The most critical safety barrier in a nuclear power plant, the concrete containment, is prestressed by hundreds of tendons, both horizontally and vertically. The main purpose of the containment is to prevent radioactive discharge to the environment in the case of a serious internal accident. Due to creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of the prestressing steel, tendon forces decrease wit

The adsorption of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDCA) molecules on the Ag(110), Cu(110), and Ag(111) surfaces at room temperature has been studied by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). Further supporting results were obtained using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). On the Ag(110) support, which had an average terrace width of only

During the last decade there has been an increase in the use of horizontal organizational relationships (HORs) such as strategic alliances, shared services, and outsourcing. Studies accentuate the unstable, fragile nature of HORS and the importance of directing attention to how these arrangements are formed and how and why they change. The aim in this study is to explore control problems of HORs a

The systematic change of shell structure in both weakly bound and resonant neutron one-particle levels in nuclei towards the neutron drip line is exhibited, solving the coupled equations derived from the Schrodinger equation in coordinate space with the correct asymptotic behaviour of wave functions for r -> infinity. The change comes from the behaviour unique in the one-particle motion with low o

De novo differentiation of CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (induced (i) Tregs) occurs preferentially in the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). We addressed the contribution of background genetic factors in affecting the balance of iTreg, T helper type 1 (Th1), and Th17 cell differentiation in GALT in vivo following the transfer of naive CD4(+) CD45RB(high) T cells to strains of RAG2-defici

We address the influence of clustering on the ultra-fast dissociation of bromomethane. Valence and core photo-electron spectroscopy, partial electron yield absorption, and resonant Auger spectroscopy have been used together with ab initio calculations to investigate the properties of the ultra-fast dissociation. The ratio of ultra-fast dissociation of molecules in clusters as compared to free mole

1. Animals that use flight as their mode of transportation must cope with the fact that their migration and orientation performance is strongly affected by the flow of the medium they are moving in, i.e. by the winds. Different strategies can be used to mitigate the negative effects and benefit from the positive effects of a moving flow. The strategies an animal can use will be constrained by the

The First International Research Workshop on Mesoamerican Nephropathy (MeN) met in Costa Rica in November 2012 to discuss how to establish the extent and degree of MeN, examine relevant causal hypotheses, and focus efforts to control or eliminate the disease burden. MeN describes a devastating epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin predominantly observed among young male sugarcane cu

Large scale, homogeneous quasi-free standing monolayer graphene is obtained on cubic silicon carbide, i.e., the 3C-SiC(111) surface, which represents an appealing and cost effective platform for graphene growth. The quasi-free monolayer is produced by intercalation of hydrogen under the interfacial, (6 root 3 x 6 root 3)R30 degrees-reconstructed carbon layer. After intercalation, angle resolved ph

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-known risk factor for ischaemic stroke. The aim was to examine long-term outcome of men and women after stroke related to AF.

This is a study on exercise-associated bone mineral density (BMD) which in men is maintained three decades after cessation of sports. In this prospective controlled cohort study active athletes had a BMD Z-score of 1.0 and after 39 years 0.5 to 1.2 depending on the measured region), using the same single-photon absorptiometry device, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and peripheral computed tomogra

Northern hemisphere peatlands play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, accounting for about 30% of global soil C and similar to 10-25% of global natural methane (CH4) emissions. Satellite remote sensing has the potential for extracting continuous information related to C exchange rates at regional and global extents, yet, few studies have focused on peatlands. In this study we examin

Contributions of changes in soil moisture to the projected climate change in the tropics at the end of the twenty first century are quantified using the simulations from five different global climate models, which contributed to the GLACE–CMIP5 experiment. “GLACE” refers to the Global Land Atmosphere Coupling Experiment and “CMIP5” to the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. T

Converging evidence suggests that heterogeneity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) arises from the presence of discrete subtypes of patients, one of which is characterized by elevated dissociative symptoms. A similar dissociative subtype has been observed among individuals displaying high hypnotic suggestibility. Here we highlight important parallels between these subtypes, drawing from resea

Flying insects typically possess two pairs of wings. In beetles, the front pair has evolved into short, hardened structures, the elytra, which protect the second pair of wings and the abdomen. This allows beetles to exploit habitats that would otherwise cause damage to the wings and body. Many beetles fly with the elytra extended, suggesting that they influence aerodynamic performance, but little

Extracting complementary features in parallel pathways is a widely used strategy for a robust representation of sensory signals. Weakly electric fish offer the rare opportunity to study complementary encoding of social signals in all of its electrosensory pathways. Electrosensory information is conveyed in three parallel pathways: two receptor types of the tuberous (active) system and one receptor