It is known that the cell environment such as biomechanical properties and extracellular matrix (ECM) composition dictate cell behaviour including migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Important constituents of the microenvironment, including ECM molecules such as proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), determine events in both embryogenesis and repair of the adult lung. Mesenchymal

The natural products pulchrol and pulchral, isolated from the roots of the Mexican plant Bourreria pulchra, have previously been shown to possess an antiparasitic activity toward Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania braziliensis and L. amazonensis, protozoa responsible for the Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. These infections have been classified as neglected diseases, and still require the development

A standard reaction to the problem of evil is to look for a greater good that can explain why God (with the traditional attributes) might have created this world instead of a seemingly better one which has no (or less) evil. This paper proposes an approach we call the Moral Progress Approach: Given the value of progress, a non-perfect world containing evil may be preferable to a perfect world with

Peacebuilding approaches have placed emphasis on the restoration of political relationships and symbolic notions of community reconciliation, paying limited attention to the material causes of violence. In South Africa, the historical structural economic violence has been maintained, and after the formal end of apartheid, a lack of equitable distribution of resources is ongoing. This article conce

The implications of the newly signed Sino-Iranian deal go beyond economics. The deal also covers security matters pertaining to intelligence and military cooperation that provide both Iran and China with advantages over rival states.

Pulchrol, a natural compound isolated from the roots of the vegetal specie Bourreria pulchra has been shown to possess potential antiparasitic activity toward Trypanosomatids, particularly against Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes the Chagas disease; and moderately against Leishmania species, responsible for Leishmaniasis. In this investigation, several pulchrol analogues were prepared and assayed t

While a broad spectrum of technologies is integrated in everyday life and routines, most research on ageing, health and technology has focused on attitudes toward and adoption of digital technologies including e-health, or home based monitoring systems. The aim of this study was to explore differences and similarities in attitudes and experiences with different types of technologies and developmen

The aim of this paper is to conceptualize and discuss how plant-based food consumption is accomplished in an environment pre-configured by meat-based food practices. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with thirteen consumers, and using a socio-material practice approach, the paper demonstrates how plant-based shopping, cooking and eating practices are enabled and shaped by material reconfiguration

The first syntheses of the isomeric dioxafenestrene natural products (-)-asperaculin A and (-)-penifulvin D are reported. Each target is formed selectively by choice of oxidant in a final divergent bioinspired Baeyer-Villiger (BV) reaction. Density functional theory calculations reveal that electrostatic interactions between the oxidant leaving group and the lactone motif accounts for a reversal o

Abstract: Soft and biological materials are often composed of elementary constituents exhibiting an incessant roto-translational motion at the microscopic scale. Tracking this motion with a bright-field microscope becomes increasingly challenging when the particle size becomes smaller than the microscope resolution, a case which is frequently encountered. Here we demonstrate squared-gradient diffe

Major low-latitude volcanic eruptions cool Earth’s climate, and can lead to a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during winter. However, the question of the climate and circulation impact of Northern Hemisphere high-latitude eruptions has received less attention. Here we show that, contrary to low-latitude eruptions, the response to high-latitude eruptions can be associated wit

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients run a high risk for adverse outcomes from COVID-19, with reported mortality around 19%. We retrospectively reviewed all known Swedish SOT recipients with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 between March 1 and November 20, 2020 and analyzed patient characteristics, management, and outcome. We identified 230 patients with a median age of 54.0 years (13.2), who were pre

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists are well aware that natural and sexual selection do not operate on traits in isolation, but instead act on combinations of traits. This long-recognized and pervasive phenomenon is known as multivariate selection, or—in the particular case where it favours correlations between interacting traits—correlational selection. Despite broad acknowledgement of correla

The annual growth cycle of boreal trees is synchronized with seasonal changes in photoperiod and temperature. A warmer climate can lead to an earlier bud burst and increased risk of frost damage caused by temperature backlashes. In this study we analysed site- and provenance specific responses to interannual variation in temperature, using data from 18 Swedish and East-European provenances of Norw