Spalling of concrete has been observed in water retaining concrete structures exposed to long periods of freezing weather. A hypothesis is that poor quality concrete, inadequate compaction or aging make hardened concrete susceptible to macroscopic ice lens growth, i.e. ice segregation. To simulate winter conditions, the top surface of concrete specimens was subjected to freezing, whereas the botto

A wide band fractional-N digital PLL which uses a high resolution 2-dimension gated-Vernier time-to-digital converter (TDC) with 5.2 ps resolution is presented. The quantization noise shaping of the TDC greatly improves the in-band phase noise. While, in the same time, the 2-dimension structure makes the digital PLL (DPLL) be able to process large phase errors almost without the influence of laten

This article explores the European Union (EU)’s Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) through a framework based on feminist institutional theory that highlights the durability in the dynamics of gender relations. Path dependency based on historic features of military institutions—a strict sex division based on “gender war roles”—has influenced the development of different CSDP bodies. The CSDP is sex

Methods for rapid and direct quantification of enzyme kinetics independent of the substrate stand in high demand for both fundamental research and bioprocess development. This study addresses the need for a generic method by developing an automated, standardizable HPLC platform monitoring reaction progress in near real-time. The method was applied to amine transaminase (ATA) catalyzed reactions in

The Tomten-1 drilling at Torbjörntorp in Västergötland, southern Sweden, penetrated 29.85 m of Cambrian Series 2, Cambrian Series 3, Furongian, and Lower–Middle Ordovician strata. Lithostratigraphically, the succession includes the File Haidar, Borgholm and Alum Shale formations, and the Latorp and Lanna limestones. The drill core succession is described herein for the first time, with special foc

InGaAs nMOSFETs with Al2O3 and HfO2 as dielectric are analyzed. The devices with Al 2O3 show a slightly better subthreshold slope. Both high-κ's have an equal transconductance frequency dispersion (gm-f). A reduction of gm-f is reached by scaling the HfO2 thickness. Positive gate stress leads to an increase in threshold voltage and subthreshold slope for all oxides. DC-gmax degradation is related

This letter presents a vertical integration scheme where track-and-hold circuits, consisting of a MOSFET in series with a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor, are successfully fabricated along vertical InAs nanowires. The nanowire MOSFET is used as a switch with varying switch resistance, Rsw, as the gate-source voltage, VGS, is varied. The track-and-hold circuit operation is verified by a sine

Bile acids (BAs) act as signaling molecules in various physiological processes, and are related to colonic microbiota composition as well as to different types of dietary fat and fiber. This study investigated whether guar gum and pectin-two fibers with distinct functional characteristics-affect BA profiles, microbiota composition, and gut metabolites in rats. Low- (LM) or high-methoxylated (HM) p

The biologically active form of vitamin D, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3), has been reported to positively regulate the human cathelicidin anti-microbial peptide (CAMP) gene coding for LL-37, but the mechanisms are not completely understood. We have determined the expression of CAMP, vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the retinoid X receptor (RXR) isoforms in human skin and gingival tissue biopsies

We investigate the responsiveness of academic patenting to research and development (R&D) at the subject level at Swedish universities in panel data regressions. The general responsiveness to R&D is found to be higher than corresponding estimates in US studies, especially when we adopt instrumental variable techniques that address endogeneity in the R&D-to-patent relationship studied.

Background and purpose — Patients having a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) after a previous high tibial osteotomy (HTO) constitute a minor group among those undergoing primary TKA for knee osteoarthritis (OA). There have been few reports on whether such patients differ pre- and postoperatively from those who undergo TKA as the first measure. We evaluated patient characteristics, knee-related pain, f

While imaging optically dense media such as atomizing sprays, the multiple light scattering induces image artifacts and blurring effects which limit visibility.Therefore, extracting quantitative spray information such as droplet size and concentration from qualitative images becomes very challenging. However, multiple scattering effects can be efficiently addressed by means of the SLIPI (Structure

In this work we implement features for IEEE 802.11ac in the NS-3 simulator, in particular wider channels and bit-error calculations for higher modulation coding schemes. We also implement four wireless LAN deployment scenarios from the 802.11ax working group scenario document, and evaluate their performance under different operating conditions. Our simulation results demonstrate that many nodes in

Implementation of amyloid biomarkers in clinical practice would be accelerated if such biomarkers could be measured in blood. We analyzed plasma levels of Aβ42 and Aβ40 in a cohort of 719 individuals (the Swedish BioFINDER study), including patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and cognitively healthy elderly, using a u

Bone marrow (BM) contains a rare population of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which have been characterized as nonhematopoietic skeletal progenitor cells with central importance for the hematopoietic microenvironment. Classically, MSCs are isolated by plastic adherence and subsequent culture. However, as cultured stromal cells differ from their in vivo progenitors, it is important to identify t

Background Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become an established therapeutic option for patients with symptomatic, severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) who are ineligible or at high risk for conventional valvular surgery. In Northwestern Europe, the TAVR technology is also increasingly used to treat patients with an intermediate risk profile. Methods and results The study was design

A multi-wavelength lidar system was used to detect free-flying birds passing over Athens, Greece. The location is strategically located in one of the important migratory corridors for birds migrating between Europe and Africa. Multiwavelength aerosol lidars are operated regularly across Europe in the frame of EARLINET. Here, the feasibility of using this existing infrastructure for assessing fluxe

The risk of solid and hematological malignancy in patients with Turner syndrome, characterized by X chromosome monosomy in women, and Klinefelter syndrome, characterized with two and more X chromosomes in men, is not well established, but such evidence may have etiological implications on cancer development. We identified a total of 1,409 women with Turner syndrome and 1,085 men with Klinefelter s

Background: We have previously shown promising results 2 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, within the Adolescence Morbid Obesity Surgery study (AMOS). The aim of the current study was to describe the 2-year outcome in cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and functional capacity in the Stockholm subset of the AMOS study. Methods: Forty-one adolescents (10 male, 31 female, age 14

Background Although there is evidence of an association between antibiotic consumption and resistant bacteria on a population level, the relationship on an individual level has been less well studied, particularly in terms of nasopharyngeal colonization. We have therefore analysed this association, using data from a closely followed cohort of children taking part in a vaccination trial. Methods 10