Mixtures of cationic guar (cat-guar) or cationic hydroxyethylcellulose (cat-HEC) with the anionic surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium lauryl ether-3 sulfate have been investigated by a wide range of complementary techniques (phase studies, turbidity measurements, dynamic light scattering, gel-swelling experiments, and in situ null ellipsometry), with the following objectives in mind: (1)

Significant soft-tissue trauma induces platelet activation, aggregation, and sequestration in the lungs. This pulmonary trapping is due either to the size of the platelet aggregates or to changes in the pulmonary microvasculature. To evaluate which one of these mechanisms is responsible for the trapping, we performed portacaval transposition in one group of pigs, making the liver the first receivi

A new understanding of the concept of health is needed to meet the goal of mental health nursing, which besides reducing disease is to strengthen the patient's health. The aim of the present study was to describe perceptions of the concept of health among nurses working in mental health services. Twelve Swedish nurses working in mental health services were interviewed and data were analysed with a

This article explores the applicability of a conceptual framework derived from interorganization theory and network analysis to the study of international organization. The framework emphasizes the pivotal role of linking-pin organizations and of boundary-role personnel within these organizations in transnational networks. A set of issue-specific and organization-specific factors accounting for va

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease directed towards peripheral joints. As all common diseases it is associated with several genes and a multitude of environmental factors. In addition, in similarity with most other complex diseases, it is defined only on the basis of clinical signs and symptoms, it is therefore more properly classified as a syndrome rather than a distinct

Background. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) is a widely used therapy in patients with poststernotomy mediastinitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate sternal stability during VAC application at seven negative pressures (-50 to -200 mm Hg) in a porcine wound model. Methods. Six pigs underwent median sternotomy and 2 steel wires were fixed at each sternal side and connected to a traction device. T

In-situ measurements of soot volume fraction in the exhausts of jet engines can be carried out using the laser-induced incandescence (LII) technique in backward configuration, in which the signal is detected in the opposite direction of the laser beam propagation. In order to improve backward LII for quantitative measurements, we have in this work made a detailed experimental and theoretical inves

The reproducibility of multivariate measurements is discussed. Reproducibility of a second kind is defined, in which part of the variability between samples is described by a principal components model. The use of this generalized reproducibiity is shown to give an improved precision in the pyrolysis-gas chromatography of a Penicillium species.

Between 1992 and 2004, 1,140 children (1 to < 15 years) were diagnosed with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the Nordic countries. Of these, 288 (25%) were positive for t(12; 21)(p 13;q22) [ETV6/RUNXI]. G-banding analyses were successful in 245 (85%); 43 (15%) were karyotypic failures. The modal chromosome numbers, incidence, types, and numbers of additional abnormalities, ge

We consider the diffusive motion of a localised knot along a linear polymer chain. In particular, we derive the mean diffusion time of the knot before it escapes from the chain once it gets close to one of the chain ends. Self-reptation of the entire chain between either end and the knot position, during which the knot is provided with free volume, leads to an L-3 scaling of diffusion time; for su

Ultrafiltration failure ( UFF) is a common complication of long- term peritoneal dialysis ( PD). Functionally UFF is in most cases characterized by an enhanced peritoneal mass transfer area coefficient for glucose ( PSg) combined with a largely unchanged peritoneal glucose osmotic conductance ( LpS sigma(g)). Morphologically, marked UFF occurs with fibrosis of the submesothelial zone in the perito

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) causes a variety of diseases, including acute pharyngitis, impetigo, rheumatic fever and the streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Moreover, S. pyogenes was responsible for the classical example of a nosocomial infection, the epidemics of puerperal fever (childbed fever) that caused the death of numerous women in earlier centuries. The most extensively

We created a computational optical model of spherical fish lenses that takes into account the effects of the peripheral layers that differ in cellular composition from the bulk of the lens. A constant refractive index, except for the lens capsule, in the outer about 6 % of lens radius made it possible to uniquely infer the refractive index gradient in more central layers from a known or desired lo

In this article, we demonstrate that interaction of human papillomavirus-like particles (HPV-VLPs) with the putative glucosaminoglycan binding receptor is strictly dependent on conformational integrity. Such conformations are present on VLPs and capsomeres but not on monomers of the major capsid protein, L1, confirming reports that capsomeres can induce virus-neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore,

In running waters, chemical cues have generally been assumed to always come from upstream locations. Here, we present ¢eld and laboratory evidence that Gammarus pulex can use chemical cues from down- stream predators to adaptively adjust drifting behaviour. In the ¢eld, signi¢cantly fewer Gammarus migrated into stream enclosures where brown trout (Salmo trutta) were present than into control enclo

Objective The aim of this analysis was to delineate perceived associations between androgens and cardiovascular events in perimenopausal women. Design A cross-sectional, population-based study of 6440 perimenopausal women aged 50-59 years, living in Southern Sweden. In all, 461 (7.1%) women were premenopausal (PM), 3328 (51.7%) postmenopausal without hormone therapy (HT) (PMO) and 2651 (41.2%) pos

Carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and radiocarbon (14CO2) measurements have been made in Heidelberg from 2001 to 2004 in order to determine the regional fossil fuel CO2 component and to investigate the application of CO as a quantitative tracer for fossil fuel CO2 (CO2(foss)). The observations were compared with model estimates simulated with the regional transport model REMO at 0.5° × 0

An investigation of the lifetime of the 3d(9)4s D-3(3) level along a part of the nickel-like isoelectronic sequence has been performed. The focus of this work has been to evaluate the importance of the hyperfine induced electric quadrupole channel of the 3d(10) S-1(0)-3d(9)4s D-3(3) transition for isotopes with nuclear spin. Comparisons between the magnetic octupole transition rate and the hyperfi