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Biomagnification and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener distribution was examined in a predator-prey, host-parasite system, in which Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) preyed upon sprat (Sprattus sprattus). Eubothrium crassum was an intestinal parasite in salmon that also "preyed upon" sprat, because the parasites gained access to foodstuffs via the host (salmon) gut. Salmon contained significantl

By the sequential action of dCTP deaminase and dUTPase, dCTP is converted to dUMP, the precursor of thymidine nucleotides. In addition, dUTPase has an essential role as a safeguard against uracil incorporation in DNA. The putative dCTP deaminase (MJ0430) and dUTPase (MJ1102) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii were overproduced in Escherichia coli. Unexpectedly, we fo

The retrovirus forms its envelope by budding at the plasma membrane (PM). This process is primarily driven by its cytoplasmic core-precursor protein, Gag, as shown by the efficient formation of virus-like Gag particles in the absence of its envelope protein, Env. Most interestingly, several studies have demonstrated incorporation of various PM proteins into retrovirus, but the underlying mechanism

The structure and phase behavior of oppositely charged macroions in solution have been studied with Monte Carlo simulations using the primitive model where the macroions and small ions are described as charged hard spheres. Size and charge symmetric, size asymmetric, and charge asymmetric macroions at different electrostatic coupling strengths are considered, and the properties of the solutions ha

Aim: To identify important predictors among lifestyle behaviours and physiological factors of bone mineral density (BMD) in relation to body mass index (BMI) among young women over a 2-year period. Design, sample and measurements: Data were collected in 1999 and 2001. Healthy young women (n=152) completed a questionnaire. BMD measurements were performed by DEXA in the calcaneus. The women were su

Objective. To investigate the occurrence of extraarticular manifestations (ExRA) in it well defined community based cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to examine their effect on mortality, Methods. Using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. a retrospective medical record review was conducted of a cohort of 424 cases of RA in Olmsted County, MN, USA, diagnosed du

The organization of the mitochondrial genome is generally very conserved among vertebrates. Because of this, examination of the rare rearrangements which do occur has been suggested as offering a powerful alternative to phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences. Here, we report on an avian mitochondrial rearrangement in a group of oscine passerines (warblers of the genus Phylloscopus).

Inter-atrial conduction delay in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported. However, the area of this conduction delay has not been well identified. The activation time and conduction velocity over the right atrial endocardium were evaluated during sinus rhythm using the CARTO mapping technique in 6 patients with paroxysmal AF (AF group) and 11 patients without history of AF (contro

A major reason for the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across the world is the so-called obesity epidemic, which occurs both in developed and developing countries. However, a large proportion of patients with T2DM in European and, in particular, Asian countries are non-obese. The non-obese T2DM phenotype is characterized by disproportionally reduced insulin secretion and les

Molecular evolution approaches to developing molecules with characteristics particularly suited for specific applications have become important tools in biomedicine and biotechnology. Not only is it possible to identify molecules with specificities that cannot easily be obtained by other means, but it is also possible to fine-tune in an efficient manner the properties for, in principle, any specif

Objective. Our hypothesis states that the reactivity of the cutaneous microcirculation is reduced in patients with hypertension compared with healthy subjects. The objective was to verify the hypothesis by measuring microvascular function in hypertensive patients. Design. The study was a controlled trial with two arms: 15 hypertensives and 15 normotensives were enrolled, aged 30-60 years, and in h

Alarm analysis is the task of finding the root cause of a failure situation in an industrial process. In this article, a new approach for performing alarm analysis using multilevel flow models (MFM) is introduced. This approach is compared with existing methods for alarm analysis using MFM. The result of the alarm analysis presented in this article is a set of explanations that fits the observed s

We propose a rational fabrication method for nanoimprinting moulds by scanning probe lithography. By wet chemical etching, different kinds of moulds are realized on Si( 110) and Si( 100) surfaces according to the Si crystalline orientation. The structures have line widths of about 200 nm with a high aspect ratio. By reactive ion etching, moulds with patterns free from the limitation of Si crystall

Editorial of Film International issue 38: Crime Film & TV

The present study examined the influences of the muscle contraction (MCP) and relaxation (MRP) phases, as well as systole and diastole, on the blood velocity profile and flow in the conduit artery at different dynamic muscle contraction forces. Eight healthy volunteers performed one-legged dynamic knee-extensor exercise at work rates of 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 W at 60 contractions per minute. The ti