Architectural and environmental psychology literature has shown the importance of urban design in provoking stress feelings or enhancing well-being and quality of life. The aim of this contribution is to show the main results of a set of cross-cultural survey studies concerning the perceived quality of urban features at the neighbourhood level. A questionnaire was used including the extended or th

Diabetes nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end stage renal disease and it affects up to 40% of diabetic patients. In addition to hyperglycemia, genetic factors are thought to contribute to the development of DN, but few if any genetic factors have been convincingly linked to DN. Other possible mechanisms may involve epigenetic regulation of glucose-stimulated gene activity which was suggest

The paper describes a method for automatic diagnosis of stiction in control valves. The diagnosis is performed using a shape analysis of the wave form of the oscillations that appear in the process output during stick-slip motion. The procedure is automatic in the sense that no process information is assumed except the one that is already available in the controllers. The procedure can be used bot

An algorithm is presented for the fast and accurate solution of the electrostatic equation on multi-component random checkerboards. It relies on a particular choice of integral equation, extended as to separate ill-conditioning due to singular fields in corners from ill-conditioning due to interaction of clusters of well-conducting squares at large distances. Two separate preconditioners take care

Introduction. In children treated surgically for first-time perianal abscesses, discovery and excision of concomitant fistulas may also be warranted. Aim. To evaluate children of varying age after incision and drainage of first-time perianal abscesses, examining recurrences rates with and without search for a fistula. Method. A retrospective review was conducted, analyzing children (ages 0-15 year

Sterically hindered amines, such as 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), are an interesting alternative to the amines used in conventional CO2 absorption processes in industrial applications. One reason for this is because the carbamate formed is not stable, which may be beneficial during the regeneration of the amine solution in terms of a reduced energy requirement. This paper presents experiment

Hydrothermal alteration resulting in albitization and quartz dissolution has been identified in Paleoproterozoic metagranites down to - 1000 m elevation at Forsmark, Sweden. The alteration features were discovered during investigations to locate a site for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository. In general, albitization occurs extensively, but it is also observed locall

We investigated associations between metabolic factors and blood cancer subtypes. Data on body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides from seven prospective cohorts were pooled (n = 578,700; mean age = 44 years). Relative risks of blood cancers were calculated from Cox regression models. During mean follow-up of 12 years, 2,751 incident and 1,070 fata

Spinal cholinergic neurons are critical for motor function in both the autonomic and somatic nervous systems and are affected in spinal cord injury and in diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy. Using two screening approaches and in situ hybridization, we identified 159 genes expressed in typical cholinergic patterns in the spinal cord. These include two g

TiO2 nanoparticles were in situ generated in one-dimensional poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA nanohybrid fibers with excellent dispersion by using electrospinning combined with a sol-gel method followed by a mild hydrothermal treatment that preserves the properties of the polymer to the maximum degree. Detailed information of the preparation method, synthesis route, structure and properties of TiO2/

Background: The Patient-Reported Indices for Multiple Sclerosis (PRIMUS) comprises a suite of three scales for assessing symptoms, activity limitations, and quality of life in multiple sclerosis (MS). It was developed in the UK and has been shown to have excellent psychometric properties. This study describes the adaptation of eight language versions for Canadian English, Canadian French, French,

There is a common saying in Aotearoa New Zealand: ‘the only good possum is a dead possum’. This colloquialism demonstrates much about the negative reputation and maltreatment of brushtail possums in New Zealand. Introduced to this country from their native Australia in the 1800s, possums thrived in their new predator-free environment. Possums' adaptability has since proved to be problematic, not l

As high resolution instruments are becoming standard in proteomics laboratories, label-free quantification using precursor measurements is becoming a viable option, and is consequently rapidly gaining popularity. Several software solutions have been presented for label-free analysis, but to our knowledge no conclusive studies regarding the sensitivity and reliability of each step of the analysis p

The intestinal mucosa is exposed to large amounts of foreign antigen (Ag) derived from commensal bacteria, dietary Ags, and intestinal pathogens. Dendritic cells (DCs) are believed to be involved in the induction of tolerance to harmless Ags and in mounting protective immune responses to pathogens and, as such, to play key roles in regulating intestinal immune homeostasis. The characterization of

Existing evidence on the effects of manganese and selenium during fetal life on neurodevelopmental disorders is inadequate. This study aims to investigate the hypothesized relationship between fetal exposure to manganese and selenium and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in childhood. Children born between 1978 and 2000 with ADHD (n=166) were identified at the Department of