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Spores of pathogenic fungi are virtually ubiquitous and cause human disease and severe losses in crops. The endophytic fungi Alternaria species produce host-selective phytotoxins. Alt a 1 is a strongly allergenic protein found in A. alternata that causes severe asthma. Despite the well-established pathogenicity of Alt a 1, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action and physiological function r
Ultraviolet (UV) light occupies the spectral range of wavelengths slightly shorter than those visible to humans. Because of its shorter wavelength, it is more energetic (and potentially more photodamaging) than 'visible light', and it is scattered more efficiently in air and water. Until 1990, only a few animals were recognized as being sensitive to UV light, but we now know that a great diversity
Background and purpose — Early postoperative mortality is relatively high after total hip arthroplasty (THA) that has been performed due to femoral neck fracture. However, this has rarely been investigated after adjustment for medical comorbidity and comparison with the mortality in an age-matched population. We therefore assessed early mortality in hip fracture patients treated with a THA, in the
A comprehensive experimental investigation relevant to thermal radiation has been performed in a grate-fired test furnace. Thermal radiation is the dominating mode of heat transfer in the grate-fired furnace and yet only a few studies have focused on thermal radiation. No previous works, to the authors' knowledge, have been carried out concerning measurements on radiative heat transfer in grate-fi
The positive δ13C excursion associated with the Late Silurian Lau Event is recognized globally and is the most prominent carbon isotope excursion of the Phanerozoic. We present new δ13C data (195 samples) and the first continuous carbon isotope stratigraphy across the stratigraphic range of this bioevent based on two drill cores from Gotland, the informal type area for the Lau Event. The positive
Ion beam analysis has for decades been used as a tool for geochemical analysis of trace elements using both X-rays (particle induced X-ray emission) and nuclear reaction analysis. With the geoanalytical setup at the Lund Ion Beam Analysis Facility, the boron content in geological samples with a spatial resolution of 1 µm is determined through nuclear reaction analysis. In the newly upgraded setup,
Vacuum degassing of activated sludge was tested at eight different Swedish wastewater treatment plants with laboratory-scale equipment in batch mode in order to evaluate its efficiency on improvement of sludge compaction and settling properties. The results show that the efficiency of the degassing technique is mainly dependent on the initial sludge volume index (SVI) of the target sludge which wa
Background and purpose — Backside wear of the polyethylene insert in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can produce clinically significant levels of polyethylene debris, which can lead to loosening of the tibial component. Loosening due to polyethylene debris could theoretically be reduced in tibial components of monoblock polyethylene design, as there is no backside wear. We investigated the effect of
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were discovered as extracellular strands of decondensed DNA in complex with histones and granule proteins, which were expelled from dying neutrophils to ensnare and kill microbes. NETs are formed during infection in vivo by mechanisms different from those originally described in vitro. Citrullination of histones by peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) is centr
Forest fires are an important disturbance factor of boreal forests, annually burning about 0.5% of the forested area in Canada. Wildfire regimes are influenced by climate and a number of studies project an increase in wildfire activity with climate change. Another factor influencing wildfires is human intervention (fire suppression), and one factor that has rarely been assessed is fuel fragmentati
Purpose: Individuals with tetraplegia depend on alternative interfaces in order to control computers and other electronic equipment. Current interfaces are often limited in the number of available control commands, and may compromise the social identity of an individual due to their undesirable appearance. The purpose of this study was to implement an alternative computer interface, which was full
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive degenerative joint disorder, and the prevalence increases with age. In Sweden, about one in 4 people over the age of 45 years has OA in at least one joint. As the population ages and the prevalence of obesity increases, OA is expected to increase even more. The knee joint is one of the most commonly affected joints. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most com
Land-use changes have been shown to have large effects on climate and biogeochemical cycles, but so far most studies have focused on the effects of conversion of natural vegetation to croplands and pastures. By contrast, relatively little is known about the long-term influence of past agriculture on vegetation regrowth and carbon sequestration following land abandonment. We used the LPJ-GUESS dyna
Background: In the contact dermatitis literature, it is regularly stated that the patch test reactivity on various areas of the back differs; this might have a large impact on the reproducibility of patch testing. Objectives: To investigate the reproducibility of patch testing on the upper back with regard to the left as opposed to the right side and the medial as opposed to the lateral part of th
BACKGROUND: After more than 4 decades experience of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there is still a group of patients who are not satisfied with the outcome. In spite of the improvement of many aspects around the procedure, for unexplainable reasons, patient dissatisfaction is still approximately the same. We conducted this study to analyze correlations between preoperative psychological aspects a
Objective: To describe the longitudinal patterns of release, and investigate the association between a set of synovial fluid biomarkers at the acute and chronic stage and the development of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Design: Synovial fluid was aspirated from the acutely ACL-injured knee within the first 2weeks (acute samples), and yearly
