The objective of this article was to investigate the existence of horizontal inequality in access to care for six categories of elective surgery in a publicly funded system, when care is rationed through waiting lists. Administrative waiting time data on all elective surgeries (n = 4,634) performed in Östergötland, Sweden, in 2007 were linked to national registers containing variables on socioecon

Ensembles of (J,K)-regular low-density parity-check convolutional (LDPCC) codes are known to be asymptotically good, in the sense that the minimum free distance grows linearly with the constraint length. In this paper, we use a protograph-based analysis of terminated LDPCC codes to obtain an upper bound on the free distance growth rate of ensembles of periodically time-varying LDPCC codes. This bo

Developing a functional blood substitute as an alternative to donated blood for clinical use is believed to relieve present and future blood shortages, and to reduce the risks of infection and blood type mismatching. Hemoglobin vesicle (HbV) encapsulates a purified and concentrated human-derived Hb solution in a phospholipid vesicle (liposome). The in vivo safety and efficacy of HbV as a transfusi

We present ultrafast X-ray diffraction (UXRD) experiments which sensitively probe impulsively excited acoustic phonons propagating in a SrRuO3/SrTiO3 superlattice and further into the substrate. These findings are discussed together with previous UXRD results (Herzog et al. in Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 161906, 2010; Woerner et al. in Appl. Phys. A 96, 83, 2009; v. Korff Schmising in Phys. Rev. B 78, 0

This study addresses the design of self-timed energy-minimum circuits, operating in the sub-VT domain and a generic implementation template using bundled-data circuitry and current sensing completion detection (CSCD). Furthermore, a fully decoupled latch controller was developed, which integrates with the current-sensing circuitry. Different configurations that utilise the proposed latch controlle

The phylogeny of the subfamily Xanthorioideae (Teloschistaceae) is re-analysed based on ITS, LSU and mtSSU sequences, including a new set of specimens representing 31 genera, of which five are proposed as new: Golubkovia, Igneoplaca, Langeottia, Scythioria and Verrucoplaca. Two new species, Ovealmbornia volkmarwirthii from South Africa and Gondwania sejongensis from Antarctica are described, illus

The outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), is a lipid-protein membrane that experiences considerable osmotic stress from a dry and cold climate. The natural moisturizing factor (NMF) comprises small and polar substances, which like osmolytes can protect living systems from osmotic stress. NMF is commonly claimed to increase the water content in the SC and thereby protect the skin f

Using inelastic proton-proton interactions at root s = 900 GeV and 7 TeV, recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC, measurements have been made of the correlations between forward and backward charged-particle multiplicities and, for the first time, between forward and backward charged-particle summed transverse momentum. In addition, jet-like structure in the events is studied by means of azimut

Frequency-modulated light scattering interferometry, which employs a frequency-modulated coherent light source and examines the intensity fluctuation of the resulting scattered light using a heterodyne detection scheme, was utilized to evaluate the optical properties of liquid phantoms made of Intralipid(R) and Indian ink. Based on the diffusion theory, nonlinear fits to the power spectrum of the

In this work, we focus on the computational bridging between the meso- and macro-scale in the context of the hybrid modelling of Internal Traverse Grinding with electro-plated cBN wheels. This grinding process satisfies the manufacturing industry demands for a high rate of material removal along with a high surface quality while minimising the number of manufacturing processes invoked. To overcome

Platelets are rapidly responsive sentinel cells that patrol the bloodstream and contribute to the host response to infection. Platelets have been reported to form heterotypic aggregates with leukocytes and may modulate their function. Herein we have investigated platelet-neutrophil complex formation and neutrophil function in response to distinct agonists. The endogenous platelet activator thrombi

Heat stress at the workplace is an occupational health hazard that reduces labour productivity(1). Assessment of productivity loss resulting from climate change has so far been based on physiological models of heat exposure(1). These models suggest productivity may decrease by 11-27% by 2080 in hot regions such as Asia and the Caribbean(2), and globally by up to 20% in hot months by 2050(3). Using

Human fibrocytes are bone marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells that express a variety of markers related to leukocytes, hematopoietic stem cells and a diverse set of fibroblast phenotypes. Fibrocytes can be recruited from the circulation to the tissue where they further can differentiate and proliferate into various mesenchymal cell types depending on the tissue niche. This local tissue nic

Introduction: A significant proportion of high-risk breast cancer families are not explained by mutations in known genes. Recent genome-wide searches (GWS) have not revealed any single major locus reminiscent of BRCA1 and BRCA2, indicating that still unidentified genes may explain relatively few families each or interact in a way obscure to linkage analyses. This has drawn attention to possible be

Let P be a set of n points in the Euclidean plane and let O be the origin point in the plane. In the k-tour cover problem (called frequently the capacitated vehicle routing problem), the goal is to minimize the total length of tours that cover all points in P, such that each tour starts and ends in O and covers at most k points from P. The k-tour cover problem is known to be NP-hard. It is also kn

In this study, we examine individual patent holders and the fate of their inventions. A unique database consisting of over 800 private individuals who have obtained decision rights over a new technology in Sweden is used to analyse how opportunity and individual level characteristics are related to the likelihood that patented inventions are commercialised in a new or existing small firm. Our find