Beta cell apoptosis is a hallmark of diabetes. Since we have previously shown that galectin-3 deficient (LGALS3/) mice are relatively resistant to diabetes induction, the aim of this study was to examine whether beta cell apoptosis depends on the presence of galectin-3 and to delineate the underlying mechanism. Deficiency of galectin-3, either hereditary or induced through application of chemical

Background: Chronic depression is a particularly disabling mood disorder and treatment outcomes are poor with either psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy alone. There is growing evidence that an integrative treatment approach may be optimal. A novel multi-modal, multi-disciplinary treatment program, Re-ChORD, was developed at the University of British Columbia and evaluated in this pilot study. Method

Sexual selection research has always been a subject for debate. Much of the criticism has concerned the imposition of conventional sex roles based on an anthropomorphic view of animals imposed by the researcher. This conventional view may have hampered research, for example from acknowledging male mate choice. Sexual conflict theory is a fast-growing research field, which initially stems from sexu

Violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) catalyses the conversion of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin at the lumen side of the thylakoids during exposure to intense light. VDE consists of a cysteine-rich N-terminal domain, a lipocalin-like domain and a negatively charged C-terminal domain. That the cysteines are important for the activity of VDE is well known, but in what way is less understood. In this study, w

The use of quantitative performance measures to evaluate the productivity, impact and quality of research has spread to almost all parts of public R&D systems, including Big Science where traditional measures of technical reliability of instruments and user oversub- scription have been joined by publication counts to assess scientific productivity. But such performance assessment has been show

The aim of this paper is to describe the extent and content of information regarding incubator management structure, selection, support and network mediation on Swedish incubators websites and analyse connections between different incubator management structure and the content of incubator best practice. The data is based on information reported on 44 incubator websites in Sweden processed within

Prior work on an engine combustion network Diesel fuel injector led to the conclusion that under Diesel engine conditions (combustion chamber pressure and temperature) the jet was transitionally supercritical; meaning that the core of the jet would be condensed liquid while the edge of the jet would be supercritical. We report initial experiments aimed at observing the thickened turbulent mixing l

Signal transduction and neurotransmitter release in the vertebrate central nervous system are confined to the structurally complex presynaptic electron dense projections called "active zones." Although the nature of these projections remains a mystery, genetic and biochemical work has provided evidence for the active zone (AZ) associated proteins i.e. Piccolo/Aczonin, Bassoon, RIM1/Unc10, Munc13/U

Cancer screening aims to detect cancer at an asymptomatic stage, although side effects from screening also occur. We investigated the prevalence, longitudinal development, and predictors of psychosocial consequences of false-positive breast cancer screening.

A recent experimental paradigm that tests young children’s understanding of social norms by modelling norms on Searle’s notion of constitutive rule is examined. The experiments and the reasons provided for their design are discussed in detail. The concepts of a social norm and of a constitutive rule are compared, and it is shown that they are distinct. It is argued that the experiments do not prov

Objective: To describe the characteristics of activity bursts in the early preterm EEG, to assess inter-rater agreement of burst detection by visual inspection, and to determine the performance of an automated burst detector that uses non-linear energy operator (NLEO). Methods: EEG recordings from extremely preterm (n = 12) and very preterm (n = 6) infants were analysed. Three neurophysiologists i

Ensuring occupants' safety in building fires is one of the most important aspects for fire safety engineering. Many uncertainties are inevitably introduced when estimating the occupant safety level, due to the high complexity of fire dynamics and the human behaviour in fires. Safety factor methods are traditionally employed to deal with such uncertainties. This kind of methods is easy to apply but

Abstract in French Une analyse de serie chronologique nous sert a evaluer les effets de la temperature et de la densite sur les fluctuations des recoltes d'ecrevisses adultes de grande taille. Nous verifions si la temperature durant les differents stades du cycle biologique des ecrevisses influence les recoltes observees entre 1946 et 2007 dans le lac Bunn (Suede). De 1946 a 1974, l'ecrevisse a pi

Four new monophyletic groups are found within the teloschistoid clade of the subfamily Xanthorioideae in the Teloschistaceae using nuclear (ITS1/ITS2) and mitochondrial (12S mtSSU gene) DNA sequences. These groups are proposed as new genera: Brownliella gen. nova for the widely distributed Caloplaca cinnabarina group, Filsoniana gen. nova for the Australian Ca loplaca australiensis group, Fulgogas

We have previously shown that lithium can cause end-stage renal disease (ESRD): however, this serious side-effect of lithium in prophylactic treatment of mood disorders may reflect the treatment regime of the 1960s and 1970s. Today's modern treatment routines, intended to reduce or eliminate lithium-induced ESRD (Li-ESRD), were introduced in Sweden in the early 1980s. The aim of the present study

The parasites Leshmania mexicana and Trypanosoma cruzi cause serious health problems, and few efficient treatments are available. Recently, the two benzochromenes pulchrol (1) and pulchral (2) were reported from the roots of Bourreria pulchra, and especially 1 but also 2 was found to be active towards the parasites. In this paper, we present a total synthesis of 1 and 2 to facilitate their biologi

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary factor in the cervical cancer development. Also after treatment for cervical dysplasia, HPV can be present and promote the recurrence of cervical disease. In the present study, the aim was to perform a long-term follow-up on the ability of HPV testing with genotyping, as compared with cytology, to predict recurrence of high-grade cervical intraep

In contrast to most vertebrates, invertebrate deuterostome echinoderms, such as the sea star Asterias rubens, undergo regeneration of lost body parts. The current hypothesis suggests that differentiated cells are the main source for regenerating arm in sea stars, but there is little information regarding the origin and identity of these cells. Here, we show that several organs distant to the regen