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Personal cooling systems (PCS) have been developed to mitigate the impact of severe heat stress for humans working in hot environments. It is still a great challenge to develop PCSs that are portable, inexpensive, and effective. We studied the performance of a new hybrid PCS incorporating both ventilation fans and phase change materials (PCMs). The cooling efficiency of the newly developed PCS was

We report on the fabrication and characterization of amplitude and phase samples consisting of well defined Au or Al features formed on ultrathin silicon nitride membranes. The samples were manufactured using electron beam lithography, metallization and a lift-off technique, which allow precise lateral control and thickness of the metal features. The fabricated specimens were evaluated by conventi

The aim of this thesis was to conduct a prospective investigation of anxiety and its long-term effects on women referred for colposcopy after an abnormal cervical smear. The thesis comprises four articles, all based on a study of the current life situation, anxiety (Spielberger's state-trait anxiety inventory, STAI), depression (Montogomery Isberg Depression Rating Scale self-rate), psychosexualit

The ambition underlying this study is to provide a valid and efficient screening tool targeting accessibility problems in the ordinary housing stock. The study aims to test the feasibility and interrater agreement of a screening-tool version of the Housing Enabler in a real estate company practice context. Two rater pairs administer the screening in 35 apartments in a Swedish municipality. The ove

The HAMLET family of compounds (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumours) was discovered during studies on the properties of human milk, and is a class of protein-lipid complexes having broad spectrum anti-cancer, and some specific anti-bacterial properties. The structure of HAMLET-like compounds consists of an aggregation of partially unfolded protein making up the majority of the compound'

Markers of mercury (Hg) exposure have shown both positive and negative associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We assessed the association between serum Hg (S-Hg) and risk of cardiovascular disease in a prospective population-based cohort, with attention to the roles of dental health and fish consumption. Total mortality, as well as morbidity and mortality from acute myocardial infarction

Background Subjective evaluation of gray-scale and Doppler ultrasound findings (i. e., pattern recognition) by an experienced examiner and preoperative serum levels of CA-125 can both discriminate benign from malignant adnexal ( i. e., ovarian, paraovarian, or tubal) masses. We compared the diagnostic performance of these methods in a large multicenter study. Methods In a prospective multicenter s

Spectroscopic properties as well as excited state dynamics of the carotenoid peridinin in several solvents of different polarities were investigated by time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption techniques. A strong dependence of the peridinin lowest excited states dynamics on solvent polarity was observed after excitation into the strongly allowed S-2 state. Peridinin relaxes to the grou

OBJECTIVE: The reason that only a minority of smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still largely unknown. Glycosylation defects are involved in the pathological mechanisms in cystic fibrosis (CF), where chronic progressive obstructive lung disease dominates the clinical picture. Whether defects of protein glycosylation occur in COPD has not previously been examined. Incr

The neurohypophyseal hormones oxytocin and vasopressin are important in the regulation of uterine contractility. These hormones, as well as prostaglandin F2α, are most forceful myometrial tissue contractors. Vasopressin is probably a causative factor in primary dysmenorrhoea, whereas oxytocin is the major uterine stimulator of labour, both at term and preterm. In a prospective study we investiga

Upregulation of endothelin B (ETB) and 5-hydroxytryptamine 1B (5-HT1B) receptors via transcription has been found after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and this is associated with enhanced phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ( MAPK) extracellular signal-regulated kinase ( ERK1/2). In the present study, we hypothesized that inhibition of ERK1/2 alters the ETB and 5-H

Magnetotransport properties of GaMnAs single layers and InGaMnAs/ InGaAs superlattice structures were investigated at temperatures from 4 K to 300 K and magnetic fields up to 23 T to study the influence of carriers confinement through different structures. Both single layers and superlattice structures show paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition. In GaMnAs/InGaAs superlattice beside the Cu

Background: The clinical benefit of combining long-acting beta(2)-agonists with inhaled corticosteroids rather than doubling the dose of corticosteroid has been well-documented. However, there are concerns that this might result in a masking of underlying airway inflammation. Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the addition of the long-acting beta(2)-agonist salmeterol

1 The endocannabinoid anandamide is an emerging potential signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. Anandamide causes vasodilatation, bradycardia and hypotension in animals and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of endotoxic, haemorrhagic and cardiogenic shock, but its vascular effects have not been studied in man. 2 Human forearm blood flow and skin microcirculatory flow were reco

Objective: To evaluate two commonly used forms of hand training with respect to influence on dexterity and cortical reorganization. Subjects: Thirty healthy volunteers (mean age 24.2 years). Methods: The subjects were randomized to 25 min of shaping exercises or general activity training of the non-dominant hand. The dexterity and the cortical motor maps (number of excitable positions) of the abdu

Cooking fumes contain aldehydes, alkanoic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic compounds. The inhalation of cooking fumes entails a risk of deleterious health effects. The aim of this study was to see if the inhalation of cooking fumes alters the expression of inflammatory reactions in the bronchial mucosa and its subsequent systemic inflammatory response in blood biomarkers.