Magnetoreception of the light-dependent magnetic compass in birds is suggested to be mediated by a radical-pair mechanism taking place in the avian retina. Biophysical models on magnetic field effects on radical pairs generally assume that the light activating the magnetoreceptor molecules is nondirectional and unpolarized, and that light absorption is isotropic. However, natural skylight enters t

Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human bacterial pathogen responsible for severe and invasive disease associated with high mortality rates. The bacterium interacts with several human blood plasma proteins and clarifying these interactions and their biological consequences will help to explain the progression from mild to severe infections. In this study, we used a combination of mass spectrometry

A study of the feasibility of perturbation-based control methods in industrial fed-batch fermentations based on experiments in industrial production scale bioreactors (>100 m(3)) is presented, as well as modelling of the relation between substrate feed rate and dissolved oxygen level in such a process. Several different types of perturbation-based control methods have been suggested for control of

Evidence for an involvement of striatal D1 receptors in levodopa-induced dyskinesia has been presented whereas the contribution of striatal D2 receptors remains controversial. In addition, whether D1 and D2 receptors located in the substantia nigra reticulata shape the response to levodopa remains unknown. We therefore used dual probe microdialysis to unravel the impact of striatal and nigral D1 o

In Europe, agri-environmental schemes (AES) have been introduced in response to concerns about farmland biodiversity declines. Yet, as AES have delivered variable results, a better understanding of what determines their success or failure is urgently needed. Focusing on pollinating insects, we quantitatively reviewed how environmental factors affect the effectiveness of AES. Our results suggest th

The possibility of topicalizing sentential negation is severely restricted in the Germanic V2-languages. In this paper, we show that negative preposing was more frequent and less restricted in earlier stages of Swedish: approx. 8 % of all occurrences of negation are clause initial in Old Swedish, compared to less than 0.5 % in present day Swedish. We propose that this change in frequency can be tr

Increasingly, with the data collected at the LHC we are confronted with the possible existence of flow in pp collisions. In this work, we show that PYTHIA 8 produces flowlike effects in events with multiple hard subcollisions due to color string formations between final partons from independent hard scatterings, the so-called color reconnection. We present studies of different identified hadron ob

The liver is a critical organ for regulation of energy homeostasis and fatty liver disease is closely associated with obesity and insulin resistance. We have previously found that lingonberries, blackcurrants and bilberries prevent, whereas açai berries exacerbate, the development of hepatic steatosis and obesity in the high-fat (HF)-fed C57BL/6J mouse model. In this follow-up study, we investigat

There is no clinically useful score to predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. We aimed to derive this by analyzing data from three existing COPD clinical trials of budesonide/formoterol, formoterol, or placebo in patients with moderate-to-very-severe COPD and a history of exacerbations in the previous year.

The target for the oral erectile dysfunction drugs, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, is part of a pathway implicated in the development of malignant melanoma. An increased risk of melanoma in sildenafil users was recently reported.

Moisture induced stress in timber is dependant on many factors. The driving force behind is the moisture variation in the surrounding air which causes induced stress due to restraint of hygro-expansion within timber elements (this can to some extent be seen analogous to thermally induced stress in steel). Today's computational power together with advanced constitutive models offers aaEuro-aEuro-va

Strong radial confinement in semiconductor nanowires leads to modified electronic and phononic energy spectra. We analyze the current response to the interplay between quantum confinement effects of the electron and phonon systems in a gate-defined double quantum dot in a semiconductor nanowire. We show that current spectroscopy of inelastic transitions between the two quantum dots can be used as

Physical activity is favorable for peak bone mass but if the skeletal benefits remain and influence fracture risk in old age is debated. In a cross-sectional controlled mixed model design, we compared dual X-ray absorptiometry-derived bone mineral density (BMD) and bone size in 193 active and retired male elite soccer players and 280 controls, with duplicate measurements of the same individual don

Obestatin is a 23-amino acid peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene. We have investigated the effect of obestatin on intestinal contractility in rats ranging from the suckling period till adolescence. Duodenal and middle jejunum whole-thickness preparations from neonatal and adult rats were studied in an organ bath, for isometric recording under treatment with obestatin (1 mu mol L-1) in the presence

Galectin-1, beta-galactoside binding lectin involved in immunoregulation and cancer, binds natural and many synthetic multivalent glycoconjugates with an apparent glycoside cluster effect, that is, affinity above and beyond what would be expected from the concentration of the determinant sugar. Here we have analyzed the mechanism of such cluster effects in solution at physiological concentration u

The aim of this work was to develop a model suited for detailed studies of aerosol dynamics, gas and particle phase chemistry within urban plumes, from local scale (1x1 km(2)) to regional scale. This article describes and evaluates the trajectory model for Aerosol Dynamics, gas and particle phase CHEMistry and radiative transfer (AD-CHEM). The model treats both vertical and horizontal dispersion p

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Androgen stimulation of prostate cancer (PCa) cells has been the basis for extensive studies evaluating the role of androgen in PCa but the diagnostic measurement of androgen as well as androgen values that potentially influence prognosis are unclear in patients with PCa. The 50 ng/dL threshold has been questioned as a result of reports ind

The needs for support among children with a seriously ill parent, who is waiting for heart transplantation, are unknown today. The aim was to describe now adult children's experiences of social support in relation to a parent's heart transplant during childhood. Nine females and four males were interviewed. The median age for the children was 18 at the transplantation and their parents had been il