A combination method of frequency domain photon migration (FDPM) and gas in scattering media absorption spectroscopy (GASMAS) is used for assessment of the mean optical path length (MOPL) and the gas absorption in gas-filled porous media, respectively. Polystyrene (PS) foams, with extremely high physical porosity, are utilized as sample materials for proof-of-principle demonstration. The optical p

This work studies osteoinduction and bone conduction in polyvinyl alcohol-tetraethylorthosilicate-alginate-calcium oxide (PTAC) biocomposite cryogels along with the synergistic effect of electrical stimulation. In vitro osteoinduction of C2C12 myoblast towards osteogenic lineage is demonstrated through alkaline phosphatase assay, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscop

A qualified estimate for pretreatment of the macroalgae Chaetomorpha linum for ethanol production was given, based on the experience of pretreatment of land-based biomass. C linum was subjected to hydrothermal pretreatment (HIT), wet oxidation (WO), steam explosion (STEX), plasma-assisted pretreatment (PAP) and ball milling (BM), to determine effects of the pretreatment methods on the conversion o

Problem: Suspected, but objectively absent, rhinosinusitis constitutes a major cause of visits to the doctor, high health care costs, and the over-prescription of antibiotics, contributing to the serious problem of resistant bacteria. This situation is largely due to a lack of reliable and widely applicable diagnostic methods. Method: A novel method for the diagnosis of rhinosinusitis based on non

Stress corrosion cracking occurs due to the synergistic interaction between mechanical load and corrosion reactions. In this study, branching during anodic dissolution driven crack growth is studied using an adaptive FE procedure. The crack has an inherent blunt tip due to the dissolution, and the growth is treated as a moving boundary problem with a strain-assisted evolution law. Simulations are

Rapidly permineralized fossils can provide exceptional insights into the evolution of life over geological time. Here, we present an exquisitely preserved, calcified stem of a royal fern (Osmundaceae) from Early Jurassic lahar deposits of Sweden in which authigenic mineral precipitation from hydrothermal brines occurred so rapidly that it preserved cytoplasm, cytosol granules, nuclei, and even chr

Objective. Studies in mice suggest that plasma apoM is lowered in hyperinsulinaemic diabetes and that apoM stimulates formation of pre-beta-HDL. Pre-beta-HDL is an acceptor of cellular cholesterol and may be critical for reverse cholesterol transport. Herein, we examined whether patients with type 2 diabetes have reduced plasma apoM and whether apoM is associated with pre-beta-HDL formation and ce

Basaltic weathering from volcanic islands plays a critical role in the climate feedback loop. Geochemical and climate models require information on the rate of secondary mineral formation. We provide direct evidence for precipitation of amorphous Si in organic rich and acidic Histic Andosols compared to preferential allophane formation in organic poor and less acidic Haplic Andosols. Similar resul

Silica-filled poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) layers were successfully applied for the first time on top of ultrafiltration support membranes and applied in the pervaporative separation of ethanol/water mixtures. Reduction of the thickness of the separating PTMSP top layer and addition of hydrophobic silica particles resulted in a clear flux increase as compared to dense PTMSP membranes.

In the lower siliceous uplands of Central Europe, various types of nutrient-poor grasslands are widespread and grow intermingled. These species-rich grasslands, often dominated by taxa of the Festuca ovina aggregate, comprise various phytosociological classes. They are remnants of a historic rural landscape and are of conservation importance. Few studies on such grasslands are available and there

Increased life expectancy and improvement in clinical outcome following surgery has led to an increasing number of elderly patients with a history of prior aortic valve replacement (AVR). As a consequence, a considerable number of patients may require reintervention due to a dysfunctional bioprosthesis with structural valve deterioration (SVD). Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has be

The activity of heterotrophic soil microorganisms is usually limited by the availability and quality of carbon (C). Adding organic substances will thus trigger a microbial response. We studied the response in bacterial growth and respiration after the addition of low amounts of glucose. First we determined if additions of glucose, at concentrations which did not result in an exponential increase i

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have not only been implicated in the development of lung diseases, but they have also been proposed as a future cell-based therapy for lung diseases. However, the cellular identity of the primary MSC in human lung tissues has not yet been reported. This study therefore aimed to identify and characterise the 'bona fide' MSC in human lungs and to investigate if the MSC n

Cell replacement therapy of neurodegenerative disorders aims to substitute the degenerating cells with new functional neurons. Clinical trails with patients suffering from Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease have generated proof-of-principle results that neural precursors taken from the developing human brain can survive upon grafting to the diseased brain and provide long-lasting symptomatic reli

Is self-stereotyping part of the stereotype threat process? The self-concepts of 122 male and female business students were assessed by self-report and the Implicit Association Test (Greenwald, McGhee & Schwartz, 1998). The participants were either told that their salary negotiating ability would be assessed (stereotype threat) or not. There were no sex-differences in the non-diagnostic condit

Abstract is available

We investigate theoretically the properties of the photon state and the electronic transport in a system consisting of a metallic quantum dot strongly coupled to a superconducting microwave transmission line cavity. Within the framework of circuit quantum electrodynamics, we derive a Hamiltonian for arbitrary strong capacitive coupling between the dot and the cavity. The dynamics of the system is

Background Few authors have investigated function and pain after surgical treatment of patients with bone metastases. In 1999 the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group (SSG) initiated the Skeletal Metastasis Registry as a multi-centric, prospective study to provide a scientific basis for recommendations of treatment. Patients and methods We have analyzed function and pain in 530 patients (mean age 65 yr) ope