Context. The ESA space astrometry mission Gaia, planned to be launched in 2013, has been designed to make angular measurements on a global scale with micro-arcsecond accuracy. A key component of the data processing for Gaia is the astrometric core solution, which must implement an efficient and accurate numerical algorithm to solve the resulting, extremely large least-squares problem. The Astromet

Background: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and a decreased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, little is known about the risk of EAC and ESCC related to other metabolic risk factors. We aimed to examine the risk of EAC and ESCC in relation to metabolic risk factors, separately and combined in a prospective cohort study. Metho

This paper formulates a bio-economic model to analyze community incentives for wildlife management under benefit-sharing programs like the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in Zimbabwe. Three agents influence the wildlife stock: a parks agency determines hunting quotas, outside poachers hunt illegally, and a local community may choose to protect wildlife by di

Context Adjuvant imatinib administered for 12 months after surgery has improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with operable gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) compared with placebo. Objective To investigate the role of imatinib administration duration as adjuvant treatment of patients who have a high estimated risk for GIST recurrence after surgery. Design, Setting, and Patients Pa

It has been suggested that the widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides threatens bees, but research on this topic has been surrounded by controversy. In order to synthesize which research approaches have been used to examine the effect of neonicotinoids on bees and to identify knowledge gaps, we systematically reviewed research on this subject that was available on the Web of Science and PubM

Local agricultural emissions contribute significantly to the atmospheric reactive nitrogen loads of Danish terrestrial ecosystems. In the vicinity of the sources this may be up to 6-8 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) depending on location and ecosystem type. This contribution arises from dry deposition of gas phase ammonia derived from local livestock production. Long-range transport, however, often constitutes

The classical pathway of complement is crucial to the immune system, but it also contributes to inflammatory diseases when dys-regulated. Binding of the C1 complex to ligands activates the pathway by inducing autoactivation of associated C1r, after which C1r activates C1s. C1s cleaves complement component C4 and then C2 to cause full activation of the system. The interaction between C1s and C4 inv

Abstract is not available

Sepsis is a major cause of mortality in intensive care units despite decades of scientific efforts. The lung is recognized as the most sensitive and critical organ affected by the hyper-inflammatory response in septic patients. Immune cell dysfunction develops in later phases of sepsis making patients susceptible to infections. The aim of this dissertation was to reveal pro- and anti-inflammatory

A simple and robust suspended load transport formula for noncohesive sediment is presented for application to river, estuarine, and coastal environments with the use of depth-averaged models. The formula is based on an exponential profile for the concentration and assumes a constant velocity over depth to simplify the calculations. These assumptions were validated with a large data set, including

There is a widespread belief that EU underperforms in the commercialization of publicly funded research and that the appropriate policy response is to transfer the ownership of intellectual property rights to Universities. This paper assesses the validity of these twin beliefs. In addressing the first, we limit ourselves to Sweden which still retains its "Teacher's Exemption" model. In spite of co

We quantified the utilization of terrestrial organic matter (OM) in the food web of a humic lake by analyzing the metabolism and the consumers' stable isotopic (C, H, N) composition in benthic and pelagic habitats. Terrestrial OM inputs (3 g C m(-2) d(-1)) to the lake greatly exceeded autochthonous OM production (3 mg C m(-2) d(-1)) in the lake. Heterotrophic bacterial growth (19 mg C m(-2) d(-1))

We present a growth study and structural characterization of InP-InSb nanowire heterostructures. In contrast to planar epitaxy, this heterostructure can be realized in nanowires without the formation of dislocations, despite an extreme lattice-mismatch (10.4%). We obtain high crystal quality in the InSb nanowires, confirmed by a narrow 111 reflection peak measured by XRD. Additionally, the diamete

Objective. Growth arrest specific protein 6 (GAS6) is a newly discovered antiapoptotic protein related to cell survival. We hypothesized that GAS6 might be involved in the fetal adaptation to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Design. A nested case-control study. Setting. A retrospective study of 25 small-for-gestational age and 36 appropriate-for-gestational age pregnancies. Sample. Frozen s

Coastal low-level jets (CLLJ) are a low-tropospheric wind feature driven by the pressure gradient produced by a sharp contrast between high temperatures over land and lower temperatures over the sea. This contrast between the cold ocean and the warm land in the summer is intensified by the impact of the coastal parallel winds on the ocean generating upwelling currents, sharpening the temperature g