Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are central for the adaptive immune response against parasites. Here, we investigated potential associations among MHC-I alleles and blood parasite infections in a natural breeding population of a passerine bird, the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, in central Spain. We screened both infection status (presence/absence of infection) and infection intensity

The fouling structure and composition is dependent on the product, but also on the heating process applied to it. The structure will have profound effect on the cleaning process and the down time in the production plant. Here, the structure of high temperature (137 °C) milk fouling has been investigated, which so far has not been sufficiently studied in a systematic way. This particular fouling ha

Eleven compounds, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (1), persicogenin (2), eriodictyol 3ʹ4ʹ,7-trimethyl ether (3), phytol (4), spathulenol (5), 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (6), onopordin (7), 5,8,4ʹ-trihydroxy-7,3ʹ-dimethoxyflavone (8), quercetin (9), jaceosidin (10), and 8-hydroxyluteolin (11), were isolated from an ethanol extract of Lantana balansae Briq., Verbenaceae, that was found to possess antileishmani

Surface adsorption of Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) - a widely used industrial biocatalyst - is studied experimentally and theoretically at different pH and salt concentrations. The maximum achievable surface coverage on a hydrophobic surface occurs around the protein isoelectric point and adsorption is reduced when either increasing or decreasing pH, indicating that electrostatic protein-p

We demonstrate non-intrusive, in situ detection of ammonia (NH3) in reactive hot gas flows at atmospheric pressure using mid-infrared degenerate four-wave mixing (IR-DFWM). IR-DFWM excitation scans were performed in the v2+v3 and v1+v2 vibrational bands of NH3 around 2.3μm for gas flow temperatures of 296, 550 and 820K. Simulations based on spectroscopic parameters from the HITRAN database have be

The purpose of this article is to explore corporate brand identity and reputation, with the aim of integrating them into a single managerial framework. The Nobel Prize serves as an in-depth field-based case study, and is analysed using the Corporate Brand Identity and Reputation Matrix (CBIRM), introduced here for the first time. Eight key reputation elements adapted from the literature and enrich

In the present work, the possibility of using photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PFLIF) for thermometry in different reacting flows is investigated. Hydroxyl (OH) fragments are created by UV-laser (266nm) fragmentation of hydrogen peroxides (H2O2 and HO2), whereupon the fluorescence, induced while scanning the wavelength of a second laser across the A2σ+(v = 1)-X2Π(v = 0) absorption ba

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to numerically investigate the heat transfer performance of aviation kerosene flowing in smooth and enhanced tubes with asymmetric fins at supercritical pressures and to reveal the effects of several key parameters, such as mass flow rate, heat flux, pressure and inlet temperature on the heat transfer. Design/methodology/approach - A CFD approach is taken and

Self-adaptive software systems monitor their operation and adapt when their requirements fail due to unexpected phenomena in their environment. This paper examines the case where the environment changes dynamically over time and the chosen adaptation has to take into account such changes. In control theory, this type of adaptation is known as Model Predictive Control and comes with a well-develope

The results of lichenological excursions of the 19th Symposium of Baltic Mycologists and Lichenologists (BMLS) in Latvia, Kurzeme region, 22–26 September 2014, are reported. A list of 290 species is presented, of which 238 are lichenized, 43 lichen-inhabiting, and nine saprotrophic fungi: ninety-one species are new to Latvia, twelve of which (Caloplaca duplicata, Cresporhaphis wienkampii, Ellisemb

When modeling the emission of light from nanostructures, we typically study either (1) blackbody radiation or (2) dipole emission. For effective analysis, it is important to know how results from these two types of modeling are related. Here, we use Kirchoff's reciprocity to study how interference affects the emissivity and number of emitted blackbody photons from a thin film for varying thickness

Hypothalamic pathology, metabolic dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms are part of Huntington disease (HD), which is caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Inactivation of mutant HTT selectively in the hypothalamus prevents the development of metabolic dysfunction and depressive-like behavior in the BACHD mouse model. The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is implic

Photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PFLIF) is for the first time performed based on picosecond laser pulses for detection of hydroperoxyl radicals (HO2) in a stoichiometric laminar methane/air flame. Photofragmentation is performed with a pump laser pulse of 80 ps duration and a wavelength of 266 nm, whereupon the produced OH photofragments are detected by a second picosecond probe lase

This work presents a Scheimpflug lidar system which was employed for atmospheric aerosol monitoring in southern Sweden. Atmospheric aerosol fluctuation was observed around rush-hour. The extinction coefficient over 6 km was retrieved, i.e., 0.15 km-1, by employing the slop-method during the time when the atmosphere was relatively homogenous. The measurements successfully demonstrate the potential

The thesis discusses the licensing system of the Creative Commons from the perspective of the theory of the commons mostly as formulated by Elinor Ostrom. The work starts by describing the concepts and theory of common pool resources and regime of the commons for production and distribution of these resources. The main characteristics for successful traditional commons – efficiency, equity and sus

Self-propelled colloidal objects, such as motile bacteria or synthetic microswimmers, have microscopically irreversible individual dynamics—a feature they share with all living systems. The incoherent behavior of individual swimmers can be harnessed (or “rectified”) by microfluidic devices that create systematic motions that are impossible in equilibrium. We present a computational proof-of-concep

En ”kolloidal pump”, simulerad i datorn, visar hur aktivitet kan användas för att skapa nya designprinciper för kolloidala material genom att vi inte längre är bundna av termodynamikens lagar.

We show that the two problems of computing the permanent of an n*n matrix of poly(n)-bit integers and counting the number of Hamiltonian cycles in a directed n-vertex multigraph with exp(poly(n)) edges can be reduced to relatively few smaller instances of themselves. In effect we derive the first deterministic algorithms for these two problems that run in o(2^n) time in the worst case. Classic pol