Corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement is the prime influencing factor that deteriorates the structural performance and reduces the serviceability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, especially during earthquakes. In structural elements, RC columns play a vital role in transferring the superstructure's load to the substructure. The deterioration of RC columns can affect the structures' over

Low-mass dwarf galaxies are expected to reside within dark matter haloes that have a pristine, ‘cuspy’ density profile within their stellar half-light radii. This is because they form too few stars to significantly drive dark matter heating through supernova-driven outflows. Here, we study such simulated faint systems (104 ≤ M* ≤ 2 × 106 M) drawn from high-resolution (3 pc) cosmological simulation

Inherited retinal degenerative diseases (IRDs) are a group of rare diseases that lead to a progressive loss of photoreceptor cells and, ultimately, blindness. The overactivation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG), one of the key effectors of cGMP-signaling, was previously found to be involved in photoreceptor cell death and was studied in murine IRD models to elucidate the pathophysiology of

Chronic diseases are the most severe health concern today, and heart disease is one of them. Coronary artery disease (CAD) affects blood flow to the heart, and it is the most common type of heart disease which causes a heart attack. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking significantly increase the risk of heart disease. To estimate the risk of heart disease is a complex process because

Agatha Christie’s canon from the ‘Golden Age’ of crime fiction is sometimes said to be surpassed in popularity only by the Bible. But is a large and faithful readership the only connection between the ‘Queen of Crime’ and the ‘Book of Books’? In this chapter, I argue that Christie’s popular detective hero, Hercule Poirot, becomes a mode of adapting religion to the modern world of Europe after the

DNA is a highly charged polyelectrolyte and is prone to associative phase separation driven by the presence of multivalent cations, charged surfactants, proteins, polymers and colloids. The process of DNA phase separation induced by positively charged species is often called DNA condensation. Generally, it refers to either intramolecular DNA compaction (coil-globule transition) or intermolecular D

Inflammation and autoimmunity are known as central processes in many skin diseases, including psoriasis. It is therefore important to develop pre-clinical models that describe disease-related aspects to enable testing of pharmaceutical drug candidates and formulations. A widely accepted pre-clinical model of psoriasis is the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced skin inflammation mouse model, where topically ap

Den här avhandlingen utforskar incesttabuts politiska natur genom att analytiskt fokusera på dess förbudsobjekt: incest. Från ett politiskfilosofiskt perspektiv framstår incesttabut som ett problem som handlar om att människans otyglade natur på olika sätt måste begränsas genom en grundläggande civiliserande lag. Följaktligen verkar incesttabuts auktoritet knytas till dess förmåga att utesluta tenThis dissertation explores the political nature of the incest taboo, with an analytical focus on its object of prohibition: incest. From the perspective of political philosophy, the incest taboo appears as problem of an unruly human nature that must be subjected to a foundational civilizing law. To this end, the taboo’s authority seems to derive from its ability to evict tendencies and desires tha

Background: Sedation is routinely administered to critically ill patients to alleviate anxiety, discomfort, and patient-ventilator asynchrony. However, it must be balanced against risks such as delirium and prolonged intensive care stays. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of sedation in critically ill adults. Methods: Systematic review with meta-analysis and trial seq

This paper contains decision analytical approaches, conditions and models for the quantification of decision values for built environment systems. Specifically, (1) delta formulations of objective functions for decision value quantification are introduced, (2) conditions for decision value are identified and (3) action value analysis formulations are further developed. The delta objective function

Family reunification is, in the words of the European Union (EU) Family Reunification Directive (2003/86/EC), a ‘necessary way of making family life possible’ and preserving family unity. Yet, barriers exist which hinder refugees’ realisation of their right to family reunification. By taking the plight of Eritrean refugees in Europe as a pertinent case study, this paper shows the obstacles that “p

We suggest that the angular momentum in fission fragments is generated by statistical excitation at scission. The magnitude of the angular momentum is determined by excitation energy and shell structure in the level density. Treating the prescission shape evolution as a diffusive process, implemented as a Metropolis walk on a five-dimensional potential-energy surface, the average magnitudes of the

Drawing upon literature from both impact assessment of development projects and agricultural research, the aim of this article is to analyse the pilot testing of a new multi-dimensional assessment framework for defining and evaluating the societal impact of agricultural research and corresponding education. The research approach involves an action research effort of pilot testing in three case stu

T-cell development provides an excellent model system for studying lineage commitment from a multipotent progenitor. The intrathymic development process has been thoroughly studied. The molecular circuitry controlling it has been dissected and the necessary steps like programmed shut off of progenitor genes and T-cell genes upregulation have been revealed. However, the exact timing between decisio