Deserts are open environments characterized by striking shifts in temperature and light regimes. We hypothesized that the abiotic environment mediates the interaction between an ant-dispersed plant, Datura wrightii (Solanaceae), ant mutualists, and rodent seed predators in the Sonoran Desert. Field experiments contrasting diurnal and nocturnal seed collection rates in the presence of ants only,...

Less commonly, serious accidents can lead to the loss of a limb, as can the development of a local tumour or cancer. These amputations (9–13%), tend to occur in younger patients whose wounds heal well and therefore this patient group tend not to require complex wound dressings (Ham and Cotton, 1991). However, wound healing complications such as infection, oedema and tissue necrosis following ma...

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. The basis for developing CHD is the onset and progression of atherosclerosis caused by abnormal lipoprotein metabolism and uncontrolled cycles of inflammation and oxidative stress. Risk factors for the manifestation of atherosclerosis and consequent development of CHD remain to be hypertension, poor dietary habits, hyperchole...

We describe a procedure which may be helpful to any disorganized carpenter who has a mixed pile of bolts and nuts and wants to nd the corresponding pairs of bolts and nuts. The procedure uses our (and the carpenter's) ability to construct e ciently highly expanding graphs. The problem considered is given a collection of n bolts of distinct widths and n nuts such that there is a 1-1 corresponden...

The presence of hidden nut and tree nut allergens in foods can result in serious health issues, necessitating a method capable of detecting and quantifying them at trace levels using a single robust assay. To find specific peptide markers that can be used to determine the presence or absence of specific nuts in food, proteins unique to 11 tree nuts (almond, pecan, cashew, walnut, hazelnut, pine...

Background In children without any previous ingestion of nuts multiple sensitization to tree nuts is common. To minimize the risk of accidental reactions, those children are advised to exclude all nuts from their diets. Multiple food challenges would be needed to determine the presence of clinical relevant tree nut allergies, which is practically impossible. A pilot study to determine the feasi...