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Chilaw inlet, with the affiliated lagoon, is located on the west coast of Sri Lanka about 120 km north of the capital Colombo. Each year during the summer monsoon, which lasts from May to September, the inlet closes due to a sand spit forming across the inlet. The closure results in impeded access to the sea for the fishermen, who use the lagoon as anchorage for their boats, and in deteriorated wa
Background: GCA is a systemic vasculitis of the elderly, viewed by many as a disease with multiple and overlapping clinical phenotypes. Retrospective studies have shown differences in clinical presentation between these phenotypes. To reflect the heterogeneity of GCA and novel diagnostic methods, new classification criteria have been proposed. Methods: This is a retrospective study of newly diagno
How does parental social status affects child status attainment across time? Social mobility studies have traditionally studied parent-child associations using one ‘dominant’ parent to reflect social origin. However, the institutions of family and work have changed substantially over the past 150 years, in Sweden as elsewhere. These changes are associated with changes in intergenerationalstatus mo
Due to improved laboratory techniques, touched surfaces and items are increasingly employed as sources of forensic DNA evidence. This has urged a need to better understand the mechanisms of DNA transfer between individuals. Shedder status (i.e. the propensity to leave DNA behind) has been identified as one major factor regulating DNA transfer. It is known that some individuals tend to shed more DN
There is growing evidence that the environment experienced by one generation can influence phenotypes in the next generation via transgenerational plasticity (TGP). One of the best-studied examples of TGP in animals is predator-induced transgenerational plasticity, whereby exposing parents to predation risk triggers changes in offspring phenotypes. Yet, there is a lack of general consensus synthes
Decontamination of urban areas may be necessary in the case of extensive fallout of radioactive material after a nuclear accident, as removal of contaminated soil and vegetation will significantly reduce doses for the residents in an area affected by fallout. Experience from Japan shows that cleanup operations of urban areas may take years despite investment in ample resources. The time delay betw
The complement system is an ancient part of the innate immune system important for both tissue homeostasis and host defense. However, bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (SA) possess elaborative mechanisms for evading both the complement system and other parts of the immune system. One of these evasive mechanisms-important in causing chronic and therapy resistant infections-is the intracellular pe
Objective: The aim of the analysis is to assess the impact of privately employed migrant care workers (MCWs) on the burden of Italian family members who care for a disabled older person. Methods: EUROFAMCARE is a one-year prospective survey carried out to provide evidence on the availability and use of support services by family carers of older people in Europe. In Italy, 990 family caregivers wer
Novel cellulose-chitosan nanocomposite particles with spherical shape were successfully prepared via mixing of aqueous biopolymer solutions in three different ways. Macroparticles with diameters in the millimeter range were produced by dripping cellulose dissolved in cold LiOH/urea into acidic chitosan solutions, inducing instant co-regeneration of the biopolymers. Two types of microspheres, chemi
Background: High-altitude adaptation provides an excellent system for studying how organisms cope with multiple environmental stressors and interacting genetic modifications. To explore the genetic basis of high-altitude adaptation in poikilothermic animals, we acquired transcriptome sequences from a high-altitude population and a low-altitude population of the Asiatic toad (Bufo gargarizans). Tra
The wine and beer yeast Dekkera bruxellensis thrives in environments that are harsh and limiting, especially in concentrations with low oxygen and high ethanol. Its different strains' chromosomes greatly vary in number (karyotype). This study isolates two novel centromeric loci (CEN1 and CEN2), which support both the yeast's autonomous replication and the stable maintenance of plasmids. In the seq
As part of efforts to identify native herbivores of Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia aculeata L. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae), as potential biological control agents against this invasive weed in Australia, ten species of Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) were reared from Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela: Amorbia concavana (Zeller), Platynota rostrana (Walker), Platynota helianthes (Meyrick),
Human communication can be either monosemiotic or polysemiotic, depending on whether it combines ensembles of representations from one or more semiotic systems such as language, gesture and depiction. Each semiotic system has its unique storytelling potentials, which makes intersemiotic translation from one system to another challenging. We investigated the influence of the source semiotic system,
Enzymes of the xanthine oxidase family are among the best characterized mononuclear molybdenum enzymes. Open questions about their mechanism of transfer of an oxygen atom to the substrate remain. The enzymes share a molybdenum cofactor (Moco) with the metal ion binding a molybdopterin (MPT) molecule via its dithiolene function and terminal sulfur and oxygen groups. For xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH)
An investigation of the fundamental frequency in Swedish feedback words is presented. It is hypothesised that the F0-pattern differs between words signalling positive and negative feedback-i.e. agreement and disagreement with the utterance of the preceding speaker. When imitating the contrast, the negative feedback word nej 'no' is often produced with a falling F0, stretching over a larger range,
This paper focuses on carbon, which is one of the most abundant elements in the universe and is of high importance in the field of nucleosynthesis and galactic and stellar evolution. The origin of carbon and the relative importance of massive and low-to intermediate-mass stars in producing it is still a matter of debate. We aim at better understanding the origin of carbon by studying the trends of
The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of polyurethane foam (PUF) passive air samplers as stationary, and, for the first time, as personal samplers for one week’s sampling period of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in occupational air. Routine monitoring of workplace exposure is commonly performed with active sampling. However, active samplers can sometimes be unsuitable; e.g., it
Objectives: The aims of this study were to quantify salivary concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) and to assess if presence of dental composite fillings is associated with higher BPA levels in saliva. Materials and methods: Twenty individuals with six or more tooth surfaces filled with polymer-based dental materials (composite group) and 20 individuals without any polymer-based materials (control g
BACKGROUND: Technetium 99m sestamibi was recently introduced for the preoperative localization of abnormal parathyroid glands in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism with promising results. However, the sensitivity of sestamibi and thallium to detect abnormal parathyroid glands is partly dependent on the gland size. In this study we compared the sensitivity of sestamibi subtraction scintigrap
BACKGROUND: Due to significant achievements in reducing mortality and increasing life expectancy, the issue of disability from diseases and injuries, and their related interventions, has become one of the most important concerns of health-related research.METHODS: Using data obtained from the GBD 2015 study, the present report provides prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of 310 disea
