Background: Inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations confer elevated breast cancer risk. Knowledge of factors that can improve breast cancer risk assessment in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers may improve personalized cancer prevention strategies. Methods: A cohort of 5,546 BRCA1 and 2,865 BRCA2 mutation carriers was used to evaluate risk of breast cancer associated with BARD1 Cys557Ser. In a second

Arthropod predators and detritivores are among the first colonisers on land surfaces undergoing primary succession. In the absence of higher plants and herbivores, they may either have an allochthonous food source (i.e. of geographically distant origin) or local food source that is sustained by e.g. microorganisms. By studying spiders and collembolans on sites along chronosequences on recently eme

A new species, Ovealmbornia reginae from South Africa, is described, illustrated and compared with related species. A combined phylogenetic data set based on ITS and 28S nrLSU and 12S mtSSU sequences of the genera in the Dufourea clade is provided, (i. e. the genera Dufourea, Jackelixia, Langeottia, Ovealmbornia and Xanthokarrooa). Corrections of GenBank data for the genus Ovealmbornia and a key t

We have prepared and studied a new class of anion conducting membrane materials functionalized with N-spirocyclic quaternary ammonium (QA) cations formed via cyclo-quaternization reactions involving pyrrolidine, piperidine and azepane, respectively. These groups were introduced in pairs, adjoined through fused phenyl rings along poly(arylene ether sulfone) backbones. Despite their bulkiness, the b

Effects of dynamic ultra-high pressure homogenisation (UHPH) on the micro-and macrostructure of whey protein-depleted milk concentrate solutions with different mineral concentrations (5.0, 7.5, 10.0%, w/w), pH (5.8, 6.2, 6.6) and amount of added sodium chloride (0, 1.5, 3.0%, w/w) were investigated. Significantly increased viscosity was observed in samples at pH 5.8 without added NaCl and with UHP

The innate immune system in humans has succeeded in developing numerous mechanisms against the injurious effects of bacteria, along with their toxins as a result of several thousand years of co-evolution. The oral mucosal surface represents such a unique environment, where despite being constantly exposed to microbes and their products, overt infection and damage is a rarity. An important componen

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) remains one of the most common cancers in the US, with survival dependent on the type and stage of disease. B-cell lymphomas account for similar to 85% of all cases of NHL, and are commonly treated with chemotherapy, or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that t arget CD20 antigens on the surface of malignant tumors. The use of mAbs, either as single agents or in combination wi

The role of G alpha i proteins coupled to chemokine receptors in directed migration of immune cells is well understood. In this study we show that the separate class of G alpha q/11 proteins is required for the underlying ability of T cells to migrate both randomly and in a directed chemokine-dependent manner. Interfering with G alpha q or G alpha 11 using dominant negative cDNA constructs or siRN

Using first-principles total energy calculations we have found complex defects induced by N incorporation in GaAsN. The formation energy of the Ga interstitial atom is very significantly decreased due to local effects within the defect complex. The stability of the Ga interstitials is further increased at surfaces. The present results suggest that the energetically favorable Ga interstitial atoms

Adopting the hypothesis about the exact cancellation of vacuum condensates contributions to the ground state energy in particle physics to the leading order in graviton-mediated interactions, we argue that the observable cosmological constant can be dynamically induced by an uncompensated quantum gravity correction to them after the QCD phase transition epoch. To start with, we demonstrate a possi

This work deals with electro-viscoelastic modelling and simulation of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA), including the case of deformation dependent electromechanical coupling. A large deformation modelling framework is adopted, and specific thermo- dynamically consistent material models are established. The general framework is applied to VHB49 polyacrylic polymers which are commonly used in D

The Swedish word folk ('people') is normally considered an ordinary noun. This classification is, however, not completely unproblematic, since it is sometimes claimed that folk is actually undergoing a word-class change, becoming more and more pronoun-like. Similar changes from noun to generic pronoun are also attested for words with the meaning ‘people’ in other languages, making this a possible

Artikeln behandlar transatlantiskt slaveri från 1400-talet till 1800-talet.

The distribution of different iron (Fe) species in soils, sediments, and surface waters has a large influence on the mobility and availability of Fe, other nutrients, and potentially toxic trace elements. However, the knowledge about the specific forms of Fe that occurs in these systems is limited, especially regarding associations of Fe with natural organic matter (NOM). In this study, extended X

The diversity and abundance of wild insect pollinators have declined in many agricultural landscapes. Whether such declines reduce crop yields, or are mitigated by managed pollinators such as honey bees, is unclear. We found universally positive associations of fruit set with flower visitation by wild insects in 41 crop systems worldwide. In contrast, fruit set increased significantly with flower

We have simulated interactions between charged surfaces in the presence of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes by coupling perturbations in the isotension ensemble to a free energy variance minimization scheme. For polymeric systems, this method completely outperforms configurationally biased versions of grand canonical simulations. Proper diffusive equilibrium between bulk and slit has been estab

Laser-ablated group 6 metal atoms react with NF3 and PF3 to form the simple lowest energy N MF3 and P=MX3 products, and this investigation has been extended to AsF3. Mo and W atoms react with AsF3 upon excitation by laser ablation or UV irradiation to form stable trigonal As MF3 terminal arsenides. These molecules are identified by comparison of the closely related infrared spectra of the analogou