Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a developing technology. New generations of DBS technology are already in the pipeline, yet this particular fact has been largely ignored among ethicists interested in DBS. Focusing only on ethical concerns raised by the current DBS technology is, albeit necessary, not sufficient. Since current bioethical concerns raised by a specific technology could be quite diffe

A palynological study of uppermost Maastrichtian to lower Paleocene marine strata from two stratigraphic sections in the Clarence Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand, revealed diverse organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages. One hundred and twelve samples were investigated and 86 dinocyst species were identified, from the two sections studied: Branch and Mead streams. Nine new speci

Design inputs (wastewater characteristics, operational settings, effluent requirements or safety factors, ...) need to be supplied when using activated sludge process design guidelines (ASPDG) to determine the design outputs (biological reactor volume, the dissolved oxygen demand or the different internal/external recycle flow-rates). The values of the design inputs might have strong effects on th

The atmospheric concentration of elemental carbon (EC) in Europe during the six-year period 2005-2010 has been simulated with the EMEP MSC-W model. The model bias compared to EC measurements was less than 20% for most of the examined sites. The model results suggest that fossil fuel combustion is the dominant source of EC in most of Europe but that there are important contributions also from resid

To study the prevalence of chronic widespread pain (ChWP), chronic regional pain (ChRP), and fibromyalgia in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed for 5 years after inclusion, and to study the effect of pain on measures of disease activity and function.

The increased opportunity to choose one’s school of preference has been raised as a key factor in many countries to promote equal opportunities and a higher quality of education. This has been endorsed by policymakers who assume that students make well-informed rational choices and that students stress only academic quality when deciding which school to attend. If this is true, it will benefit sch

Abstract in UndeterminedElectrons accelerated in the nonlinear regime in a laser wakefield accelerator experience transverse oscillations inside the plasma cavity, giving rise to ultra-short pulsed x-rays, also called the betatron radiation. We show that the fluence of x-ray can be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude when the laser is guided by a 10 mm long capillary tube instead of inter

The Lisbon Treaty (Article 11) recognises the provision on participatory democracy as a democratic principle of the European Union (EU), thus constitutionally legitimising the involvement of civil society in European governance. However, at least three issues relating to the democratic dimension of this practice remain unresolved. First, it is not possible to specify precisely how the participatio

ObjectiveExamine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Pediatric Testing Attitudes Scale-Diabetes (P-TAS-D), a measure of parental attitudes about predictive risk screening for type 1 diabetes in children. MethodsSurveys were completed by 3720 Swedish parents of children participating in the adolescent follow-up of a birth cohort study of type 1 diabetes onset. Parents averaged 43

Hemorrhage is a rare but dreaded complication after pancreatic surgery. The aim of this study was to examine the incidence, risk factors, management, and outcome of postpancreatectomy hemorrhage in a tertiary care center. A retrospective observational study was conducted on 500 consecutive patients undergoing major pancreatic resections at our institution. Postpancrea-tectomy hemorrhage was define

In Parkinson's disease non-motor symptoms can appear even before the motor symptoms. Additionally to motor fluctuations and dyskinesias, the non-motor symptoms constitute one of the main problems when treating Parkinson's disease. They are also of high relevance for the quality of life. There are indications that a continuous dopaminergic stimulation can improve symptoms such as depression, sleep

Cryostructuration platform renders it possible to form macroporous materials (known as cryogels) with a broad range of porosity, from structures with combination of meso- and macropores to structures with 100-μm sized macropores. When these materials are formed in the shape of monoliths (monolithic cryogels), they present a unique monolithic stationary medium for specific applications. This revie

It is well established that atherosclerosis is caused by an inflammatory process in the arterial intima. However, it is only in recent years that it has become clear that this inflammation is modulated by immune responses against plaque antigens. These antigens are primarily believed to be modified self-antigens such as oxidized LDL. The immune system is challenged to determine whether these antig

During moult, stressors such as malaria and related haemosporidian parasites (e.g. Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) could affect the growth rate and quality of feathers, which in turn may compromise future reproduction and survival. Recent advances in molecular methods to study parasites have revealed that co-infections with multiple parasites are frequent in bird-malaria parasite systems. However, th