Accurate estimation of precipitation is crucial for fundamental input to various hydrometeorological applications. Ground-based precipitation data suffer limitations associated with spatial resolution and coverage; hence, satellite precipitation products can be used to complement traditional rain gauge systems. However, the satellite precipitation data need to be validated before extensive use in

This paper presents a method to grasp objects that cannot be picked directly from a table, using a soft, underactuated hand. These grasps are achieved by dragging the object to the edge of a table, and grasping it from the protruding part, performing so-called slide-to-edge grasps. This type of approach, which uses the environment to facilitate the grasp, is named Environmental Constraint Exploita

Adenovirus (AdV) can cause severe respiratory infections in children and immunocompromised patients, but less is known about severe AdV pneumonia in immunocompetent adults. In this retrospective study, we compared respiratory tract infections and pneumonia caused by AdV in immunocompromised and immunocompetent adult patients regarding clinical presentation and severity of infection. The results sh

Private equity firms (PE firms) have become common owners of established firms in concentrated markets. We show that the threat of a PE acquisition can trigger incumbent mergers in an otherwise merger-stable industry. This can help antitrust authorities maximize consumer surplus because previously privately unprofitable – but consumer surplus-enhancing – mergers now take place. We thus predict tha

High-throughput sequencing of the adaptive immune receptor repertoire (AIRR-seq) is providing unprecedented insights into the immune response to disease and into the development of immune disorders. The accurate interpretation of AIRR-seq data depends on the existence of comprehensive germline gene reference sets. Current sets are known to be incomplete and unrepresentative of the degree of polymo

Carrot psyllids (Trioza apicalis) pose a constant threat to carrot production in parts of Europe, and treatments with chemical insecticides are common. To be able to develop alternative control tactics, more knowledge about the psyllid's host-finding behaviour and underlying physiology is needed. Using single-sensillum recordings from overwintered and non-overwintered males and females, we found e

Methods have been developed for the isolation on a semi-micro scale of a plasma membrane-enriched fraction from rat islets of Langerhans. An important feature of these experiments is the use of 125I-labeled wheat germ agglutinin as a specific probe for plasma membrane-containing fractions. The partly purified plasma membrane fraction had a density in sucrose of about 1.10 and was enriched in the a

At a concentration of 1.0 mM, 6,6' dithiodinicotinic acid and 5,5' dithiobis (2 nitrobenzoic acid) stimulated insulin release from microdissected pancreatic islets of hereditary obese (ob/ob) mice. Microperifusion experiments showed that the secretory responses occurred promptly upon exposure to the sulfhydryl reagents. Perifusion with 6,6' dithiodinicotinic acid induced a sustained enhancement of

While quantities conditioned to an isosurface of reaction progress variable c, which characterizes fluid state in a turbulent reacting flow, have been attracting rapidly growing interest in the recent literature, a mathematical and physical framework required for research into such quantities has not yet been elaborated properly. This paper aims at filling two fundamental gaps in this area, i.e.,

Biobjective and bidisciplinary optimal design of high-performance airfoil and wing applying two kinds of optimization methods and genetic algorithm are discussed. An objective function combination method (OFCM) of constructing a resultant objective function in DOM or a fitness function in GA for biobjective optimization.

The genetic algorithm(GA) is a non-traditional, probability search and global optimization method similar to natural selection and evolution. The key points and control parameters of this method are briefly discussed. To apply it to a multiobjective and multidisciplinary optimization problem a kind of fitness function is suggested, in which the requirements of multiobjects and multiconstraints are

Alarming amounts of microplastics have recently been shown to accumulate in the environment. Recent focus has been on synthetic material contaminating the marine environment, while effects on freshwater habitats and organisms have received less attention. We here confirm and analyse occurrence of microplastics in the duck mussel, Anodonta anatina, in a Swedish river. All analysed mussels contained

The Hyogo and Sendai frameworks highlight the key role of disaster risk management (DRM). However, the guidance is limited on how to best conduct DRM activities, such as capability assessments, to reduce the impact of disasters. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of different ways of presenting capability assessments, both when dealing with so-called high impact/low probability (HILP) eve

Introduction: Secundum atrial septal defect is one of the most common congenital heart defects. Previous paediatric studies have mainly addressed echocardiographic and few clinical factors among children associated with adverse events. The aim of this study was to identify neonatal and other clinical risk factors associated with adverse events up to one year after closure of atrial septal defect.

Riksbanken bör anpassa sin penningpolitik efter det nya läget i ekonomin, skriver nationalekonomerna Fredrik N G Andersson och Lars Jonung i en slutreplik.