One of the challenges facing prosthetic designers and engineers is to restore the missing sensory function inherit to hand amputation. Several different techniques can be employed to provide amputees with sensory feedback: sensory substitution methods where the recorded stimulus is not only transferred to the amputee, but also translated to a different modality (modality-matched feedback), which t

Imazalil (IMZ) is a fungicide used in the cultivation of vegetables, such as cucumbers, in green houses or post-harvest on fruit to avoid spoilage due to fungal growth. Agricultural workers can be occupationally exposed to IMZ and the general public indirectly by the diet. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an LC-MS-MS method for the analysis of IMZ in human urine. The method us

Consider the random graph on n vertices 1,...,n. Each vertex i is assigned a type x(i) with x(1),...,x(n) being independent identically distributed as a nonnegative random variable X. We assume that EX3 < infinity. Given types of all vertices, an edge exists between vertices i and j independent of anything else and with probability min{1, x(i)x(j)/n (1 + a/n(1/3))}. We study the critical phase, wh

Recent studies indicate that the urokinase system could have an important role in atherogenesis and plaque rupture. The relationships among the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), carotid plaque, and incidence of ischemic stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD) events were studied in a prospective cohort.

Postprandial lipemia varies with composition of dietary fat due to partitioning of fatty acids between beta-oxidation, incorporation into TAG, and tissue lipids. Effects of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) are poorly characterized. Lipase-catalyzed transesterification was used to produce a novel ALA-oil (35% ALA) from rapeseed and linseed oil. We hypothesized a lower postprandial lipemic response with A

This paper deals with a continuous review, two-echelon serial (two locations) inventory system with perishable items. Transportation times and the lifetime of items are fixed. When the age of an item has reached its lifetime, the item is useless and consequently discarded from the system. The downstream location faces Poisson demand, and demand that cannot be met immediately is backordered. In thi

The notion of the phoneme counts as a break-through of modern theoretical linguistics in the early twentieth century. It paved the way for descriptions of distinctive features at different levels in linguistics. Although it has since then had a turbulent existence across altering theoretical positions, it remains a powerful concept of a fundamental unit in spoken language. At the same time, its co

Study Design. A register cohort study.Objective. To evaluate outcome of surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis without concomitant degenerative spondylolisthesis according to predominance of pain and to analyze the role of spinal fusion in conjunction with decompression in patients with predominant back or leg pain.Summary of Background Data. Predominance of back pain is associated with inferior outco

Since 2009, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regime has seen the emergence of several new political groups. This article analyses how the new political groups are positioning themselves in relation to the key UNFCCC principles (the North–South divide and ‘common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities’, CBDR/ RC). Drawing on original data, in

Finegoldia magna is a Gram-positive anaerobic commensal of the human skin microbiota, but also known to act as an opportunistic pathogen. Two primary virulence factors of F. magna are the subtilisin-like extracellular serine protease SufA and the adhesive protein FAF. This study examines the molecular mechanisms F. magna uses when colonising or establishing an infection in the skin. FAF was found

ELSA (European Leadership in Space Astrometry) is a four-year, EU-funded Research Training Network ending in September 2010. It has employed 10 postgraduate students and 5 postdocs for 2-3 years and financed a number of workshops, training events and topical meetings, culminating in the present symposium. The primary goal of ELSA is to train young scientists in the context of the Gaia project whil

We consider a splitting-based approximation of the abstract differential Riccati equation in the setting of Hilbert--Schmidt operators. The Riccati equation arises in many different areas and is important within the field of optimal control. In this paper we conduct a temporal error analysis and prove that the splitting method converges with the same order as the implicit Euler scheme, under the s

Introduction: Checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) is a moderate penetrance breast cancer risk gene, whose truncating mutation 1100delC increases the risk about twofold. We investigated gene copy-number aberrations and gene-expression profiles that are typical for breast tumors of CHEK2 1100delC-mutation carriers. Methods: In total, 126 breast tumor tissue specimens including 32 samples from patients carry

The interfacial structure of natural rubber (NR) colloids is investigated by means of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and electrokinetics over a broad range of KNO3 electrolyte concentrations (4-300 mM) and pH values (1-8). The asymptotic plateau value reached by NR electrophoretic mobility (mu) in the thin double layer limit supports the presence of a soft (ion- and water-pe

Intrastriatal transplantation of dopaminergic neurons can restore striatal dopamine levels and improve parkinsonian deficits, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are poorly understood. Here, we show that transplants of dopamine neurons partially restore activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the host striatal neurons. We evaluated synaptic plasticity in regions distal or proximal to the

In this second issue on the scholar and public intellectual Yu Jianrong, we address some of the topics that have been at the core of his academic work and where his research and views have helped shaped awareness of these issues among the general public and the academic community. We focus on the rural-urban divide, land issues (including land confiscations and property demolitions), the letters a

Background and AimsApomictic species (with asexual seed production) make up for 20-50 % of all taxonomically recognized species in northern Europe, but the phylogenetic relationships of apomictic species and the mode of evolution and speciation remain largely unknown and their taxonomy is consequently disputed.MethodsIn the present study, plastid psbD-trnT sequences (349 accessions) and 12 nuclear