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Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains a controversial entity. Specific clusters of MetS components - rather than MetS per se - are associated with accelerated arterial ageing and with cardiovascular (CV) events. To investigate whether the distribution of clusters of MetS components differed cross-culturally, we studied 34,821 subjects from 12 cohorts from 10 European countries and one coho
Background: The study presented here has used the commercial flow sheeting program Aspen Plus (TM) to evaluate techno-economic aspects of large-scale hemp-based processes for producing transportation fuels. The co-production of biogas, district heat and power from chopped and steam-pretreated hemp, and the co-production of ethanol, biogas, heat and power from steam-pretreated hemp were analysed. T
Desertification, climate variability and food security are closely linked through drought, land cover changes, and climate and biological feedbacks. In Ghana, only few studies have documented these linkages. To establish this link the study provides historical and predicted climatic changes for two drought sensitive agro-ecological zones in Ghana and further determines how these changes have influ
Lentic water bodies (lakes and reservoirs) offer favorable conditions for silica (SiO2) burial in sediments. Recent global estimates suggest that (1) lentic SiO2 trapping is a globally important SiO2 flux, and (2) through reservoir construction, humans have dramatically altered river dissolved SiO2 (DSi) transport and coastal DSi delivery. However, regional to global scale patterns and controls of
We measured H2O and CO2 fluxes at a boreal forest floor using eddy covariance (EC) and chamber methods. Maximum evapotranspiration measured with EC ranged from 1.5 to 2.0 mmol m(-2) s(-1) while chamber estimates depended substantially on the location and the vegetation inside the chamber. The daytime net CO2 exchange measured with EC (0-2 mu mol m(-2) s(-1)) was of the same order as measured with
Although macroeconomic factors are part of several models for evaluation of credit risk, there is little effort to distinguish between effects of such factors and "intrinsic" factors on changes in credit risk. We argue that lenders, management, courts and traders in distressed securities would benefit from information about the degree to which macroeconomic factors affect changes in the likelihood
We studied the commencement and finishing of the growing season using different air temperature indices, the surface albedo, the chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) and the carbon dioxide (CO2) tropospheric concentration, together with eddy covariance measurements of CO2 flux. We used CO2 flux data from four boreal coniferous forest sites covering a wide latitudinal range, and CO2 concentration measu
In this article the role of children's awareness of the function of language use is examined in an empirical, qualitative investigation. Forty children of six and 10 years old were asked to make sense of a science problem in special dialogue setting where they were encouraged to reflect on their own language use. The article concerns the interplay between language use and meaning-making. Dialogue
A novel method of the recovery of a dietary fibre containing material from olive mill wastewater (OMW) was developed. Extraction was based on thermal treatment with mixtures of ethanol and acids, prior to the isolation of the alcohol insoluble residue (AIR). Different mixtures were tested and the extracted residues were characterized. The maximum AIR recovery accounted 64.8 g/100 g OMW dry matter,
Objective In contrast with the wealth of data on ischaemic heart disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), data on stroke are scarce and contradictory. Despite the high clinical and aetiological relevance, there is no data regarding when (if ever) after RA diagnosis there is an increased risk. Our objective was to assess the risk of stroke (by subtype) in contemporary patients with RA, particularly in
Two-dimensional numerical simulations of the flow and temperature fields inside the bend (turn) part of a U duct have been performed. Both the standard and low Reynolds number k-epsilon models were used to solve the smooth bend (turn) part and ribbed bend (turn) part, respectively. For the standard k-epsilon model, the wall function approach was used at the near wall region where the log-law was a
Extensive field measurements have been performed at three CarboEurope-Integrated Project forest sites with different topography (Renon/Ritten, Italian Alps, Italy; Wetzstein, Thuringia, Germany; Norunda, Uppland, Sweden) to evaluate the relevant terms of the carbon balance by measuring CO2 concentrations [CO2] and the wind field in a 3D multi-tower cube setup. The same experimental setup (geometry
The glycosphingolipid (GSL) antigens in the clinically important P1PK and GLOB blood group systems are present on erythrocytes as well as other tissues and are so-called histo-blood group antigens. Blood group antigens of carbohydrate nature are products of enzymes, so-called glycosyltransferases, adding sugars in a step-wise manner to an acceptor substrate. Presence or absence of the P1PK and GLO
Catchment export of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its downstream degradation in aquatic ecosystems are important components of landscape scale carbon balances. In order to assess the influence of peatland permafrost on river DOM characteristics, we sampled 65 rivers along a 900 km transect crossing into the southern discontinuous permafrost zone on the Boreal and Tundra Plains of
Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is rapidly becoming a technique of choice for the separation and characterization of complex materials. It is capable of fractionating samples over a wide size (similar to 2 nm to 50 mu m in diameter) and molecular weight range (10(3)-10(10) g/mol). It offers gentle, low shear, low pressure separation conditions which are essential to preserve the s
The use of gluten-free products is increasing since an increasing number of people (1-2 %) are suffering from Celiac disease and thereby need a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free bread tends to have shorter shelf life and quality compared with white wheat bread. In this study, 3 % (flour basis) of pre-gelatinized oat and barley flour as well as an emulsifier were added to a gluten-free mix to increase
In this study, we extend pioneering studies and demonstrate straightforward applicability of the corrin-based chemosensor, aquacyanocobyrinic acid (ACCA), for the instantaneous detection and rapid quantification of endogenous cyanide in fresh and processed cassava roots. Hydrolytically liberated endogenous cyanide from cyanogenic glycosides (CNp) reacts with ACCA to form dicyanocobyrinic acid (DCC
In this paper we present a systematic study of the morphology and composition of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) formed by vesicle fusion using a wide variety of surface sensitive techniques that give information about the lateral as well as vertical structure and bilayer fluidity. SLBs of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC
