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We have implemented and compared four biologically motivated self-organizing haptic systems based on proprioception. All systems employ a 12-d.o.f. anthropomorphic robot hand, the LUCS Haptic Hand 3. The four systems differ in the kind of self- organizing neural network used for clustering. For the mapping of the explored objects, one system uses a Self-Organizing Map (SOM), one uses a Growing Cel
During 2000 and 2001, an outbreak of human salmonellosis occurred in Sweden and Norway, caused by Salmonella livingstone. In this study, the genotypic differences between three strains obtained from food sources during the outbreak, two human strains and 27 more or less unrelated strains were analysed, using the three methods; automated ribotyping, pulsed field get electrophoresis (PFGE) and rando
The clinical picture with its pathological correlate was analysed in 16 patients fulfilling consensus criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The cases were part of a larger cohort (n = 200) of patients within a prospective longitudinal study of dementing disorders. Six cases exhibited not only Lewy bodies (LBs) but also other brain pathologies such as Alzheimer changes, multiple infarcts or
1. The ability to resist infection is an important component of survival and lifetime reproductive success. Mounting and maintaining an immunological defence is assumed to be energetically costly and nutritional resources expended on immune function may induce trade-offs with other energetically expensive functions, including reproduction. Resource limitation may even have transgenerational effect
The plasminogen activating system is involved in tumor growth and metastasis by degradation of extracellular matrix, and modulation of cell adhesion and migration. Benign and well-differentiated malignant ovarian tumors present as cystic lesions with preserved glandular morphology, whereas poorly differentiated tumors and metastases are solid with characteristic absence of glandular morphology. We
When restoring former agricultural land to more low-nutrient input ecosystems, the establishment of a plant community can be enhanced by sowing desirable species. In this study our aim was to determine whether management of the plant community influences the microarthropod community. We carried out a field experiment in three European countries on set-aside arable land and determined soil mites fr
Stimulation around the superior cerebellar peduncle or within the deep cerebellar nuclei is known to inhibit the inferior olive with a very long latency. It has been suggested that this inhibition is mediated by the GABA-ergic nucleo-olivary pathway, but alternative explanations such as activation of an indirect excitatory pathway or a pathway via the red nucleus are possible. A long-latency inhib
A feasibility study and two interlaboratory exercises on the determination of selected heterocyclic amines (HAs) in beef extract, organised in the framework of a European project, are presented. The aim of these exercises was to improve the quality of the laboratories and to evaluate the performance of a standardised analytical method and also the methods currently used by each of the participants
Inactivation of the hormone-sensitive lipase gene (HSL) confers male sterility with a major defect in spermatogenesis. Several forms of HSL are expressed in testis. HSLtes mRNA and protein are found in early and elongated spermatids, respectively. The other forms are expressed in diploid germ cells and interstitial cells of the testis. To determine whether the absence of the testis-specific form o
The receptor pharmacology of amperozide was investigated with in vitro radioligand binding technique. Amperozide possessed a high affinity to the 5-HT2 receptors (Ki = 16.5 +/- 2.1 nM) and a moderate affinity to alpha 1-adrenergic receptors of rat cerebral cortical membranes (Ki = 172 +/- 14 nM). The affinity of amperozide for striatal and limbic dopamine D2 receptors was low and not significantly
Background Airway diseases in hairdressers are a concern. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the risk for three respiratory symptoms, wheeze, dry cough, and nasal blockage, in hairdressers. Methods A questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, atopy, smoking, and work history was answered by 3,957 female hairdressers and 4,905 women from the general population as referents. Incidence ra
Degradation of toxaphene in soil from both newly contaminated (from Sweden) and aged spills (from Nicaragua) were studied. The newly contaminated soil contained approximately 11 mg kg(-1) toxaphene while the aged Nicaraguan soil contained approximately 100 mg kg-1. Degradation was studied in anaerobic bioreactors, some of which were supplied with lactic acid and others with Triton (R) X-114. In th
Fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF-8) is expressed at an increased level in a high proportion of prostate cancers and it is associated with a poor prognosis of the disease. Our aim was to study the effects of FGF-8b on proliferation of PC-3 prostate cancer cells and growth of PC-3 tumors, and to identify FGF-8b-associated molecular targets. Expression of ectopic FGF-8b in PC-3 cells caused a 1.5-fold
In peatlands the balance between litter input and decay loss in the oxic acrotelm determines the rate of carbon input to the anoxic catotelm with carbon lost at very slow rate. In the acrotelm the C/N-quotient decreases with depth and indicates the loss of carbon from the acrotelm. On one boreo-nemoral and three subalpine ombrotrophic bogs in Sweden the carbon losses in the acrotelm plus the appar
In nuclear reactors plutonium and transplutonium isotopes are produced by multiple neutron capture of uranium and plutonium and are important for the energy production and their composition reflects the core burnout. Under normal operation these elements are not released to the environment in significant amounts. There are accordingly very few areas or source terms where exotic transplutonium elem
Background The national hip registers of the Nordic countries provide an opportunity to compare age- and sex-standardized annual incidence of primary total hip replacement (THR) and types of implants used for primary hip osteoarthritis (OA) in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Methods The data on THR were from the national total hip replacement registries, and population data were from
Background: Sotos syndrome is an overgrowth syndrome characterized by macrocephaly, advanced bone age, characteristic facial features, and learning disabilities, caused by mutations or deletions of the NSD1 gene, located at 5q35. Sotos syndrome has been described in a number of patients with autism spectrum disorders, suggesting that NSD1 could be involved in other cases of autism and macrocephaly
