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The European project was founded on the advancement of liberal democracy where the rule of law and respect for human rights have a central place. In a period of ‘instability’ in the Union where organisational changes to national judiciaries have raised fears over rule of law backsliding among Member States threatening the functioning of the European Union’s legal order. It is necessary to facilita
This study aims to comprehend how German citizens’ understanding of public organizations’ branding, as exemplified by the Bundeswehr, shapes their conception of these organizations. Using a qualitative research methodology, semi-structured interviews supported by photo-elicitation were conducted with German citizens of different demographic groups to better understand public opinion. The study ide
This paper presents techniques for improving the numerical stability of Grobner basis solvers for polynomial equations. Recently Grobner basis methods have been used succesfully to solve polynomial equations arising in global optimization e.g. three view triangulation and in many important minimal cases of structure from motion. Such methods work extremely well for problems of reasonably low degre
We report that many histone modifications are unevenly distributed over the HPV16 genome in cervical cancer cells as well as in HPV16-immortalized keratinocytes. For example, H3K36me3 and H3K9Ac that are common in highly expressed cellular genes and over exons, were more common in the early than in the late region of the HPV16 genome. In contrast, H3K9me3, H4K20me3, H2BK5me1 and H4K16Ac were more
Disease and death caused by bacterial infections are global health problems. Effective bacterial strategies are required to promote survival and proliferation within a human host, and it is important to explore how this adaption occurs. However, the detection and quantification of bacterial virulence factors in complex biological samples are technically demanding challenges. These can be addressed
P>Diagnosing candidaemia remains difficult despite the development of new diagnostics. We report a direct comparison of three different blood-culture systems and four indirect tests. One hundred and fourteen episodes either with haematological disease and fever despite antibacterials, or with documented invasive candidiasis, were enrolled prospectively. Clinical, para-clinical information and surv
The very bright red star HV2112 in the Small Magellanic Cloud could be a massive Thorne-A >> ytkow object (TA >> O), a supergiant-like star with a degenerate neutron core. With a luminosity of over 10(5) L-aS (TM), it could also be a super asymptotic giant branch (SAGB) star, a star with an oxygen/neon core supported by electron degeneracy and undergoing thermal pulses with third dredge up. Both T
The development of a plasmid-based genetic transformation protocol for Chlamydia trachomatis provides the basis for the detailed investigation of the function of the chlamydial plasmid and its individual genes or coding sequences (CDS). In this study we constructed a plasmid vector with CDS6 deleted (pCDS6KO) from the original Escherichia coli/C. trachomatis shuttle vector pGFP::SW2. pCDS6KO was t
Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is an inducer of vascular endothelial leakage in severe infections. Fluid accumulation into alveoli is a general finding in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Severe acute respiratory failure with ARDS is a complication of influenza A(H1N1) infection. Accordingly, we studied the HBP levels in critically ill patients with infection of influenza A(H1N1).Critica
We study the nature of the peculiar [Sr II] and Sr II emission filament found in the ejecta of Eta Carinae. To this purpose we carry out abinitio calculations of radiative transition probabilities and electron impact excitation rate coefficients for Sr II. Then we build a multilevel model for the system which is used to investigate the physical condition of the filament and the nature of the obser
Background: Previous studies indicate that there may be infant gender differences in cytokine expression associated with differences in neonatal morbidity. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that umbilical cord interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) correlates with infant gender and neonatal outcome in preterm infants. Study Design: IL-1ra was measured in cord blood taken from 58 preterm infa
One of the major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with arthritis in crosses between B10.RIII and RIIIS/J mice is the Cia5 on chromosome 3. Early in the congenic mapping process it was clear that the locus was complex, consisting of several subloci with small effects. Therefore, we developed two novel strategies to dissect a QTL: the partial advanced intercross (PAI) strategy, with which w
Maternal effects by which females provide their offspring with non-genetic factors such as hormones, nutrients and antibodies can have an important impact on offspring fitness. In vertebrates, maternal antibodies (matAb) are transferred from the mother, via the placenta, egg yolk or milk during lactation to offspring until they are 2 weeks (birds), 4-10 weeks (rodents) and 9 months (humans) old, r
The influence of charge and aromatic stacking interactions on the self-assembly of a series of four model amyloid peptides has been examined. The four model peptides are based on the KLVFF motif from the amyloid beta peptide, A beta(16-20) extended at the N terminus with two P-alanine residues. We have studied NH2-beta A beta AKLVFF-COOH (FF), NH2-beta A beta AKLVF-COOH (F), CH3CONH-beta A beta AK
The role of infection in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been determined. We aimed to document the infectious burden and some aspects of antibacterial immunity in a large and prospective cohort study of RA patients in the early and late stages of the disease and in their relatives predisposed to RA.
The HAMLET family of compounds (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumours) was discovered during studies on the properties of human milk, and is a class of protein-lipid complexes having broad spectrum anti-cancer, and some specific anti-bacterial properties. The structure of HAMLET-like compounds consists of an aggregation of partially unfolded protein making up the majority of the compound'
The complement system is activated in the vasculature during thrombotic and inflammatory conditions. Activation may be associated with chronic inflammation on the endothelial surface leading to complement deposition. Complement mutations allow uninhibited complement activation to occur on platelets, neutrophils, monocytes, and aggregates thereof, as well as on red blood cells and endothelial cells
We have investigated the initial oxidation of the Rh(113) and Rh(223) vicinal surfaces by STM and ab initio simulations. Upon adsorption of small amounts of oxygen, the surface morphology is completely altered. Surprisingly, oxygen-stabilized Rh adatoms can be observed on the (113) facets, with oxide-like electronic properties. We present models of these "0D oxide" phases and discuss reasons for t
