As a part of a validation study, a comparative study of a PCR method and the standard culture-based method NMKL-71, for detection of Salmonella, was performed according to the validation protocol from the Nordic validation organ for validation of alternative microbiological methods (NordVal) on 250 artificially or naturally contaminated animal feed samples. The PCR method is based on culture enric

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the "black box" of top management team (TMT) processes such as communication and power distribution, examining the example of ethnically diverse TMTs in Latvia. Design/methodology/approach - The study relies on case studies of two multinational companies operating in Latvia. Findings - The findings suggest that ethnic diversity in TMTs leads to mor

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Our aims were to develop a method to accurately predict non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and liver fat content based on routinely available clinical and laboratory data and to test whether knowledge of the recently discovered genetic variant in the PNPLA3 gene (rs738409) increases accuracy of the prediction. METHODS: Liver fat content was measured using proton magne

A teal (Anas crecca) and a thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) were trained to fly in the Lund wind tunnel for periods of up to 3 and 16 h respectively. Both birds flew in steady flapping flight, with such regularity that their wingbeat frequencies could be determined by viewing them through a shutter stroboscope. When flying at a constant air speed, the teal's wingbeat frequency varied with th

The globalization of economics, politics, and human affairs has made individuals and groups more ontologically insecure and existentially uncertain. One main response to such insecurity is to seek reaffirmation of one's self identity by drawing closer to any collective that is perceived as being able to reduce insecurity and existential anxiety. The combination of religion and nationalism is a par

Congo red is a commonly used histological dye for amyloid detection. The specificity of this staining results from Congo red's affinity for binding to fibril proteins enriched in beta-sheet conformation. Unexpectedly, recent investigations indicate that the dye also possesses the capacity to interfere with processes of protein misfolding and aggregation, stabilizing native protein monomers or part

BACKGROUND: The use of impacted morselized allograft bone and cement in hip revision arthroplasty has been popular, but studies that specifically address intraoperative and postoperative complications have been scarce. METHODS: All complications that occurred during, and within the first year after, 144 consecutive hip revision arthroplasties (108 stems and 130 sockets) performed with impacted mor

Proteinase 3 (PR3) is a neutrophil serine protease stored in the azurophil granules of the promyelocyte and its successors. The protease has been identified as an autoantigen for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) occurring in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis. To characterize the biosynthesis and processing of human PR3 in a transgenic cellular model, cDNA encoding human pre-p

The aim of this investigation was to study the effects of ethanol on antioxidant enzymes in the developing brain, using reaggregation cultures of fetal rat brain cells as a model. The cultures were grown in the presence of 20 and 40 mM ethanol from day 2 until day 44 of the culture period, corresponding to a period in vivo from gestational day 17 to postnatal day 37. The catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) act

Preference studies of many different collembolan species have categorised collembolans being selective in their food choice. To clarify whether collembolan food selectivity is related to fitness parameters, three species, Folsomia fimetaria, Protaphorura armata and Heteromurus nitidus, were fed three fungal species, Alternaria infectoria, Mucor hiemalis and Penicillium hordei, representing fungi o

In the European starling, Sturnus vulgaris, optimal mating systems differ between males and females. Males gain from polygyny, whereas monogamy increases female fitness. The cost of polygyny to females lead to intense female–female competition, and it has previously been shown that the intensity of female aggression during the pre-breeding period can predict the realised mating system. The physiol