The idea of a European social citizenship is being developed by the EU to provide a minimum safety net. Questions about social citizenship are of fundamental importance in people’s everyday lives. Social assistance is a central dimension when studying social citizenship. Before discussing in terms of a European social citizenship, we should determine whether we have a social citizenship at the nat

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) blood levels are commonly used as biomarkers of human environmental exposure to these compounds. Many biomonitoring studies indicate 100% detection for PFOS and PFOA thus justifying a concern of possible risk for the most exposed individuals. This study addresses the predictive value of hazard quotients (HQs) calculated on the basi

Oil was extracted from fatty material obtained from Nile perch viscera using the protease Protex 30L. Enrichment of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the glyceride fraction was carried out by hydrolysis of extracted oils with lipases from Candida rugosa, Thermomyces lanuginosus and Pseudomonas cepacia. The unusual fatty acid distribution of the oil influenced the appare

Abstract Purpose: To explore the experiences of children with cerebral palsy (CP) regarding participation in physical activities, and to describe facilitators and barriers. Methods: Sixteen children with CP 8-11 years old who varied in gross motor, cognitive and communicative function participated in either an individual interview or a focus group. Results: Two categories and 10 sub-categories eme

Gradient orientations are a common feature used in many computer vision algorithms. It is a good feature when the gradient magnitudes are high, but can be very noisy when the magnitudes are low. This means that some gradient orientations are matched with more confidence than others. By estimating this uncertainty, more weight can be put on the confident matches than those with higher uncertainty.

The incidence of Hodgkin lymphoma has increased among adolescents and young adults in recent decades, but the relevant risk factors in early life are still unknown. A national cohort study was conducted of 3,571,574 individuals born in Sweden in 19732008 and followed up for Hodgkin lymphoma incidence through 2009, to examine perinatal and family risk factors for Hodgkin lymphoma in childhood throu

Recent studies on clay–polymer nanocomposites have shown prominent improvements in thermal and mechanical propertieswith the addition of quite small amounts of nanometer sized clay particles. The present work presents characterization of anisotropic clay–polystyrene nanocomposites synthesized via a guided self-assembly technique, employing electric fields to align the clay particles into chain-lik

In this issue of J Endocrinol, Schuyler et al. show that intimal lesions in atherosclerosis-prone diabetic apoE-/- mice are reduced by insulin treatment. An increase of metalloproteinase-9 expression was observed in untreated diabetic apoE-/- mice; this was absent in insulin-treated mice. The study suggests that hindering of tissue-remodeling metalloproteinases may account for the beneficial effec

A reduced finite element model for determining the maximum principal stress of a glass pane subjected to dynamic impact load is developed and compared to a full dynamic finite element model. The reduced model is based on the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The Ritz vectors used are determined by simple static load-cases. The model is applicable to centrically and eccentrically applied impact and to glass of

A moderate association exists between body mass index (BMI) and colorectal cancer. Less is known about the effect of weight change.

OBJECTIVE: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) regulates gametogenesis through binding to its receptor (FSHR). In women, the Thr307Ala and Asn680Ser polymorphisms in the FSHR gene affect reproductive function, but it is not clear whether they have any impact on spermatogenesis and have mainly been investigated in infertile men of varying ages. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine

Background: This prospective multicenter registry used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with definite stent thrombosis (ST) to compare rates of incomplete stent apposition (ISA), stent fracture and stent expansion in patients treated with drug-eluting (DES) versus bare metal (BMS) stents. ST is a rare, but potential life threatening event after coronary stent implantation. The etiology

To study biomarkers of angiogenesis in Parkinson disease (PD), and how these are associated with clinical characteristics, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and cerebrovascular disease.

Background and aims: Two Amerindian populations - Shuar women living in the Amazonian rain forest under traditional conditions and urbanized women in a suburb of Lima were studied. The fatty acid composition in plasma lipids and the relationships between fatty acid composition and metabolic variables were studied, as well as in a reference group of Swedish women. Methods and results: Fasting plasm

In semiconductor heterostructures with a type II band alignment, such as GaSb-InAs, conduction can be tuned from electron- to hole-dominated using an electrostatic gate. However, traditional conductance measurements give no direct information on the carrier type, and thus limit the ability to distinguish transport effects originating from the two materials. Here, we employ thermovoltage measuremen

We report on a single-step coating process and the resulting colloidal stability of silica-coated spindle-type hematite nanoparticles (NPs) decorated with a layer of poly-(acrylic acid) (PAA) polyelectrolyte chains that are partially incorporated into the silica shell. The stability of PAA coated NPs as a function of pH and salt concentration in water was compared to bare hematite particles and si