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Parasites exert a strong selection pressure on their hosts as manifested in behavioural antiparasite traits to reduce negative impacts on fitness. The numerous nest-dwelling ecto-parasites residing in avian nests make altricial birds excellent model-systems for investigating the relationship between parasites and their hosts. Here, we experimentally increased natural levels of hen fleas Ceratophyl

Understanding circuit-level manipulations that affect the brain’s capacity for plasticity will inform the design of targeted interventions that enhance recovery after stroke. Following stroke, increased contralesional activity (e.g. use of the unaffected limb) can negatively influence recovery, but it is unknown which specific neural connections exert this influence, and to what extent increased c

Scheduling between mates in species with long-term pair bonds can be essential for positive fitness. The annual cycle in photoperiod is the primary environmental cue used by many animals to synchronize behavior and physiology among members of a population, and animals that migrate must have similar annual schedules to ensure successful breeding. However, we know little about whether members of mat

Organic solar cells employing fullerenes blended with conjugated polymers as the main light-absorbing material have achieved power conversion efficiencies exceeding 10%. They hold promise as an alternative energy source with many advantages in terms of long-term sustainability and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Detailed information on the electronic and geometric structure of the molecules invo

Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting as they allow for discussion of specialised topics. At IFPA meeting 2013 there were twelve themed workshops, three of which are summarized in this report. These workshops related to various aspects of placental biology but collectively covered areas of placental function, cell turnover and immunology: 1) immunology; 2) novel determinants o

Background: Diabetes during pregnancy is an increasingly common metabolic disorder, associated with significantly increased risks for both mother and child. Aim of this study was to compare maternal and perinatal outcomes in women with pregestational (PDM) type 1 (T1DM), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and compare these to pregnancies not complicated with diabetes. This

A compact, high-repetition rate OPCPA system with CEP-stable 6.3 fs pulses duration and 10 μJ of pulse energy is presented together with results from numerical simulations. First results of high harmonic generation will be shown.

Aim: Seeing a speaker’s face facilitates speech recognition, particularly under noisy conditions. Evidence for how it might affect comprehension of the content of the speech is more sparse. We investigated how children’s listening comprehension is affected by multi-talker babble noise, with or without presentation of a digitally animated virtual speaker, and whether successful comprehension is rel

Introduction: Patients suffering from von Willebrand disease (VWD) have a variety of bleeding symptoms and require both outpatient care for treatment and, in more severe cases, hospitalization. Aim: To investigate the impact of having VWD on frequency of hospitalization compared to a control group and to evaluate whether regular replacement therapy (prophylaxis) is associated with reduction in the

Aims Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) predicts cardiovascular (CVD) events, but the predictive value of CIMT change is debated. We assessed the relation between CIMT change and events in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Methods and results From 31 cohorts with two CIMT scans (total n = 89070) on average 3.6 years apart and clinical follow-up, subcohorts were drawn: (A) individuals wit

Exposure to cadmium confers increased cardiovascular risk. Tobacco smoke contains cadmium, which, hypothetically, may mediate parts of the tobacco-associated risk of developing atherosclerotic plaques. Baseline data from the Swedish Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort (1991-1996) were used to test this hypothesis. Mediation analysis was used to examine associations between smoking and blood cadmium level

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables the ultrathin high-quality oxide layers that are central to all modern metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits. Crucial to achieving superior device performance are the chemical reactions during the first deposition cycle, which could ultimately result in atomic-scale perfection of the semiconductor-oxide interface. Here, we directly observe the chemical reactions

Nanoparticle generation by aerosol methods, particularly spark ablation, has high potential for creating new material combinations with tailored magnetic properties. By combining elements into complex alloyed nanoparticles and controlling their size and structure, different magnetic properties can be obtained. In combination with controlled deposition, to ensure nanoparticle separation, it is poss

Introduction: Immune complexes are of importance in systemic lupus erythematosus pathogenesis, and autoantibodies are believed to participate in immune complex formation. Quantification of autoantibody levels in circulating IC might be of prognostic value. Methods: A C1q-binding-eluting technique was applied to purify immune complexes from 55 belimumab-treated systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Using a micro-focused high-energy X-ray beam, we have performed in situ time-resolved depth profiling during the electrochemical deposition of Sn into an ordered porous anodic alumina template. Combined with micro-diffraction we are able to follow the variation of the structure at the atomic scale as a function of depth and time. We show that Sn initially deposits at the bottom of the pores, and f

Objective: Long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1) encodes 2 proteins, the RNA binding protein p40 and endonuclease and reverse transcriptase (open-reading frame 2p [ORF2p]), which are both required for LINE-1 to retrotranspose. In cells expressing LINE-1, these proteins assemble with LINE-1 RNA and additional RNA binding proteins, some of which are well-known autoantigens in patients with sy

Background: Embolic strokes of undetermined source comprise up to 20% of ischemic strokes. The stroke recurrence rate is substantial with aspirin, widely used for secondary prevention. The New Approach riVaroxaban Inhibition of Factor Xa in a Global trial versus ASA to prevenT Embolism in Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source international trial will compare the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban,