Full equilibrium phase diagrams are presented for two ternary systems composed of the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), water (D(2)O), and a cyclodextrin, either β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) or (2-hydroypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin (2HPβCD). (2)H NMR, SAXS, WAXS, and visual examination were used to determine the phase boundaries and characterize the nature of the phases formed. Addit

An overview of mathematical modelling of the human hand is given. We consider hand models from a specific background: rather than studying hands for surgical or similar goals, we target at providing a set of tools with which human grasping and manipulation capabilities can be studied, and hand functionality can be described. We do this by investigating the human hand at various levels: (1) at the

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of falls in a general older population, especially among the most elderly, and the risk markers associated with falls.

Oxidative stress results from a mismatch between production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the organism's capacity to mitigate their damaging effects by building up sufficient antioxidant protection and/or repair mechanisms. Because ROS production is a universal consequence of cellular metabolism and immune responses, evolutionary animal ecologists have become increasingly interested in invo

The PA6 stromal cell line comprises a heterogeneous population of cells that can induce both mouse and human embryonic stem cells to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons. This ability of PA6 cells has been termed stromal cell-derived inducing activity (SDIA). The level of SDIA has been found to vary considerably between and within batches of PA6 cells. Not only are the molecular mechanisms that

Obesity is linked to various diseases, including insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders. The idea of inducing white adipose tissue (WAT) to assume characteristics of brown adipose tissue (BAT), and thus gearing it to fat-burning instead of storage, is receiving serious consideration as potential treatment for obesity and related disorders. Phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B) links ins

Synergistic interplay between Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and HIV in coinfected ind-ividuals leads to the acceleration of both tuberculosis and HIVdisease. Mtb, as well as HIV, may modulate the function of many immune cells, including DCs. To dissect the bystander impact of Mfs infected with Mtb on DC functionality, we here investigated changes in DC phenotype, cytokine profiles, and HIV-1 tr

The LPJ-GUESS dynamic vegetation model uniquely combines an individual-and patch-based representation of vegetation dynamics with ecosystem biogeochemical cycling from regional to global scales. We present an updated version that includes plant and soil N dynamics, analysing the implications of accounting for C-N interactions on predictions and performance of the model. Stand structural dynamics a

We sought to determine whether specific characteristics of vertebral fractures in elderly men are associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis. Mister osteoporosis Sweden is a population based cohort study involving 3014 men aged 69 to 81 years. Of these, 1427 had readable lateral radiographs of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Total body (TB) BMD (g/cm²) and total right hip (TH)

Background The purpose of the article is to research and analyze the notion of sustainability criteria in their function of an emerging tool to promote and safeguard sustainable products and their sustainable production. The article addresses critical issues, which are important for deeper understanding of sustainability criteria and their practical use. In this, the article examines the existing

While it is attractive to integrate a deformable mirror (DM) for adaptive optics (AO) into the telescope itself rather than using relay optics within an instrument, the resulting large DM can be expensive, particularly for extremely large telescopes. A low-cost approach for building a large DM is to use voice-coil actuators connected to the back of the DM through suction cups. Use of such inexpens

To evaluate clinical and radiological outcomes after conservative treatment and arthroscopic-assisted screw fixation of acute non- or minimally displaced scaphoid waist fractures in a randomized controlled trial.

Identifying patients at risk of future severe asthma exacerbations, those whose asthma might be less treatment responsive, or both might guide treatment selection.

Methylation of mercury (Hg) to highly toxic methyl Hg (MeHg), a process known to occur when organic matter (OM) decomposition leads to anoxia, is considered a worldwide threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. We measured temporal and spatial variations in sediment MeHg, total Hg (THg), and major elements in a freshwater lagoon in Sweden polluted with Hg-laden cellulose fibers. Fiber decompo

We introduce partially defined dynamical systems defined on a topological space. To each such system we associate a functor s from a category G to Topop and show that it defines what we call a skew category algebra A ⋊ G. We study the connection between topological freeness of s and, on the one hand, ideal properties of A ⋊ G and, on the other hand, maximal commutativity of A in A ⋊ G. In particul

Aims/hypothesis An abnormal urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) is often the first clinically detectable manifestation of diabetic nephropathy. Our aim was to estimate the heritability and to detect genetic variation associated with elevated AER in patients with type 1 diabetes. Methods The discovery phase genome-wide association study (GWAS) included 1,925 patients with type 1 diabetes and with