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The effects of environmental stress on the physiology and behaviour of higher vertebrates has become an important avenue of research in recent years. Evidence from recent studies has suggested that the avian stress-related hormone corticosterone (CORT) may play a role in immunocompetence and sexual selection. We tested whether CORT is immunosuppressive by studying humoral and cell-mediated immune

In the present work, a picosecond lidar system aiming at single-ended combustion diagnostics in full-scale combustion devices with limited optical access, such as power plants, is described. The highest overall range resolution of the system was found to be <0.5 cm. A demonstration has been made in a nonsooty and sooty Bunsen burner flame. A well-characterized ethylene flame on a McKenna burner wa

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to transplant lungs that had been topically cooled in the non-heart-beating donor for 6 hours, using the most challenging evaluation method possible, namely single-lung transplantation followed by immediate contralateral pneumonectomy. METHODS: Domestic pigs were used (6 donors and 6 recipients) with a mean body weight of 59 +/- 3 kg. Ventricular fibrillation

Low-molecular weight aliphatic acids, furaldehydes and a broad range of different aromatic compounds are known to inhibit the fermentation of lignocellulose hydrolysates by yeasts. In this work, a cocktail of different lignocellulose-derived inhibitors was used to compare the inhibitor resistance of eleven different industrial and laboratory Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains and two Zygosaccharomyc

Antibody-mimicking synthetic polymers, selective for various optically active amino acid derivatives and peptides, were prepared by noncovalent molecular imprinting. A novel approach, in which the branched, trifunctional cross-linkers pentaerythritol triacrylate and 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)butanol trimethacrylate were copolymerized with methacrylic acid, is described. The polymers were subsequently

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is frequently accompanied by memory impairments and, although their bases are unknown, most research has focused on the hippocampus. The present study investigated the importance of another medial temporal lobe structure, the perirhinal cortex (Prh), in changes in memory in TLE using kindling as a model. Rats were kindled twice daily with anterior Prh stimulation until

In this article, John Locke's accounts of political liberty and legitimate government are read as expressions of a normative demand for non-arbitrariness. I argue that Locke locates infringements of political liberty in dependence on the arbitrary will of another, whether or not interference or restraint actually takes place. This way Locke is tentatively placed in that tradition of republican tho

Cell proliferation and long-term production of monoclonal antibody IgG(2b) by M2139 hybridoma cells immobilized in macroporous gel particles (MGPs) in packed-bed reactor were studied for a period of 60 days. The MGPs were made of supermacroporous gels produced in frozen conditions from crosslinked polyacrylamide and modified with gelatin which were housed in special plastic carriers (7 x 9 mm(2)).

This paper describes a new method for detection and estimation of backlash in control loops. The detection procedure is based on normal operating data. It is not assumed that the output from the backlash is measured. The procedure is automatic in the sense that no information has to be provided from the user to run the procedure. Since an estimate of the dead band caused by the backlash is provide

Pt/CuO/Al2O3 catalysts with 20 wt% CuO and 0.5-4 wt% Pt were prepared and used for the selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia in wet and dry gases and in synthetic biogas with CO, hydrogen, and methane. Imaging of the catalysts with HREM and STEM, combined with elemental analysis, reveals that copper is well dispersed and Occurs in the form of patches on the support. Platinum in the form of nano

Pyromellitic dianhydride-4,4-oxydianiline (PMDA–ODA) polyimide films have been studied using high resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and model semi-empirical INDO/S–CI calculations. Experimental and theoretical C 1s, N 1s, and O 1s spectra are presented, and found to be in good agreement with each other. Shakeup features of the spectra are identified, and their electronic nature analyzed

Simultaneous videoradiography and solid-state manometry (videomanometry) were performed in 8 patients (4 women, 4 men; age range = 46-81 years, mean age = 70 years) with pharyngeal dysfunction in order to disclose any changes in intrabolus pressure during swallowing maneuvers. Five of the patients had severe pharyngeal dysfunction with frequent misdirected swallows. Three of the patients had moder

The phase behavior of the ternary monoolein (MO)-diolein (DO)-water ((H2O)-H-2) system is presented. The experimental phase behavior and microstructure are studied by a combination of polarizing microscopy, small-angle X-ray diffraction, and NMR methods. Monoolein forms extensive reversed bicontinuous cubic liquid crystalline phases (C) that are in equilibrium with a lamellar liquid crystalline ph

A random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) protocol was developed for interlaboratory use to discriminate food-borne Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 from other serogroups of Y. enterocolitica and from Y. enterocolitica-like species. Factors that were studied regarding the RAPD performance were choice of primers and concentration of PCR reagents (template DNA, MgCl2, primer and Taq DNA polymerase). A fa

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) are two closely related neuropeptides that are expressed in islets and in islet parasympathetic nerves. Both peptides bind to their common G-protein-coupled receptors, VPAC1 and VPAC2, and PACAP, in addition to the specific receptor PAC1, all three of which are expressed in islets. VIP and PACAP

Anandamide acts as a full vanilloid receptor agonist in many bioassay systems, but it is a weak activator of primary afferents in the airways. To address this discrepancy, we compared the effect of different vanilloid receptor agonists in isolated airways and mesenteric arteries of guinea pig using preparations containing different phenotypes of the capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerve. We found that

We were the first to demonstrate that combined immunotherapy with GM-CSF producing GL261 cells and recombinant IFNgamma of preestablished GL261 gliomas could cure 90% of immunized mice. To extend these findings and to uncover the underlying mechanisms, the ensuing experiments were undertaken. We hypothesized that immunizations combining both GM-CSF and IFNgamma systemically would increase the numb

Purpose Evaluation of primary tumor-, treatment-, and patient-related factors predicting relapse pattern, risk, and survival after relapse with the aim to design a risk-adapted, tumor- directed surveillance program for patients with localized rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Patients and Methods One thousand one hundred sixty-four patients with nonmetastatic RMS achieved complete remission at the end of mu