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Popular Abstract in English News about global warming, discussions about alternative fuels such as natural-gas and biogas, and commercials about gas engines sound familiar to the most people living in modern societies. Why global warming is important? What is the role of natural-gas engines in this subject? Are natural-gas engines efficient? Do they perform as well as diesel engines? If not, why? Most heavy-duty engines are diesel operated. Severe emission regulations, high fuel prices, high technology costs (e.g. catalysts, fuel injection systems) and unsustainably in supplying fuel are enough reasons to convenience engine developers to explore alternative technologies or fuels. Using natural gas/biogas can be a very good alternative due to the attractive fuel properties regarding emissio

For model-based quantitative reconstructions of past vegetation cover on the scale of landscapes, pollen productivity estimates (PPEs) are key input parameters. In this study, we employed a random sampling strategy to collect moss polsters at 20 sites in Changbai Mountain, northeastern China. A detailed vegetation survey within 1000-m radius around each sampling point was carried out and digitized

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the occurrence of neonatal early onset group B streptococcal (EOGBS) disease relative to maternal body mass index (BMI). Method: A cohort of Swedish parturients with an early pregnancy BMI registered was investigated. Data were retrieved from population-based registers during 1997-2001, (n = 344 127, elective caesarean section excluded). Medical reco

Objectives: This study aims to assess patient outcomes and aortic remodelling following coverage of the proximal entry tear with an endograft in complicated acute type B aortic dissections (caTBADs). Material and methods: All patients with caTBAD treated with a thoracic endograft in three high-volume vascular centres were retrospectively studied. Inclusion criteria were branch-vessel malperfusion,

We present a high-resolution and independently dated multiproxy lake sediment record from the paleolake at Les Echets in southeastern France that displays synchronous changes in independent limnic and terrestrial ecosystem proxies, in concert with millennial-scale climate oscillations during the last glacial period. Distinct lake-level fluctuations, low lake organic productivity, and open, treeles

Biomass derived gases produced via gasification, pyrolysis, and fermentation are carbon neutral alternative fuels that can be used in gas turbines, furnaces, and piston engines. To make use of these environmentally friendly but energy density low fuels the combustion characteristics of these fuels have to be fully understood. In this study the structure and laminar burning velocity of biomass deri

Objective. The authors aimed to investigate the incidence and outcomes of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) and to examine the role of drugs potentially associated with AUGIB. Methods. The study was prospective, population-based and consisted of all patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE), during the year of 2010 at the National University Hospital of Iceland. Dru

We review the ecology and distributions of the chafers Liocola marmorata (F.), Gnorimus nobilis (L.) and Gnorimus variabilis (L.) in Sweden based on museum and several large private collections. These species live in hollow deciduous trees, in Sweden especially in oaks. The former and recently documented localities are shown on maps. More than 100 years ago, all the species as well as their habita

In this work the inhomogeneous (zero-phonon line) and homogeneous linewidths and the permanent electric dipole moment change (averaged value of all dipole orientations) for the Ce 4f-5d transition in Y2SiO5 were measured in order to investigate the possibility for using Ce as a sensor to detect the hyperfine state of a spatially close-lying Pr or Eu ion. The experiments were carried out on Ce dope

Accelerated pavement wear is one of the major environmental disadvantages of studded tyres in northern regions and results in increased levels of PM10. Measurements of PM10 in a road simulator hall have been used to study the influence of pavement properties, tyre type and vehicle speed on pavement wear. The test set-up included three different pavements (one granite and two quartzite with differe

The Swedish Antarctic Research Expedition named “SWEDARP” was performed during October 1988 through April 1989. The aim of our project was to study the radioactivity in air and water from Gothenburg to the Antarctic. Between Gothenburg and the Equator, the average activity concentration of 7Be in air was 4.3 ± 0.7 mBq/m3. The activity concentration of 7Be in the South Atlantic down to Antarctica v

The reduction of the (A root 5x root 5)R27 degrees surface oxide on Pd(100) and Pd75Ag25(100) surfaces by CO has been investigated by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with kinetic analysis using the Avrami-Erofeev theory. For both surfaces we observed faster reduction with increasing temperature. Kinetic analysis indicates that the reduction process is phase boundary

All notified MRSA cases in SkAyenne County have been followed since 2000. We have investigated the MRSA epidemiology over time, method of acquisition, whether some spa types are more prone to spread, and/or cause more infections, and the connection between spa type and country of acquisition/origin. All cases between 2000 and 2010 were included. Infection or colonization and the presence of PVL ge

Effects of dynamic ultra-high pressure homogenisation (UHPH) on the micro-and macrostructure of whey protein-depleted milk concentrate solutions with different mineral concentrations (5.0, 7.5, 10.0%, w/w), pH (5.8, 6.2, 6.6) and amount of added sodium chloride (0, 1.5, 3.0%, w/w) were investigated. Significantly increased viscosity was observed in samples at pH 5.8 without added NaCl and with UHP

Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid produced by plants and has been associated with protection of the photosynthetic machinery under light stress and, together with lutein, in protection of the central retina of the eye. Zeaxanthin levels in blood plasma have been negatively correlated to the development of AMD (age-related macular degeneration) (Gale et al, 2003). Under normal conditions, plants have a lo

The objective of this study was to create a superhydrophobic surface using polymers that are non-fluorinated and applying them to a surface via rapid expansion of a supercritical solution (RESS). Solubility studies of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and a statistical copolymer of vinyl acetate and vinyl pivalate (P(VAc-VPi))in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) were carried out using an extra

We examined the associations of measured anthropometric factors, including general and central adiposity and height, with ovarian cancer risk. We also investigated these associations by menopausal status and for specific histological subtypes. Among 226,798 women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, there were 611 incident cases of primary, malignant,

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a major cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. Based on previous reports of functional abnormalities in not only coronary but also peripheral vessels in adults with HCM, we aimed to assess both peripheral vascular and myocardial diastolic function in young individuals with early stage of HCM and in individuals at risk for HCM. Children, adolescents and you

Aims: To examine whether genetic variants that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes (T2D) could predict the development of diabetes after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: 13 SNPs (FTO rs8050136, CDKAL1 rs7754840 and rs7756992, CDKN2A/2B rs10811661, HHEX rs1111875, IGF2BP2 rs1470579 and rs4402960, SLC30A8 rs13266634, TCF7L2 rs7903146, PPARG rs1801282, GCK rs1799884, HNF1A rs116928

We investigated motor-equivalent stabilization of task-related variables (TRV) at times of heel strike in eight healthy young men (23-30 years) who walked on a motorized treadmill at self-selected and prescribed speeds within the normal walking speed range. The TRV consisted of step parameters (step length and width) and the center of mass (CoM) position relative to the support (back and front fee