The structural change of individual giant double-stranded T4 DNA (165.6 kilobase pairs) molecules as a function of salt concentration was investigated by single molecular observation with fluorescence microscopy in a wide range of concentration of NaCl, 1 x 10(-6)-3 M. The measured long-axis length was transformed into a persistence length and subjected to a power-law analysis, which showed that t

Background: Low competence levels among nursing staff have been associated with lower quality of older people care. However, interventions to improve staff competence have not always been evaluated for their impact on the quality of older people care. An educational intervention in the form of a workplace "toolbox" was shown to have positive effects oil nursing staff competence and work satisfacti

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripiclae), cause very large economic damage on a variety of field and greenhouse crops. In this study, plant resistance against thrips was introduced into transgenic potato plants through the expression of novel, custom-made, multiclomain protease inhibitors. Representative classes of inhibitors of cysteine and aspartic

National policies emphasize older people's right to autonomy, yet nursing home residents often have restricted opportunities to make decisions about everyday matters. We use qualitative interview data to analyze staff members' explanations of actions that conflict with both social norms and national policies. Two types of problematic actions are discussed: restrictions of elderly residents' influe

Background: As the placental vessels are dependent on the normal balance of procoagulant and anticoagulant mechanisms, inherited thrombophilia may be associated with fetal loss. Objectives: We performed a prospective study to investigate the relation between inherited thrombophilia and fetal loss, and the influence of thromboprophylaxis on pregnancy outcome. Patients and methods: Women were enroll

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a multiple congenital anomaly/mental retardation syndrome and it is characterized by an interstitial deletion of chromosome 17p11.2. SMS patients have a distinct phenotype which is believed to be caused by haploinsufficiency of one or more genes in the associated deleted region. Five non-deletion patients with classical phenotypic features of SMS have been reported

Many nitrosamines are suspected of being human carcinogens, with the highest concentrations in the environment being measured in the rubber industry. Time trends of personal exposure to N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and to N-nitrosomorpholine (NMor) during the past two decades in the German rubber industry were analysed and compared with cross-sectional studies in the same period in the Netherland

Background/Aims: This study was designed to examine the role of selectins and CD18 in leukocyte recruitment in hepatic injury induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and galactosamine (Gal) in vivo.Methods: Intravital fluorescence microscopy of the hepatic microcirculation was used to quantify leukocyte-endothelium interactions provoked by 24 h of systemic TNF-alpha/Gal challenge in rat

1 In an asexually reproducing plant (Potamogeton pectinatus L.) the competitive advantage of a larger propagule over a smaller one was determined by a single parameter (alpha, the competitive asymmetry coefficient), independent of sowing density or average propagule size. Competitive advantage was determined by the relative size difference between propagules instead of their absolute difference. 2

An overview of the current trends within protein expression profiling is given where multidimensional separation of both gel and liquid phase techniques linked to mass spectrometry is viewed as a major route in the global proteome mapping. A clear trend in these biochemical developments is the effort to sequence and identify low-abundant protein expressions where assay miniaturization and integrat

Colour vision models require measurement of receptor noise and the absorbance of visual pigments, oil droplets, and ocular media. We have studied how variation in these parameters influences colour matching, spectral sensitivity, and colour discrimination predictions in four bird species. While colour match predictions are sensitive to variation in visual pigment and oil droplet absorbance data, d

A hyperthermia system which has been developed for clinical use is described. Different direct-contact applicators working at the ISM microwave frequency of 915 MHz are used for inducing heat in superficial tumours to a depth of about 3 cm. The system is a further development of an earlier prototype which worked at 2450 MHz. The microwave generator is controlled by a microcomputer governed by temp

Implanted radiotelemetry has been used for the measurement of cortical electroencephalogram (EEG), locomotor activity, body temperature and cardiovascular parameters. This technique allows high quality data acquisition from freely moving animals with no complications of externalised apparatus. This paper focuses on the methodology for short and long-term monitoring of epileptiform activity by simu

Changes in extractability, amount and size distribution of polymeric proteins in the gluten of doughs during mixing were investigated. Ultracentrifugation was used as a non-destructive method to separate the gluten from the dough. Doughs prepared from commercial flour mixtures of different gluten strengths and mixed for varying periods, were analysed. Proteins were detected using RP- and SE-HPLC.

Persistent coagulation activity after an acute myocardial infarction may increase the risk of reinfarction. We prospectively investigated the effects on plasma coagulation of a low, fixed dose of warfarin in combination with aspirin after myocardial infarction. We also evaluated the influence of coagulation activity on clinical outcome. Plasma samples from 97 patients, randomised to 1.25 mg of war

This study demonstrates a method for studying the effects of ethanol on transcription mediated by activating protein-1 (AP-1). The effects of ethanol on AP-1 activity and on the signaling cascades in this process were investigated by using a reporter gene technique with secreted alkaline phosphatase as the reporter gene coupled to nine DNA AP-1-binding elements. Long-term ethanol exposure (48-72 h

The microscopic properties of few interacting cold fermionic atoms confined in a two-dimensional (2D) harmonic trap are studied by numerical diagonalization. For repulsive interactions, a strong shell structure dominates, with Hund's rule acting at its extreme for the midshell configurations. In the attractive case, odd-even oscillations due to pairing occur simultaneously with deformations in the