During the last decade, the ecological theory of adaptive radiation, and its corollary "ecological speciation", has been a major research theme in evolutionary biology. Briefly, this theory states that speciation is mainly or largely the result of divergent selection, arising from niche differences between populations or incipient species. Reproductive isolation evolves either as a result of direc

O-Mannosylation is an important protein modification in brain. During the last years, a few mammalian proteins have been identified as targets of the protein-O-mannosyltransferases 1 and 2. However, these still cannot explain the high content of O-mannosyl glycans in brain and the strong brain involvement of congenital muscular dystrophies caused by POMT mutations (Walker-Warburg syndrome, dystrog

The development of new techniques for detection and characterization of transient myocardial ischemia has benefited considerably from the STAFF database, acquired in patients receiving elective prolonged percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography. The present article reviews a range of techniques developed and/or evaluated on the ECG signals of this database, including techniques for exploring

Predicting the effects of amino acid substitutions on protein stability provides invaluable information for protein design, the assignment of biological function, and for understanding disease-associated variations. To understand the effects of substitutions, computational models are preferred to time-consuming and expensive experimental methods. Several methods have been proposed for this task in

Consultants are known to work extreme hours. We show empirically how consultants fantasize about off-work activities, which are impossible to realize with their work schedule. These fantasies are, however, not obstructing their work, but important to justify the extreme hours and sustain desire for work. We draw on Lacan's notion of desire as the Other's desire and analyze the consultants' desire

We argue that leadership promotion in China’s political elite relies on homophily for signals of trustworthiness and future cooperative behavior more than on economic performance. We first point to the limitation of the economic performance argument from within the framework of China’s specific M-form state structure, and then we proffer a sociological explanation for why higher-level elites in Ch

The understanding of the complex relationship between the home environment, well-being and daily functioning in the third age is currently weak. The aim of this paper is to present the methodological background of the Home and Health in the Third Age Study, and describe a sample of men and women in relation to their home and health situation.

This paper provides an overview of methodologies used for quantitative evaluations of security of supply. The studied material is mainly based on peer-reviewed articles and the methodologies are classified according to which stage in the supply chain their main focus is directed to, as well as their scientific background. Our overview shows that a broad variety of approaches is used, but that ther

We study biharmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds with finite energy and finite bi-energy. We show that if the domain is complete and the target of non-positive curvature, then such a map is harmonic. We then give applications to isometric immersions and horizontally conformal submersions.

Dynamic loading of elastic-plastic slabs is studied numerically using a finite element approach, where introduction of cohesive elements enables fracture. For the bulk material, J(2)-flow theory is chosen as constitutive model, whereas the behavior of the cohesive elements is described by an irreversible cohesive law. The fracture behavior is governed solely by the cohesive elements, which are inc

Oxidative stress (OS) is widely believed to be responsible for the generation of trade-offs in evolutionary ecology by means of constraining investment into a number of components of fitness. Yet, progress in understanding the true role of OS in ecology and evolution has remained elusive. Interpretation of current findings is particularly hampered by the scarcity of experiments demonstrating which

In late 2011 The Swedish Society of Radiation Physics formed a working group to concentrate on the Quality Assurance of modern radiation therapy techniques. The given task was to identify and summarise the different QA strategies in Sweden and also the international recommendations. This was used to formulate recommendations for practical guidelines within Sweden. In this paper a brief summery of

The measurement of charged-particle event shape variables is presented in inclusive inelastic pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observables studied are the transverse thrust, thrust minor, and transverse sphericity, each defined using the final-state charged particles' momentum components perpendicular to the beam direction. Events with at l

Introduction: Peroxiredoxin-1 (PRDX1) is a multifunctional protein, acting as a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenger, molecular chaperone and immune modulator. Although differential PRDX1 expression has been described in many tumors, the potential role of PRDX1 in breast cancer remains highly ambiguous. Using a comprehensive antibody-based proteomics approach, we interrogated PRDX1 protein as a puta

OBJECTIVES: • To investigate whether cysteine-rich secretory protein 3 (CRISP-3) and/or β-microseminoprotein (β-MSP) expression in diagnostic prostate needle biopsies have predictive value for prostate cancer (PC) on radical prostatecomy (RP). • To evaluate their potential clinical implementation in a preoperative setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: • In total, 174 participants from the European Random

This article explores how the organisation of urban and transport planning departments affects the development of a sustainable transport system and the promotion of bicycling. Interviews conducted in Stockholm and Copenhagen showed that the organisation of the departments affects the social relations between the planners and creates power relations that either foster or marginalise cycling within

Excess body weight and type 2 diabetes mellitus, risk factors of pancreatic cancer, are characterized by decreased levels of adiponectin. In addition to anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative actions, adiponectin has an important role in regulating glucose metabolism, i.e., decreasing circulating blood glucose levels. Prospectively, hyperglycemia has been associated with risk of pancreatic cance

Objectives: To explore the views of experts about the development and validation of a robotic surgery training curriculum, and how this should be implemented. Materials and methods: An international expert panel was invited to a structured session for discussion. The study was of a mixed design, including qualitative and quantitative components based on focus group interviews during the European A