Background: Poor mental health predicts sexual risk behaviours in high-income countries, but little is known about this association in low-income settings in sub-Saharan Africa where HIV is prevalent. This study investigated whether depression, psychological distress and alcohol use are associated with sexual risk behaviours in young Ugandan adults. Method: Household sampling was performed in two

Although it is a central question in biology, how cell shape controls intracellular dynamics largely remains an open question. Here, we show that the shape of Arabidopsis pavement cells creates a stress pattern that controls microtubule orientation, which then guides cell wall reinforcement. Live- imaging, combined with modeling of cell mechanics, shows that microtubules align along the maximal te

The initial oxidation of Fe(110) in oxygen gas at 400 degrees C beyond initial adsorbate structures has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Formation of several ordered phases of surface oxides is observed at oxygen coverages between approximately 2.3 and 3.5 oxygen atoms/Fe(11

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib exerts immunosuppressive effects on T-cells and NK-cells in vitro. However, in some dasatinib-treated leukemia patients, clonal lymphocytosis with large granular lymphocyte (LGL) morphology develops, and this is associated with enhanced therapeutic responses. To elucidate the mechanistic basis for this paradoxical observation, we conducted detailed phenotypi

The @b-delayed charged particle emission from 11Li has been studied with emphasis on the three-body n@a6He and five-body 2@a3n channels from the 10.59 and 18.15 MeV states in 11Be. Monte Carlo simulations using an R-matrix formalism lead to the conclusion that the AHe resonance states play a significant role in the break-up of these states. The results exclude an earlier assumption of a phase-spac

In this work, we provide a detailed microscopic picture of the behavior of benzoic acid at the aqueous solution/vapor interface in its neutral as well as in its dissociated form (benzoate). This is achieved through a combination of highly surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments and fully atomistic molecular simulations. We show that significant changes occur in the interface

Language is context free in the sense that it builds well-formed structures like "ideas sleep" and "ghosts live" (NP + VP) without regard to meaning and specific contexts (Chomslcy, 1957). However, it is also context sensitive in the sense that it makes use of linguistic objects such as personal pronouns and other indexical expressions that cannot have any reference unless they are embedded in som

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate most biological processes and have been found dysregulated in a variety of diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we characterized miRNAs that associate with susceptibility to develop experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats, a well-established animal model of MS. Using Illumina next-generation sequencing, we detected 544

Structural behavior of complexes formed by a charged and branched copolymer and an oppositely charged and linear polyion was examined by Monte Carlo simulations employing a coarse-grained bead-spring model. The fractional bead charge and the branching density were systematically varied; the former between 0e and 1e and the latter such that both the comb-polymer and the bottle-brush limits were inc

We provide evidence that the human papillomavirus (HPV) E2 protein regulates HPV late gene expression. High levels of E2 caused a read-through at the early polyadenylation signal pAE into the late region of the HPV genome, thereby inducing expression of L1 and L2 mRNAs. This is a conserved property of E2 of both mucosal and cutaneous HPV types. Induction could be reversed by high levels of HPV-16

Background: Over the past quarter century, the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has increased in most European nations. However, the number of humans stricken by the disease varies from year to year. A method for predicting major increases and decreases is needed. Methods: We assembled a 25-y database (1984-2008) of the number of human TBE victims and wildlife and climate data for the St

Background and purpose We have previously reported that the first 10 years of hip arthroplasty in Lithuania resulted in a higher cumulative revision rate than that observed in Sweden. We thus compared the corresponding results after introduaction of total knee replacement in Lithuania. Methods The 10-year revision rate for the first 595 primary ScanKnee arthroplasties inserted in Klaipeda, Lithuan

The physical properties of water and the environment it presents to its inhabitants provide stringent constraints and selection pressures affecting aquatic adaptation and evolution. Mosasaurs (a group of secondarily aquatic reptiles that occupied a broad array of predatory niches in the Cretaceous marine ecosystems about 98-65 million years ago) have traditionally been considered as anguilliform l

This paper is a discussion of the balance between two forms for the voter to express his/her opinions: to elect a representative in general elections and to take part in a referendum on a specific question. It deals with some of the problems in this relationship from the Swedish experience from the democratization around 1900 until today’s discussion. It also discusses the constitutional and legal

Many novel pharmaceutically active substances are characterized by a high hydrophobicity and a low water solubility, which present challenges for their delivery as drugs. Tablets made from cross-linked hydrophobically modified poly (acrylic acid) (CLHMPAA), commercially available as Pemulen™, have previously shown promising abilities to control the release of hydrophobic model substances. This stu

The aims of this thesis where the target population has been older adults suffering from osteoporosis related fractures were firstly to study the association between functional impairment due to pain, and activity expressed as walking speed (WS) and Timed Get up and-Go (TUG), and to examine the associations between functional impairment and social participation (SP) and quality of life (QoL). Seco

The dynamic ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS combines sophisticated plant physiological and biogeochemical processes and has been successfully used in predicting vegetation dynamics at different scales. However, the water cycling is limited to vertical water movement between the atmosphere plant-soil. Thus we have developed an enhanced version of LPJ-GUESS (called LPJ-DH) by coupling water routing and la