A series of cationic diblock copolymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(48)-block-poly((3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride)(x), abbreviated as PNIPAAM(48)-b-PAMPTMA(X)(+) (X = 0, 6, 10, 14, and 20), has been synthesized, and their adsorption onto silicon oxynitride from aqueous solution has been investigated using dual polarization interferometry. The polymer adsorption was modeled by usin

The purpose of this study was to evaluate lesion conspicuity achieved with five different iterative reconstruction techniques from four CT vendors at three different dose levels. Comparisons were made of iterative algorithm and filtered back projection (FBP) among and within systems. An anthropomorphic liver phantom was examined with four CT systems, each from a different vendor. CTDIvol levels of

The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology enables the study of tourists’ activities and movement patterns in real time. But what does this information tell us about tourists’ subjective experiences? The present paper accounts for the results from four case studies: two event studies and two destination studies. Two of these took place in the wintertime, and two in the summertime. Visit

The breakup of a liquid jet into irregular liquid structures and droplets leading to the formation of a dilute spray has been simulated numerically. To overcome the shortcomings of certain numerical methods in specific flow regimes, a combined approach has been chosen. The intact liquid core, its primary breakup and the dense spray regime are simulated using the volumes of fluid (VOF) method in co

The rearrangement of the phosphine-thioether ligand in 1,2-(P-eq,S-eq)-Os-3(CO)(10)(Ph2PCH2CH2SMe) to 1,1-(P-eq,S-ax)-Os-3(CO)(10)(Ph2PCH2CH2SMe) was investigated by electronic structure calculations. The chelated isomer lies 2.5 kcal/mol lower in energy than its bridged counterpart, and the barrier computed for the mechanism is in agreement with the results from our earlier experimental study. Ph

A [(18)F]Fluoride water target was constructed for a Scanditronix MC 17 cyclotron, without a beam line, with a typical wide beam of ∼30×5mm(2). Niobium was used as target chamber material. One hour irradiation with 45μA protons yields about 110GBq [(18)F]Fluoride. The saturation yield is 8.0±0.6GBq/μA (EOB). The FDG yield is 60±5% (EOS) with a TracerLab MX (G.E. Healthcare). More than 100GBq FDG i

“Figurativity”, roughly paraphrased as that which is not accounted for by the system, is a residue concept of both Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and of Greimasean semiotics. In the latter case, however, figurativity has been related to the second, so-called plastic layer of the picture, which is opposed to the pictorial layer, by means of which the picture is doing its job of depicting

Over the last few decades, increasing rates of change in the structure and function of ecosystems have been brought about by human modification of land cover, of which a major component is vegetation. Metrics derived from linear regression models applied to high temporal resolution satellite data are commonly used to estimate rates of vegetation change. This approach implicitly assumes that vegeta

Polymorphisms in the δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) genes may modify lead metabolism and neurotoxicity. Two cohorts of children were examined for hearing [pure-tone audiometry (PTA), brain stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP)], acoustic otoemission (transient emission evoked by a click) and blood-lead concentrations (B-Pb). The children were genotyped f

T1 mapping is widely used today in CMR, however, it underestimates true T1 values and its measurement error is influenced by several acquisition parameters. The purpose of this study was the extraction of accurate T1 data through the utilization of comprehensive, parallel Simulations for QUAntifying RElaxation Magnetic Resonance constants (SQUAREMR) of the MOLLI pulse sequence on a large populatio

OBJECTIVE: to highlight the experiences of pregnant women, experiencing preterm labour, being on sick leave at home and how they handled their daily life. DESIGN: qualitative, descriptive using open interviews. SETTING: 10 antenatal clinics in the south of Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: 15 pregnant women who were on sick leave for premature labour. FINDINGS: four categories were identified: how to interpre

Many bacteria have evolved ways to interact with glycosylation functions of the immune system of their hosts. Streptococcus pyogenes [GAS (group A Streptococcus)] secretes the enzyme EndoS that cleaves glycans on human IgG and impairs the effector functions of the antibody. The ndoS gene, encoding EndoS, has, until now, been thought to be conserved throughout the serotypes. However, in the present

A thorough understanding of how proteins induce nanoparticle (NP) aggregation is crucial when designing in vitro and in vivo assays and interpreting experimental results. This knowledge is also crucial when developing nano-applications and formulation for drug delivery systems. In this study, we found that extraction of immunoglobulin G (IgG) from cow serum results in lower polystyrene NPs aggrega

Regarding the recently published review "Looking for new treatments of Infantile Colic" by Savino et al. we want to add that positive effects of acupuncture have been demonstrated to release pain and agitation and that acupuncture seems to be a safe treatment when performed by trained acupuncturists. Inconclusive results in the few published articles on the subject can be due to different acupunct

We present the use of a simple microfluidic technique to separate living parasites from human blood. Parasitic trypanosomatids cause a range of human and animal diseases. African trypanosomes, responsible for human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), live free in the blood and other tissue fluids. Diagnosis relies on detection and due to their often low numbers against an overwhelming bac

To evaluate robustness, prebiotic utilisation of Lactobacillus paracasei F8 and Lact. plantarum F44 in mono- and co-cultures with Bifidobacterium breve 46 and B. animalis sub sp. lactis 8:8 and antimicrobial activity of co-culture against Clostridium difficile.

Background: Spouses are exposed to common environmental cancer risk factors during adulthood. Investigating the aggregation of cancer in couples might provide valuable insights into cancer development. Methods: The 2008 update of the Swedish Family-Cancer Database includes over 2 million couples with at least one child in common with one single partner. We quantified the contribution of shared adu

To identify genetic loci influencing central obesity and fat distribution, we performed a meta-analysis of 16 genome-wide association studies (GWAS, N = 38,580) informative for adult waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). We selected 26 SNPs for follow-up, for which the evidence of association with measures of central adiposity (WC and/or WHR) was strong and disproportionate to that f