Hosts are likely to respond to parasitic infections by a combination of resistance (expulsion of pathogens) and tolerance (active mitigation of pathology). Of these strategies, the basis of tolerance in animal hosts is relatively poorly understood, with especially little known about how tolerance is manifested in natural populations. We monitored a natural population of field voles using longitudinal and cross-sectional sampling modes and taking measurements on body condition, infection, immune gene expression, and survival. Using...

We report the results of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging experiments on granular beds of mustard grains fluidized by vertical vibration at ultrasonic frequencies. The variation of both granular temperature and packing fraction with height was measured within the three-dimensional cell for a range of vibration frequencies, amplitudes and numbers of grains. Small increases in vibration frequency were found—contrary to the predictions of classical ‘hard-sphere’ expressions for the energy flux through a vibrating boundary—to result in...

While oxidative damage due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) often increases with advancing age and is associated with many age-related diseases, its causative role in ageing is controversial. In particular, studies that have attempted to modulate ROS-induced damage, either upwards or downward, using antioxidant or genetic approaches, generally do not show a predictable effect on lifespan. Here we investigated whether dietary supplementation with either vitamin E (α-tocopherol) or vitamin C (ascorbic acid) affected oxidative damage...

In many cultivated crop species there is limited genetic variation available for the development of new higher yielding varieties adapted to climate change and sustainable farming practises. The distant relatives of crop species provide a vast and largely untapped reservoir of genetic variation for a wide range of agronomically important traits that can be exploited by breeders for crop improvement. In this paper, in what we believe to be the largest introgression programme undertaken in...

While components of the pathway that establishes left-right asymmetry have been identified in diverse animals, from vertebrates to flies, it is striking that the genes involved in the first symmetry-breaking step remain wholly unknown in the most obviously chiral animals, the gastropod snails. Previously, research on snails was used to show that left-right signaling of Nodal, downstream of symmetry breaking, may be an ancestral feature of the Bilateria. Here, we report that a disabling mutation...

Cardiomyocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs) are increasingly recognized as valuable for determining the effects of drugs on ion channels but they do not always accurately predict contractile responses of the human heart. This is in part attributable to their immaturity but the sensitivity of measurement tools may also be limiting. Measuring action potential, calcium flux or contraction individually misses critical information that is captured when interrogating the complete excitation-contraction coupling cascade simultaneously....

This dataset contains analytical results for wild yeast isolates from soil samples at and near a disused metal smelting works in the north-east of the UK. The main contaminant from the smelting works was lead (Pb), but Cd was also elevated. The soil near the smelting works showed above-background levels of Pb. Yeasts of similar colony morphology on laboratory agar were isolated and proved to be mostly isolates of Saitozyma podzolica: 56 independent clonal isolates...

A major constraint on the evolution of large body sizes in animals is an increased risk of developing cancer. There is no correlation, however, between body size and cancer risk. This lack of correlation is often referred to as 'Peto's Paradox'. Here we show that the elephant genome encodes 20 copies of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 and that the increase in TP53 copy number occurred coincident with the evolution of large body sizes, the...

Many genes increase coding capacity by alternate exon usage. The gene encoding the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α6 subunit, target of the bio-insecticide spinosad, is one example of this and expands protein diversity via alternative splicing of mutually exclusive exons. Here, we show that spinosad resistance in the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta is associated with aberrant regulation of splicing of Taα6 resulting in a novel form of insecticide resistance mediated by exon skipping....

Dataset includes Thermogravimetric simulated distillation analysis, thermogravimetric coking data and nitrogen adsorption data of the catalyst.

In this study, we apply four Monte Carlo simulation methods, namely, Monte Carlo, quasi-Monte Carlo, multilevel Monte Carlo and multilevel quasi-Monte Carlo to the problem of uncertainty quantification in the estimation of the average travel time during the transport of particles through random heterogeneous porous media. We apply the four methodologies to a model problem where the only input parameter, the hydraulic conductivity, is modelled as a log-Gaussian random field by using direct Karhunen–Loéve decompositions....

Objective: We examined fatal and non-fatal Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) at 14 days within AVERT. Method: A prospective, parallel group, assessor blinded, randomized international clinical trial comparing very early intensive mobilization training (VEM) with usual care (UC); with follow up to 3 months. Included: Patients with ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke within 24 hours of onset and physiological parameters within set limits. Treatment with thrombolytics allowed. Excluded: Patients with severe premorbid disability and/or comorbidities. Interventions continued...

Monitoring the occurrence and density of parasites and pathogens can identify high infection-risk areas and facilitates disease control and eradication measures. Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques are increasingly used for pathogen detection due to their relative ease of application. Since many factors affect the reliability and efficacy of eDNA-based detection, rigorous validation and assessment of method limitations is a crucial first step. We evaluated an eDNA detection method using in-situ filtration of large volume water samples,...

