We consider an iterated function system (with probabilities) of isometrics on an unbounded metric space (X, d). Under suitable conditions it is proved that the random orbit {Z(n)}(ngreater than or equal to0) of the iterations corresponding to an initial point Z(0) is an element of X 'escapes to infinity' in the sense that P(Z(n) is an element of K) --> 0, as n --> infinity for every bounded set K

Chronic exposure to glutamate (glutamate excitotoxicity) exacerbates neuronal damage in the aftermath of stroke and is implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. mitochondria play a central role in the survival or death of the exposed neuron. calcium, oxidative stress and ATP insufficiency play closely interlocked roles that may be investigated with primary neuronal cultures.

Following the identification of metabolite signals in the in vivo MR spectrum, quantification is the procedure to estimate numerical values of their concentrations. The two essential steps are discussed in detail: analysis by fitting a model of prior knowledge, that is, the decomposition of the spectrum into the signals of singular metabolites; then, normalization of these signals to yield concent

Daily home hemodialysis (HD) patients have a much superior survival rate than patients on regular, 3 times a week in-center HD or on peritoneal dialysis. Present-day HD machines are unsuitable for use at home by patients. We present our concept of the ideal home HD machine that allows daily short and long HD, does all the work preparing for and cleaning up after dialysis, has an intravenous infusi

Based on data searches and life-table analyses, we determined the long-term (remaining lifetime) and short-term (10- and 5-year) absolute risks of hip fracture after sustaining a Colles' or spine fracture and searched for potential gender-related differences. In aging men, Colles' fractures carry a higher absolute risk for hip fracture than spinal fractures in contrast to women. These findings sup

Background: We previously found differences in total concentrations of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) in plasma from donors and cancer patients. Because TIMP-1 can exist in more than one molecular form, a new immunoassay to specifically detect free TIMP-1 was developed and concentrations were determined in plasma from healthy donors and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods:

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for the assessment of contractile and noncontractile components of human skeletal muscle is described, and the inter-rater and intra-rater test-retest reliability for repeated measurements from the same MR image are examined. Twenty cross-sectional MR images from the right lower leg were obtained from 30 healthy young men and women (mean age 24.1 years,

The structural basis for the biological specificity of human cystatin C has been investigated. Cystatin C and other inhibitors belonging to family 2 of the cystatin superfamily interact reversibly with target peptidases, seemingly by independent affinity contributions from a wedge-shaped binding region built from two loop-forming inhibitor segments and a binding region corresponding to the N-termi

The highly localized 4f electrons play an important role in forming of the electronic structure and properties of compounds. The 3d photoabsorption and resonant decay spectra of Cs halides represent an interesting case showing both the localized and spatially extended f wave function features. We present and discuss the Cs 3d X-ray absorption and resonant photoelectron emission spectra of the Cs h

Previous investigations of hemispheric processes of word perception provide a mixed picture of the sensitivity of each hemisphere to the familiarity of the visual form of lateralized displays. We investigated this issue by presenting words, pseudowords, and nonwords briefly to either the left (LH) or right (RH) hemisphere in lowercase, uppercase, and a matched, unfamiliar mixed-case form, and used

Cessation of smoking is followed by a rapid rise in plasma HDL concentrations. An earlier study has demonstrated a significant relationship between the increase in HDL concentrations and spontaneous changes in food intake, specifically an increased fat intake. In this investigation we have dissociated the effects of cessation of smoking as such from those of dietary alterations by monitoring plasm

Defensins represent an evolutionarily conserved group of small peptides with potent antibacterial activities. We report here that extracellular proteinases secreted by the human pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus pyogenes release dermatan sulphate by degrading dermatan sulphate-containing proteoglycans, such as decorin. Dermatan sulphate was found to bind to

In a sample of 1358 women and 858 men, >= 60 yr of age who have been followed-up for up to 15 yr, it was estimated that the mortality-adjusted residual lifetime risk of fracture was 44 % for women and 25 % for men. Among those with BMD T-scores = 60 yr of age as of 1989 of white background from the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study were analyzed. The participants have been followed for up to 1

The Euro50 is an extremely large telescope for optical and infrared wavelength with a 50 m primary mirror. It has a segmented, aspherical primary mirror and an aspherical, deformable secondary in a Gregorian layout. A tentative conceptual design exists and has been documented in a study report. Recent activities have concentrated on the science case for extremely large telescopes in the 50 m class

The mammalian heart contains two cardiac myosin isoforms: beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) is found predominantly in the ventricles of large mammals, and alpha-MHC is expressed in the atria. The sequence identity between these isoforms is approximately 93%, with nonidentical residues clustered in discrete, functionally important domains associated with actin binding and ATPase activity. It is well-es

Ellipsometry was used to determine the adsorbed layer thickness (d) and the surface excess (adsorbed amount, Gamma) of a nonionic diblock copolymer, E106B16, of poly(ethylene oxide) (E) and poly(butylene oxide) (13) at the air-water interface. The results were obtained (i) by the conventional ellipsometric evaluation procedure using the change of both ellipsometric angles, T and A and (ii) by usin