We investigate the interaction of light and gas in strongly scattering nano- and macroporous media. Manufacturing and structural characterization of ZrO2, Al2O3 and TiO2 ceramics with different pore sizes, measurements of optical properties using photon time-of-flight spectroscopy, and high-resolution laser spectroscopy of O-2 at 760 nm are reported. We show that extreme light scattering can be ut

Male patients with terminal renal failure are often infertile and exhibit an abnormal sex hormone pattern in plasma. We studied patients in all chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages to determine plasma levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a Sertoli cell-derived marker, and other sex hormones. Seventy-eight male patients with CKD stages 1-5 and a median age of 40 years (22-50 years), as well as 20

The aim of this article is to show that ideas pertaining to sacred sexuality or sacred marriage are as old as Sumerian culture. While mainstream Christianity developed an alternate view on sexuality, the Jewish Kabbalah transmitted similar ideas. In Asia, sacred sexuality has been an integrated dimension of Hinduism and Buddhism. All these spiritual traditions camte together in 18th century London

Organic acids, central to terrestrial carbon metabolism and atmospheric photochemistry, are ubiquitous in the troposphere in the gas, particle, and aqueous phases. As the dominant organic acids in the atmosphere, formic acid (FA, HCOOH) and acetic acid (AA, CH3COOH) control precipitation acidity in remote regions and may represent a critical link between the terrestrial carbon and water cycles by

Acute cellular rejection (ACR) the first year after heart transplantation (HT) and its impact on survival was investigated. All 215 HT-patients at our centre 1988-2010, including 219 HTs and 2990 1(st) -year endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs), were studied. "Routine"-EMBs obtained 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 32, 40 and 52 weeks after HT, and "additional clinically indicated" (ACI) EMBs, were

Evolution of lignocellulose decomposition was one of the most ecologically important innovations in fungi. White rot fungi in the Agaricomycetes (mushrooms and relatives) are the most effective microorganisms in degrading both cellulose and lignin components of woody plant cell walls (PCW). However, the precise evolutionary origins of lignocellulose decomposition are poorly understood, largely bec

Objective To study the influence of antiinflammatory treatments, including methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, on antibody response following vaccination using a 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine in adult patients with established arthritis. Methods. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondylarthropathy (SpA) (including psoriatic arthritis) were vaccinated

Because of the complicated running condition and many unpredicted factors such as unmodelled dynamics and external disturbances, the fault analysis of the high-speed motorized spindle is proved difficult. In this paper, a novel experimental method is proposed to research the vibration characteristics of the running high-speed motorized spindle. The method consists of four steps. Firstly, the vibra

Nogo-A is a transmembrane protein originally discovered in myelin, produced by postnatal central nervous system (CNS) oligodendrocytes. Nogo-A induces growth cone collapse and inhibition of axonal growth in the injured adult CNS. In the intact CNS, Nogo-A functions as a negative regulator of growth and plasticity. Nogo-A is also expressed by certain neurons. Neuronal Nogo-A depresses long-term pot

Despite 3 decades of basic and clinical studies, there is still no dopaminergic cell therapy for Parkinson's disease. Several arguments have been put forward why this approach, so far tested with transplantation of human fetal mesencephalic dopamine-rich tissue, will never be of clinical use and should be abandoned: (1) Lack of efficacy in 2 sham surgery-controlled trials; (2) occurrence of troubl

Novel glycosides of piceid (3,4'-5-trihydroxy stilbene 3-O-beta-D-glucoside) were produced by the transglycosylation reactions of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) from Bacillus macerans, with piceid (PicG(1)) and maltodextrin as the acceptor and donor substrates, respectively. The reactions were performed at 40 degrees C with 2.56 mM piceid (0.1% w/v) and maltodextrin (5% w/v) in 0.02 M ci

To evaluate the presence of multilayered epithelium (ME) and to compare the distribution, size and morphology of the oesophageal submucosal glands (SMG) beneath reflux exposed metaplastic columnar mucosa with those of normal squamous epithelium in patients with columnar lined oesophagus (CLO).

This study estimates health utilities (HU) in Sweden for a range of type 2 diabetes-related complications using EQ-5D and two alternative tariffs (UK and Swedish) from 1757 patients with type 2 diabetes from the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR). Ordinary least squares were used for statistical analysis. Lower HU was found for female gender, younger age at diagnosis, higher BMI, and history

The epigenetic regulator Bmi1 controls proliferation in many organs. Reexpression of cell cycle proteins such as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) is a hallmark of neuronal apoptosis in neurodegenerative diseases. Here we address the potential role of Bmi1 as a key regulator of cell cycle proteins during neuronal apoptosis. We show that several cell cycle proteins are expressed in different models o

A modified heat-moisture exchanger that incorporates a reflecting filter for use with partial rebreathing of exhaled volatile anaesthetics has been commercially available since the 1990s. The main advantages of the device are efficient delivery of inhaled sedation to intensive care patients and reduced anaesthetic consumption during anaesthesia. However, elevated arterial CO2 values have been obse

We present a comprehensive characterization of the optical quality of InP nanopillars (NPs) fabricated by a top down approach using micro-photoluminescence (mu-PL), time-resolved PL, and cathodoluminescence (CL). A lattice matched InGaAs layer provided beneath the 1 mu m tall NPs functions as a "detector" in CL for monitoring carrier diffusion in InP NP. Carrier feeding to the InGaAs layer indicat

The use of ground-source heat pumps for heating and domestic hot water in dwellings is common in Sweden. The combination with solar collectors has been introduced to reduce the electricity demand in the system. In order to analyze different systems with combinations of solar collectors and ground-source heat pumps, computer simulations have been carried out with the simulation program TRNSYS. Larg