The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins control differentiation and development of a variety of organs. We have isolated the complementary DNA (cDNA) of a novel class of bHLH transcription factors. The previously uncharacterized bHLH messenger RNA (mRNA) was identified by RNA fingerprinting by comparing embryonic and adult mRNA. The reading frame sequence predicts a new class of bHLH family. No

Myocardial perfusion imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is useful for the evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. Parameters of interest are the reduction in the blood perfusion (severity) and the lesion volume (extent). The aim of this study was to evaluate these parameters, as calculated by automatic quantification software, for differ

Multilevel flow models (MFM) are graphical models of goals and functions of technical systems. MFM was invented by Morten Lind at the Technical University of Denmark and several new algorithms and implementations have been contributed by the group headed by Jan Eric Larsson at Lund Institute of Technology. MFM has several properties which makes for a relatively easy knowledge engineering task, com

Handheld mobile phones were introduced in Denmark and Sweden during the late 1980s. This makes the Danish and Swedish populations suitable for a study aimed at testing the hypothesis that long-term mobile phone use increases the risk of parotid gland tumors. In this population-based case-control study, the authors identified all cases aged 20-69 years diagnosed with parotid gland tumor during 2000

Pseudomonas putida DSM 50026 cells were used as the biological component and the measurement was based on the respiratory activity of the cells estimated from electrochemical measurements. The cells were immobilised on carbon nanotube (CNT) modified carbon paste electrodes (CPE) by means of a redox osmium polymer, viz. poly(1-vinylimidazole)(12)-[Os-(4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-dipyridyl)(2)Cl-2](2+ /+). T

Blosynthesis of leukotrienes (LTs) occurs in human myeloid cells and B lymphocytes. However, the function of leukotrienes in B lymphocytes is unclear. Here, we report that B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells produce leukotriene B-4, and that specific leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors counteracted CD40-dependent activation of B-CLL cells. Studies on the expression of the high-affini

An aerosol-cloud modeling framework is described to simulate the activation of ice particles and droplets by biological aerosol particles, such as airborne ice-nucleation active (INA) bacteria. It includes the empirical parameterisation of heterogeneous ice nucleation and a semi-prognostic aerosol component, which have been incorporated into a cloud-system resolving model (CSRM) with double-moment

Allozyme variation in 83 European populations of the Melica ciliata/transsilvanica species complex has been investigated. In spite of a diploid chromosome number, most loci were duplicated and patterns of within-population variation were not explainable unless apomixis or uncommon patterns of chromosomal segregation were assumed. Allelic richness and genetic diversity were very high but most of th

The relations between the Schrödinger and wave evolutions are investigated. A generalization of the Lax-Phillips scattering theory for the case of the Schrödinger equation is constructed. An analog of the wave decay operator is obtained. The general ideas are illustrated by an explicitly solvable model of multichannel scattering on the halfaxis. A Lax-Phillips scattering theory is developed for th

We describe an approach to screen large sets of MALDI-MS mass spectra for protein isoforms separated on two-dimensional electrophoresis gels. Mass spectra are matched against each other by utilizing extracted peak mass lists and hierarchical clustering. The output is presented as dendrograms in which protein isoforms cluster together. Clustering could be applied to mass spectra from different samp

The influence of external nitrogen (N) on carbon (C) allocation and processes related to phosphorus (P) metabolism were studied in monoxenic arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) cultures of Daucus carota. Fungal hyphae of Glomus intraradices proliferated from colonized roots growing on solid medium into C-free liquid minimal medium with two different N and P levels. Furthermore, we exposed the colonized roo

Background: Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are important tools in the management of tumor disease, and the discovery of antibodies with both specific cancer cell targeting and capacity to enter the cells by internalization are critical to improve the therapeutic efficacy. Method: Antibody cancer cell targeting and internalization properties of fluoroscein-conjugated mAb made against Lewis Y (BR96) we

Pollen dispersal between local plant populations within a range of 6 kin in a geographically defined metapopulation of the lepidopteran-pollinated deceptive orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis was studied on the island Oland in the Baltic Sea. Local A. pyramidalis populations were examined for pollinators, flowering individuals, and fruit set. Population sizes of pollen vector species were estimated usi

BACKGROUND: Albers-Schonberg disease, or autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type II (ADO2), is caused by ineffective osteoclastic bone resorption resulting from mutations in the chloride channel 7 (ClCN7) gene. Individuals with ADO2 have increased numbers of large ineffective osteoclasts in addition to increased serum total tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) activity. METHODS: We investigat

Temporin A (TA) is a hydrophobic peptide isolated from the skin of the European red frog Rana temporaria. Strong antimicrobial activity against gram-positive cocci and Candida, as well as its small molecular weight (10-13 aa residues), makes TA an interesting antimicrobial compound. However, its synthesis is rather problematic. Here, the synthesis of two retro-analogues of TA--retro-TA and (6-1)(7

Using the Cayley–Hamilton theorem and unique solubility of scalar Volterra convolution equations of the second kind, the inverse problem of determining the four time-dependent susceptibility dyadics of a linear, homogeneous, bi-anisotropic slab from generic scattering data at oblique incidence is shown to be well posed. An explicit formula for the crucial step is given.

Three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound (US) has greatly improved evaluation of organ circulation. The aim of this study was to explore the possible use of this new technique in normal and high-risk pregnancies. Fetal brain, lung and placenta 3-D power Doppler signal intensity were recorded in 115 normal singleton pregnancies (24 to 42 weeks gestation) and in 67 high-risk pregnancies. Mean image pixel

With the recent expansions of the European Union, there are now 12 new member states that are implementing European policy. One of these policies, with implications for energy production and security, is the Common Agricultural Policy. This article will focus on the impact the Common Agricultural Policy can have on farmers in Poland who have been encouraged by calls to cultivate energy crops. In a