Objective: Postoperative pleural adhesions lead to major problems in repeated thoracic surgery. To date, no antiadhesive product has been proven clinically effective. Previous studies of differently charged polypeptides, poly-L-lysine (PL) and poly-L-glutamate (PG) have shown promising results reducing postoperative abdominal adhesions in experimental settings. This pilot study examined the possib

Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) constitute a high-risk group with increased mortality. β-Blocker therapy has been shown to reduce mortality, prevent arrhythmias, and delay heart failure development after an MI in broad populations. However, the effect of β-blockers in COPD patients is less well established and they may also be l

High-spin states in I-123 were populated in the reaction Se-80(Ca-48,p4n)I-123 at a beam energy of 207 MeV and gamma-ray coincidence events were measured using the Gammasphere spectrometer. Three weakly populated, high-spin rotational bands have been discovered with characteristics similar to those of the long collective bands recently observed in other nuclei of this mass region. Configuration as

During the last few decades the field of entrepreneurship has received increased scholarly attention all over the world. Nevertheless, against this internationalization background, little is known about how entrepreneurship research developed in different regions. In this study, we illustrate the development of entrepreneurship field not only in the USA and Europe but also in China. The study is b

Much is known about the geoepidemiology of defined autoimmune diseases (AD); however, there is currently limited data regarding the prevalence of autoantibodies among healthy populations of different geographical areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate a large profile of autoantibodies in healthy adults from distinct global regions as well as the prevalence of anti-infectious agents antibodie

The calculation of absorbed dose from internally incorporated radionuclides is based on the so-called specific absorbed fractions (SAFs) which represent the fraction of energy emitted in a given source region that is absorbed per unit mass in a specific target organ. Until recently, photon SAFs were calculated using MIRD-type mathematical phantoms. For electrons, the energy released was assumed to

Abstract is not available

We investigate a family of protograph based rate-compatible LDPC convolutional codes. The code family shows improved thresholds close to the Shannon limit compared to their uncoupled versions for the binary erasure channel as well as the AWGN channel. In fact, the gap to Shannon limit is almost uniform for all members of the code family ensuring good performance for all subsequent incremental redu

Particle number and mass concentrations of submicrometer aerosol particles were determined for the upper troposphere over the mid-latitude North Atlantic within the Civil Aircraft for Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container project (CARIBIC, http://www.caribic-atmospheric.com). Between May 2001 and April 2002, 22 flights from Germany to the Caribbean were conducted

Purpose: This paper illustrates the social and economic impact of services delivered by a small charity to families affected by post-natal depression (PND). It highlights challenges and offers insights to the meaning of ‘value for money’ for commissioners of public health services. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a social return on investment (SROI) approach. Evidence was g

Abstract is not available

The modifier effect is the reduction in perceived likelihood of a generic property sentence, when the head noun is modified. We investigated the prediction that the modifier effect would be stronger for mutable than for central properties, without finding evidence for this predicted interaction over the course of five experiments. However Experiment 6, which provided a brief context for the modifi

Schizophrenic-spectrum patients commonly display deficits in preattentive information processing as evidenced, for example, by disrupted prepulse inhibition (PPI), a measure of sensorimotor gating. Similar disruptions in PPI can be induced in rodents and primates by the psychotomimetic drug phencyclidine (PCP), a noncompetitive inhibitor of the NMDA receptor. Mounting evidence suggests that the hu

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and Rayleigh scattering measurements were used for the study of turbulence/combustion interactions in distributed reaction regimes including flameless or MILD combustion. A novel laboratory scale burner (Distributed and Flameless Combustion Burner - DFCB) was used to reach uniquely high Karlovitz numbers, presently reported up to 14,400. It consists of a hi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are root symbionts that enhance plant growth and improve soil fertility and soil structure in drylands. Even though AM fungi are obligate biotrophs, organic matter (OM) can stimulate their growth, but the mechanisms behind this are still unknown. Here, we compared the effect of nutrient patches of different OM sources to intrinsic components of OM such as inorgani

In recent decades, Skylark (Alauda arvensis) populations in Europe have declined sharply due to agricultural intensification. Insufficient reproduction rates are one reason. Increased winter mortality may also be important, but studies outside the breeding season are scarce and mostly limited to the UK. We studied habitat selection of wintering Skylarks in an agricultural area in the Netherlands.

The microRNAs (miRNAs) miR-132 and miR-212 have been found to regulate synaptic plasticity and cholinergic signaling and recent work has demonstrated roles outside of the CNS, including in smooth muscle. Here, we examined if miR-132 and miR-212 are induced in the urinary bladder following outlet obstruction and whether this correlates with effects on gene expression and cell growth. Three to seven

Economical grade changes are considered for a Borealis Borstar polyethylene plant model, incorporating two slurry-phase reactors, one gas-phase reactor and a recycle area with three distillation columns. The model is constructed in the Modelica language and the JModelica.org platform is used for opti- mization. The cost function expresses the economical profit during a grade change and is formulat