Objectives: To present an analysis of futility that is useful in the clinical setting. Design: Literature review. Material and methods: According to Medline more than 750 articles have been published about medical futility. Three criteria (language, time period, and the authors expressed their own opinions) singled out 43 of them. The authors opinions about futility were analysed using the scheme:

The kinetics of dipolar nonradiative energy transfer (DET) between dyes confined to the core−corona interface region of poly(isoprene-b-methyl methacrylate) block copolymers (PI−PMMA) in acetonitrile was analyzed using a new distribution model for energy transfer in spherical micelles. The distribution of block junction points was described by the model of Helfand and Tagami (HT) for the strong se

The modeling of non-reflecting one-dimensional dispersive media is discussed. The media are temporal dispersive with a spatially varying impedance. It is shown that the effects from the variation of the impedance can be matched by the temporal dispersive effects so that the media do not reflect any field regardless of the shape of the incident transient field. The problem of finding reflectionless

We have analysed an extracted RNase sensitive fraction containing telomeric repeat sequences in the telomerase negative dipteran Chironomus tentans. It shows a slow and well-defined electophoretic migration corresponding to > 20 kb and is sensitive not only to RNase, but also to DNase. It hybridizes to both strands of the telomeric repeat with about equal intensities. DNA is probably the dominant

The European hummingbird hawkmoth, Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus 1758), drinks nectar while hovering in front of flowers of all colours, odours, sizes and shapes. Naive moths orient predominantly towards visual stimuli and prefer blue flowers with a radial pattern and a central contrasting spot. Hummingbird hawkmoths have trichromatic colour vision and can learn any colour and different patte

We report on fabrication of double quantum dots in catalytically grown InAs/InP nanowire heterostructures. In the few-electron regime, starting with both dots empty, our low-temperature transport measurements reveal a clear shell structure for sequential charging of the larger of the two dots with up to 12 electrons. The resonant current through the double dot is found to depend on the orbital cou

Yoghurts were produced with 24 different cultures differing in their ability to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS). Rheological and sensory analyses showed large differences in texture properties in the yoghurt samples. EPS production was found to have a major effect oil the texture properties, but varying textures within the EPS +/- groups were also found. Yoghurts fermented with EPS-producing cult

PURPOSE. To characterize the spectrum of mutations in the OPA1 gene in a large international panel of patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (adOA), to improve understanding of the range of functional deficits attributable to sequence variants in this gene, and to assess any genotype-phenotype correlations. METHODS. All 28 coding exons of OPA1, intron-exon splice sites, 273 bp 5' to exon 1

The radiobiological effect of intracellularly localised radionuclides emitting low energy electrons (Auger electrons) has received much attention. Most in vivo studies reported have been performed in the mouse testis. We have investigated the rat testis as an in vivo radiobiological model, with sperm-head survival, testis weight loss and also alteration in the blood plasma hormone levels of FSH an

Popular Abstract in Swedish I denna avhandling studeras korruption och mutor som i första hand sociala och moraliska, snarare än ekonomiska, fenomen. Vilka beskrivningar och tolkningar ger svenska och danska biståndsarbetare av sina möten med vardaglig korruption? Hur fördömes, ursäktas eller rättfärdigas användandet av mutor? Går det att tala om en etikett för mutor, och hur ser denna i så fall uIn this dissertation, corruption and bribery are investigated as social and moral, rather than economic, phenomena. The analysis concentrates on the ways in which Swedish and Danish aid workers describe their experiences of everyday or 'petty' corruption. How do they view their encounters with everyday corruption in developing countries? In what ways are bribes condemned, excused, or justified? Wh

Popular Abstract in Swedish Bakgrund När en kärlskada uppstår är det viktigt att blödningen snabbt kan stoppas. Detta åstadkomms genom att koagulationssystemet bildar en blodpropp vid skadestället. Von Willebrand faktorn (VWF) är ett stort protein som cirkulerar i blodet. Detta protein ingår, tillsammans med blodplättarna, i koagulationssystemets första fas. När ett kärl skadas binder VWF (som seVon Willebrand factor (VWF) is synthesized and secreted by endothelial cells into the plasma as a series of multimers. VWF induces the formation of platelet plugs at sites of vascular injury and high shear stress. Biological activity is dependent on multimeric size, which is regulated in plasma by the VWF-cleaving protease ADAMTS13. Severe ADAMTS13 deficiency is associated with thrombotic thromboc

Dimethylaminopurine (DMAP) has previously been used as an inhibitor of phosphorylation in studies of meiotic events, and more recently to investigate TNFα signaling, because of its potential to inhibit activation of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Here we have addressed the effects of DMAP on metabolic insulin responses in adipocytes and on intracellular insulin signaling molecules. At 100 μmol/L,

The reactive vascular-injuring amino acid homocysteine was measured in plasma samples from 79 well-characterized type 1 diabetic patients and 46 control subjects. Patients with proliferative retinopathy had higher homocysteine levels (15.0 +/- 6.3 mumols l-1; mean +/- SD, p less than 0.001; n = 42) than those with progressive retinopathy during a two-year period (10.4 +/- 1.6 mumols l-1; n = 12),