The use of induction therapy may reduce the risk of acute rejection after heart transplantation. This study assessed the association between basiliximab (BAS) vs anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction and long-term survival after heart transplantation.

It is well known that a wireless local area network (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 standard suffers from interference and scalability problems due to the limited number of non-overlapping channels. In order to mitigate the interference problem, channel assignment algorithms has been a popular research topic in recent years. It has been shown that such algorithms can greatly reduce the interferenc

Aim: Weight change during adult life may reflect metabolic changes and influence colorectal cancer (CRC) development, but such role is not well established. We aimed to explore the association between adult weight change (from age 20 to 50) and CRC risk. In particular, we investigated differences according to colon and rectal cancer, sex and measures of attained adiposity. Methods: We included 201

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a frequent problem in hemodialysis units. The prevalence and incidence of HCV infection over a decade were studied in a nephrology unit affected by previous nosocomial HCV transmission. The HCV non-structural 5B protein gene was sequenced to achieve phylogenetic analysis of a new (incident) case of infection. Proportions of patients who were and were not infect

Pore condensation followed by polymerization is proposed as an explanatory model of several observations reported in the literature regarding the dehydration of glycerol to acrolein. The major conclusion is that glycerol pore condensation in the micro- and mesopores, followed by polymerization in the pores, play a role in catalyst deactivation.

Abstract Older technology users and their integration into IT society have been on the research agenda since digitalization took off. Given the attempts to develop user-driven design, it is surprising that the appearance of technologies older people are provided with, or are the target group for, have not progressed. Now another political agenda, coined as “welfare technology”, is being launched i

The PHENIX experiment has measured electrons and positrons at midrapidity from the decays of hadrons containing charm and bottom quarks produced in d + Au and p + p collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV in the transverse-momentum range 0.85

Slow light has been extensively studied for applications ranging from optical delay lines to single photon quantum storage. Here, we show that the time delay of slow-light significantly improves the performance of the narrowband spectral filters needed to optically detect ultrasound from deep inside highly scattering tissue. We demonstrate this capability with a 9 cm thick tissue phantom, having 1

Abstract in UndeterminedPiece rate and performance based wage systems are common in the construction industry. Construction workers are known to have an increased risk of pain and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). In this cross-sectional questionnaire study, we examined the association between wage system and (1) physical exertion, (2) time pressure, (3) pain, and (4) fatigue. The participants comp

We report ultrasensitive Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman spectra of 1,2-benzenedithiol monolayer on Ag film with home-made high-vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (HV-TERS) system. Raman peaks that were orginally very weak were observed experimentally and assigned theoretically. The local temperature was obtained based on the observed Stokes and anti-Stokes HV-TERS spectra.

Superficial damage, similar in appearance to salt scaling of concrete, has been observed at the waterline of hydraulic structures, such as hydro power structures, bridge columns, canals and harbours. Progressive damage to the concrete surface results in exposure of coarse aggregate. Deterioration rates of about 1 mm per year have been observed in some cases. A laboratory test method was developed

Introduction: This work develops a compartmental model of F-18-choline in order to evaluate its biokinetics and so to describe the temporal variation of the radiopharmaceuticals' uptake in and clearance from organs and tissues. Methods: Ten patients were considered in this study. A commercially available tool for compartmental analysis (SAAM II) was used to model the values of activity concentrati

In this article, we suggest that the degree of (dis)unity - both between the member states (MS) in the Council and within the Commission - is a key factor in affecting the balance between Commission autonomy and MS control in international trade negotiations. We shed empirical light on this issue, and on the relative influence of MS and the Commission in general, through a case study of the Econom

BackgroundRecently, sodium tetrachloropalladate (Na2PdCl4) was found to be a more sensitive palladium patch test allergen than palladium dichloride (PdCl2). ObjectivesTo determine the optimal test concentration of Na2PdCl4, to evaluate the prevalence of palladium sensitization with Na2PdCl4 and PdCl2, and to compare the results with nickel sensitization in a European multicentre study. Materials a

Niganda phichai Pellinen, sp. n., is described from northern Thailand. The new species is diagnosed and illustrated, including details of the genitalia and DNA sequencing. Variability in the male genitalia of Niganda radialis Gaede is reviewed, and notes are presented on the facies of female N. radialis

Back-arc volcanism in the western Argentinian provinces of Mendoza and Neuquen has been widespread from the Miocene to historic times. We present a detailed investigation of profiles through two of the major Miocene volcanic areas of the region, the neighboring Huantraico and La Matancilla plateaus, including new Ar-40/Ar-39 age results of major and trace elements as well as Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant bone tumor that is often resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We applied high resolution oligonucleotide array comparative genomic hybridization to 46 tumor specimens from 44 patients with chondrosarcoma and identified several genes with potential importance for the development of chondrosarcoma. Several homozygous deletions were detected. The tumor suppressor

During the last decade, the ecological theory of adaptive radiation, and its corollary "ecological speciation", has been a major research theme in evolutionary biology. Briefly, this theory states that speciation is mainly or largely the result of divergent selection, arising from niche differences between populations or incipient species. Reproductive isolation evolves either as a result of direc