C1q is the central pattern-recognition molecule in the classical pathway of the complement system and is known to have a key role in the crossroads between adaptive and innate immunity. Hereditary C1q deficiency is a rare genetic condition strongly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections. However, the clinical symptoms may vary. For long, t

While cognitive ability is inversely associated with risk for schizophrenia (SZ), the association is less clear with other nonaffective psychoses (ONAP) and bipolar illness (BPI). Using national Swedish hospital registry data, we examined the prospective relationship between school achievement (SA) and development of SZ, ONAP, and BPI in 1800643 adolescents born 1972-1990. We used Cox proportional

Minute electronic (bio) devices will likely play an increasingly important role in everyday life and beyond, as overall device size often limits device functionality and applicability, a factor especially critical for brain implants. Recent progress in micro-and nanoelectronics has enabled the production of nanoscale electronic components; however, overall device size is often defined by technical

Global climate models simulate the Earth's climate impressively at scales of continents and greater. At these scales, large-scale dynamics and physics largely define the climate. At spatial scales relevant to policy makers, and to impacts and adaptation, many other processes may affect regional and local climate and perhaps trigger teleconnections that provide significant feedbacks on the global c

The authors thank Bob Webb (the editor) and an anonymous referee for their helpful comments and suggestions. We are also grateful to Hossein Asgharian, Charlotte Christiansen, Bent Jesper Christensen, Karl Frauendorfer, Pascal Gantenbein, Björn Hansson, Heino Bohn Nielson, Anders Rahbek, Paul Söderlind, Klaus Spremann, and seminar participants at Lund University and the University of St. Gallen, a

The predominantly populated conformation of carbohydrates in solution does not necessarily represent the biologically active species; rather, any conformer accessible without too large an energy penalty may be present in a biological pathway. Thus, the conformational preferences of a naphthyl xyloside, which initiates in vivo synthesis of antiproliferative glycosaminoglycans, have been studied by

A series of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles have been synthesized employing various template/functional monomer/crosslinking monomer ratio and characterized in detail to elucidate the correlation between the synthetic conditions used and the properties (e.g., particle size and template binding properties) of the obtained nanoparticles. In brief, the presence of propranolol (template) i

Results of numerical simulations are presented for flow past a stationary circular cylinder at low Reynolds numbers (Re=50-200). The simulations were carried out using a finite-volume code employing a fractional step method with second-order accuracy in both space and time. A sensitivity study on numerical parameters concerning the domain size, grid independence and time step resolution was carrie

The effect of citric acid (CA) on starch films has been examined. A new method to detect cross-linking of starch by CA in solution-cast films by molecular weight measurements is described. Furthermore, we managed to distinguished between free, mono- and di-esterified CA and quantify di-ester content within starch films by using a modification in the method of complexometric titration with copper(I

(PRELP)-P-hbd is a peptide corresponding to the N-terminal heparin binding domain of the matrix protein proline/arginine-rich end leucine-rich repeat protein (PRELP). (PRELP)-P-hbd inhibits osteoclastogenesis entering pre-fusion osteoclasts through a chondroitin sulfate- and annexin 2-dependent mechanism and reducing the nuclear factor-B transcription factor activity. In this work, we hypothesized

An important challenge for the continued development of cell therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) is the establishment of procedures that better standardize cell preparations for use in transplantation. Although cell sorting has been an anticipated strategy, its application has been limited by lack of knowledge regarding transmembrane proteins that can be used to target and isolate progenitors for

Wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) systems are interference-limited. When a WCDMA system operates at nearly full capacity, admitting a new user may affect the stability of the system. Therefore, the proper call admission control (CAC) is crucial and should balance between quality of service (QoS) requirements for the new user as well as for the existing users and the required high capa

Defunctioning loop ileostomy in low anterior resection (LAR) is routinely used to reduce consequences of anastomotic leakage. The purpose of this study was to analyze which examination technique is optimal for evaluating the integrity of the anastomosis prior to loop ileostomy reversal. Retrospective analysis of 95 patients who had been subjected to LAR at Helsingborg Hospital and SkAyenne Univers

Core-shell-structured nanoalloy particles with an Al-dominated interior covered by few Yb monolayers have been fabricated using a vapor-aggregation method involving magnetron sputtering. The radially segregated structure of the Yb-Al nanoparticles has been disclosed by "on-the-fly" photoelectron spectroscopy monitoring of the nanoparticle beam in Yb 4f and Al 2p electron binding energy regions. Bo

Enhanced absorption of especially long wavelength light is needed to enable the full potential of semiconductor nanowire (NW) arrays for optoelectronic applications. We show both experimentally and theoretically that a transparent dielectric shell (Al2O3 coating) can drastically improve the absorption of light in InAs NW arrays. With an appropriate thickness of the Al2O3 shell, we achieve four tim