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This paper presents finite element analyses of the tensile behaviour of elementary fibres of flax and hemp, focusing on the non-linear tensile behaviour of the fibres and the relationship between the stiffness and the diameter of the fibre. The non-linear tensile behaviour is modelled by introducing dislocations in the helical structure of the cellulose fibrils and assuming that the hemicellulose
Accumulation of Nodularia spumigena toxins by Mytilus edulis was studied during laboratory and mesocosm experiments in order to investigate the possible pathways of nodularin in mussels and calculate toxin budgets. Mussels were exposed to 0.2-15.6 mu g nodularin 1(-1), fed for up to 5 days with Nodularia cells from culture, or blooming in different nutrient-treated seawater. Toxin concentration wa
Blood coagulation factors IX and X are two serine proteases with a similar modular structure. The non-catalytic part of each protein consists of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing module and two modules homologous to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) precursor. We have now found that the NH2-terminal EGF-like module of both factors IX and X inhibits factor Xa formation in a Gla-independ
Purpose: We measured concentrations of human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2), total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA) and percent fPSA to evaluate their relationship to total prostate gland volume, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) volume, total prostate cancer (PCa) volume (CaVol) and the volume of Gleason grades 4/5 cancer (CaVolG14) in the serum of 256 patients with PCa undergoing
The purpose of this study was to investigate by direct measurement the cross-sectional relationship between accelerometer-measured physical activity and peak oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O(2peak): ml . min(-1) . kg(-1)), in a population-based cohort of young children, since such data are scarce. The study included 468 children (246 boys, 222 girls) aged 6.7 +/- 0.4 years, recruited from a population-based
Background: Little is known about the associations of metabolic aberrations with malignant melanoma (MM) and nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Objectives: To assess the associations between metabolic factors (both individually and combined) and the risk of skin cancer in the large prospective Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Project (Me-Can). Methods: During a mean follow-up of 12 years of the Me-C
In this case-control study, interview data on smoking habits were available for 179 de novo cases (116 with cytogenetic data) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Smoking habits were compared with a pooled set of population controls and hospital controls (diagnosed with malignant melanoma). Each pack-year of smoking increased the risk of MDS with 1.3% (95% CI 0.1-2.6
Omega-3s are found in oily fish. We have drastically reduced our intake of fish during the last century. Many of us therefore suffer from a deficiency of omega-3s, which has consequences for health. In this review, we focus on structure-functional relationships and the relation of omega-3s to the metabolic syndrome, infertility, and pregnancy.
The Autism – Tics, AD/HD, and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC) is a comprehensive interview for evaluating problems related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), tic disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and common comorbid conditions in children and adolescents. A-TAC telephone interviews were administered to parents of 2,957 children aged nine- or twelve-years, represen
Sphingolipids are abundant in the microvillar membrane of intestinal epithelial cells where they are essential for structural integrity and may act as receptors for toxins, virus and bacteria. Metabolism of dietary and membrane sphingolipids in the intestine generates ceramide, sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, and ceramide-1-phosphate, via the action of alkaline sphingomyelinase, neutral cera
The human L3MBTL gene is located in 20q12, a region that is commonly deleted in myeloproliferative disorders (MPD), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). L3MBTL is highly homologous to the D-lethal(3) malignant brain tumor [D-l(3)mbt] gene, which is a putative tumor-suppressor gene (TSG) identified in Drosophila and which is closely related to the Drosophila sex combs
The LKB1 tumour suppressor kinase phosphorylates and activates a number of protein kinases belonging to the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) subfamily. We have used a modified tandem affinity purification strategy to identify proteins that interact with AMPKalpha, as well as the twelve AMPK-related kinases that are activated by LKB1. The AMPKbeta and AMPKgamma regulatory subunits were associate
There are quite detailed structural data on the extracellular ligand-binding domain and the intramembrane channel-forming domain of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). However, the structure of the intracellular domain, which has variable amino acid sequences in different nAChR subunits, remains unknown. We expressed in Escherichia coli the intracellular loops (between transmembrane fra
We developed nine polymorphic microsatellite loci for the field vole, Microtus agrestis. The number of alleles ranged from five to 15 and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.40 to 1.00. We also tested the microsatellite loci for amplification and polymorphism in the congeneric species Microtus arvalis. Five of the nine loci were successfully analysed in this species. The microsatellite markers
This article investigates three hypotheses suggested in the literature on women's political empowerment, operationalized here as increased legislative representation. These hypotheses are that (1) electoral systems manipulate women's political empowerment; (2) increased popular participation empowers women in particular; and (3) accumulated experience gained over several electoral cycles facilitat
Since July 2007, the world economy has experienced a severe financial crisis that originated in the U.S. housing market. Subsequently, the crisis has spread to financial sectors in European and Asian economies and led to a severe worldwide recession. The existing literature on financial crises rarely distinguishes between factors that create the original strain on the financial sector and factors
Population synchrony over various geographical scales is known from a large number of taxa. Three main hypotheses have been put forward as explanations to this phenomenon. First, correlated environmental disturbances (so called Moran effect). Moran showed that at least for linear models, the population synchrony would exactly match that of the corresponding environment. Second, the migration, or d
