OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of a hybrid iterative reconstruction algorithm for improving image quality in craniocervical CT angiography (CTA) and to assess observer performance. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Thirty patients (mean age, 58 years; range 16-80 years) underwent standard craniocervical CTA (volume CT dose index, 6.8 mGy, 2.8 mSv). Images were reconstructed

Soil disturbance is a common phenomenon in semi-natural sandy grasslands, caused by management practices, livestock trampling and erosion. To better understand ecosystem processes when the surface layers of the soil are disturbed, we investigated the effects of disturbance on different functional microbial groups by the use of signature fatty acid analysis. Four levels of disturbance were investig

To escape competition at the dung pile, a ball-rolling dung beetle forms a piece of dung into a ball and rolls it away. To ensure an their efficient escape from the dung pile, the beetles rely on a celestial compass to move along a straight paths. Here, we analyzed the reliability of different skylight cues for this compass and found that dung beetles rely not only on the sun, but also on the skyl

Abstract in Undetermined Recension av en doktorsavhandling i historia, NTNU, Norge.

This is a descriptive study of tendon pathology with different structural appearances of repair tissue correlated to immunolocalization of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and type I and III collagens and expression of COMP mRNA. The material consists of nine tendons from seven horses (5-25 years old; mean age of 10 years) with clinical tendinopathy and three normal tendons from horses (

The in vivo activity of the alternative pathway (V-alt) has been studied using the oxygen isotope fractionation method in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana modified for the expression of the AtAOX1a gene by anti-sense (AS-12) or overexpression (XX-2). Under non-stressful conditions, V-alt was similar in all plant lines regardless of its different alternative pathway capacities (V-alt). Total leaf res

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are known to alter the fitness of individual organisms via changes in growth, behavior, and reproduction. It is largely unknown, however, whether these effects cascade through the food web and indirectly affect other, less sensitive organisms. The authors present results from a mesocosm experiment whereby the effects of the synthetic estrogen 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE

Chemerin is an adipokine proposed to link obesity and chronic inflammation of adipose tissue. Genetic factors determining chemerin release from adipose tissue are yet unknown. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for serum chemerin in three independent cohorts from Europe: Sorbs and KORA from Germany and PPP-Botnia from Finland (total N = 2,791). In addition, we m

Reproductive factors influence the risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), but little is known about their association with survival. We tested whether prediagnostic reproductive factors influenced EOC-specific survival among 1025 invasive EOC cases identified in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, which included 521 330 total participants (ap

In this paper, we demonstrate that the existence of sequential equilibria may depend on the players holding beliefs which are tailored to the respective equilibrium but otherwise difficult to justify. We also discuss potential remedies. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Objective: To study the use of major and alternative coreceptors by HIV-1 isolates obtained from paired plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. Design: Paired plasma and CSF isolates from HIV-1-infected individuals with varying clinical, virologic, and immunologic parameters were assessed for the ability to infect indicator cells expressing a panel of coreceptors with documented expression i

Glycerine is a chemical with a wide variety of uses. There are over 2000 known applications in cosmetics, foodstuffs, fi ne chemicals, and other industries. With the recent boom for liquid biofuels however, glycerine – which is a by-product mainly of biodiesel production – has become abundant. New uses for the chemical are being researched, but little attention has been paid to the production and

In this study, we investigated if there has been a displacement in the type and coverage of welfare services available for young unemployed adults in Finland, Norway and Sweden over the last two decades. This question is important because a number of studies have argued that the generous unemployment benefits and extensive labour market intervention found in the Nordic welfare states shield young

Former studies have shown that the Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) has two genetically distinguishable haplogroups (a ‘‘western’’ and an ‘‘eastern’’ clade). The species occurs in South Africa from January to late March, yet, in the whole database of EURING, there are no recoveries to the south of the Congo. There are at least three hypotheses concerning which birds are seen winterin

Abstract Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a genetic risk factor for pulmonary emphysema. In 1972-74 all 200,000 Swedish new-born infants were screened for AAT deficiency. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the PiZZ and PiSZ individuals identified by this screening have signs of emphysema and the role of smoking in this, compared with a random sample of control subjects

Nocturnal passerine migrants could substantially reduce the amount of energy spent per distance covered if they fly with tailwind assistance and thus achieve ground speeds that exceed their airspeeds (the birds' speed in relation to the surrounding air). We analysed tracking radar data from two study sites in southern and northern Scandinavia and show that nocturnally migrating passerines, during