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The present study deals with the question of cult locales in city gate contexts in Iron Age Palestine. Both archaeological and biblical sources are analysed in order to determine the presence of gate cult locales and indicate some directions of interpretation. A general framework for the archaeological identification of cult (as proposed by Colin Renfrew and others) is discussed and applied within

AimTo identify the factors responsible for the low health-related quality of life associated with foot ulcers and the relative importance of these factors. MethodsA total of 1232 patients with a new foot ulcer, who presented at one of the 14 centres in 10 European countries participating in the Eurodiale study, were included in this cross-sectional study. Patient and ulcer characteristics were obt

Background: Embryonic stem cells (ESC) have the capacity to self-renew and remain pluripotent, while continuously providing a source of a variety of differentiated cell types. Understanding what governs these properties at the molecular level is crucial for stem cell biology and its application to regenerative medicine. Of particular relevance is to elucidate those molecular interactions which gov

Ad4BP/SF-1 (Adrenal4 Binding Protein/Steroidogenic Factor-1 (NR5A1)) is a factor important for animal reproduction and endocrine regulation, and its expression is tightly regulated in the gonad, adrenal gland, ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), and pituitary gonadotrope. Despite its functional significance in the pituitary, the mechanisms underlying pituitary-specific expression of the gene

A DNA variation in the coding region of the human cystatin C gene has been detected by direct sequencing. The polymorphism, a G/A transition, leads to an Ala/Thr variation in the penultimate amino acid of the signal peptide. The base substitution results in the loss of a SstII restriction site, thus allowing the design of a rapid polymerase chain reaction assay for analysis of this polymorphism in

Girls take up smoking at least as frequently as boys. Few studies have focused on gender differences in the impact of adolescent smoking. We evaluated the sex-specific effect of adolescent smoking on respiratory symptoms and lung function. All students in junior high and high schools in Nord-Trondelag County Norway, 1995-97, were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. Information on sm

Protein inhibitors of proteolytic enzymes regulate proteolysis and prevent the pathological effects of excess endogenous or exogenous proteases. Cysteine proteases are a large family of enzymes found throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Disturbance of the equilibrium between cysteine proteases and natural inhibitors is a key event in the pathogenesis of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporo

Introduction To achieve any possible positive effect on the intestinal mucosa cells it is important that probiotics adhere tightly onto the intestinal mucosa. It has been shown in healthy volunteers that Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp 299v) (DSM 9843), a probiotic bacterium, given orally in a fermented oatmeal formula adheres onto the intestinal mucosa, but whether this also occurs in critically

Angle-resolved resonant Auger-electron spectroscopy has been carried out on the nitrogen molecule at selected photon energies around 419 eV, where a 1s core electron and two valence electrons are promoted into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital 1pi(g). Significant enhancement of a specific band, which cannot be disentangled in direct photoionization, is observed at a binding energy of 37.6 eV

This article estimates the societal cost of alcohol consumption in Sweden in 2002, as well as the effects on health and quality of life. The estimation includes direct costs, indirect costs and intangible costs. Relevant cost-of-illness methods are applied using the human capital method and prevalence-based estimates, as suggested in existing international guidelines, allowing cautious comparison

Processing of the recycling proteoglycan glypican-1 involves the release of its heparan sulfate chains by copper ion- and nitric oxide-catalyzed ascorbate-triggered autodegradation. The Alzheimer disease amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its paralogue, the amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2), contain copper ion-, zinc ion-, and heparan sulfate-binding domains. We have investigated the possi

This article explores to what extent married middle-aged individuals in Europe are governed by the risk of experiencing divorce, when shaping their physical appearance. The main result is that divorce risks, proxied by national divorce rates, are negatively connected to body mass index (BMI) among married individuals but unrelated to BMI among singles. Hence, it seems that married people in societ

The biochemistry and molecular genetics underlying the related carbohydrate blood group antigens P, P(k), and LKE in the GLOB collection and P1 in the P blood group system are complex and not fully understood. Individuals with the rare but clinically important erythrocyte phenotypes P(1)k and P(2)k lack the capability to synthesize P antigen identified as globoside, the cellular receptor for Parvo

The aerosol in the Amazon basin is dominated throughout the year by organic matter, for the most part soluble in water. In this modeling study, we show how the knowledge of water-soluble organic compounds (WSOC) and the associated physical and chemical properties (e.g. solubility, surface tension, dissociation into ions) affect the hygroscopic growth and activation of the aerosol in this area. The