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Obesity results from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors and is a growing health problem associated with development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This thesis has focused on investigating the genetic contribution in obesity and insulin resistance by both candidate and global gene approaches with focus on the adipose tissue. In the first thr
The recently suggested possibility that weak vibronic transitions can be excitonically enhanced in light-harvesting complexes is studied in detail. A vibronic exciton dimer model that includes ground-state vibrations is investigated using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method with a parameter set typical to photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes. The absorption spectra are discu
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex disease that is caused by a complex interplay between genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. While the major environmental factors, diet and activity level, are well known, identification of the genetic factors has been a challenge. However, recent years have seen an explosion of genetic variants in risk and protection of T2D due to the technical developm
Abstract in UndeterminedThis study investigates the determinants of transfer of waste between the affected areas and other municipalities that resulted from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In particular, we investigate to what extent economic factors, but also social factors such as reciprocity and pro-social concerns, affect municipalities’ decision to accept disaster waste. We find some evidenc
We report our observations of cross-modal interactions between sight and touch using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Experiments were devised to show that sight and touch are linked in a cross-modal arrangement, and two separate experiments were done in an MRI scanner. In the first, the subject's right hand was stimulated with a brush; in the second, a video sequence was presented to
Baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae rapidly converts sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide at both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The later phenomenon is called Crabtree effect and has been described in two forms, long-term and short-term effect. We have previously studied under fully controlled aerobic conditions forty yeast species for their central carbon metabolism and the presence of lon
Beyond the effects of temperature increase on local population trends and on species distribution shifts, how populations of a given species are affected by climate change along a species range is still unclear. We tested whether and how species responses to climate change are related to the populations locations within the species thermal range. We compared the average 20 year growth rates of 62
Vasculitis is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease, characterized by inflammation in and around vessel walls leading to perturbed vessel patency and tissue damage. Many different organs may be involved. In this review pathogenetic mechanisms of vasculitis are discussed, with special reference to activation of the kinin system. Mechanisms of kinin system activation are described ultimately le
Diversification has long been viewed as a risk minimization strategy in the face of increasing climatic and economic risks in developing countries. This paper examines the determinants of non-farm income diversification in rural Ethiopia for a four-wave panel of 1240 households from the Ethiopian Rural Household Survey over the period 1994–2009. The paper makes a conceptual distinction between non
Objectives This study was designed to compare vascular contractile and relaxing responses to G-protein coupled receptor agonists among the different regions of arteries following heat stress in rats. Methods Heat exposure was performed by increasing the internal temperature of the rats to 42 degrees C for 15 min. After heat stress for 48 h, a rnyograph system was used to monitor the contractile re
The influence of vibration frequency was studied in 110 small-scale compaction tests conducted using a vertically oscillating plate. The underlying soil was dry sand, or sand close to the optimum water content. The results showed that there is a resonant amplification, providing a slightly higher degree of compaction. Frequency has a major influence on soil compaction. An iterative method for calc
Although phylogenetically nested within the moths, butterflies have diverged extensively in a number of life history traits. Whereas moths rely greatly on chemical signals, visual advertisement is the hallmark of mate finding in butterflies. In the context of courtship, however, male chemical signals are widespread in both groups although they likely have multiple evolutionary origins. Here, we re
Background: Complement C2 deficiency is the most common genetically determined complete complement deficiency and is associated with a number of diseases. Most prominent are the associations with recurrent serious infections in young children and the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in adults. The links with these diseases reflect the important role complement C2 plays in both inn
Many children with adverse reactions to beta-lactams are labelled as allergic without performing an allergy study to confirm it. In this retrospective study of 10 years, we have detected only 3.3% positive cases. Although International Guidelines recommend a second allergy work-up in patients with a negative study, we found from our results a low profitability of retesting.
A theoretical model is presented to describe the chemical mechanism of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) via charge transfer (CT) in the pyridine-Ag-2 complex. We first describe the influence of the interaction between the metal cluster and pyridine to the ground-state properties of the pyridine-Ag-2 complex, such as charge redistribution, the change of the atomic-resolved densit
