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Objective: The authors sought to clarify the sources of parent-offspring resemblance for drug abuse, alcohol use disorders, and criminal behavior, using a novel genetic-epidemiological design. Method: Using national registries, the authors identified rates of drug abuse, alcohol use disorders, and criminal behavior in 41,360 Swedish individuals born between 1960 and 1990 and raised in triparental
The aim of this study was to investigate the groundwater chemistry with special concern to metal pollution in selected communities in the Wassa West district, Ghana. In this mining area, 40 ground water samples, mainly from drilled wells, were collected. The groundwaters have generally from neutral to acidic pH values and their Eh values indicate oxidising conditions. The dominating ions are calci
The articular cartilage of synovial joints ensures friction-free mobility and attenuates mechanical impact on the joint during movement. These functions are mediated by the complex network of extracellular molecules characteristic for articular cartilage. Zonal differences in the extracellular matrix (ECM) are well recognized. However, knowledge about the precise molecular composition in the diffe
Genetic colour polymorphisms are widespread across animals and often subjected to complex selection regimes. Traditionally, colour morphs were used as simple visual markers to measure allele frequency changes in nature, selection, population divergence and speciation. With advances in sequencing technology and analysis methods, several model systems are emerging where the molecular targets of sele
Survival after non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has increased thanks to improved treatment but NHL survivors have an increased risk of second neoplasms. The assessment of cancer risk patterns after NHL may help to quantify the late side-effects of therapy. Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and absolute incidence rates for nine solid tumours based on a nationwide cohort of 60 9
Bacteria play a central role in the cycling of carbon, yet our understanding of the relationship between the taxonomic composition and the degradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is still poor. In this experimental study, we were able to demonstrate a direct link between community composition and ecosystem functioning in that differently structured aquatic bacterial communities differed in t
Hemicelluloses isolated from agricultural residues have the potential to replace fossil-based materials in high-value-added applications, provided that cost-efficient isolation processes are developed. In this study, a feed solution containing hemicelluloses extracted from wheat bran with a particular high viscosity was used to study the performance of ultrafiltration for hemicellulose isolation a
All seals and cetaceans have lost at least one of two ancestral cone classes and should therefore be colour-blind. Nevertheless, earlier studies showed that these marine mammals can discriminate colours and a colour vision mechanism has been proposed which contrasts signals from cones and rods. However, these earlier studies underestimated the brightness discrimination abilities of these animals,
The spectral coverage of a light-harvesting polymer largely determines the maximum achievable photocurrent in organic photovoltaics, and therefore constitutes a crucial parameter for improving their performance. The D-A1-D-A2 copolymer motif is a new and promising design strategy for extending the absorption range by incorporating two acceptor units with complementary photoresponses. The fundament
Soil disturbance is a common phenomenon in semi-natural sandy grasslands, caused by management practices, livestock trampling and erosion. To better understand ecosystem processes when the surface layers of the soil are disturbed, we investigated the effects of disturbance on different functional microbial groups by the use of signature fatty acid analysis. Four levels of disturbance were investig
Genetically polymorphic species offer the possibility to study maintenance of genetic variation and the potential role for genetic drift in population divergence. Indirect inference of the selection regimes operating on polymorphic traits can be achieved by comparing population divergence in neutral genetic markers with population divergence in trait frequencies. Such an approach could further be
Background. Infections are the most commonly reported health problems in children. Younger age and day care outside the home are two factors of importance for infectious morbidity. The influence of siblings on infectious symptoms is not clear. Objectives. To compare families with one child and families with more than one child in terms of reported infectious symptoms, physician consultations and a
Ecophysiological research aiming at explaining the causes and consequences of variation in individual condition, health state, and allostasis is traditionally performed on captive animals under controlled laboratory conditions. The question about how captivity per se affects studied parameters is therefore of central importance for generalizing the information gained from such studies. We addresse
Aim An inverse relationship exists between vitamin D levels and diabetes mellitus However, little is known about the correlation of sun exposure habits and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) Methods A South Swedish cohort study comprising 1000 women from each age group between 25 and 64 (n = 40,000) drawn from the Southern Swedish population registry 1990-1992 At the inception of the study 74% answered
Clinical bacterial pathogens front a major challenge for the clinical researchers and physicians. In particular microbial pathogens like Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella pneumonia and Salmonella enterica are apparelled with systemic machineries to bring down the human immune system as well as proliferate dramatically in a short period which in turn cause a pronounced ailment to the
Food caching is a paramount model for studying relations between cognition, brain organisation and ecology in corvids. In contrast, behaviour towards inedible objects is poorly examined and understood. We review the literature on object caching in corvids and other birds, and describe an exploratory study on object caching in ravens, New Caledonian crows and jackdaws. The captive adult birds were
The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) pattern of vineyard soils from the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula was studied to identify soil factors determining the microbial community structure, with special emphasis on effects of Cu pollution and pH. A wide range of soil samples, collected from six winegrowing regions (Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei, Valdeorras and Vinhos Verdes) was an
The biogeography of speciation and what can be learned about the past mode of speciation from current biogeography of sister species are recurrent problems in evolution. We used a trait- and individual-based, eco-evolutionary model to simulate adaptive radiations and recorded the geographical overlap of species during and after evolutionary branching (speciation). We compared the spatial overlap a
Epiphytic dwarf males on the females present a possible solution to the problem of short fertilization distances in mosses. However, leptokurtic spore dispersal makes dwarf males likely to be closely related to their host shoot, with an accompanying risk of inbreeding. The capacity of a female to harbour a high number of different dwarf males suggests that there may be mechanisms in place that cou
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with oxygen desaturation to a varying degree. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) may allow interatrial right-to-left shunting. The hypothesis of the current study was that oxygen desaturation will occur more often, in proportion to the frequency of respiratory disturbances, in OSA subjects with PFO than in those without. In a group of 209 subjects diagnosed w
