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BACKGROUND: The plasma level of endothelin-1 is locally increased during cooling but the net vasoconstrictor effect will be dependent on temperature effects on the vascular smooth muscle reactivity in response to the polypeptide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cooling on the vascular smooth muscle response to endothelin-1 in human and rat veins. METHODS: Registration of vas
Forests cover about 56% of the land area in Sweden and forest damage due to strong winds has been a recurring problem. In this paper we analyse recorded storm damage in Swedish forests for the years 1965-2007. During the period 48 individual storm events with a total damage of 164 Mm(3) have been reported with the severe storm on 8 to 9 January 2005, as the worst with 70 Mm(3) damaged forest. For
Migratory birds use compass systems derived from the geomagnetic field, the stars, the sun and polarized light patterns. We tested whether birds use a single underlying reference system for calibration of these compasses and, specifically, whether sunset and sunrise polarized light cues from the region of the sky near the horizon are used to calibrate the magnetic compass. We carried out orientati
Background and purpose - Fractures of the lateral malleolus often require open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Despite uneventful fracture healing, many patients will suffer from long-term detriments after ORIF, such as local tenderness that requires hardware removal. In Sweden, there are 2 major fixation methods, either the AO method (plate and screws) or the Cedell method (cerclage wire
Establishing the introduction pathways of alien species is a fundamental task in invasion biology. The common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, has been widely introduced outside of its native range in both Europe and North America, primarily through escaped pets or deliberate release of animals from captive or wild populations. Here, we use Bayesian clustering, approximate Bayesian computation (ABC)
In this study, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed and applied for anode-supported planar SOFC involving multi-channels. The developed model is first validated in agreement with the experimental data obtained at same conditions. Three different flow arrangements (co-, counter- and cross-flow) are simulated and compared in terms of cell overall performance and
Radionuclide therapy is a growing and promising approach for treating and prolonging the lives of patients with cancer. For therapies where high activities are administered, the liver can become a dose-limiting organ; often with a complex, non-uniform activity distribution and resulting non-uniform absorbed-dose distribution. This paper therefore presents a small-scale dosimetry model for various
Sexual selection is often viewed as a promoter of population divergence, although some forms of sexual selection could rather hamper divergence. In the present study, we investigated whether sexual selection promotes divergence in sexually-selected traits. We studied population variation in sexual selection in relation to colour morph and body size in islet and mainland populations of the Skyros w
Stroke is a leading cause of disability and currently lacks effective therapy enabling long-term functional recovery. Ischemic brain injury causes local inflammation, which involves both activated resident microglia and infiltrating immune cells, including monocytes. Monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) exhibit a high degree of functional plasticity. Here, we determined the role of MDMs in longterm
The Harmattan is a dry dust-laden continental wind, and in the boreal winter Harmattan dust plumes affects many West African countries, including Ghana. When the Harmattan is strongest the southern part of Ghana is affected by the Inter Tropical Discontinuity (ITD). In this study, we investigate if the ITD functions as a barrier, preventing long transported Harmattan dust to settle south of, and b
Large Eddy Simulation (LES) was employed to investigate the fuel/oxidizer mixing process in an ethylene fueled scramjet combustor with a rearwall-expansion cavity. The numerical solver was first validated for an experimental flow, the DLR strut-based scramjet combustor case. Shock wave structures and wall-pressure distribution from the numerical simulations were compared with experimental data and
Helianthemum nummularium s.l. is a young, morphologically diverse species distributed from western Europe to the Caucasus and the Southern Urals in the east. We analysed the rps16-trnK plastid intergenic spacer sequences from 85 localities covering most of the range of H. nummularium. Thirteen haplotypes were very unevenly distributed throughout the range of the species, and exhibited a strong phy
In the present study the geographical distribution, abundance and composition of Gambierdiscus was described over a 600 km longitudinal scale in the Canary Islands. Samples for cell counts, isolation and identification of Gambierdiscus were obtained from five islands (El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote). Average densities of Gambierdiscus spp. between 0 and 2200 cells g
An optimization design method based on field synergy principle is developed for Multi-stream plate-fin heat exchangers (MPHEs) with a segmented differential model. The heat exchanger is divided into a number of sub-exchangers along the main stream, and each sub-exchanger consists of N passages along the height of the exchanger. Compared with the traditional heat exchanger design, this method allow
OBJECTIVES: Outcome assessment in large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) remains challenging and this impairs patient management and the conduct of clinical studies. Previous proposals for outcome tools have not included imaging. This study aimed to develop an imaging score to quantify damage in LVV and to assess the difference between Takayasu (TAK) and giant cell arteritis (GCA).METHODS: Ninety-six patie
Background: Increased interferon gamma (IFNγ) release occurs in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) lungs. IFNγ supports optimal viral clearance, but if dysregulated could increase lung tissue destruction. Methods: The present study investigates which mediators most closely correlate with IFNγ in sputum in stable and exacerbating disease, and seeks to shed light on the spatial requirement
In the fast development of advanced gas turbines with increasing output power, the inlet temperature is accordingly increased. Traditional cooling techniques failed to deal with such situations; however, new cooling techniques incorporating ribbed microchannels with higher capability of heat removal are required. In the present research, a square ribbed channel with various rib pitch ratios is des
Background: The majority of antibiotics consumed in developed countries are prescribed in primary care. However, little is known about resistance levels in the primary care population. Method: Nasopharyngeal cultures were obtained from children, 0-10 years of age, seeking care at their Primary Health Care Centre with symptoms of respiratory tract infection. Parental questionnaires were used to ret
Most studies on new cancer drugs are based on population-derived data, where the absence of response of a small population may pass unnoticed. Thus, individual longitudinal tracking of cells is important for the future development of efficient cancer treatments. We have used digital holographic microscopy to track individual JIMT-1 human breast cancer cells and L929 mouse fibroblast cultivated in
Cannabinoid CB₁ receptor (CB₁R) activation decreases synaptic GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission and it also controls peripheral metabolism. Here we aimed at testing with ¹³C NMR isotopomer analysis whether CB₁Rs could have a local metabolic role in brain areas having high CB₁R density, such as the hippocampus. We labelled hippocampal slices with the tracers [2-¹³C]acetate, which is oxidized
