The evolutionary function and maintenance of variation in animal personality is still under debate. Variation in the size of metabolic organs has recently been suggested to cause and maintain variation in personality. Here, we examine two main underlying notions: (i) that organ sizes vary consistently between individuals and cause consistent behavioural patterns, and (ii) that a more explorator...

Two novel squalene-derived triterpenes, spirodehydrovenustatriol (3) and 14-keto-dehydrothyrsiferol (4) were isolated from the red alga Laurencia viridis, together with two new and unusual C(17) terpenoids, adejen A (5) and B (6). These truncated structures possess structural similarities with other known squalene metabolites and their biogenetic origin has been proposed on the basis of an oxid...

In this investigation, we have measured the invasion and growth of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum into elliptocytic red blood cells (RBCs) obtained from subjects with homozygous hereditary elliptocytosis. These elliptocytic RBCs have been previously characterized to possess molecular defects in protein 4.1 and glycophorin C. Our results show that the invasion of Plasmodium falciparu...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of aqueous extracts of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. UKMR-2) against red blood cell (RBC) membrane oxidative stress in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. METHODS Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-250 g were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 rats each): control group (N), roselle-treated cont...

Framework-based Object-Oriented applications are not as eecient as they could be. This results from the high-genericity of frameworks. However, once the framework is instantiated, part of this genericity can be removed. This is for instance the case when gener-icity is obtained through the use of reeection. This paper takes the Java Serialization framework as a typical example and shows how par...

1. de Jong MD, Hien TT. Avian infl uenza A (H5N1). J Clin Virol. 2006;35:2–13. 2. World Health Organization. Epidemic and pandemic alert and response: confi rmed human cases of avian infl uenza A (H5N1). [cited 2007 Apr 23]. Available from http:// www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_infl uenza/ country/en/index.html 3. Dinh PN, Long HT, Tien NTK, Hien NT, Mai LTQ, Phong LH, et al. Risk factors for hu...

The photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) is inhibited by nonproductive binding of its substrate ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and other sugar phosphates. Reactivation requires ATP-hydrolysis-powered remodeling of the inhibited complexes by diverse molecular chaperones known as rubisco activases (Rcas). Eukaryotic phytoplankton of the red ...

The glucose-permeable fetal red cells in the pig are entirely replaced by glucose-impermeable adult red cells within a month after birth. This study investigates the kinetic parameters of the glucose transport mechanism in newborn pig red cells in comparison with immature adult red cells (reticulocytes) as well as the fully matured adult erythrocytes. Influx and efflux of the nonmetabolizable 3...

The Υ(bb) and ψ(cc) systems possess several properties which permit accurate lattice simulations. They are physically small, allowing the use of small volumes. They are insensitive to the presence of light quarks and to uncertainties in their masses. They are well understood phenomenologically, which aids in the estimation of systematic errors. Their spin-averaged mass splittings are insensitiv...