Introduction Many studies deal with taxonomic diversity (TD) or estimation of functional traits of ectomycorrhizal communities. However, to our knowledge, none of them has ever tried to calculate the functional diversity (FD) of those communities, which is of critical importance for the diversity and reliability of nutrient supply to the tree. Objectives Here, we propose to evaluate the functional

In this work we present the results of in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements of fatigue crack-tip strain fields following a 100% overload (OL) under plane strain conditions. The study is made on a bainitic steel with a high toughness and fine microstructure. This allowed a very high (60 mu m) spatial resolution to be achieved so that fine-scale changes occurring around the crack-tip w

Hox genes are recognized for their explanatory power of bilateral development. However, relatively little is known about natural variation in, and the evolutionary dynamics of, Hox genes within wild populations. Utilizing a natural population of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis), we screened HoxA13 for genetic variation and an association with incidence of offspring malformations. We found significant

Most wastewater treatment plants contain an activated sludge process, which consists of a biological reactor and a sedimentation tank. The purpose is to reduce the incoming organic material and dissolved nutrients (the substrate). This is done in the biological reactor where micro-organisms (the biomass) decompose the substrate. The biomass is then separated from the water in the sedimentation tan

During the last two decades, the synthesis of silica with an ordered mesoporous structure has been thoroughly explored. The basis of the synthesis is to let silica monomers polymerize in the presence of an amphiphilic template component. In the first studies, cationic surfactants were used as structure inducer. Later it was shown that pluronic copolymers also could have the role. One advantage wit

This article summarizes the contributions in this special issue on Diffraction-Limited Storage Rings. It analyses the progress in accelerator technology enabling a significant increase in brightness and coherent fraction of the X-ray light provided by storage rings. With MAX IV and Sirius there are two facilities under construction that already exploit these advantages. Several other projects are

Close collaboration is considered important; but is close collaboration for all purchases necessary to create value-in-production? In construction as well as in other industries, companies purchase a variety of items that require different amounts of attention to the relationship with suppliers. Buyer-supplier relationships are investigated in relation to how they bring value-in-production in the

Although Markov chain Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is a potentially powerful approach for exploring conformational space, it has been unable to compete with molecular dynamics (MD) in the analysis of high density structural states, such as the native state of globular proteins. Here, we introduce a kinetic algorithm, CRISP, that greatly enhances the sampling efficiency in all-atom MC simulations of

We consider the problem of computing all-pairs shortest paths in a directed graph with non-negative real weights assigned to vertices. For an n x n 0 - 1 matrix C, let K-C be the complete weighted graph on the rows of C where the weight of an edge between two rows is equal to their Hamming distance. Let MWT(C) be the weight of a minimum weight spanning tree of K-C. We show that the all-pairs short

Objective: Transplant arteriosclerosis (TA) restricts long-term survival of heart transplant recipients. Although the role of monocyte/macrophages is well established in native atherosclerosis, it has been studied to a much lesser extent in TA. Plasma cholesterol is the most important non-immunologic risk factor for development of TA but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We hypothesiz

The androgen receptor (AR) is a key regulator of prostate tumorgenesis through actions that are not fully understood. We identified the repressor element (RE)-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) as a mediator of AR actions on gene repression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that AR binds chromatin regions containing well-characterized cis-elements known to mediate REST transcriptional rep

Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is a novel procedure designed to rapidly assess and recondition unusable donor lungs for transplantation (LTx). EVLP may reduce graft immunogenicity and allorecognition via removal of passenger leukocytes. We aimed to explore this hypothesis using human EVLP and in vitro analysis.

Gastrectomy (Gx) leads to osteopenia/osteoporosis in humans and animals. However, little is known about the influence of Gx on the cartilage in this regard. Recent studies have demonstrated a protective effect of 2-oxoglutaric acid (2-Ox) on bone and cartilage. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether 2-Ox can mitigate eventual Gx-induced cartilage impairment. Twenty female Spra

The landscape matrix is suggested to influence the effect of habitat fragmentation on species richness, but the generality of this prediction has not been tested. Here, we used data from 10 independent studies on butterfly species richness, where the matrix surrounding grassland patches was dominated by either forest or arable land to test if matrix land use influenced the response of species rich

A new, two-layer canopy module with thermal inertia as part of the detailed snow model SNOWPACK (version 3.2.1) is presented and evaluated. As a by-product of these new developments, an exhaustive description of the canopy module of the SNOWPACK model is provided, thereby filling a gap in the existing literature. In its current form, the two-layer canopy module is suited for evergreen needleleaf f

Identification of the molecule(s) that globally induce a robust regenerative state in sensory neurons following peripheral nerve injury remains elusive. A potential candidate is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the sole neurotrophin upregulated in sensory neurons after peripheral nerve injury. Here we tested the hypothesis that BDNF plays a critical role in the regenerative response of ma