In this work an artificial neural network (ANN) is used to correlate experimentally determined and numerically computed Nusselt numbers and friction factors of three kinds of fin-and-tube heat exchangers having plain fins, slit fins and fins with longitudinal delta-winglet vortex generators with large tube-diameter and large the number of tube rows. First the experimental data for training the net

In TSP with neighborhoods we are given a set of objects in the plane, called neighborhoods, and we seek the shortest tour that visits all neighborhoods. Until now constant-factor approximation algorithms have been known only for cases where the objects are of approximately the same size. We present the first polynomial-time constant-factor approximation algorithm for disjoint convex fat objects of

The increasing microbial antibiotic resistance motivates research for non-antibiotic treatment alternatives. In recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), 'bacterial interference' has attracted interest as a possible alternative treatment option. The observation that asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) protects against recurrent UTI has prompted clinical trials with deliberate colonization of the human

In a field irradiation experiment UV-B radiation was enhanced to simulate 15% ozone depletion under clear sky conditions in northern Sweden. This was accomplished by using UV-B fluorescent lamps mounted on metal frames raised over a naturally growing plant community. 2. The study area consisted of a dwarf shrub heath mainly composed of the four species Vaccinium vitis-idaea, V. myrtillus, V. uligi

Liver is one of the most important organs in energy metabolism. Most plasma apolipoproteins and endogenous lipids and lipoproteins are synthesized in the liver. It depends on the integrity of liver cellular function, which ensures homeostasis of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. When liver cancer occurs, these processes are impaired and the plasma lipid and lipoprotein patterns may be changed. Liv

In order to assess the non-evaporative components of the reduced thermal insulation of wet clothing, experiments were performed with a manikin and with human subjects in which two layers of underwear separated by an impermeable barrier were worn under an impermeable overgarment at 20 °C, 80% RH and 0.5 ms-1 air velocity. By comparing manikin measurements with dry and wetted mid underwear layer, th

Fourteen adult Fischer 344 rats were inoculated in vivo unilaterally in the caudate nucleus in the brain with malignant RG 2 glioma cells. By 3 weeks a tumor with a diameter of 3-6 mm normally develops. Ten animals which survived the repeated periods of anesthesia and thallium (Tl) injections (intratumorally three times of 201Tl, 15-23 days after inoculation) showed a prolonged retention of radioa

To elucidate how diabetic patients with limb-threatening foot lesions perceive and evaluate content and organisation of treatment in a multi-place hyperbaric oxygen chamber. To our knowledge there are no patients' evaluations of diabetes care in a high-technology area like the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The burden on persons with diabetic foot complications might be increased if adjuvant therapy w

Two species within the Delia cardui species group were known to have males with the abdominal sternite III bipartite or very deeply incised, viz., D. bipartita Suwa from Japan and China and D. polaris Griffiths from extreme northern and high-altitude sites in North America. Two new species with this extraordinary character are described from northern Europe: D. rimiventris sp. nov. from southern N

Many lines of evidence implicate mitochondria in phenotypic variation: ( a) rare mutations in mitochondrial proteins cause metabolic, neurological, and muscular disorders; ( b) alterations in oxidative phosphorylation are characteristic of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, and other diseases; and ( c) common missense variants in the mitochondrial genome ( mtDNA) have been imp

During the last 10 years, we have cytogenetically analyzed at diagnosis bone marrow cells from a total of 94 children with acute leukemia. Of the 78 children with acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL), 53 (68%) had clonal acquired chromosome abnormalities; in the group with acute nonlymphatic leukemia (ANLL), the corresponding proportion was 13 out of 16 (81%). Among the cytogenetically abnormal ALL pati

Bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stroma cells (MSCs) have emerged as cellular vectors for gene therapy of solid cancers. We implanted enhanced green fluorescent protein-expressing rat MSCs directly into rat malignant gliomas to address their migratory capacity, phenotype, and effects on tumor neovascularization and animal survival. A single intratumoral injection of MSCs infiltrated the

PURPOSE: To assess how patients perceive health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after endovascular and open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. METHODS: Forty-two consecutive patients (33 men; mean age 74 years, range 46-81) were assessed prospectively before and after elective endovascular (n = 21) and open (n = 21) AAA repair. Aneurysm morphology dictated the type of repair. The two patient

The aim of this study was to clarify the pathway of electron transfer between the inner membrane components and the periplasmic chlorate reductase. Several soluble c-type cytochromes were found in the periplasm. The optical difference spectrum of dithionite-reduced periplasmic extract shows that at least one of these components is capable of acting as an electron donor to the enzyme chlorate reduc

RILEM Technical Committee 50 - Fracture Mechanics of Concrete, has put forward a proposal for a recommendation for the determination of the fracture energy G//F of mortar and concrete. The significance of G//F in the strength of concrete structures is discussed and it is demonstrated that G//F in some cases, for example for shear failure of beams and slabs without shear reinforcement, is a materia

This study explores the use of environmental management systems for initiating and controlling environmental improvements in the context of supply chain cooperation. It examines how environmental requirements are reaching smaller companies in the electronics supply chain, especially in the light of recent legal changes such as enforcement of the RoHS Directive. It is based on qualitative interview

Loss of the JunB/AP-1 transcription factor induces a myeloproliferative disease (MPD) arising from the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment. Here, we show that junB inactivation deregulates the cell-cycle machinery and increases the proliferation of long-term repopulating HSCs (LT-HSCs) without impairing their self-renewal or regenerative potential in vivo. We found that JunB loss destabilize