When subjected to stress, plants reprogram their growth by largely unknown mechanisms. To provide insights into this process, the growth of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves that develop under mild osmotic stress was studied. Early during leaf development, cell number and size were reduced by stress, but growth was remarkably adaptable, as division and expansion rates were identical to con

It is not easy to replace fossil-based fuels in the transport sector, however, an appealing solution is to use biomass and waste for the production of renewable alternatives. Thermochemical conversion of biomass for production of synthetic transport fuels by the use of gasification is a promising way to meet these goals.One of the key challenges in using gasification systems with biomass and waste

Hosts frequently harbour multiple parasite infections, yet patterns of parasite co-occurrence are poorly documented in nature. In this study, we asked whether two common avian blood parasites, one haemosporidian and one trypanosome, affect each other's occurrence in individuals of a single host species. We used molecular genotyping to survey protozoan parasites in the peripheral blood of yellow-br

The Cerrado is the largest South American savanna and encompasses substantial species diversity and environmental variation. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the influence of the environment on population divergence of Cerrado species. Here, we searched for climatic drivers of genetic (nuclear microsatellites) and leaf trait divergence in Annona crassiflora, a widespread tree in the Cerrado

Some sexually selected signals are thought to convey information about the current condition and genetic/epigenetic quality of the individual signaling, including the ability to resist parasites. However, it is unclear whether semistatic sexual signals that develop periodically and remain stable over protracted periods, such as avian breeding plumage, can relate to measures of current condition an

Host responses to parasitism in the wild are often studied in the context of single host–parasite systems, which provide little insight into the ecological dynamics of host–parasite interactions within a community. Here we characterized immune system responses to mostly low-intensity, chronic infection by haemosporidian parasites in a sample of 424 individuals of 22 avian host species from the sam

Previous studies show that most birds inhabiting temperate regions have well defined life history stages, and they modulate the production of testosterone (T) and corticosterone (CORT) in response to changes in seasonality. In this study we aimed to examine baseline and stress-induced levels of CORT and circulating T in relation with life history stages in the rufous-collared sparrow, Zonotrichia

Background Sarcopenia and poor physical function are common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Our aim was to investigate the relationships between muscle mass and measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and between muscle mass and strength and balance, respectively, in patients with CKD stages 3–5. Methods This is a baseline data analysis of a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Inom beredskapen mot radiologiska och nukleära olyckor och katastrofer spelar strålningsmätningar en avgörande roll för att ta reda på vad som har hänt och hur farligt det är för människa, djur och natur och på vilket sätt det påverkar miljö och samhällsfunktioner. I Sverige och många andra länder i världen har allmänheten en rättighet att få reda på vad som hänt och vad de utsätts för i ett eventThis thesis describes investigations made on mobile and stationary gammaspectrometry made both under laboratory conditions and in situ. The objective hasbeen to identify and quantify radionuclides in the form of point sources,contamination and widespread deposition in situations where the measurementgeometry is not known beforehand. Both scintillators and semiconductor detectors ofsimilar size wer

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) has been introduced for the treatment of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). Thus far, only one randomized trial has compared video-assisted MIP with conventional bilateral cervical exploration (BCE). The value of open MIP is therefore not known.METHODS: Fifty patients with a solitary parathyroid adenoma localized before surgery

BACKGROUND: A significant number of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) who are surgically treated have increased serum levels of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) during long-term follow-up despite normocalcemia. The cause and significance of this finding remain to be established.METHODS: A total of 82 patients operated on for sporadic parathyroid adenoma were investigated before and

Fontan palliation patients are at risk for ventricular arrhythmias post-operatively. This study aimed to evaluate whether differences in the spatial QRS-T angle can reliably predict ventricular arrhythmias in patients who had undergone Fontan palliation. A total of 117 patients who had the Fontan palliation and post-Fontan catheterization were included. Ventricular arrhythmias were identified in n

This article examines the ways in which women’s ‘family happiness’ in Vietnam paradoxically, and alarmingly, is rendered compatible with the endurance of what is diminished as ‘minor’ partner violence. Thus focusing on the gendering of ‘happiness’ and the discrepancies between ideals and practices, the article unfolds how intersections between a number of ‘power-geometries’ including violence prev

Body temperature variation in response to acute stress is typically characterized by peripheral vasoconstriction and a concomitant increase in core body temperature (stress-induced hyperthermia). It is poorly understood how this response differs between species and within individuals of the same species, and how it is affected by the environment. We therefore investigated stress-induced body tempeBody temperature variation in response to acute stress is typically characterized by peripheral vasoconstriction and a concomitant increase in core body temperature (stress-induced hyperthermia). It is poorly understood how this response differs between species and within individuals of the same species, and how it is affected by the environment. We therefore investigated stress-induced body tempe

We address the question of which syntactic representation is best suited for FrameNet-based semantic analysis of English text. We compare analyzers based on dependencies and constituents, and a dependency syntax with a rich set of grammatical functions with one with a smaller set. Our study demonstrates that dependency-based and constituent-based analyzers give roughly equivalent performance, and

We sPRThow how to compute the permanent of an n×n integer matrix modulo pk in time nk+O(1) if p=2 and in time 2n/exp⁡{Ω(γ2n/plog⁡p)} if p is an odd prime with kp

Background Results on the association between prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) and child neuropsychological development are heterogeneous. Underlying genetic differences across study populations could contribute to this varied response to MeHg. Studies in Drosophila have identified the cytochrome p450 3A (CYP3A) family as candidate MeHg susceptibility genes. Objectives We evaluated whethe