Background: It is important to quantify a static posture to evaluate the need for and effectiveness of interventions such as physical management, physiotherapy, spinal orthosis or surgical treatment on the alignment of body segments. Motion analysis systems can be used for this purpose, but they are expensive, require a high degree of technical experience and are not easily accessible. A simpler m

Fishers are often perceived to be poor, and low income levels are used to justify subsidies and other types of direct and indirect income support to maintain coastal communities. In this study fishers’ income levels are investigated in four Nordic countries; Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden for different types of fishers and vessels and in comparison to alternative occupations. The most importa

In this trans-ethnic multi-omic study, we reinterpret the genetic architecture of blood pressure to identify genes, tissues, phenomes and medication contexts of blood pressure homeostasis. We discovered 208 novel common blood pressure SNPs and 53 rare variants in genome-wide association studies of systolic, diastolic and pulse pressure in up to 776,078 participants from the Million Veteran Program

Background: Implementation of clinical health promotion (CHP) aiming at better health gain is slow despite its effect. CHP focuses on potentially modifiable lifestyle risks such as smoking, alcohol, diet, and physical inactivity. An operational program was created to improve implementation. It included patients, staff, and the organization, and it combined existing standards, indicators, documenta

[NiFe] hydrogenases catalyze the reversible conversion of molecular hydrogen to protons and electrons. This seemingly simple reaction has attracted much attention because of the prospective use of H2 as a clean fuel. In this paper, we have studied the full reaction mechanism of this enzyme with various computational methods. Geometries were obtained with combined quantum mechanical and molecular m

Flying animals need continual sensory feedback about their body position and orientation for flight control. The visual system provides essential but slow feedback. In contrast, mechanosensory channels can provide feedback at much shorter timescales. How the contributions from these two senses are integrated remains an open question in most insect groups. In Diptera, fast mechanosensory feedback i

Eyeblink conditioning is one of the most popular experimental paradigms for studying the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory. A key parameter in eyeblink conditioning is the interstimulus interval (ISI), the time between the onset of the conditional stimulus (CS) and the onset of the unconditional stimulus (US). Though previous studies have examined how the ISI affects learning there

Objective: Homecare workers play a pivotal role in palliative care, but research on their experiences is limited. The aim of this study was to describe how homecare workers in Sweden experience their work in palliative homecare. Method: This qualitative study used open-ended interviews with a purposive sample of 15 homecare workers. The data was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. R

This study investigates the scratch load effect, from 100 to 2000 mN, on micro-mechanisms involved during scratching. A pearlitic and three ferritic Compacted Graphite Irons (CGI) solution strengthened through addition of 3.66, 4.09, and 4.59 Si wt% were investigated. Good correlation was observed between hardness measurements, tensile testing, and scratch results explaining the influence of matri

Water oxygen-17 relaxation rates have been measured for aqueous solutions of micelles composed of ionic surfactants of varying alkyl chain length, head group, and counterion. The concentration of surfactant and salt was also varied. From these measurements, supplemented with relaxation data for short-chain molecules and with quadrupolar splittings from anisotropic mesophases, we derive structural

Groundwater contamination by nitrate from agricultural fields is a problem shared by many parts of the world. Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, is an important agricultural district experiencing this problem. In this study, laboratory column experiments were performed and a numerical model was developed to improve understanding of nitrate transport process through volcanic ash soils overlying the aquif

Column experiments using two Japanese volcanic ash soils (Akahoya and Kuroboku soils) were carried out to improve understanding of solute transport characteristics through volcanic ash soil. As the contaminant source, a mixed solution of KNO3 and K2SO4 was applied from the top of the column. Temporal changes of cations and anions in the effluent were measured at prescribed time intervals. Breakthr

In a costal aquifer, saltwater intrusion is frequently observed due to an excess exploitation. There are many researches focused on the saltwater intrusion. However, there are few researches, which take into consideration the mixing processes in a stratified heterogeneous aquifer. In the present study, a laboratory experiment and numerical simulation are made in order to understand the phenomena i

In general, a natural aquifer has a hydrogeologically non-uniform structure. The movement of pollutants in groundwater is affected by such structural properties during transport by local advection and microscopic dispersion. The macroscopic dispersion coefficient increases linearly with travel distance or travel time at the initial stage after the pollutant is released, and then converges asymptot

Hyphal morphology and extracellular enzyme production of the fungus Mortierella isabellina were studied during grazing by a soil Collembola, Onychiurus armatus. Grazing induced switching from a "normal" hyphal mode, with appressed growth and sporulating hyphae, to fan shaped sectors of fast growing and nonsporulating mycelium which developed extensive aerial mycelium. Specific protease and α-amyla

The Circular Economy is viewed as an important driver for resolving resource issues and tackling sustainability issues more broadly. The fashion industry operates in a largely linear way and suffers from various environmental, societal and economic challenges. In a Circular Economy, first and foremost, products need to be retained at the highest level, thus slowing resource loops. Slowing resource

This paper presents analysis of a scheme for iterated identification and control design. The approach is based on least squares identification in closed loop and pole placement design. It has previously been shown that the criteria for control and identification are the same provided that the data filters are chosen properly. The iterated scheme may be viewed as a recursion in model parameters. Ea

Accurate determination of the genetic diversity present in the HIV quasispecies is critical for the development of a preventative vaccine: in particular, little is known about viral genetic diversity for the second type of HIV, HIV-2. A better understanding of HIV-2 biology is relevant to the HIV vaccine field because a substantial proportion of infected people experience long-term viral control,

The literature describing medical aspects on sauna bathing is briefly reviewed. The circulatory effects of heating and subsequent cooling related to sauna bath differ with age, underlying medical condition and use of drugs. The circulatory changes may often be beneficial but can sometimes prove dangerous. More than 2000 sauna bathers were followed for around 20 years in a Finnish population study.