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Far from being an extinct phenomenon, piracy still exists in the modern world and is a growing menace to the security and safety of shipping. Using the data on attacks against vessels reported between 1996 and 2005 merged with the data on the total world merchant fleet, this article inquires whether acts of piracy are a truly random occurrence. Results show that both flag of registry and type of v
Background: It is well known that severe mental illness (SMI) with concurrent substance use disorders (SUD) commonly occurs. This comorbidity has distressing social, psychological, psychiatric and somatic consequences. Aim: To gain greater understanding of how individuals with SMI and SUD experience the roles of alcohol and other drugs for their health and in their life situation. Method: Eight in
We investigated the association between occupational factors and risk of bone sarcoma, a rare tumor with a largely unknown aetiology. A multicentric case-control study was conducted in 7 European countries in 1995-97. Ninety-six cases aged 35-69 years with a centrally reviewed diagnosis of bone sarcoma (68 chondrosarcomas and 28 osteosarcomas) were compared to 2,632 population (68%) or colon cance
Streptococcus pyogenes of the M1 serotype is commonly associated with large outbreaks of invasive streptococcal infections and development of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). The pathogenesis behind these infections is believed to involve bacterial superantigens that induce potent inflammatory responses, but the reason why strains of the M1 serotype are over-represented in STSS is still
Our purpose was to assess the role of MRI in evaluating the musculoskeletal system in athletes with chronic pain laterally in the groin of unknown etiology. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pubic ring was performed in 11 young athletes (soccer players) with long-standing groin pain. MR findings were compared with plain films and isotope examination (bone scan Tc 99M). Abnormal MRI findings
The right ventricle (RV) provides sustained low-pressure perfusion of the pulmonary vasculature, but is sensitive to changes in loading conditions and intrinsic contractility. Factors that affect right ventricular preload, afterload or left ventricular function can adversely influence the functioning of the RV, causing ischaemia and right ventricular failure (RVF). As RVF progresses, a pronounced
Objective and design: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the isoflavone genistein on in vivo cell-mediated responses. In addition, we wanted to study the influence of genistein on collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Methods: Delayed type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) to oxazolone and the inflammatory response to olive oil were measured in mice treated with genistein. In
Linear-accelerator-based sources will revolutionize ultrafast x-ray science due to their unprecedented brightness and short pulse duration. However, time-resolved studies at the resolution of the x-ray pulse duration are hampered by the inability to precisely synchronize an external laser to the accelerator. At the Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source at the Stanford Linear-Accelerator Center we solved thi
To attract users from a wide range of scientific areas it is important to provide a variety of ways to access the Lunarc resources. Providing good user interfaces for all categories of users is a key factor for a high use of resources. One way of doing this is by providing access to common applications through a web-based portal. Existing grid portals are often geared toward's providing access to
Summary Objective Patients with suspicion of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are difficult to diagnose and they represent a very heterogeneous group. Some require immediate treatment while others, with only minor disorders, may be sent home. Detecting ACS patients using a machine learning approach would be advantageous in many situations. Methods and materials Artificial neural network (ANN) ensem
Background: Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders prior to the arrival of the rescue team has been shown to be associated with increased survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the impact on survival of no bystander CPR, lay bystander CPR and professional bystander CPR. Methods: Patients suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in
A feedback neural approach to static communication routing in asymmetric networks is presented, where a mean field formulation of the Bellman-Ford method for the single unicast problem is used as a common platform for developing algorithms for multiple unicast, multicast and multiple multicast problems. The appealing locality and update philosophy of the Bellman-Ford algorithm is inherited. For al
Objectives. We analyzed the relationship between macroeconomic conditions, measured as unemployment rate and social security spending, from 4 social security schemes and total spending due to sickness and disability. Methods. We obtained aggregated panel data from 13 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries for 1980-1996. We used regression analysis and fixed effect m
Objectives This study investigated the association between cancer of the extrahepatic biliary tract and exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds. Methods Altogether 183 men with histologically confirmed carcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tract and 1938 matched controls were interviewed between 1995 and 1997 in the frame of an international multicenter case-control study in six European countr
In the manufacture of heat-exchangers, it is of great importance that the heat-exchanger plates be thoroughly cleaned before being sealed. At a Swedish heat-exchanger manufacturer, oil, grease and other impurities are removed in a washing plant consisting of three stages: a degreasing tank and two rinsing tanks. The possibility of improving the cleanliness of the heat-exchanger plates, without inc
PURPOSE: Hypomotor seizures (characterized by diminished behavioral activity with indeterminate level of consciousness) have been identified as an important seizure type in infants. Our goal was to investigate further the clinical and EEG features of hypomotor seizures. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 110 hypomotor seizures from 34 patients recorded with video-EEG. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (79%)
Malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and cysteine protease cathepsins at postnatal (PN) days 2, 7, 14, 21 and 28 in controls (wt) and the retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) mouse model for retinitis pigmentosa retinas were measured to determine oxidative stress. In PN28 wt and PN2 rd1 retinas, elevated malondialdehyde and low glutathione peroxidase activity
Background: The purpose was to present the prevalence of all psychotic and bipolar (BP) disorders in a total general population (n=3563), which has been followed from 1947 to 1997. Materials and Methods: Best-estimate consensus DSM-IV diagnoses, supported by data from interviews, case notes, registers and key-informants, were assessed. The period prevalence from 1947 to 1997 and the lifetime preva
Primary headaches, for example, migraine and cluster headaches represent the most prevalent neurological disorders, affecting up to 15 - 20% of the adult population. There is a clear association between head pain and the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). In this review the role of CGRP in human cranial circulation is described and the role for specific CGRP antagonism elucidated.
