Background The impact of social participation, trust, and the miniaturization of community on daily and intermittent smoking was investigated. Methods The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional study. A total of 13,715 persons answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse papers studying the link between supply chain integration (SCI) and performance, and to discuss reported empirical evidence relating to this fundamental question for logistics and supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach A systematic analysis of 38 papers published in nine important journals in logistics, supply chain and operations mana

Recent evidence suggests that the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene product BRCA1 is involved in at least two fundamental cellular processes: transcriptional regulation and DNA repair. However, the mechanism of action of BRCA1 in either of these processes is still unknown. Here, we report the characterization of a disease-predisposing allele of BRCA1, identified in a family with severa

During the last years, the importance of antibacterial peptides has attracted considerable attention. We report here that peptides derived from the fifth domain of beta-2 glycoprotein I (beta(2)GPI), a human heparin binding plasma protein, have antibacterial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Streptococcus pyogenes, an important human pathogen that can survive and grow in

The application of midinfrared polarization spectroscopy (mid-IRPS) is demonstrated for sensitive detection of minor molecular species in combustion environments by probing rovibrational transitions. High resolution mid-IRPS spectra of low pressure flames were obtained in the spectral range around 3 mu m. Rotational lines of the fundamental vibrational band of the hydroxyl radical (OH) were fully

Background: Sidestream smoke is closely associated with airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. The present study was designed to investigate if the Raf-1 inhibitor GW5074 and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone suppress airway hyperreactivity in a mouse model of sidestream smoke exposure. Methods: Mice were repeatedly exposed to smoke from four cigarettes each day for four weeks. After the

This paper examines load balancing issues relating to a distributed CORBA-based Service Control Point. Two types of load balancing strategies are explored through simulation studies: (i) a novel ant-based load balancing algorithm, which has been devised specically for this type of system. This algorithm is compared to more traditional algorithms, (ii) a method for optimal distribution of the compu

OBJECTIVES: This study determined whether performance in neurobehavioral tests deteriorates during subjectively annoying chemical challenge below known neurotoxic thresholds among persons with toxic encephalopathy with subjective hypersensitivity to chemicals. METHODS: Subjects with symptoms and previous neuropsychological test results compatible with toxic encephalopathy (TE) of either type 2A (

The genetic background of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) includes both germ line aberrations in high-penetrance genes, like CDKN2A, and allelic variation in low-penetrance genes like the melanocortin-1 receptor gene, MC1R. Red-hair colour associated MC1R alleles (RHC) have been associated with red hair, fair skin and risk of CMM. We investigated MC1R and CDKN2A variation in relation to phenoty

Lack of knowledge prevents us from exactly calculating the behavior of electromagnetic fields. We study two extremes in this respect: scattering against randomly distributed particles ( no idea of the position or orientation of the scatterers), and random errors in antenna technology ( small deviations from what we think are the proper parameters). Random variables are used to model our lack of kn

We found that the secreted serine protease xHtrA1, expressed in the early embryo and transcriptionally activated by FGF signals, promotes posterior development in mRNA-injected Xenopus embryos. xHtrA1 mRNA led to the induction of secondary tail-like structures, expansion of mesoderm, and formation of ectopic neurons in an FGF-dependent manner. An antisense morpholino oligonucleotide or a neutraliz

Antibodies directed against a pathogenic microorganism may recognize either protective or non-protective epitopes. Because antibodies elicited by a vaccine must be directed against protective epitopes, it is essential to understand the molecular properties that distinguish the two types of epitope. Here we analyse this problem for the antiphagocytic M protein of Streptococcus pyogenes, using the o

We have recently found a correlation between contact allergy to gold sodium thiosulphate (GSTS) and gold concentration in the blood (B-Au) in a stented population: the higher the B-Au, the stronger the patch-test reaction. To further investigate the correlation between B-Au and patch-test reactivity to gold. In this provocation control cross-over trial of 24 patients with dermatitis with a known c

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is a new imaging technique to estimate joint cartilage glycosaminoglycan content by T1-relaxation time measurements after penetration of the hydrophilic contrast agent Gd-DTPA2-. This study compares dGEMRIC in age-matched healthy volunteers with different levels of physical activity: Group 1 (n = 12): nonexercising individuals; Group 2 (n = 16

The spatial distribution of individual animals may both cause and be caused by intra- and/or interspecific interactions. This work aims primarily on effects of intraspecific interactions. Agonistic and unequally strong interactions among conspecifics should make the within-population distribution of individuals to be characterised by spatial avoidance of potentially risky conspecifics, according t

This study focuses on young male and female adults (n=290) who were diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD) during adolescence at the inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric unit in Lund, Sweden. Their adulthood is described using seven outcome variables: in custody, crime, illicit drug use, mental health, teenage parenthood, transference income and educational attainment. Together, the seven outc

Many pathogenic microorganisms evade host immunity through extensive sequence variability in a protein region targeted by protective antibodies. In spite of the sequence variability, a variable region commonly retains an important ligand-binding function, reflected in the presence of a highly conserved sequence motif. Here, we analyze the limits of sequence divergence in a ligand-binding region by

In the last two centuries, age at menarche has decreased in several European populations, whereas adult height has increased. It is unclear whether these trends have ceased in recent years or how age at menarche and height are related in individuals. In this study, the authors first investigated trends in age at menarche and adult height among 286,205 women from nine European countries by computin