THE SOUTH COAST of Scania, southernmost Sweden, has long been an important wintering and staging area for waterbirds. A large part of the coast was surveyed annually as a part of the international midwinter counts for 55 years (1964–2018). The total number of wintering waterbirds showed an increasing trend but there was much variation between years. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, followed by

BackgroundShort and long sleep durations are associated with mortality outcomes. The association between sleep duration and mortality outcomes may differ according to sex and age.MethodsParticipants of the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study (JPHC Study) were aged 40-69 years and had completed a detailed questionnaire on lifestyle factors. Sex- and age-stratified analyses on the ass

Pre-clinical heart transplantation studies have shown that ex vivo non-ischemic heart preservation (NIHP) can be safely used for 24 h. Here we perform a prospective, open-label, non-randomized phase II study comparing NIHP to static cold preservation (SCS), the current standard for adult heart transplantation. All adult recipients on waiting lists for heart transplantation were included in the stu

The magnitude and ecological impact of climate change varies with latitude. Several recent models have shown that tropical ectotherms face the greatest risk from warming because they currently experience temperatures much closer to their physiological optimum than temperate taxa. Even a small increase in temperature may thus result in steep fitness declines in tropical species but increased fitnes

The study of brain development in humans is limited by the lack of tissue samples and suitable in vitro models. Here, we model early human neural tube development using human embryonic stem cells cultured in a microfluidic device. The approach, named microfluidic-controlled stem cell regionalization (MiSTR), exposes pluripotent stem cells to signaling gradients that mimic developmental patterning.

In this study we describe combustion simulations of a single sector and a fully annular generic multi-burner aero-engine combustor. The objectives are to facilitate the understanding of the flow, mixing and combustion processes to help improve the combustor design and the design process, as well as to show that it is now feasible to perform high-fidelity reacting flow simulations of full annular g

Introduction: Universal screening for preterm delivery by adding transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length to routine second trimester ultrasound has been proposed. The aim is to estimate inter- and intraobserver agreement and reliability of second trimester transvaginal ultrasound measurements of cervical length performed by specially trained midwife sonographers. Material and method

Background: Change in albuminuria as a surrogate endpoint for progression of chronic kidney disease is strongly supported by biological plausibility, but empirical evidence to support its validity in epidemiological studies is lacking. We aimed to assess the consistency of the association between change in albuminuria and risk of end-stage kidney disease in a large individual participant-level met

PurposeIn addition to absorption imaging, grating interferometry-based mammography (GIM) is capable of detecting differential-phase and scattering signals. In particular, the scattering signal can enable a quantifiable characterization of breast lesions. The purpose of this study was to determine if suspicious microcalcifications associated with benign or malignant lesions can be discriminated bas

Background: Years after a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), a subset of patients may develop progressive clinical deterioration due to intradural scar formation and spinal cord tethering, with or without an associated syringomyelia. Meningitis, intradural hemorrhages, or intradural tumor surgery may also trigger glial scar formation and spinal cord tethering, leading to neurological worsening. S

Muhammad 'Abduh (1849-1905) was one of the key thinkers and reformers of modern Islam who has influenced both liberal and fundamentalist Muslims today. 'Abdul-Baha (1844-1921) was the son of Baha'ullah (1817-1892), the founder of the Baha'i Faith; a new religion which began as a messianic movement in Shii Islam, before it departed from Islam. Oliver Scharbrodt offers an innovative and radically ne

This article questions certain assumptions on the intellectual history of modern Islam and on one of the most influential modern reform movements, the Salafiyya. By looking at the Sufi origins of one of the main Salafi reformers, it relativizes the notion of an inherent anti-Sufism of this reform movement. The article examines how Muhammad 'Abduh (1849-1905), the famous Egyptian reformer, conver

This position paper examines new forms of painted artworks made by pious Shi`a female artists in Kuwait, which treat imagery and experience known as Karamah (sing.) and Karamat (pl.), commonly understood as ‘miracle'. I examine current anthropological considerations of ‘miracle' and I find that the most suitable translation of the Arabic word Karamah may be ‘marvel', rather than ‘miracle', althoug

This special issue on Art, Dreams and Miracles presents a series of contributions, drawing primarily from a panel at the 2018 conference of the Royal Anthropological Institute in London. Lying at the core of this issue are studies which treat the relationships between art, people and oneiric experiences (dreams and miracles, broadly, in this case). The contributions consider how dreams and miracle

Decarbonizing global steel production requires a fundamental transformation. A sectoral climate club, which goes beyond tariffs and involves deep transnational cooperation, can facilitate this transformation by addressing technical, economic and political uncertainties.Decarbonizing global steel production requires a fundamental transformation. A sectoral climate club, which goes beyond tariffs and involves deep transnational cooperation, can facilitate this transformation by addressing technical, economic and political uncertainties.

Pioneering studies performed over the past few decades demonstrate links between epigenetics and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the metabolic disorder with the most rapidly increasing prevalence in the world. Importantly, these studies identified epigenetic modifications, including altered DNA methylation, in pancreatic islets, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and the liver from individuals with

Background: The demand for donated human hearts far exceeds the number available. Xenotransplantation of genetically modified porcine organs provides an alternative. In 2000, an Advisory Board of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation set the benchmark for commencing clinical cardiac xenotransplantation as consistent 60% survival of non-human primates after life-supporting po

A human molecular chaperone protein, DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member B6 (DNAJB6), efficiently inhibits amyloid aggregation. This inhibition depends on a unique motif with conserved serine and threonine (S/T) residues that have a high capacity for hydrogen bonding. Global analysis of kinetics data has previously shown that DNAJB6 especially inhibits the primary nucleation pathways. Th

The bifunctional human enzyme phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase and phosphoribosylaminoimidazolesuccinocarboxamide synthetase (PAICS) catalyzes two essential steps in the de novo purine biosynthesis pathway. PAICS is overexpressed in many cancers and could be a promising target for the development of cancer therapeutics. Here, using gene knockdowns and clonogenic survival and cell viability