Mice with allergically inflamed airways are widely used as animal models of asthma, but their relevance for human asthma is not understood. We, therefore, examined the time course of changes in respiratory input impedance during induced bronchoconstriction in BALB/c mice sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Our results indicate that bronchoconstriction in mice is accompanied by complete closu

A 'simulation' theory of cognitive function can be based on three assumptions about brain function. First, behaviour can be simulated by activating motor structures, as during an overt action but suppressing its execution. Second, perception can be simulated by internal activation of sensory cortex, as during normal perception of external stimuli. Third, both overt and covert actions can elicit pe

Ethanol (C2H5OH) adsorption, decomposition and oxidation is studied on Ir(111) using high-energy resolution, fast XPS and temperature-programmed desorption. During heating of an adsorbed ethanol layer a part of the C2H5OHad desorbs molecularly, and another part remains on the surface and decomposes around 200 K; these two decomposition pathways are identified, as via acetyl (H3C-,C=O) and via COad

Introduction. Assessment of male sexual dysfunction has been the focus of substantial scientific effort. Less research has focused on the development of instruments for the measurement of sexual functioning in aging men. Aim. The aims of this study were: (i) to characterize the psychometric properties of a new brief, reliable, and valid measure of male sexual functioning for use in a large populat

During forward flight, a bird's body generates drag that tends to decelerate its speed. By flapping its wings, or by converting potential energy into work if gliding, the bird produces both lift and thrust to balance the pull of gravity and drag. In flight mechanics, a dimensionless number, the body drag coefficient (C-D,C-par), describes the magnitude of the drag caused by the body. The drag coef

Glucagon, secreted by the a-cells of the pancreatic islets, is the most important glucose-increasing hormone of the body. The precise regulation of glucagon release remains incompletely defined but has been proposed to involve release of inhibitory factors from neighbouring P-cells (paracrine control). However, the observation that glucose can regulate glucagon secretion under conditions when insu

The hormonal system for induction of term and preterm labour is not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated myometrial gene expressions for neurohypophyseal hormones and their receptors, prostaglandin F2 and ovarian steroid receptors in women delivered by Caesarean section. Myometrial tissue for real time PCR was collected from 39 women delivered at term before and after the onset of labour a

Photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PF-LIF) is for the first time demonstrated to be a practical diagnostic tool for detection of hydrogen peroxide. Point measurements as well as two-dimensional (2D) measurements in free-flows, with nitrogen as bath gas, are reported. The present application of the PF-LIF technique involves one laser, emitting radiation of 266 nm wavelength, to dissocia

We start by providing an evolutionary scenario for the emergence of semantics. It is argued that the evolution of anticipatory cognition and theory of mind in the hominids opened up for cooperation about future goals. This cooperation requires symbolic communication. The meanings of the symbols are established via a "meeting of minds." The concepts in the minds of communicating individuals are mod

Scaling methodology represents a problem in assessments of activities of daily living (ADL) and little is known about how the results of these assessments are affected by data treatment principles and statistical methods. The aims of this paper are to: (i) describe alternative ways of transforming a response pattern on ADL into a single number; and (ii) to present and compare different ways of ana

Questions: How is succession on ex-arable land affected by sowing high and low diversity mixtures of grassland species as compared to natural succession? How long do effects persist? Location: Experimental plots installed in the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Methods: The experiment was established on ex-arable land, with five blocks, each containing three

A major bottleneck in understanding zoonotic pathogens has been the analysis of pathogen co-infection dynamics. We have addressed this challenge using a novel direct sequencing approach for pathogen quantification in mixed infections. The major zoonotic food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, with an important reservoir in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of chickens, was used as a model. We inve

BACKGROUND: CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN) are capable of inducing high amounts of type I IFNs with many immunomodulatory properties. Furthermore, type-I IFNs have been proposed to play a key role in mediating effects of CpG-ODN. The precise role of IFN-beta in the immunomodulatory effects of CpG-ODN is not known. OBJECTIVE: Here, we aimed to elucidate the role of IFN-beta in the anti-allergi

The safe application of ionising radiation for diagnosis and therapy requires a high level of knowledge of the underlying processes and of quality assurance. Sophisticated modern equipment can be used effectively for complicated diagnostic and therapeutic techniques only with adequate physics support. In the light of recent analyses and recommendations by national and international societies a joi

A gas chromatographic method was developed to quantify the phytotoxin prehelminthosporol, which is a sesquiterpene metabolite of the plant pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. The toxin was extracted from mycelium or culture filtrates, pre-cleaned using solid phase extraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography as a trimethylsilyl-derivative. The detection limit of the method was 5 ng mul(-)1 (signal t

The present work investigated whether polyamines play a role in the control of the innate immune response in the brain. The first evidence that these molecules may be involved in such a process was based on the robust increase in the expression of the first and rate-limiting enzyme of biosynthesis of polyamines during immune stimuli. Indeed, systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration increas