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HAMLET is a protein-lipid complex that selectively kills tumor cells. In this thesis, we identified new mechanisms, whereby HAMLET initiates and executes tumor cell death. HAMLET targets several cellular compartments ranging from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. HAMLET rapidly binds to the plasma membrane of tumor cells and the resulting changes in membrane shape and lipid composition activate
Varicose veins (VVs) have been associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE), but whether these diseases share familial susceptibility has not been determined. This nationwide study aimed to determine whether VTE shares familial susceptibility with VVs.
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
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
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
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
The relationship between airway responsiveness to bronchoconstrictor- and cough-inducing stimuli has been examined in Ascaris suum-sensitized conscious guinea-pigs. Guinea-pigs were sensitized to Ascaris suum [4000 PNU and 100 mg Al(OH)3 i.p. on days 1 and 7] and then challenged with aerosolized antigen on days 21, 28 and 35. At day 35, antigen-exposure produced an early bronchoconstrictor respons
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 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
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 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
We used validated outcome instruments to measure symptoms, disability, and health-related quality of life in 58 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The patients completed the CTS instrument before and 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) before and 3 months after surgery. The size of clinical change detected by each outcome measure was estimated by th
Self-assembling of a carotenoid and pheophytin a into a supramolecular system was observed on the surface of nanocrystalline TiO2, and the photoinduced electron-transfer reactions within the system were studied by means of femtosecond transient absorption and laser flash photolysis techniques. Excitation of the pheophytin moiety results in ultrafast electron transfer from carotenoid to the excited
Photoinduced electron injection from the sensitizer Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)2 (RuN3) into SnO2 and TiO2 nanocrystalline films occurs by two distinct channels on the femto- and picosecond time scales. The faster electron injection into the conduction band of the different semiconductors originates from the initially excited singlet state of RuN3, and occurs in competition with intersystem crossing. The rate
Objective: To identify the consequences of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in a cohort of male soccer players 14 years after the initial injury with respect to radiographic knee osteoarthritis and patient relevant outcomes. Methods: Of 219 male soccer players with an ACL injury in 1986, 205 (94%) were available for follow up after 14 years; 75% of the cohort (154/205) answered mailed que
The effect of varying the fraction of charged monomer units of the polyion in aqueous polyion-oppositely charged surfactant complex salts has been investigated. The complex salts used were based on cetyltrimethylammonium (C(16)TA(+)) with three different polymeric counterions: poly(acrylate) (PA(-)) or poly(acrylate) copolymerized with either dimethylacrylamide (PA(-)/DAM) or N-isopropylamide (PA(
This paper discusses signal processing methods for speech extraction in use with voice communication applications such as personal digital assistants (PDA), mobile telephone terminals and personal computers. The user is distant from the device and thus the speech signal entering the device may be subject to reverberation and may be disturbed by background noise. The proposed structure consists of
