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Previous work has shown that the lips are moving at a high velocity when the oral closure occurs for bilabial stop consonants, resulting in tissue compression and mechanical interactions between the lips. The present experiment recorded tongue movements in four subjects during the production of velar and alveolar stop consonants to examine kinematic events before, during, and after the stop closur
Antigenicity, the ability to bind to members of repertoire of diverse immune receptors, is a concept that is poorly characterised with respect to its defining parameters. To learn more about its makeup, we have investigated the ability of two peptides with highly related sequences, derived from the tumour-associated antigen mucin-1, to recruit in vitro members from a large naive repertoire of synt
When heating a dilute sample of the binary system of tetraethyleneglycol dodecyl ether (C12E4) and water from the micellar phase (L-1) into the two-phase region of a lamellar phase (L-alpha) and excess water (W) vesicles are formed. During heating, one passes a region of phase separation in the micellar phase (L-1' + L-1") where the initial micelles rapidly fuse into larger aggregates forming the
A runtime system for implementation of image processing operations is presented. It is designed for working in a flexible and distributed environment related to the software architecture of a newly developed UAV system. The software architecture can be characterized at a coarse scale as a layered system, with a deliberative layer at the top, a reactive layer in the middle, and a processing layer a
Macroscopic phase separation in covalent sodium polyacrylate (PA) networks following the absorption of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/chloride (CTAB/C) from aqueous solutions is studied experimentally and theoretically. The gels are shown to consist of a solvent-swollen polyelectrolyte network (core), surrounded by a dense surface phase (skin) of polyion/surfactant complexes. The effect of core sw
Galectins are a group of lactose-binding proteins widely distributed in nature. Twelve mammalian galectins have so far been identified, but their functions are to a large extent unknown. In this work we study galectin-1 in its interaction with human neutrophils, with regard to both cell surface binding and activation of the superoxide-producing NADPH-oxidase. We show that galectin-1 is able to act
In numerous medical and scientific fields, knowledge of the optical properties of tissues can be applied. Among many different ways of determining the optical properties of turbid media; integrating sphere measurements are widely used. However, this technique is associated with bulky equipment, complicated measuring techniques, interference compensation techniques, and inconvenient sample handling
Molecular evolution approaches to developing molecules with characteristics particularly suited for specific applications have become important tools in biomedicine and biotechnology. Not only is it possible to identify molecules with specificities that cannot easily be obtained by other means, but it is also possible to fine-tune in an efficient manner the properties for, in principle, any specif
Development of type-II collagen (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) is dependent on activation of CII-reactive T cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) are believed to play a crucial role in antigen-specific priming of T cells but it is still unclear how the CII-reactive T cells are primed since Langerhans cells (LCs) are poor antigen-presenting cells for CII. In the present study we show that LCs, treated with c
Interferon (IF) was produced in glia and glioma cell lines in titers comparable to those produced by human fibroblasts. It was inducible by both Sendai virus and polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid. "Superinduction" resulted in up to 500-fold-higher titers of IF. The IF appeared to be of the fibroblast type, as revealed by experiments using heat treatment, assay of antiviral activity in hetero
The volumetric response of polymer gels on cosolute addition depends on the interaction of the polymer with the cosolute and can be used as a simple and sensitive way of elucidating these interactions. Here we report on DNA networks, prepared by crosslinking double-stranded DNA with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE); these have been investigated with respect to their swelling in aqueous solu
Oxidative stress, or the production of oxygen-centered free radicals, has been hypothesized as the major source of DNA damage that in turn can lead to altered genetic expression, disease, and aging of humans. Serum protein thiol levels in blood are a direct measure of the in vivo reduction/oxidation (redox) status in humans, because thiols react readily with oxygen-containing free radicals to form
The self-assembly behavior of a cationic surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium, DTA) with DNA as counterion in mixtures of water and n-alcohols (decanol, octanol, hexanol, butanol, and ethanol) was investigated. The phase diagrams were established and the different regions of the phase diagram characterized with respect to microstructure by H-2 NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and other te
DNA-cationic liposome complexes as possible vehicles for gene delivery is currently an important issue. In this work, the interaction between DNA and thermodynamically stable, spontaneously formed, catanionic vesicles with a net positive charge is studied. A phase map was drawn for the aqueous system of DNA and positively charged vesicles, composed of CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) and SOS
The effect of different molecular weight polystyrenes (PS) on the phase behavior of sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/water/cyclohexane oil-continuous microemulsions was investigated. The surfactant-covered water droplets were treated as a pseudocomponent in the mixture, and ternary polymer/droplet/oil phase diagrams were established as a function of microemulsion droplet radius (2
The formation of complexes in solutions containing positively charged polyions (polycations) and a variable amount of negatively charged polyions (polyanions) has been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The polyions were described as flexible chains of charged hard spheres interacting through a screened Coulomb potential. The systems were analyzed in terms of cluster compositions, structure
The self-assembly behavior of a cationic surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium) with DNA as counterion in mixtures of water and decanol was investigated. The phase diagram was established and the different regions of the phase diagram characterized with respect to microstructure by H-2 NMR (D2O), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and other techniques. The DNA-cationic surfactant aggregate is vir
Exposure of L. acidophilus CRL 639 cells to sublethal adaptive acid conditions (pH 5.0 for 60 min) was found to confer protection against subsequent exposure to lethal pH (pH 3.0). Adaptation, which only occurred in complex media, was dependent on de novo protein synthesis and was inhibited by amino acid analogues. There was no modification in the protein synthesis rate during adaptation, but the
