Anisotropic Vapor HF etching of silicon dioxide for Si microstructure release

Damages are created in a sacrificial layer of silicon dioxide by ion implantation to enhance the etch rate of silicon-dioxide in liquid and vapor phase hydrofluoric acid. The etch rate ratio between implanted and unimplanted silicon dioxide is more than 150 in vapor hydrofluoric acid (VHF). This feature is of interest to greatly reduce the underetch of microelectromechanical systems anchors. Based on the experimentally extracted etch rate of unimplanted and implanted silicon dioxide, the patterning of the sacrificial layer can be predicted by simulation

Neural effects of elevated CO2 in fish may be amplified by a vicious cycle

Maladaptive behavioural disturbances have been reported in some fishes and aquatic invertebrates exposed to projected future CO2 levels. These disturbances have been linked to altered ion gradients and neurotransmitter function in the brain. Still, it seems surprising that the relatively small ionic changes induced by near-future CO2 levels can have such profound neural effects. Based on recent transcriptomics data, we propose that a vicious cycle can be triggered that amplifies the initial disturbance, explaining howsmall pH regulatory adjustments in response to ocean acidification can lead to major behavioural alterations in fish and other water-breathing animals. The proposed cycle is initiated by a reversal of the function of some inhibitory GABA(A) receptors in the direction of neural excitation and then amplified by adjustments in gene expression aimed at suppressing the excitation but in reality increasing it. In addition, the increased metabolic production of CO2 by overexcited neurons will feed into the cycle by elevating intracellular bicarbonate levels that will lead to increased excitatory ion fluxes through GABA(A) receptors. We also discuss the possibility that an initiation of a vicious cycle could be one of the several factors underlying the differences in neural sensitivity to elevated CO2 displayed by fishes

Liquid freshwater transport and Polar Surface Water characteristics in the East Greenland Current during the AO-02 Oden expedition

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V. , 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Progress In Oceanography 78 (2008): 45-57, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2007.06.002.Dynamical features of the East Greenland Current (EGC) are synthesized from a survey conducted by the Swedish icebreaker Oden during the International Arctic Ocean - 02 expedition (AO-02) in May 2002 with emphasis on the liquid freshwa- ter transport and Polar Surface Water. The data include hydrography and lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (LADCP) velocities in eight transects along the EGC, from the Fram Strait in the north to the Denmark Strait in the south. The survey reveals a strong confinement of the low-salinity polar water in the EGC to the continental slope/shelf—a feature of relevance for the stability of the thermo- haline circulation in the Arctic Mediterranean. The southward transport of liquid freshwater in the EGC was found to vary considerably between the sections, rang- ing between 0.01 and 0.1 Sverdrup. Computations based on geostrophic as well as LADCP velocities give a section-averaged southward freshwater transport of 0.06 Sverdrup in the EGC during May 2002. Furthermore, Oden data suggest that the liquid freshwater transport was as large north of the Fram Strait as it was south of the Denmark Strait.Financial support was provided by the Swedish Research Council (JN and GB), the Ivar Bendixson Foundation (JN), The European Commission programme ASOF-N (contract No EVK2-CT-2002-00139), ASOF-W (contract No EVK2- CT-2002-00149), DAMOCLES (contract No 0189509) (BR), the National Science Foundation (PW, through grant OPP-0352628) and a fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Ocean and Climate Change Institute (PW)

Crystallization During Volume Reduction of Solutions with an Ion-Composition Corresponding to that in the Distal Tubuli

