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1. Knowledge about species habitat requirements is important when designing conservation strategies as well as for predicting species distributions. For herbivorous insects, insights in oviposition preferences can provide important information on their habitat requirements. 2. The oviposition preferences of Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper butterfly Pyrgus armoricanus Oberthür at its northern range bou

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at the metastatic stage and despite extensive diagnostic work-up the primary tumor often remains unidentified. Limited population-based survival data are available for metastatic location and none are available that link the location with the cause of death, which might give clues about the tissue of origin. A total of 9,306 CUP patients with extranodal

Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs) are receptors believed to be important for regulation of cellular activation and inflammation. Several pathogenic microbes bind specific Siglecs via sialic acid-containing structures at the microbial surface, interactions that may result in modulation of host responses. Recently, it was shown that the group B Streptococcus (GBS) binds to hu

Genome-wide association studies have revealed numerous risk loci associated with diverse diseases. However, identification of disease-causing variants within association loci remains a major challenge. Divergence in gene expression due to cis-regulatory variants in noncoding regions is central to disease susceptibility. We show that integrative computational analysis of phylogenetic conservation w

Proteoglycans (PGs) are macromolecules that consist of long linear polysaccharides, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains, covalently attached to a core protein by the carbohydrate xylose. The biosynthesis of GAG chains is initiated by xylosylation of the core protein followed by galactosylation by the galactosyltransferase β4GalT7. Some β-d-xylosides, such as 2-naphthyl β-d-xylopyranoside, can induce GA

A long term experiment was conducted in a primary forest area in Amazonia, with continuous in-situ measurements of aerosol optical properties between February 2008 and April 2011, comprising, to our knowledge, the longest database ever in the Amazon Basin. Two major classes of aerosol particles, with significantly different optical properties were identified: coarse mode predominant biogenic aeros

Functional imaging studies have revealed that certain brainstem areas are activated during migraine attacks. The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is associated with activation of the trigeminovascular system, transmission of nociceptive information and plays a key role in migraine pathophysiology. Therefore, to elucidate the role of CGRP it is critical to identify the regions wi

Arctic waders are well known for their impressive long-distance migrations between their high northerly breeding grounds and wintering areas in the Southern hemisphere. Performing such long migrations requires precise orientation mechanisms. We conducted orientation cage experiments with juvenile sharp-tailed sandpipers (Calidris acuminata) to investigate what cues they rely on when departing from

A portable and time-integrating field sampler based on the supported liquid membrane (SLM) extraction technique was constructed. Using two programmable syringe pumps and one programmable valve, the sampler could carry out automatic unattended extraction for up to seven extracts, combining the steps of sampling, trace enrichment and clean-up. The sampler was applied to the extraction of four s-tria

Proton-transfer dynamics plays a critical role in many biochemical processes, such as proton pumping across membranes and enzyme catalysis. The large majority of enzymes utilize acid-base catalysis and proton-transfer mechanisms, where the rates of proton transfer can be rate limiting for the overall reaction. However, measurement of proton-exchange kinetics for individual side-chain carboxyl grou

C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is a plasma glycoprotein involved in regulation of the complement system. C4BP consists of seven alpha-chains and one unique beta-chain, all constructed of repeating complement control protein (CCP) modules. The beta-chain, made up of three CCPs, binds tightly to vitamin K-dependent protein S, a cofactor to anticoagulant activated protein C. When bound to C4BP, protein S

Factor IX is a vitamin K-dependent procoagulant zymogen of a serine protease. In the presence of Ca2+ the active form of factor IX (factor IXa beta) forms a complex with factor VIIIa on suitable phospholipid surfaces such as aggregated platelets. This macromolecular complex rapidly activates factor X. We have previously provided data that suggest an interaction between the NH2-terminal epidermal g