The overall structure of the biogenic amine subclass of the G-protein-coupled receptors, and of their ligand binding sites, is discussed with the aim of highlighting the major structural features of these receptors that are responsible for ligand recognition. A comparison is made between biogenic amine receptors, peptide receptors of the rhodopsin class, and the secretin receptors which all have p

Two quasi steady-state solute transport experiments were carried out in a loamy sand under field conditions. The flux was 40 mm/d in experiment I and 18.7 mm/d in experiment 2. Both water content (theta) and resident concentration (C-r) measurements were taken using 64 time domain reflectometry probes at depths ranging from 0.05 to 0.90 m. The C-r measurement was calibrated in situ for each probe

This study aims to demonstrate the potential of a process-based regional ecosystem model, LPJ-GUESS, driven by climate scenarios generated by a regional climate model system (RCM) to generate predictions useful for assessing effects of climatic and CO2 change on the key ecosystem services of carbon uptake and storage. Scenarios compatible with the A2 and B2 greenhouse gas emission scenarios of the

We used radio-telemetry to study autumn migratory flight initiation and orientation in relation to wind and air pressure in a nocturnal passerine migrant, the reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus at Falsterbo, southwest Sweden. The majority of the reed warblers departed in the expected migratory direction towards south of southwest, while a low number of the birds took off in reverse directions be

Variation of PCO2 with concomitant changes in extracellular pH (pHo) may modulate cerebrovascular resistance, but the direct actions of carbon dioxide and pHo on human cerebral arteries are unknown. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of different carbon dioxide tensions (2.7, 4.2 and 7.2 kPa) with either fixed (pHo = 7.44) or concomitant changes in pHo, on contractions induced by depolar

Notch signaling plays an essential role in the processes of embryogenesis and cellular differentiation, and it is believed that the oncogenic effects of dysregulated Notch signaling are an anomalous reflection of the normal functions of this cascade. Nonetheless, the cellular events associated with oncogenic Notch signaling have thus far remained elusive. In a recent report, Ferres-Marco et al.((1

In immunohistochemical studies on rat two types of nerve fibres, both showing substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity, have been localized in the sphenopalatine ganglion, the principal cells of which contain both vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and choline acetyltransferase. One fine-calibre fibre type forms basket-like arrangements around approximately 3-5% of the

Polymer gel dosimeters of different formulations were manufactured from different monomers of acrylamide, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate. Gelatin and agarose were used as the gelling agents and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide was used as a co-monomer in each polymer gel dosimeter. The T2 dependence of each dosimeter wa

BACKGROUND: Inter-atrial conduction disturbance is associated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF), although little is known about the anatomy of the inter-atrial connections. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-seven hearts from in-hospital deaths were examined and stratified in two groups with regard to their history of AF. Measurements of atrial weight were performed after excising the atria a

Purpose: Breast carcinomas expressing basal epithelium cytokeratins constitute a tumor subgroup that is typically hormone receptor negative and shows a distinct gene expression profile. Based on variable basal cytokeratin immunostaining patterns, we hypothesized that the "basal phenotype" tumor group may comprise more than one biological entity. Experimental Design: Basal cytokeratins 5 and 14 (CK

This article presents a rational institutionalist account of why the Commission and the ECJ vary in their capacity to pursue successfully a supranational agenda. In the empirical part, the explanatory power of this approach is illustrated through a comparison of the Commission's and the ECJ's autonomy in the pursuit of a joint agenda in EU enforcement. The article suggests that the EU as a strateg

In this study, the results from three Nordic linkage disequilibrium screens in multiple sclerosis (MS) were investigated, in a new sample set of 314 Nordic MS trios from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Among 30 non-HLA and two HLA microsatellite markers individually genotyped, eight markers displayed distorted transmission with uncorrected P-value

Care of haemophilic patients has dramatically improved during the past 40-50 years. Clotting factor concentrates have become much safer. Expensive treatments such as prophylaxis, immune-tolerance induction, the use of bypassing agents in inhibitor patients, and the replacement of joints have become available. However, there is still a shortage of factor concentrate, and we are yet to discover the

The mechanism of activation for protein kinase B (PKB), an important target for insulin signaling, has been scarcely investigated in primary cells. In this study, we have characterized the insulin-induced phosphorylation and activation of PKB beta in primary rat adipocytes. Insulin stimulation resulted in a translocation of PKB beta from cytosol to membranes, and phosphorylation and activation of

Objective: To compare the effects of low-dose transdermal estradiol (E2)/norethisterone acetate (NETA) patches (Estalis 25/125) with low-dose oral E2/NETA (Activelle) on cardiovascular biochemical markers after 12 and 52 weeks of treatment in postmenopausal women with intact uteri. Design: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either transdermal E2/NETA (delivering daily doses of 25 [mu]

The power expenditure of flapping flight in birds is characterised by a U-shaped function of speed through the air. From this relationship and the assumption of limited power available from flight muscles, it is possible to predict changes in the birds' airspeed in relation to external factors such as wind. These predictions are derived from flight mechanical theory and optimality criteria concern

Using quantum dot artificial atoms as a simple toy model, we reflect on the question of whether spin density functional theory (SDFT) can accurately describe correlation effects in low-dimensional fermion systems. Different expressions for the local density approximation of the exchange-correlation energy for the two-dimensional electron gas, such as the much-used functional of Tanatar and Ceperle

In the presence of the nonionic alkyloxyethylene surfactant n-dodecylpentaoxyethylene glycol ether (C12E5), the anionic conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxy-butylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl} (PBS-PFP) dissolves in water, leading to a blue shift in fluorescence and dramatic increases in fluorescence quantum yields above the surfactant critical micelle concentratio