Background and purpose Early migration of joint replacements is an effect of poor fixation and can predict late loosening. By reducing the bone resorption after implantation of a joint replacement, it should be possible to enhance the initial fixation of the implant. We studied the effect of once-weekly treatment with alendronate after knee replacement. Patients and methods We recruited 60 patient

In this paper different approaches to groundwater flow and its effect in the vicinity of a borehole ground heat exchanger are discussed. The common assumption that groundwater flow in hard rock may be modelled as a homogeneous flow in a medium with an effective porosity is confronted and models for heat transfer due to groundwater flow in fractures and fracture zones are presented especially from

Predicted flight trajectories differ depending on which orientation cues are used by migrating birds. Results from radar and satellite tracking of migrating birds can be used to test which of the predicted trajectories shows the best fit with observed flight routes, supporting the use of the associated orientation mechanism. Radar studies of bird migration at the Northeast Passage and the Northwes

The Sahel region of Africa has experienced a decrease in rainfall from the early 1960s to mid 1990s. Recent studies have detected an increased in NDVI amplitude and growing season integrated NDVI for the region since 1982. However, these studies have not examined how plant phenology has changed. Phenology examines life cycle events such as bud burst and leaf senescence. Using the software TIMESAT

A new parameterization is proposed to link the droplet number concentration to the size distribution and chemical composition of aerosol and updraft velocity. Except for an empirical assumption of droplet growth, the parameterization is formulated almost entirely on first principles to allow for satisfactory performance under a variety of conditions. For a series of updraft velocity ranging from 0

In a recent study we showed that all our dental personnel/patients were detected with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) and 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane (bis-GMA). We studied 90 patients tested to the acrylate and nail acrylics series at our department over a 10 year period to see whether screening allergens could be found. Patch testing with an acrylate and nail ac

Background. The cause of increased schizophrenia rates among immigrants in Europe is unknown. This study explores psychotic features in persons aspiring and actively planning to emigrate, prior to their potential emigration. Method. Potential future emigrants and controls in Kampala (Uganda) were screened for delusional ideation and manic symptoms, using the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI

We study the influence of the major compensating defects As antisites and Mn interstitials known to occur in the GaMnAs ferromagnetic semiconductor on its structural properties. Our experimental results show that there is a balance between Mn interstitial and As antisite defects, leading to the reduced density of one type of defect upon increasing the density of the other defect. Significant diffe

Popular Abstract in Swedish Förbränning är den viktigaste energikällan på jorden och en ökad förståelse av förbränningsprocesser är väsentlig för att minska miljöfarliga utsläpp och för att öka effektiviteten av förbränningsanläggningar och motorer. För detta ändamål är det viktigt att bestämma bl. a. koncentrationer av ämnen som bildas under förbränningen. Laserbaserade mätmetoder möjliggör berörCombustion is the most important source of energy worldwide. A better understanding of it is essential if pollutant emissions are to be reduced and combustion devices be made more efficient. This requires measurement of physical and chemical combustion parameters. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is widely employed as a laser-diagnostic technique for the detection of combustion species but it suff

We set up a structural model to study credit risk for a portfolio containing several or many credit contracts. The model is based on a jump-diffusion process for the risk factors, i.e. for the company assets. We also include correlations between the companies. We discuss that models of this type have much in common with other problems in statistical physics and in the theory of complex systems. We

Fifty-six type I diabetic patients with microalbuminuria (albumin excretion rate 20-200 micrograms/min) were characterized as to sex, age, duration of diabetes, smoking habits, blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, urinary NC1 (the carboxy-terminal domain of collagen IV), and Tamm-Horsfall protein excretion rate. Albumin excretion rate was considered a sign of glomerular damage, NC1 excretio

BACKGROUND: Working as a hairdresser involves exposure to a variety of chemical agents. AIMS: To estimate the risk of such exposure in relation to reproductive outcome. METHODS: A cohort of hairdressers, certified in Sweden from 1970 onwards, and a referent cohort of women from the general population were established and linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register for the period 1973 to 1994. In

A knowledge of the distribution of the attenuation coefficient is generally required for a successful correction of attenuation in nonhomogeneous regions. This can be accomplished by performing transmission measurement with either parallel or fan-bean collimation. The Monte Carlo method makes it possible to fully evaluate the results of such a correction. This study shows results from such simulat

The motion of atoms on interatomic potential energy surfaces is fundamental to the dynamics of liquids and solids. An accelerator-based source of femtosecond x-ray pulses allowed us to follow directly atomic displacements on an optically modified energy landscape, leading eventually to the transition from crystalline solid to disordered liquid. We show that, to first order in time, the dynamics ar

The tissue distribution and some properties of human alpha-mannosidase (alpha-D-mannoside mannohydrolase EC 3.2.1.24) have been studied. The acidic forms of the enzyme were fairly stable, whereas the neutral forms easily lost enzymic activity. The acidic forms were sensitive to neuraminidase but the neutral forms were unaffected. The experiments indicate that the acidic components are closely rela

Control loops that are closed over a communication network get more and more common. A problem with such systems is that the transfer delays will be varying with different characteristics depending on the network hardware and software. The network delays are typically varying due to varying network load, scheduling policies in the network and the nodes, and due to network failures. Two network mod

Dynamic fracture experiments on crack initiation and crack growth in single edge bend specimens are performed. The impact velocity is in the range of 14 to 50 m/s and the specimen size is 320 x 75 mm with a thickness varying from 18 to 40 mm. The experiments are recorded by high speed photography. Two different steel qualities are investigated and their constitutive characterisation are obtained f