Sexual traits are often the most divergent characters among closely related species, suggesting an important role of sexual traits in speciation. However, to prove this, we need to show that sexual trait differences accumulate before or during the speciation process, rather than being a consequence of it. Here, we contrast patterns of divergence among putative male sex pheromone (pMSP) composi

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are central for the adaptive immune response against parasites. Here, we investigated potential associations among MHC-I alleles and blood parasite infections in a natural breeding population of a passerine bird, the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, in central Spain. We screened both infection status (presence/absence of infection) and infection intensity

The fouling structure and composition is dependent on the product, but also on the heating process applied to it. The structure will have profound effect on the cleaning process and the down time in the production plant. Here, the structure of high temperature (137 °C) milk fouling has been investigated, which so far has not been sufficiently studied in a systematic way. This particular fouling ha

Sub-millimetre-sized phosphatic spherules are often found in acetic acid-insoluble residues produced for microfossil extraction. As they are typically associated with conodont elements and have a similar chemical composition, they are informally known as 'conodont pearls'. Still, the origin of these micro-spherules has been controversial, and authors have disagreed regarding their mode of formatio

This is an exploration, in dialogue with Nikolas Rose’sconceptualization of the neurochemical self, of how people takingantidepressants through in-depth interviews make sense of theirexperiences of using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Theneurochemical self, according to Rose, is a self understood asregulated by neurochemical processes, where how we feel ismapped onto the body, more preciThis is an exploration, in dialogue with Nikolas Rose’s conceptualization of the neurochemical self, of how people taking antidepressants through in-depth interviews make sense of their experiences of using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Theneurochemical self, according to Rose, is a self understood as regulated by neurochemical processes, where how we feel is mapped onto the body, more

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is classified as B-lineage ALL (B-ALL) and T-lineage ALL (T-ALL). The incidence of ALL is almost three times higher in white than black children. Among adults, ALL is more frequent in younger patients, with a median age of less than 30 years. The morphology-immunology-cytogenetics (MIC) subgroups are associated with nonrandom karyotypic abnormalities in a manner

The TIMESAT software package has been developed to enable monitoring of dynamic land surface processes using remotely sensed data. The monitoring capability is based on processing of time-series for each image pixel using either of three smoothing methods included in TIMESAT: asymmetric Gaussian fits, doublelogistic fits, and Savitzky-Golay filtering. The methods have different properties and are

The expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was investigated in the embryonic donor tissue and surrounding host brain before and after intracerebral transplantation in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Ventral mesencephalic tissue from E13-E15 rat embryos was dissociated and implanted into adult rats with unilateral lesions of the mesostriatal dopamine system. Immunohistochemica

Ventral mesencephalic tissue from aborted human fetuses (age, 6-7 weeks' postconception) was implanted unilaterally into the putamen using stereotaxic surgery in 2 immunosuppressed patients (Patients 3 and 4 in our series) with advanced idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Tissue from 4 fetuses was grafted to each patient. Compared with our previous 2 patients, the following changes in the grafting pro

The family of galectin proteins involved in adhesion, growth regulation, immunity, and inflammatory events are important targets for development of small molecule antagonists. Here, N-sulfonyl amidine galactopyranoside derivatives obtained via a multicomponent reaction between galactose alkyne derivatives, sulfonyl azides, and amines were evaluated as antagonists of galectin-1,-2,-3,-4N (N-termina

Uneven exposure to e.g. solar radiation can cause temperature differences between various structural parts of a bridge, which leads to tensile stresses if the parts cannot move freely. In this study, thermal simulations and stress calculations on a model of a portal frame bridge are performed with the aim of evaluating the temperature difference between the bridge parts. Factorial design is used i

oxLDL peptide vaccine and its antibody adoptive transferring have shown a significantly preventive or therapeutic effect in atherosclerotic animal model. The molecular mechanism behind this is obscure. Here, we report that oxLDL induces MCP-1 release in monocytes/macrophages through their TLR-4 (Toll-like receptor 4) and ERK MAPK pathway and is calcium/potassium channel-dependent. Using blocking a

Given that public transportation networks are less developed in rural than in urban areas, a lack of accessibility to dental care facilities could be a barrier to routine dental checkups. Thus, we hypothesized that the distance to the dental care facilities is a risk factor for tooth loss. The aim of this study was to test whether there is an association between the distance to dental care facilit

Over the last 15 years, treatment of comatose post-cardiac arrest patients has evolved to include therapeutic strategies such as urgent coronary angiography with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), targeted temperature management (TTM)—requiring mechanical ventilation and sedation—and more sophisticated and cautious prognostication. In 2015, collaboration between the European Resuscitation C

'If you read only one book on the English language-read this one. English - One Tongue, Many Voices covers all aspects of the English language: its global spread, international and local varieties, history from obscurity to primacy, usage and uses, standards and creoles, style and change in progress, politics and controversy. The scope of the book is vast, its depth impressive, and its balance adm

Background: Protein kinase C o (PKCo) is known to be an important regulator of apoptosis, having mainly pro-but also anti-Apoptotic effects depending on context. In a previous study, we found that PKCo interacts with the pro-Apoptotic protein Smac. Smac facilitates apoptosis by suppressing inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). We previously established that the PKCo-Smac complex dissociates duri