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The use of high dynamic range (HDR) textures in real-time graphics applications can increase realism and provide a more vivid experience. However, the increased bandwidth and storage requirements for uncompressed HDR data can become a major bottleneck. Hence, several recent algorithms for HDR texture compression have been proposed. In this paper, we discuss several practical issues one has to co
Aim: To assess the 2-year efficacy and tolerability of vildagliptin (50 mg once daily) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and mild hyperglycaemia. Methods: This was a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comprising a 52-week core study with a 4-week, active treatment-free washout followed by a 52-week extension study with another washout period conducted in 131 drug
Aims. To investigate the effects of selective beta(2)- and selective beta(3)-adrenoceptor (AR) agonists on prostaglandin (PG) E-2-induced bladder hyperactivity in conscious free-moving rats. Methods. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized for implantation of bladder, intravenous, and intra-arterial catheters. The effects of a beta(3)-AR agonist (CL316,243) on cystometric and cardiovascular p
In birds and mammals with sexual size dimorphism (SSD), the larger sex is typically more sensitive to adverse environmental conditions, such as food shortage, during ontogeny. However, some recent studies of altricial birds have found that the larger sex is less sensitive, apparently because large size renders an advantage in sibling competition. Still, this effect is not an inevitable outcome of
During mammalian aging, cellular proteins become increasingly damaged: for example, by carbonylation and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The means to ensure that offspring are born without such damage are unknown. Unexpectedly, we found that undifferentiated mouse ES cells contain high levels of both carbonyls and AGEs. The damaged proteins, identified as chaperones and protei
Background/aim: Oxytocin (OT) has a wide range of effects throughout the body. However, the role of OT on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has to be settled. So far, the few studies performed reveal no conclusive results. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of Of and OT-receptor mRNA in the human GI tract. Material and methods: Full-thickness biopsies from all segments of the GI tra
Sedation in critically ill patients is a complex issue and at the same time an important concept for ensuring patient comfort. The aim of this study was to review the current practice of sedation for patients on mechanical ventilation in Swedish intensive care units (ICUs). Questionnaires were sent by post to head nurses in 89 ICUs with mechanically ventilated patients. By August 2000, 87 (98%) qu
Background: Recent studies on the pathophysiology of heart failure indicate the role of neurohormones and immune and inflammatory processes as potential mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and clinical course of chronic heart failure (CHF). Aim: To analyse the relationship between concentrations of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6) a
In several countries, increased incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue in young adults has been suspected during the last decades. Some reports indicate a lower survival rate for young patients compared to older patients. In other reports, there has not been any considerable difference in survival when comparing young adults to older patients, whereas some authors have shown bett
An enrichment technique was used to isolate 11 di-, tri-, and tetra microsatellites for the parasitic fly Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae). These loci were polymerase chain reaction amplified in singleplexes or two-plexes for P. downsi. The loci showed low to moderate polymorphism, exhibited between three and four alleles, and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.05 to 0.86. These new markers
Cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) is a neuropeptide expressed in brain regions thought to regulate anxiety levels, depression, addiction and energy homeostasis. Individuals with a CART mutation display increased anxiety and depression. Severe anxiety is a core phenomenon of suicidality. We therefore studied levels of CART in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 98 patients with diffe
Digital elevation models (DEMs) can be captured and analysed by various methods. Elevation capturing with RTK-GPS and airborne laser scanning is presented and evaluated in terms of height accuracy of raw data and interpolated DEMs for study sites in Sweden and Germany. Applications for precision agriculture are based on the connection of land surface and the movement of water in the landscape. Thr
In mature seeds of Brassica napus three major and three minor myrosinase isoenzymes were identified earlier. These myrosinases are known to be encoded by at least two different families of myrosinase genes, denoted MA and MB. In the work described in this paper the presence of different myrosinase isoenzymes in embryos, seedlings, and vegetative mature tissues of B. napus was studied and related t
The expression of genes specifically in B cells is of great interest in both experimental immunology as well as in future clinical gene therapy. We have constructed a novel enhanced B cell-specific promoter (Igk- E) consisting of an immunoglobulin kappa (Igk) minimal promoter combined with an intronic enhancer sequence and a 30 enhancer sequence from Ig genes. The Igk- E promoter was cloned into a
Inhibitors of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) are of increasing interest to both diabetologists and the pharmaceutical industry alike, as they may become established as the next member of the oral antidiabetic class of therapeutic agents, designed to lower blood glucose and, possibly, prevent the progressive impairment of glucose metabolism in patients with impaired glucose tolerance a
During recent decades the incidence of testicular cancer (TC) has increased rapidly around the world. Associated exogenous etiological factors might therefore be identifiable. We performed a case-control study nested within Finnish, Swedish and Icelandic maternity cohorts exploiting early pregnancy serum samples to evaluate the role of congenital or neonatal infections with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV
Experimental Two-Port data is used to model the acoustical behavior of three fundamentally different types of earplugs. It is shown that simple lumped models suffice to describe the acoustical behavior of the earplugs. Furthermore, it is shown that the measurement setup can advantageously be used to assess the acoustical properties of an arbitrary acoustical partition for a wide frequency range.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype autoimmune disease where genes regulated by type I interferon (IFN) are over-expressed and contribute to the disease pathogenesis. Because signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) plays a key role in the type I IFN receptor signaling, we performed a candidate gene study of a comprehensive set of single nucleotide polymorphism (S
