Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally. Inflammatory cardiomyopathies can be life-threatening, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This thesis aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of myocarditis and septic cardiomyopathy, and to explore potential treatment strategies. In particular, we focused on the pro-inflammato

Background Problematic Internet use is characterized by excessive use of online platforms that can result in social isolation, family problems, psychological distress, and even suicide. Problematic Internet use has been associated with cannabis use disorder, however knowledge on the adult population remains limited. In Quebec, cannabis use has significatively increased since 2018, and it is associ

Mixed species charge and baryon balance functions are computed based on proton-proton (pp) collisions simulated with the PYTHIA8 model. Simulations are performed with selected values of the collision energy s and the Monash tune and the ropes and shoving modes of PYTHIA8 to explore whether such measurements provide useful new information and constraints on mechanisms of particle production in pp c

Background: Endoscopic resection of T1 colon cancer (CC) is currently limited by guidelines related to risk of lymph node metastases. However, clinical outcome following endoscopic and surgical resection is poorly investigated. Method: A retrospective multicentre national cohort study was conducted on prospectively collected data from the Swedish colorectal cancer registry on all non-pedunculated

During their formation, nascent planetary systems are subject to FU Orionis outbursts that heat a substantial part of the disc. This causes water ice in the affected part of the disc to sublimate as the ice line moves outwards to several to tens of astronomical units. In this paper, we investigate how the subsequent cooling of the disc impacts the particle sizes. We calculate the resulting particl

BackgroundChemoreception is crucial for insect fitness, underlying for instance food-, host-, and mate finding. Chemicals in the environment are detected by receptors from three divergent gene families: odorant receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), and ionotropic receptors (IRs). However, how the chemoreceptor gene families evolve in parallel with ecological specializations remains poorly un

As technology advances, people become increasingly dependent on technological tools to increase their work efficiency and productivity. Farming methods in the agriculture sector are also undergoing a shift from conventional to technology-driven modern agriculture practices, primarily because of their benefits and potential to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, the adoption rate of cl

Background: Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are subjected to different types of stress, including sounds of high intensity. The sound levels in NICUs often exceed the maximum acceptable level recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is 45 decibels (dB). Hearing impairment is diagnosed in 2% to 10% of preterm infants compared to only 0.1% of the general paediatric

Previous studies have found that elites differ from the general population not only in terms of their demographic and social composition but also with respect to policy preferences and attitudes. When it comes to civil society organisations, the issue of representation and representativeness of top-level leadership is of particular relevance, since a small number of individuals are expected to act

We investigate frugal splitting operators for finite sum monotone inclusion problems. These operators utilize exactly one direct or resolvent evaluation of each operator of the sum, and the splitting operator's output is dictated by linear combinations of these evaluations' inputs and outputs. To facilitate analysis, we introduce a novel representation of frugal splitting operators via a generaliz

Technical developments have paved the way for the development of ultrasensitive analytical methods that allow for precise quantification of brain-specific proteins in blood samples. Plasma levels of amyloid β, specifically the Aβ42/40 ratio, are reduced in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and show concordance with brain amyloidosis assessed by PET, but the overlap with normal elderly may be too large for

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is the enzyme responsible for the first step of carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation in plants, which proceeds via the carboxylation of ribulose 1,5-biphosphate. Because of the enormous importance of this reaction in agriculture and the environment, there is considerable interest in the mechanism of fixation of CO2 by RuBisCO. Here, a serial synch

Optimal recovery of muscle function after proximal nerve injuries remains a complex and challenging problem. After a nerve injury, alterations in the affected muscles lead to atrophy, and later degeneration and replacement by fat-fibrous tissues. At present, several different strategies for the preservation of skeletal muscle have been reported, including various sets of physical exercises, muscle

The history of TRP channels and bladder started in the 1980-ies with the studies of Maggi and collaborators, who created the basis for using capsaicin and other vanilloids in LUT disorders. This narrative review gives a brief history of bladder TRP channels, from their discovery, distribution, and function in the bladder to the rationale for and current status of the use of agents acting on them i

This work reports on a method for uncertainty estimation in simulated collider-event predictions. The method is based on a Monte Carlo-veto algorithm, and extends previous work on uncertainty estimates in parton showers by including uncertainty estimates for the Lund string-fragmentation model. This method is advantageous from the perspective of simulation costs: a single ensemble of generated eve

Industrial symbiosis (IS) has been recognized as an important approach to succeed in the transition towards increased circularity in industry and society. IS involves collaboration between different actors sharing resources, aiming to minimize waste, improve resource and/or energy efficiency, resulting in reduced emissions and environmental impact. This study conducts an embedded single case study

Non-genetic variation is the phenotypic variation induced by the differential expression of a genotype in response to varying environmental cues and is broadly categorized into two types: phenotypic plasticity and developmental noise. These aspects of variation have been suggested to play an important role in adaptive evolution. However, the mechanisms by which these two types of non-genetic varia

This paper examines the effect of aid fragmentation on the aid-growth nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa from 1990-2017. Aid fragmentation is measured by both the concentration index (Herfindahl index and ratio of contribution by largest three donors) and donor counts (total number of donors and number of small donors). We find a significant negative effect of aid fragmentation on the effectiveness of ai