The detection of contamination such as salt in outdoor high-voltage insulator systems and its subsequent removal are vital for a reliable transmission of electric power. Remote detection of salt on a copper metal surface was carried out by using a mobile laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) Lidar system with a laser wavelength of 355 nm. Detection of salt on a polymeric high-voltage insulat

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is most common in the elderly, and most elderly are thought to be unfit for intensive treatment because of the risk of fatal toxicity. The Swedish Acute Leukemia Registry covers 98% of all patients with AML (non-acute promyelocytic leukemia) diagnosed in 1997 to 2005 (n = 2767), with a median follow-up of 5 years, and reports eligibility for intensive therapy, performa

Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated gene knockdown is a powerful tool for targeted gene silencing and an emerging novel therapeutic strategy. Recent publications, however, reported unexpected toxicity after utilizing viral-mediated shRNA knockdown in vivo. Thus, it is currently unclear whether shRNA-mediated knockdown strategy can be used as a safe and efficient tool for gene silencing. In this stu

Accumulation of Nodularia spumigena toxins by Mytilus edulis was studied during laboratory and mesocosm experiments in order to investigate the possible pathways of nodularin in mussels and calculate toxin budgets. Mussels were exposed to 0.2-15.6 mu g nodularin 1(-1), fed for up to 5 days with Nodularia cells from culture, or blooming in different nutrient-treated seawater. Toxin concentration wa

Data from ten Swedish-Arabic preschool children with language impairment and ten Swedish-Arabic children with normal language development matched for age and exposure to Swedish were analyzed. Specific tasks for both Swedish and Arabic were designed. By using the hierarchy predicted by processability theory as a yardstick, grammatical development was measured in the two languages of the children.

Kinins are proinflammatory peptides that mediate numerous vascular and pain responses to tissue injury. Two pharmacologically distinct kinin receptor subtypes have been identified and characterized for these peptides, which are named B1 and B2 and belong to the rhodopsin family of G protein-coupled receptors. The B2 receptor mediates the action of bradykinin (BK) and lysyl-bradykinin (Lys-BK), the

Abstract in Spanish Antecedentes: Las pruebas cutáneas con determinantes mayores y menores de la penicilina se utilizan de forma habitual para el diagnóstico de reacciones de hipersensibilidad inmediata a los antibióticos betalactámicos. Estos extractos diagnósticos han sido recientemente retirados del mercado europeo. Objetivo: Estudio de una nueva marca de determinantes para el diagnóstico de reBACKGROUND: Skin testing with major and minor determinants of benzylpenicillin is recommended standard practice for the evaluation of patients with immediate hypersensitivity reactions to beta-lactams. However, commercial reagents for this purpose were recently dropped from the European market. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we assessed a new brand of reagents for use in skin testing in patients

The galectins are a family of -galactoside-binding proteins that have been implicated in cancer and inflammation processes. Herein, we report the synthesis of a library of 28 compounds that was tested for binding to galectins-1, -3, -7, -8N and -9N. An aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction between 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and a galacto thiol gave 5-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl 2,3,4,6-tet

During pregnancy, specific variants of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IEs) can accumulate in the placenta through adhesion to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) mediated by expression of PfEMP1 encoded by var2csa-type genes. Antibodies against these variants are associated with protection from maternal malaria. We evaluated antibodies among Kenyan, Papua New Guinean, and Malawian men and Ke

An investigation of the behavior of O-2 molecules in and on O-2-doped large (< N > similar or equal to 8000) Ar host clusters has been performed by means of core and valence photoelectron spectroscopy. Data from pure O-2 and Ar clusters, as well as from O-2-doped Ar clusters, are presented. The experimental data together with calculations of the binding energy shifts of oxygen molecular ions in an

The existence and mode of selection operating on heritable adaptive traits can be inferred by comparing population differentiation in neutral genetic variation between populations (often using F-ST values) with the corresponding estimates for adaptive traits. Such comparisons indicate if selection acts in a diversifying way between populations, in which case differentiation in selected traits is e

In order to assess the role of striatal dopamine (DA) afferents in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, we have studied a large series of rats sustaining 2, 3, or 4 unilateral injections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the lateral striatum. This type of lesion produced a dose-dependent depletion of DA fibers in the caudate-putamen, which was most pronounced in the lateral aspects of this structure. An addi

A system has been developed for selective partitioning of membrane proteins. For the first time, an integral membrane protein, cytochrome bo3 ubiquinol oxidase from Escherichia coli, has been affinity partitioned in an aqueous two-phase system. The systems used were different detergent/polymer aqueous two-phase systems containing a metal-chelating polymer, such as poly(ethyleneglycol)-iminodiaceti

The lengths of fallows have decreased in many parts of the Sahel due to agricultural expansion, which can have negative impacts on crop production when few other ways to improve soil fertility exist. However, the dynamics of agricultural expansion may change because of the changing role of agriculture in society due to increased livelihood diversification outside of agriculture. The results of thi

The influence of solar radiation on the ability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to support bacterial growth, was studied in the eastern Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during the SWEDARP 1997/1998 cruise with SA Agulhas December 1997-February 1998. Vertical profiles of water samples (2-3000m) were obtained from the Spring Ice Edge (SIE, 60degreesS, high chlorophyll-a) and from the Winter I

Vacuum-assisted closure has been adopted as the first-line treatment for poststernotomy mediastinitis as a result of the excellent clinical outcome achieved with its use. Scientific evidence regarding the mechanisms by which vacuum-assisted closure promotes wound healing has started to emerge, although knowledge regarding the effects on heart and lung function is still limited. The organs in the m

Only a small percentage of alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) administered lumenally to pigs appears in the portal circulation. This has been attributed to mucosal metabolism, and possibly by limited absorption. Although transporters for di- and tricarboxylic acids, which includes the sodium-dependent transporter NaDC-1, have been detected in the small intestine, correlations with functional assays are lac