Only females in poor condition display a clear preference and prefer males with an average badge

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Female condition-dependent variation in mate preference may have important evolutionary implications, not only within the same population but also among populations. There are few experiments, however, on how condition and/or genotype influences female mate preferences. The black throat patch of the male house sparrow, <it>Passer domesticus</it>, is an intensively studied plumage trait. It is often referred to as a 'badge of status' and seems to be involved in female mate choice, but differences exist among populations. Between-population variation in mate preference may occur for condition-dependent mate preferences. We tested the hypothesis that female preference may vary with female quality (body condition). Therefore, we measured female preference for badge size using an aviary two-choice test in which females were presented with two males that had different sizes of badges (enlarged or averaged).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall we did not find a female preference for enlarged or average badges, but low-quality females spent more time near average badge males. Conversely, high-quality females did not show a clear preference.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, these results indicate that female preference varies with female quality. Differences in female condition are causes of within-population variation in mating preferences. To our knowledge, our results provide one of the first experimental evidences that variation in preference for a male ornament is associated with female condition. In our study, however, only females of low condition displayed a clear mate preference. Differences observed among populations could be partly explained by differences in female condition.</p

The interferon gamma gene polymorphism +874 A/T is associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome

BACKGROUND: Cytokines play important roles in antiviral action. We examined whether polymorphisms of IFN-γ,TNF-α and IL-10 affect the susceptibility to and outcome of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). METHODS: A case-control study was carried out in 476 Chinese SARS patients and 449 healthy controls. We tested the polymorphisms of IFN-γ,TNF-α and IL-10 for their associations with SARS. RESULTS: IFN-γ +874A allele was associated with susceptibility to SARS in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.001). Individuals with IFN-γ +874 AA and AT genotype had a 5.19-fold (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 2.78-9.68) and 2.57-fold (95% CI, 1.35-4.88) increased risk of developing SARS respectively. The polymorphisms of IL-10 and TNF-α were not associated with SARS susceptibility. CONCLUSION: IFN-γ +874A allele was shown to be a risk factor in SARS susceptibility

Cinnamyl Isobutyrate Decreases Plasma Glucose Levels and Total Energy Intake from a Standardized Breakfast: A Randomized, Crossover Intervention

Scope: Cinnamon is associated with anti‐obesity effects, regulating food intake, improving plasma glucose levels and lipid profiles in vivo. In the present study, the impact of cinnamyl isobutyrate (CIB), one constituent of cinnamon, on ad libitum food intake from a standardized breakfast and outcome measures of hormonal regulation of appetite were investigated. Methods and results: In this randomized, short‐term crossover intervention study, a 75 g per 300 mL glucose solution solely (control) or supplemented with 0.45 mg CIB was administered to 26 healthy volunteers. Prior to and 2 h after receiving control or CIB treatment, subjective hunger perceptions were rated using a visual analog scale. Food intake from a standardized breakfast was assessed 2 h after treatments. Plasma peptide YY3–36, glucagon‐like‐peptide1, ghrelin, and serotonin as well as plasma glucose and insulin were measured in blood samples drawn at fasting and 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after treatment. CIB administration decreased total energy intake and delta area under curve plasma glucose by 4.64 ± 3.51% and 49.3 ± 18.5% compared to control treatment, respectively. Conclusions: CIB, administered at a 0.45 mg bolus in 75 g glucose–water solution, decreased ad libitum energy intake from a standardized breakfast and postprandial plasma glucose levels.© 2018 The Author

The flavanone homoeriodictyol increases SGLT-1-mediated glucose uptake but decreases serotonin release in differentiated Caco-2 cells

