Impressions of dominance are made relative to others in the visual environment.

Face judgments of dominance play an important role in human social interaction. Perceived facial dominance is thought to indicate physical formidability, as well as resource acquisition and holding potential. Dominance cues in the face affect perceptions of attractiveness, emotional state, and physical strength.

Does prior conservative surgery affect survivorship and functional outcome in total hip arthroplasty for congenital dislocation of the hip? A case-control study in 159 hips.

Introduction: The results of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) are well known, but such is not the case for the impact of prior conservative surgery on THA function and survivorship. The present study compared THA in CDH with prior conservative bone surgery (BS group) versus no prior bone surgery (NBS group), to (1) assess the impact of prior conservative surgery on function and survivorship after THA, and (2) determine whether a particular type of conservative surgery affected function or survivorship.

Hypothesis: Prior conservative surgery for CDH does not affect function or survivorship of subsequent THA.

Monotreme lactation protein is highly expressed in monotreme milk and provides antimicrobial protection.

Monotremes (platypus and echidna) are the descendants of the oldest ancestor of all extant mammals distinguished from other mammals by mode of reproduction. Monotremes lay eggs following a short gestation period and after an even briefer incubation period, altricial hatchlings are nourished over a long lactation period with milk secreted by nipple-less mammary patches located on the female's abdomen. Milk is the sole source of nutrition and immune protection for the developing young until weaning.

Comparison of the inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of the Crowe, Hartofilakidis and modified Cochin classification systems for the diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Introduction: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) leads to multiple treatment challenges during adulthood. Surgical treatment is mainly based on radiographic evaluation of the anatomical alterations. Several classification systems have been described in the published English scientific literature, but the French Cochin classification has not been used very much.

Comparative analysis of caveolins in mouse and tammar wallaby: role in regulating mammary gland function.

Recent studies using the mouse showed an inverse correlation between the Caveolin 1 gene expression and lactation, and this was regulated by prolactin. However, current study using mammary explants from pregnant mice showed that while insulin (I), cortisol (F) and prolactin (P) resulted in maximum induction of the β-casein gene, FP and IFP resulted in the downregulation of Caveolin 1. Additionally, IF, FP and IFP resulted in the downregulation of Caveolin 2.

Comparing algorithms for automated vessel segmentation in computed tomography scans of the lung: the VESSEL12 study.

The VESSEL12 (VESsel SEgmentation in the Lung) challenge objectively compares the performance of different algorithms to identify vessels in thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans. Vessel segmentation is fundamental in computer aided processing of data generated by 3D imaging modalities. As manual vessel segmentation is prohibitively time consuming, any real world application requires some form of automation.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Obligately Alkaliphilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Desulfonatronum thiodismutans Strain MLF1.

Desulfonatronum thiodismutans strain MLF1, an alkaliphilic bacterium capable of sulfate reduction, was isolated from Mono Lake, California. Here we report the 3.92-Mb draft genome sequence comprising 34 contigs and some results of its automated annotation.

One pot synthesis of monodisperse water soluble iron oxide nanocrystals with high values of the specific absorption rate.

We report a highly reproducible route to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) with control over size and shape and with size dispersions around 10%. By tuning the relative ratio of squalane to dibenzyl ether, which were used as solvents in the synthesis, the size of the particles could be varied from 14 to around 100 nm, while their shape evolved from cubic (for size ranges up to 35 nm) to truncated octahedra and octahedra (for sizes from 40 nm up to 100 nm). Fine tuning of the size within each of these ranges could be achieved by varying the heating ramp and the iron precursor to decanoic acid ratio.

Diversity of magneto-aerotactic behaviors and oxygen sensing mechanisms in cultured magnetotactic bacteria.

Microorganisms living in gradient environments affect large-scale processes, including the cycling of elements such as carbon, nitrogen or sulfur, the rates and fate of primary production, and the generation of climatically active gases. Aerotaxis is a common adaptation in organisms living in the oxygen gradients of stratified environments. Magnetotactic bacteria are such gradient-inhabiting organisms that have a specific type of aerotaxis that allows them to compete at the oxic-anoxic interface.

Fruit over sunbed: carotenoid skin colouration is found more attractive than melanin colouration.

Skin colouration appears to play a pivotal part in facial attractiveness. Skin yellowness contributes to an attractive appearance and is influenced both by dietary carotenoids and by melanin. While both increased carotenoid colouration and increased melanin colouration enhance apparent health in Caucasian faces by increasing skin yellowness, it remains unclear, firstly, whether both pigments contribute to attractiveness judgements, secondly, whether one pigment is clearly preferred over the other, and thirdly, whether these effects depend on the sex of the face.

Shh signaling protects Atoh1 from degradation mediated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Huwe1 in neural precursors.

Signaling networks controlled by Sonic hedgehog (SHH) and the transcription factor Atoh1 regulate the proliferation and differentiation of cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (GNPs). Deregulations in those developmental processes lead to medulloblastoma formation, the most common malignant brain tumor in childhood. Although the protein Atoh1 is a key factor during both cerebellar development and medulloblastoma formation, up-to-date detailed mechanisms underlying its function and regulation have remained poorly understood.

Structure and evolution of the magnetochrome domains: no longer alone.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) can swim along Earth's magnetic field lines, thanks to the alignment of dedicated cytoplasmic organelles. These organelles, termed magnetosomes, are proteolipidic vesicles filled by a 35-120 nm crystal of either magnetite or greigite. The formation and alignment of magnetosomes are mediated by a group of specific genes, the mam genes, encoding the magnetosome-associated proteins.

Facial width-to-height ratio relates to alpha status and assertive personality in capuchin monkeys.

