beta-Alanine synthase (PAS) is the third enzyme in the reductive pyrimidine catabolic pathway, which is responsible for the breakdown of the nucleotide bases uracil and thymine in higher organisms. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-carbamyl-beta-alanine and N-carbamyl-beta-aminoisobutyrate to the corresponding beta-amino acids. beta ASs are grouped into two phylogenetically unrelated subfamilies, a

This report describes the development of an ultrasound based self localization system for mobile robots. The robot navigates using a combination of internal wheel encoders and absolute distance information from a sensor network. The sensor fusion problem is formulated as a non-linear state estimation problem which is approximated using an extended Kalman filter.

Where conservation resources are limited and conservation targets are diverse, robust yet flexible priority-setting frameworks are vital. Priority-setting is especially important for geographically widespread species with distinct populations subject to multiple threats that operate on different spatial and temporal scales. Marine turtles are widely distributed and exhibit intra-specific variation

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether virulent CagA positive Helicobacter pylori strains are those preferentially related to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture. Several microorganisms have been linked to aneurysm development. Chronic Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection has been suggested as a possible contributing factor for the development and expansion of AAA. Previous stud

Attention is drawn to the feasibility of using high sensitivity isothermal heat conduction calorimetry to study metabolic responses of differently processed and stored fresh-cut fruit. The heat production of endogenous (tissue metabolism during 12 h of analysis at 10 degrees C for kiwifruit and strawberry) and exogenous (microbial growth during 18 d of analysis at 10 degrees C for cantaloupe) biol

Vernacular buildings in Egypt express a variety of passive low-tech approaches in design and construction to achieve human comfort and fulfil inhabitants’ requirements. They have been devised to suit living in regions where local inhabitants had to invent various passive building strategies to live under severe local climatic conditions without depending on fossil fuels. This paper discusses a ret

The existence of infinite periodic lipid bilayer structures in biological systems was first demonstrated in cell membrane assemblies. Such periodicity is only possible in symmetric bilayers, and their occurrence is discussed here in relation to the asymmetry of cell membranes in vivo. A periodic membrane conformation in the prolamellar body of plants corresponds to a dormant state without photosyn

A primary functionality of context aware applications is the retrieval of different types of context data from various context sources and adapting their behavior accordingly. In order to facilitate context aware application development, a context aware middleware must provide an effective context data management and lookup strategy. The use of a traditional index for indexing dynamic context data

Fe(III)-doped TiO2 based heterogeneous photocatalysts were prepared by the sol-gel technique (S samples) or flame hydrolysis (F samples). In photocatalytic phenol decomposition, the undoped F-sample performed much better, than the undoped S one. However, for the S samples, photocatalytic activity first increased with the increasing Fe(III) concentration, and then passed through a maximum, while Fe

A semiconductor (InSb) showed transient metal- like heat conduction after excitation of a dense electron- hole plasma via short and intense light pulses. A related ultrafast strain relaxation was detected using picosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction. The deduced heat conduction was, by a factor of 30, larger than the lattice contribution. The anomalously high heat conduction can be explained o

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases world-wide. Most patients can be diagnosed, staged and treated by surgery in an elective setting. However, about one fifth of the patients will have an emergency presentation and in most cases due to malignant obstruction of the left colon. Immediate resection and anastomosis is feasible but carries a 3-fold higher risk of developing a

Hedging errors induced by discrete rebalancing of the hedge portfolio of a delta-gamma hedging strategy are investigated. The rate of convergence of the expected squared hedging error as the number of adjustments of the hedge portfolio goes to infinity is analyzed. It is found that the delta-gamma strategy produces higher convergence rates than the usual delta strategy.

Baby boomers and elderly care: expectations in print media about a new kind of care users The Swedish baby boomer generation known as the forties generation has been characterized as youthful and powerful. At present, members of this generation are entering the category of old age and in about ten years they will start reaching ages where the likelihood of encountering elderly care increases signi

Det mest spännande fyndet under SLF:s höstexkursion till Skäckerfjällen i Jämtland var utan tvekan västlig kolvlav Pilophorus strumaticus. Efter det mycket överraskande första fyndet lyckades vi hitta arten på ytterligare tre lokaler. Då handlar om en art som anses nationellt utdöd fann vi det värt att skriva en separat artikel om arten.

From a medical point of view, walking is an activity that is becoming more and more associated with health promotion. Especially older people are encouraged to take walks, since ageing is considered to increase the risk of ill-health.The aim of this article is to discuss how older people reason about health and walking, and their use of talking walks. The article shows that the interviewees are aw