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Salt-containing membranes based on polymethacrylates having poly(ethylene carbonate-co-ethylene oxide) side chains, as well as their blends with poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP), have been studied. Self-supportive ion conductive membranes were prepared by casting films of methacrylate functional poly(ethylene carbonate-co-ethylene oxide) macromonomers containing lithium
Obesity is increasing rapidly in all parts of the world and is now considered to be a global epidemic. Obesity is a major risk factor for several health issues such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. The adipose tissue is central in the maintenance of a normal energy homeostasis in the body for instance via regulating lipid storage and release. Besides being an important energy r
Foliose lichens with cyanobacterial bionts (bipartite and tripartite) form a distinct assemblage of epiphytes strongly associated with humid microclimatic conditions in inland British Columbia. Previous research showed that these cyano- and cephalolichen communities are disproportionately abundant and species-rich on conifer saplings beneath Populus compared to beneath other tree species. More rev
The Arctic marine ecosystem contains multiple elements that present alternative states. The most obvious of which is an Arctic Ocean largely covered by an ice sheet in summer versus one largely devoid of such cover. Ecosystems under pressure typically shift between such alternative states in an abrupt, rather than smooth manner, with the level of forcing required for shifting this status termed th
Hermit beetles of the genus Osmoderma (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) are known for their fruity odour, which is released in large amounts by males. Two species of the genus occur in Europe, the eastern Osmoderma barnabita (Motschulsky) and the western Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli). Previous studies on Swedish populations of O. eremita showed that the compound responsible for the characterist
The estrogen receptor beta (ER beta) is emerging as an important player in the physiology of the endocrine pancreas. We evaluated the role and antidiabetic actions of the ER beta selective agonist WAY200070 as an insulinotropic molecule. We demonstrate that WAY200070 enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion both in mouse and human islets. In vivo experiments showed that a single administratio
The remotely located Cambro-Ordovician strata in Ny Friesland, NE Spitsbergen, Svalbard, are referred to the Oslobreen Group, which is composed of the Tokammane, Kirtonryggen and Valhallfonna formations. Herein we record the conodont succession of the Kirtonryggen and Valhallfonna formations. Collections of well-preserved conodonts (CAI 1) have been recovered from the Lower to lower Middle Ordovic
Type 2 diabetic patients usually exhibit an abnormal lipid profile. One such lipid that is constantly elevated in T2D is cholesterol. At the cellular level, cholesterol aids in tight packing of sphingolipids in certain regions of the plasma membrane and these specialized regions are termed ‘membrane rafts’, which act as signalling hubs. In pancreatic beta cells, these structures have been found to
Global patterns in soil, plant, and fungal stable isotopes of N (delta N-15) show promise as integrated metrics of N cycling, particularly the activity of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. At small spatial scales, however, it remains difficult to differentiate the underlying causes of plant delta N-15 variability and this limits the application of such measurements to better understand N cycling. We co
Insulin secretion is enhanced upon the binding of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) to its receptor (GLP1R) in pancreatic β cells. Although a reduced expression of GLP1R in pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic patients and hyperglycaemic rats has been established, it is still unknown if this is caused by differential DNA methylation of GLP1R in pancreatic islets of type 2 diabetic patients.
In Public Reading in Early Christianity: Lectors, Manuscripts, and Sound in the Oral Delivery of John 1-4 Dan Nässelqvist investigates the oral delivery of New Testament writings in early Christian communities of the first two centuries C.E. He examines the role of lectors and public reading in the Greek and Roman world as well as in early Christianity. Nässelqvist introduces a method of sound ana
Since 2009, Japanese civil society groups have arranged exhibitions in China dealing with the so-called comfort women issue in cooperation with local Chinese organizers, including state-run war museums that function as patriotic education bases. Organizing these exhibitions has required much time and energy. A fundamental aim of these groups is to make the Japanese government compensate the victim
Resolving fungal and bacterial groups within the microbial decomposer community is thought to capture disparate life strategies for soil microbial decomposers, associating bacteria with an r-selected strategy for carbon (C) and nutrient use, and fungi with a K-selected strategy. Additionally, food-web model-based work has established a widely held belief that the bacterial decomposer pathway in so
Valence and core level photoelectron spectra and Auger electron spectra of ammonia in pure clusters have been measured. The Auger electron spectra of gas-phase ammonia, pure ammonia clusters and ammonia in aqueous solution are compared and interpreted via ab initio calculations of the Auger spectrum of the ammonia monomer and dimer. The calculations reveal that the final two-hole valence states ca
Ion implantation modifies the surface properties of different materials. We have compared the biological properties of titanium implanted with nitrogen with those of pure titanium. Implants were inserted in the abdominal wall of rats. The implants with surrounding tissue were excised after 1 and 6 weeks, and embedded in epoxy resin. The bulk metal was removed electrochemically and the tissue cut f
It is well established that female choice may lead to sexual selection on quality-revealing ornaments in males. However, in many species, both sexes display conspicuous characters, which may reflect individual quality and condition. We examined the correlations between measures of individual condition, reproductive performance and variation in size and whiteness of white wing patches in both sexes
Background: Voltage-dependent K+ channels (Kv) mediate repolarisation of beta-cell action potentials, and thereby abrogate insulin secretion. The role of the Kv1.1 K+ channel in this process is however unclear. We tested for presence of Kv1.1 in different species and tested for a functional role of Kv1.1 by assessing pancreatic islet function in BALB/cByJ (wild-type) and megencephaly (mceph/mceph)
An expectation in soil ecology is that a microbial communities' fungal:bacterial dominance indicates both its response to environmental change and its impact on ecosystem function. We review a selection of the increasing body of literature on this subject and assess the relevance of its expectations by examining the methods used to determine, the impact of environmental factors on, and the expecte
Background: Animal studies suggest that the arginine vasopressin (AVP) system plays a role in glucose and fat metabolism, but data from humans are limited. Method and results: We analysed plasma copeptin (copeptin), a stable C-terminal fragment of the AVP pro-hormone in the large, Swedish, population-based cohort Malmö Diet and Cancer Study Cardiovascular Cohort (MDC-CC, n=6103). Using baseline
