A growing political interest in the development of biorefineries is being shaped by climate change and a need to develop economically viable substitutes (i.e., fuels, products and chemicals) to those produced in traditional oil refineries. The pulp and paper industry in Sweden has been stagnating and it is therefore potentially promising to integrate biorefining into its activities as one way of d

This study documents conodont faunas of the Fezouata Formation, recovered from the AZ-1 borehole at Adrar Zouggar Mountain and from outcrops near Zagora in south-eastern Morocco. The Fezouata Formation was deposited on the peri-Gondwanan shelf near the South Pole during Early Ordovician times. It is composed of mostly fine-grained siliciclastics and is well known for including beds displaying the

Animals need awell-functioning immune systemto protect themselves againstpathogens. The immune system, however, is costlyand resource trade-offs withother demands exist. For migratory animals several (not mutually exclusive)hypotheses exist. First, migrants reduce immune function to be able to allocateresources to migration. Second, migrants boost immune function to cope withmore and/or novel path

Intestinal mononuclear phagocytes, comprising macrophages (MΦs) and dendritic cells (DCs), play important roles in the generation and the regulation of immune responses to intestinal antigens, and alterations in the development and/or the function of these cells are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. In this review, we discuss the role of tumor necrosis factor

Platelets are small cellular fragments with the primary physiological role of maintaining hemostasis. In addition to this well-described classical function, it is becoming increasingly clear that platelets have an intimate connection with infection and inflammation. This stems from several platelet characteristics, including their ability to bind infectious agents and secrete many immunomodulatory

Objective To evaluate the internal consistency and construct validity of the Physical Function short-forms for the Hip and Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (HOOS-PS/KOOS-PS) and the Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP) in a nine country study of patients consulting for total hip or knee replacement (THR or TKR). Methods Patients completed HOOS-PS or KOOS-PS, ICOAP and Wes

Objectives: The primary goal in management of chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is to prevent disease progression to accelerated phase (AP) or blast crisis (BC). We have evaluated progression rates in a decentralised healthcare setting and characterised patients progressing to AP/BC on TKI treatment. Methods: Using data from the Swedish CML register, we identified CP-CML patients

Purpose: Macular development is a complex process that starts by mid-gestation and continues several years after birth. A preterm birth could affect this development, causing increased thickness in the central macula, but the effect of the macular function remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the macular function measured with multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), in forme

Background: Secondary hyperparathyroidism in elderly fragile patients presents clinical difficulties due to severity of symptoms and related comorbidity. The optimal surgical approach for this group of patients is still debated. Aim: The aim of the study was to define the optimal technique of parathyroidectomy in elderly patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Methods: Retrospective analysis

The theoretical understanding of inline rotor-stator mixer (RSM) efficiency, described in terms of the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy as a function of mixer design and operation, is still poor. As opposed to the correlations for shaft power draw, where a substantial amount of experimental support for the suggested correlations exists, the previously suggested correlations for the dis

Since the 1990s, the low number of students choosing to study science and technology in higher education has been on the societal agenda and many initiatives have been launched to promote awareness regarding career options. The initiatives particularly focus on increasing enrolment in the engineering programmes. This article describes and compares eight European initiatives that have been establis

Background Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB)-based antiseptic solutions can reduce bacterial loads in different clinical settings and are believed to lower risk of infections. Objective We sought to assess the efficacy of a PHMB-based solution in lowering bacterial loads of full-thickness skin grafting wounds and the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). Methods In this double-blinded clinical

Purpose: Most knowledge regarding outcome after adrenal surgery stems from retrospective studies reported by highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to report a national experience of adrenalectomy with particular attention to predictive factors for postoperative complications, conversion from endoscopic to open surgery and length of hospital stay. Methods: Adrenalectomies reported i

‘The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy’ is a welcome addition to critical studies within the field of public diplomacy (PD) by public relations (PR) scholar Kathy Fitzpatrick. The monograph aims to untangle many of PD’s historical misconceptions and contribute to the development of its conceptual foundations through an examination of the U.S. experience. In truth, the interaction between the discuss

Monitoring vegetation gross primary production (GPP) is required for both carbon balance studies and early warning systems aiming to detect unfavorable crop and pasture conditions. This manuscript describes the assimilation of MODIS observations by a simple process model, fed by meteorological data (temperature, incident radiation and rainfall) and linked with a canopy reflectance model, to estima

We aimed to establish whether recall of elements of the neurological examination can be improved by use of a simple patient assessment score. In a previous study we demonstrated that in-patients referred to neurology at two United Kingdom (UK) hospitals were not fully examined prior to referral; we therefore designed a larger quality improvement report with 80% power to detect a 10% increase in te

Sparse, non-negative signals occur in many applications. To recover such signals, estimation posed as non-negative least squares problems have proven to be fruitful. Efficient algorithms with high accuracy have been proposed, but many of them assume either perfect knowledge of the dictionary generating the signal, or attempts to explain deviations from this dictionary by attributing them to compon