This study presents GIS-based estimates of permafrost extent in the northern circumpolar region during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), based on a review of previously published maps and compilations of field evidence in the form of ice-wedge pseudomorphs and relict sand wedges. We focus on field evidence localities in areas thought to have been located along the past southern border of permafrost.

Autophagy dysfunction in mouse atherosclerosis models has been associated with increased lipid accumulation, apoptosis and inflammation. Expression of cystatin C (CysC) is decreased in human atheroma, and CysC deficiency enhances atherosclerosis in mice. Here, we first investigated the association of autophagy and CysC expression levels with atheroma plaque severity in human atherosclerotic lesion

In this paper we consider the asymptotic distributions of functionals of the sample covariance matrix and the sample mean vector obtained under the assumption that the matrix of observations has a matrix variate general skew normal distribution. The central limit theorem is derived for the product of the sample covariance matrix and the sample mean vector. Moreover, we consider the product of an i

A method of measuring three-dimensional spatial wave size is proposed and statistical distributions of the size characteristics are derived in explicit integral forms for Gaussian sea surfaces. New definitions of wave characteristics such as the crest-height, the length, the size and the wave front location are provided in fully dimensional context. The joint statistical distributions of these wav

Background: Concomitant Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is observed in Lewy body diseases (LBD), but the clinical impact is unknown. Only a few biomarker studies in LBD exist and have included small cohorts from single centers. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers across the spectrum of LBD in a large multicenter cohort and to assess

A new species, Sirenophila ovis-atra is described from maritime rocks of southern Patagonia, the Falkland Islands and Macquarie Island, where it grows in the upper part of the black ‘Verrucaria-zone’, most often on members of the genus Hydropunctaria. It is so far the only known species of Sirenophila in South America, a genus that is particularly prominent on the coasts of Australia.

The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor Say (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), is a pest of wheat and belongs to a group of gall-inducing herbivores. This species has a unique life history and several ecological features that differentiate it from other Diptera such as Drosophila melanogaster and blood-feeding mosquitoes. These features include a short, non-feeding adult life stage (1–2 days) and the u

Nation brands are intended to act as vehicles for economic development. However, the role of the nation brands of developed countries in shaping the economic development of developing countries has not been explored to the same degree. Using the example of Britain’s 2010 National Security Strategy, this article argues that the two-decade long decline in conditional aid has been superseded by effor

Background While transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is established for treating highoperative risk surgical aortic valve replacement candidates, until recently the smallest transcatheter heart valve (THV) measured 23 mm, posing greater risk for annular rupture and THV failure in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) with small aortic annuli (=20 mm). Objectives In the setting of a multice

The control of the Touch Hand: a low-cost electrically powered prosthetic hand is explored in this paper. A novel Haptic User Interface is proposed and tested as a supplement for amputee-prosthetic EMG control. The performance of the prosthetic hand is tested through gripping tests. The hand is capable of performing a lateral grip of 3.7 N, a power grip of 19.5 N and to passively hold a weight of

The Φ9/24 ground state of the Ni2+ diatomic molecular cation is determined experimentally from temperature and magnetic-field-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy in a cryogenic ion trap, where an electronic and rotational temperature of 7.4±0.2 K was reached by buffer gas cooling of the molecular ion. The contribution of the spin dipole operator to the x-ray magnetic circular

We investigated efficacy and toxicity of replacing conventional triple (cytarabine, methotrexate, and hydrocortisone) intrathecal therapy (TIT) with liposomal cytarabine during maintenance therapy among 40 acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. Twenty-eight of 29 patients in the TIT arm received TIT and 9/11 in the liposomal cytarabine arm received liposomal cytarabine. Arachnoiditis occurred in a

We analyze the classical problem of the interaction between two charged surfaces separated by a solution containing neutralizing counter-ions. The focus is on obtaining a description where the solvent is treated explicitly rather than through a dielectric approximation as is conventionally done. We summarize the results of three papers where we have used a Stockmayer fluid model in Monte Carlo sim

The Nordic region is much admired around the world, but how much of what we know about these countries has been shaped by their adoption of placebranding and public diplomacy techniques? This collection of academic articles and practitioner essays digs beneath the veneer of their branding and PD practices to investigate not just the best practice of how the Nordic region has successfully projected

Aims: The aim of the study was to compare outcomes in unfractionated heparin (UFH) and bivalirudin-treated patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). Methods and results: This observational study contained 20,612 PPCI patients treated with either UFH monotherapy or bivalirudin with or without concomitant UFH. Patients with oral anticoagulant or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inh

Aims: The aim of this report is to provide a standard educational structure for nurses and allied professionals (NAP) specialising in interventional cardiology. The curriculum can also be used as a basis for training on a certificate-based level in interventional cardiology. Methods and results: The curriculum was developed by a panel of experts from various allied health professions. The syllabus