In this thesis model reduction methods for linear time invariant systems are investigated. The reduced models are computed using semidefinite programming. Two ways of imposing the stability constraint are considered. However, both approaches add a positivity constraint to the program. The input to the algorithms is a number of frequency response samples of the original model. This makes the comput

Consistent but indirect evidence has implicated genetic factors in smoking behavior1,2. We report meta-analyses of several smoking phenotypes within cohorts of the Tobacco and Genetics Consortium (n = 74,053). We also partnered with the European Network of Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE) and Oxford-GlaxoSmithKline (Ox-GSK) consortia to follow up the 15 most significant regions (n > 140,0

Background: Patients with many types of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) are at an increased risk of cancer, which may depend on underlying dysregulation of the immune system or treatment. We systematically analyzed myeloma risk and survival in patients diagnosed with 33 different AIDs. Methods: Data on patients with AIDs were retrieved from the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register and were linked to mye

OBJECTIVE-To assess small and large nerve fiber function in people with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-Participants were recruited consecutively from a population-based cohort: NGT (n = 39), IGT (n = 29), and T2D (n = 51). Electrophysiological measures included nerve conduction studies and thermal thresholds.

Correlation coefficient, as a critical performance metric of multiple antenna systems, can be calculated from the 3D radiation patterns of the antennas for multipath environments with uniform 3D angular power spectrum. A simpler, faster and lower cost approach uses the antennas’ scattering parameters to determine correlation coefficient. However, the method assumes lossless antennas, and hence onl

Industrial robots are usually programmed to follow desired trajectories, and are very good at position-controlled tasks. New applications, however, often require physical contact between the robot and its environment, and then the position control accuracy is generally not sufficient. Force control is a suitable alternative. The environment is often stiff, and then it is crucial to design appropri

A method of realigning the quadrupole magnets in storage rings to achieve minimum dipole corrector strengths is described. The corrector strengths after realignment are mainly determined by Beam Position Monitor offsets relative to the quadrupole magnets they have been calibrated against and the extent to which magnet dipole errors stay constant during the realignment. The accuracy to which quadru

In Sweden, 2000 patients are diagnosed with rectal cancer annually. In 1995, the Swedish Rectal Cancer Registry (SRCR) was launched to supervise and assure the quality of the management of rectal cancer. Advances in the management of rectal cancer have reduced the local recurrence (LR) rate and improved survival. To improve the outcome further, identification of prognostic and predictive factors i

The aim of this study was to investigate if periodontal parameters and elastase in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) are different in alpha-1-antitrypsin deficient (AATD) subjects compared to subjects with normal AAT level. Thirty subjects were included, 20 of whom with severe AATD, phenotype PiZZ. Ten AATD subjects suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, group 1) and 10 were asym

Here we present the first four dimensional (time and three dimensional space resolved) experiment on a strongly deformed geological material. Results show that even complicated microstructures with large continuous and discontinuous changes in crystallographic orientation can be resolved quantitatively. The details that can be resolved are unprecedented and therefore the presented technique promis

This paper presents a decomposition strategy applicable to DAE constrained optimization problems. A common solution method for such problems is to apply a direct transcription method and solve the re- sulting nonlinear program using an interior-point algorithm. For this approach, the time to solve the linearized KKT system at each iteration typically dominates the total solution time. In our propo

The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is used to search for the decay of a scalar boson to a pair of long-lived particles, neutral under the Standard Model gauge group, in 20.3 fb(-1) of data collected in proton-proton collisions at root s = 8 TeV. This search is sensitive to long-lived particles that decay to Standard Model particles producing jets at the outer edge of the ATLAS

Serious fouling and slagging problems are associated with the combustion of Chinese Zhun-Dong coal due to its high content of sodium (Na). Understanding the release characteristic of Na during the combustion is essential to viable utilization of this coal. In this work, coal samples were treated with a sequence of solvents: water (H2O), ammonium acetate (NH4Ac), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and the re

We use 2D electronic photon-echo spectroscopy to study ultrafast singlet exciton fission in pentacene. Our observations and analysis of vibronic coherences provide insight to the role played by dark multiexcitonic states in mediating fission.

We undertook a genome-wide search for novel noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. We used the RNAz program to predict structures in the noncoding regions of the P. falciparum 3D7 genome that were conserved with at least one of seven other Plasmodium spp. genome sequences. By using Northern blot analysis for 76 high-scoring predictions and microarray analysis for the

Bacillus subtilis heme A synthase is a membrane protein with 8 transmembrane segments. By using a two-step mutagenesis approach we have generated and selected a fully functional enzyme protein variant with a seven residue internal deletion. The biochemical properties of the shortened variant are similar to those of the normal enzyme. This could indicate that residue H209 in the mutant protein subs

The 2011 Egyptian revolution was carried out under a banner notable for its distinct lack of divisive sectarian or political ideology. Two-and-a-half years later, the post-revolutionary scene looks strikingly different: a popularly supported military coup has ousted the country’s first democratically elected president, and the population is profoundly polarized. A common narrative is the so-called

Background: There have been reports both supporting and refuting an inverse relationship between hip fracture and hip osteoarthritis (OA). We explore this relationship using a case-control study design. Methods: Exclusion criteria were previous hip fracture (same side or contralateral side), age younger than 60 years, foreign nationality, pathological fracture, rheumatoid arthritis and cases were

The unique ability of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase to form and utilize the cyclic maltooligosaccharide cyclodextrin (CD) makes this enzyme an attractive catalyst for the synthesis of alkyl glycosides. Here, we characterize the sugar headgroup elongation of alkyl glucosides (acceptor) via two transglycosylation reactions from either a linear (maltohexose) or a cyclic (CD) glycosyl donor. Inclus