The contribution of polystyrene nanospheres towards the crystallization of proteins.

Background: Protein crystallization is a slow process of trial and error and limits the amount of solved protein structures. Search of a universal heterogeneous nucleant is an effort to facilitate crystallizability of proteins.

Methodology: The effect of polystyrene nanospheres on protein crystallization were tested with three commercial proteins: lysozyme, xylanase, xylose isomerase, and with five research target proteins: hydrophobins HFBI and HFBII, laccase, sarcosine dimethylglycine N-methyltransferase (SDMT), and anti-testosterone Fab fragment 5F2.

Fatty acid composition and development of hepatic lipidosis during food deprivation--mustelids as a potential animal model for liver steatosis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome characterized by asymptomatic hepatic steatosis. It is present in most cases of human obesity but also caused e.g.

Space-time coherence of polychromatic propagation-invariant fields.

Polychromatic stationary propagation-invariant fields with complete spatial coherence in the space-frequency domain are considered. In general, the field is shown to be spatially partially coherent in the space-time domain, apart from transversely achromatic fields with complete transverse coherence. Particular attention is paid to fields that possess the same cone angle at each frequency; these are stationary counterparts of pulsed conical fields known as X waves.

New bedding site examination-based method to analyse deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) infection in cervids.

Invasion of the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi), an ectoparasitic fly commonly found in cervids, has been rapid in Finland during the last four decades. As the distribution area of this species has expanded from the south towards the northern latitudes, the associated problems have become more evident. Various animals such as horses, cattle and especially reindeer have been reported to host this parasite.

Diffractive parameric colors.

A method of producing inkless parameric color pairs is studied. In this method, colors are formed additively using diffraction gratings with differing grating periods as primary colors. Gratings with different grating periods reflect different spectral radiance peaks of a fluorescent lamp to the desired viewing angle, according to the grating equation.

Structural principles of polyhedral allotropes of phosphorus.

We derive the structural principles of polyhedral allotropes of phosphorus, introducing three distinct families of black phosphorus nanostructures. The predicted tetrahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral phosphorus cages can also be considered as phosphorus fullerenes. Phosphorus cages up to P(888) are systematically investigated by quantum chemical methods, and their thermodynamic stabilities are compared with the experimentally known allotropic forms of phosphorus.

Myo- and hepatotoxic effects of cultivated mushrooms in mice.

Mushrooms are currently examined for their potential as functional foods. At the same time, novel types of mushroom intoxications, such as rhabdomyolysis after prolonged consumption, have been described in edible species. The aim of the present study was to perform an acute toxicity test to establish if the most commonly cultivated species would have myo- or hepatotoxic effects.

Examining the role of temperature and sediment-chemical contact time on desorption and bioavailability of sediment-associated tetrabromo diphenyl ether and benzo(a)pyrene.

The effects of temperature and sediment-chemical contact time on desorption and bioaccumulation of sediment-spiked (14)C-labelled 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromo diphenyl ether (BDE-47) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were examined. Experiments were performed after 2 or 6 weeks and 23 or 24 months sediment-chemical contact time at 10 and 20 degrees C. Desorption was measured in a sediment-water suspension using Tenax extraction, and bioaccumulation was measured by exposing Lumbriculus variegatus (Oligochaeta) to BDE-47 and BaP-spiked sediments in a 10d kinetic study.

Infectivity of Diplostomum spp. in Arctic charr: aspects of exposure duration and cercariae morphology.

The diplostomid flukes, Diplostomum spp., infect fish and cause cataract opacities in the eye lens. The effect of exposure dose on abundance of Diplostomum spp.

Diastereochemical differentiation of some cyclic and bicyclic beta-amino acids, via the kinetic method.

Stereochemical differentiation of five diastereomeric pairs of beta-amino acids, di-endo- and di-exo-2,3-disubstituted norbornane and norbornene amino acids, cis- and trans-2-aminocyclohexane-, 2-amino-4-cyclohexene-, and 2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acids, was investigated via the kinetic method with metal-bound trimeric complexes. This is the first time that diastereomers (di-endo/di-exo and cis/trans) have been differentiated with metal-bound trimeric complexes and the kinetic method. Moreover, determination of diastereochemical excess by the kinetic method was applied to norbornane beta-amino acids and cyclopentane beta-amino acids.

Migration, fertility, and aging in stable populations.

Fertility is below replacement level in all European countries, and population growth is expected to decline in the coming decades. Increasing life expectancy will accentuate concomitant aging of the population. Migration has been seen as a possible means to decelerate aging.

Enhancement of laser-induced fluorescence at 473 nm excitation with subwavelength resonant waveguide gratings.

A dielectric subwavelength resonant waveguide grating was designed and fabricated in order to enhance fluorescence of biomolecules. More than 80 times higher laser-induced fluorescence yield was observed from enhanced green fluorescence protein on the structure when compared to same material on a flat surface.

Low-cost fabrication of form-birefringent quarter-wave plates.

An extensive study of the single-step replication of form-birefringent quarter-wave plates is presented. Using rigorous diffraction theory, the fabrication parameters and tolerances are carefully studied in order to obtain ideal conditions for successful replication. The design considerations are then applied to fabricate a master element by electron-beam lithography, and to replicate quarter-wave plates using the UV-moulding process.

