In this paper, insurers' credibility problems explain contracting, co-operation, and regulation in the insurance industry. First, it is noted that cheating by policyholders may be eliminated if the insurer withholds compensation on the basis of detecting careless behaviour with high enough probability. Then, assuming that care taken is imperfectly observable and non-contractible, the problem that

The Second Consensus Conference on Stroke Management took place from 22 to 24 March 2006 in Helsingborg, Sweden. The meeting was arranged by the International Stroke Society, endorsed by the European Stroke Council and International Stroke Society, and co-sponsored by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It was arranged in collaboration with the European Region of the World Confederation for Physic

Effects of water flow velocityon nitrification, denitrification, andthe metabolism of dissolved oxygen andinorganic carbon in macrophyte-epiphytoncomplexes were investigated in the presentstudy. The metabolic rates were measured inmicrocosms containing shoots of Potamogeton pectinatus L. with epiphyticbiofilms in the light and dark with no flow orwith the flow velocities of 0.03 and 9 cms–1. Photo

The Anderson-Wilkins (AW) electrocardiographic (ECG) acuteness score complements time from pain onset in prognostic stratification of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, for the AW acuteness score to be of practical use in the acute situation, it must be an integral component of a commercial automated ECG analysis program. The objective of this study was to determine the conc

Egle Robineau-Desvoidy is a modest-sized genus of small blackish anthomyiids with a Holarctic and northern Oriental distribution. They are univoltine, interacting closely with the host plants of their seed-feeding larvae, mainly species of willow (Salix), but also poplar (Populus) and false tamarisk (Myricaria) support some species. Summaries are given of adult and larval habits based on published

In the present paper, an optimization of the draw-in of an automotive sheet metal part has been carried out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Space Mapping technique. The optimization adjusts the drawbead restraining force in the model such that the draw-in in the FE model corresponds to the draw-in in the physical process. The conclusion of this study is that Space Mapping is a very ef

Dietary sphingomyelin (SM) may have regulatory effects on cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in the colon. Alkaline sphingomyelinase (SMase) is the major enzyme responsible for hydrolysis of SM in the gut. Previously we purified the enzyme and showed that the presence of glycerophospholipids inhibited SM hydrolysis induced by alkaline SMase in vitro. In the present work, we studied the effects o

Tibialis anterior muscle biopsies from moderately active men and women (21-30 yr; n = 30) were examined to determine potential gender differences in capillarization. The fiber type proportions [type I (T1) similar to73%] were unaffected by gender. The men (M) had significantly (P < 0.001) larger fibers than the women (W), with a greater gender effect for type II (T2) fibers P < 0.001). The M and W

Using photoemission spectromicroscopy at sub-micron lateral resolution we studied two superconductor systems of high fundamental and practical importance, such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta and MgB2. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering, for this class of systems, the possible presence of spatial inhomogeneities in interpreting the results of conventional photoemission experiments, whic

An injectable material consisting of calcium sulphate mixed with hydroxyapatite was investigated as a possible alternative to autograft in the restoration of bone defects. The material was studied both in vitro in simulated body fluid (SBF) and in vivo when implanted in rat muscles and into the proximal tibiae of rabbits. Variation in the strength and weight of the material during ageing in SBF wa

Tadpole impact on periphytic algae was estimated with an exclosure experiment in the field. Algae growth on control (exposed) and experimental (netted-in) perspex plates was measured in 12 ponds in 1991 and 8 in 1993. An index of snail (Lymnea and Planorbis) presence in the ponds was used to correct their effect. Grazing pressure (difference in amount of algae between control and experimental plat

RhoH is a small GTPase expressed only in the hematopoietic system. With the use of mice with targeted disruption of the RhoH gene, we demonstrated that RhoH is crucial for thymocyte maturation during DN3 to DN4 transition and during positive selection. Furthermore, the differentiation and expansion of DN3 and DN4 thymocytes in vitro were severely impaired. These defects corresponded to defective T

Long-distance dispersal of seeds is an important process in metapopulation dynamics and in plant migrations, but at the same time extremely difficult to observe or quantify directly. If seed dispersal ability were related to attributes of seeds or motherplants, long-distance seed dispersal would be predictable by indirect approximation using easy-to-measure traits. Seed size has been suggested to

Subarctic aerosol was sampled during July 2007 at the Abisko Research Station Stordalen field site operated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Located in northern Sweden at 68 degrees latitude and 385 m above sea level (m asl), this site is classified as a semicontinuous permafrost mire. Number density, size distribution, cloud condensation nucleus properties, and chemical composition of th

Analogues of the irreversible protease inhibitors TPCK and TLCK have been synthesized and tested as inhibitors of the bacterial cysteine protease IdeS excreted by Streptococcus pyogenes. Eight compounds were identified as inhibitors of IdeS in an in vitro assay. The most potent compounds contained an aldehyde function, thus acting as efficient reversible inhibitors, nitrile and azide derivatives s

Homogenates of human blood platelets, but not of red blood cells, have been found to stimulate lipoprotein lipase activity only when assayed against an emulsified triglyceride substrate sonicated for a short period of time. The degree of stimulation was inversely related to the time of sonication of the substrate. Using chylomicrons as substrate no stimulation of lipoprotein lipase activity by pla

Clinical data are presented on a 30-year-old male with normal early development (4-5 years) but subsequent progressive impairment of psychomotor functions. He has marked kyphoscoliosis and talipes calcaneo-valgus. The organs appear normal and the patient can walk unaided and feed himself although he does not recognize his parents. He has normal fundi oculi. Biochemical data show an absence of muco