Applications of quantitative gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (selected ion monitoring) to clinical and ecological microbiology are described. The technique permits determination of selected microbial metabolites and can be used for the rapid diagnosis of, for example, tuberculosis by ion-focusing of specific branch-chain fatty acids. The technique is also used to determine diaminopimelic and

The therapeutic management of Sjögren syndrome (SjS) has not changed substantially in recent decades: treatment decisions remain challenging in clinical practice, without a specific therapeutic target beyond the relief of symptoms as the most important goal. In view of this scenario, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) promoted and supported an international collaborative study (EULAR S

A semi-analytic model is developed to describe the flow through an inlet between a lagoon and the sea due to a simple tide and the related morphological response of the inlet. The governing equation for the water level variation in the lagoon is derived from the continuity and momentum equations and then solved for quasi-steady conditions yielding analytic expression for the main flow-related prop

The successful synthesis of hierarchically structured titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) with large intracrystalline macropores by steam-assisted crystallisation of mesoporous silica particles is reported. The macropore topology was imaged in 3D by using electron tomography and synchrotron radiation-based ptychographic X-ray computed tomography, revealing interconnected macropores within the crystals ac

The phenomenon of overtourism encapsulates the spirit of contemporary mass tourism. It has gained attention lately as an unsustainable consequence of the intensification of destination management principles in urban economic planning strategy. Stories about “the invasion” of visitors into a numberof popular European cities frequently circulate in news and social media. Research has begun to examin

Countering fear and promoting experiences of security and safety among visitors are key issues in creating socially sustainable urban destinations. Security branding is a growing place branding paradigm through which to enhance experiences and perceptions of safety in cities, nations and regions (Coaffee and Van Ham, 2008; Coaffee and Rogers, 2008; Avraham and Ketter, 2008). This paper discusses h

The increasing number of tourists to urban destinations such as, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Hong Kong, and Rio de Janeiro cause a range of problems related to conflicts between visitors and residents, lack of accessibility to different areas in the cities, and damage to green spaces (Joppe, 2018; Novy, 2018). The growth focused strategies of urban destinations have created an unstainable tou

Whereas extant theorizing on inter-organizational relational dynamics has highlighted the importance of between-partner differences, we shift attention to within-partner differences. We explore how internal fragmentation – i.e., the existence of multiple coalitions within a partner organization, each with different interests and perspectives – influences the evolution of relational characteristics

Infants are at risk for iron deficiency. Despite research advances, assessing iron stores during infancy remains a challenge to the clinician. Ferritin is the first-choice laboratory marker for measuring iron stores but it is today still unclear how to evaluate reference intervals among infants. We have studied Swedish infants (n = 456), born at term after normal pregnancies. Ferritin was measured

BACKGROUND: In mitral valve dysfunction, noninvasive measurement of transmitral blood flow is an important clinical examination. Flow imaging of the mitral valve, however, is challenging, since it moves in and out of the image plane during the cardiac cycle.PURPOSE: To more accurately measure mitral flow, a slice-following MRI phase contrast sequence is proposed. This study aimed to implement such

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (FROH) for >1.4 million individuals,

A rare loss-of-function allele p.Arg138* in SLC30A8 encoding the zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8), which is enriched in Western Finland, protects against type 2 diabetes (T2D). We recruited relatives of the identified carriers and showed that protection was associated with better insulin secretion due to enhanced glucose responsiveness and proinsulin conversion, particularly when compared with individual

Urban landscapes, structures and design features are associated with travel mode choice and have implications for sustainable living environments. The particular role of the built environment for children’s independent active mobility has received increasing attention in research and practice. However, the complexity of the transactions between person and environment needs to be understood with sp

Accurate prediction of ship speed for given engine power and encountering sea environments is one of the key factors for ship route planning to ensure expected time of arrivals (ETA). Traditional methods need first to compute a ship's total resistance based on theoretical calculations, which are often associated with large uncertainties. In this paper, two statistical approaches are investigated t

Covariance tapering is a popular approach for reducing the computational cost of spatial prediction and parameter estimation for Gaussian process models. However, tapering can have poor performance when the process is sampled at spatially irregular locations or when non-stationary covariance models are used. This work introduces an adaptive tapering method in order to improve the performance of ta