This study aims to investigate the effect of consolidation shear stress magnitude on the shear behaviour and noncoaxiality of soils. In previous drained bi-directional simple shear test on Leighton Buzzard sand, it is showed that the level of non-coaxiality, which is indicated by the angle difference between the principal axes of stresses and the corresponding principal axes of strain rate tensors, is increased by increasing angle difference between the direction of consolidation shear stress and...

This dataset is the 2018 Corine Land Cover map, consisting of 44 classes in the hierarchical three level Corine nomenclature. Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018, CLC change 2012-2018 and CLC 2012 revised are three of the datasets produced within the frame of the Copernicus programme on land monitoring. Corine Land Cover (CLC) provides consistent information on land cover and land cover changes across Europe; these two maps are the UK component of Europe. This inventory...

The struggle to control the COVID-19 pandemic is made challenging by the emergence of virulent SARS-CoV-2 variants. To gain insight into their replication dynamics, emergent Alpha (A), Beta (B) and Delta (D) SARS-CoV-2 variants were assessed for their infection performance in single variant- and co-infections. The effectiveness of thapsigargin (TG), a recently discovered broad-spectrum antiviral, against these variants was also examined. Of the 3 viruses, the D variant exhibited the highest replication rate and was...

This dataset is the 2012 revised Corine Land Cover (CLC) map, consisting of 44 classes in the hierarchical three level Corine nomenclature, produced during the CLC2018 production to improve the CLC2012 inventory. CLC 2018, CLC change 2012-2018 and CLC 2012 revised are three of the datasets produced within the frame of the Copernicus programme on land monitoring. Corine Land Cover (CLC) provides consistent information on land cover and land cover changes across Europe; these two...

German shepherd dogs (GSDs) are predisposed to an inherited motility disorder of the esophagus, termed congenital idiopathic megaesophagus (CIM), in which swallowing is ineffective and the esophagus is enlarged. Affected puppies are unable to properly pass food into their stomachs and consequently regurgitate their meals and show a failure to thrive, often leading to euthanasia. Here, we generated genome-wide SNP profiles for healthy and CIM-affected GSDs using the Illumina CanineHD BeadChip, containing 220,853 SNPs.

The integration of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) simultaneously converts ammonium, methane, and oxidized nitrogen species (nitrite and nitrate) to harmless N2 and CO2. This integrated and complementary process achieves the nitrogen and carbon cycles in wastewater with the potential to be applied widely at full scale to realize energy-positive wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this review, we summarize the collaborative and competitive interactions of DAMO–Anammox microorganisms and systematically evaluate...

Chromosomal inversions have been shown to play a major role in local adaptation by suppressing recombination between alternative arrangements and maintaining beneficial allele combinations. However, so far, their importance relative to the remaining genome remains largely unknown. Understanding the genetic architecture of adaptation requires better estimates of how loci of different effect sizes contribute to phenotypic variation. Here, we used three Swedish islands where the marine snail Littorina saxatilis has repeatedly evolved into two distinct...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) becomes the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in 2020. Emerging studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in tumorigenesis and progression. The dysfunctions of miR-455-3p are observed in many cancers. However, its biological function in CRC remains to be confirmed. By sequencing serum sample, miR-455-3p was found to be up-regulated in CRC patients. RT-qPCR demonstrated that the miR-455-3p expression was both higher in the serum and tumor tissues...

Additional file 3. Low molecular weight heparin for prevention of microvascular occlusion in digital replantation.

Many oceanic islands are notable for their high endemism, suggesting that islands may promote unique assembly processes. However, mainland assemblages sometimes harbour comparable levels of endemism, suggesting that island biotas may not be as unique as often assumed. Here, we test the uniqueness of island biotic assembly by comparing the rate of species turnover among islands and the mainland, after accounting for distance decay and environmental gradients. We modeled species turnover as a function of...

Objective: To determine the extent of substandard and falsified medicines in the UK. Design: A retrospective review of drug alerts and company-led recalls. Setting: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website search for drug alerts issued between 2001 and 2011. Eligibility criteria: Drug alerts related to quality defect in medicinal products. Main outcome measure: Relevant data about defective medicines reported in drug alerts and company-led recalls, including description of the defect, type of...

Palatable Batesian mimics are avoided by predators because they resemble noxious or defended species. The striking resemblance of many hoverflies to noxious Hymenoptera is a “textbook” example of Batesian mimicry, but evidence that selection by predators has shaped the evolution of hoverfly patterns is weak. We looked for geographical and temporal trends in frequencies of morphs of the polymorphic hoverfly Volucella bombylans that would support the hypothesis that these morphs are Batesian mimics of different...