Hormone-mediated maternal effects may be an important mechanism for adjusting offspring phenotype to particular requirements of the environment. We manipulated the levels of testosterone and androstenedione in the yolk of collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis eggs to investigate the effects of pre-natal exposure to androgens on growth and immune function. Androgen treatment tended to reduce the

Objectives. To compare the outcome of a microwave thermotherapy feedback system that is based on intraprostatic temperature measurement during treatment (ProstaLund Feedback Treatment or PLFT) with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a randomized controlled multicenter study. The safety of the two methods was also investigated. Methods.

Manifold learning and nonlinear dimensionality reduction addresses the problem of detecting possibly nonlinear structure in highdimensional data and constructing lower-dimensional configurations representative of this structure. A popular example is the Isomap algorithm which uses local information to approximate geodesic distances and adopts multidimensional scaling to produce lowerdimensional re

Much research has been published which attests to desire felt by educators to improve the quality of student reflection, and engagement with learning, through processes of assessment. This paper describes how research in Systems Analysis is being transformed and applied to educational practice. Staff considered that methods were needed to stimulate students to reflect and engage in higher orders o

Escherichia coli strains from patients with febrile urinary tract infections (n=73) were examined for pap genotype and P fimbrial expression in relation to bacteremia and patients' background variables. Most isolates were pap(+) by DNA hybridization (n=51), and 36 were papG(IA2)(+) and 18 prsG(J96)(+) by polymerase chain reaction. The pap and papG genotypes of the infecting strain were shown to va

If the preferences of the consumers are represented by utility functions that are differentiable, quasi-linear and satisfy the single-crossing condition, the characteristics of the profit maximizing nonlinear outlay schedule for a monopolist are well-known. We demonstrate that these characteristics are robust against weaker assumptions on the utility functions.

The system water-oil (n-decane)-nonionic surfactant (C12E5) forms bilayer phases in a large concentration region, but, for a given oil-to-surfactant ratio, only in a narrow temperature range. In addition to the anisotropic lamellar phase (L-alpha) there is also, at slightly higher temperature, a sponge or L-3-phase where the bilayers build up an isotropic structure extending macroscopically in thr

Curcumin has been shown to inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells. The metabolism of sphingomyelin has implications in the development of colon cancer. We examined whether curcumin affects the enzymes that hydrolyse sphingomyelin in Caco-2 cells. The cells were cultured in both monolayer and polarized conditions and stimulated with curcumin. The activities of sphingomyelina

Background. Microembolism during cardiopulmonary bypass has been suggested as being the predominant cause of neurocognitive disorders after cardiac surgery. Shed blood, normally retransfused into the patient during cardiopulmonary bypass, is a major source of lipid microemboli in the brain capillaries. A newly developed technique based on acoustic standing-wave separation of particles in fluid in

A condensed shale from the middle Silurian of Gotland (Sweden) is herein described with regard to its biotic and environmental significance. The fauna is characterised by an overall low diversity and anomalous abundance patterns, notably a mass-occurrence of scolecodonts. Other elements include abundant chitinozoans, dendroid and graptoloid graptolites, conodonts, eurypterids, and the brachiopod L

Biochemical and morphological differentiation in reaggregating mouse-brain cell cultures after low-dose radiation (0.5 Gy) in vitro was studied. Cells were irradiated on culture day 2, corresponding to embryonic day 15-16, and different glial and neuronal markers were followed through development to postnatal day 40. The shape and size of irradiated aggregates were more irregular and smaller compa

Binding of adenosine to the thermosensitive copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide and 3-(acrylamido)aminophenylboronic acid (82:18, m ($) over bar (n)=47000 g center dot mol(-1)) was studied by equilibrium dialysis at 22 degrees C and 37 degrees C, in a 0.1 m glycine buffer containing 0.1 m NaCl at pH 9.2. The copolymer exhibited a the phase transition temperature (T-p) of 26.5 degrees C under the ab

Using human peripheral blood CD14(+) osteoclast precursors, we show that testosterone directly inhibits osteoclast formation and bone resorption at physiological concentrations. Instead, estrogen has no direct effects, whereas its action seems to be mediated through osteoblasts by producing osteoprotegerin. Both estrogen and testosterone acts through their cognate receptors.

There is no generally accepted standard chemotherapy in treatment of advanced and recurrent endometrial carcinoma. Cisplatin and doxorubicin with or without cyclophosphamide are widely used. Response rates have improved with combination chemotherapy compared with single-agent therapy. A platinum analog seems to be an important part of the chemotherapy regimen. Since few patients are cured from the

The current article deals with the problem of distinguishing between relapse and reinfection of genital chlamydial infections due to the chronic character of such infections. The problem of detecting and treating chlamydial pelvic inflammatory disease is considered. Factors that may affect the clinical presentation of such infections, such as hormonal therapy, are also highlighted. Observations on

The purpose of this study was to investigate the combustion characteristics of soot deposits from diesel-powered engines. The soot deposits were collected in the exhaust stream from diesel engines at Volvo Truck Corporation in Gothenburg, Sweden. The combustion experiments were performed in a flow reactor in the presence of 2–10% O2 and 0 or 7% H2O. The temperature was increased at a rate of 10°C/

A miniaturized supported liquid membrane device has been developed for sample preparation and connected on-line to a packed capillary liquid chromatograph. The device consists of hydrophobic polypropylene hollow fiber, inserted and fastened in a cylindrical channel in a Kel-F piece. The pores of the fiber are filled with an organic solvent, in this study 6-undecanone, thus forming a liquid membran

Estimates of species extinction risk under climate change are generally based on differences in present and future climatically suitable areas. However, the locations of potentially suitable future environments (affecting establishment success), and the degree of climatic suitability in already occupied and new locations (affecting population viability) may be equally important determinants of ris