The effect of macromolecules on the crystallization in solutions with an ion-composition and a pH corresponding to that of urine in the distal part of the distal tubuli was examined by recording the number and volume of crystals in a Coulter Multisizer and by studying the crystal morphology with scanning electron microscopy at different degrees of evaporation. The experiments were carried out with 100 ml samples of salt solutions with and without different concentrations of dialysed urine (dU) from normal subjects. Addition of dU resulted in a greater number of crystals and a reduction in the mean crystal volume (MCV). Under the experimental conditions, the maximal effect of the macro-molecules appeared to be accomplished in solutions with an initial dU concentration of 10%. The precipitate was strongly suggestive of calcium phosphate (CaP) as shown by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. This conclusion was further supported by the ion-activity products of calcium oxalate (CaOx) and different CaP salts in those samples in which crystal formation was recorded. The obtained results give support to the view that macromolecules might exert a promotive effect on the nucleation of CaP. The macromolecules also appear to counteract the development of large CaP crystals, but whether this is due to an inhibition of crystal growth, an inhibition of crystal aggregation or both could not be concluded from these experiments. The way in which CaP crystals initially form in the nephron might be of importance for the sub-sequent crystallization of CaOx and the formation of CaOx containing stones

Open cholecystectomy for all patients in the era of laparoscopic surgery – a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Open cholecystectomy through a small incision is an alternative to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: From 1 January 2002 through 31 December 2003, all operations upon the gallbladder in a district hospital with emergency admission and responsibility for surgical training were done as intended small-incision open cholecystectomy. RESULTS: 182 women and 90 men with a median age of 56 (interquartile range 45 to 68 years) underwent cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallbladder disease, 170 as elective and 102 as emergency cases. Trainee surgeons assisted by consultants or registrars having passed an examination for open cholecystectomy performed surgery in 194 cases (71%). The common bile duct was explored in 52 patients. Total postoperative morbidity was six percent. Median postoperative stay was one day and mean total (pre- and postoperative) hospital stay 3.1 days. 32 operations (12%) were done as day surgery procedures. Nationally in Sweden in 2002, mean total hospital stay was 4.4 days, and 13% of all cholecystectomies were performed on an outpatient basis. CONCLUSION: Open, small-incision cholecystectomy for all patients is compatible with short hospital stay, evidence-based gall-bladder surgery, and training of surgical residents

Production of genetically improved silver birch plantations in southern and central Sweden

Investing in planting genetically unproved silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in Swedish plantations requires understanding how birch stands will develop over their entire rotation. Previous studies have indicated relatively low production of birch compared to Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). This could result from using unrepresentative basic data, collected from unimproved, naturally-regenerated birch (Betula spp.) growing on inventory plots often located in coniferous stands. The objective of this study was to develop a basal area development function of improved silver birch and evaluate production over a full rotation period. We used data from 52 experiments including planted silver birch of different genetic breeding levels in southern and central Sweden. The experimental plots were established on fertile forest sites and on former agricultural lands, and were managed with different numbers of thinnings and basal area removal regimes. The model best describing total stand basal area development was a dynamic equation derived from the Korf base model. The analysis of the realized gain trial for birch showed a good stability of the early calculated relative differences in basal area between tested genotypes over time. Thus, the relative difference in basal area might be with cautious used as representation of the realized genetic gain. On average forest sites in southern Sweden, improved and planted silver birch could produce between 6-10.5 m(3) ha(-1) year(-1), while on fertile agriculture land the average productivity might be higher, especially with material coming from the improvement program. The performed analysis provided a first step toward predicting the effects of genetic improvement on total volume production and profitability of silver birch. However, more experiments arc needed to set up the relative differences between different improved material

Vital sign documentation in electronic records: The development of workarounds.

Workarounds are commonplace in healthcare settings. An increase in the use of electronic health records has led to an escalation of workarounds as healthcare professionals cope with systems which are inadequate for their needs. Closely related to this, the documentation of vital signs in electronic health records has been problematic. The accuracy and completeness of vital sign documentation has a direct impact on the recognition of deterioration in a patient's condition. We examined workflow processes to identify workarounds related to vital signs in a 372-bed hospital in Sweden. In three clinical areas, a qualitative study was performed with data collected during observations and interviews and analysed through thematic content analysis. We identified paper workarounds in the form of handwritten notes and a total of eight pre-printed paper observation charts. Our results suggested that nurses created workarounds to allow a smooth workflow and ensure patients safety

