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The origin of two large peaks in the atmospheric radiocarbon ((14)C) concentration at AD 774/5 and 993/4 is still debated. There is consensus, however, that these features can only be explained by an increase in the atmospheric (14)C production rate due to an extraterrestrial event. Here we provide evidence that these peaks were most likely produced by extreme solar events, based on several new an
This paper presents an iterative decoder for faster-than-Nyquist (FTN) and orthogonal signaling multi-carrier systems. FTN signaling is a method of improving bandwidth efficiency at the expense of higher processing complexity in the transceiver. The decoder can switch between orthogonal and FTN signaling modes and exploits channel properties to improve bandwidth efficiency. The decoder is fabricat
Substitution in rutile-type approximate to SbVO4 was made with Fe3+ and Ga3+ replacing V3+, and Nb5+ replacing Sb5+. Moreover, preparations with Ti were synthesised where Ti4+ ions substitute for both V4+ and V3+/Sb5+ pairs approximate to SbVO4-related phases containing Ti together with Fe and Ga were also prepared. The samples were characterised using X-ray diffraction, DRIFT and Raman spectrosco
To improve population health, it is important to create environments that support activity, participation and health. One crucial aspect concerns the degree to which the built environment is accessible for all people including those with reduced functional capacity. The overarching objective of this thesis was to explore and further develop methodology for accessibility assessments based on the no
Typing performance of a full alphabet keyboard and a joystick type of mouse (with on-screen keyboard) provided by a wireless integrated tongue control system (TCS) has been investigated. The speed and accuracy have been measured in a form of a throughput defining the true correct words per minute [cwpm]. Training character sequences were typed in a dedicated interface that provided visual feedback
Community screening to guide preventive interventions for acute aortic disease has been recommended in high-risk individuals. We sought to prospectively assess risk factors in the general population for aortic dissection (AD) and severe aneurysmal disease in the thoracic and abdominal aorta.
A novel method for lactose determination in milk is proposed. It is based on oxidation of lactose by cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) from the basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium, immobilised in an enzyme reactor. The reactor was prepared by cross-linking CDH onto aminopropyl-silanised controlled pore glass (CPG) beads using glutaraldehyde. The combined biosensor worked in flow injection analy
In recent years, smog has become one of greatest challenges in China and many other countries. However, there are limited attentions of measuring public environment awareness of air pollution and the relations between public environmental awareness and smog prevention in a Chinese context. This study was designed to investigate the facts of public environmental awareness in a typical city of China
The objectives of the work presented in this thesis have been to develop molecular methods for (i) detection of Clostridium botulinum in food and clinical samples, and (ii) monitoring the expression of the neurotoxin gene, cnt, during different growth phases and under different growth conditions. For the diagnosis of botulism, a real-time PCR-based method including an internal amplification contr
A method for probing the temporal evolution of ultra-fast carrier generation and recombination processes in wide-bandgap semiconductors, e.g. diamond, is described. Two extreme ultraviolet (pump) pulses produced by high-order harmonic generation in Argon gas (with a photon energy of 32 eV) are superimposed on a sample with a small angle between them, inducing periodic changes in the refractive ind
PURPOSE. To determine the proportion of male patients presenting simplex retinal degenerative disease (RD: retinitis pigmentosa [RP] or cone/cone-rod dystrophy [COD/CORD]) with mutations in the X-linked retinal degeneration genes RPGR and RP2. METHODS. Simplex males were defined as patients with no known affected family members. Patients were excluded if they had a family history of parental consa
Approaches exploiting trait distribution extremes may be used to identify loci associated with common traits, but it is unknown whether these loci are generalizable to the broader population. In a genome-wide search for loci associated with the upper versus the lower 5th percentiles of body mass index, height and waist-to-hip ratio, as well as clinical classes of obesity, including up to 263,407 i
Mixtures of methanol and acetate as carbon source were investigated in order to determine their capacity to enhance denitrification and for analysis of the microbial composition and carbon degradation activity in activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Laboratory batch reactors at 20 degrees C were used for nitrate uptake rate (NUR) measurements in order to investigate the anoxic activi
Background: Pediatric intestinal biopsy procedures including considerable transpharyngeal manipulation of a wire-guided metal capsule require adequate sedation or anesthesia. This retrospective cohort study was designed to evaluate intravenous sedation with ketamine and low-dose midazolam in young children undergoing these procedures before and also after discharge from the hospital. Methods: A t
Context. The solution of the nonlocal thermodynamical equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative transfer equation usually relies on stationary iterative methods, which may falsely converge in some cases. Furthermore, these methods are often unable to handle large-scale systems, such as molecular spectra emerging from, for example, cool stellar atmospheres. Aims. Our objective is to develop a new method, whi
The clinical assessment of language impairment (LI) in bilingual children imposes challenges for speech-language pathology services. Assessment tools standardized for monolingual populations increase the risk of misinterpreting bilingualism as LI. This Perspective article summarizes recent studies on the assessment of bilingual LI and presents new results on including non-linguistic measures of ex
The European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2012 is the update of similar evidence based position papers published in 2005 and 2007. The document contains chapters on definitions and classification, we now also propose definitions for 'difficult to treat' rhinosinusitis, control of disease and better definitions for rhinosinusitis in children. More emphasis is placed on the diag
Peatlands are significant sources of the important greenhouse gas CH4 and generally known as sinks for atmospheric CO2 through peat accumulation. Accurate measurements of the subsurface concentrations of these gases are of pivotal importance for experimental studies improving our understanding of the dynamics and controls on the exchanges of these gases between peat soils and the atmosphere. In th
