A synthesis of well-dated high-resolution pollen records suggests a spatial structure in the 8200 cal yr BP event in northern Europe. The temperate, thermophilous tree taxa, especially Corylus, Ulmus, and Alnus, decline abruptly between 8300 and 8000 cal yr BP at most sites located south of 61 degrees N, whereas there is no clear change in pollen values at the sites located in the North-European t

This paper analyzes three forms of low-income housing finance implemented in Central America: up-front and targeted state subsidies for mortgage finance to access new housing; small repeated loans for incremental housing improvements; and co-financing methods for the introduction of infrastructure and basic services. It shows that technical assistance for self-help construction, when combined with

Objective: There is a growing view that inherited or acquired thrombophilia may predispose a woman towards an adverse pregnancy outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate whether risk factors for placental abruption because of such thrombophilias (such as carriership of factor V Leiden (FVL), prothrombin G20210A gene mutation and homozygous MTHFR C677T) might be used as a predictor for plac

The aim of this study was to explore how very old people consider and arrive at decisions on relocation, with specific attention to housing and health relationships during the process of ageing. The sample included 13 very old participants of an 11-year longitudinal study of relationships between housing and health. Applying a mixed-methods approach, data from qualitative interviews and quantitati

Discharges of the nuclides I-129, Cs-137 and Tc-99 from the nuclear reprocessing facilities at Sellafield (UK) and La Hague (France) are very useful as oceanic tracers. On the basis of I-129/I-127, Cs-137 and Tc-99 measurements in archived seaweeds,the ratios of I-129/I-127, I-129/Cs-137 and I-129/Tc-99 have been estimated in seawater at two locations (Utsira and Kiberg) in the Norwegian Coastal C

Background Many patients who are discharged from the hospital without receiving a clear-cut diagnosis of their chest pain continue to consume health care because of disabling physical and psychological symptoms. By identifying their experiences and concerns following hospitalization, an empirical basis for discussions on ways of improving the care of these particular patients will be obtained. Me

Cubomedusae (box jellyfish) possess a remarkable visual system with 24 eyes distributed in four sensory structures termed rhopalia. Each rhopalium is equipped with six eyes: two pairs of pigment cup eyes and two unpaired lens eyes. Each eye type probably captures specific features of the visual environment. To investigate whether multiple types of photoreceptor cells are present in the rhopalium,

Current treatment of painful periods and other symptoms related to primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is usually commenced with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or oral contraceptives, which fails in about 10% of affected patients. Tamoxifen, a selective estrogen-receptor modulator (SERM), has been demonstrated to directly inhibit uterine contractions, causing improvement in uterine blood flow. It cou

Global climate variability affects important local hydro-meteorological variables like precipitation and temperature. The Southern Oscillation (SO) is an easily quantifiable major driving force that gives impact on regional and local climate. The relationships between SO and local climate variation are, however, characterized by strongly nonlinear processes. Due to this, teleconnections between gl

The major strand of finance literature understands market efficiency through the market's ability to process information into prices. Another strand of literature refers to the economists’ usual sense of the word, i.e., that markets ensure that resources are allocated to their most profitable expected use, and provide services at the lowest cost. This paper, deploying the second definition, sugges

Local blood flow was measured with 133Xe clearance technique in eight male distance runners, where one leg was cooled for 20 min by applying two "instant cold packs" on the quadriceps muscle. An initial cooling period after resting was followed by a second cooling period 10 min after running. Skin temperature was maximally reduced after 4.5 min of cooling, both at rest and after running, by 15 deg

alpha(1)-Microglobulin is a 26-kd protein, widespread in plasma and tissues and well-conserved among vertebrates. alpha(1)-Microglobulin belongs to the lipocalins, a protein superfamily with highly conserved 3-dimensional structures, forming an internal ligand binding pocket. The protein, isolated from urine, has a heterogeneous yellow-brown chromophore bound covalently to amino acid side groups a