BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The multisociety task force descriptively defined abnormal lumbar disk morphology. We aimed to use their definitions to provide a higher level of evidence for the validation of MR imaging in the evaluation of this pathology in patients who have undergone diskectomy by retrospectively classifying their preoperative MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective, instituti...

LKB1/PAR-4 is essential for the earliest polarization steps in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos and Drosophila oocytes. Although LKB1 (also known as STK11) is sufficient to initiate polarity in a single mammalian intestinal epithelial cell, its necessity in the formation and maintenance of mammalian epithelia remains unclear. To address this, we completely remove LKB1 from mouse embryos by genera...

In this study, the authors analyse the impact of channel estimation error (CEE), feedback delay (FD), and co-channel interference (CCI) on the performance of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems deploying maximum ratio transmission (MRT). In particular, the authors derive closed-form expressions for the ergodic capacity and the symbol error rate (SER) as well as the outage probability ...

Many problems in developing and maintaining systems software stem from inappropriate choices of execution environments: sets of rules and conventions for structuring code. We have developed composable execution environments (CEE), a new way to compose systems software that is based on two main capabilities: the hierarchical composition of execution environments, and the late binding of design r...

CONTEXT Some studies of hormone treatment in postmenopausal women suggest benefits on specific cognitive functions, particularly memory. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether hormone therapy influences changes in specific cognitive functions and affect in older women. DESIGN This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING Part...

BACKGROUND Difference in fruit and vegetable consumption has been suggested as a possible reason for the large gap in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates between Eastern and Western European populations. However, individual-level dietary data which allow direct comparison across the two regions are rare. In this systematic review we aimed to answer the question whether cross-national s...

Using data for German and Swedish multinational enterprises (MNEs), this paper assesses international employment patterns. It analyzes determinants of location choice and the degree of substitutability of labor across locations. Countries with highly skilled labor forces attract German MNEs, but we find no such evidence for Swedish MNEs. This is consistent with the hypothesis that German MNEs l...

Received: 7 April 2003 Revised: 8 January 2005 Accepted: 22 February 2005 Online publication date: 22 September 2005 Abstract Since the 1990s, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has provided unique societal quasi-experiments, which represent opportunities to test the applicability of existing theories in international business and management studies and to develop new ones. Specifically, three li...

BACKGROUND The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen Alone trial assessed the balance of benefits and risks of hormone use in healthy postmenopausal women. The trial was stopped prematurely because there was no benefit for coronary heart disease and an increased risk of stroke. This report provides a thorough analysis of the stroke finding using the final results from the completed trial dat...