Progress in the area of proton conducting polymer electrolyte membranes is intimately linked with the development of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, and is today largely driven by the insufficient properties of humidified Nafion® membranes at temperatures above 100 °C. Recent developments in the field include new ionomers and hybrid membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles to control

The fusion-evaporation reactions Si-28(S-32,1 alpha 2p1n)Fe-53 at 125 MeV and Mg-24(S-32,2p1n)Fe-53 at a 95-MeV beam energy were used to investigate excited states in Fe-53. The combination of the Gammasphere Ge detector array and ancillary devices led to the construction of an extensive level scheme comprising some 90 transitions connecting 40 states. The lifetime of the yrast 25/2(-) state and u

Background: Crohn's disease is associated with deranged intestinal permeability in vivo, suggesting dysfunction of tight junctions. The luminal contents are important for development of neoinflammation following resection. Regulation of tight junctions by luminal factors has not previously been studied in Crohn's disease. Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a luminal stimu

Static extraction, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and Soxhlet extraction were compared for simultaneous extraction of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and nonionic surfactants from house dust. Homogenized office floor dust from a vacuum cleaner dust bag ("standard dust") was used for the evaluation. One portion of the extracts was used for analysis of no

Based on a physical understanding of phase-noise mechanisms, a passive LC filter is found to lower the phase-noise factor in a differential oscillator to its fundamental minimum. Three fully integrated LC voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) serve as a proof of concept. Two 1.1-GHz VCOs achieve -153 dBc/Hz at 3 MHz offset, biased at 3.7 mA from 2.5 V. A 2.1-GHz VCO achieves -148 dBc/Hz at 15 MHz

We study the problem of dynamically scheduling a set of state-feedback control tasks controlling a set of linear plants. We consider an on-line non-preemptive scheduling policy that is optimal in the sense that it minimizes a quadratic performance criterion for the overall system. The optimal scheduling decision at each point in time is a function of the states of the controlled plants. To be able

OBJECTIVE: To compare the lumbar infusion test and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tap test for predicting the outcome of shunt surgery in patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus. METHODS: 68 patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus were studied. The absence of preceding history indicated idiopathic disease in 75% of these. All patients were assessed twice with walking and

Gold and platinum, which often are used for thin film metallization, are not suitable for the measurement of dopamine (DA), since the oxidation product of DA forms a non-conducting polymer on the electrode surface. In this work several thiols were screened for their ability to prevent this polymerization. It was found that mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) decreased the rate of DA polymerization. MPA,

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), which covers a large cohort of half a million men and women from 23 European centres in 10 Western European countries, was designed to study the relationship between diet and the risk of chronic diseases, particularly cancer. Information on usual individual dietary intake was assessed using different validated dietary assessm

The preliminary results from the RISING Stopped Beam Isomer Campaign are presented, with specific focus on results of the initial experiment to investigate isomeric decays along the N=Z line around A similar to 80-90 following the projectile fragmentation of a Ag-107 primary beam at an energy of 750 MeV per nucleon. A description of the technical aspects behind the design of the RISING array is pr

Homozygous C2 deficiency (C2D) is the most common deficiency of the classical complement pathway in Western countries. It is mostly found in patients with autoimmune disease or susceptibility to bacterial infections and in healthy persons. We wished to assess to what extent other immunological factors might explain differences of susceptibility to infections in C2D. For this reason, 44 Swedish pat

Compression stress relaxation of potato tissue exposed to pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, with or without osmotic pretreatment, was measured and modelled with five parameter generalised Maxwell model. The changes in viscoelastic model coefficients were quantified as a response to applied field strength, pulse length, and pulse number and were correlated with conductivity changes. Using the

As one of the first experiments at the free electron laser of the TESLA Test Facility (TTF) the Coulomb explosion of Xenon clusters irradiated with high intensity pulses at a wavelength of 98 nm has been observed. Classical trajectory calculations have been performed in order to illuminate the energy absorption process. Comparison with typical parameters in the infrared regime shows that above bar

Molecular methods were used to identify blood parasites frequently observed in blood smears of water pythons (Liasis fuscus) captured in our study area in the Northern Territory of Australia. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers amplifying the 18s ribosomal RNA (IRNA) nuclear gene resulted in a short PCR product (180 bp) matching this region in the genus Hepatozoon. However, beca

The alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated contractile effects of noradrenaline (alpha 1 + alpha 2), phenylephrine (alpha 1) and clonidine (alpha 2) on human saphenous veins were investigated in vivo and in vitro. By infusion (0.3 ml min-1) of the drugs (increasing concentrations in the infused solution) into distended (40 mmHg) saphenous veins in six healthy subjects, local vasoconstriction was induced, mea

A link between unsaturated fatty acids or phytonutrients and reduced risk of colorectal cancer has been suggested. However, the effects of higher intake of dietary sources of these nutrients, such as the nuts and seeds food group, are less clear. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of nut and seed intake on colorectal cancer risk within the European Prospective Investigation i

Although many of the chromosomal abnormalities in hematologic malignancies are identifiable cytogenetically, some are only detectable using molecular methods. We describe a novel cryptic t(7;21)(p22;q22) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). FISH, 3'RACE, and RT-PCR revealed a fusion involving RUNX1 and the ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) gene USP42. The genomic breakpoint was in intron 7 of RUNX1 an

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: To investigate the CSF levels of tau and the light neurofilament protein (NFL) in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other common dementia disorders as well as normal control subjects. Both proteins have been implicated in the pathophysiology of FTD. METHODS: CSF levels of tau and NFL were investigated in 18 patients with FTD, 21 patients with early-onset AD

This paper uses trajectory sensitivity analysis to investigate a major disturbance of the Nordel power system which occurred on January 1, 1997. The Nordel system is described, and the details of the disturbance are presented. Background to trajectory sensitivity analysis is also provided. Results of the investigation indicate the usefulness of trajectory sensitivities for exploring the influence