AIMS: Studies indicate a poorer quality of life (QoL) for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients than for the general population. However, studies comparing the QoL of ICD patients with that of patients with other implantable cardiac devices are scarce. We hypothesized that ICD patients had a poorer QoL than pacemaker patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: All ICD patients living in Iceland

To what extent does television interfere with and complicate diplomatic signaling via other channels? Conversely, to what extent can world leaders and diplomats use television to their advantage? Exploring these questions, this article focuses on the combination of communication speed and excitable public opinion, on the one hand, and the metaphorical and symbolic aspects of the medium, on the oth

In the normal setting, the release of digestive substances and hormones from the pancreas is closely regulated. However, a variety of diseases, such as acute pancreatitis (AP), may disturb this balance. A limited number of studies on exocrine function in the acute phase of pancreatitis have been performed, most of them in animals. In the convalescent phase of AP, a substantial number of patients w

Contemporary understanding of the behaviour of surging glaciers and ice streams is hampered by the lack of data on landsystem evolution and sedimentary environments. This study concerns the ice-marginal environment of the surge-type Brúarjökull in Iceland. The sediment distribution in the glacier forefield as well as the morphology, sedimentology and tectonic architecture of the 1890 end moraine i

We present a generic approach for quantitative differential proteomics that reduces data complexity in proteome analysis by automated selection of peptides for MS/MS analysis according to their isotope-labeling ratio. Isotopic reagents were developed that give products which fragment easily to generate a unique pair of signature ions. Using the ion-pair ratio, we show that it is possible to select

1. We studied the resting metabolic rate (MR) from two great tit Parus major (Linnaeus) populations living in different winter regimes. Birds from the two different localities were exposed individually to +25 °C, 0 °C and −10 °C for the night in three consecutive sessions in random order. 2. Birds from Lund (Sweden) had a lower basal MR, as measured at thermoneutrality (+25 °C), than had birds fr

Childhood sexual abuse has been shown to be common among adult women, 15-30% in prevalence studies, and among mentally ill women, 25-77%. These women often suffer from depression, anxiety, sexual and relationship problems. Suicide attempts and self-destructive behaviour are common. Within the Department of Psychiatry at Lund University Hospital, 45 women with experiences of childhood sexual abuse

The hygroscopic properties of submicron soot particles during internal mixing with gaseous sulfuric acid have been investigated using a combined tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) and differential mobility analyzer-aerosol particle mass analyzer (DMA-APM) technique. Fresh particles exhibit no change in mobility size and mass at subsaturated conditions, whereas particles exposed to gaseou

Serotonergic receptors were classified in the isolated human uterine artery with intact endothelium, using agonists and antagonists for 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors. The efficacy for different agonists rated: alpha-methyl-5-HT (5-HT2) = 5-HT (non-selective) = 2-methyl-5-HT (5-HT3) >> sumatriptan (5-HT1), and the potency as: sumatriptan = 5-HT > 5-HT > alpha-methyl-5-HT > 2-methyl-5-HT. The

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is required for cell type segregation during pancreatic islet organogenesis. We have investigated the functional consequences of ablating NCAM on pancreatic beta-cell function. In vivo, NCAM(-/-) mice exhibit impaired glucose tolerance and basal hyperinsulinemia. Insulin secretion from isolated NCAM(-/-) islets is enhanced at glucose concentrations below 15

Let A be a zero sequence for the Bergman space L-a(2) of the unit disc D, and let phi(A) be the corresponding canoniacal zero divisor. In this paper we consider quotients of the type phi(Au {alpha})/phi(A), alpha is an element of D. By use of methods from the theory of reproducing kernels we shall show that the modulus of such functions is always bounded by 3, and that they can be written as a pro

The aim: To record blood flow velocimetry in the fetal superior mesenteric artery in normal pregnancy and to evaluate if blood flow recordings in the vessel might predict adverse outcome in high-risk pregnancy. Methods: The fetal superior mesenteric artery blood velocimetry was recorded in a cross sectional manner in 75 normal pregnancies between 27 and 41 weeks of gestation. Reference curves were

Background: The goal of this study was to investigate whether Interactive Voice Response is a technology with which to perform real-time assessments of alcohol consumption and stress. Methods: Fifteen subjects (men and women) were recruited from a previous 4-year intervention study (n = 2,032). The Interactive Voice Response technique was based on mobile telephones. During 1 week, stress and alcoh

The paper considers a problem of routing, protection and load balancing in the IP/MPLS network. A network design problem combining all these aspects is presented. Proportionally fair distribution of residual bandwidths on links is used for load balancing, and protection is achieved with failure-dependent backup paths. The efficiency of the proposed approach is tested by combining optimization and

The authors investigated in a rat model the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast media for evaluating the liver in conditions of acute biliary obstruction. Two liver-specific MRI contrast media, Cr-DEHIDA and Mn-DPDP, and the nonspecific agent Gd-DTPA were studied in normal rats and in rats whose bile ducts had been ligated before administration of the contrast medium. Images were

The S-phase fraction (SPF) in flow cytometric DNA histograms in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) can be calculated in various ways. The traditional planimetric method of Baisch has been shown to be prognostic, but is hampered by a failure rate of around 40%. We therefore tested other models to see if this rate could be decreased with retained prognostic value. In 259 STS of the locomotor system the SPF w