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The luminescence from etched quantum-well wire structures often exhibits an unexpectedly large blueshift of the peak energy position. Further, the shift is usually quite independent of the width of the wires. In this letter we show that this blueshift can be explained as a decreased transfer of excitons between areas of different monolayer thicknesses within the single quantum wells, caused by a c
In August, growth rate of young-of-the-year (YOY) perch in lake enclosures could be explained by both YOY density and mean cladoceran biomass, suggesting that in a lake where YOY perch are dominant, growth may be density dependent in late summer and mediated through top-down control on daphnid biomass. In June, growth rate of YOY perch could not be fully explained by YOY density or by mean cladoce
In two recent double-blind clinical trials of fetal ventral mesencephalic cell transplants into the striatum in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), a significant proportion of the grafted patients developed dyskinetic side effects, which were not seen in the sham operated patients. Comparison between dyskinetic and non-dyskinetic grafted patients in one of the trials suggested that an uneven p
Let Ω be a B-regular domain in ℂn and let V be a locally irreducible analytic variety in Ω. Given a continuous function , we prove that there is a unique maximal plurisubharmonic function u on V with boundary values given by ϕ and furthermore that u is continuous on .
Two patients in the final stage of dementia of Alzheimer type were stimulated with music, touch and object presentation during 12 consecutive days (16 trials per patient). Evaluations were made by direct observations, analysis of video-taped recordings and registrations of pulse and rate of respiration. Both patients reacted differently to music than to touch and object presentation. (C) 2003 Publ
This paper examines the professional and scientific views on the social, ethical and legal issues that impact on the provision of genetic services in Europe. Many aspects have been considered, such as the definition and the aims of genetic services, their organization, the quality assessment, public education, as well as the partnership with patients support groups and the multicultural aspects. T
Antibody-based microarray is a novel proteomic technology setting a new standard for molecular profiling of non-fractionated complex proteomes. The first generation of antibody microarrays has already demonstrated its potential for generating detailed protein expression profiles, or protein atlases, of human body fluids in health and disease, paving the way for new discoveries within the field of
Little has been reported on the association of derived body composition data and cardiovascular mortality. The authors defined body composition profiles based on one- and two-variable measures from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) total body scans. Scan results are labeled "apple" if Z score for percent of total fat in trunk is >0 and "pear" if Z score for height-corrected limb fat is > or =
Background The cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil is used to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Its efficacy in severe dementia has not been assessed and is controversial. Our aim was to ascertain the effectiveness of donepezil in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease, by focusing primarily on cognition and activities of daily living. Methods We did a 6-month, double-blind, parallel-gr
Background Mental health interventions should demonstrate an effect on patients' functioning as well as his/her needs, in particular on unmet needs whose assessment depends on the perspective of either the patient or the clinician. However, individual met and unmet needs appear to change over time, qualitatively and quantitatively, raising questions about their sensitivity to change and about the
Population-based surveys have shown that health-related quality of life (HRQL) is influenced by patients' characteristics such as age, gender, living situation and diagnoses. The present study explores the impact of such factors on the HRQL of severely ill cancer patients. The study sample included 395 cancer patients who participated in a cluster randomised trial of palliative care. Median surviv
Cadmium is a widespread environmental pollutant, which is associated with increased risk of osteoporosis. It has been proposed that cadmium's toxic effect on bone is exerted via impaired activation of vitamin D, secondary to the kidney effects. To test this, we assessed the association of cadmium-induced bone and kidney effects with serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)(2)D); measured by enzyme
An ultrasound phase-locked, echo-tracking system was used to determine the dynamic properties of the distal abdominal aorta in 10 Caucasian male subjects (mean age, 25 years). Recordings were made at rest and during the blood pressure increase resulting from isometric exercise. The pressure diameter curve was nonlinear with an inflection at about 90-110 mmHg. Above this pressure range, the vessel
Intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase (Alk-SMase) and neutral ceramidase may catalyze the hydrolysis of endogenous sphin-gomyelin (SM) and milk SM in human-milk fed infants. The enzymes generate sphingolipid metabolites that may influence gut maturation. Alk-SMase also inactivates platelet-activating factor (PAF) that is involved in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We examined w
Precipitation is often the sole source of water replenishment in arid and semi-arid areas and, thus, plays a pertinent role in sustaining desert ecosystems. Revegetation over 40 years using mainly Artemisia ordosica and Caragana korshinskii at Shapotou Desert Experimental Research Station near Lanzhou, China, has established a dwarf-shrub and microbiotic soil crust cover on the stabilized sand dun
