Lion faecal samples, collected in the field between 1 hour to 1 week after defecation were preserved in three different media (ethanol, ASL buffer and Two-step storage). The aim was to determine which faecal DNA field preservation method best enhances PCR amplification success. Samples stored in ethanol showed a significantly higher amplification success of microsatellite loci than samples stored

The mucosal pathogen non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) adheres to the respiratory epithelium, or in the case of epithelial damage, to the underlying basement membrane and extracellular matrix that amongst other proteins consists of laminin. We have recently identified Protein F, an ABC-transporter involved in NTHi immune evasion. Homology modeling of the Protein F tertiary structure revea

The present study examined plasma lipid profiles in thirty patients suffered from acute viral hepatitis. Patients' blood samples were collected at both the debut and recovery of diseases. Thirty sex and age matched normal subjects were included as controls. Plasma total triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),

Strains produced by active materials embedded in plates have been extensively used to manipulate the shape of surface-like engineering structures. Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are active materials that provide a significant amount of strain under large stresses, a characteristic of great utility in such morphing structures. In this work, an analytical approach to approximate the deformation of plate

Complement is a central homeotic system of mammals and represents the first defense line of innate immunity. The human complement system is aimed to maintain homeostasis by recognizing and removing damaged or modified self material, as well as infectious foreign microbes. However, pathogenic microbes also control and escape the host complement and immune attack. The increasing resistance of microb

We develop a representation of reverse-time migration (RTM) in terms of Fourier integral operators, the canonical relations of which are graphs. Through the dyadic parabolic decomposition of phase space, we obtain the solution of the wave equation with a boundary source and homogeneous initial conditions using wave packets. On this basis, we develop a numerical procedure for the reverse-time conti

We have fabricated single balanced down-conversion mixer circuits using InAs nanowire MOSFETs as both active and passive devices. This is achieved by a combination of electron beam lithography and UV-lithography with a line width of 12 mu m. The circuits exhibit a low frequency voltage conversion gain of 6 dB, a -3 dB cutoff frequency of 2 GHz and a power consumption of 3.8 mW, while operating at

In object-oriented programs, the relationship of an object to many objects is usually implemented using indirection through a collection. This is in contrast to a relationship to one object, which is usually implemented directly. However, using collections for relationships to many objects does not only mean that accessing the related objects always requires accessing the collection first, it also

The boreal forest carbon balance is predicted to be particularly sensitive to climate change. Carbon balance estimates of these biomes stem mainly from eddy-covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE). However, a full net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) must include the lateral carbon export (LCE) through discharge. We show that annual LCE at a boreal forest site ranged from 4 to 28%,

The varieties of capitalism literature has drawn little attention to industrial renewal and diversification, while the related diversification literature has neglected the institutional dimension of industrial change. Bringing together both literatures, the paper proposes that institutions have an impact on the direction of the diversification process, in particular on whether countries gain a com

Background: Pain is a common condition among prehospital patients. The present study is designed to determine whether adding low-dose ketamine as additional analgesia improves the pain/nausea scores and hemodynamic parameters compared to morphine sulphate alone among patients with bone fractures. Methods: Prospective, prehospital clinical cohort study. Twenty-seven patients were included with acut

This paper estimates the health returns to schooling, using a twin design. For this purpose, I use data on monozygotic twins from the Midlife in the United States survey. The results suggest that completing high school improves health, as measured through self-reported health, chronic conditions, and exercise behavior, but that additional schooling does not lead to additional health gains. Control

Objective: To analyse the outcome of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) patients presenting with isolated headache, specifically to compare isolated headache patients with early vs. late CVT diagnosis. Method: In the International Study on Cerebral Vein and Dural Sinus Thrombosis (ISCVT) database we compared the outcome of patients with isolated headache and a CVT diagnosed early ( 7 days). We retri

The overall aim of this thesis was to explore loneliness by identifying associated factors and predictors for loneliness among older people. This research was also undertaken to examine the association between loneliness and healthcare consumption. In addition, the reserach explored the experience of loneliness and evaluated the effects on loneliness, symptoms of depression and life satisfaction o

The nomenclature of Gallowayella, Golubkovaea, Oxneria, and some species of Gyalolechia, Leproplaca, and Rusavskia in the Teloschistaceae is corrected and commented. Rusavskia ectaniza is a new combination. Also the earlier invalidly published combinations Gyalolechia bassiae, Leproplaca chrysodeta, and Rusavskia aspera are validated.