OBJECTIVE: Systemic effects of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) insufflation during left-sided cardiac surgery were evaluated in a prospective randomized study, with regard to acid-base status, gas exchange, cerebral hemodynamics, and red blood cell morphology. METHODS: Twenty patients undergoing elective left-sided cardiac surgery were randomized to de-airing procedure either by CO(2) insufflation techniqu

This study assessed: (i) how the magnitude and direction of principal strains vary for different sideways fall loading directions; (ii) how the principal strains for a sideways fall differ from physiological loading directions; (iii) the fracture mechanism during a sideways fall. Eleven human femurs were instrumented with 16 triaxial strain gauges each. The femurs were non-destructively subjected

Objective The objective of this paper is to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQoL), fatigue, anxiety and depression in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and higher levels of pain and to compare them to patients with lower levels of pain and controls. Method Patients were dichotomized into two groups based on SLE-related pain score on the visual analog scale (VAS): low-pa

We analyze inexact fixed-point iterations where the generating function contains an inexact solve of an equation system to answer the question of how tolerances for the inner solves influence the iteration error of the outer fixed-point iteration. Important applications are the Picard iteration and partitioned fluid-structure interaction. For the analysis, the iteration is modeled as a perturbed f

The barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mutants fch2 and clo-f2 comprise an allelic group of 14 Chl b-deficient lines. The genetic map position of fch2 corresponds to the physical map position of the gene encoding chlorophyllide a oxygenase. This enzyme converts chlorophyllide a to chlorophyllide b and it is essential for Chl b biosynthesis. The fch2 and clo-f2 barley lines were shown to be mutated in the

BACKGROUND: Most colon cancers start with dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin signalling and remain a major therapeutic challenge. Examining whether HAMLET (human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells) may be used for colon cancer treatment is logical, based on the properties of the complex and its biological context. OBJECTIVE: To investigate if HAMLET can be used for colon cancer treatment and preven

The Swedish pulp and paper industry accounts for half of industrial final energy use in Sweden and 2.3 % in EU-27. On the basis of a disaggregated set of physical production data, a Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index decomposition method is applied to disentangle the influence from activity, structure and energy efficiency improvement (EEI) on its fuel, electricity and primary energy use. An extended

While therapeutic mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) have usually been obtained from bone marrow, perinatal tissues have emerged as promising new sources of cells for stromal cell therapy. Here we present a first safety follow-up on our clinical experience with placenta-derived decidual stromal cells (DSCs), used as supportive immunomodulatory and regenerative therapy for patients with severe c

Mathematical models for the simulation of batch settling and continuous clarifier-thickeners can usually be expressed as a convection-diffusion partial differential equation (PDE). Reliable numerical methods require that the nonlinear flux function of this PDE has been identified for a given material. This contribution summarizes, and applies to experimental data, a recent approach [Bürger, R., Di

The process commonly referred to as business-as-usual has given rise to dangerous climate change, but its social history remains strangely unexplored. A key moment in its onset was the transition to steam power as a source of rotary motion in commodity production, in Britain and, first of all, in its cotton industry. This article tries to approach the dynamics of the fossil economy by examining th

How does an individual decision maker update his or her beliefs in the light of others’ beliefs? We present an empirical investigation that varies decision makers’ access to other peoples’ beliefs: whether they know what course of action others have taken (in this case how a problem is solved) and whether they know why this course of action was taken (why a particular solution is preferred).We pro

Computational tools are essential for most of our research. To use these tools, one needs to know how they work. Problems in application of computational methods to variation analysis can appear at several stages and affect, for example, the interpretation of results. Such cases are discussed along with suggestions how to avoid them. The applications include incomplete reporting of methods, especi

We present an open source python based ray tracing tool that offers several useful features in graphical presentation, material properties, advanced calculations of synchrotron sources, implementation of diffractive and refractive elements, complex (also closed) surfaces and multiprocessing. The package has many usage examples which are supplied together with the code and visualized on its web pag

Context-aware computing is an exciting paradigm in which applications perceive and react to changing environments in an unattended manner. To enable behavioral adaptation, a context-aware application must dynamically acquire context data from different operating spaces in the real world, such as homes, shops and persons. Motivated by the sheer number and diversity of operating spaces, we propose a

We show that high-resolution laser spectroscopy can probe surface interactions of gas confined in nanocavities of porous materials. We report on strong line broadening and unfamiliar line shapes due to tight confinement, as well as signal enhancement due to multiple photon scattering. This new domain of laser spectroscopy constitute a challenge for the theory of collisions and spectroscopic line s

Abstract in Portuguese Paracrias strii Schauff, 1985 e P. ceratophaga Palmieri & Hansson sp. nov. são registradas pela primeira vez para o Brasil, sendo associadas a larvas de Ceratopus Schoenherr (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) obtidas de sicônios maduros de duas espécies de figueiras. As espécies registradas foram ilustradas. Os machos de P. ceratophaga sp. nov. foram descritos. A associação do Paracrias strii Schauff, 1985 and P. ceratophaga Palmieri & Hansson sp. nov. are first record in Brazil and both are associated with Ceratopus Schoenherr larvae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) reared from syconia of two species of fig-trees. Both Paracrias species are diagnosed and illustrated. Males of P. ceratophaga sp. nov. are described. The association of Paracrias with weevil larvae is brief

In this study a modified mid-ranging strategy is proposed where the controller for the secondary manipulated variable uses its own output as its setpoint, possibly with an offset and/or re-scaling. This modification allows the manipulated variables to increase in unison so that the mid-ranging advantage of utilizing the fast dynamics of the primary controller to regulate the process can be achieve

P>Many ecological, physical and geographical processes affected by climate in the natural environment are scale-dependent: determining surface-air-temperature distribution at a scale of tens to hundreds of metres can facilitate such research, which is currently hampered by the relative dearth of meteorological stations and complex surface temperature characteristics, particularly in mountain areas

To examine the association between the relaxation time (T1Gd) of delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and grade of tibiofemoral joint space narrowing (JSN) and osteophytosis 11 years later, in a cohort of meniscectomized patients.