The complexities of green consumption are often discussed. Studies bring to fore difficulties of choosing sustainable alternatives in a complex world. How are consumers to know what products to purchase in a market society with global commodity chains? Can consumers really trust corporations' environmental reporting? In arguing this, these studies are giving voice to some of the difficulties and a

Stemflow of xerophytic shrubs represents a significant component of water replenishment to the soil-root system influencing water utilization of plant roots at the stand scale, especially in water scarce desert ecosystems. In this study, stemflow of Caragana korshinskii was quantified by an aluminum foil collar collection method on re-vegetated sand dunes of the Shapotou restored desert ecosystem

The reliability of some methods of neurological prognostication after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has been questioned since the introduction of induced hypothermia. The aim of this study was to determine whether different treatment temperatures after resuscitation affected the prognostic accuracy of clinical neurological findings and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) in comatose patients.

Acute stress disorder (ASD) was introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) taxonomy in 1994 to address the lack of a specific diagnosis for acute pathological reactions to trauma and the role that dissociative phenomena play both in the short- and long-term reactions to trauma. In this review, we discuss the history and goals of the diagnosis and compare it with the diagnoses of a

Purpose: Since a distorted body experience and a sedentary lifestyle are central in the course of binge eating disorder (BED), physical therapy might be an interesting add-on treatment. The aim of this study was to systematically review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating physical therapy on binge eating and physical and mental health in BED patients. Method: EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, C

A search for the decay to a pair of new particles of either the 125 GeV Higgs boson (h) or a second charge parity (CP)-even Higgs boson (H) is presented. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2012. The search was done in the context of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, i

The majority of genetic risk variants for type 2 diabetes (T2D) affect insulin secretion, but the mechanisms through which they influence pancreatic islet function remain largely unknown. We functionally characterized human islets to determine secretory, biophysical, and ultrastructural features in relation to genetic risk profiles in diabetic and nondiabetic donors. Islets from donors with T2D ex

Mixed phase (rutile/anatase)TiO2 nanorods have been synthesized using an anionic surfactant template. Nanorod synthesis has been achieved using mild reaction conditions and without using any rod-shaped template. The shape and crystallinity of the TiO2 nanomaterials can be modulated by careful control of the surfactant concentration. The novelty of the present work is that the anatase/rutile mixed

Hemophilia A is a congenital, recessive, X-linked bleeding disorder that is managed with infusions of plasma-derived or recombinant factor (F) VIII. The primary considerations in FVIII replacement therapy today are the: 1) immunogenicity of FVIII concentrates, 2) role of longer-acting FVIII products, 3) prophylactic use of FVIII in children and adults with severe hemophilia A, and 4) affordability

Fabry disease (FD) may cause stroke and is reportedly associated with typical brain findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In a large group of young patients with an acute cerebrovascular event, we wanted to test whether brain MRI findings can serve to suggest the presence of FD.

Background: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria are an escalating problem threatening health. Devastating consequences can result in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) due to these bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of once-a-week screening (July 2010 to September 2012) versus screening on demand (April 2008 to June 2010). Materials and methods

Axelsson J, Sverrisson K, Rippe A, Fissell W, Rippe B. Reduced diffusion of charge-modified, conformationally intact anionic Ficoll relative to neutral Ficoll across the rat glomerular filtration barrier in vivo. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 301: F708-F712, 2011. First published July 20, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00183.2011.-The glomerular filtration barrier (GFB) is commonly conceived as a negativ

Representatives of the highly speciose tropical butterfly genus Bicyclus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) are characterized by morphological differences in the male androconia, a set of scales and hair pencils located on the surface of the wings. These androconia are assumed to be associated with the release of courtship pheromones. In the present study, we report the identification and biosynthetic pat

The best way to conceive semiotical spaces that are not identical to single buildings, such as a cityscape, is to define the place in terms of the activities occurring there. This conception originated in the proxemics of E. T. Hall and was later generalized in the spatial semiotics of Manar Hammad. It can be given a more secure grounding in terms of time geography, which is involved with trajecto

A highly thermostable recombinant xylanase from Thermotoga neapolitana was used as a catalyst for single-step synthesis of n-octyl xylobioside and n-octyl xylotrioside from xylan and n-octanol. Effect of xylan concentration, enzyme dose, reaction water content, reaction temperature and initial pH on the yield of these surfactants has been studied. The optimal conditions for n-octyl xylobioside and

Pathogens that are maintained by wild birds occasionally jump to human hosts, causing considerable loss of life and disruption to global commerce. Preliminary evidence suggests that climate change and human movements and commerce may have played a role in recent range expansions of avian pathogens. Since the magnitude of climate change in the coming decades is predicted to exceed climatic changes

Ensembles of (J,K)-regular low-density parity-check convolutional (LDPCC) codes are known to be asymptotically good, in the sense that the minimum free distance grows linearly with the constraint length. In this paper, we use a protograph-based analysis of terminated LDPCC codes to obtain an upper bound on the free distance growth rate of ensembles of periodically time-varying LDPCC codes. This bo

Developing a functional blood substitute as an alternative to donated blood for clinical use is believed to relieve present and future blood shortages, and to reduce the risks of infection and blood type mismatching. Hemoglobin vesicle (HbV) encapsulates a purified and concentrated human-derived Hb solution in a phospholipid vesicle (liposome). The in vivo safety and efficacy of HbV as a transfusi

EndoS from Streptococcus pyogenes is an immunomodulating enzyme that specifically hydrolyzes glycans from human IgG and thereby affects antibody effector functions. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is caused by antibody mediated red blood cell (RBC) destruction and often resists treatment with corticosteroids that also cause frequent adverse effects. We show here that anti-RhD (anti-D) and rabbit anti-

Experience can affect human gray matter volume. The behavioral correlates of individual differences in such brain changes are not well understood. In a group of Swedish individuals studying Italian as a foreign language, we investigated associations among time spent studying, acquired vocabulary, baseline performance on memory tasks, and gray matter changes. As a way of studying episodic memory tr