determine in which group an athlete will compete, requiring him/her to drop several kilos before competition. The aim

Purpose: To describe the clinical phenotype, with emphasis on the electrophysiological findings, of patients with autosomal recessive rod monochromacy (RM) and defined mutations in the CNGA3/CNGB3 genes. Methods: RM patients from eight different families were included in the study. Their genotypes were determined by DNA sequencing and/or RFLP analysis of PCR-amplified genomic segments of the CNGA3

OBJECTIVE: Reverse end-diastolic flow is the most pathological type of the umbilical artery flow velocity waveform. We aimed to investigate whether additional prognostic information can be obtained from umbilical artery waveforms in cases with reverse end-diastolic flow. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Umbilical artery Doppler velocity waveforms from 44 fetuses with reverse end-diastolic flow were analyzed