distribution G on [math not displayed] is called matrix-exponential if the density has the form αeTz s where α is a row vector, T a square matrix and s a column vector. Equivalently, the Laplace transform is rational. For such distributions, we develop an operator calculus, where the key step is manipulation of analytic functions f(z) extended to matrix arguments. The technique is illustrated via

OBJECTIVE: To study how the incidence of cancer is related to diabetes, obesity or abnormal blood lipids. METHODS: Diagnosis of diabetes, obesity or abnormal blood lipids was studied 0-10 years prior to the diagnosis of cancer in 19,756 cases of cancer and in 147,324 controls matched regarding age, sex and domicile. RESULTS: Diabetes was significantly more common prior to diagnosis in patients w

Cerebrospinal fluid (CFS) is the most easily accessible component of the human central nervous system and has been successfully used for the analysis of disease-associated molecular imbalances, particularly for extracellular matrix components. Alterations in the presence of the nervous system-associated chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan neurocan had been reported from active multiple sclerosis lesi

In order to study protein function and activity structural data is required. Since experimental structures are available for just a small fraction of all known protein sequences, computational methods such as protein modelling can provide useful information. Over the last few decades we have predicted, with homology modelling methods, the structures for numerous proteins. In this study we assess t

A key feature of sepsis is hypovolemia due to increased microvascular permeability. It has been suggested that the negative charge of albumin and of the endothelial glycocalyx is important for maintenance of the normally low permeability for albumin. Here we tested the hypothesis that charge effects contribute to the increased permeability in sepsis. Transcapillary escape rate (TER) and initial di

Mercury is the only atmospheric pollutant that is present in the atmosphere in atomic form. The optical resonance line at 254 nm can be used for absorption measurements using different optical remote sensing techniques. Range-resolved Hg mapping can be performed using the differential absorption lidar (DIAL) technique. We have used the lidar technique both for mapping of industrial plumes and for

Pigs of the same genetic type at the RN and HAL loci, i.e. rn(+) RN-/NN were reared in similar conditions of feeding and housing. They were slaughtered in two abattoirs (referred to as A1 and A2) using a mixture of air (30%) and CO2 (70%), at a rate of 300 pigs per hour per slaughterline. One hundred and thirty-two pigs from I I farms were slaughtered in A I using a corusinga restrainer and 127 pi

Tidigare forskning om motivation vid lärande har tenderat att fokusera på attributioner (de tolkningar elever och andra gör av orsaker till framgångar och misslyckanden) självuppfattning, målorientering och elevers autonomi. Denna avhandling syftar dels till att beskriva bakgrunden och skolgången för de elever som går på gymnasiets estetiska programs musikgren, dels till att mäta den motivation deIn previous studies research on motivation in education has tended to be focused on attribution (perceived causes of success and failure), self perception, goal orientation and autonomy. This thesis aims to describe the background and schooling of music students and to measure their motivation for music education. Motivation is viewed as a cognitive process, which influences learning through achie

Background: Patients and physicians both play an important role in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess important factors of delay in diagnosis at different centers and on three continents. Methods: Between October 2001 and October 2002, patients with histologically confirmed invasive melanoma were included in the study and given an established qu

Theoretical work on intraguild predation suggests that if a top predator and an intermediate predator share prey, the system will be stable only if the intermediate predator is better at exploiting the prey, and the top predator gains significantly from consuming the intermediate predator. In mammalian carnivore systems, however, there are examples of top predator species that attack intermediate

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with regard to its clinical course. The limitations of the methods currently available for prognostic assessment in CLL do not allow accurate prediction of the risk of disease progression in Individual patients. The recently developed cDNA array technique provides a unique opportunity to study gene expression in various malignancies. To

The aim of this study is to extend the traffic safety assessment concept to also include normal road user behaviour, thus not only exceptional behaviours such as accidents and serious conflicts. The goal is to provide a framework for a more thorough description and analysis of safety related road user behaviour in order to better understand the traffic safety processes. The traffic safety process

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A calculation scheme with significant modifications and improvements for determining the ionization balance and the ion temperature evolution in an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) is presented. The scheme is applied to thorium, tantalum and oxygen ions using a specific set of EBIT operating parameters. The results of the calculation are compared to experiment and previous calculations. Rates for the