Calcium phosphates have been of great interest in the field of medicine for many decades due to their biocompatibility, hardening properties and diverse areas of application. In this study two different alpha phase tricalcium phosphate powders were produced of distinctly different particle size distributions. These two powders were then tested for reactivity and phase evolution. X-ray diffraction

The ability of electrical field stimulation in releasing transmitter from isolated blood vessels in vitro, during recordings of constrictor or dilator responses, is dependent upon an appropriate choice of stimulation parameters which avoid concomitant change in tone due to a direct effect on the vascular smooth muscle membrane. In many species, including man, small arteries such as pial arteries f

The Ikaros project started in 2001 with the aim at developing an open infrastructure for system-level brain modeling. The system has developed into a general tool for cognitive modeling as well as robot control. This report describes the main parts of the Ikaros system, in particular the simulation kernel, and summarizes the work done within the first five years of the project.

Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) and Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) in Sweden have been monitored as part of the International Waterbird Census (IWC) since 1967. For the Whooper Swan, midwinter indices show fluctuations around a slowly increasing trend. Country-wide surveys in 1971-72, 1988-89, 1995 and 2000, however found a more substantial increase in numbers, with national totals estimated at 2,000, 4,0

The flame propagation in a spark-ignition engine has been studied using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of species formed during the first ignition stage of hydrocarbon combustion. The detected two-dimensional LIF images showed the distribution of unburned regions. For the excitation, two Nd:YAG lasers operating at 355 mn were used for two consecutive measurements within the same engine cycle wit

Aseptic loosening of the tibial component is the major complication of total knee arthroplasty There is an association between early excessive shear micromotion between the bone and the tray of the tibial component and late aseptic loosening. Using non-linear finite element analysis, whether a tibial tray with a circumferentially flanged rim and a mating cut in the proximal tibia could minimize bo

Sweden is perceived to be top ranking. and a 'role model', in terms of its volume of academic R&D. This perception is based on analyses using two standard indicators. We assess the validity of these and argue that institutional features skew the result in favour of a high ranking. Swedish academic R&D is more appropriately characterised as average. or below average. in terms of input and a

IgE reactivity to the opportunistic yeast Malassezia furfur can be found in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). We have previously cloned and expressed 6 recombinant allergens (rMal f 1. rMal f 5-9) from M. furfur. In the present study, we used ImmunoCAP to investigate whether these rMal f allergens can be useful in the diagnosis of M. furfur-associated AD compared with the M. furfur extract. A

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is a neutrophil granule protein with potent bactericidal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-neutralizing activities. The purpose of this study was to determine if a human recombinant BPI product, rBPI23, would influence neutrophil (PMN) sequestration into various tissues in a rat burn injury model. Leukosequestration may produce local tissue injury from

The insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 is an important component of the insulin signal transduction cascade. Several reports suggest that a Gly-->Arg change in codon 972 is associated with type 2 diabetes and related traits, and a recent meta-analysis reported a modest but nominally significant association with type 2 diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.25 in favor of carriers of the Arg allele [95% CI 1.