Thymic T cell progenitor (TCP) importation is a periodic, gated event that is dependent on the expression of functional P-selectin ligands on TCPs. Occupancy of intrathymic TCP niches is believed to negatively regulate TCP importation, but the nature of this feedback mechanism is not yet resolved. We show that P-selectin and CCL25 are periodically expressed in the thymus and are essential parts...

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is widely used in assisted reproductive technology (ART), but it often leads to precocious maturation of the endometrium such that it impairs embryonic implantation and limits pregnancy rates. Previous studies have shown the traditional Chinese medicine, the Zishen Yutai pill (ZYP), to be effective in treatment of threatened as well as recurrent miscarr...

The aim of this paper is to discuss which factors can be seen essentially affecting a company’s learning ability through its organizational receptivity in inter-organizational knowledge transfer. This will be done by developing a typology of the factors affecting company’s organizational receptivity (and absorptive capacity) of new knowledge in inter-organizational knowledge transfer. Yet, only...

BACKGROUND Sexual conflict theory predicts sexually antagonistic coevolution of reproductive traits driven by conflicting evolutionary interests of two reproducing individuals. Most studies of the evolutionary consequences of sexual conflicts have, however, to date collectively investigated only a few species. In this study we used the annual herb Collinsia heterophylla to experimentally test t...

Human endometrium has been extensively investigated in the search for markers capable of predicting its receptive status. The completion of the Human Genome Project has triggered a rapid development of new fields in molecular biology, the "transcriptomics" being a major turning point in the knowledge acquisition of endometrial receptivity. Based on this, a customized Endometrial Receptivity Arr...

It is both flattering and humbling to be asked to address this topic, since quite a few people at this meeting could address it equally well or better. In fact, Koji wrote a review with almost exactly the same title 20 years ago (1). However, each of us would address the area somewhat differently. Over the years I have had the privilege of examining blastocysts and implantation sites of a large...

Drosophila melanogaster females respond to male courtship by either rejecting the male or allowing copulation. The neural mechanisms underlying these female behaviors likely involve the integration of sensory information in the brain. Because doublesex (dsx) controls other aspects of female differentiation, we asked whether dsx-expressing neurons mediate virgin female receptivity to courting ma...

INTRODUCTION Signal intensity variation that arises from inhomogeneous transmit and receive fields not only complicates the qualitative appearance of MR images but also presents the major source of error in quantitative MRI/S. Many current approaches address this problem by mapping the transmit field [1] and assuming the same transmit and receive field patterns during compensation [2]. However,...

BACKGROUND Implantation is a complex initial step in the establishment of a successful pregnancy. Although embryo quality is an important determinant of implantation, temporally coordinated differentiation of endometrial cells to attain uterine receptivity and a synchronized dialog between maternal and embryonic tissues are crucial. The exact mechanism of implantation failure is still poorly un...