It has been argued that the decay rates of several radioactive nuclides are slightly lower at Earth's aphelion than at perihelion, and that this effect might depend on heliocentric distance. It might then be expected that nuclear decay rates be considerably lower at larger distances from the sun, e.g., in the asteroid belt at 2-3 AU from where most meteorites originate. If so, ages of meteorites o

BACKGROUND: The objective of lung transplantation (LTx) is to prolong life, but the survival benefit for patients with severe α(1)-anti-trypsin deficiency (PiZZ) and emphysema is still unclear. The aim of this study was to assess whether PiZZ patients who have undergone lung transplantation (the lung transplant group, TxG) do better than patients who have continued on the usual medical therapy (th

Improving effectiveness in response to H1N1 outbreaks requires us to understand how different organisations within the outbreak coordination network work collectively to share information needed to operate at optimal level. Research for developing reliable framework for the collection of inter-organisational coordinated response data and its impact on decision-making and support system for disease

Longer survival in women than men after rectal cancer surgery has been reported. Our hypothesis was that after correction for the longer life expectancy of females, a survival benefit for women would still remain.

Intraoral target (typing) and on-screen target (pointing/tracking) selection tasks were performed by 10 participants during 3 consecutive day sessions. Tasks were performed using 2 different intraoral sensor layouts. Reduction of undesired sensor activations while speaking as well as the influence of intraoral temperature variation on the signals of the intraoral interface was investigated. Result

Four international study groups undertook a large study in resectable osteosarcoma, which included two randomised controlled trials, to determine the effect on survival of changing post-operative chemotherapy based on histological response.

Staphylococcus aureus is sometimes isolated from the airways during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but more commonly recognized as a cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Antimicrobial proteins, among them midkine (MK), are an important part of innate immunity in the airways. In this study, the levels and possible processing of MK in relation to S. au

Nitrogen is the only macronutrient that is commonly available to plants in both oxidized and reduced forms, mainly nitrate and ammonium. The physiological and molecular effects of nitrate supply have been well studied, but comparatively little is known about ammonium nutrition and its differential effects on cell function and gene expression. We have used a physiologically realistic hydroponic gro

Background High plasma HDL cholesterol is associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction, but whether this association is causal is unclear. Exploiting the fact that genotypes are randomly assigned at meiosis, are independent of non-genetic confounding, and are unmodified by disease processes, mendelian randomisation can be used to test the hypothesis that the association of a plasma biomar

Under the current accounting systems, emissions produced when biomass is burnt for energy are accounted as zero, resulting in what is referred to as the 'carbon neutrality' assumption. However, if current harvest levels are increased to produce more bioenergy, carbon that would have been stored in the biosphere might be instead released in the atmosphere. This study utilizes a comparative approach

The mineralogy, petrology, and fluid inclusion chemistry of two charnockite patches within a distance of 4-5 km of the Varberg magmatic charnockite intrusion, SW Sweden, are investigated and described utilizing SEM, EMPA, and fluid inclusion microthermometry. Garnet-clinopyroxene (890-930 degrees C), garnet-amphibole (600-800 degrees C), and garnet-biotite (670-860 degrees C) Fe-Mg exchange thermo

The bisphenols AF (BPAF) and S (BPS) are structural analogs of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), and are used in common products as a replacement for BPA. To elucidate genome-wide gene expression responses, estrogen-dependent osteosarcoma cells were cultured with 10nM BPA, BPAF, or BPS, for 8h and 3months. Genome-wide gene expression was analyzed using the Illumina Expression BeadChip. Th

BACKGROUND: Most men with elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) do not have prostate cancer, leading to a large number of unnecessary biopsies. A statistical model based on a panel of four kallikreins has been shown to predict the outcome of a first prostate biopsy. In this study, we apply the model to an independent data set of men with previous negative biopsy but persistently eleva

Barley malt, a product of controlled germination, has been shown to produce high levels of butyric acid in the cecum and portal serum of rats and may therefore have anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of the study was to investigate how four barley malts, caramelized and colored malts, 50-malt and 350-malt, differing in functional characteristics concerning beta-glucan content and color, affect sho

A complete system for on-line sampling, sample handling and analysis of fermentation processes has been set up. The system is designed such that a sample is taken from the fermentor, the metabolism of microbial cells is instantaneously arrested, the cells are lysed in order to release intracellular compounds and in a subsequent binding assay the content of target molecules is monitored. The system

The aim of the study was to examine relationships between psychosocial family- and school environment and personality as assessed by the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-J) and possible personality interactional effects. The study was based on 244 Swedish girls and boys, 10-19 years old, who filled in the Family- and School Psychosocial Environment (FSPE) questionnaire and the EPQ-J.

Summary. Nonacog alfa, a recombinant factor IX (FIX) used for the treatment of haemophilia B, was approved in Europe in 1998. In accordance with European Medicines Agency requirements, a registry study was conducted from 2002 to 2009. A reformulated iso-osmotic version was approved for European use in 2007. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety of nonacog alfa in a usual care setting, an