β-Agarase cleaves the β-1,4 linkages of agar to produce neoagarooligosaccharides (NAO), which are associated with various physiological functions. However, the immunological functions of NAO are still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that β-agarase DagA-produced neoagarohexaose (DP6), an NAO product, promoted the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). DP6 dir...

Four regional Scots pine ring-width chronologies at the northern forest-limit, and in the northern, middle and southern boreal forest belts in Finland cover the last fourteen centuries. Tree-ring statistics and response functions were examined, and tree-ring width variation was also compared to North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and volcanic forcing. The tree-ring statistics show evidence of an e...

The linkage between El Ni~ no–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) through the stratospheric pathway is examined using a global coupled climate model [GFDL Climate Model version 3 (CM3)], with increased vertical resolution and extent in the stratosphere as compared to an earlier model [GFDL Climate Model version 2 (CM2)]. It is demonstrated that the relationship betw...

This study aims at predicting the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) drought class transitions in Portugal, considering the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) as one of the main large-scale atmospheric drivers of precipitation and drought fields across the Western European and Mediterranean areas. Log-linear modeling of the drought class transition probabilities on three temporal...

BACKGROUND Nasal airway obstruction (NAO) is a common health condition impacting mood, energy, recreation, sleep, and overall quality of life. Nasal surgery often addresses NAO but the results are sometimes unsatisfactory. Evaluating surgical treatment efficacy could be improved if objective tests were available that correlated with patient-reported measures of symptoms. The goal of this study ...

A general circulation ocean model has been used to study the formation and propagation mechanisms of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-generated temperature anomalies along the pathway of the North Atlantic Current (NAC). The NAO-like wind forcing generates temperature anomalies in the upper 440 m which propagate along the pathway of the NAC in general agreement with the observations. The analys...

Population level impacts upon seabirds from changing climate are increasingly evident, and include effects on phenology, migration, dispersal, annual survivorship, and reproduction. Most population data on seabirds derive from nesting colonies; documented climate impacts on winter ecology are scarce. We studied interannual variability in winter abundance of six species of alcids (Charadriiforme...

Cardiolipin is an important phospholipid present in the mitochondrial inner membrane. It plays a key function in mitochondrial respiration by interacting with many enzymes or cofactors related to oxidative phosphorylation complexes. We have determined the concentration of cardiolipin using on-line 10-N-nonyl acridine orange (NAO) dye interaction capillary electrophoresis (CE) and spectrophotome...

[1] The multi‐stage eruption of the Icelandic volcano Laki beginning in June, 1783 is speculated to have caused unusual dry fog and heat in western Europe and cold in North America during the 1783 summer, and record cold and snow the subsequent winter across the circum‐North Atlantic. Despite the many indisputable impacts of the Laki eruption, however, its effect on climate, particularly during...

Two common indicators of Atlantic climate variability, viz., the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) and the crossintertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, are examined for their frequency characteristics and midlatitude-tropical links. SST anomalies north and south of the ITCZ are found to be uncorrelated on all time scales, while the sea level pressure (SLP) f...