Background: Alpha-synuclein (asyn) has been shown to play an important role in the neuropathology of Parkinson's disease (PD). In the diseased brain, classic intraneuronal inclusions called Lewy bodies contain abnormal formations of asyn protein which is mostly phosphorylated at serine 129 (pS129 asyn). This suggests that post-translational modifications may play a role in the pathogenic process.

A new species, Sirenophila ovis-atra is described from maritime rocks of southern Patagonia, the Falkland Islands and Macquarie Island, where it grows in the upper part of the black ‘Verrucaria-zone’, most often on members of the genus Hydropunctaria. It is so far the only known species of Sirenophila in South America, a genus that is particularly prominent on the coasts of Australia.

The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor Say (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), is a pest of wheat and belongs to a group of gall-inducing herbivores. This species has a unique life history and several ecological features that differentiate it from other Diptera such as Drosophila melanogaster and blood-feeding mosquitoes. These features include a short, non-feeding adult life stage (1–2 days) and the u

Nation brands are intended to act as vehicles for economic development. However, the role of the nation brands of developed countries in shaping the economic development of developing countries has not been explored to the same degree. Using the example of Britain’s 2010 National Security Strategy, this article argues that the two-decade long decline in conditional aid has been superseded by effor

Semiconductor nanowires are a promising candidate for next-generation solar cells. However, the optical response of nanowires is, due to diffraction effects, complicated to optimize. Here, we optimize through optical modeling the absorption in a dual-junction nanowire-array solar cell in terms of the Shockley-Quessier detailed balance efficiency limit. We identify efficiency maxima that originate

Background While transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is established for treating highoperative risk surgical aortic valve replacement candidates, until recently the smallest transcatheter heart valve (THV) measured 23 mm, posing greater risk for annular rupture and THV failure in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) with small aortic annuli (=20 mm). Objectives In the setting of a multice

Complement activation occurs during enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection and may exacerbate renal manifestations. In this study, we show glomerular C5b-9 deposits in the renal biopsy of a child with EHEC-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome. The role of the terminal complement complex, and its blockade as a therapeutic modality, was investigated in a mouse model of E. coli O157:H7 i

Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) refers to the self-treatment of a medical condition using medication without a prescriber's authorization as well as use to achieve euphoric states. This article reports data from a cross-national investigation of NMPDU in five European Countries, with the aim to understand the prevalence and characteristics of those engaging in NMPDU across the

This paper combines the Metropolis-Hastings Improved Particle Smoother (MHIPS) with marginalized models. It demonstrates the effectiveness of the combination by looking at two examples; a degenerate model of a double integrator and a fifth order mixed linear/nonlinear Gaussian (MLNLG) model. For the MLNLG model two different methods are compared with the non-marginalized case; the first marginaliz

The control of the Touch Hand: a low-cost electrically powered prosthetic hand is explored in this paper. A novel Haptic User Interface is proposed and tested as a supplement for amputee-prosthetic EMG control. The performance of the prosthetic hand is tested through gripping tests. The hand is capable of performing a lateral grip of 3.7 N, a power grip of 19.5 N and to passively hold a weight of

Many amputees have maps of referred sensation from their missing hand on their residual limb (phantom maps). This skin area can serve as a target for providing amputees with tactile sensory feedback. Providing tactile feedback on the phantom map can improve the object manipulation ability, enhance embodiment of myoelectric prostheses users and help reduce phantom limb pain. The distribution of the