Integration of molecular profiles in a longitudinal wellness profiling cohort

An important aspect of precision medicine is to probe the stability in molecular profiles among healthy individuals over time. Here, we sample a longitudinal wellness cohort with 100 healthy individuals and analyze blood molecular profiles including proteomics, transcriptomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, autoantibodies and immune cell profiling, complemented with gut microbiota composition and routine clinical chemistry. Overall, our results show high variation between individuals across different molecular readouts, while the intra-individual baseline variation is low. The analyses show that each individual has a unique and stable plasma protein profile throughout the study period and that many individuals also show distinct profiles with regards to the other omics datasets, with strong underlying connections between the blood proteome and the clinical chemistry parameters. In conclusion, the results support an individual-based definition of health and show that comprehensive omics profiling in a longitudinal manner is a path forward for precision medicine

Using genetics to test the causal relationship of total adiposity and periodontitis: Mendelian randomization analyses in the Gene-Lifestyle Interactions and Dental Endpoints (GLIDE) Consortium

Background: The observational relationship between obesity and periodontitis is widely known, yet causal evidence is lacking. Our objective was to investigate causal associations between periodontitis and body mass index (BMI).Methods: We performed Mendelian randomization analyses with BMI-associated loci combined in a genetic risk score (GRS) as the instrument for BMI. All analyses were conducted within the Gene-Lifestyle Interactions and Dental Endpoints (GLIDE) Consortium in 13 studies from Europe and the USA, including 49 066 participants with clinically assessed (seven studies, 42.1% of participants) and self-reported (six studies, 57.9% of participants) periodontitis and genotype data (17 672/31 394 with/without periodontitis); 68 761 participants with BMI and genotype data; and 57 871 participants (18 881/38 990 with/without periodontitis) with data on BMI and periodontitis.Results: In the observational meta-analysis of all participants, the pooled crude observational odds ratio (OR) for periodontitis was 1.13 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.24] per standard deviation increase of BMI. Controlling for potential confounders attenuated this estimate (OR = 1.08; 95% CI:1.03, 1.12). For clinically assessed periodontitis, corresponding ORs were 1.25 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.42) and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.17), respectively. In the genetic association meta-analysis, the OR for periodontitis was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.03) per GRS unit (per one effect allele) in all participants and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.03) in participants with clinically assessed periodontitis. The instrumental variable meta-analysis of all participants yielded an OR of 1.05 (95% CI: 0.80, 1.38) per BMI standard deviation, and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.56, 1.46) in participants with clinical data.Conclusions: Our study does not support total adiposity as a causal risk factor for periodontitis, as the point estimate is very close to the null in the causal inference analysis, with wide confidence intervals

Positive impacts of important bird and biodiversity areas on wintering waterbirds under changing temperatures throughout Europe and North Africa

Migratory waterbirds require an effectively conserved cohesive network of wetland areas throughout their range and life-cycle. Under rapid climate change, protected area (PA) networks need to be able to accommodate climate-driven range shifts in wildlife if they are to continue to be effective in the future. Thus, we investigated geographical variation in the relationship between local temperature anomaly and the abundance of 61 waterbird species during the wintering season across Europe and North Africa during 1990-2015. We also compared the spatio-temporal effects on abundance of sites designated as PAs, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), both, or neither designation (Unlisted). Waterbird abundance was positively correlated with temperature anomaly, with this pattern being strongest towards north and east Europe. Waterbird abundance was higher inside IBAs, whether they were legally protected or not. Trends in waterbird abundance were also consistently more positive inside both protected and unprotected IBAs across the whole study region, and were positive in Unlisted wetlands in southwestern Europe and North Africa. These results suggest that IBAs are important sites for wintering waterbirds, but also that populations are shifting to unprotected wetlands (some of which are IBAs). Such IBAs may therefore represent robust candidate sites to expand the network of legally protected wetlands under climate change in north-eastern Europe. These results underscore the need for monitoring to understand how the effectiveness of site networks is changing under climate change.Peer reviewe