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Deficiencies in the classical pathway of complement activation have some common features but show also great differences. Deficiencies of each of the components (C1q, C1s, C1r, C4 and C2) imply increased susceptibility to bacterial infections. They are also associated with increased risk to develop systemic lupus erythematosus where deficiency of C1q is strongly associated to the disease while C4
Chalcopyrite structures are candidates for efficient intermediate-band solar cells in thin-film technology. Here, we examine a material combination of CuInSe2 dots embedded in CuGaS2 matrix and show that epitaxial growth leads to distinctive tetrahedral nanostructures. Our model calculations provide us with the optimal nanodot size to reach the maximum efficiency-in principle up to 61%. The optima
We answer a question by Judith Packer about the irreducibility of the wavelet representation associated to the Cantor set. We prove that if the QMF filter does not have constant absolute value, then the wavelet representation is reducible.
Alternating aromatic multiblock copolymers have been structurally designed to enable selective lithiation and subsequent anionic graft polymerization from only one of the two block types. The multiblock copolymers were prepared by coupling polyfluoroether (PFE) and polysulfone (PSU) precursor blocks under mild conditions. The judicious combination of blocks allowed for block selective lithiation o
Inelastic x-ray scattering spectra excited at the 1s(-1) pi* resonance of gas phase O-2 have been recorded with an overall energy resolution that allows for well-resolved vibrational progressions. The nuclear wave packet dynamics in the intermediate state is reflected in vibrational excitations of the electronic ground state, and by fine-tuning the excitation energy the dissociation dynamics in th
1. State space models are starting to replace more simple time series models in analyses of temporal dynamics of populations that are not perfectly censused. By simultaneously modelling both the dynamics and the observations, consistent estimates of population dynamical parameters may be obtained. For many data sets, the distribution of observation errors is unknown and error models typically chos
Introduction. Manual delineation of the left ventricle is clinical standard for quantification of cardiovascular magnetic resonance images despite being time consuming and observer dependent. Previous automatic methods generally do not account for one major contributor to stroke volume, the long-axis motion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate an automatic algorithm for ti
Understanding spatial connections between breeding and wintering populations is critical for developing sound conservation plans in migratory animals. However, for long-distance migratory songbird species wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are in a state of population decline, information on migratory connectivity is especially lacking. We used mitochondrial DNA data from wintering pop
Involving users in the design process is increasingly discussed as the quickest and most reliable way to capture the needs of users and consumers. In parallel, the fastest growing population segment in Asia and the West is older people. This article asks whether their involvement in the design process could accelerate a growing service market and if so, how? It addresses a knowledge gap that const
Absolute cerebral perfusion parameters were obtained by dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI) carried out using different contrast-agent administration protocols. Sixteen healthy volunteers underwent three separate DSC-MRI examinations each, receiving single-dose (0.1mmol/kg b.w.) gadobutrol, double-dose gadobutrol and single-dose gadobenate-dimeglumine on different
Background: Outcome measures can be used to improve the quality of the rehabilitation by identifying and understanding which variables influence the outcome. This information can be used to improve outcomes for clients. In clinical practice, pure-tone audiometry, speech reception thresholds (SRTs), and speech discrimination scores (SDSs) in quiet or in noise are common assessments made prior to he
Multiple rotation averaging is an important problem in computer vision. The problem is challenging because of the nonlinear constraints required to represent the set of rotations. To our knowledge no one has proposed any globally optimal solution for the case of simultaneous updates of the rotations. In this paper we propose a simple procedure based on Lagrangian duality that can be used to verify
The extent to which low-frequency (minor allele frequency (MAF) between 1-5%) and rare (MAF ≤ 1%) variants contribute to complex traits and disease in the general population is mainly unknown. Bone mineral density (BMD) is highly heritable, a major predictor of osteoporotic fractures, and has been previously associated with common genetic variants, as well as rare, population-specific, coding vari
Current proteomic technologies can effectively be used to study the proteins of the vitreous body and retina in health and disease. The use of appropriate samples, analytical platform and bioinformatic method are essential factors to consider when undertaking such studies. Certain proteins may hinder the detection and evaluation of more relevant proteins associated with pathological processes if n
Ferrochelatase catalyzes the insertion of Fe(2+) into protoporphyrin IX. The enzymatic product heme (protoheme IX) is a well-known cofactor in a wide range of proteins. The insertion of metal ions other than Fe(2+) occurs rarely in vivo, but all ferrochelatases that have been studied can insert Zn(2+) at a good rate in vitro. Co(2+), but not Cu(2+), is known to be a good substrate of the mammalian
The notion of spirit loss is widespread throughout the Bolivian Andes. Because of fright, a person loses her spirit whereupon another "strange" spirit may take its place and cause illness. In one and the same ailment, then, we find notions of "loss" and "imposition." In the context of "emergent indigeneities," colonialism too is frequently visualized and expressed in terms of both loss and imposit
The one-dimensional character of sooting premixed porous-plug (McKenna) burner flames has been examined, motivated by recent investigations where the one-dimensionality has been questioned. The examination employs laser diagnostic techniques to measure different characteristics: temperature using rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and soot properties using laser-induced inca
We conduct a series of comparisons between spectroscopic and photometric observations of globular clusters and stellar models to examine their predictive power. Data from medium-to-high resolution spectroscopic surveys of lithium allow us to investigate first dredge-up and extra mixing in two clusters well separated in metallicity. Abundances at first dredge-up are satisfactorily reproduced but th
Organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells offer a viable source of solar energy. Structural organization is crucial in BHJ cells but hard to achieve and assess due to limitations in experimental methodology. Quantum chemical methods have here been used to gain further insight into the geometric and optical properties of a promising light-harvesting polymer, poly[2,3-bis(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinox
We study bankruptcy problems where the estate and the claims have stochastic values and we allow these values to be correlated. We associate a transferable utility game with uncertainty to a stochastic bankruptcy problem and use the Weak Sequential Core as a solution concept for such games. We test the stability of a number of well known division rules in this stochastic setting and find that all
