Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to study the oxidation of syringic acid by laccases from two different sources: Galerina sp. HC1 and Trametes versicolor. Total molar heat of reaction with both enzymes was similar (230kJ/mol for Galerina laccase and 233kJ/mol for Trametes laccase), and was independent of syringic acid concentration. The kinetic parameters of the reaction were calcul

The article is intended to give a short overview of epidemiological data on cancer risks associated with very low absorbed doses of ionising radiation. The linear no-threshold (LNT) approach to estimate cancer risks involves the use of epidemiological data at higher doses (>100 mSv), but is supported by data from lower exposure of more sensitive population groups like fetuses and children and the

The feasibility of temperature and concentration measurements using near-IR (similar to 1.5 mu m) water spectra obtained by fiber laser intracavity spectroscopy was evaluated. The spectra were registered with water vapor heated in a tubular oven at temperatures between 1000 and 1300 K and in adiabatic flames where temperatures were above 1800 K. Adiabatic flames of methane were stabilized on the h

The Heat Flux method was further developed to significantly reduce its experimental uncertainty and used to determine burning velocities under conditions when the net heat loss from the flame to the burner is zero. Non-stretched flames were stabilized on a perforated plate burner at 1 atm. Measurements of the adiabatic burning velocity of methane air flames at initial mixture temperatures of 318 K

Complement components and their cascade of reactions are important defense mechanisms within both innate and adaptive immunity. Many complement deficient patients still remain undiagnosed because of a lack of high throughput screening tools. Aiming towards neonatal proteome screening for immunodeficiencies, we used a multiplex profiling approach with antibody bead arrays to measure 9 complement pr

Experimental results of the saturated-flow boiling critical heat flux (CHF) in microchannels for both multi- and single-channel configurations were obtained from the literature. The collected database contains 629 data points, covering five halogenated refrigerants, nitrogen, and water, for a wide range of operational conditions, and different microchannel dimensions. The whole database was analyz

The relationship between hypertrophy, perfusion abnormalities and fibrosis is unknown in young patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Since mounting evidence suggests causal relationship between myocardial ischemia and major adverse cardiac events, we sought to investigate whether (1) regional myocardial perfusion is decreased in young HCM patients and in individuals at risk of HCM, and

In the in vitro motility assay, actin filaments are propelled by surface-adsorbed myosin motors, or rather, myosin motor fragments such as heavy meromyosin (HMM). Recently, efforts have been made to develop actomyosin powered nanodevices on the basis of this assay but such developments are hampered by limited understanding of the HMM adsorption geometry. Therefore, we here investigate the HMM adso

Whereas patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have a well-documented susceptibility to infections, this has been less studied in other B-cell disorders, such as Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). We investigated the humoral immunity to 24 different pathogens in elderly patients with MM (n = 25), WM (n = 16), and MGUS (n = 18) and in ag

In times of ongoing urbanisation and unabated climate change, cities face increasing demands for improvements in urban climate change governance. This article investigates the activities of transnational municipal networks that were set up in response to climate change and analyses their potential to influence local climate governance. On the basis of a conceptualisation of transnational municipal

Glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone released as a bioactive peptide from intestinal L-cells in response to eating. It acts on target cells and exerts several functions as stimulating insulin and inhibiting glucagon. It is quickly deactivated by the serine protease dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) as an important regulatory mechanism. GLP-1 analogues are used as antidiabetic drug

We present a method for remote classification of birds based on eye-safe fluorescence lidar techniques. Mechanisms of quenching are discussed. Plumage reflectance is related to plumage fluorescence. Laboratory measurements on reflectance and fluorescence are presented, as well as test-range measurements. Also we present examples of birds' in-flight lidar returns. The methods are suitable for studi

Cooling methods are needed for the turbine blade tips to ensure a long durability and safe operation. A common way to cool the tip is to design serpentine passages with 180-deg turn under the blade tip-cap taking advantage of the three-dimensional turning effect and impingement like flow. Improved internal convective cooling is therefore required to increase the blade tip life. In the present stud

The structure of single wall peptide nanotubes is presented for the model surfactant-like peptide A(6)K. Capillary flow alignment of a sample in the nematic phase at high concentration in water leads to oriented X-ray diffraction patterns. Analysis of these, accompanied by molecular dynamics simulations, suggests the favourable self-assembly of antiparallel peptide dimers into beta-sheet ribbons t

Objective: GH and IGFs have mitogenic properties, causing speculation that GH treatment could increase risk of malignancy. While studies in GH-treated childhood cancer survivors have suggested a slight increase in second neoplasms, studies in GH-treated adults have been equivocal. Design: Incidence of de novo and second cancers was evaluated in 6840 GH-treated and 940 non GH-treated adult patients

Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is presumed to be central to the altered responsiveness to recurrent infection in these patients. We examined the effects of smoke priming underlying the exacerbated response to viral infection in mice. Lack of interleukin-33 (IL-33) signaling conferred complete protection during exacerbation and prevented enhan

Genetic variants associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PEC/EC). This nationwide study aimed to determine whether VTE shares familial susceptibility with PEC/EC.

Background: Respiratory tract deposition of air pollution particles is a key to their adverse health effects. This study was aimed to determine the size-resolved deposition fraction (DF) of sooty wood smoke particles in the lungs of healthy subjects. The type of wood smoke investigated is typical for household air pollution from solid fuels, which is among the largest environmental health problems