Quantitative assessment of regional myocardial function at rest and during stress with Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) plays an important role in daily routine echocardiography. However, reliable visual analysis is largely dependent on image quality and adequate border delineation, which still remains a challenge in a significant number of patients. In this respect, an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA)

Objective. To evaluate trends in and risk factors for mortality among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over a 40-year period. Methods. A population-based inception cohort was assembled from among all Rochester, Minnesota residents ages greater than or equal to18 years who were first diagnosed with RA (fulfilling the 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA) between January 1, 1

The oxidation and dealkylation of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylsulfide (DMS), and trimethylamine (TMA) by cytochrome P450 has been studied with density functional theory calculations. The results show that the oxidation reactions always occur on the doublet spin surface, whereas dealkylations can take place for both the doublet and quartet spin states. Moreover, DMS is more reactive than DMSO

The effect of the anionic surfactant SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) on the adsorption behaviors of cationic hydroxyethyl celluloses (Polymer JR-125, JR-400, and JR-30M) and hydrophobically modified cationic cellulose (Quatrisoft LM-200) at silica surfaces in the presence of a 10 mM NaCl solution has been investigated by null ellipsometry. The adsorbed amount of LM-200 is found to be considerably lar

A number of corporate management tools have been developed during the last decades. This has given the impression that industry is in the lead for developing a more environmentally sound and sustainability-adopted future as concerns the production and the products they are working responsible from. This paper includes a short review of some key tools, including cleaner production assessments, life

Alkyl glycosides were synthesised from starch and alcohols using Aspergillus oryzae a-amylase as catalyst. In the degradation of starch by a-amylase, the alcohols competed with water as glycosyl acceptors. In the reaction with methanol, methyl maltoside and methyl maltotrioside were the main alcoholysis products. Conversion of 45 g/1 starch in 30% methanol resulted in a product mixture containing

Background: Noise is typically conceived of as being detrimental to cognitive performance. However, given the mechanism of stochastic resonance, a certain amount of noise can benefit performance. We investigate cognitive performance in noisy environments in relation to a neurocomputational model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dopamine. The Moderate Brain Arousal model (MBA;

Soils contain highly diverse communities of microorganisms and invertebrates. The trophic interactions between these species are largely unknown. Collembolans form an abundant part of the invertebrate community in soils. A prevailing view is that soil collembolans are generalist feeders on fungi, lichens, fragmented litter and bacteria. However, in laboratory food choice experiments, it has been s

The business model concept is becoming increasingly popular within IS, management and strategy literature. It is used within many fields of research, including both traditional strategy theory and in the emergent body of literature on e-business. However, the concept is often used independently from theory, meaning model components and their interrelations are relatively obscure. Nonetheless, we b

Results of previous studies on fish intake and stroke risk have been inconclusive. Different stroke types have often not been separated. Our aim was to elucidate whether intake of fish, Hg or the sum of proportions of fatty acids EPA (20: 5n-3) and DHA (22: 6n-3) influence the risk of haemorrhagic or ischaemic stroke. Within a population-based cohort from a community intervention programme, 369 st

The contribution of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) to the hydrophobic surface properties of group A streptococci was investigated in aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol two-phase systems. Enzymatic digestions were performed to characterize the hydrophobic surface structure. The results obtained indicated that LTA is a major factor responsible for the hydrophobic character of the cell surface of group A s

It is commonly observed that the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of solid cellulose substrates declines markedly with time. In this work the mechanism behind the rate reduction was investigated using two dominant cellulases of Trichoderma reesei: exoglucanase Cel7A (formerly known as CBHI) and endoglucanase Cel7B (formerly EGI). Hydrolysis of steam-pretreated spruce (SPS) was performed with Cel7A and

Mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy (IRPS) and laser-induced fluorescence (IRLIF) have been applied for detection of methane and ethane in atmospheric pressure cold flows and flames. Lines belonging to the asymmetric C-H stretching vibration bands v3 and v7 for methane and ethane, respectively, were probed with a tunable infrared laser beam at about 3.4 μm, which was obtained from difference fr

The bird-lemming hypothesis postulates that breeding success of tundra-nesting geese and waders in Siberia follows the cyclic pattern of lemming populations, as a result of predators switching from lemmings to birds when the lemming, population crashes. We present 50 years of data on constant-effort catches of red knot Calidris canutus and curlew sandpiper C. ferruginea at an autumn migratory stop

The leukaemia-associated eight-twenty-one (ETO) family members ETO, MTG16 (Myeloid Translocation Gene on chromosome 16) and MTGR1 (Myeloid Transforming Gene-Related protein1) are putative transcriptional repressor proteins, which form complexes with coregulatory nuclear corepressors such as SIN3 (SWI-Independent) and N-CoR (Nuclear receptor Co Repressor). In acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), fusion p

Some mitochondrial introgression is common between closely related species, but distinct species rarely show substantial introgression in their entire distribution range. In this study, however, we report a complete lack of mitochondrial divergence between two sympatric species of flat periwinkles (Littorina fabalis and Littorina obtusata) which, based on previous allozyme studies, diverged approx

This article stresses the significance of recognising interdependencies between factors determining disaster risk in any attempts to integrate disaster risk reduction in international development cooperation. It bases its arguments on the case studies of four past projects in Sri Lanka and Tajikistan, which are scrutinised using a theoretical framework based on systems approaches. It appears that

Percutaneous physiodesis is an established technique for treating mild leg-length discrepancy and problems of expected extreme height. Angular deformities resulting from incomplete physeal arrest have been reported, and little is known about the time interval from percutaneous physiodesis to actual physeal arrest. This procedure was carried out in ten children, six with leg-length discrepancy and