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Coronene is a highly symmetric organic molecule whose molecular structure resembles a fragment of graphite. We have crystallized a charge-transfer complex based on coronene and TCNQ, and present crystal structure and transport properties. The complex adopts alternate stacking between coronene and TCNQ and the charge-transfer was estimated to be of the order of 0.3 by the structure and IR analysis

BACKGROUND : Recruitment and activation of eosinophils have been studied intensely in asthma and other allergic diseases. Less is known about the infiltration and behaviour of eosinophils during gastric ulcer healing. AIM : To examine the tissue infiltration and activation of eosinophils in the ulcer margin at different time points after ulcer induction (days 1-15). METHODS : Eosinophil peroxidase

The influence of external vibrations on the frictional force has been studied, using different frequencies, amplitudes, loads and materials. The results show that it is possible to affect the frictional force between two surfaces in contact through vibration. The frictional force can be weakened chiefly through a separation of the surfaces or strengthened by welding phenomena in the contact surfa

Quaternary glacial stratigraphy and relative sea-level changes reveal at least two glacial expansions over the Chelyuskin Peninsula, bordering the Kara Sea at about 77°N in the Russian Arctic, as indicated from tills interbedded with marine sediments, exposed in stratigraphic superposition, and from raised beach sequences mapped to altitudes of at least up to ca. 80 m a.s.l. Chronological control

The complexation of sulfate ions at the goethite-water interface has been studied by equilibrium measurements at 298.2 +/- 0.5 K and by infrared spectroscopy. A unified set of data from potentiometric titrations and batch adsorption experiments were evaluated according to an extended Constant Capacitance Model. The obtained equilibrium model consists of two outer-sphere complexes: = FeOH2+, SO42-

The relative proportion of stroma lamellae and grana end membranes was determined from electron micrographs of 58 chloroplasts from 21 different plant species. The percentage of grana end membranes varied between 1 and 21% of the total thylakoid membrane indicating a large variation in the size of grana stacks. By contrast the stroma lamellae account for 20.3 +/- 2.5 (SD)% of the total thylakoid m

Graptolites are uncommon in the Lower Visby Formation. Specimens derived from conodont residues are predominantly members of the long ranging genus Retiolites, with single specimens recorded of Paraplectograptus and Monograptus priodon. Only one graptolite, a specimen of Cyrtograptus bohemicus, has been recovered from the Upper Visby Formation. This is the only biostratigraphically important speci

The adsorption of Ga(III) at the water-alpha-FeOOH (goethite) interface has been investigated by means of quantitative adsorption experiments, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, and surface complexation modeling. Under the conditions studied, pH range 3-11 and surface coverages of 0.9-3.2 mu mol/m(2), Ga(III) was found to adsorb strongly to alpha-FeOOH, and the surface

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a lysosomal storage disease in which impaired intracellular lipid trafficking leads to excess storage of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids in the brain and other tissues. it is characterized clinically by a variety of progressive, disabling neurological symptoms including clumsiness, limb and gait ataxia, dysarthria, dysphagia and cognitive deterioration (dem

We investigated whether local biotic and abiotic conditions could explain the occurrence of calling males of the declining spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus in 72 ponds in southern Sweden. The ponds covered the entire distribution range of P. fuscus and were monitored during the breeding season in 2000. Calling males were found in 33 ponds. representing ca 50% of all known ponds for the species ill

The original immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) suggested that testosterone has a handicapping effect in males by both promoting the development of sexual signals and suppressing immune function. A modified version, the stress-linked ICHH, has recently proposed that testosterone is immunosuppressive indirectly by increasing production of corticosterone. To test both the original and stres

We present a review of some of the current major challenges in stellar cluster research, including young clusters, globular clusters, and galactic nuclei. Topics considered include: primordial mass segregation and runaway mergers, expulsion of gas from clusters, the production of stellar exotica seen in some clusters (e.g., blue stragglers and extreme horizontal-branch stars), binary populations w

The gamma decay of excited states in the N = Z odd-odd nucleus Rb-74 has been observed for the first time. The reaction Ca-40(Ca-40,alpha pn)Rb-74 at 128 MeV beam energy was used. The ground state rotational band can be interpreted as being formed from the T = 1 isobaric analog states of Kr-74 with pairing correlations based on T = 1, M(T) = 0 neutron-proton pairs. At higher rotational frequency,

Results are presented from a theoretical study of the lower electronic states of the CUO molecule. Multiconfigurational wave functions have been used with dynamic correlation added using second order perturbation theory. Extended basis sets have been used, which for uranium were contracted including scalar relativistic effects. Spin–orbit interaction has been included using the state-interaction a

The adipocyte-derived hormone leptin is associated with insulin resistance and reduced fibrinolytic status - or dysfibrinolysis - in humans. As leptin associates differentially to the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in men and women, we hypothesized that leptin and insulin sensitivity are related to dysfibrinolysis in a sex-dependent manner. Thirty-two men and 40 women were recr

We wanted to investigate the origin of seminal plasma albumin and its relation to the male reproductive parameters. Semen samples from 916 men, under infertility assessment, were analysed according to guidelines of the World Health Organization. Seminal plasma constituents, i.e. albumin, markers of the epididymal (neutral alpha-glucosidase, NAG), prostatic (prostate-specific antigen, PSA, and zinc

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ability of statins to activate the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) in primary human monocytes in culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human peripheral monocytes were incubated with atorvastatin (0.1-10 micromol/1) for up to 24 hours. PPAR-gamma expression was analysed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Pro-inflammatory c