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The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity
Therapeutic antibodies are the fastest growing class of drugs but suffer from a crowded target-space where many antibodies, against a few targets, are developed in parallel. The aim of this thesis is to find methods to enable discovery of novel antibody-target combinations and thereby increase the target-space. A strategy to achieve this is to use phage display antibody libraries and selection on
The atrioventricular (AV) node plays a central role during atrial fibrillation (AF). We have recently proposed a statistical AV node model defined by parameters characterizing the arrival rate of atrial impulses, the probability of an impulse choosing either one of the dual AV nodal pathways, the refractory periods of the pathways, and the prolongation of refractory periods. All model parameters a
We propose a technique to generate non-projective word orders in an efficient statistical linearization system. Our approach predicts liftings of edges in an unordered syntactic tree by means of a classifier, and uses a projective algorithm for tree linearization. We obtain statistically significant improvements on six typologically different languages: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Hungarian, a
As a group of stars having high luminosity and thus being able to be detected to great distances, massive M supergiants are extremely helpful to the study of the kinematics of the Milky Way. They are also partly responsible for the creation of post iron-group elements through the weak s-process of nucleosynthesis. As there are relatively few classified M supergiants, owing to their rapid pace of e
The driving force behind oncoproteomics is to identify protein signatures that are associated with a particular malignancy. Here, we have used a recombinant scFv antibody microarray in an attempt to classify sera derived from pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients versus healthy subjects. Based on analysis of nonfractionated, directly labeled, whole human serum proteomes we have identified a protein s
The chronic active inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori is dominated by neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells. Several interleukins are involved in the inflammatory process. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of astaxanthin on gastric inflammation in patients with functional dyspepsia. Forty-four consecutive patients were included, and biopsies were examined
Previously, we found that emergence of the X4 viral phenotype in HIV-1-infected children was related to the presence of X4 in their mothers (C. H. Casper et al., J Infect Dis 2002; 186: 914-921). Here, we investigated the origin of the X4 phenotype in the child, analyzing two mother-child pairs (Ma-Ca, Mb-Cb) where the mothers carried X4 and their children developed X4 after an initial presence of
To analyze the role of the classical and alternative pathways of complement activation in the effector phase of arthritis, we have induced arthritis in C3- and factor B (FB)-deficient (C3(-/-) and FB-/-) DBA/1J mice using well-defined monoclonal IgG2b and IgG2a antibodies to type II collagen. In control DBA/1J mice, severe swelling of the joints, destruction of cartilage and erosion of bone develo
BACKGROUND: Our recently reported finding of rapid bi-exponential elimination of free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical retropubic prostatectomy in patients with moderately elevated PSA levels, which contrasted a very slow, linear elimination of PSA complexed to alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), prompted us to study whether these elimination rates were applicable for patients selected fo
BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer cells secrete unique proteases such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2) that represent targets for the activation of prodrugs as systemic treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. Previously, a combinatorial peptide library was screened to identify a highly active peptide substrate for hK2. The peptide was coupled to an analog of the
Antibody-based microarrays are a rapidly emerging technology that has advanced from the first proof-of-concept studies to demanding serum protein profiling applications during recent years, displaying great promise within disease proteomics. Miniaturized micro- and nanoarrays can be fabricated with an almost infinite number of antibodies carrying the desired specificities. While consuming only min
The suppressors of cytokine signaling ( SOCS) family is thought to act largely as a negative regulator of signaling by cytokines and some growth factors. Surprisingly, the SOCS-6 transgenics had no significant defects in the cytokine signaling and hematopoietic system but displayed significant improvements in glucose metabolism. Insulin stimulation of Akt/protein kinase B was also potentiated. Bio
Twice each year, millions of night-migratory songbirds migrate thousands of kilometers. To find their way, they must process and integrate spatiotemporal information from a variety of cues including the Earth's magnetic field and the night-time starry sky. By using sensory-driven gene expression, we discovered that night-migratory songbirds possess a tight cluster of brain regions highly active on
Synovial proliferation in rheumatoid arthritis causes capsular distension, destruction of tendons and ligaments, and erosion of bone. The classic deformities in rheumatoid arthritis, like boutonnière or swan neck, are not consistent, and each patient may have his or her own pattern of deformities. The anatomic arrangement of the tendons enables motion of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint is
Objective: To describe the electrophysiological characteristics and pathophysiological significance of electrographic status epilepticus (ESE) after cardiac arrest and specifically compare patients with unequivocal ESE to patients with rhythmic or periodic borderline patterns defined as possible ESE. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients treated with targeted temperature mana
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a potent vasodilator and a neuromodulator implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. It binds to the extracellular domains of calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) and receptor activity-modifying protein (RAMP) 1 that together form the CGRP receptor. Antagonist antibodies against CGRP and its binding site at the receptor are clinically effective in p
