Electroactive polymers (EAP) deform under electric fields. This effect in fact generates various new fields of engineering applications of high technological interest. As an advantage, EAP may undergo deformations much larger than those capable by electroactive ceramics-however, to the price of acting at comparatively low forces. As common for polymers, EAP exhibit time-dependent material behaviou

Biosynthetic nerve grafts are developed in order to complement or replace autologous nerve grafts for peripheral nerve reconstruction. Artificial nerve guides currently approved for clinical use are not widely applied in reconstructive surgery as they still have limitations especially when it comes to critical distance repair. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of fine-tuned chitosan nerve gu

Abstract in UndeterminedOur aim in this article is to show how the theory of conceptual spaces can be useful in describing diachronic changes to conceptual frameworks, and thus useful in understanding conceptual change in the empirical sciences. We also compare the conceptual space approach to Moulines's typology of intertheoretical relations in the structuralist tradition. Unlike structuralist re

Objective: Qualitative capillaroscopy patterns in juvenile- and adult-onset systemic sclerosis (SSc) were studied in adulthood using data from the EULAR Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) database. Methods: Data collected between June 2004 and April 2013 were examined with focus on capillaroscopy. In this retrospective exploratory study, series of patients with juvenile-onset SSc were matche

A model for analyzing the deuterium (H-2) NMR line shapes of D2O ill surfactant multilamellar vesicle (MLV, "onion") systems is proposed. The assumption of the slow exchange of water molecules between adjacent layers implies that the H-2 NMR line shape is simply given by a SLIM of Lorentzians if the condition of motional narrowing is also fulfilled. Using the classical two-step model for the NMR r

Several studies support a protective effect of dietary magnesium against type 2 diabetes, but a harmful effect for iron. As diabetes has been linked to pancreatic cancer, intake of these nutrients may be also associated with this cancer. We examined the association between dietary intake of magnesium, total iron and heme-iron and pancreatic cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation int

Recent years have seen acknowledgment from a number of researchers that similarities appear to exist in complex cognitive skills of distantly related species – most notably in corvids, parrots, delphinids, and great apes. Discoveries on complex cognitive skills in common hold the promise of interesting and fruitful new perspectives on cognition. That said, some theoretical approaches seem largely

This study investigated the impact of being in family foster care on selected health determinants and participation in Child Health Services.

This paper draws on Jean–Luc Marion's notion of non–objective phenomena to discuss the difficulty of studying leadership. Marion conceptualises non–objective phenomena as phenomena that cannot be captured by scientific methods. Attempts to do so result in a poor understanding of the phenomenon as it gives itself. Put differently: non–objective phenomena remain invisible to the gaze of the research

In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of interest in non-invasive Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging (CLI) of in vivo radionuclide distribution in small animals, a method proven as a high-throughput modality for confirmation of tracer uptake. 11B6 is an IgG1 monoclonal antibody that is specific for free human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) an antigen abundant in malignant prostatic

The European Commission wants to implement a single market for gas. One of the components of this market is a regulated provision for "security of supply" which consists of rules for the implementation and use of a given reserve stock of gas. We investigate the impact of this policy on the profitability of a storage operator, using data from Denmark and Italy. Keeping storage capacity constant, th

A search for excited states of the B_{c}^{±} meson is performed using 4.9 fb^{-1} of 7 TeV and 19.2 fb^{-1} of 8 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. A new state is observed through its hadronic transition to the ground state, with the latter detected in the decay B_{c}^{±}→J/ψπ^{±}. The state appears in the m(B_{c}^{±}π^{+}π^{-})-m(B_{c}^{±})-2m(π^{±}) mass differen

Abstract Birth trauma after prolonged deliveries and instrument-assisted extractions can result in skin lesions and reduced viability of the scalp. In these instances, scalp swellings and haematomas are often also seen. The classification and inter-relationship between these conditions might not, however, always be clear. This report describes three cases of neonates with scalp swellings and necro

Although Moral Foundations Theory claims that the foundations of morality are universal, there are still few studies addressing it through non-English measures. In the current research, 540 persons filled out a Swedish translation of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire, and 332 of them filled out political attitude measures. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the fit of the five-factor mo

Objective: GH deficiency (GHD) in adults is characterized by a tendency toward obesity and an adverse body composition with visceral fat deposit and may thus predispose to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to assess the observed prevalence proportion (PP) and observed PP over expected PP ratio (standardized prevalence proportion ratio, SPR) of diabetes accordin

Revision of the Task Force diagnostic criteria (TFC) for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) has increased their sensitivity for diagnosis of early and familial forms of the disease. Epsilon wave (EW) is a major diagnostic criterion in the context of ARVC/D, which, however, remains not quantifiable and therefore may leave room for substantial subjective interpretatio

To identify genetic factors contributing to type 2 diabetes (T2D), we performed large-scale meta-analyses by using a custom similar to 50,000 SNP genotyping array (the ITMAT-Broad-CARe array) with similar to 2000 candidate genes in 39 multiethnic population-based studies, case-control studies, and clinical trials totaling 17,418 cases and 70,298 controls. First, meta-analysis of 25 studies compris