Filtyp
There is a global concern about the decline of wild pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide. Although land-use change is a major threat to biodiversity, it is still poorly understood how land-use heterogeneity (or land-use structure) impacts pollinator communities and entomophilous crop production. Based on a literature review, we performed a meta-analysis to (1) assess how landscape s
Determining the appropriate duration for traffic conflict observation remains a critical yet unresolved challenge in road safety analysis. Existing approaches lack a quantitative approach to determine adequate sample sizes for general conflict-based applications. This study addresses this gap by proposing an extreme value theory based framework to determine appropriate observation durations, based
Pathogenic bacterial infections lead to bacterial resistance and biofilm formation, causing significant suffering and presenting an urgent issue to be addressed. Polymer materials have garnered considerable attention in the antibacterial field due to their functional moldability and molecular structure designability. These materials can achieve various antibacterial functions by regulating their m
Combined quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations are a popular approach to study reaction mechanisms of enzymes. However, recently, the reproducibility of such calculations has been questioned, comparing the results of two software: NWChem and Q-Chem. Here, we continue and extend this study by including three additional software─ComQum, ORCA, and AMBER─using the same test ca
BACKGROUND: Complement activation may promote atherosclerosis. Yet, data on the to which extent complement, and more specifically the alternative complement pathway, is activated in patients with carotid atherosclerosis and related to adverse outcome in these patients, are scarce.METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured, by ELISA, plasma levels of factor D, properdin, C3bBbP (C3 convertase), and factor H
Invertebrate embryos have relatively low fossilization potential; however, when preserved, they can offer crucial insights into the evolutionary developmental biology of extinct animals. Here we report new exceptionally preserved fossil embryos from the early Fortunian (early Cambrian) of China, which are assigned to two new taxa, Saccus xixiangensis gen. et sp. nov. and Saccus necopinus gen. et s
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effects of a 6-week osteoarthritis (OA) exercise and education intervention on metabolic health markers, including blood pressure (BP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol levels and weight in individuals with both OA and diabetes.METHODS: Data originated from the Swedish Osteoarthritis and Diabetes cohort, which is composed
This thesis offers a cultural analysis of climate change, modernisation and sustainable development in the pastoral landscape of Baringo, Northern Kenya. For the majority of the pastoralists living there, life is defined by crippling poverty, ethnic violence and an increasingly erratic and unpredictable climate. In response, a growing number of people have moved away from the traditional reliance
The impact of islet neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is less understood. We investigated this issue by performing simultaneous measurements of the activity of nNOS versus inducible NOS (iNOS) in GSIS using isolated murine islets. Additionally, the significance of extracellular NO on GSIS was studied. Islets incubated at basal glucose showed modes
Landscape-scale land use is important in driving species communities and interactions. However, despite increasing concerns regarding the ecological consequences of insect declines, our understanding of how the relative proportions of different land cover types influence insect herbivory in species-rich semi-natural habitats remains limited. This study assessed leaf, stem, and flower herbivory acr
High latitude mires are key ecosystems in the context of climate change since they store large amounts of carbon while constituting an important natural source of methane (CH4). However, while a growing number of studies have investigated methane fluxes (FCH4) at the plot- (~1 m2) and ecosystem-scale (~0.1–0.5 km2) across the boreal biome, variations of FCH4 magnitudes and drivers at the mesoscale
BACKGROUND: Mental health service users often experience difficulties interpreting and regulating sensory stimuli resulting in increased anxiety, decreased abilities to engage in activities and a hampered recovery process. However, there are limited studies on the implementation of such recovery-oriented interventions targeting sensory difficulties via sensory modulation techniques. Therefore, the
Over the past decade, organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites have revolutionized next-generation semiconductors, driving unprecedented advancements in cost-effective optoelectronics. While lead-based perovskite semiconductors exhibit exceptional optoelectronic properties, their inherent toxicity and vulnerability to environmental degradation remain significant barriers to widespread commerciali
The radioactive noble gas radon (222Rn) is a suitable tracer for atmospheric transport and mixing processes that can be used to evaluate and calibrate atmospheric transport models or to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using the so-called radon tracer method (RTM). However, these applications require reliable estimates of the 222Rn fluxes from the soil. This study evaluates two process-base
Examining the archaeological material of the modern period, over a period of the last 500 years, this open access book presents a series of case studies that challenges the fallacy of Nordic egalitarianism. The widening gap between rich and poor Western countries is now a well-known phenomenon and, while Scandinavia has often been hailed as one of the regions where inequality has been the lowest,
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major source of macronutrients to freshwaters, yet it has variable and poorly understood bioavailability. Because intrinsic variation in bioavailability is caused by chemical structures of organic nutrients, DOM composition data should improve predictions of bioavailable resource pool sizes. We hypothesized that bioavailable organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) f
Organic pollutants in aquatic environments pose a threat to ecosystems and human health, a challenge that requires urgent resolution. This urgent threat highlights the need for the development of efficient technologies for pollutant detection and degradation in environmental protection. This study presents the successful fabrication of a composite nanomaterial consisting of Ag nanoparticle-decorat
Aducanumab, a human IgG1 antibody with plaque-clearing effects and modest clinical benefit, binds selectively to aggregated Aβ via the N-terminal region. Yet, the molecular details of how the antibody engages Aβ1-42 fibrils remain unresolved. Using magic-angle spinning NMR, we show that binding of aducanumab preserves the overall architecture of the Aβ1-42 fibril core while inducing significant st
