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The article present decision support methods for industrial managers to use in achieveing energy efficiency.

Usage of combinatorial optimization for cost benefit analysis of material storage, as part of production planning in industrial energy systems, is described.

It is possible that N-CoR, a protein of relative molecular mass 270,000 which binds to the ligand-binding area of thyroid-hormone and retinoic-acid receptors, mediates ligand-independent transcriptional repression. Researchers have identified a complex which contains this protein, the histone deacetylase mRPD3 and the Mad presumptive co-repressor mSin3. It has been found that both N-CoR and mSin3 are vital elements of a co-repressor complex which is needed for transcriptional repression in at least two classes of DNA-binding proteins.

The binding of retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoid-X receptors (RXR) as heterodimers to cognate DNA sites, oriented as direct repeats of a core binding motif, occurs in a polarity-specific manner. The destabilization of a novel nuclear receptor co-repressor, N-Co-R, and the employment of putative co-activators causes the differential response of RAR to activating ligands on DR + 5 elements. DNA-response elements allosterically mediate RAR-co-repressor activity to regulate gene expression.

Thyroid-hormone and retinoic-acid receptors, attached to the retinoid-X receptor as heterodimers to cognate DNA positions, mediate ligand-independent transcriptional repression by effecting both positive and negative gene expression when their ligands are present or absent. A 270 K protein, named the nuclear receptor co-repressor, mediates ligand-independent transcriptional repression similar to the processes in yeast and Drosophila.

Geostatistical modeling to map spatial patterns were used to explore the distribution of the community structure, size, and activity of one functional group in N cycling, the denitrifiers, in relation to 23 soil parameters over a 44-ha farm divided into one organic and one integrated crop production system. The different community patterns along with the spatial distribution of the nirS/nirK abundance ratio suggested habitat selection on the nirS- and nirK-type denitrifiers and constituted a first step in identifying positions for denitrifiers at scales relevant to land management.

Byline: Anna Wolf, Mats Eklund, Mats Soderstrom The objective of this study is to evaluate the human dimensions of improving energy and material-use efficiency of a system through increased integration and exchange between local actors. The results are based on a case study of a Swedish municipality with a developed forest industry. The actors' views are discussed together with the most important factors to enable increased integration and for exchange to take place. The greatest barriers found were the lack of knowledge and resources, attitudes, time frames, development consent, and lack of continuity and local power for some companies. One conclusion is that the municipal authority could have a role as coordinator of local integration projects. However, this role can be impeded by the weak integration of different divisions in the municipality's organisation and it is suggested that companies with integration as their business concept can be key actors when developing more integrated networks. It was also clear that intraorganisational issues may impede interorganisational integration.

Experimental animal models for autoimmunity have demonstrated the existence and crucial role of CD4+CD25+ T regulatory (Tr) cells in suppressing autoreactive T cells and promoting peripheral tolerance. Recent in vitro functional studies showed that Tr cells are enriched in the CD25high cell population among CD4+ T cells, and that they totally inhibit proliferation and cytokine secretion by CD4+ T cells. It is not yet known if circulating Tr cells are involved in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was done firstly to determine whether alterations of the CD4+ CD25high T cells occur in MS, examining their frequencies. As it was reported that the suppressive activity of CD4+CD25+ Tr cells is mainly through cell surface contact pathway, we secondly analyzed the expression of the functionally important cell surface molecules of CD4+CD25high Tr cells. Two- or three-colour flow cytometry was used to identify and quantify CD4+CD25+ Tr cells and CD4+CD25high Tr cells among blood CD4+ T cells in MS patients without treatment vs. patients treated with either interferon-β (IFN-β) or glatiramer acetate (GA) or IFN-β+ GA in combination vs. healthy controls (HC). Expression of functionally important surface molecules CD45RO, CD69, CD95, HLA-DR, and intracellular CTLA-4 and IL-10 production by CD4+CD25high Tr cells were investigated. CD4+CD25+ T cells constituted around 6% of CD4+T cells in all MS patient groups, and 7% in HC. There were also no changes in the proportions of CD4+CD25+ Tr cells and CD4+CD25high Tr cells in a longitudinal follow-up of MS patients before and during IFN-β treatment. Frequencies of circulating CD4+CD25highTr cells among CD4+ T cells were also similar and their surface or intracellular molecular expression did not vary in MS patients, irrespective of treatment, compared to HC. This study suggests that levels of circulating CD4+CD25+ Tr cells and CD4+CD25high Tr cells are not altered in MS, and are unaffected by substances currently used to modulate the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infiltration of inflammatory cells in bronchial mucosa and glandular hypersecretion are hallmarks of asthma. It has been postulated that exhaled breath condensate (EBC) mirrors events in epithelial lining fluid of airways, such as presence of local inflammation as well as glandular hypersecretion. It is also well known that eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and cysteinyl-leukotrienes (cys-LT) are released by circulating inflammatory cells when triggered by antigen stimulation in asthma patients., Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether chlorine and/or cys-LT in EBC would reflect changes of exposure of airborne pollen in patients with asthma., Methods: EBC and serum were collected from 23 patients with allergic asthma during a pollen season and repeated 5 months later during a period with no aeroallergens. Chlorine was measured by means of a sensitive coulometric technique and cys-LT by an EIA technique. Serum ECP was measured and lung function tests were performed and symptoms noted during both occasions., Results: Significantly higher concentrations of chlorine in EBC (p = 0.007) and ECP in serum (p = 0.003) were found during the pollen season compared to post-season. Chlorine levels tended to be higher in patients who reported of chest symptoms compared to those who denied symptoms during the pollen season (p = 0.06). Areas under the receiver-operated characteristic curves (AUC(ROC)) were compared and similar discriminative power to identify exacerbations of asthma was recorded by chlorine in EBC (range 0.67-0.78) and ECP in serum (range 0.64-0.78)., Conclusion: It is concluded that chlorine in EBC and ECP in serum decreased significantly post-season, and this is suggested to mirror the decrement in airborne antigen. It is furthermore proposed that chlorine in EBC and ECP in serum tend to have a similar capacity to identify seasonal variations in airborne pollen in patients with asthma.