Moth wings are densely covered by wing scales that are assumed to specifically function to camouflage nocturnally active species during day time. Generally, moth wing scales are built according to the basic lepidopteran Bauplan, where the upper lamina consists of an array of parallel ridges and the lower lamina is a thin plane. The lower lamina hence acts as a thin film reflector having distinct rMoth wings are densely covered by wing scales that are assumed to specifically function to camouflage nocturnally active species during day time. Generally, moth wing scales are built according to the basic lepidopteran Bauplan, where the upper lamina consists of an array of parallel ridges and the lower lamina is a thin plane. The lower lamina hence acts as a thin film reflector having distinct reflec

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

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

Previous studies have indicated that a sad mood and sleep deprivation increase mind wandering, but it is unclear whether these associations reflect reduced effort in concentrating on the task at hand or diminished cognitive control. In an internet-based experiment, participants completed a sleep disturbance questionnaire followed by a complex span task and a 2-back task with thought-sampling probe

Animal groups vary in their collective order (or state), forming disordered swarms to highly polarized groups. One explanation for this variation is that individuals face differential benefits or costs depending on the group’s order, but empirical evidence for this is lacking. Here we show that in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), fish that are first to respond to an ephemeral fo

Dung beetles can perform a number of versatile behaviours, including walking and dung ball rolling. While different walking and running gaits of dung beetles have been described in previous literature, little is known about their ball rolling gaits. From behavioural experiments and video recordings of the beetle Scarabaeus (Kheper) lamarcki, we analysed and identified four underlying rules for leg

Current Tanzanian land law offers registration of private interests in land in the form of Certificates of Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCROs) within a broader community lands approach. We conducted qualitative research on the issuance of CCROs along a mountain slope transect in Meru district in northeast Tanzania. This area features intensified smallholder agriculture that evolutionary theory s

Background—aim: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) can occur concomitantly and be associated with coagulopathy that influences TBI outcome. The use of bleeding time tests in TBI management is controversial. We hypothesized that in TBI patients with AUD, a prolonged bleeding time is associated with more severe injury and poor outcome. Material and methods: Moderate and seve

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

Accumulating evidence suggests that gestational exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may interfere with normal brain development and predispose for later dysfunctions. The current study focuses on the exposure impact of mixtures of EDCs that better mimics the real-life situation. We herein describe a mixture of phthalates, pesticides and bisphenol A (mixture N1) detected in pregnant w

Tin is the chemical element with the largest number of stable isotopes. Its complete proton shell, comparable with the closed electron shells in the chemically inert noble gases, is not a mere precursor to extended stability; since the protons carry the nuclear charge, their spatial arrangement also drives the nuclear electromagnetism. We report high-precision measurements of the electromagnetic m

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterised by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Post-mortem data suggests that the loss of DA markers may long precede the cell death, leaving a window to rescue the DA phenotype. Screening for potential neuroprotective or restorative therapies, however, requires that partial lesions of DA neurons can be

Cell division is essential for organismal growth and tissue homeostasis. It is exceptionally significant in tissues chronically exposed to intrinsic and external damage, like the liver. After decades of studying the regulation of cell cycle by extracellular signals, there are still gaps in our knowledge on how these two interact with metabolic pathways in vivo. Studying the cross-talk of these pat

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.