The Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) lives in resident, territorial family groups outside the breeding season, but does not breed cooperatively. Thereby it offers an opportunity to study the evolution of territorial group living, without confounding effects of reproductive cooperation. During a long-term study in Finland 1974-2000, we observed Siberian Jay group composition in autumn. Using mic

Methyl beta-D-galactoside was converted to the corresponding 3,4-O-stannylene acetal, which was selectively benzylated with 3-iodobenzyl bromide and coupled to a polymer-bound propargylic ether via a Sonogashira reaction. The polymer-bound carbohydrate substrate was cleaved from the resin with different carbon nucleophiles in a cobalt-mediated Nicholas reaction. The product 3-O-alkynylbenzyl galac

The quality of food eaten by larval insects will affect traits such as gamete production, fat reserves, muscle bulk and body size in the adult. Moreover, larvae also depend on high moisture content in the diet for survival. The almond moth (Ephestia cautella) (W.) (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae) does not feed as an adult although it continues to drink water. We tested the idea that an almond moth could c

Telephone service in Argentina has since its beginning been characterized as one of the most developed in South America. Regarding its development, two distinct periods can be identified. An initial period of private ownership extended from 1878 to 1946. In 1946, when the largest telephone company was bought by the state, a period of predominant state-ownership began that lasted until 1990 when th

This study examines innate immunity to oral Salmonella during primary infection and after secondary challenge of immune mice. Splenic NK and NKT cells plummeted early after primary infection, while neutrophils and macrophages (M{phi}) increased 10- and 3-fold, respectively. In contrast, immune animals had only a modest reduction in NK cells, no loss of NKT cells, and a slight increase in phagocyte

Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is a novel apolipoprotein presented mostly in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in human plasma. Previously we have reported that both leptin and leptin receptor are essential for apoM expression in vivo. The expression of apoM is lower in the leptin deficient (ob/ob) mouse and leptin receptor deficient (db/db) mouse than in the normal mouse. In the present study, however, we

Increased levels of inflammatory mediators such as cystenyl leukotrienes (CysLT) have been found in and around tumors. These data, along with our previous observation that the G-protein-coupled receptor CysLT(1)R, which signals survival and proliferation, is up-regulated in colon cancer, suggest an important role for CysLT(1)R in tumor development. The objective of this study was to examine the ex

Hip fracture is one of the most severe consequences of osteoporosis affecting aged women. However, abnormalities of bone turnover responsible for bone loss in this condition have not been clearly defined. To further evaluate the bone metabolic status of women sustaining hip fracture, we have prospectively measured serum osteocalcin as a marker of bone formation and urinary excretion of pyridinolin

Previous studies of bone marrow-derived stem cell transdifferentiation into neurons have not involved purified cell populations and determined their exact phenotype prior to differentiation. The present study investigates whether highly purified mouse adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), characterized by lineage marker depletion and expression of the cell surface markers Sca1 and c-Kit (Lin(-)Sc

Treating the source-separated organic fraction of municipal solid waste (SS-OFMSW) by anaerobic digestion is considered by many municipalities in Europe as an environmentally friendly means of treating organic waste and simultaneously producing methane gas. Methane yield can be used as a parameter for evaluation of the many different systems that exist for sorting and pre-treating waste. Methane y

This study attempts to test the hypothesis that there existed a peculiar variety of Greek which was used for certain purposes by Jewish and Christian writers in the context of the synagogue. It is argued that the origin of this variety was the translation Greek of the Pentateuch, and the background for the hypothesis is the polyglossic nature of the Greek language, i.e., several varieties were use

In so-called compact two-mirror focusing and afocal systems the secondary mirror is situated at the paraxial focus of the spherical primary mirror. The peculiar conelike shape of the secondary is chosen to eliminate the spherical aberration. Thus the systems are stigmatic, but they have a great offence against the sine condition (OSC), creating uneven distribution of energy on the surface of the o

Marine ash zones from the last interglacial period have been described from cores from the North Atlantic and an ash zone from the middle part of the interglacial has been observed in connection with a major cooling event. Here we present evidence for a coeval ash zone in a terrestrial site on the Faroe Islands. The investigated sediments are correlated with the upper part of oxygen isotope stage

The fine-structure splitting of the 42D state in lithium was measured using stepwise laser excitation combined with level-crossing spectroscopy. The splitting was determined to be 456.2(0.8) MHz, a considerably higher value than the one obtained in a recent level-anticrossing measurement. The new value is in good agreement with the result of a Hartree-Fock calculation, 460.2 MHz.