Filetype
IgG antibodies against Clostridium difficile toxins A and B were followed in controls and patients with an initial C. difficile infection (CDI). Of the 50 CDI patients, 38 were cured and 12 developed recurrence. Compared to controls, patients had significantly lower anti-toxin A and B IgGs at inclusion, but the subsequent levels rose slightly regardless of clinical outcome. The results imply that
We present mass models of the Milky Way created to fit observational constraints and to be consistent with expectations from theoretical modelling. The method used to create these models is that demonstrated in our previous study, and we improve on those models by adding gas discs to the potential, considering the effects of allowing the inner slope of the halo density profile to vary, and includi
Cholecystokinin (CCK) has recently been shown to activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in rat pancreatic acini [Duan and Williams, Am. J. Physiol. 267 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 30): G401-G408, 1994]. To evaluate the mechanism of MAP kinase activation, we studied the effects of CCK on MAP kinase kinase (MEK) in rat pancreatic acini. Two forms of MEK were identified by immunoblotting,
Thermal comfort has direction implications for energy efficiency and sustainable development. From a global perspective, about 40% of total primary energy is used in buildings, contributing to more than 30% of CO2 emissions [1]. The fact that the common practices of clothing choices have impact on energy efficiency is ignored [2-3]. This paper analyzed and proposed clothing insulation required for
We here present some recent developments of MadGraph/MadEvent since the latest published version, 4.0. These developments include: Jet matching with Pythia parton showers for both Standard Model and Beyond the Standard Model processes, decay chain functionality, decay width calculation and decay simulation, process generation for the Grid, a package for calculation of quarkonium amplitudes, calcul
Nonlinear light-matter interactions, such as filamentation or high-order harmonic generation, are at the heart of nonlinear optics. Scaling of such effects is crucial to benefit optimally from novel laser developments. We introduce and discuss a general scaling model for nonlinear light-matter interactions in gases.
Questions concerning the occurrence of adaptive sex ratio manipulation have a long research tradition in evolutionary biology, but evidence from birds is scarce. It has been suggested that birds are unable to adaptively determine the sex of their young because of the constraints of their sex determination systems. Here we report results from a study of variation in offspring sex ratio in the blue
Injuries to the spinal column and spinal cord are a major cause of disability, affecting predominately young, healthy individuals. The majority of the spinal injuries (60%) affect young healthy males between 15 and 35 years of age, with important socioeconomic consequences, and the costs of lifetime care and rehabilitation are extremely high. As the longevity of the general population increases, t
Viral infections predispose to the development of childhood asthma, a disease associated with increased lung mast cells (MCs). This study investigated whether viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) can already evoke a MC response during childhood. Lung tissue from young children who died following LRTIs were processed for immunohistochemical identification of MCs. Children who died from
This review addresses tilt-testing methodology by searching the literature which reports timing of asystole and loss of consciousness (LOC). Despite the Italian protocol being the most widely adopted, its stipulations are not always followed to the letter of the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. The discrepancies permit reassessment of the incidence of asystole when tilt-down is early, im
Social media has opened up a new tactical front for political campaigns, and the 2017 General Election showed how citizens – armed with smartphones, computers, and tablets – actively enlisted their support in the online electoral battleground. In this report, we look at how Labour supporters leveraged the platform-specific features of different social media to widely promote their favored candidat
This entry offers an introduction to generative grammar, describing the key components of the framework and its historical development since its start in the 1950s. Generative grammar is concerned with language as a mental object, and it studies speakers' internal faculty of language: the ability to produce and understand an infinite number of linguistic expressions from a finite set of linguistic
The Gaia spacecraft presents an unprecedented opportunity to reveal the population of long period (a > 1 au) exoplanets orbiting stars across the H-R diagram, including white dwarfs. White dwarf planetary systems have played an important role in the study of planetary compositions, from their unique ability to provide bulk elemental abundances of planetary material in their atmospheres. Yet, very
Coagulation, complement, and innate immunity are tightly interwoven and form an alliance that can be traced back to early eukaryotic evolution. Here we employed an ecoimmunological approach using Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI)-1-derived peptides from the different classes of vertebrates (i.e. fish, reptile, bird, and mammals) and tested whether they can boost killing of various human bacte
Streptococcus pyogenes is known to cause both mucosal and systemic infections in humans. In this study, we used a combination of quantitative and structural mass spectrometry techniques to determine the composition and structure of the interaction network formed between human plasma proteins and the surfaces of different S. pyogenes serotypes. Quantitative network analysis revealed that S. pyogene
Parental care can be partitioned into traits that involve direct engagement with offspring and traits that are expressed as an extended phenotype and influence the developmental environment, such as constructing a nursery. Here, we use experimental evolution to test whether parents can evolve modifications in nursery construction when they are experimentally prevented from supplying care directly
