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Background: Clinical tools to diagnose the early changes of osteoarthritis (OA) that occur in the articular cartilage are lacking. Objectives: We sought to identify and quantify a novel cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) neoepitope in the synovial fluid from the joints of healthy horses and those with different stages of OA. Study design: In vitro quantitative proteomics and assay developm

Two gluten-free snacks containing chickpea, plantain, and maize flours at different concentrations were prepared. The impact of chickpea or plantain flour level on weight gain, insulin resistance, and serum lipid profile of rats fed a high-fructose diet was evaluated. A dose of 0.93 g/kg was used in the experiments to simulate the snack consumption level by humans (average content of a small packa

Biophotovoltaic devices modified with immobilized polymeric osmium/azine redox-mediators exhibited a considerable electrical output enhancement (64/43-fold under light/dark conditions, respectively). More importantly, the systems exhibited uninterrupted current generation at same magnitude levels during day/night cycles, paving the way toward solar energy conversion bio-panels that will not requir

We test the hypothesis that climatic changes since 1800 have resulted in unrealized potential vegetation changes that represent a "climatic debt" for many ecosystems. Caledonian pinewoods, an EU priority forest type, are used as a model system to explore potential impacts of two centuries of climatic change upon sites of conservation importance and surrounding landscapes. Using methods that estima

While angiosperm clocks can be described as an intricate network of interlocked transcriptional feedback loops, clocks of green algae have been modelled as a loop of only two genes. To investigate the transition from a simple clock in algae to a complex one in angiosperms, we performed an inventory of circadian clock genes in bryophytes and charophytes. Additionally, we performed functional charac

Circulating syndecans are proposed to be markers of glycocalyx degradation and previous investigations have found higher plasma levels of syndecan-1 among patients with different pathological conditions. We wanted to investigate if levels of other syndecans (-2,-3 and -4) are altered during critical illness and compare the levels to syndecan-1. In 137 consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) patients

Along with the global decline of species richness goes a loss of ecological traits. Associated biotic homogenization of animal communities and narrowing of trait diversity threaten ecosystem functioning and human well-being. High management intensity is regarded as an important ecological filter, eliminating species that lack suitable adaptations. Below-ground arthropods are assumed to be less sen

The outstanding success of structural biology within the last two decades is closely related to the development and evolution of macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines. Indeed, many of today's synchrotron-based MX experimental sessions aim for fast but rigorous evaluations and data collections from very large numbers of samples [1–7]. To facilitate this, sample changing on most MX beamlines

A model for fixed-bed drying of bark has been developed. The model takes heat and mass transfer between the air and bark into account and the volumetric heat transfer coefficient was used as fitting parameter in the model. The assumption of adiabatic saturation of the air leads to too high drying rates but a model with three size fractions shows good agreement both between experimental laboratory

Background: The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative has defined four core outcome domains for a core outcome set (COS) to be measured in all atopic eczema (AE) trials to ensure cross-trial comparison: clinical signs, symptoms, quality of life and long-term control. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to report on the consensus process that was used to select the core instrum

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) can achieve zero exhaust emission and zero pollution. In order to make FCEV reach a farther travel distance, greater demands are put on its pressure reducing system. In this paper, a two-step high pressure reducing system for FCEV is proposed. The system is made up of two parts, a new high multi-stage pressure reducing valve (HMSPRV) and a multi-stage muf

Towards a theory of regional diversification: combining insights from Evolutionary Economic Geography and Transition Studies. Regional Studies. This paper develops a theoretical framework of regional diversification by combining insights from Evolutionary Economic Geography and Transition Studies. It argues that a theory of regional diversification should not only build on the current understandin

This article explores the implications of a blended agroecology and gender education within Brazil’s Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST). The discussion is first situated within MST’s struggle for land and for peasant families’ livelihoods, generally, and under neoliberalism, specifically. Central to the struggle against neoliberalism have been critical educational models that evolved towards a

BACKGROUND: The changes in ventricular repolarization gradients lead to significant alterations of the electrocardiographic body surface T waves up to the T wave inversion. However, the contribution of a specific gradient remains to be elucidated. The objective of the present investigation was to study the role of the transmural repolarization gradient in the inversion of the body surface T wave w