Here, we tested for an ecologically valid cost to secondary sexual trait expression in the male great tit (Parus major). We compared the breast stripe area of a sample of males who survived extremely low night time temperatures with a sample who did not survive. Breast stripe area was significantly smaller in surviving males, suggesting a real cost of signalling in terms of survival. The relations

Many preterm infants are not capable of exclusive breastfeeding from birth. To guide mothers in breastfeeding, it is important to know when preterm infants can initiate breastfeeding and progress. The aim was to analyse postmenstrual age (PMA) at breastfeeding milestones in different preterm gestational age (GA) groups, to describe rates of breastfeeding duration at pre-defined times, as well as a

Selection pressure induced by simultaneously occurring environmental threats is a major evolutionary driver for organisms in terrestrial, as well as in aquatic ecosystems. For example, protection against ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and predation include both morphological and behavioral components. Here we address those selective pressures on zooplankton by performing a latitudinal monitoring, com

OBJECTIVE: Patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer are traditionally followed by repeat cystoscopy and urine cytology. A fluorescence in situ hybridisation technique called UroVysion((R)) (UV) is now available for clinical diagnosis of urothelial cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to compare UV analysis with routine follow-up methods. METHODS: We studied an unselected cohort o

Denna avhandlings syfte är att öka kunskapen om riskbruk och ett möjligt skadligt bruk eller beroende av alkohol, narkotika och tobak bland personer med psykossjukdom. Syftet är vidare att fördjupa förståelsen av deras erfarenheter av alkoholens och narkotikans roll i sitt liv samt återhämtningsfrämjande mål för rehabilitering och självhjälp. Avhandlingen baseras på data insamlade med hjälp av str

Background. Otitis media (OM) is the most common childhood bacterial infection and also the leading cause of conductive hearing loss in children. Currently, there is an urgent need for developing novel therapeutic agents for treating OM based on full understanding of molecular pathogenesis in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. Objective. To prov

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) 'pain sensitivity' haplotypes and chronic widespread pain (CWP) in two distinct cohorts. Methods Cases of CWP and controls free of pain were selected from two population-based studies: the Epidemiology of Functional Disorders study (EPIFUND) (UK) and the European Male Ageing Study (E

Objective Neuropsychiatric events occur unpredictably in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and most biomarker associations remain to be prospectively validated. This study examined a disease inception cohort of 1047 SLE patients to determine which autoantibodies at enrolment predicted subsequent neuropsychiatric events. Methods Patients with a recent SLE diagnosis were assessed prospectively for

A 4-year-old boy presented with proteinuria and developed progressive renal failure over 6 years. In the patient's family, five individuals were affected with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) but not the patient. Renal biopsies (n = 3) showed glomerular basement membrane thickening with double contours, endothelial swelling and deposits of C3 and C1q. Electron microscopy revealed mesang

It is accepted that the earth’s climate is changing in an accelerating pace, with already documented implications for human health and the environment. This literature review provides an overview of existing research findings about the effects of heat stress on the working population in relation to climate change. In the light of climate change adaptation, the purpose of the literature review was

Groin pain is common in soccer players. Comparison of results from different studies, especially between genders, is difficult as studies use different definitions and data collection procedures. Therefore we conducted a study of both male and female soccer players enabling direct gender comparison.

Seabirds act as vectors transporting marine nutrients to land by feeding on fish while nesting and roosting on islands. By depositing large amounts of nutrient-rich guano on their nesting islands they strongly affect island soils, vegetation and consumers. However, few studies have investigated how nesting seabirds affect soil communities. In this study, we investigated how cormorant nesting colon

One of the main ways in which in-between time-spaces are organised and materialised in the urban environment is through waiting places. In his article we point to the transformative potential of waiting places, their role as actors in an urban web, and discuss briefly their societal role in recent historical changes. Public waiting places are today increasingly becoming pre-programmed: connected t

Soil food webs are characterised by complex direct and indirect effects among the organisms. Consumption of microorganisms by soil animals is considered as an important factor that contributes to the stability of communities, though cascading effects within the food web can be difficult to detect. In a greenhouse experiment, an addition of a high number the fungal feeding collembola Folsomia quadr

To evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Swedish version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI), it was sent to parents of 9- and 12-yr-old twins in Sweden. The final number of responders was 196 parents who rated 92 female and 104 male twin pairs. The inventory of one twin, randomly chosen from each pair, was included in the analyses. Reward Dependence, Persistence,

Methanol premixed flames were studied under oxy-fuel conditions for the first time. Laminar burning velocities were measured with the heat flux method at atmospheric pressure for unburnt gas temperatures of 308-358 K within a stoichiometric range of phi = 0.8-1.5. A linear relationship between temperature and laminar burning velocity on a log-log scale was observed. The experimental results are di

FTIR study of the evolution of multivacancy-oxygen-related defects in the temperature range 100-350 degrees C in Czochralski-grown Si samples irradiated with different particles (10 MeV electrons and 5 MeV neutrons) has been carried out. Appearance of two absorption bands positioned at 833.4 and 842.4 cm(-1) has been found upon annealing of the divacancy related absorption band at 2767 cm(-1). The