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Studies of ornaments as indicators of individual quality have hitherto focused on males, while studies of female ornaments have been almost absent. However, females within the same species may show large variation in both outer appearance and individual quality. We experimentally examined the effect of an immune challenge on the size of white fringes in the wing feathers produced one to two months

n this article we discuss coastal erosion, efforts to deal with it and its associated problems on both a national and international basis, and difficulties in making long-range predictions of it. We emphasise the need to: assemble and share knowledge, information and experience in this area internationally; upgrade shoreline management guidelines; employ the latest methods and techniques for comba

OBJECTIVES: Esophageal pH monitoring using a wireless pH capsule has been suggested to generate less adverse symptoms resulting in improved patient acceptance compared with the catheter-based method although evidence to support this assumption is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the subjective experience of patients undergoing both techniques for esophageal pH monitoring.

Food components modify the risk of cancer at a large number of sites but the mechanism of action is unknown. In the present investigation, we studied the effect of the peptide lactoferricin derived from bovine milk lactoferrin on human colon cancer CaCo-2 cells. The cells were either untreated or treated with 2.0, 0.2, or 0.02 microM lactoferricin. Cell cycle kinetics were investigated with a brom

The arctic climate places high demands on the energy metabolism of its inhabitants. We measured resting (RMR) and basal metabolic rates (BMR), body temperatures, and dry and wet thermal conductances in summer morphs of the lemmings Dicrostonyx groenlandicus and Lemmus trimucronatus in arctic Canada, and the BMR of D. torquatus, D. groenlandicus, L. sibiricus, L. bungei and L. trimucronatus in Sibe

A regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods was introduced in the European Union in 2007. This Regulation provides opportunities for the use of health claims on foods in Europe, including reduction of disease risk claims. The Regulation will be fully implemented by January 2010. A community list of permitted and rejected claims will be established and made available to the public. So

Background: The extent to which moderate overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25.0-29.9 [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) and obesity ( BMI, >= 30.0) are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) through adverse effects on blood pressure and cholesterol levels is unclear, as is the risk of CHD that remains after these mediating effects are

We consider perturbations of a large Jordan matrix, either random and small in norm or of small rank. In the case of random perturbations we obtain explicit estimates which show that as the size of the matrix increases, most of the eigenvalues of the perturbed matrix converge to a certain circle with centre at the origin. In the case of finite rank perturbations we completely determine the spectra

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the development and understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by discussing two interrelated characteristics of current literature: a tendency in discourses to portray CSR as equal to the societal activities displayed by and demanded from large, multinational firms; and an increasing focus on and description of “small firm CSR” in research. T

Purpose: To prospectively compare nephrotoxicity and radiodensity of plasma hyperosmotic gadolinium chelates (attenuation-osmotic ratio of 1: 1) with those of plasma iso-osmotic iodine-based contrast media (attenuation-osmotic ratio of 3: 1 or 6: 1) after renal arteriography in ischemic porcine kidneys. Materials and Methods: The local animal care committee approved this study. The following contr

The oxidation of Pd(100) and the formation of PdO was studied in situ using surface x-ray diffraction. A bulklike, epitaxial PdO film is formed at oxygen partial pressures beyond 1 mbar and sample temperatures exceeding 650 K. The main orientation is PdO(001)/Pd(001), based upon bulk reflections from the PdO film. By comparing with measurements from the Pd crystal truncation rods, we estimate an r

Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) has gained interest in the last few years and several air interfaces have been proposed to cover WPAN applications. A Multi-Carrier Spread Spectrum (MC-SS) air interface specified to achieve 130 Mbps in typical WPAN channels, is presented in this paper. It operates in the 5.2 GHz ISM band and achieves a spectral efficiency of 3.25 b.s-1.Hz-1. Besides the robu

Realizing a 20% energy efficiency improvement in Europe by 2020 requires the introduction of good new energy efficiency policies as well as strengthening and enforcing the existing policies. This raises the question: what characterizes good and effective energy efficiency policies and their implementation? Systematic ex post evaluation of energy efficiency policies can reveal factors determining n

Purpose: To investigate whether increased fluctuation of intraocular pressure (IOP) is an independent factor for glaucoma progression. Design: A cohort of patients was followed up in a randomized clinical trial. Participants: Two hundred fifty-five glaucoma patients from the Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial (EMGT; 129 treated and 126 control patients). Methods: Study visits, conducted every 3 months,

In a cross-sectional study of 115 premenopausal non-smoking women, we examined the relationship between lymphocyte levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) and habitual alcohol consumption. The study was conducted in four different regions of Europe, including Potsdam (Germany), Turin (Italy), Malmo (Sweden) and Granada (Spain). Mean 8-oxodGuo levels differed significantly across study ce

We used giving-up densities (GUD) to study patch use decisions of small granivorous passerines throughout the year. We measured GUDs continuously in four sites for a period of 9-10 months per year during 2004 and 2005 in a savannah area in Jos, central Nigeria. The study thus covered a period from the middle of the dry season, through the wet season to the beginning of the next dry season in each

To investigate the effects of a vitamin D3 analogue (BXL628) in a model of chronic cystitis, as calcitriol analogues might be an interesting new therapeutic option for interstitial cystitis, for although the cause of the disease remains unclear, the increase in mast cells in the mucosa and detrusor muscle are significant. We devised a mouse model of allergen-induced allergic cystitis that is assoc

One of the most challenging problems in medical imaging is to ``see{''} a tumour embedded into tissue, which is a turbid medium, by using fluorescent probes for tumour labeling. This problem, despite the efforts made during the last years, has not been fully encountered yet, due to the non-linear nature of the inverse problem and the convergence failures of many optimization techniques. This paper

Purpose: To determine dosimetric properties of unflattened megavoltage photon beams. Materials and methods: Dosimetric data including depth dose, profiles, output factors and phantom scatter factors from three different beam qualities provided by Elekta Precise linacs, operated with and without flattening filter were examined. Additional measurements of leaf transmission, leakage radiation and sur

Thermodynamic stability of an alkaline protease from a new alkaliphilic Nesterenkonia sp. AL-20, was investigated and compared with that of Subtilisin Carlsberg. The amount of calcium bound to the AL-20 protease was determined to be only about 0.14 mol/mol of protease. Differential scanning calorimetry scan of the enzyme at increasing temperature showed the denaturation of the enzyme to be a two-s