Structural characteristics of hydrogenated carbon and boron nitride nanotubes: impact of H-H interactions.

The structural characteristics of perhydrogenated carbon and boron nitride nanotubes are determined by means of quantum chemical calculations. Two families of nanotubes are systematically studied for both carbon and boron nitride, the nanotubes being derived from the perhydrogenated (110) and (111) sheets of diamond and cubic boron nitride. Single-walled perhydrogenated carbon nanotubes prefer structures analogous to the (111) sheet.

Evaluation and unification of some methods for estimating reflectance spectra from RGB images.

The problem of estimating spectral reflectances from the responses of a digital camera has received considerable attention recently. This problem can be cast as a regularized regression problem or as a statistical inversion problem. We discuss some previously suggested estimation methods based on critically undersampled RGB measurements and describe some relations between them.

Analysis of interferograms from a diffractive-lens-based common-path interferometer.

We present a method of numerical analysis of interferograms for a diffractive-lens-based common-path interferometer recently introduced by Elfström et al. [Opt. Express 14, 3847 (2006)OPEXFF1094-408710.

Supramolecular luminescent gold(I)-copper(I) complexes: self-assembly of the Au(x)Cu(y) clusters inside the [Au3(diphosphine)3]3+ triangles.

The reactions between diphosphino-alkynyl gold complexes (PhC2Au)PPh2(C6H4)(n)PPh2(AuC2Ph) (n = 1, 2, 3) with Cu(+) lead to formation of the heterometallic aggregates, the composition of which may be described by a general formula [{Au(x)Cu(y)(C2Ph)2x}Au3{PPh2(C6H4)(n)PPh2}3](3+(y-x)) (n = 1, 2, 3; x = (n + 1)(n + 2)/2; y = n(n + 1)). These compounds display very similar structural patterns and consist of the [Au(x)Cu(y)(C2Ph)2x](y-x) alkynyl clusters "wrapped" in the [Au3(diphosphine)3](3+) triangles. The complex for n = 1 was characterized crystallographically and spectrally, the larger ones (n = 2, 3) were investigated in detail by NMR spectroscopy.

Desorption and bioavailability of spiked pentabromo diphenyl ether and tetrachlorodibenzo(p)dioxin in contaminated sediments.

The relationship between desorption kinetics and bioavailability of sediment-associated 2,2',4,4,5' pentabromo diphenyl ether [(14)C] (BDE-99) and 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo(p)dioxin [(3)H] (TCDD) was examined in the contaminated sediments. The desorption kinetics were measured in a sediment-water suspension using Tenax extraction, and bioaccumulation was examined by exposing Lumbriculus variegatus (Oligochaeta) to BDE-99 and TCDD spiked sediment in a 14-day kinetic study. Both chemicals had a high affinity to the finest particle size fraction (<20 microm) and the large, very slowly desorbing fraction (58-75%).

Double groove broadband gratings.

Waveguiding in periodical structures of the size of the wavelength is applied to increase the functional spectral band of diffractive optics. The deviation of the effective refractive index between waveguides as a function of the wavelength is utilized to compensate the strong wavelength dependence of the efficiency of diffraction gratings.

Detection of Aspens Using High Resolution Aerial Laser Scanning Data and Digital Aerial Images.

The aim was to use high resolution Aerial Laser Scanning (ALS) data and aerial images to detect European aspen (Populus tremula L.) from among other deciduous trees. The field data consisted of 14 sample plots of 30 m × 30 m size located in the Koli National Park in the North Karelia, Eastern Finland.

Biochemical characterization of CA IX, one of the most active carbonic anhydrase isozymes.

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) is an exceptional member of the CA protein family; in addition to its classical role in pH regulation, it has also been proposed to participate in cell proliferation, cell adhesion, and tumorigenic processes. To characterize the biochemical properties of this membrane protein, two soluble recombinant forms were produced using the baculovirus-insect cell expression system. The recombinant proteins consisted of either the CA IX catalytic domain only (CA form) or the extracellular domain, which included both the proteoglycan and catalytic domains (PG + CA form).

Freezing tolerance of ectomycorrhizal fungi in pure culture.

The ability to survive freezing and thawing is a key factor for the existence of life forms in large parts of the world. However, little is known about the freezing tolerance of mycorrhizal fungi and their role in the freezing tolerance of mycorrhizas. Threshold temperatures for the survival of these fungi have not been assessed experimentally.

Statistical parameters and analysis of local contrast gloss.

Recently, we introduced a sensor for the detection of local contrast gloss (or luster) of products. This is a new development step in contrast gloss measurement, since contrast gloss has been measured previously from a macroscopic area. Therefore, yet there do not exist statistical parameters for the classification of the contrast gloss as there exist parameters, e.

The solution structure of the amino-terminal domain of human DNA polymerase epsilon subunit B is homologous to C-domains of AAA+ proteins.

DNA polymerases alpha, delta and epsilon are large multisubunit complexes that replicate the bulk of the DNA in the eukaryotic cell. In addition to the homologous catalytic subunits, these enzymes possess structurally related B subunits, characterized by a carboxyterminal calcineurin-like and an aminoproximal oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding-fold domain. The B subunits also share homology with the exonuclease subunit of archaeal DNA polymerases D.