Noise permeates biology on all levels, from the most basic molecular, sub-cellular processes to the dynamics of tissues, organs, organisms and populations. The functional roles of noise in biological processes can vary greatly. Along with standard, entropy-increasing effects of producing random mutations, diversifying phenotypes in isogenic populations, limiting information capacity of signalin...

Postharvest quality in stone fruits is ultimately defined in terms of consumer satisfaction, and includes appearance, texture and flavor, and nutritional value and safety. These result from all decisions and practices beginning with site and cultivar selection, and extending through cultural practices and all stages of postharvest handling. The development of high quality fruit is influenced by...

The backhand is one of the two basic groundstrokes in tennis and can be played both with one or two hands, with topspin or backspin. Despite its variety of derivatives, the scientific literature describing the backhand groundstroke production has not been reviewed as extensively as with the serve and the forehand. The purpose of this article is to review the research describing the mechanics of...

Efferent vagal impulses act on the exocrine pancreas via pancreatic ganglia, where the impulses are modulated and modified, and terminate via postganglionic fibers at the acinar cells. Acinar muscarinic receptors of the subtype M1 play an important role for the mediation of the stimulatory vagal influences on pancreatic exocrine secretion. In dogs, a potentiative interaction exists between the ...

Three great plague pandemics caused by the gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis have killed nearly 200 million people and it has been linked to biowarfare in the past. Plague is endemic in many parts of the world. In addition, the risk of plague as a bioweapon has prompted increased research to develop plague vaccines against this disease. Injectable subunit vaccines are being developed in t...

In 1975 Thomas Chalmers analyzed the possible effect of vitamin C on the common cold by calculating the average difference in the duration of cold episodes in vitamin C and control groups in seven placebo-controlled studies. He found that episodes were 0.11 ± 0.24 (SE) days shorter in the vitamin C groups and concluded that there was no valid evidence to indicate that vitamin C is beneficial in...

Background The experience of having been sexually abused is associated with a wide range of psychiatric symptoms and difficulties, and these problems can persist over years. The psychological treatment of children who have experienced sexual abuse has only recently begun to be systematically investigated. An increasing number of robust studies have been conducted. Aims To review systematically ...

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic gram-negative pathogen with increasing relevance in a variety of nosocomial infections especially among intensive-care-unit (ICU) patients. Carbapenems have been widely used to treat serious multidrug-resistant A. baumannii infections; however, incidences of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii are rising in several parts of the world and large and susta...

The microbial population in the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract is very complex and consists of different groups of microbes and the GI system is the place where complex interactions occur between feed, microbes and host cells. Probiotics, which are live microorganisms provides a positive impact on the host by altering the intestinal microbial balance, thus helping to reduce the harmful effects of...