BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between satisfaction with occupational factors, operationalized as occupational status and the total daily occupational situation, and health-related variables among people with schizophrenia. The health-related variables included quality of life, perceived control, sense of coherence, and psychopathology. Gender differences in the

The surface compositions of poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) and poly(styrene-g-ethylene oxide) films were found to be largely determined by the nature of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chain ends. Angle-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that polystyrene (PS) dominated the surfaces of the copolymers having PEO chain ends terminated by hydroxyl groups (SEO). Also, the PEO content de

Bone-anchored percutaneous titanium implants have become a well-established clinical procedure with a low incidence of adverse reactions. However, passage through the skin leads to a breach in the barrier to exogenous pathogens. In the present study, monoclonal antibodies were used to investigate the distribution of lymphocyte subpopulations in the soft tissue around such implants. Eight biopsies

One first generation assay (manufactured by Ortho, test I) and 3 second generation anti-HCV ELISAs (manufactured by Ortho, Abbott, and UBI, tests II-IV) were compared. Sera from 4 different sources were used: (1) intravenous drug-users (IVDUs, n = 50), (2) blood donors (n = 1055), (3) all clinical samples from one day of routine anti-HCV testing (n = 89), (4) hemodialysis patients previously found

Occupational exposure to diisocyanates within the plastic industry causes irritation and disorders in the airway. The aim of this study was to develop, validate and characterize a method for the determination of 2,4-toluenediamine (2,4-TDA), 2,6-toluenediamine (2,6-TDA), 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-NDA) and 4,4'-methylenedianiline (4,4'-MDA) in hydrolysed urine and plasma, and to study the correla

Measurement of mental workload has been widely used for evaluation of aircraft design, mission analysis and assessment of pilot performance during flight operations. Heart rate is the psychophysiological measure that has been most frequently used for this purpose. The risk of interference with flight safety and pilot performance, as well as the generally constrained access to flights, make it diff

Statins inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and protect against ischaemic stroke. It has become increasingly apparent that the beneficial effects of statin therapy may extend beyond lowering of serum cholesterol. The present study was done to explore possible pleiotropic statin effects at the level of the cerebral vascular smooth muscle. Lovastatin, lovastatin acid, simvastatin and pravastatin, were

A large protein was purified from bovine kidney, using selective extraction with EDTA to solubilize proteins anchored by divalent cation-dependent interactions. An antiserum raised against the purified protein labeled the apical cell surface of the epithelial cells in proximal tubules and the luminal surface of small intestine. Ten peptide sequences, derived from the protein, all matched the recen

In the present paper an iterative time-reversal algorithm, that retrofocuses an acoustic wave field to its controllable part is established. For a fixed temporal support, i.e., transducer excitation time, the algorithm generates an optimal retrofocusing in the least-squares sense. Thus the iterative time-reversal algorithm reduces the temporal support of the excitation from the requirement of neglig

A new Certified Reference Material (CRM) for radionuclides in sediment (IAEA-385) is described and the results of the certification process are presented. Eleven radionuclides (K-40, Cs-137, Ra-226, Ra-228, Th-230, Th-232, U-234, U-238, Pu-238, Pu239+240 and Am-241) have been certified and information mass activities with 95% confidence intervals are given for seven other radionuclides (Sr-90, Pb-

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is an immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the gene coding for Bruton's agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase (BTK). A database (BTKbase) of BTK mutations has been compiled and the recent update lists 463 mutation entries from 406 unrelated families showing 303 unique molecular events, In addition to mutations, the database also lists variants or polymorphisms. Ea

BACKGROUND: The influence of tobacco smoke has been investigated on the growth rate and histology of prostate cancer, both in untreated tumors and in those subjected to fractionated irradiation. METHODS: Twenty-five rats were implanted bilaterally with Dunning R3327 tumor fragments at 10 weeks of age. Approximately 3 months later, they were randomly allocated to two groups, one of which was expose

A method for studying PCB desorption behaviour from sediments using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) is presented. Four sediments were investigated and extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide employing increasingly harsher extraction conditions ranging from 40 degrees C and 12MPa to 100 degrees C and 36.5 MPa. To ensure quantitative extractions, the

Succession is one of the most studied processes in ecology and succession theory provides strong predictability. However, few attempts have been made to influence the course of succession thereby testing the hypothesis that passing through one stage is essential before entering the next one. At each stage of succession ecosystem processes may be affected by the diversity of species present, but th