The incretin - glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) - and the pro-inflammatory cytokine osteopontin are known to have important roles in the regulation of adipose tissue functions. In this work we show that GIP stimulates lipogenesis and osteopontin expression in primary adipocytes. The GIP-induced increase in osteopontin expression was inhibited by the NFAT (the transcription factor

The objective of this study was to explain the contribution of lower extremity muscle activity to gait kinetic and kinematic adaptations for maintaining gait dynamic balance when walking on an inclined icy surface and the biomechanical mechanisms used to counteract slip risk. A two-way factorial experimental design was applied. The two independent variables were the walkway surface (ice and treadm

Background: Therapeutic fluids used in intensive care can have profound effects on coagulation, not only by dilution itself but also by other more complicated interactions. The aim of this in vitro study was to monitor the extent of dilutive coagulopathy induced by the most common therapeutic fluids and to attempt normalization of haemostasis by fibrinogen addition. Methods: 8 patients were re

Detailed understanding of biological systems governing specific mechanisms and pathways is essential in the development of novel disease therapies. Stimulus-secretion coupling in hormone secreting cells is a complex system of pathways that link activation of cellular processes by i.e. nutrients to the release of hormone. Stimulus-secretion coupling in the insulin secreting beta-cell is intensely r

We use three-flavour hard pion Chiral Perturbation Theory (HPChPT) in both the heavy meson and a relativistic formulation to calculate the chiral logarithms m(2) log (m(2)/mu(2)) contributing to the formfactors of the B-(s) -> pi, K, eta and D-(s) -> pi, K, eta transitions at momentum transfer q(2) away from the endpoint q(max)(2) = (m(B) - m(M))(2). We compare our results with CLEO D -> pi and D

Understanding the relationships between climate and carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems is critical to predict future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide because of the potential accelerating effects of positive climate-carbon cycle feedbacks. However, directly observed relationships between climate and terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere across biomes and continents are lacking. H

There has been extensive research about single link multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels, both simulated and measured, but only a few studies have targeted multilink analysis with measured channel data. Hence, in this presented report, the authors analyse the influence of spatial separation of user terminals and the human shadowing effect on the MIMO capacity and on the signal-to-interfe

Cationic liposome-DNA (CL-DNA) complexes, are regarded as promising materials for safe and efficient delivery of genes for therapeutical applications. In order to be used in vivo, these complexes may be coated with a hydrophilic polymer (e.g. polyethylene-glycol, PEG) that provides steric stabilization towards adhesion of proteins and removal by the immune system. In this work we study the influen

Direct electron transfer reactions of Bacillus halodurans bacterial multicopper oxidase on bare spectrographic graphite, as well as bare and thiol-modified gold electrodes were studied using cyclic voltammetry, potentiometry, amperometry, and spectroelectrochemistry. The redox potential of the T1 site of the enzyme was measured using mediatorless redox titration and found to be 325 mV +/- 10 mV vs

Theoretical investigations of the hyperfine quenching of the two metastable levels 1s(2)2s(2)2p(6)3s3p P-3(0) and P-3(2) have been performed along the magnesium-like iso-electronic sequence ranging from Z = 12 to Z = 31. It is shown that the lifetime of the latter level is sensitive to hyperfine quenching in the beginning of the sequence, but that this sensitivity decreases going to higher Z. It i

The sub-cell-fix (SCF) method proposed by Russo and Smereka(3) computes the distance function of the cells adjacent to the zero level-set without disturbing the original zero level-set. A modified sub-cell-fix scheme independent of local curvature is developed in this paper, which makes use of a combination of the points adjacent to zero level-set surfaces and preserves the interface in a second-o

We report conductance and supercurrent of InAs nano wires coupled to Al-superconducting electrodes with short channel lengths and good Ohmic contacts. The nanowires are suspended 15 nm above a local gate electrode. The charge density in the nanowires can be controlled by a small change in the gate voltage. For large negative gate voltages, the number of conducting channels is reduced gradually, an

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a risk factor for fractures and much of the fracture preventive effort today is devoted to preventing low BMD. Physical activity (PA) has been described as one of the best strategies to optimize skeletal development in the growing child. However, most exercise intervention studies in children have involved the use of volunteers and specifically designed high impac

All species of Hieracium sectt. Hieracium, Vulgata (incl. Bifida) and Oreadea originally described from the Nordic countries, but reported in recent accounts as occuring in the British Isles, have been scrutinised based on specimens and published descriptions. Out of 29 species stated as occurring in Britain and native to Fennoscandia, only four are confirmed (H. caesiomurorum, H. oistophyllum, H.

The interaction of parameters determining the potential emissions of two different mechanically-biologically pretreated municipal solid wastes (MBT wastes) is elucidated in this work. The origins of the wastes are Germany and Sweden. By means of lab-scale experiments, increased stabilisation through composting is preferably determined by a decrease in respiration activity. Concurrently, the stabil

A multidisciplinary study of the implementation potential of a biorefinery, using forestry residues as feedstock, is performed by assessing techno-economic factors, system integration and feedstock supply. The process is based on biochemical conversion of logging residues to produce ethanol, biogas, pellets, heat and electricity. Nine models were designed in Aspen Plus based on the available feeds

In the private as well as the public sectors, mergers are common events. Yet, research on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is based primarily on studies from the private sector, and it is assumed that conclusions from this context are valid for any context. In this article, the characteristics of resistance in public sector mergers is explored. Resistance is a central aspect in the M&A liter

A compression cell designed to fit inside an NMR spectrometer was used to investigate (i) the in situ dynamic strain response and structural changes of the internal pore network, and (ii) the diffusion and flow of interstitial water, in full thickness cartilage samples as they were mechanically deformed under a constant compressive load (pressure) and then allowed to recover (swell again) when the

An antenna Q optimization procedure using single frequency method of moments simulation integrated into a genetic algorithm is presented. This procedure is applied to a simplified model that describes the geometry of many mobile terminals in use nowadays. The predicted Q factors show good agreement with those obtained by simulation with a commercial tool. Furthermore, the results are close to the