Altered contractility of airway smooth muscle (SM) is one of the main causes of allergic asthma, in which the predominance of Th2 over Th1 cytokines plays a central role. In the present study, we examine the effects of Th2 cytokines on airway SM contraction. Treatment with a low concentration of IL-4 (0.2 ng/ml) for 6 h augmented, whereas higher concentrations (2-20 ng/ml) inhibited, agonist-in...

Much of our human mental life looks to involve a seamless unfolding of perception, action and experience: a golden braid in which each element twines intimately with the rest. We see the very world we act in and we act in the world we see. But more than this, visual experience presents us with the world in a way apt for the control and fine guidance of action. Or so it seems. Milner and Goodale...

nial twining vine, grows densely on the shaded hill slopes in southern China. The extracts of the roots of the plant have been used in traditional Chinese medicine (named Lei-gongteng in Chinese) for the treatment of autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and skin diseases for many years. A number of diterpenoids and triterpenoids have been isolated fro...

The association of birth type (single vs. double) and pregnancy type (single vs. double) with lactation performance and lactation curve was investigated in Holstein cows in Iran. Data of 243298 lactations on 138021 cows in 261 herds collected during January 2000 to December 2012 were used. The average twinning rate was 3.64% and ranged from 1.44% (primiparous) to 5.41% (multiparous). Factors as...

Mate-guarding and territorial aggression (both intra- and inter-sexual) are behavioral components of social monogamy seen in male coppery titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus) both in the field and in the laboratory. Methodology for studying these behaviors in captivity facilitates the translation of questions between field and laboratory. In this study, we tested whether exposure to a mirror would...

Background: Patient safety (PS) is a serious global public health problem affecting all countries. Estimates show that around 10 percent of the patients are harmed during hospital care, resulting in 23 million disability-adjusted life years lost per year. Experts emphasize research advancements as key precondition for safer care. Aim:</ns3:bo...

this experiment was conducted to improve the nutritive value of barley stubble for two consecutive years. after harvesting crop, at first year, a completely randomized design, with a 3 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted in which 27 plots were divided into nine treatments. the treatments including zero, 2.5 and five percent urea each with zero, three and six percent molasses were mixed with ...

Most non-rigid image registration algorithms are based on aligning pairs of images, but there has been recent interest in groupwise algorithms, which enable the registration of a set of images into a single common frame of reference. The set of deformation fields obtained from such a registration contains information about the variability of structures across the group, meaning that the quantit...

Intensive study of certain phases of the habits of the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was made by the writers at the San Joaquin Experimental Range in the foothills of Madera County, California, during 1939, 1940, and the early part of 1941. This wide-ranging, common, and important raptor is well known through such detailed studies as those of McAtee ( 1935)) Bent ( 1937)) and Sumner (1929...