DNA evidence, linking perpetrators to crime scenes, is central to many legal proceedings. However, DNA samples from crime scenes often contain PCR-inhibitory substances, which may generate blank or incomplete DNA profiles. Extensive DNA purification can be required to rid the sample of these inhibitors, although these procedures increase the risk of DNA loss. Most forensic laboratories use commerc

Background: A significant proportion of patients with asthma have persistent symptoms despite treatment with inhaled glucocorticosteroids. Objective: We hypothesized that in these patients, the alveolar parenchyma is subjected to mast cell-associated alterations. Methods: Bronchial and transbronchial biopsies from healthy controls (n = 8), patients with allergic rhinitis (n = 8), and patients with

Theories of concepts address systematically and productively structured thought. Until the Unified Conceptual Space Theory (UCST), based on Peter Gärdenfors’ Conceptual Spaces Theory, no one had attempted to offer an explicitly enactive theory of concepts. UCST is set apart from its competitors in locating concepts not in the mind (or brain) of the conceptual agent nor in the affordances of the ag

Novel field effect transistors with suspended graphene gates are demonstrated. By incorporating mechanical motion of the gate electrode, it is possible to improve the switching characteristics compared to a static gate, as shown by a combination of experimental measurements and numerical simulations. The mechanical motion of the graphene gate is confirmed by using atomic force microscopy to direct

Complexity in property development projects involves and affects stakeholders with different attributes, interests, needs and concerns. Thus, each stakeholder may influence a project negatively or positively. The literature suggests that the concepts of stakeholder, participation, social sustainability and sustainable development are intertwined and together can contribute to social change. To enh

A good material for CO2 capture should possess some specific properties: (i) a large effective surface area with good adsorption capacity, (ii) selectivity for CO2, (iii) regeneration capacity with minimum energy input, allowing reutilization of the material for CO2 adsorption, and (iv) low cost and high environmental friendliness. Smectite clays are layered nanoporous materials that may be good c

Context. Spectral-line asymmetries (displayed as bisectors) and wavelength shifts are signatures of the hydrodynamics in solar and stellar atmospheres. Theory may precisely predict idealized lines, but accuracies in real observed spectra are limited by blends, few suitable lines, imprecise laboratory wavelengths, and instrumental imperfections. Aims. We extract bisectors and shifts until the "ulti

In this work, an on-line process for pressurised hot water extraction (PHWE) of antioxidants from plants as well as drying of the extract in one step by particle formation based on the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) has been developed. This process has been called WEPO (R), water extraction and particle formation on-line. With this process, dried extracts from onion with the same com

The hawkmoth, Manduca sexta, uses both colour and odour to find flowers when foraging for nectar. In the present study we investigated how vision and olfaction interact during learning. Manduca sexta were equally attracted to a scented blue coloured feeding target (multimodal stimulus) as to one that does not carry any scent (unimodal stimulus; visual) or to an invisible scented target (unimodal s

Regulations regarding impact and airborne sound insulation for lightweight timber constructions have become increasingly stringent due in particular to complaints by inhabitants. Accordingly, some building techniques frequently use elastomers at junctions so as to reduce low frequency noise. Development of accurate predictive tools (involving exact material properties) by using numerical methods s

A novel Thomson parabola ion spectrometer design is presented, in which a gradient electric field configuration is employed to enable a compact design capable of high resolution measurements of ion energy and charge-to-mass ratio. Practical issues relating to the use of the spectrometer for measurement of ion acceleration in high-power laser-plasma experiments are discussed. Example experimental r

In this Letter we analyze the relation between the triple-pomeron and Good-Walker formalism's for diffractive excitation in DIS and hadronic collisions. In both approaches gap events are interpreted as the shadow of absorption into inelastic channels. We here argue that the two formalisms are just different views of the same phenomenon. We first demonstrate how this relation works in a simple toy

Qualitative reporting of home indoor moisture problems predicts respiratory diseases. However, causal agents underlying such qualitative markers remain unknown. In the homes of 198 multiple allergic case children and 202 controls in Sweden, we cultivated culturable fungi by directly plating dust, and quantified (1-3, 1-6)-beta-d-glucan and ergosterol in dust samples from the child's bedroom. We ex

The surface of a Ga0.95Mn0.05As layer subjected to low temperature annealing under As capping has been studied by core level photoemission with focus on As3d spectrum. By detailed comparison with the surface of pure GaAs subjected to the same surface treatment, the As spectral component of the reacted surface layer has been identified. The relative intensity of this component is consistent with th

Mixing of powders into liquids is a common unit operation. Mixing can be divided into several steps, imbibation of the powder into the liquid being the first. Under some circumstances, such as when the powder has poor wetting properties, imbibation can be the rate-determining step. The effects of different powder properties on the imbibation rate were evaluated using an experimental imbibation mod

The 30 articles in this special section cover a broad range among the following areas: advanced bioimaging; multifunctional endoscopy; novel approaches in biophotonic diagnostics and therapeutics; advanced biophotonic sensing techniques; laser-cell interactions; photoacoustics and terahertz biophotonics; nanobiophotonics; and novel laser, fiber-optics and electrooptics biophotonic tools, and devic

A number of novel oral anticoagulants that directly target factor Xa or thrombin have been developed in recent years. Rivaroxaban and apixaban (direct factor Xa inhibitors) and dabigatran etexilate (a direct thrombin inhibitor) have shown considerable promise in large-scale, randomised clinical studies for the management of thromboembolic disorders, and have been approved for clinical use in speci

In order to validate and to gain confidence in two micro-beam techniques: particle induced X-ray emission with nuclear microprobe technique (mu-PIXE) and synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence in a confocal alignment (confocal SR mu-XRF) for characterization of microscopic particles containing actinide elements (mixed plutonium and uranium) a comparative study has been performed. Inter-c