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New and innovative production equipment can be developed by introducing lightweight materials in modern day automotive industry production lines. The properties of these new materials are expected to result in improved ergonomics, energy savings, increased flexibility and more robust equipment, which in the end will result in enhanced productivity. Carbon composite materials are one such alternati
The critical effect of load representation in voltage stability studies is discussed in this paper. Under the same conditions in the system, the load representation will affect the location of the operating point in a P-V curve representation, leading the system closer to or further from the collapse point. The use of dynamic load models in voltage stability studies is motivated, especially in tho
An NMR technique to measure exchange kinetics at thermal equilibrium in dispersions of moderately soluble crystalline material is presented. By monitoring the exchange of molecules between pools in solid and dissolved form, one can characterize the surface specific exchange rate. Illustrative experiments were performed in a model system with b-type crystals of tripalmitin as the solid phase and tr
Gastric bypass is a clinical option for obesity surgery. An increased susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection in the bypassed stomach has been speculated. The aim of the present study was to examine the susceptibility of the bypassed stomach to H. pylori infection in rats and mice. Adult Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats and NMRI mice were subjected to either gastric bypass or laparotomy only
Radiative lifetime measurements were performed with time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence techniques for 24 levels of Nd II in the energy range 20 500- 32 500 cm(-1). For 17 levels, no previous experimental data exist. These results have allowed the testing of new theoretical calculations with the relativistic Hartree-Fock method taking configuration interactions and core-polarization effects i
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important in the immune defense against invading pathogens, but they are also key molecules in the regulation of inflammatory reactions. Low levels of ROS production due to a polymorphism in the neutrophil cytosolic factor 1 (Ncf1) gene are associated with autoimmunity and arthritis severity in mouse models induced with adjuvant. We established an adjuvant-free ar
The detection of the formyl radical (HCO) is of great interest in the field of combustion research since it can provide information about the local heat release (HR) rate which is a key parameter in the understanding of combustion processes. Unfortunately, due to the low signal level, HCO planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLTF) has so far not been applicable for single-shot imaging, which is nece
Adult patients with hematologic malignancies along with HIV infected patients were prospectively studied to determine the performance of urine D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol (DA/LA) ratio in diagnosing invasive candidiasis. Ten evaluable febrile neutropenic patients had proven invasive candidiasis and elevated DA/LA ratios were found in 5. Invasive candidiasis with normal DA/LA ratios was most frequent
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In Guinea-Bissau HIV-1, HIV-2, and HTLV-I are prevalent in the general population. The natural history of HIV/HTLV-I single and dual infections has not been fully elucidated in this population. Previous studies have shown that combinations of these infections are more common in older women than in men. The present study compares mortality associated with HIV-1, HIV-2, and HTL
The results of a theoretical study of the ground state, 1(1)A(g), and of the lowest B-1(u) states of trans-stilbene are presented. The vertical and adiabatic excitation energies of the lowest B-1(u) states have been computed using multiconfigurational SCF theory, followed by second-order perturbation. theory. It is shown that the two lowest excited states are separated by a small energy gap in the
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with certain HLA-DR4 subtypes. The target autoantigen(s) is unknown, but type II collagen (CII) is a candidate, with a single immunodominant DR4-restricted 261-273 T cell epitope (CII(261273)). In the present study, we have prepared HLA-DR4:CII(261-273) tetramers and analyzed peripheral blood, lymph node, and synovial fluid cells fr
The immunodominant T-cell epitope that is involved in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is the glycosylated type II collagen (CII) peptide 256-270. In CII transgenic mice, which express the immunodominant CII 256-270 epitope in cartilage, the CII-specific T cells are characterized by a partially tolerant state with low proliferative activity in vitro, but with maintained effector functions, such as
A role for regulatory lymphocytes has been demonstrated in the pathogenesis of type I diabetes in the NOD mouse but the nature of these cells is debated. CD1d-restricted NKT lymphocytes have been implicated in this process. Previous reports of reduced diabetes incidence in NOD mice in which the numbers of NKT cells are artificially increased have been attributed to the enhanced production of IL-4
This thesis is focused on natural killer (NK) T cells. NKT cells recognize lipids and glycolipids, rather than peptides, in the contents of the antigen presenting molecule CD1d. NKT cells have a surface phenotype reminiscent of memory cells, and have been shown to rapidly produce large amounts of cytokines, such as IL-4 and IFN-gamma, upon activation. Because of their rapid response to activation,
An amino-terminal region of a, chain of type IV collagen noncollagenous domain [alpha(3)(IV)NC1] that induces experimental autoimmune glomerulortephritis (EAG) in rats has been identified. Only recombinant antigens that contain a nine-amino acid (AA) span of alpha(3)(IV)NC1, consistent with a T cell epitope, could induce EAG. It was hypothesized that synthetic peptides of this region should induce
Sedimentological, pedological and palynological evidence reveal radically increasing onshore humidity during the Rhaetian marine invasion of central Europe along the north-eastern margin of the Central European Basin (southern Sweden). Pre-Rhaetian aridity favoured the formation of Carnian redbeds with calcrete, which were succeeded by Norian hematite-cemented conglomerates, arkoses, arkosic wacke
Although interactions in biological systems occur in the presence of a large number of charged species, the binding of charged ligands to different biomolecules is often analyzed in a simplified model focusing only upon the receptor, ligand, and added salt. Here we demonstrate that the presence of charged macromolecules can affect binding to the receptor in an unexpected way. Experimental studies
