We design a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme for the problem of finding a triangulation of a simple poly-on with a constant number of sources of dilation that achieves the minimum vertex dilation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk of asthma in hairdressers. METHODS: The incidence of asthma was retrospectively estimated in a Swedish nationwide study including all female hairdressers certified from vocational schools from 1970 to 1995, and a stratified sample of women from the general population were referents. A postal questionnaire included questions on respiratory tract symptoms, atopy, s

The accuracy in determination of organ activity of Tc-99m was investigated, with activity estimated from gamma camera images of phantoms, using the, conjugate view method. The accuracy depends on several parameters such as the choice of background correction method, the accuracy in determination of the effective attenuation coefficient and the thickness of the body and organs and on the determinat

Given a 2-dimensional conformal foliation F of a Riemannian manifold M, the problem of finding a 1-dimensional subfoliation G, conformal in M, whose leaves have prescribed geodesic curvature in the leaves of 9 is equivalent to a Pfaff differential system on a circle bundle over M. We study such pairs of foliations on a 3- and 4-manifold.

Sweden is the only Scandinavian country that uses closed treatment institutions based on coercive measures within the child welfare system, on a large scale, for the education and treatment of young criminal offenders and drug users. In Sweden there are in 2002 some 30 “homes for specialized supervision” of varying sizes and degrees of specialization – all run by a national board of institutional

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The importance of acquiring comprehensive epidemiological and clinical data on hereditary angioedema has increasingly caught the attention of physicians and scientists around the world. The development of networks and creation of comprehensive policies to improve care of people suffering from rare diseases, such as hereditary angioedema, is a stated top priority of the Europe

Assembly and dynamics in multispecies communities have long attracted the interest of ecologists. Yet, the subject has been studied from two separate paradigmatic angles. One line of thinking has focussed on local communities and competitive exclusion in situations when species’ niches overlap too much (limiting similarity), and on mechanisms that could prevent competitive exclusion and thus ensur

Background: Studies during the 1990s showed that it was possible to reduce the rate of negative appendectomies by using various diagnostic methods. The present study aims to evaluate the effect on diagnostic accuracy of implementation of repeated clinical examination and blood tests in a small county hospital without possibilities of radiological assistance on a 24-hour basis. Methodology: Prospec

Cytogenetic analysis has not only provided important information on the pathogenesis of soft tissue tumors but, by disclosing distinct chromosomal rearrangements in different histopathological entities, has also come to serve as a valuable diagnostic tool. Little is known as yet about the potential prognostic impact of cytogenetic features detected in these tumors. A total of 239 benign and 221 ma

Different functions for the programming of the cross flow in asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation were studied with the aim to find the flow conditions most suitable for the molar mass distribution analysis of high molecular weight polysaccharides. A mixture of four differently sized pullulans covering the molar mass range 5.8 x 10(3)-1.6 x 106 g mol(-1) were used as a model sample. Two type

The effect of oral administration of galactose, lactose, and sucrose and intravenous injection of galactose on the urinary excretion of blood-group-active oligosaccharides has been studied. Galactose given either as the free sugar, a glycoside (lactose) or a constituent of normal diet was an absolute requirement for the formation and excretion of A-trisaccharide, B-trisaccharide and 2'-fucosylgala

This paper presents data on a glacial landform that, to Our knowledge, has not previously been described in the literature: the ice-cored drumlin. The study area is the forefield of the surge-type glacier Bruarjokull at the northeastern margin of the Vatnajokull ice cap, Fast Iceland. Based on sedimentological field investigations and aerial photograph interpretation, a qualitative model for the f

Neutrophil migration across infected mucosal surfaces is chemokine dependent, but the role of chemokine receptors has not been investigated. In this study, chemokine receptors were shown to be expressed by epithelial cells lining the urinary tract, and to play an essential role for neutrophil migration across the mucosal barrier. Uroepithelial CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression was detected in human urina

The Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) sits at the outermost part of the ATLAS Inner Detector, encasing the Pixel Detector and the Semi-Conductor Tracker (SCT). The TRT combines charged particle track reconstruction with electron identification capability. This is achieved by layers of xenonfilled straw tubes with periodic radiator foils or fibers providing TR photon emission. The design and choic