Background: The clinical benefit of combining long-acting beta(2)-agonists with inhaled corticosteroids rather than doubling the dose of corticosteroid has been well-documented. However, there are concerns that this might result in a masking of underlying airway inflammation. Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the addition of the long-acting beta(2)-agonist salmeterol

The β-delayed neutron branches from neutron-rich Be-isotopes have been measured with a setup sensitive down to thermal energies. For 14Be a new value of Pn = 101 ± 4% has been found for the total neutron-emission probability and an upper limit of 2.4% (95% confidence level) is imposed on the combination P2n + 3P3n of multi-neutron emission probabilities. Moreover, an improved value of Pn = 0.50 ±

To obtain a perspective of changes occurring in the marine environment it is essential to study an area over a long time span. Doing so might also facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms and processes that govern a certain marine setting. In this thesis, changes in the pelagic and benthic environment during the last c. 200 years have been investigated in two fjords on the Swedish west coast

In crossing theory for stochastic processes the distribution of quantities such as distances between level crossings, maximum height of an excursion between level crossings, amplitude and wavelength, etc., can only be written in the form of infinite-dimensional integrals, which are difficult to evaluate numerically. A Slepian model is an explicit random function representation of the process after

Although only about 20 m thick, the Anderso Shale contains one of the most diverse, if not the most diverse, late Middle-early Late Ordovician faunas known in Baltoscandia. It includes more than 20 trilobite species, more than 20 species of other shelly fossils, about 10 graptolite species, and about 20 conodont species. Based on its lithology, its geographical position near the foreland basin mar

We here demonstrate the presence of a plasma membrane-associated phospholipase A(2) (EC 3.1.1.4; PLA(2)) activity in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves. The pH profile of the spinach plasma membrane PLA(2) activity revealed two peaks, one at pH 4.4 and one at pH 5.5. The activity at pH 5.5 had an absolute requirement of Ca2+, with full enzyme activity at 10mumol/L Ca2+. The Ca2+-dependent PLA(2) a

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder believed to be exclusively caused by mutations in the CYP27A1 gene coding for the enzyme sterol 27-hydroxylase. Common findings in CTX are tendon xanthomas, cataracts and progressive neurological dysfunction. Here, we characterize an adult female patient with tendon xanthomas and classic biochemical findings of CTX (i.e. h

A survey of reservation-based CPU scheduling, developed as a part of the VINNOVA project FISS2 and of the EU project ACTORS The field of Reservation-based scheduling is presented. A brief history is given together with an in-depth look at the main classes of reservation-based scheduling algorithms. An overview of important publicly available implementations of reservation-based schedulers is prov

Object. The authors investigated whether cyclosporin A (CsA), a cyclophilin ligand with mitochondrial permeability transition pore-blocking and calcineurin-inhibiting properties, affects motor function, neuronal death, and life span in the G93A transgenic mouse model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). Methods. The G93A mice received weekly intracerebroventricular injections of CsA (

Abstract is not available

The high fat-fed mouse is an experimental model for studies of islet dysfunction as a mechanism for glucose intolerance and for evaluation of therapeutic targets. This model is, however, dynamic with a temporal and dietary fat content-dependent impact on islet function and glucose tolerance, the details of which are unknown. This study therefore examined the time course of changes in the insulin r

This article addresses the concern that democratization may contribute to the reproduction of neo-patrimonialism, rather than to counteract it. The article reports the result of a survey among members of parliament in Ghana regarding their election campaigns. Total spending, sources of funds, and their usage are analysed in the context of the consolidation of liberal democracy. The survey results

A newly developed aluminium-polymer-laminated steel reflector for use in solar concentrators was evaluated with respect to its optical properties, durability, and reflector performance in solar thermal and photovoltaic systems. The optical properties of the reflector material were investigated using spectrophotometer and scatterometry. The durability of the reflector was tested in a climatic test

Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF) is a recently described entity. It is a low-grade sarcoma that occurs primarily in the deep soft tissues of the extremities of adults. It may histologically simulate benign lesions such as fibroma and myxoma or malignancies such as sclerosing carcinoma and lymphoma, extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, clear cell sarcoma of tendons and aponeuroses, and syn

High blood pressure (BP) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Both genetic and environmental factors are implicated in BP homeostatsis and hypertension development. The aims of the present theisis were: (a) to test if ambulatory BP (ABP) is better than office BP (OBP) to capture the heritable part of BP and if BP variability (BPV) measured by ABP monitoring is a heritable tra