The human restricted pathogen Moraxella catarrhalis is an important causal agent for exacerbations in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) in adults. In such patients, increased numbers of granulocytes are present in the airways, which correlate with bacteria-induced exacerbations and severity of the disease. Our study investigated whether the interaction of M. catarrhalis with the human granul

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that osteoblasts are involved in the regulation of haematopoietic stem cells. Whether osteocalcin, which is derived from osteoblasts and is metabolically active, influences blood haemoglobin (Hb) levels is not known.OBJECTIVE: To determine whether plasma osteocalcin is a determinant of Hb in elderly men.METHODS: A total of 993 men (mean age 75.3 ± 3.2 years) parti

OBJECTIVE: On December 8-9, 2014, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center convened a scientific symposium to review the state-of-the-science and future directions for the study of developmental programming of obesity and chronic disease. The objectives of the symposium were to discuss: (i) past and current scientific advances in animal models, population-based cohort studies, and human clinical

This thesis deals with the development and application of new estimation approaches based on factor analysis for estimation and inference in dynamic panel data models with fixed-effects. A new factor analytical method (FA) for the estimation of fixed-effects dynamic panel data models is proposed in Bai ("Fixed-Effects Dynamic Panel Models, A Factor Analytical Method". Econometrica 81, 285-314, 201

This paper proposes a time-frequency (t-f) image enhancement method for suppressing interference terms in the Wigner-Ville distribution. The proposed technique adapts the direction of the smoothing kernel locally at each t-f point, so that the smoothing kernel remains aligned with the ridges of the auto-terms. This local alignment of the smoothing kernel reduces cross-terms without degrading the e

This study investigated effects of surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) on flow boiling heat transfer of ethylene glycol/water mixtures in a vertical minitube. Experiments were performed using solutions containing 300 ppm by weight of surfactant and the results were compared with those of pure mixture. Local heat transfer coefficient was measured and found to be dependent on the mass

There are many studies portraying iron (Fe) and nitrogen (N)-functionalzed carbon as an electrocatalyst along with possible elucidation of catalytically active sites. Despite continuous controversial debate on the active sites/species, the presence of N is believed to be undeniably needed for the efficient catalysis, whereas the necessity and role of Fe are still debated. To clearly understand the

Hemicelluloses dissolved in thermomechanical pulp (TMP) mill process streams can be used to manufacture high-value-added products. The molecular mass of the dissolved hemicelluloses is about 10 kDa. In some applications, it would be beneficial with larger molecules. It was therefore investigated whether it is possible to increase the size of hemicelluloses isolated by microfiltration and ultrafilt

Species-based ecological indices, such as Ellenberg indicators, reflect plant habitat preferences and can be used to describe local environment conditions. One disadvantage of using vegetation data as a substitute for environmental data is the fact that extensive floristic sampling can usually only be carried out at a plot scale within limited geographical areas. Remotely sensed data have the pote

Laminar burning velocities, SL, of benzene + air flames were determined at atmospheric pressure and initial gas temperatures, T, of 298, 318, 338 and 358 K. Non-stretched flames were stabilized on a perforated plate burner using the heat flux method. New measurements were compared with available literature results obtained in spherical and counterflow flames at room and elevated temperatures. Data

Landscape paintings from the last twocenturies can be used in certain cases as an aid forstudies of changes in land use. Also changes in biodiversitycan be evaluated in comparison with thepresent situation. Similarly, effects of global warmingin older paintings can also probably be evaluated.Examples of paintings from Sweden done by BrunoLiljefors and from the United States done by severalpainters

Because incubation by birds is energetically costly, parents frequently trade off investment in incubation against self-maintenance. This can be manifested by a reduction in incubation temperature, which comes at high somatic costs for nestlings. The extent to which these costs constrain fitness is poorly understood. We incubated wild blue tit clutches at three biologically relevant temperatures aBecause incubation by birds is energetically costly, parents frequently trade off investment in incubation against self-maintenance. This can be manifested by a reduction in incubation temperature, which comes at high somatic costs for nestlings. The extent to which these costs constrain fitness is poorly understood. We incubated wild blue tit clutches at three biologically relevant temperatures a

Betony, Betonica officinalis L., is one ofthe rarest plants in Scandinavia and has the longestdocumented history. It was reported at the parish ofStehag in Skåne, southernmost Sweden, by the Danishhumanist and publisher Christiern Pedersen asearly as 1534, one of the world’s oldest records wherea species is tied to a specific locality. Literature andcollections testify that Betony was commoner in

Staphylococcal food poisoning results from ingestion of enterotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED) is one of the most common toxins detected in S. aureus strains associated with intoxications. The effect of sodium nitrite on enterotoxin production has been only partly investigated, despite its wide usage in meat products. In addition, the factors influencing

We aim to obtain a fast overview of the HTA question and to refine-specify the PICO for information retrieval, using bibliometrics, text mining, and vizualization tools. The PICO question is a well-established format within the HTA process. Depending on the HTA question the PICO can be difficult to verify and limit. To support the HTA-project groups and the informaton specialistst to establish the

The extreme soil conditions in metalliferous mine soils have a negative influence on soil biological activity. Therefore, amendments are often used to improve soil quality and activate microbial communities. In order to elucidate some of the factors controlling microbial growth and community structure after application of amendments in acid mine soils, we performed an incubation experiment with fo

The growth of ultrathin TiOx (0≤x≤2) films on Pd(100) and Pd(111) surfaces by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using Titanium(IV)isopropoxide (TTIP) as precursor, has been investigated by high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. Three different TiOx phases and one Pd-Ti alloy phase have been identified for both surfaces. The Pd-