Real-space collective excitation dynamics in molecular aggregates is studied using a model where the electronic system is described via exciton theory with surface hopping. The nuclear dynamics are included using the Langevin equation where temperature and zero-point motions are entered via the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Dynamic processes like exciton relaxation, localization, polaron format

This study examined the neurophysiological effects of cannabis. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in 12 long-term cannabis users shortly after cessation of cannabis use (mean 1.6 days). The findings showed significantly lower mean hemispheric blood flow values and significantly lower frontal values in the cannabis subjects compared to normal controls. The results suggest that the functional l

Objective To determine whether muscle strength, proprioceptive accuracy, and laxity are associated with self-reported knee instability in a large cohort of knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and to investigate whether muscle strength may compensate for impairment in proprioceptive accuracy or laxity, in order to maintain knee stability. Methods. Data from 283 knee OA patients from the Amsterdam Os

CCD observations of V538 Cas have been made on nine nights during three weeks using the AAVSO Bright Star Monitor. No significant variations were found.

The synchrotron radiation activities at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (formerly Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) started out in 1972 as a small-scale Stanford University project. The project gradually grew to become one of the first national centers for synchrotron radiation in the United States and, eventually, an independent laboratory in charge of its own accelerator machine and organ

Recent public debates about sexuality in India and Vietnam have brought the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people sharply into focus. Drawing on legal documents, secondary sources and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the urban centres of Delhi and Hanoi, this article shows how the efforts of civil society organisations dedicated to the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and tran

To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the Shape/Texture Identification test (STI-test(TM)) in persons with chronic stroke.

As the physical consequences of accidental falls in the elderly are well-researched, the long-term associations between falls and quality of life and related concepts are less known. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the long-term relations between falls and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and life satisfaction (LS) over six years in the general elderly population. One thou

Studies of determinants of development of inhibitory antibodies to factor VIII in people with hemophilia A indicate a complex process involving multiple factors. The Hemophilia Inhibitor Genetics Study Combined Cohort was formed to extend understanding of the genetic background of risk. The study group contains 833 subjects from three independent cohorts: brother pairs and singletons with and with

Dietary fiber and flavonoids, important components in berries, are suggested to improve metabolic health. This study investigates whether soluble and insoluble fractions isolated from bilberry, black currant, and raspberry affect the formation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), uptake and excretion of flavonoids, and levels of cholesterol differently. Cecal SCFA pools were higher in rats fed the

Interactions between metals and natural organic matter (NOM) are of great environmental importance and one of the key factors influencing hydrolysis, solubility, and speciation of the metals. However, studying geochemically relevant metals like Al, Fe, and Cu is sometimes associated with analytical problems; for example Fe and Cu are both redox active. Gallium (Ga) is a non-redox active metal that

Vortices are found in a fermion system with repulsive dipole-dipole interactions, trapped by a rotating quasi-two-dimensional harmonic oscillator potential. Such systems have much in common with electrons in quantum dots, where rotation is induced via an external magnetic field. In contrast to the Coulomb interactions between electrons, the (externally tunable) anisotropy of the dipole-dipole inte

The solar proxy Be-10, measured in natural archives, has previously been assumed to lag solar activity by 1-2 yr. This reflects its residence time in the stratosphere where its main source lies. This study, based on a 30-yr global model simulation of the atmospheric transport of Be-10, shows that the stratospheric fraction of production varies significantly with the phase of solar activity. This l

Passive exposure to tobacco smoke was assessed in children with asthma (age 3-15) and in referents. There was statistically significantly (P less than 0.0005) higher excretion of the nicotine metabolite, cotinine, in the urine of 49 children with asthma (geometric mean 10 ng/ml) compared with 77 referents (4.8 ng/ml). Maternal smoking was statistically significantly more prevalent among the asthma

The mechanisms that increase cardiovascular risk in individuals born small for gestational age (SGA) are not well understood. Telomere shortening has been suggested to be a predictor of disease onset. Our aim was to determine whether impaired intrauterine growth is associated with early signs of vascular aging and whether telomere length could be a biomarker of this pathway.

Children's blood-lead concentration (B-Pb) is well studied, but little is known about cadmium (B-Cd) and mercury (B-Hg), in particular for central Europe. Such information is necessary for risk assessment and management. Therefore, we here describe and compare B-Pb, B-Cd and B-Hg in children in six European, and three non-European cities, and identify determinants of these exposures. About 50 scho