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Various biological tissues are designed to optimally support external loads for complex geometries and mechanobiological structures. This results in complex microstructures of such materials. The design of, for instance, (healthy) arteries, which are in the focus of this work, is characterised by a residually stressed fibre-reinforced multi-layered composite with highly non-linear elastic response

In Meru, Tanzania, changing land/labour ratios have, for over a century, been the main driving force in a farm intensification process. The construction and expansion of irrigation systems, increased use of farm inputs and transfer from low- to high-value agricultural crops have enabled smallholders to improve their land productivity. Technological change has been accompanied by institutional chan

BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies have identified several genetic loci associated with variation in resting heart rate in European and Asian populations. No study has evaluated genetic variants associated with heart rate in African Americans. OBJECTIVE To identify novel genetic variants associated with resting heart rate in African Americans. METHODS Ten cohort studies participating in th

Benchmarking has received much attention in local government. However, since benchmarking within a networking environment is quite a recent phenomenon, there is a need for better understanding of the impact of these networks on local government. This article describes municipal benchmarking networks and analyzes and categorizes variations in action and performance among municipalities participatin

The energy use for maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures are to a certain extent dependent on the thermal storage capacity of materials in contact with the indoor air. This article describes a conceptual model for investigating the effects of increasing the thermal storage capacity of building materials. A building is modeled as an exterior wall, an indoor air volume and a thermally heavy in

The ash cloud of the Eyjafjallajokull (also referred to as: Eyjafjalla (e.g. Schumann et al., 2011), Eyjafjoll or Eyjafjoll (e.g. Ansmann et al., 2010)) volcano on Iceland caused closure of large parts of European airspace in April and May 2010. For the validation and improvement of the European volcanic ash forecast models several research flights were performed. Also the CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft

Temperature management for patients comatose after cardiac arrest has been an integral component of postcardiac arrest care for the last decade. In this review, we present recent findings and discuss implications for future trials.

We examined the epidermal gene expression during the proliferative phase of wound healing. Matrix metalloproteases were the group of proteases most prominently up-regulated in skin wounds, whereas serine protease inhibitors were the most strongly up-regulated protease inhibitors. Furthermore, we found down-regulation of genes involved in the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. This together with the u

Hyperalphalipoproteinemia, as observed in patients who are either homozygous or heterozygous for cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) deficiency, has been shown to be associated with striking changes in apolipoprotein size distribution, namely, of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and HDL-like particles. We compared the effect of varying degrees of CETP activity on the HDL apolipoprotein profile

Co-flowering plant species commonly share flower visitors, and thus have the potential to influence each other's pollination. In this study we analysed 750 quantitative plant-pollinator networks from 28 studies representing diverse biomes worldwide. We show that the potential for one plant species to influence another indirectly via shared pollinators was greater for plants whose resources were mo

Objective. To describe vascular events during an 8-year followup in a multicenter systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) inception cohort and their attribution to atherosclerosis. Methods. Clinical data, including comorbidities, were recorded yearly. Vascular events were recorded and attributed to atherosclerosis or not. All of the events met standard clinical criteria. Factors associated with atheros

Fox Sparrows (Passerella iliaca (Merrem, 1786)) and Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)) cohabit on many islands along the Pacific coast of North America, and previous studies suggest that they rely on similar prey types. We used delta C-13 and delta N-15 stable isotope analysis on blood collected from breeding adults of both species in each of two habitats on Triangle Island, Briti

Case studies are largely used for investigating software engineering practices. They are characterized by their flexible nature, multiple forms of data collection, and are mostly informed by qualitative data. Synthesis of case studies is necessary to build a body of knowledge from individual cases. There are many methods for such synthesis, but they are yet not well explored in software engineerin

To specify the incidence and risk factors for secondary autoimmune diseases (ADs) after HSCT for a primary AD, we retrospectively analyzed AD patients treated by HSCT reported to EBMT from 1995 to 2009 with at least 1 secondary AD (cases) and those without (controls). After autologous HSCT, 29 of 347 patients developed at least 1 secondary AD within 21.9 (0.6-49) months and after allogeneic HSCT,

Background Children with poor response acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) generally have a very poor outcome. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is often recommended for these children but the benefit is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate survival for poor response AML patients treated with SCT. Material and Methods Treatment was given according to the NOPHO-AML 2004 protocol. Al

A cervical cytology biobank (CCB) is an extension of current cytopathology laboratory practice consisting in the systematic storage of Pap smears or liquid-based cytology samples from women participating in cervical cancer screening with the explicit purpose to facilitate future scientific research and quality audit of preventive services. A CCB should use an internationally agreed uniform cytolog

Functionalresponses describe the per capita consumption rates of predators depending on prey density, which quantifies the energy transfer between trophic levels. We studied a typical interaction of the litter–soil systems between hunting spiders (Pardosa lugubris; Araneae: Lycosidae) and springtails (Heteromurus nitidus; Collembola: Entomobryidae) at varying habitatstructure, i.e. with moss vs. w

Changing fire regimes in response to climate change are likely to have significant effects on terrestrial ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. While effects of fire on some nutrient cycles have been quite well-studied, little attention has been paid to the silicon cycle. We used an alkaline continuous extraction to examine changes in the quantity and characteristics of alkaline extractable Si (Al