The problem of partitioning an orthogonal polyhedron P into a minimum number of 3D rectangles is known to be NP-hard. In this paper, we first develop a 4-approximation algorithm for the special case of the problem in which P is a 3D histogram. It runs in O(mlogm) time, where m is the number of corners in P. We then apply it to exactly compute the arithmetic matrix product of two n×n matrices A and

It is not known whether thyroid surgery evokes changes in calcium metabolism. We therefore studied 6 patients operated upon with hemithyroidectomy for benign thyroid diseases, preoperatively and at 3 months and 1 year postoperatively. We measured changes in serum levels of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D metabolites, ionized calcium, phosphate, osteocalcin, thyroid hormones and bone de

AL-Karama dam, the second largest dam in Jordan, was constructed in the Jordan valley area in the year 1979. Currently, the dam holds about 72% of its designed storage capacity with total dissolved solids concentration of 2.2%. The dam water was designed to irrigate 100 km2 of new reclaimed areas and to provide drinking water for more than 30,000 residences. In this work, solar desalination system

Background: Non-participants to psychosocial studies have been shown to have higher mortality, and mortality differs between partial and complete responders to psychosocial questionnaires. Yet, there is very little information available directly linking survey response status with completing suicide. Methods: The study population consisted of the participants of the Japanese Public Health Center-b

Baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a promising cell factory for the sustainable utilization of renewable resources for the formation of products with commercial value. Among these, poly-3-D-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is an extensively studied biopolymer naturally accumulated in some bacteria and archaea species through the formation of carbon granules. Its bio-based origin, biodegradability an

More than forty per cent of the mammalian genome is derived from retroelements, of which about one-quarter are endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). Some are still active, notably in mice the highly polymorphic early transposon (ETn)/MusD and intracisternal A-type particles (IAP). ERVs are transcriptionally silenced during early embryogenesis by histone and DNA methylation (and reviewed in ref. 7), alth

BACKGROUND: Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is associated with a defective regulation of the secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Thus in pHPT, higher than normal calcium concentrations are required to inhibit PTH release. However, it is not known if this defective regulation is normalized by removal of the parathyroid adenoma (i.e., whether the regulation of PTH secretion is normal in the r

We have synthesized and evaluated in tissue phantom measurements a new type of Nd-codoped upconverting nanoparticles. They provide improved signal strengths from deep regions in a tissue phantom as compared to conventional upconverting nanoparticles, a result also suggesting they will provide less issues with heating the tissue during measurements.

This panel is devoted to an exploration of multimodal, visual staging of meaning in the Middle East and in multicultural European societies. Presentations will discuss examples of visual inventiveness in different and multimodal medial contexts, varying both in terms of motivations, positions of power and visual strategies employed. The panel invites reflection on how the study of current visual s

This panel is devoted to an exploration of multimodal, visual staging of meaning in the Middle East and its transnational interconnectedness. Presentations will discuss examples of visual inventiveness in different and multimodal medial contexts, varying both in terms of motivations, positions of power and visual strategies employed. The panel invites reflection on how the study of current visual

We present a summary of the splinter session “Sun-like stars unlike the Sun” that was held on June 9, 2016, as part of the Cool Stars 19 conference (Uppsala, Sweden), in which the main limitations (in the theory and observations) in the derivation of very precise stellar parameters and chemical abundances of Sun-like stars were discussed. The most important and most debated processes that can prod

In the development of transdermal and topical products it is important to understand how formulation ingredients interact with the molecular components of the upper layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), and thereby influence its macroscopic barrier properties. The aim here was to investigate the effect of two commonly used excipients, transcutol and dexpanthenol, on the molecular as well as

Background: Criminal offending is strongly transmitted across generations. Aims: To clarify the contribution of rearing environment to crossgenerational transmission of crime. Method: Using Swedish national registries, we identified 1176 fullsibling and 3085 half-sibling sets from high-risk families where at least one sibling was adopted and the other raised by the biological parents. Results: Ris

Limited data are available about the role of the serotonin 2B (5-HT2B) receptor in the function of human islets. This study aimed to test whether the 5-HT2B receptor contributes to glucose, insulin, and glucagon homeostasis in humans, utilizing a hereditary loss-of-function gene mutation in the receptor, which causes a 50% reduction in the production of the receptor protein in heterozygotes. This

Handel och resande är en förutsättning för internationellt utbyte av såväl varor och människor som kultur och innovationer. Handeln och resandet går tillbaka till historiens gryning men har under de senaste århundradena blivit en allt viktigare del i den ekonomiska utvecklingen. Globaliseringen har till följd av tilltagande ekonomiskoch politisk integration drivit på utvecklingen av resandet och s

Experimental data are needed to evaluate constitutive models. The richer the experimental data, in terms of different deformation modes for example, the better the constraints on the model. To this end, the mechanical response of glassy polycarbonate (PC) is studied using biaxial tension experiments with novel sample geometries. Deformation fields are measured using full-field digital image correl