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Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common pathogen associated with diseases such as acute otitis media or exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The biofilm-forming capability substantially contributes to the persistence of NTHi. However, the regulation of biofilm formation is not completely understood. Quorum sensing regulated by autoinducer-2 produced
The Wenlock Epoch of the Silurian Period has become one of the chronostratigraphically best-constrained intervals of the Paleozoic. The integration of multiple chronostratigraphic tools, such as conodont and graptolite biostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, and delta C-13(carb) chemostratigraphy, has greatly improved global chronostratigraphic correlation and portions of the Wenlock can now be co
CD8+ T cell exhaustion represents a major hallmark of chronic HIV infection. Two key transcription factors governing CD8+ T cell differentiation, T-bet and Eomesodermin (Eomes), have previously been shown in mice to differentially regulate T cell exhaustion in part through direct modulation of PD-1. Here, we examined the relationship between these transcription factors and the expression of severa
The objective of this analysis was to compare three methods of handling HIV-RNA data below the limit of quantification (LOQ) when describing the time-course of antiretroviral drug response using a drug-disease model. Treatment naive Scandinavian HIV-positive patients (n = 242) were randomized to one of three study arms. Two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors were administrated in combinat
Brattforsheden is a large glacifluvial deposit in southwestern Sweden and associated with it is one of Sweden's largest inland dune fields. Although the relative ages of the Brattforsheden deposits are well known, absolute ages from the area are few. In this study we have used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), surface exposure (Be-10) and radiocarbon (C-14) dating to provide an absolute chr
The levels of heavy metals in surface water and their potential origin (natural and anthropogenic) were respectively determined and analysed for the Obuasi mining area in Ghana. Using Hawth's tool an extension in ArcGIS 9.2 software, a total of 48 water sample points in Obuasi and its environs were randomly selected for study. The magnitude of As, Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb, Hg, Zn and Cd in surface water fro
To explore the impact of the sociocultural care and service context on dependence in instrumental activities of daily living, data were collected with 1448 very old women in 5 European countries. In addition, the influence of socioeconomic indicators was explored, using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. Highly significant differences concerning formal/informal support and use of mobi
In this paper, we study the performance of precoding schemes for cooperative transmission of multiple coherent base stations (BSs) that allow for overlapped clustering in a measured urban macrocellular environment at 2.66 GHz, in order to verify previous findings obtained by using simulated channel data. The evaluated precoding schemes include zero-forcing (ZF), layered virtual signal-to-interfere
Underdrawings and pentimenti-typically revealed through x-ray imaging and infrared reflectography-comprise important evidence about the intermediate states of an artwork and thus the working methods of its creator.(1) To this end, Shahram, Stork and Donoho introduced the De-pict algorithm, which recovers layers of brush strokes in paintings with open brush work where several layers are partially v
During sexual conflict, males and females are expected to evolve traits and behaviours with a sexually antagonistic function. Recently, sexually antagonistic coevolution was proposed to occur between male and female diving beetles (Dytiscidae). Male diving beetles possess numerous suction cups on their forelegs whereas females commonly have rough structures on their elytra. These rough structures
BACKGROUND: Recently, a leveling off in hip-fracture incidence has been reported in several settings, but the annual number is nonetheless predicted to increase due to the growing elderly population. METHODS: Using Swedish national data for 1987-2002 for all inpatients 50 years or older, we examined the annual number and incidence of hip fractures and explored age, period, and cohort effects. Ag
BACKGROUND: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in DNA repair are good candidates to be tested as phenotypic modifiers for carriers of mutations in the high-risk susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. The base excision repair (BER) pathway could be particularly interesting given the relation of synthetic lethality that exists between one of the components of the pathway, PARP1,
Soot particles strongly absorb radiation in the visible and infrared spectral regions, and the soot interaction with laser light during laser diagnostic interrogation leads to particle heating and often to subsequent sublimation. Consequently, laser-heated particles transfer heat to the ambient gas leading to local gas heating, a process that has received minor attention so far in the diagnostic c
Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) generates large volumetric data sets consisting of mass to charge ratio (m/z), ion current, and x,y coordinate location. A typical analysis can acquire a dataset comprising tens of thousands of ion signals at each of thousands of sampling locations. This dataset volume often serves the limited purpose of measuring the distribution of a small set of ions with known m
Background: Long-term care for stroke survivors is fragmented and lacks an evidence-based, easy-to-use tool to identify persistent long-term problems among stroke survivors and streamline referral for treatment. We sought to develop a poststroke checklist (PSC) to help health care professionals identify poststroke problems amenable to treatment and subsequent referral. Methods: An instrument devel
Regime shifts present a big challenge to traditional strategic asset allocation. This article investigates whether regimebased asset allocation can effectively respond to changes in financial regimes at the portfolio level, in an effort to provide better long-term results than more static approaches can offer. The authors center their regime-based approach around a regime-switching model with time
BACKGROUND: Established risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, long-standing diabetes, high body fatness, and chronic pancreatitis, all of which can be characterised by aspects of inflammatory processes. However, prospective studies investigating the relation between inflammatory markers and pancreatic cancer risk are scarce. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study within th
Recent studies show that both marine and limnic microalgal species often consist of several genetically distinct populations. This is also valid for the nuisance freshwater algae Gonyostomum semen, which originates from acidic, brown water swamp lakes, but can nowadays also be found in clearer lakes with close to neutral pH. We hypothesized that the observed genetic differentiation among G. semen
