Search results for "LUMA"
showing 10 items of 227 documents
Curse of the black spot: spotting negatively correlates with fitness in black grouseLyrurus tetrix
2016
There is growing evidence that achromatic plumage can act as honest indicators of male quality. In some species with areas of white plumage, black melanin spots can be found on parts of the feathers. The functional significance of these spots and the relationship with male quality is yet poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between black melanin spots in an otherwise totally white ornament, the undertail covert, in relation to age, fitness and covariance with past and present expression of sexual traits, in the lekking black grouse Lyrurus tetrix. We found that spots at tips of feathers (tip spots) were negatively related to survival and reproductive success, and covaried neg…
Gray plumage color is more cryptic than brown in snowy landscapes in a resident color polymorphic bird
2020
Abstract Camouflage may promote fitness of given phenotypes in different environments. The tawny owl (Strix aluco) is a color polymorphic species with a gray and brown morph resident in the Western Palearctic. A strong selection pressure against the brown morph during snowy and cold winters has been documented earlier, but the selection mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we hypothesize that selection favors the gray morph because it is better camouflaged against predators and mobbers in snowy conditions compared to the brown one. We conducted an online citizen science experiment where volunteers were asked to locate a gray or a brown tawny owl specimen from pictures taken in snowy and snow…
Does catchment geodiversity foster stream biodiversity?
2019
Abstract Context One approach to maintain the resilience of biotic communities is to protect the variability of abiotic characteristics of Earth’s surface, i.e. geodiversity. In terrestrial environments, the relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity is well recognized. In streams, the abiotic properties of upstream catchments influence stream communities, but the relationships between catchment geodiversity and aquatic biodiversity have not been previously tested. Objectives The aim was to compare the effects of local environmental and catchment variables on stream biodiversity. We specifically explored the usefulness of catchment geodiversity in explaining the species richness on …
Elevated oxidative stress in pied flycatcher nestlings of eumelanic foster fathers under low rearing temperatures
2019
Striking variation in melanin coloration within natural populations is likely due to the different fitness outcomes of alternative phenotypes in varying environmental conditions. There are two types of melanin: eumelanins yield blackish hues, whereas pheomelanins yield reddish hues. The production of eumelanins requires low levels of glutathione (GSH), which is the most important intracellular antioxidant, whereas the production of pheomelanins requires high levels of GSH. We investigated the oxidative status of male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) with different degrees of melanin coloration under different temperatures during the nestling period. Moreover, we assessed the oxidative …
Sex-ratio and male sexual characters in a population of Blue tits Parus caeruleus
2005
Sex allocation theory proposes that parents should bias the sex ratio of their offspring if the reproductive value of one sex is greater than that of the other. In the monogamous blue tit (Parus caeruleus), males have a greater variance in reproductive success than females, and high-quality males have higher reproductive success than high-quality females due to extrapair paternity. Consequently, females mating with attractive males are expected to produce broods biased toward sons, as sons benefit more than daughters from inheriting their father’s characteristics. Song and plumage color in birds are secondary sexual characters indicating male quality and involved in female choice. We used t…
Iridescent structurally based coloration of eyespots correlates with mating success in the peacock.
2007
Gaudy plumage coloration is a widespread ornamental trait in birds and thought to be sexually selected. Although much attention has been devoted to structural coloration reflecting in UV, the signaling function of structural colors lacking UV reflectance and those that exhibit iridescence coloration are poorly documented. The train of the peacock (Pavo cristatus), a classical example of a sexually selected trait, is composed of iridescent structurally colored eyespots not reflecting in UV. Until today, the role played by the structural color of the eyespots in female mate choice has never been investigated using spectrometry. We measured eyespot coloration from a stationary angle (static co…
Checkpoint Inhibition in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
2017
As patients continue to die from malignant lymphoma, novel treatment options continue to be warranted. To successfully grow and spread, tumor cells need to escape the immune system; therefore, the augmentation or restoration of immune effectors against the malignant cell could be of great value, as shown, e.g., for allogeneic transplantation. A deepened understanding of the regulation of activation and inhibition of the T cell-based effector mechanisms has led to the development of drugs that are able to modify specific checkpoints of this system and thereby raise an immune response against tumor cells. With dramatic responses observed in Hodgkin's disease (HD), interest has risen to explor…
Rational Combination of Parvovirus H1 With CTLA-4 and PD-1 Checkpoint Inhibitors Dampens the Tumor Induced Immune Silencing
2019
The recent therapeutic success of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of advanced melanoma highlights the potential of cancer immunotherapy. Oncolytic virus-based therapies may further improve the outcome of these cancer patients. A human ex vivo melanoma model was used to investigate the oncolytic parvovirus H-1 (H-1PV) in combination with ipilimumab and/or nivolumab. The effect of this combination on activation of human T lymphocytes was demonstrated. Expression of CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1 immune checkpoint proteins was upregulated in H-1PV-infected melanoma cells. Nevertheless, maturation of antigen presenting cells such as dendritic cells was triggered by H-1PV infected melanom…
Immune checkpoint blockade for Merkel cell carcinoma: actual findings and unanswered questions
2019
Purpose: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma arising from the skin. We aimed to review and deal with some of the most relevant controversial topics on the correct use of immunotherapy for the treatment of MCC. Methods: The primary search was carried out via PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (until 31st May, 2018), while other articles and guidelines were retrieved from related papers or those referenced in these papers. Additionally, we performed an extensive search on ClinicalTrials.gov to gather information on the ongoing clinical trials related to this specific topic. Results: We performed an up-to-date critical review taking into account the…
VESTIGE: Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Patients With Resected Esophageal, Gastroesophageal Junction and Gastric Cancer Following Preoperative Chemotherap…
2020
Background: Perioperative chemotherapy plus surgery is one recommended standard treatment for patients with resectable gastric and esophageal cancer. Even with a multimodality treatment more than half of patients will relapse following surgical resection. Patients who have a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and have an incomplete (R1) resection or have metastatic lymph nodes in the resection specimen (N+) are especially at risk of recurrence. Current clinical practice is to continue with the same chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting as before surgery. In the phase II randomized EORTC VESTIGE trial (NCT03443856), patients with high risk resected gastric or esophageal adenocarcinoma …