Phylogenetic relationships within the Parmeliaceae are analysed cladistically on the basis of DNA characters from partial beta-tubulin, partial glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and ITS sequences. 100 taxa representing 73 of the 88 genera currently recognised are included in the analyses. Eight monophyletic groups including two or more genera were identified in the tree calculated f

Background: An audit of all patients with rectal cancer in Sweden was launched in 1995. This is the first report from the Swedish Rectal Cancer Registry (SRCR). Methods: Between 1995 and 2003, 13 434 patients treated for adenocarcinoma of the rectum were registered with the SRCR; there were approximately 1500 new patients annually. Results: Approximately half had an anterior resection, a quarter a

The well known AGM framework for belief revision has recently been extended to include a model of the research agenda of the agent, i.e. a set of questions to which the agent wishes to find answers (Olsson & Westlund in Erkenntnis, 65, 165-183, 2006). The resulting model has later come to be called interrogative belief revision. While belief revision has been studied extensively from the point

The activites of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and ODC inhibitory protein (ODC-antizyme) were studied in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, separated according to their position in the cell cycle by centrifugal elutriation. Release and/or synthesis of ODC-antizyme was induced by putrescine treatment. Each mouse received an intraperitoneal injection of 25 moles of putrescine at 0, 1, 2, and 3 hr after tu

Hip fracture is associated with high early mortality. Little is known about long-term survival and subsequent fracture risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate survival and fracture risk after hip fracture in women at different ages. All women suffering a hip fracture during 1984-1985 in Malmo, Sweden, were identified (n = 766) and followd up to 22 yr or death. All new radiographic examinations

This paper describes the implementation of a real-time Maximally Stable Extremal Region (MSER) detector. In order to reach real-time performance, both algorithmic and memory issues have been addressed. The Union-find algorithm, which is the heart of the MSER detector, is extended to create linked regions that significantly decrease the time to extract MSERs. Hash indexed memory structures are used

Several brain-imaging studies have found associations between aberrant functioning in the frontal and temporal lobes and violent offending. We have previously reported decreased frontotemporal perfusion unrelated to psychosis, substance abuse, or current medication in 21 violent offenders. In the present study, we compared the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in a new group of 32 violent offend

BACKGROUND: There is a need for prosthetic venous conduits in surgery for trauma, cancer and thrombotic disease. Such conduits in use today have a low patency rate, leaving room for much improvement. METHODS: This experimental study investigated the dynamics of the early attachment of radiolabelled platelets, leucocytes and fibrinogen to endothelial cell-seeded Dacron venous conduits in sheep. Gra

Social workers in child welfare often feel that they have to take unfair criticism from the mass media. This article analyses their views of media coverage, the effect on the general public, the local politicians and their own self-image. The method used is focus group interviews.

Apelin is the endogenous ligand of the G-protein coupled apj receptor. Apelin is expressed in the brain, the hypothalamus and the stomach and was recently shown also to be an adipokine secreted from the adipocytes. Although apelin has been suggested to be involved in the regulation of food intake, it is not known whether the peptide affects islet function and glucose homeostasis. We show here that

The default response of the intestinal immune system to most antigens is the induction of immunological tolerance, which is difficult to reconcile with the constant exposure to ligands for TLR and other pattern recognition receptors. We showed previously that dendritic cells (DC) from the lamina propria of normal mouse intestine may be inherently tolerogenic and here we have explored how this migh

In the Western world advice given by breastfeeding consultants about the use of one or two breasts at each feed has resulted in apparently arbitrary changes over time. This study compared 1-month-old breastfed infants' reactions to single- and two-breast feeds in terms of restlessness, crying, sleeping, and frequency of feeds, wet diapers, and loose stools. Eighty mothers were randomly assigned at

Northern forests are exposed to relatively high ammonia inputs due to high atmospheric deposition and the common practise of forest fertilization. It is not known how increased soil NH4 +concentrations affect acquisition of symbiosis-mediated N from organic sources. We examined the effect of inorganic N and P availability on N acquisition from alanine by 43 weeks old birch (Betula pendula) seedlin

Purpose: To compare glaucoma conversion rates in patients with ocular hypertension (OH) with and without pseudoexfoliation. Design: Cohort study, based on 32 918 screening participants. Participants and Controls: Ninety-eight patients with OH and pseudoexfoliation and 98 matched controls. Main Outcome Measure: Perimetric glaucoma conversion. Methods: A population-based glaucoma screening of elderl

BACKGROUND: Mean left atrioventricular plane displacement is strongly related to prognosis in patients with heart failure. We aimed to examine its value for prognostication and risk stratification in patients hospitalised for acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Left atrioventricular plane displacement was assessed by echocardiography in 271 consecutive patients with acute myocardial

The article presents an analytical model for evaluation of ion angular distribution functions (IADFs) at a radio frequency (rf)-biased surface in a high-density plasma reactor. The model couples a unified rf sheath model to an assumed ion velocity distribution function-based formulation for determining the IADF under any general rf-bias condition. Under direct-current (dc) bias conditions the IADF

The aim of this study was to evaluate the added utility of gadolinium administration in the magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of developmental delay in children less than 2 years of age. A computerized retrospective study identified all brain magnetic resonance imaging examinations using gadolinium performed at our institution from 1995-2002 for children under the age of 2 years. Review of the

When testing for unit roots using the Dickey-Fuller test, the presence of structural breaks can cause serious size distortions to the test. Previous research has suggested two modified tests, the weighted symmetric and the recursively mean-adjusted test, that has robust size properties even in the presence of a structural break. However, recent findings have shown that the power of the two modifie

The aim was to study if exposure to an enriched environment influenced graft-host interface and neuronal markers in neocortical grafts implanted in cortical infarct cavities 3 weeks after distal ligation of the middle cerebral artery in adult hypertensive rats. Half the rats were exposed to an enriched environment for 2 h daily 5 days a week starting 1 week after the arterial ligation. The brain w

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to explore patients' knowledge of heart failure and their attitudes toward medical information (prognostic information in particular) and to assess different patient-related factors that might hamper the improvement of patients' knowledge. Moreover, taking the data obtained into account, we analyzed ethical aspects of information disclosure to patients with heart fai