We study and classify firing waves in two-dimensional oscillator lattices. To do so, we simulate a pulse-coupled oscillator model aimed to resemble a group of pacemaker cells in the heart. The oscillators are assigned random natural frequencies, and we focus on frequency entrained states. Depending on the initial condition, three types of wave landscapes are seen asymptotically. A concentric lands

A new understanding of the concept of health is needed to meet the goal of mental health nursing, which besides reducing disease is to strengthen the patient's health. The aim of the present study was to describe perceptions of the concept of health among nurses working in mental health services. Twelve Swedish nurses working in mental health services were interviewed and data were analysed with a

Background: Scale comparative properties of "JCQ-Iike" questionnaires with respect to the JCQ have been little known. Purpose: Assessing validity and reliability of two methods for generating comparable scale scores between the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and JCQ-like questionnaires in sub-populations of the large Job Stress, Absenteeism and Coronary Heart Disease European Cooperative (JACE) s

Objectives: A phase I safety and efficacy study with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization of bone marrow stem cells to induce vasculogenesis in patients with severe ischemic heart disease (IHD) was conducted. Design, patients and results: 29 patients with IHD participated in the study. Thirteen patients were treated with G-CSF for 6 days and 16 patients served as controls. G-

This article explores the applicability of a conceptual framework derived from interorganization theory and network analysis to the study of international organization. The framework emphasizes the pivotal role of linking-pin organizations and of boundary-role personnel within these organizations in transnational networks. A set of issue-specific and organization-specific factors accounting for va

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease directed towards peripheral joints. As all common diseases it is associated with several genes and a multitude of environmental factors. In addition, in similarity with most other complex diseases, it is defined only on the basis of clinical signs and symptoms, it is therefore more properly classified as a syndrome rather than a distinct

All colonies of the fungus-growing termite Macrotermes natalensis studied so far are associated with a single genetically variable lineage of Termitomyces symbionts. Such limited genetic variation of symbionts and the absence of sexual fruiting bodies (mushrooms) on M. natalensis mounds would be compatible with clonal vertical transmission, as is known to occur in Macrotermes bellicosus. We invest

Cereal powders containing 33, 18 and 4% (w/w) (1→3,1→4)--glucan, prepared from cereal suspensions, had distinct differences in surface morphology as observed by scanning electron microscopy, depending both on the drying process (spray- or freeze-drying) and the dietary fibre level. Freeze-drying produced powders with a ‘flake-like’ matrix, without particle formation and similar matrix morphology i

Recent interest has been drawn to the separate components of recognition memory, as studied by event-related potentials (ERPs). In ERPs, recollection is usually accompanied by a late, parietal positive deflection. An earlier, frontal component has been suggested to be a counterpart, accompanying recognition by familiarity. However, this component, the FN400, has alternatively been suggested to ref

Background. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) is a widely used therapy in patients with poststernotomy mediastinitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate sternal stability during VAC application at seven negative pressures (-50 to -200 mm Hg) in a porcine wound model. Methods. Six pigs underwent median sternotomy and 2 steel wires were fixed at each sternal side and connected to a traction device. T

In-situ measurements of soot volume fraction in the exhausts of jet engines can be carried out using the laser-induced incandescence (LII) technique in backward configuration, in which the signal is detected in the opposite direction of the laser beam propagation. In order to improve backward LII for quantitative measurements, we have in this work made a detailed experimental and theoretical inves

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have shown that plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is not clear whether elevated plasma tHcy is a primary cause or a consequence of AD. METHOD: To elucidate this question, we have analysed plasma homocysteine and its determinants in patients with early (EOAD)- and late-onset AD (LOAD) and compared the findi

Objective To assess the incidence of second brain tumours in patients operated and irradiated for pituitary tumours. Design and patients The study base consisted of a consecutive series of 325 patients operated and irradiated for pituitary tumours, excluding patients with acromegaly and Cushing's disease. Comparison was made with the general population from the same catchment area as the patients.

The reproducibility of multivariate measurements is discussed. Reproducibility of a second kind is defined, in which part of the variability between samples is described by a principal components model. The use of this generalized reproducibiity is shown to give an improved precision in the pyrolysis-gas chromatography of a Penicillium species.

Tree-ring widths from 880 living, dry dead, and subfossil northern Swedish pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) have been assembled into a continuous and precisely dated chronology (the Tornetrask chronology) covering the period 5407 BC to AD 1997. Biological trends in the data were removed with autoregressive standardization (ARS) to emphasize year-to-year variability, and with regional curve standardizat

Rapid economic development in the aftermath of the Chinese post-1978 reforms has resulted in a shrinking of grain grown area in the southern and eastern regions of the country which in turn is believed to have put the marginal northern regions under increased pressure. This paper examines key indicators of agricultural performance as well as cultivated land area development of the pre- and post-19

We studied the competitive effects within and between two taxonomically distant freshwater herbivores, a snail and a mayfly, common in Swedish lakes, Lymnaea peregra and Cloeon dipterum, respectively, and their effect on grazing in a laboratory experiment. The experimental set-up consisted of 2-l aquaria, each containing a periphyton covered tile. Intra- and interspecific effects were tested by in

This paper investigates the sustainability of Swedish fiscal policy performed during the period 1963-2000. The main emphasis is on assessing the effects of changes in fiscal policy, such as changes in taxes or public spending. On the basis of Johansen's VAR and the augmented Granger causality tests, the results show that taxes and spending are causally related in the long-run and the homogeneity c

Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (ARS) patients with PITX2 point mutations exhibit a wide range of clinical features including mild craniofacial dysmorphism and dental anomalies. Identifying new PITX2 targets and transcriptional mechanisms are important to understand the molecular basis of these anomalies. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate PITX2 binding to the FoxJ1 promoter and PITX2C tran