Background: Randomized placebo-controlled trials represent the gold standard in evaluating healthcare interventions but are rarely performed within orthopedics. Ethical concerns or well-known challenges in recruiting patients for surgical trials in general have been expressed and adding a placebo component only adds to this complexity. The purpose of this study was to report the challenges of recr

This paper presents a literature review about energy-efficient retrofit of electric lighting and daylighting systems in buildings. The review, which covers around 160 research articles, addresses the following themes: 1) retrofitting electric lighting in buildings, 2) electric lighting energy use and saving potential and 3) lighting retrofit strategies. The retrofit strategies covered in the revie

A novel flow-injection assay of the pathogenic enterobacteria using novel lectin-based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor has been proposed. The biosensing part of the analytical device contained the lectins - Concanavalin A, lectins from Ulex europeus, Maackia amurensis, Lens culinaris, wheat germ agglutinin - immobilized on the gold surface of quartz crystal electrode which served as a

Objectives To assess interobserver reproducibility among ultrasound experts and gynecologists in the prediction by transvaginal ultrasound of deep myometrial and cervical stromal invasion in women with endometrial cancer. Methods Sonographic videoclips of the uterine corpus and cervix of 53 women with endometrial cancer, examined preoperatively by the same ultrasound expert, were integrated into a

The force exerted by the electrons on the nuclei of a current-carrying molecular junction can be manipulated to engineer nanoscale mechanical systems. In the adiabatic regime a peculiarity of these forces is negative friction, responsible for Van der Pol oscillations of the nuclear coordinates. In this work we study the robustness of the Van der Pol oscillations against high-frequency sources. For

The paper presents the major findings from the three evacuation experiments being part of the Swedish METRO research project. In the evacuation experiments; the small, medium and full-scale experiments, investigations were carried out with the purpose to study how train passengers safely can be evacuated in case of a fire emergency. In addition to determine flow rates, the walking velocity and wal

This article describes the microstructure and dynamics in the solid state of polyfluorene-based polymers, poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO), a semicrystalline polymer, and poly[(9,9-dioctyl-2,7-divinylene-fluorenylene)-alt-co-{2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene}, a copolymer with mesomorphic phase properties. These structures were determined by wide-angle X-ray scatterin

Anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-Id) to autoantibodies are present in several autoimmune diseases and are hypothesized to have regulatory function. Recently we reported the presence of anti-Id to a major type 1 diabetes-associated autoantibody (CAD65Ab) in sera of healthy individuals. Our current assay for the detection of GAD65Ab-specific anti-Id requires the initial removal of anti-Id from the se

Although positive in terms of patient trauma and recovery time, minimally invasive surgery has several technical drawbacks compared with open surgery. The new da Vinci® Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical® offers technical innovations aiming at overcoming these drawbacks and at improving the surgeon’s operating skills, such as the improved 3-D vision, tremor reduction and flexible instruments

Abstract in UndeterminedWhite layer formation is considered as a part of minimum array of parameters characterizing surface integrity of the machined product. The paper is aimed on identification and characterization of white layer generated when finish turning aged Inconel 718 with Al2O3-SiCw ceramic tools under different cutting conditions, tool wear and coolant application. As expected intensit

This article analyses continuity and change of the agrarian doctrine in colonial and postcolonial Malawi. It engages in a classic debate about images and polices concerning African farming. The article argues that the agrarian doctrine must be related to the broader notion of agrarian populism, more specifically to Chayanov's notion of the logic of the peasant family farm. Employing this broader a

Background: Sharing of data about variation and the associated phenotypes is a critical need, yet variant information can be arbitrarily complex, making a single standard vocabulary elusive and re-formatting difficult. Complex standards have proven too time-consuming to implement. Results: The GEN2PHEN project addressed these difficulties by developing a comprehensive data model for capturing biom

Uncontrolled proliferation and the capacity to infiltrate surrounding tissues are two important characteristics of aggressive tumour cells. Previous observations in both colorectal cancer and basal cell carcinoma indicated that infiltrative tumour cell behaviour might be counteracted by a high proliferative activity, suggesting a coordination of these two activities at the cellular level. Here we

The goal of this article is to examine what role literature played for Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania's political leader between 1965 and 1989. I focus on the period between 1968 and 1974, when the basis was laid for a cultural policy which was to be applied until the end of Ceaușescu's reign in 1989. Such studies are easier to conduct today, when the archives of the Romanian Communist Party have been

We present a spectroscopic study that reveals that the metal-insulator transition of strained VO2 thin films may be driven towards a purely electronic transition, which does not rely on the Peierls dimerization, by the application of mechanical strain. Comparison with a moderately strained system, which does involve the lattice, demonstrates the crossover from Peierls- to Mott-like transitions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Phytoestrogens are estradiol-like natural compounds found in plants that have been associated with protective effects against chronic diseases, including some cancers, cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to estimate the dietary intake of phytoestrogens, identify their food sources and their association with lifestyle factors in the Europea

Recension av Sönke Neitzel & Harald Welzer, Soldater - om kamp,dödande och död.

Purpose: The wide heterogeneity in the early growth and metabolism of children born small for gestational age (SGA), both before and during GH therapy, may reflect common genetic variations related to insulin secretion or sensitivity. Method: Combined multiallele single nucleotide polymorphism scores with known associations with insulin sensitivity or insulin secretion were analyzed for their rela