Lake Urmia in north-western Iran is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world, and agricultural production in the surrounding area is limited by soil salinity. We investigated the effects of salinity on belowground microbial communities in soils collected from fields of cultivated onions (Allium cepa L.) and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), and sites with the native halophyte samphire (Salico

Estimation of the infarct size from body-surface ECGs in post-myocardial infarction patients has become possible using the Selvester scoring method. Automation of this scoring has been proposed in order to speed-up the measurement of the score and improving the inter-observer variability in computing a score that requires strong expertise in electrocardiography. In this work, we evaluated the qual

This paper focuses on the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the performance of seventeen control strategies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). It tackles the importance of using site-specific factors for nutrient enrichment when decision-makers have to select best operating strategies. Therefore, the LCA evaluation is repeated for three different scenarios depending on the limita

This paper reports a study of valence photoionization of the LiCl monomer and dimer. The behavior of the photoionization partial cross section for molecular valence orbitals was measured as a function of photon energy between 15 and 35 eV. A square-integrable-function method was used to model the ionization partial cross section in both the LiCl monomer and dimer.

Vast numbers of insects and passerines achieve long-distance migrations between summer and winter locations by undertaking high-altitude nocturnal flights. Insects such as noctuid moths fly relatively slowly in relation to the surrounding air, with airspeeds approximately one-third of that of passerines. Thus, it has been widely assumed that windborne insect migrants will have comparatively little

Ghrelin is a multifunctional peptide produced predominantly in the stomach, however substantial amounts have also been found in colostrum and milk. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of exogenous ghrelin, administered intra-gastrically, on the processes of mitosis, apoptosis, autophagy, crypt fission and changes in histometry of the small intestine mucosa in neonatal pigs, fed with

The present study aimed to estimate possible differences in upper body muscular load between male and female house painters performing identical work tasks. Sex-related differences in muscular load may help explain why women, in general, have more musculoskeletal complaints than men. In a laboratory setting, 16 male and 16 female house painters performed nine standardised work tasks common to hous

Cylindromatosis (CYLD) is a deubiquitination enzyme involved in the regulation of different cellular processes including inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer. The function of CYLD is via deubiquitination of specific substrates in different signaling pathways including NF-κB, Notch, and JNK. CYLD contributes to hepatic homeostasis and restoration upon liver injury. Mutation or disruption of the activ

Background: In this study data of three national surveys conducted among female sex workers (FSW), prison inmates and people who inject drugs (PWID) were presented and compared in relation to knowledge, attitude, and practises. Methods: The surveys were conducted in 2009 and 2010 and included 2546 PWID, 872 FSW and 5530 prison inmates. Knowledge, attitude and practises towards HIV were measured th

The possible impact of metal release from coronary artery stents has, with their increased use, become a concern.

It has been possible to detect cleft lip (CL), with or without cleft palate (CLP), using ultrasound (US) since the beginning of the 1980s. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and isolated cleft palate (ICP), in our catchment area. Screening protocols in the different US clinics in southern Sweden were also compared, as r

The aim of this study was to test whether there is an association between elevation and cognitive function among elderly residents in rural mountainous areas. Data were collected in 2012 from a cross-sectional study conducted in Ohnan Town, which is located in a rural mountainous area in the southern part of Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Cognitive function was evaluated using CADi (Cognitive Assessme

Being confronted with negative attitudes influences the self-concept of pregnant women. Few women in Sweden give birth at home, and Sweden does not have national home birth guidelines. This study describes women's experiences concerning reactions to their decision to give birth at home. One in five women experienced negative attitudes to a high extent from health care staff during the study period

To control flight, insects rely on the pattern of visual motion generated on the retina as they move through the environment. When light levels fall, vision becomes less reliable and flight control thus becomes more challenging. Here, we investigated the effect of light intensity on flight control by filming the trajectories of free-flying bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, Linnaeus, 1758) in an exper

Soot particle (black carbon) morphology is of dual interest, both from a health perspective and due to the influence of soot on the global climate. In this study, the mass-mobility relationships, and thus effective densities, of soot agglomerates from three types of soot emitting sources were determined in situ by combining a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and an aerosol particle mass analyz

Introduction. Over the years, Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) has worked toward consensus on core sets for outcome measurement in specific rheumatologic diseases. OMERACT core sets refer to the minimum number of domains and instruments essential to address the desired outcomes in trials. "Domains" are the attributes of an activity or function. This article discusses the

This article proposes a novel theoretical framework for examining trust-repair discourse. The model identifies two fundamental discourse strategies available to the trust-breaker when trust is at stake (i) to engage with and act upon the discourses that represent a potential source of distrust - neutralize the negative, (ii) to communicate a trustworthy discourse identity - emphasize the positive.

Although fear of falling (FOF) is common in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), there is a lack of research investigating potential predictors of FOF. This study explored the impact of motor, nonmotor, and demographic factors as well as complications of drug therapy on FOF among people with PD. Postal survey data (including the Falls Efficacy Scale, FES) from 154 nondemented people with PD were

Is there a difference in surgery time and complication rate when Doppler ultrasound (US) is used for the preoperative mapping of perforators in comparison with computer tomography angiography (CTA)? Women who were candidates for breast reconstruction using the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) free flap were enrolled in a prospective randomized study. The operating time was 249 ± 62 min (

rs7629265 and AF Risk ObjectiveWe examined the association of rs7626962 (S1103Y) or rs7629265, a variant in high linkage disequilibrium with S1103Y (r(2) = 0.87 - 1), with sudden cardiac death (SCD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) among African Americans. BackgroundThe SCN5A missense variant S1103Y has been associated with SCD among African Americans in small case-control studies, but larger populati