Driver comprehension and acceptance of the active accelerator pedal (AAP) after long-term use were evaluated in a large-scale Swedish trial held in 2000-2002. The system was installed in the cars of 281 test drivers who then used it for between six months and a year. The participants' responses, elicited by questionnaires in the end of the trial, showed a positive rating of the concept of the AAP,

Human activity often causes a decline in the local density of plant populations. Below some critical lower density, populations may suffer a progressive decline in reproductive success because of the difficulties associated with finding suitable mates. Therefore, to conserve endangered plant species it is necessary to understand in greater detail how changes in population density affect different

Dendritic cells (DCIs) possess a potent ability to modulate and activate specific T-cell responses to allergens, which play a pivotal role in allergic inflammation by secreting cytokines and other mediators. However, the molecular mechanisms by which allergen-challenged DCs regulate specific T-cell responses are still not well characterized. This study aims at elucidating the molecular mechanisms

The robustness of a dual-beam, optical null, Fourier-transform near-infrared (FTNIR) spectrometer was investigated by means of online, near-infrared measurements and predictions of urea concentrations in spent dialysate during hemodialysis treatment. Simple multivariate calibration using a few factors based on a small number of prepared samples provided stable and accurate predictions over a perio

Trends in energy intensities for 31 countries are evaluated, over the period from 1950 to 1988, using a purchasing power parity-based GDP measure and United Nations energy statistics. With non-commercial energy included, the energy intensities of low income countries are similar to those of high income countries. Energy intensities have decreased for 15 out of the 31 countries studied. The analysi

This article describes a study where laboratory and theoretical work on the fundamental hygro-mechanical behaviour of wood is applied on convective drying of sawn timber. A material model describing the behaviour of wood during drying is used to simulate drying stresses in timber. Cross-sections containing heartwood, sapwood and a combination of both are studied. Simulations are compared with meas

A new relationship between the roughness height and the main hydrodynamic and sediment parameters for plane beds under oscillatory conditions is presented. In order to derive such a relationship, a large data base encompassing plane-bed experiments was compiled from previous investigations and analyzed. Different methods to estimate the roughness height were investigated. Comparisons between the d

The Southern Ocean is split into several biogeographical provinces between convergence zones that separate watermasses of different temperatures. Recent molecular phylogenies have uncovered a strong phylogeographic structure among rockhopper penguin populations, Eudyptes chrysocome sensu lato, from different biogeographical provinces. These studies suggested a reclassification as three species in

Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor particularly associated with tendons and aponeuroses. The cytogenetic hallmark is the translocation t(12;22)(q13;q12) resulting in a chimeric EWS/ATF1 gene in which the 3'-terminal part of EWS at 22q is replaced by the 3'-terminal part of ATF1 at 12q. To date, only 13 cases of CCS have been analyzed for fusion genes at the transcriptio

Streptomycetes grow by cell wall extension at hyphal tips. The molecular basis for such polar growth in prokaryotes is largely unknown. It is reported here that DivIVA SC , the Streptomyces coelicolor homologue of the Bacillus subtilis protein DivIVA, is essential and directly involved in hyphal tip growth and morphogenesis. A DivIVA SC -EGFP hybrid was distinctively localized to hyphal tips and l

To study which individual characteristics and environmental factors correlate with fear of moving outdoors and whether fear of moving outdoors predicts development of mobility limitation. Observational prospective cohort study and cross-sectional analyses. Community and research center. Seven hundred twenty-seven community-living people aged 75 to 81 were interviewed at baseline, of whom 314 took

Purpose: Tardigrades have a reputation of being extremely tolerant to extreme environmental conditions including tolerance to ionizing radiation while in a desiccated, anhydrobiotic state. However, the evidence for radio-tolerance in tardigrades is based on only one previous report, and there is an obvious need for complementary studies. In this paper we report an investigation on radio-tolerance

By the incorporation of size-selected Au nano-particles in Ti Schottky contacts on silicon carbide, we could observe considerably lower the barrier height of the contacts. This result could be obtained for both n- and p-type Schottky contacts using current-voltage and capacitance voltage measurements. For n-type Schottky contacts, we observed reductions of 0.19-0.25 eV on 4H-SiC and 0.15-0.17 eV o

The purpose of this study was to establish, and characterize a porcine model of acute, controlled retinal ischemia. The controlled retinal ischemia was produced by clamping the ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) in the left eye to 5 mm Hg for 2 h. The OPP was defined as mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) minus the intraocular pressure (IOP). It was clamped to 0-30 mm Hg by continuous monitoring of MA

Relapsing polychondritis ( RP) is an autoimmune disease that affects extra-articular cartilage. Matrilin-1-induced relapsing polychondritis (MIRP) is a model for RP and is useful for studies of the pathogenic mechanisms in this disease. There are indications that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II plays a major role in RP, since DR4(+) patients are more commonly affected than cont