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This paper presents techniques for improving the numerical stability of Grobner basis solvers for polynomial equations. Recently Grobner basis methods have been used succesfully to solve polynomial equations arising in global optimization e.g. three view triangulation and in many important minimal cases of structure from motion. Such methods work extremely well for problems of reasonably low degre
There is no general agreement on the spirometric definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The global initiative for obstructive lung disease recommends a fixed ratio between forced expiratory volume in one-second (FEV1 ) and forced vital capacity (FVC) of <0·7 (FR) for the diagnosis of COPD. European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society favour the use of the fifth p
Objective: To compare the adverse event (AE)-related discontinuation rate with celecoxib vs. diclofenac when given to reduce joint pain associated with knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) in elderly patients. Methods: This was a double-blind, randomized, multicentre, parallel-group, 1-year comparison of celecoxib 200 mg once daily and diclofenac 50 mg twice daily in 925 patients with OA aged >/= 60 ye
Nation-level Ecological Footprint accounts are currently produced for more than 150 nations, with multiple calculations available for some nations. The data sets that result from these national assessments typically serve as the basis for Footprint calculations at smaller scales, including those for regions, cities, businesses, and individuals. Global Footprint Network's National Footprint Account
Spatial ecology focuses on the role of space and time in ecological processes and events from a local to a global scale and is particularly relevant in developing environmental policy and (mandated) monitoring goals. In other words, spatial ecology is where geography and ecology intersect, and high-quality geospatial data and analysis tools are required to address emerging issues in spatial ecolog
Energy security has become a key priority in the European Union’s (EU) policy. However, climate change mitigation commitments run in parallel. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which the EU’s climate change mitigation and energy security policies are coherent. The relationship is far from clear-cut, as both areas are complex and wide-ranging. We use a simple assessment framewor
The aim of the experimental study presented herein is the assessment and quantification of the behavior of individual dowels in multi-dowel connections loaded by a bending moment. For this purpose, double-shear, steel-to-timber connections with nine steel dowels arranged in different patterns and with different dowel diameters were tested in four-point bending. In order to achieve a ductile behavi
In Sweden, only a few empirical studies of couple therapy have been performed. This is the hitherto most comprehensive assessment of clinical treatment. Effectiveness of treatment is reported and compared with non-clinical ratings. Initially the couples displayed marital distress, many psychiatric symptoms, dyadic interactions characterized by high criticism and a low sense of coherence. In Sweden
BACKGROUND: An individual's subjective perception of well-being is increasingly recognized as an essential complement to clinical symptomatology and functional impairment in children's mental health. Measurement of quality of life (QoL) has the potential to give due weight to the child's perspective.SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY: Our aim was to critically review the current evidence on how childhood menta
an-European research infrastructures (RIs) have been labelled a ‘pillar’ of the European Research Area initiative and ‘engines’ which are expected to drive forward the European Union (EU) economy by advancing its science and technology and ultimately its competitiveness on the global arena. The focus of this article is on the origins and nature of a policy tool named the European Research Infrastr
Background It has been demonstrated that medical students are capable of learning microsurgical techniques. We hypothesize that microsurgical training might give insight into the importance of delicate tissue handling and correct knot tying that could have a positive influence on macrosurgical skills. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of microsurgical training on macrosurgic
The aim of this study was to investigate how solar drying setup and choice of juice pretreatment determine the drying flux in a fruit juice concentration process called solar assisted pervaporation. With this process, hygienic membrane pouches and solar energy are used to concentrate and preserve fruit juices. In this study, the feasibility of concentrating citrus (tangerine) juice into marmalade
Terrestrial ecosystem gross primary productivity (GPP) is the largest land-atmosphere carbon flux and the primary mechanism of photosynthetic fixation of atmospheric CO2 into plant biomass. Anomalous rainfall events have been shown to have a great impact on the global carbon cycle. However, less is known about the impact of these events on GPP, especially in Africa, where in situ observations are
Recently the 19th century as a formative period of both states and the state system has received more attention by IR scholars, historical sociologists, and historians. A highly generalized argument that this diverse literature has in common is that the state became more state-like, and the international system denser, and therefore more system-like, in the 19th century. The modern world has its r
Monitoring long-term biomass dynamics in drylands is of great importance for many environmental applications including land degradation and global carbon cycle modeling. Biomass has extensively been estimated based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a measure of the vegetation greenness. The vegetation optical depth (VOD) derived from satellite passive microwave observations i