Social dominance hierarchies play a pivotal role in shaping the behaviour of many species, and sex differences within these hierarchies often exist. To date, however, few physical markers of dominance have been identified. Such markers would be valuable in terms of understanding the etiology of dominant behaviour and changes in social hierarchies over time.

Measurement of the quality factor of a new low-frequency differential accelerometer for testing the equivalence principle.

A cryogenic differential accelerometer has been developed to test the weak equivalence principle to a few parts in 10(15) within the framework of the general relativity accuracy test in an Einstein elevator experiment. The prototype sensor was designed to identify, address, and solve the major issues associated with various aspects of the experiment. This paper illustrates the measurements conducted on this prototype sensor to attain a high quality factor (Q ∼ 10(5)) at low frequencies (<20 Hz).

Support vector machine (SVM) based multiclass prediction with basic statistical analysis of plasminogen activators.

Background: Plasminogen (Pg), the precursor of the proteolytic and fibrinolytic enzyme of blood, is converted to the active enzyme plasmin (Pm) by different plasminogen activators (tissue plasminogen activators and urokinase), including the bacterial activators streptokinase and staphylokinase, which activate Pg to Pm and thus are used clinically for thrombolysis. The identification of Pg-activators is therefore an important step in understanding their functional mechanism and derives new therapies.

Methods: In this study, different computational methods for predicting plasminogen activator peptide sequences with high accuracy were investigated, including support vector machines (SVM) based on amino acid (AC), dipeptide composition (DC), PSSM profile and Hybrid methods used to predict different Pg-activators from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic origins.

Personality and facial morphology: Links to assertiveness and neuroticism in capuchins ().

Personality has important links to health, social status, and life history outcomes (e.g. longevity and reproductive success).

Phylogenetic significance of composition and crystal morphology of magnetosome minerals.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) biomineralize magnetosomes, nano-scale crystals of magnetite or greigite in membrane enclosures that comprise a permanent magnetic dipole in each cell. MTB control the mineral composition, habit, size, and crystallographic orientation of the magnetosomes, as well as their arrangement within the cell. Studies involving magnetosomes that contain mineral and biological phases require multidisciplinary efforts.

It is all in the face: carotenoid skin coloration loses attractiveness outside the face.

Recently, the importance of skin colour for facial attractiveness has been recognized. In particular, dietary carotenoid-induced skin colour has been proposed as a signal of health and therefore attractiveness. While perceptual results are highly consistent, it is currently not clear whether carotenoid skin colour is preferred because it poses a cue to current health condition in humans or whether it is simply seen as a more aesthetically pleasing colour, independently of skin-specific signalling properties.

Bile acids increase the activity of the epithelial Na+ channel.

The epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) is a key regulator of Na(+) absorption in various epithelia including the distal nephron and the distal colon. ENaC is a constitutively active channel, but its activity is modulated by a number of mechanisms. These include proteolytic activation, ubiquitination and cell surface expression, phosphorylation, intracellular Na(+) concentration, and shear stress.

Identification of a gene for an ancient cytokine, interleukin 15-like, in mammals; interleukins 2 and 15 co-evolved with this third family member, all sharing binding motifs for IL-15Rα.

Interleukins 2 and 15 (IL-2 and IL-15) are highly differentiated but related cytokines with overlapping, yet also distinct functions, and established benefits for medical drug use. The present study identified a gene for an ancient third IL-2/15 family member in reptiles and mammals, interleukin 15-like (IL-15L), which hitherto was only reported in fish. IL-15L genes with intact open reading frames (ORFs) and evidence of transcription, and a recent past of purifying selection, were found for cattle, horse, sheep, pig and rabbit.

Deciphering unusual uncultured magnetotactic multicellular prokaryotes through genomics.

Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis (Ca. M. multicellularis) is a member of a group of uncultured magnetotactic prokaryotes that possesses a unique multicellular morphology.

Ecology, diversity, and evolution of magnetotactic bacteria.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are widespread, motile, diverse prokaryotes that biomineralize a unique organelle called the magnetosome. Magnetosomes consist of a nano-sized crystal of a magnetic iron mineral that is enveloped by a lipid bilayer membrane. In cells of almost all MTB, magnetosomes are organized as a well-ordered chain.

Evolution of the bacterial organelle responsible for magnetotaxis.

There are few examples of protein- and lipid-bounded organelles in bacteria that are encoded by conserved gene clusters and lead to a specific function. The magnetosome chain represents one of these rare examples and is responsible for magnetotaxis in magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), a behavior thought to aid in finding their optimal growth conditions. The origin and evolution of the magnetotaxis is still a matter of debate.

Pharmacological and electrophysiological characterization of the human bile acid-sensitive ion channel (hBASIC).

The human bile acid-sensitive ion channel (hBASIC) is a cation channel of the degenerin/epithelial Na(+) channel gene family that is expressed in the intestinal tract and can be activated by bile acids. Here, we show that in addition to its sensitivity for bile acids, hBASIC shares further key features with its rat ortholog: it is blocked by extracellular divalent cations, is inhibited by micromolar concentrations of the diarylamidine diminazene, and activated by millimolar concentrations of flufenamic acid. Furthermore, we demonstrate that two major bile acids present in human bile, chenodeoxycholic acid and deoxycholic acid, activate hBASIC in a synergistic manner.

Molecular evolution of a novel marsupial S100 protein (S100A19) which is expressed at specific stages of mammary gland and gut development.

S100 proteins are calcium-binding proteins involved in controlling diverse intracellular and extracellular processes such as cell growth, differentiation, and antimicrobial function. We recently identified a S100-like cDNA from the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) stomach. Phylogentic analysis shows wallaby S100A19 forms a new clade with other marsupial and monotreme S100A19, while this group shows similarity to eutherian S100A7 and S100A15 genes.