Complex surface reconstructions and surface oxides, in particular, often exhibit complicated atomic arrangements, which are difficult to resolve with traditional experimental methods, such as low energy electron diffraction (LEED), surface X-ray diffraction (SXRD) or scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) alone. Therefore, ab initio density functional calculations are used as a supplement to the exp

Fungi of the genus Termitomyces live in an obligate symbiosis with termites of the subfamily Macrotermitinae. Many species of Termitomyces frequently form fruit bodies, which develop from the fungus comb within the nest. In this study, we determined the mating system of a species of Termitomyces associated with the South African termite Macrotermes natalensis. Termite nests were excavated and a Te

The organic fraction of atmospheric aerosols contains a multitude of compounds and usually only a small fraction can be identified and quantified. However, a limited number of representative organic compounds can be used to describe the water-soluble organic fraction. In this work, initiated within the EU 5FP project SMOCC, four mixtures containing various amounts of inorganic salts (ammonium sulf

In conventional synthetic transmit aperture imaging (STA) the image is built up from a number of low resolution images each originating from consecutive single element firings to yield a high resolution image. This lowers the frame rate and may result in motion artifacts. This paper, describes a method in which all transmitting centers can be excited at the same time and separated at the receiver

In this paper, insurers' credibility problems explain contracting, co-operation, and regulation in the insurance industry. First, it is noted that cheating by policyholders may be eliminated if the insurer withholds compensation on the basis of detecting careless behaviour with high enough probability. Then, assuming that care taken is imperfectly observable and non-contractible, the problem that

The Second Consensus Conference on Stroke Management took place from 22 to 24 March 2006 in Helsingborg, Sweden. The meeting was arranged by the International Stroke Society, endorsed by the European Stroke Council and International Stroke Society, and co-sponsored by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It was arranged in collaboration with the European Region of the World Confederation for Physic

Effects of water flow velocityon nitrification, denitrification, andthe metabolism of dissolved oxygen andinorganic carbon in macrophyte-epiphytoncomplexes were investigated in the presentstudy. The metabolic rates were measured inmicrocosms containing shoots of Potamogeton pectinatus L. with epiphyticbiofilms in the light and dark with no flow orwith the flow velocities of 0.03 and 9 cms–1. Photo

The Anderson-Wilkins (AW) electrocardiographic (ECG) acuteness score complements time from pain onset in prognostic stratification of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, for the AW acuteness score to be of practical use in the acute situation, it must be an integral component of a commercial automated ECG analysis program. The objective of this study was to determine the conc

Egle Robineau-Desvoidy is a modest-sized genus of small blackish anthomyiids with a Holarctic and northern Oriental distribution. They are univoltine, interacting closely with the host plants of their seed-feeding larvae, mainly species of willow (Salix), but also poplar (Populus) and false tamarisk (Myricaria) support some species. Summaries are given of adult and larval habits based on published

In the present paper, an optimization of the draw-in of an automotive sheet metal part has been carried out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Space Mapping technique. The optimization adjusts the drawbead restraining force in the model such that the draw-in in the FE model corresponds to the draw-in in the physical process. The conclusion of this study is that Space Mapping is a very ef

Dietary sphingomyelin (SM) may have regulatory effects on cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in the colon. Alkaline sphingomyelinase (SMase) is the major enzyme responsible for hydrolysis of SM in the gut. Previously we purified the enzyme and showed that the presence of glycerophospholipids inhibited SM hydrolysis induced by alkaline SMase in vitro. In the present work, we studied the effects o

Tibialis anterior muscle biopsies from moderately active men and women (21-30 yr; n = 30) were examined to determine potential gender differences in capillarization. The fiber type proportions [type I (T1) similar to73%] were unaffected by gender. The men (M) had significantly (P < 0.001) larger fibers than the women (W), with a greater gender effect for type II (T2) fibers P < 0.001). The M and W

Using photoemission spectromicroscopy at sub-micron lateral resolution we studied two superconductor systems of high fundamental and practical importance, such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta and MgB2. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering, for this class of systems, the possible presence of spatial inhomogeneities in interpreting the results of conventional photoemission experiments, whic

An injectable material consisting of calcium sulphate mixed with hydroxyapatite was investigated as a possible alternative to autograft in the restoration of bone defects. The material was studied both in vitro in simulated body fluid (SBF) and in vivo when implanted in rat muscles and into the proximal tibiae of rabbits. Variation in the strength and weight of the material during ageing in SBF wa