PURPOSE: To prospectively register and report the hand function and occupational performance of patients with proximal interphalangeal joint-pyrocarbon arthroplasty, using both objective tests and subjective outcome instruments. METHODS: From 2004 to 2008, 53 joints in 43 patients were reconstructed with a proximal interphalangeal joint-pyrocarbon prosthesis. The patients underwent a rehabilitatio

This paper presents a framework for assessing alignment between corporate strategy, procurement strategy and purchasing tools. The framework is built on generation of rents as its common denominator for assessing alignment between the levels. Three types of rents are identified: monopoly rents; Ricardian rents and entrepreneurial rents. The framework is then used for assessing the strategic origin

With the increasing interest in the use of biofuels for heat and energy generation there is a growing concern about emissions from their combustion. It has been shown that biofuel furnaces emit relatively high quantities of particulate matter in comparison to natural gas and light fuel oil furnaces. Majority of the emitted particulates are smaller than 10 μm with high contribution of fine (< 2.5 μ

The copper access-network operators face the challenge of developing and maintaining cost-effective digital subscriber line (DSL) services that are competitive to other broadband access technologies. The way forward is dictated by the demand of ever increasing data rates on the twisted-pair copper lines. To meet this demand, a relocation of the DSL transceivers in cabinets closer to the customers

To explore the experiences over time of using mobility devices (MDs) among very old women in the context of everyday life in Latvia.

Context: It has been shown that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related traits. However, empirical data, often based on small samples, did not confirm this observation in all studies. Therefore, the role of mtDNA content in T2D remains elusive. Objective: In this study, we assessed the heritability of mtDNA content in buccal cells and analyzed the ass

Lifetime determinations for eleven levels in La II and two levels in La III have been performed using time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Free La+ and La++ ions were produced in a laser-induced plasma and selective excitation was obtained with narrow-bandwidth, 1 ns duration tunable laser pulses. Lifetime values were evaluated from the time-resolved fluorescence signals recorded by a fast detection

A consistent set of f-values for vacuum ultraviolet lines of S I is deduced from a combination of laser lifetime measurements and theoretical branching ratios. The new results are compared with results deduced from absorption by interstellar gas toward zeta Ophiuchi, and good agreement is observed for most transitions.

Previous studies indicate that the introduction of high-sensitivity troponin T (HsTnT) as a diagnostic tool for chest pain patients in the emergency department (ED) creates a high rate of false-positive tests. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate if the diagnostic performance of HsTnT for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) up to 3-4 h after presentation in elderly patients can be improved.

The hyperfine structure of the 7 2S1/2 state of 39K and the 10 2S1/2 and 11 2S1/2 states of 133Cs has been measured by rf spectroscopy experiments using a CW dye laser.

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