MRI.TOOLS GmbH, Berlin, Germany A susceptibility phantom was designed and built from an acrylic glass cylinder (inner diameter: 170 mm, length: 250 mm). A reference structure consisting of 32 rods (diameter: 3 mm) was placed inside the phantom (Figure 1A) together with a plastic scale with marks every 20 mm. The phantom was filled with agarose gel (εr = 75, s = 0.73 S/m) to mimic human tissue [...

The serine protease inhibitors diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (chemical modifiers of serine residue) and N-acetyl-l-tryptophan ethyl ester (competitive inhibitor of chymotryptic protease) inhibited 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (AGEPC; platelet-activating factor)-induced platelet aggregation and secretion. The inhibition was dependent on the p...

The relationship between 1,203 measurements of scrotal circumference and testicular consistency, usually made at 6-month intervals, and body weight in 411 Holstein bulls, primarily 6 to 72 months of age, were analyzed. All bulls were weighed within 14 days of testicular measurement. The relationship between body weight in kg (Y) and bull age in months (X) is described by the regression equation...

An electrode sensitive to tetraphenyl phosphonium (TPP+) was applied to monitor the changes in the membrane potential of the ciliate Blepharisma japonicum during the process of cell elongation. Uptake of TPP+ by Blepharisma cells was observed when they were incubated in a medium containing 2 x 10(-6)M TPP+. Subsequent light stimulation (3,000 lux) led to an efflux of accumulated TPP+ from the c...

N-utilization factor G (NusG) from Aquifex aeolicus (Aa) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion technique. The drops consisted of 2.5 microl protein solution (approximately 30 mg ml(-1) in 20 mM Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 200 mM NaCl, 2 mM EDTA and 10 mM DTT) and 2.5 microl reservoir solution (0.085 M Na HEPES pH 7.5, 15% glycerol, 11% 2-pr...

Methods Ninety patients (84 men, age 54.4±10.8y, BMI 27.8±4.5 kg/m) with acute (n=30), subacute (n=30) and chronic (n=30) myocardial infarction were included in the study. All imaging was performed on a 1.5-T clinical MR system (Achieva, Philips Medical Systems, Best, the Netherlands). Spatial resolution was identical for 3D and 2D images (1.5 x 1.5 mm, slice thickness 8 mm, no slice gap). Imag...

Initiation factor-3 has been photochemically cross-linked to Escherichia coli 30 S ribosomal subunits by means of near-ultraviolet (> 285 nm) irradiation. The cross-linking was judged to be specific since noncovalent binding was required for subsequent cross-linking and was prevented by the presence of 0.5 M NH4Cl or 0.5 mM aurintricarboxylic acid. Covalent attachment reached its maximum level ...

Hydrophobins are fungal proteins that are capable of altering the hydrophobicity of surfaces by self-assembly at hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces. Here, the growth of hydrophobin crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography is reported. The hydrophobin HFBI from Trichoderma reesei was crystallized by vapour diffusion in hanging drops in 30% PEG 4000, 0.1 M sodium citrate pH 4.3 buffer containi...