Background: Mast cells may activate fibroblasts and contribute to remodeling processes in the lung. However, the mechanism behind these actions needs to be further investigated. Fibroblasts are major regulators of on-going remodeling processes. Protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2) expressed by fibroblasts may be activated by serine proteases, such as the mast cell mediator tryptase. The objective

Under the influence of neo-liberal ideals such as New Public Management, the ownership, operation, and maintenance of many Critical Infrastructures have been divided among an increasing number of public as well as private actors. Limited research has investigated the role of this institutional fragmentation for shaping resilience of Critical Infrastructures, especially in relation to recovery afteUnder the influence of neo-liberal ideals such as New Public Management, the ownership, operation, and maintenance of many Critical Infrastructures have been divided among an increasing number of public as well as private actors. Limited research has investigated the role of this institutional fragmentation for shaping resilience of Critical Infrastructures, especially in relation to recovery afte

This work presents experimental measurements of various 80 kWth propane flames, using a swirl burner, and modeling of the radiative heat transfer. The combustion conditions were altered by varying the oxygen concentration in the oxidant within range of 21-32%, while keeping the thermal input and oxygen-to-fuel ratio constant. Temperature, gas composition, and radiative intensity were measured usin

Emergency management requires precise and reliable information about the current situation of emergency, existing sources and facilities, while more than 80% of this information has spatial component or location. Considering the urgent and time sensitive nature of emergency situations, it is necessary to collect and use spatial information of the current state of the emergency within the minimum w

Billions of animals are adapted to a travelling life, making regular return migrations between more or less distant living stations on Earth by swimming, flying, running or walking (Figure 1). Extremely long migrations are completed annually by whales between calving areas in warmer waters and feeding areas at higher latitudes in either hemisphere. The longest oceanic migrations among sea turtles

Background We determined time frames for dilatation of anastomotic strictures (ASs) occurring during the first 2 years after esophageal atresia (EA) repair. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on children with EA (Gross type C) who underwent direct repair between January 2008 and March 2015 at a single tertiary center of pediatric surgery. Endoscopic signs of stricture were indications for

In this letter, we analyze cluster characteristics in mm wave channel characteristics, based on an indoor channel measurement campaign at 28 GHz. The spatial characteristics of clusters are analyzed, and we investigate the CDFs of the intra cluster angular spreads and the number of clusters. Also we introduce the Random Cluster Number (RCN) feature to the primary module of IMT-2020 channel model,

In times of increasing polarization and political acrimony, fueled by distrust of government and media disinformation, it is ever more important to understand the cognitive mechanisms behind political attitude change. In two experiments, we present evidence that false beliefs about one's own prior attitudes and confabulatory reasoning can lead to lasting changes in political attitudes. In Experime

AD730TM is a novel superalloy developed for the hot section part in aero engine and gas turbine machinery with enhanced performance. The material is characterized by its excellent high temperature properties for being an alloy possible to manufacture by cast and wrought process compared to other superalloys in the same class such as Inconel718. The material with higher temperature capability means

In the last decade, organoid technology has filled the gap generated by the poor accessibility and unique features of the human brain. Organoids present several advantages in comparison with two-dimensional culturing, since they recapitulate cytoarchitecture in space and functionality of the tissue. Therefore, they mimic the unique features of human brain better than animal models. Although signif

This thesis experimentally investigates the possibilities of using quantum effects in semiconductor nanostructures for engineering their thermoelectric properties. More specifically, heterostructured InAs/InP nanowires are used to create short InAs quantum dots (QDs) with electronic state structure resembling that found in atoms. Recently developed top-heater architecture is used to apply a temper

We consider multigrid methods for finite volume discretizations of the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations for both steady and unsteady flows. We analyze the effect of different smoothers based on pseudo time iterations, such as explicit and additive Runge–Kutta (AERK) methods. Furthermore, by deriving them from Rosenbrock smoothers, we identify some existing schemes as a class of additive W

Cell free hemoglobin impairs vascular function and blood flow in adult cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that free fetal hemoglobin (fHbF) compromises vascular integrity and function in the fetoplacental circulation, contributing to the increased vascular resistance associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR). Women with normal and FGR pregnancies were recrui

The experimental power of a granddaughter design to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) in dairy cattle is often limited by the availability of progeny-tested sires, by the ignoring of already identified QTL in the statistical analysis, and by the application of stringent experimentwise significance levels. This study describes an experiment that addressed these points. A large granddaughter desi

As part of a genome scan, ESTs derived from mammary gland tissue of a lactating cow were used as candidate genes for quantitative trait loci (QTL), affecting milk production traits. Resource families were genotyped with 247 microsatellite markers and 4 polymorphic ESTs. It was shown by linkage analysis that one of these ESTs, KIEL_E8, mapped to the centromeric region of bovine Chromosome (Chr) 14.

The proportion of unpigmented coat on the trunk was determined from photographs of 38 German Simmental and 627 German Holstein bulls distributed over three generations. All 665 animals were members of 18 Holstein and 3 Simmental half-sib families. A Bayesian estimation of heritability yielded a posterior mean of 0.88 and a standard error of 0.08. A quantitative trait loci (QTL) scan over all chrom

Background: Brain reserve is a concept introduced to explain why Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with a greater brain volume prior to onset of pathology generally have better clinical outcomes. In this review, we provide a historical background of the emergence of brain reserve and discuss several aspects that need further clarification, including the dynamic or static nature of the concept and

What do a burly rower, a backstroke swimmer and a hard-working South African dung beetle all have in common? The answer is: they all benefit from moving along a straight path, and do so moving backwards. This, however, is where the similarity ends. While the rower has solved this navigational challenge by handing the task of steering to the coxswain, who faces the direction of travel, and the swim