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In this article we reflect on the quality of a realist synthesis paradigm applied to the evaluation of Phase V of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network. The programmatic application of this approach has led to very high response rates and a wealth of important data. All articles in this Supplement report that cities in the network move from small-scale, time-limited projects predominantly focuse
Aerosol trapping has proven challenging and was only recently demonstrated. 1 This was accomplished by utilizing an air chamber designed to have a minimum of turbulence and a laser beam with a minimum of aberration. Individual gold nano-particles with diameters between 80 nm and 200 nm were trapped in air using a 1064 nm laser. The positions visited by the trapped gold nano-particle were quantifie
Blanket bog is a highly distinctive biome restricted to disjunct hyperoceanic regions. It is characterized by a landscape covering of peat broken only by the steepest slopes(1). Plant and microbial life are adapted to anoxia, low pH and low nutrient availability. Plant productivity exceeds soil organic matter decomposition, so carbon is sequestered over time. Unique climatic requirements, includin
A measurement of the Higgs boson mass is presented based on the combined data samples of the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the CERN LHC in the H→γγ and H→ZZ→4ℓ decay channels. The results are obtained from a simultaneous fit to the reconstructed invariant mass peaks in the two channels and for the two experiments. The measured masses from the individual channels and the two experiments are found to
Encapsulated cell biodelivery (ECB) is a relatively safe approach, since the devices can be removed in the event of adverse effects. The main objectives of the present study were to evaluate whether ECB could be a viable alternative of cell therapy for epilepsy. We therefore developed a human cell line producing galanin, a neuropeptide that has been shown to exert inhibitory effects on seizures, m
The WNT16 locus is a major determinant of cortical bone thickness and nonvertebral fracture risk in humans. The disability, mortality and costs caused by osteoporosis-induced nonvertebral fractures are enormous. We demonstrate here that Wnt16-deficient mice develop spontaneous fractures as a result of low cortical thickness and high cortical porosity. In contrast, trabecular bone volume is not alt
A number of amyloidogenic variants of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) have been discovered but most have not been analyzed. Previously, we showed that the G26R mutation of apoA-I leads to increased β-strand structure, increased N-terminal protease susceptibility and increased fibril formation after several days of incubation. In vivo, this and other variants mutated in the N-terminal domain (residues
Lifestyle interventions (i.e., diet and/or physical activity) are effective in delaying or preventing the onset of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, policymakers must know the cost-effectiveness of such interventions before implementing them at the large-scale population level. This review discusses various issues (e.g., characteristics, modeling, and long-term effectiveness) in the ec
Polymeric beta-cyclodextrin (beta CD) films tunable with respect to thickness and beta CD content were prepared in order to develop a suitable platform, allowing for inclusion of nonpolar guest molecules in the beta CD cavity, while suppressing nonspecific protein adsorption. The beta CD films were synthesized from linear beta CD dextran polymers, and grafted onto silicon oxide surfaces by "click"
Selection can facilitate diversification by inducing character displacement in mate choice traits that reduce the probability of maladaptive mating between lineages. Although reproductive character displacement (RCD) has been demonstrated in two-taxa case studies, the frequency of this process in nature is still debated. Moreover, studies have focused primarily on visual and acoustic traits, despi
The increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) is expected to lead to enhanced competition between plants and microorganisms for the available nitrogen (N) in soil. Here, we present novel results from a 15N tracing study conducted with a sheep-grazed pasture soil that had been under 10 years of CO(2) enrichment. Our study aimed to investigate changes in process-specific gross N
Absorption and impedance mismatch due to the proximity of a user as well as certain propagation channel characteristics can severely degrade the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) performance of multi-antenna terminals in real usage scenarios. In this context, we investigated the potential of adaptive impedance matching (AIM) to mitigate performance degradation from these effects based on chann
To explore the future clinical potential of improved soft-tissue visibility with grating-based X-ray phase contrast (PC), we have developed a first preclinical computed tomography (CT) scanner featuring a rotating gantry. The main challenge in the transition from previous bench-top systems to a preclinical scanner are phase artifacts that are caused by minimal changes in the grating alignment duri
The surface properties of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are important because different enzymes bind and carry out their functions at the surface of HDL particles during metabolic processes. However, the surface properties of HDL and other lipoproteins are poorly known because they cannot be directly measured for nanoscale particles with contemporary experimental methods. In this work, we carri
Although knowledge of the selective agents behind the evolution of sexual dimorphism has advanced considerably in recent years, we still lack a clear understanding of the evolutionary durability of cross-sex genetic covariances that often constrain its evolution. We tested the relative stability of cross-sex genetic covariances for a suite of homologous contact pheromones of the fruit fly Drosophi
Photoreceptor adaptation ensures appropriate visual responses during changing light conditions and contributes to colour constancy. We used behavioural tests to compare UV-sensitivity of budgerigars after adaptation to UV-rich and UV-poor backgrounds. In the latter case, we found lower UV-sensitivity than expected, which could be the result of photon-shot noise corrupting cone signal robustness or
Bromate, which is a potential carcinogen, should be removed from drinking water to levels of less than 10 mug/L. A chitosan-based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and a sol-gel ion-exchange double hydrous oxide (Fe(2)O(3).Al(2)O(3).xH(2)O) adsorbent (inorganic adsorbent) were prepared for this purpose. The sorption behavior of each adsorbent including sorption kinetics, isotherms, effect of pH
Site-directed mutagenesis of a thermostable alkaline phytase from Bacillus sp. MD2 was performed with an aim to increase its specific activity and activity and stability in an acidic environment. The mutation sites are distributed on the catalytic surface of the enzyme (P257R, E180N, E229V and S283R) and in the active site (K77R, K179R and E227S). Selection of the residues was based on the idea th
In this study, we have analyzed human primary lung adenocarcinoma tumors using global mass spectrometry to elucidate the biological mechanisms behind relapse post surgery. In total, we identified over 3000 proteins with high confidence. Supervised multivariate analysis was used to select 132 proteins separating the prognostic groups. Based on in-depth bioinformatics analysis, we hypothesized that
