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Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), a pancreatic islet protein of 37 amino acids, is the main component of islet amyloid, seen at autopsy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). To investigate the roles of hIAPP and islet amyloid in DM2, we generated transgenic mice expressing hIAPP in their islet beta cells. In this study, we found that after a long-term, high-fat diet challenge isl

The presence of Fe-bound cyanide ligands in the active site of the proton-reducing enzymes [FeFe]-hydrogenases has led to the hypothesis that such Bronsted-Lowry bases could be protonated during the catalytic cycle, thus implying that hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) might have a relevant role in such crucial microbial metabolic paths. We present a hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) s

High-resolution electron spectroscopy applied under resonant Auger-Raman conditions is shown to be a powerful tool for characterizing complex potential energy surfaces of core-excited states in polyatomic systems. BF3 is used as a prototype molecule: excitation of the Bls --> 2a(2)(") transition leads to an exceptional out-of-plane vibrational excitation resolved over a wide energy range (3.6 eV).

High intakes of alcohol have adverse effects on skeletal health, but evidence for the effects of moderate consumption are less secure. The aim of this study was to quantify this risk on an international basis and explore the relationship of this risk with age, sex, and bone mineral density (BMD). We studied 5,939 men and 11,032 women from three prospectively studied cohorts comprising CaMos, DOES,

The Auger-Doppler effect in the experimental spectra of HF and DF is presented. and the dynamics of ultra-fast dissociation in the core-excited state are discussed. The Doppler splitting of the atomic Auger peak is calculated and simulated using a classical model and a very good agreement is found between experiment and simulation. It is shown that the difference in photon energy relative to the r

Background. The pentad of thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, mild renal dysfunction, neurologic signs, and fever, classically characterizes the syndrome of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). TTP usually occurs in adults as an acquired form but a congenital form in children has also been described. In the latter case, the initial presentation is often with neonatal jaundice and thrombocyto

This article presents the analysis of a large survey on file-sharing that was conducted in April 2011 with over 75,000 respondents from all over the world. The study, also known as The Research Bay, due to that it was conducted in collaboration with the infamous BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay, by the Cybernorms research group. The aim of the online study of The Pirate Bay community has been to des

How can we create sustainable agriculture, capable of feeding the soon to be 10 billion people of the earth, and at the same time preserve the ecosystems of the species that coexist with us on this planet? A team from Lund University in Sweden attempts to answer this tricky question.

The purpose of this article has been to examine the Swedish vocational education and training model with a special focus on basic education, within and outside the upper secondary school system. What can be said about the institutional structure of the educational system and how are new demands from working life concerning qualifications and mobility channelled through the system? The Swedish VET

Food manufacturers and policy makers have been tailoring food product ingredient information to consumers' self-reported preference for natural products and concerns over food additives. Yet, the influence of this ingredient information on consumers remains inconclusive. The current study aimed at examining the first step in such influence, which is consumers' attention to ingredient information o

Three new ruthenium complexes with bidentate chloroquine analogue ligands, [Ru(η(6)-cym)(L(1))Cl]Cl (1, cym = p-cymene, L(1) = N-(2-((pyridin-2-yl)methylamino)ethyl)-7-chloroquinolin-4-amine), [Ru(η(6)-cym)(L(2))Cl]Cl (2, L(2) = N-(2-((1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methylamino)ethyl)-7-chloroquinolin-4-amine) and [Ru(η(6)-cym)(L(3))Cl] (3, L(3) = N-(2-((2-hydroxyphenyl)methylimino)ethyl)-7-chloroquino

A detailed stratigraphical, palaeoecological and geomorphological reconstruction of a fjord head on South Georgia (Husvik, Stromness Bay) is presented. Six sites were chosen to reconstruct the lithostratigraphy of the area by means of coring. A maximum depth of 11m was attained and the sediments encountered vary from coarse gravel over sands to fine silts with, in some cases, intercalated peat lay

Wildfires are a major driver of ecosystem development and contributor to carbon emissions in boreal forests. We analyzed the contribution of fires of different fire size classes to the total burned area and suggest a novel fire characteristic, the characteristic fire size, i.e., the fire size class with the highest contribution to the burned area, its relation to bioclimatic conditions, and intra-

This paper is based on the session ‘Ecosystem services: a useful concept for soil policy making?’ at the Wageningen Applied Soil Conference in September 2011. In that session it was shown from different angles that policy awareness of the dependence of humankind on ecosystem services has resulted in the development of tools for optimal allocation and quantification of ecosystem services and raisin

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common pathogen associated with diseases such as acute otitis media or exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The biofilm-forming capability substantially contributes to the persistence of NTHi. However, the regulation of biofilm formation is not completely understood. Quorum sensing regulated by autoinducer-2 produced

Serine deficiency disorders are caused by a defect in one of the three synthesising enzymes of the L-serine biosynthesis pathway. Serine deficiency disorders give rise to a neurological phenotype with psychomotor retardation, microcephaly and seizures in newborns and children or progressive polyneuropathy in adult patients. There are three defects that cause serine deficiency of which 3-phosphogly