Asthma is characterized by an airway remodeling process involving altered extracellular matrix deposition such as collagen, fibronectin and proteoglycans. Proteoglycans determine tissue mechanical properties and are involved in many important biological aspects. Not surprisingly, it has been suggested that proteoglycan deposition may alter airway properties in asthma including airway hyperresponsi

Previous fracture is a well-documented risk factor for future fracture. The aim of this study was to quantify this risk on an international basis and to explore the relationship of this risk with age, sex, and bone mineral density (BMD). We studied 15259 men and 44902 women from 11 cohorts comprising EVOS/EPOS, OFELY, CaMos, Rochester, Sheffield, Rotterdam, Kuopio, DOES, Hiroshima, and two cohorts

The purpose of this article is to outline the basic properties of the gender system in Swedish. I argue that there are two gender dimensions: one grammatical and one semantic. The two systems are independent of each other, but they interact. Crucially, the pronouns den (it.common) and det (it.neuter) can be used both as grammatical and semantic pronouns. The locus of semantic pronouns (as well as

Inflammation is a physiological response that may go uncontrolled and thereby develop in a chronic way. This seems to happen in many common diseases of autoimmune, degenerative, or allergic character. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is by definition a chronic disease with an autoimmune inflammatory attack on diarthrodial cartilaginous joints. The development of new treatment neutralizing cytokines invol

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been studied in a multitude of mammals by now, but much less is known about its organisation and variation in other vertebrate species. The mammalian MHC is organised as a single gene cluster, but recent studies on birds suggest that this paradigm of MHC organisation has to be supplemented. The domestic chicken thus possesses two separate gene cluster

The deactivation of a commercial Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst, of V2O5−WO3/TiO2 type, has been studied through comparisons with results from a full-scale biomass combustion plant to that with laboratory experiments. In the latter, the catalyst was exposed to KCl and K2SO4 by both wet impregnation with diluted salt solutions and deposition of generated submicrometer aerosol particle

One aim of rehabilitation after brain lesions should be to optimise the function of the remaining intact brain. Experimental studies on focal cerebral infarcts in the rat have demonstrated that postischemic environmental enrichment significantly improves functional outcome, increases dendrite branching and number of dendritic spines in the contralateral cortex, influences expression of many genes

New system technologies are continuously improving the performance of vehicles regarding comfort, stability, environmental stresses, and safety. Novel sensors are developed and used together with advanced control algorithms and faster and more accurate actuators to help the driver to maneuver the vehicle in a safer way. The physical traction limit set by the friction between the tires and the road

AIM: The enzymatic regulation of intramuscular triacylglycerol (TG) breakdown has until recently not been well understood. Our aim was to elucidate the role of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which controls TG breakdown in adipose tissue. METHODS: Isolated rat muscle as well as exercising humans were studied. RESULTS: The presence of HSL was demonstrated in all muscle fibre types by Western blotti

Abstract not available.

The self-diffusion of water sorbed in cellulose fibers was investigated by means of NMR during slow drying in order to follow changes in the cellulose porous structure. In pulp fibers pores with at least one dimension on the mum scale were observed at high amounts of sorbed water and nm-scale pores at low amounts. Beating affected the mum-scale pores. Regenerated cellulose fibers had nm-scale pore

The aims of this study were to construct and develop a self-administered assessment instrument, useful for studying clients' own perception of accessibility and usability in their housing environment, and to test the instrument for reliability. It was developed for use in combination with an objective, norm-based assessment of the physical housing environment, the Enabler instrument. The instrumen

Studien utgör underlag till en konstruktionslära för fogar i fönster. I rapporten pekas på problem med att upprätthålla fuktbalans i fönsterträ då fukt kapillärt sugs in via konstruktionens diskontinuiteter. Inledande försök beskrivs liksom förslag till åtgärder i befintliga fönster.

Glacifluvial deposits along an ice-marginal zone,in Smaland, southern Sweden, have been dated using post-IR blue OSL. To test for incomplete bleaching, we adopted two strategies: analysis of modern analogues and small-aliquot dose distributions. Samples of modern fluvial sediments show no significant incomplete bleaching; they yield equivalent doses of only 0.5-2 Gy (similar to 0.25-4% of our glac