Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is a condition where bacteria stably colonize the urinary tract, in a manner closely resembling commensalism at other mucosa! sites. The patients carry >10(5) CFU/ml for extended periods of time and rarely develop symptoms. Contrasting the properties of ABU strains to those of uropathogenic isolates causing symptomatic infection is therefore highly relevant to unders

Thermal radiation in the air and fuel channels has the potential to dramatically influence the overall operating conditions and performance of solid oxide fuel cells. A 3D comprehensive model is developed, with emphasis on quantifying the radiative heat transfer process and its effects. The radiosity method is used for the thermal radiation in the air and fuel channels. The thermal radiation heat

Gene therapy is a promising therapeutic tool for Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is a lack of evaluated cell specific promoters that are relevant for the disease. We have chosen PD relevant promoter candidates for gene therapy vectors based on either previous studies; Drd1a, Drd2 and pDyn, or from a microarray study on parkinsonian patients; ACE, DNAJC3, GALNS, MAP1a and RNF25. These candidate

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/

Two different methods have been used to fatigue test four bone cements. Each method has been used previously, but the results have not been compared. The ISO 527 based method tests a minimum of 10 samples over a single stress range in tension only and uses Weibull analysis to calculate the median number of cycles to failure and the Weibull modulus. The ASTM F2118 test regime uses fewer specimens a

Some women with gestational diabetes (GDM) present with autoantibodies associated with type 1 diabetes. These are usually directed against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) and suggested to predict development of type 1 diabetes. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if GADA IgG subclasses at onset of GDM could assist in predicting postpartum development. Of 1225 women diagnosed with f

This article explores the intersection of pricing strategies and pricing capabilities by summarizing four distinct streams of research. By doing so, it provides insights into the challenges involved in implementing value-based pricing strategies as well as the generic challenges of building pricing capabilities. It also outlines the strategic importance of pricing capabilities.

To investigate the precision, accuracy, and repeatability of water/fat imaging-based fat quantification in muscle tissue using a large flip angle (FA) and a fat reference for the calculation of the proton density fat fraction (FF). Comparison is made to a small FA water reference approach.

Glypicans are a family of cell-surface proteoglycans that regulate Wnt, hedgehog, bone morphogenetic protein and fibroblast growth factor signaling. Loss-of-function mutations in glypican core proteins and in glycosaminoglycan synthezing enzymes have revealed that glypican core proteins and their glycosaminoglycan chains are important in shaping animal development. Glypican core proteins consist o

Small scale particles/pores from micrometers and down to nanometers often occur in multi-functional porous electrodes in fuel cells, to enhance the catalytic reaction activities and accordingly the cell performance. Multi-component and -phase mass transport phenomena of reactants and products are strongly coupled with other transport processes as well as various reactions. All these processes form

Multiple studies have established the superior diagnostic accuracy of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) for the diagnosis of small bowel (SB) Crohn's disease (CD). However, data on the clinical impact of VCE in patients with established CD are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the impact and safety of VCE on the clinical management of patients with established CD.

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,

In this theoretical paper we consider the problem of accurately triangulating a scene plane. Rather than first triangulating a set of points and then fitting a plane to these points, we try to minimize the back-projection errors as functions of the plane parameters directly. As this is both geometrically and statistically meaningful our method performs better than the standard two step procedure.

The concept of information literacy refers to purposeful information practices in a society characterized by almost limitless access to information and where information practices in digital environments shape and constitute important elements in most people’s lives in our part of the world. The meaning of the term information literacy varies according to the theoretical lens from which it is appr

Several studies have demonstrated a link between diabetes and the dysfunction of the inner ear. Few studies, however, have reported the signalling mechanisms involved in metabolic control in human inner ear cells. Knowledge of the expression and role of the insulin receptor and downstream signalling components in the inner ear is sparce. Our immunohistochemistry approach has shown that the insulin

Predator avoidance behaviour costs time, energy and opportunities, and prey animals need to balance these costs with the risk of predation. The necessary decisions to strike this balance are often based on information that is inherently imperfect and incomplete due to the limited sensory capabilities of prey animals. Our knowledge, however, about how prey animals solve the challenging task of rest

Frequency-modulated light field fluctuations due to moving particles in colloidal suspensions are examined using heterodyne interferometry. The power spectrum is the combined result of a time-of-flight-related frequency distribution due to light scattering and frequency shifts due to the Doppler effect. An approximation model is developed based on diffusion theory and verified experimentally. The