Background: Biological evolution exhibits an extraordinary capability to adapt organisms to their environments. The explanation for this often takes for granted that random genetic variation produces at least some beneficial phenotypic variation in which natural selection can act. Such genetic evolvability could itself be a product of evolution, but it is widely acknowledged that the immediate sel

Interactions between organisms and their environments are central to how biological diversity arises and how natural populations and ecosystems respond to environmental change. These interactions involve processes by which phenotypes are affected by or respond to external conditions (e.g., via phenotypic plasticity or natural selection) as well as processes by which organisms reciprocally interact

Background: Respiratory viruses are the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and hospitalisation in infants and young children. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main infectious agent in this population. Palivizumab is administered intramuscularly every month during five months in the first RSV season to prevent serious RSV LRTI in children. Given its high cost, it is e

With Rasmussen’s abstraction hierarchy as starting point, the present article focuses on understanding some of the aspects guiding the development of a simulation exercise (SimEx) from a multi-faceted perspective, based on interviews and post-exercise evaluations conducted with both exercise designers and participants. The results show that, in order to achieve its overarching objective, an exerci

Objective: The studies of early life factors and development of functional bowel diseases show inconsistent results. We therefore examined associations between certain early life factors and functional bowel symptoms in adulthood. Design: Population-based cross-sectional study. Setting: Weight and height were measured and questionnaires were completed at the time point of enrollment in MOS. Subjec

Objective: We investigated the efficacy and safety of carfilzomib-containing induction before salvage high-dose melphalan with autologous stem-cell transplantation (salvage ASCT) and maintenance with carfilzomib and dexamethasone after salvage ASCT in multiple myeloma. Methods: This randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial included patients with first relapse of multiple myeloma after upfront ASCT wh

Brain-body static allometry, which is the relationship between brain size and body size within species, is thought to reflect developmental and genetic constraints. Existing evidence suggests that the evolution of large brain size without accompanying changes in body size (that is, encephalization) may occur when this constraint is relaxed. Teleost fish species are generally characterized by havin

I here discuss two problems facing act-type theories of propositions, and argue that Fregean act-type theories are better equipped to deal with them than Russellian ones. The first relates to complex singular terms like '2+2', which turn out not to pose any special problem for Fregeans at all, whereas Soames' Russellian theory currently has no satisfactory way of dealing with them (particularly, w

Objectives: This study explored the relation between external shame, two types of self-criticism, and depressive, anxious and stress symptoms, in a clinical sample. Specifically, we set out to test whether the impact of external shame on such symptoms would be mediated by two forms of self-criticism. Method: A total of 279 patients (228 female and 51 male; mean age of 28.58) with axis I and II dis

Background: Opioid overdose (OD) and opioid OD death are major health threats to people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Socioeconomic factors are underexplored potential determinants of opioid OD. In this study, we assessed socioeconomic and other factors and their associations with incident and fatal opioid OD, in a cohort consisting of 22,079 individuals with OUD. Methods: We performed a retrosp

The UK housing stock will play an important role in achieving the 2050 national carbon reduction targets. Upgrading the energy performance of the existing housing stock is a significant challenge because retrofit activities are shaped by a wide range of fragmented policies, programmes and actors. Existing approaches to housing retrofit focus on regulations, financial incentives and information pro

Urban nature is typically managed through top-down, bureaucratic, and expert-driven approaches that tend to rationalize and simplify the interactions between humans and their surround- ings. In the last few decades, there has been a significant push in cultural geography and the design disciplines to develop a relational ontology of urban nature, a perspective that emphasizes the hybrid connection

There has been an increased interest in the study of emotional demands (ED) at work and its impact on workers’ well-being. However, ED have been conceptualized as a unitary concept, focused on interactions with clients, and excluding other potential sources of ED at work. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to explore the relation between ED from different relational sources (clients/patien

Research has robustly shown that early negative parenting experiences are associated with psychopathology and self-criticism in adulthood. This study investigates recall of personal feelings of perceived threat and subordination in childhood and its relation to psychopathology. In addition, we explore the mediator role of self-criticism in this association. A sample of 193 subjects from the genera

Objectives Imagery is known to be a powerful means of stimulating various physiological processes and is increasingly used within standard psychological therapies. Compassion-focused imagery (CFI) has been used to stimulate affiliative emotion in people with mental health problems. However, evidence suggests that self-critical individuals may have particular difficulties in this domain with single