The polyamine synthesis enzyme spermidine synthase (SPDS) has been cloned from the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochemical characterisation of the recombinantly expressed protein revealed a high degree of similarity to other eukaryotic SPDS with the exception of a low affinity towards the substrate decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine (K-m = 110 mu M) and a less pronounced feedback inhib

We have studied the reaction mechanism for the insertion of Mg2+ and Fe2+ into a porphyrin ring with density functional calculations with large basis set and including solvation, zero-point and thermal effects. We have followed the reaction from the outer-sphere complex, in which the metal is coordinated with six water molecules and the porphyrin is doubly protonated, until the metal ion is insert

The bismuth spectrum emitted from a hollow cathode discharge has been recorded with a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS). Accurate wavelengths have been determined for 104 lines, and several new energy levels have been found, while the accuracy of previously known level energies have been improved. The hyperfine structure of all observed lines has been analyzed, yielding hyperfine constants A an

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is an esterase and lipase, which are essential for spermatogenesis. Two HSL mRNAs are expressed in human testis. A long form is encoded by a testis-specific exon and nine exons common to testis and adipocyte HSL. Here we show that the short-form 3.3-kb mRNA possesses a unique 5' end that is transcribed from a novel testis-specific exon. The corresponding protein is s

The current Spark Ignited (SI) engine equipped with three-way catalyst offers low emissions, but has low efficiency at part load, which results in unnecessarily high CO2 emissions. The Compression Ignited (CI) engines have higher efficiency and hence lower CO2 emissions, but suffer from higher Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions, and no three-way catalyst can be used. Large

We calculate the leading Weyl term of the counting function for a monocrystalline quartz sphere. In contrast to other studies of counting functions, the anisotropy of quartz is a crucial element in our investigation. Hence we do not obtain a simple analytical form, but we carry out a numerical evaluation. To this end we employ the Radon transform representation of the Green's function. We compare

Vietnam's increased integration into the global market economy entails rapid and dynamic changes that foster new ways of acting, interacting and rendering the world meaningful. This article addresses the ways in which an ongoing process of transformation in contemporary Vietnam is epitomised by the ambivalence and ambiguity with which female sexuality is imbued. Female sexuality is ideally restric

Nationellt kompetenscentrum för rörelseorganens sjukdomar (NKO) är ett resurscentrum för kvalitetsregister inom rörelseorganens sjukdomar. En förutsättning för en mer rättvis vård är att indikationerna för behandling betraktas likartat över hela landet. Evidensbaserade indikationer för behandling av rörelseorganens sjukdomar har utarbetats. Klargörande av aktuell indikationssättning för höft- och Well-functioning data registration systems require high competence both in the technical systems used for handling data and in the statistical methodology used for analysis. Consequently, The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and The National Board of Health and Welfare started the Swedish National Competence Centre for Musculoskeletal disorders, with the purpose for this instit

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The treatment of acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is based on allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and immunosuppressive therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of children and adults with AA treated in the last decade, and to determine whether results have improved in two sequential time periods,1991-1996 and 1997-2002. DESIGN AND METHODS: Two-thou

Purpose. To define the association between venous volume as measured with air-plethysmography and the duplex ultrasound measured diameter of incompetent perforator of the lower limb. Patients and methods. Thirty-six patients with chronic venous disease were investigated with air-plethysmography and duplex ultrasound. Venous volume and venous filling time was measured. Venous filling index was calc

This paper reports on a parallel implementation of a general 3D multi-block CFD code. The parallelization is achieved by using three strategies. Firstly, it is done on dual-processor PC-clusters where Windows NT systems are running. A multi-thread programming model is adopted for the multi-block code, where one thread corresponds to a block. Shared-memory is used for the exchange of inner-boundari

Insulin secretion after dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acids and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in normal and insulin-resistance mice. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 290: E347-E354, 2006. First published September 27, 2005; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00163.2005.-Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) improve insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant

The generation of thrombin by the prothrombinase complex is a key event in coagulation. In this complex, the activated form of coagulation factor V (FVa) serves as an essential cofactor to factor Xa (FXa) in the activation of prothrombin to thrombin. The enzyme FXa is virtually ineffective in the absence of its cofactor. The assembly of FXa with its cofactor FVa on negatively charged phospholipid

Although imaging and inverse scattering problems have been thoroughly studied during the last century, there is only a partial understanding of these complex problems. Most of the efforts have been placed on the development of efficient inversion algorithms and mathematical uniqueness results. In comparison, there are very few results and a limited knowledge about the information content in the in