Purpose Asthma is frequently reported in endurance athletes. The aim of the present study was to assess the long-term airway inflammatory response to endurance exercise in high-level athletes with and without asthma. Methods In a cross-sectional design, 20 asthmatic athletes (10 swimmers and 10 cross-country skiers), 19 athletes without asthma (10 swimmers and 9 cross-country skiers), and 24 healt

We consider certain parametrised families of piecewise expanding maps on the interval, and estimate and sometimes calculate the Hausdorff dimension of the set of parameters for which the orbit of a fixed point has a certain shrinking target property. This generalises several similar results for β-transformations to more general non-linear families. The proofs are based on a result by Schnellmann o

Background: Case review and discussion at multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTMs) have evolved into standard practice in cancer care with the aim to provide evidence-based treatment recommendations. As a basis for work to optimize the MDTMs, we investigated participants' views on the meeting function, including perceived benefits and barriers. Methods: In a cross-sectional study design, 244 health

There is an enormous genetic diversity evident in modern yeasts, but our understanding of the ecological basis of such diversifications in nature remains at best fragmented so far. Here we report a long-term experiment mimicking a primordial competitive environment, in which yeast and bacteria co-exist and compete against each other. Eighteen yeasts covering a wide phylogenetic background spanning

Objective. To study the impact of disease and treatment with DMARDs on antibody response elicited by either pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) or pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) in patients with SSc. Methods. Forty-four SSc patients and 49 controls received a dose of either PCV13 or PPV23. Twelve patients were treated with DMARDs. Antibody levels to pneumococcal polysaccharides 6B

Development of inhibitory antibodies to infused factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates continues to be the most serious complication of haemophilia A management. Induction of immune tolerance by administering high doses of FVIII concentrate (antigen) and prothrombin complex concentrates to control bleeding was originated in the 1970s in Bonn, Germany, by Dr Hans-Hermann Brackmann, and became known as th

Ozone vapor, O3, is here visualized in a gliding arc discharge using photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence. Ozone is imaged by first photodissociating the O3 molecule into an O radical and a vibrationally hot O2 fragment by a pump photon. Thereafter, the vibrationally excited O2 molecule absorbs a second (probe) photon that further transits the O2-molecule to an excited electronic state, a

Research within the area of selective energy transfer (SET) on how resonance develops between a specific vibration within a catalyst system and a corresponding vibration within a reacting system that resonates with it is discussed here. The catalyst system is assumed to donate one or more vibrational quanta to the reacting system. The term ‘specific vibration’ refers to vibration of a type involvi

Purpose: Head trauma is common in the emergency department. Identifying the few patients with serious injuries is time consuming and leads to many computerized tomographies (CTs). Reducing the number of CTs would reduce cost and radiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of adults with head trauma over a 1-year period to identify clinical features predicting intracranial

The planetary changes associated with the Anthropocene, including climate change and extinction of species, pose severe threats to civilization, humanity, and the natural world as we know it. They also pose special challenges to the human imagination. To meet these challenges, climate change communicators use narratives. Nonfiction books intended for a general audience employ two radically differeThe planetary changes associated with the Anthropocene, including climate change and extinction of species, pose severe threats to civilization, humanity, and the natural world as we know it. They also pose special challenges to the human imagination. To meet these challenges, climate change communicators use narratives. Nonfiction books intended for a general audience employ two radically differe

In this paper we suggest an algorithm for estimation of the parameters detailing Oscillating Gaussian functions. The different components of the signal are first detected in the spectrogram. After this we exploit the fact that a Gaussian function may be perfectly reassigned into one single point given a correct scaling factor, where this scaling factor is a function of the unknown shape parameter

The understanding of consistent individual differences in behavior, often termed “personality,” for adapting and coping with threats and novel environmental conditions has advanced considerably during the last decade. However, advancements are almost exclusively associated with higher‐order animals, whereas studies focusing on smaller aquatic organisms are still rare. Here, we show individual diff

Overactivation of the alternative pathway of the complement system is associated with the renal diseases atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and C3 glomerulopathy (C3G). C3 nephritic factors (C3NeF) play an important role in C3G pathogenesis by stabilizing the key enzymatic complex of complement, the C3 convertase. However, the reliability of assays detecting these autoantibodies is limited.

To promote a more sustainable agricultural production, the European Commission implemented direct payments that require farmers to implement greening measures aimed at reducing negative effects of agriculture on the environment and biodiversity. These greening measures (including fallows and permanent grasslands) have been criticised for their potential inability to conserve biodiversity and promo

The unified knowledge on power converter design and manufacturing technology establishes a powerful tool, where the cost and topology realization can be analyzed simultaneously. This paper collects the design practice and cost estimation of various components in a power electronics converter and unites that to a choice of the assembling and manufacturing processes and resulting cost of the complet