Flavanoids and related polyphenols, among them hesperitin, have been shown to modulate cellular glucose transport by targeting SGLT-1 and GLUT-2 transport proteins. We aimed to investigate whether homoeriodictyol, which is structurally related to hesperitin, affects glucose uptake in differentiated Caco-2 cells as a model for the intestinal barrier. The results revealed that, in contrast to other polyphenols, the flavanon homoeriodictyol promotes glucose uptake by 29.0 ± 3.83% at a concentration of 100 μM. The glucose uptake stimulating effect was sensitive to phloridzin, but not to phloretin, indicating an involvement of the sodium-coupled glucose transporter SGLT-1, but not of sodium-independent glucose transporters (GLUT). In addition, in contrast to the increased extracellular serotonin levels by stimulation with 500 mM D-(+)-glucose, treatment with 100 μM homoeriodictyol decreased serotonin release by –48.8 ± 7.57% in Caco-2 cells via a phloridzin-sensitive signaling pathway. Extracellular serotonin levels were also reduced by –57.1 ± 5.43% after application of 0.01 μM homoeriodictyol to human neural SH-SY5Y cells. In conclusion, we demonstrate that homoeriodictyol affects both the glucose metabolism and the serotonin system in Caco-2 cells via a SGLT-1-meditated pathway. Furthermore, the results presented here support the usage of Caco-2 cells as a model for peripheral serotonin release. Further investigations may address the value of homoeriodictyol in the treatment of anorexia and malnutrition through the targeting of SGLT-1.© 2017 Lieder et a

Rolling quantum dice with a superconducting qubit

One of the key challenges in quantum information is coherently manipulating the quantum state. However, it is an outstanding question whether control can be realized with low error. Only gates from the Clifford group - containing π, π/2, and Hadamard gates - have been characterized with high accuracy. Here, we show how the Platonic solids enable implementing and characterizing larger gate sets. We find that all gates can be implemented with low error. The results fundamentally imply arbitrary manipulation of the quantum state can be realized with high precision, providing practical possibilities for designing efficient quantum algorithms

Cone-Beam Micro-CT System Based on LabVIEW Software

Construction of a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) system for laboratory research usually requires integration of different software and hardware components. As a result, building and operating such a complex system require the expertise of researchers with significantly different backgrounds. Additionally, writing flexible code to control the hardware components of a CBCT system combined with designing a friendly graphical user interface (GUI) can be cumbersome and time consuming. An intuitive and flexible program structure, as well as the program GUI for CBCT acquisition, is presented in this note. The program was developed in National Instrument’s Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) graphical language and is designed to control a custom-built CBCT system but has been also used in a standard angiographic suite. The hardware components are commercially available to researchers and are in general provided with software drivers which are LabVIEW compatible. The program structure was designed as a sequential chain. Each step in the chain takes care of one or two hardware commands at a time; the execution of the sequence can be modified according to the CBCT system design. We have scanned and reconstructed over 200 specimens using this interface and present three examples which cover different areas of interest encountered in laboratory research. The resulting 3D data are rendered using a commercial workstation. The program described in this paper is available for use or improvement by other researchers

Wheat Protein Hydrolysate Fortified With l ‐Arginine Enhances Satiation Induced by the Capsaicinoid Nonivamide in Moderately Overweight Male Subjects

Scope: Increasing the intake of satiety‐enhancing food compounds represents a promising strategy for maintaining a healthy body weight. Recently, satiating effects for the capsaicinoid nonivamide have been demonstrated. As various proteins and amino acids have also been demonstrated to decrease energy intake, oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT)‐based bolus interventions of 75 g glucose + 0.15 mg nonivamide (NV control) are tested with/without combination of a wheat protein hydrolysate (WPH: 2 g) and/or l ‐arginine (ARG: 3.2 g) for their satiating effects in 27 moderately overweight male subjects. Methods and Results: Compared to NV control intervention, ARG and WPH + ARG treatment both reduce (p < 0.01) total calorie intake from a standardized breakfast by –5.9 ± 4.15% and –6.07 ± 4.38%, respectively. For the WPH + ARG intervention, increased mean plasma serotonin concentrations (AUC: 350 ± 218), quantitated by ELISA, and delayed gastric emptying, assessed by 13C‐Na‐acetate breath test (−2.10 ± 0.51%, p < 0.05), are demonstrated compared to NV control. Correlation analysis between plasma serotonin and gastric emptying reveals a significant association after WPH ± ARG intervention (r = –0.396, p = 0.045). Conclusion: Combination of WPH and ARG enhances the satiating effect of nonivamide, providing opportunities to optimize satiating food formulations by low amounts of the individual food constituents.© 2019 The Author