Biorefining of crops for production of power, transport fuels, and a diverse array of chemicals has potential for providing significant added economic value to biomass. A shift in the industrial resource base from fossil resources to biomass also requires a shift in the technology base for producing, handling, and processing of raw materials. Biotechnology will play an important role in providing

We report a new strategy toward construction of functional composite materials for fast molecular separation. Molecularly imprinted nanoparticles containing surface-exposed alkyne groups were synthesized by one-pot precipitation polymerization. Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were first coated with a silica shell, and then modified with terminal azide groups. The two types of clickable nanoparticles

We present the first evidence that cats experience visual illusions and that a non-human animal can see illusory motion. In three videos we show cats reacting with hunting behavior when watching the Rotating Snakes illusion. This is taken to mean that cats see illusory motion in this image due to the propensity of cats to pursue movement. This is further supported by a survey where 29% of the resp

Purpose: Identify factors predictive for severe self-reported disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Patients (n = 1910) were sent a questionnaire 5-18 years after disease onset. Outcomes were the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcome Score (RAOS) and physical activity. The tertile of patients most affected by the disease were compared to those les

A new mu-oxo diiron(III) complex of the lithium salt of the pyridine-based unsymmetrical ligand 3-[(3-{[bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino]methyl}-2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl)(pyridin2-ylmethyl)amino] propanoate (LiDPCPMPP), [Fe-2(mu-O)(LiDPCPMPP)(2)](ClO4)(2), has been synthesized and characterized. The ability of the complex to catalyze oxidation of several alkanes and alkenes has been investigated by us

Acoustophoresis is currently in a state of transition from the academic laboratories, moving into the biomedical laboratories and industries. Clear areas of interest are seen in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics, where new approaches to cell handling and purification are emphasized as highly potent areas. This article outlines some of the basic unit operations of acoustophoresis, where applica

The morphogenesis of organs necessarily involves mechanical interactions and changes in mechanical properties of a tissue. A long standing question is how such changes are directed on a cellular scale while being coordinated at a tissular scale. Growing evidence suggests that mechanical cues are participating in the control of growth and morphogenesis during development. We introduce a mechanical

BACKGROUND: Genetic variants in KLK2 and KLK3 have been associated with increased serum concentrations of their encoded proteins, human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and with prostate cancer in older men. Low PSA concentrations in seminal plasma (SP) have been associated with low sperm motility. To evaluate whether KLK2 and KLK3 genetic variants affect p

Species with a large adult-offspring size ratio and a preferred predator-prey mass ratio undergo ontogenetic trophic niche shift(s) throughout life. Trophic interactions between such species vary throughout life, resulting in different species-level interaction motifs depending on the maximum adult sizes and population size distributions. We explore the assembly and potential for coexistence of sm

We studied the impact of a family history of type 2 diabetes on physical fitness, lifestyle factors and diabetes-related metabolic factors. The Prevalence, Prediction and Prevention of Diabetes (PPP)-Botnia study is a population-based study in Western Finland, which includes a random sample of 5,208 individuals aged 18 to 75 years identified through the national Finnish Population Registry. Physic

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a signalling molecule in the interstitial space in pancreatic islets. We examined the expression and function of the GABA signalling system components in human pancreatic islets from normoglycaemic and type 2 diabetic individuals. METHODS: Expression of GABA signalling system components was studied by microarray, quantitative PCR analysis, immunohi

Molecular characterization of malignant plasma cells is increasingly important for diagnostic and therapeutic stratification in multiple myeloma (MM). However, the malignant plasma cells represent a relatively small subset of bone marrow cells, and need to be enriched prior to analysis. Currently, the cell surface marker CD138 (SDC1) is used for this enrichment, but has an important limitation in

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) for fasting glucose (FG) and insulin (FI) have identified common variant signals which explain 4.8% and 1.2% of trait variance, respectively. It is hypothesized that low-frequency and rare variants could contribute substantially to unexplained genetic variance. To test this, we analyzed exome-array data from up to 33,231 non-diabetic individuals of European a

Background: The US Environmental Protection Agency voluntary phased-out residential use of chlorpyrifos in 2001. In contrast, in Costa Rica, chlorpyrifos-treated bags are increasingly used to protect banana and plantain fruits from insects and to fulfill product standards, even in populated areas. Objectives: To evaluate children's exposure to chlorpyrifos in villages situated nearby banana planta