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This thesis, consisting of six papers, concerns methods for probabilistic analysis of engineering structures. The work comprises evaluations of available methods, developments of new and improved methods, and applications of probabilistic analysis to engineering structures. Comparative calculations using methods representing different strategies for stochastic finite element analysis were carried
The East Asian monsoon has a strong seasonal effect on the rainfall regime of Eastern China. In order to mitigate floods and conserve the water for use throughout the year, dams and other hydro-structures are built. The design of the structures requires knowledge of the rainfall characteristics that influence the inflow to them. In this thesis, the properties of heavy rainfall in a 73 000 km2 area
Prior to binding to antigenic peptide, the major histoconipatibility complex (MHC) heavy chain associates with an assembly complex of proteins that includes calreticulin, tapasin, and the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). Our data show that calreticulin can bind weakly to L-d without tapasin's assistance, and that deglycosylation of the alpha1 domain results in a primary loss o
The efficacy of a short (Group I) and a prolonged (Group II) course with ciprofloxacin was assessed in patients undergoing transurethral prostatic resection for benign hyperplasia or cancer of the prostate and compared with that of controls without antibiotic (Group III). Both regiments significantly reduced the frequency of postoperative bacteriuria (p less than 0.01) and of severe infectious com
The variations in functional capacity, life quality and health increase as people grow older. Most likely, this is the result of a lifelong process in which both "wear-and-tear" and constructive development play a major role. Life experiences all the way from daily hazards to burdensome life events, to long-term exposure, to stress and strain might wear out the body. Life experiences of self-fulfi
A consecutive population-based series of 372 adult acute myeloid leukemias, successfully cytogenetically investigated at a single center between 1976 and 1993, is reported. All medical records were reviewed in order to ascertain the prognostic impact of karyotype, divided into three groups; favorable (t(8;21), t(15;17), and inv(16) irrespective of karyotypic complexity; n = 40), poor (der(1;7), in
Water demand for manual fire suppression is analyzed. The Fire Point Theory is validated concerning fuel surface cooling effects and the critical water flow rate is determined and compared with previous investigations. It is shown that the critical flow rate is not the best use of resources. Therefore, the water flow giving the minimum total volume is determined. Data from real fires was compared
A method for the determination of hexahydrophthalic acid, a metabolite of hexahydrophthalic anhydride, in human urine has been developed. The urine was worked-up by liquid-solid extraction, esterified with boron trifluoride-methanol, and analysed by capillary gas chromatography and selected-ion monitoring. Hexadeuterium-labelled hexahydrophthalic acid was used as the internal standard. The precisi
DNA-cationic liposome complexes as possible vehicles for gene delivery is currently an important issue. In this work, the interaction between DNA and thermodynamically stable, spontaneously formed, catanionic vesicles with a net positive charge is studied. A phase map was drawn for the aqueous system of DNA and positively charged vesicles, composed of CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) and SOS
Staining by activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a neuronal marker of nerve injury, was examined by immunocytochemistry in neurons and Schwann cells after crush or transection (regeneration inhibited) of rat sciatic nerve. ATF3 immunoreactivity peaked in neurons after three days and then gradually subsided to normal within 12 weeks after the crush. The response lasted somewhat longer and decl
BACKGROUND: The host response to urinary tract infection includes the production of different inflammatory mediators. We investigated the cellular localization and time course of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) expression in the mouse bladder and kidney after bacterial infection. METHODS: Experimental urinary tract infection in mice was established by intravesical
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