Agarose hydrogels have been extensively used as a phantom material to mimic the mechanical behavior of soft biological tissues, e.g. in studies aimed to analyze needle insertions into the organs producing tissue damage. To better predict the radial stress and damage during needle insertions, this study was aimed to determine the friction coefficient between the material of commercial catheters and

Most patients with ovarian cancer experience recurrence and develop resistance to platinum-based agents. The diagnosis of platinum resistance based on the platinum-free interval is not always accurate and timely in clinical settings. Herein, we used laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to visualize the platinum distribution in the ovarian cancer tissues at the time of interv

A previously proposed finite element model that considers geometric and material nonlinearities and the free boundary problems that occur at the catheter tip and in the annular zone around the lateral surface of the catheter was revised and was used to fit a power-law formula to predict backflow length during infusions into brain tissue. Compared to a closed-form solution based on linear elasticit

Transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are emerging small noncoding RNAs that, although commonly altered in cancer, have poorly defined roles in tumorigenesis1. Here we show that pseudouridylation (Ψ) of a stem cell-enriched tRF subtype2, mini tRFs containing a 5′ terminal oligoguanine (mTOG), selectively inhibits aberrant protein synthesis programmes, thereby promoting engraftment and differentiat

The bamboo species Guadua angustifolia is a natural functionally graded material with a high potential to help solving the housing deficit in Latin American countries. Bamboo plantations also play an important role to help reducing the devastation of tropical forests. Many studies have demonstrated the excellent mechanical properties of bamboo along the length of the culm. However, other propertie

Background: Outcome of patients operated for anorectal malformation (ARM) type rectovestibular fistula (RVF) is generally considered to be good. However, large multi-center studies are scarce, mostly describing pooled outcome of different ARM-types, in adult patients. Therefore, counseling parents concerning the bowel function at early age is challenging. Aim of this study was to evaluate bowel fu

Stem cell transplantation is a cornerstone in the treatment of blood malignancies. The most common method to harvest stem cells for transplantation is by leukapheresis, requiring mobilization of CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from the bone marrow into the blood. Identifying the genetic factors that control blood CD34+ cell levels could reveal new drug targets for HSPC mobili

Introduction Breathlessness is debilitating and increases in prevalence with age, with people progressively reducing their everyday activities to ‘self-manage’ it. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of breathlessness on function in terms of activities that have been reduced or ceased (‘compromised’) in older men.Methods A cross-sectional postal survey of Swedish 73-year-old man in the VAScula

BackgroundThe Dyspnoea-12 (D12) and Multidimensional dyspnea profile (MDP) are commonly used instruments for assessing multiple dimensions of breathlessness but have not been validated in older people in the population. The aim of this study was to validate the D12 and MDP in 73-years old men in terms of the instruments’ underlying factor structures, internal consistency, and validity.MethodsA pos

The resistance and resilience provided by functional redundancy, a common feature of microbial communities, is not always advantageous. An example is nitrite oxidation in partial nitritation-anammox (PNA) reactors designed for nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment, where suppression of nitrite oxidizers like Nitrospira is sought. In these ecosystems, biofilms provide microhabitats with oxygen g

Essä om tidigmodern så kallad hordiktning och användningen av obscen terminologi.

In this article, I draw on the experiences of Iraqi diasporas in the UK and Sweden after the 2003 US-led intervention to demonstrate how ethno-sectarianism in Iraq has affected their political transnationalism. Using the concepts of intersectionality and positionality, I show how the reconfiguration of the social positions of individuals and groups in the diaspora affects their types of political

While the literature has expounded diaspora’s involvement in homeland politics through lobbying efforts to influence hostland foreign policies, involvement in homeland conflicts and peace-building, this paper addresses a less-explored area in the diaspora literature related to the development of democracy through transnational civil society building. Using the case study of the Iraqi diaspora in S

How do we explain change in political transnationalism over time? In what way does this change affect diasporic identities? And how does this change alter the relationship and power of diasporic actors towards their homeland states? This paper addresses these questions in relation to Iraqi Shi’a political transnationalism between London and Iraq pre and post-2003. I argue that the confluence of po

This article explores the role of religion in political transnationalism using the case of the Shi'a Iraqi diaspora since 2003. The article focuses on three areas that capture important trends in Shi'a transnationalism and their implications for transnational Shi'a identity politics. These include Shi'a diasporic politics, transnational Shi'a civic activism, and the cultural production of Iraqi Sh

Iraqi diaspora mobilization and the future development of Iraq – authored by Dr. Oula Kadhum, explores Iraqi diaspora mobilization before and after the 2003 invasion and fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein. It looks at the ways members of the diaspora sought to help in the rebuilding of their country of origin, at both the elite and grassroots levels, as well as investigating changes over time. I

During the last decade it has been increasingly acknowledged that carbon (C) contained in root exudates can accelerate decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), a phenomenon known as rhizosphere priming effect (RPE). However, the controlling factors and the role of different soil microorganisms in RPE are not yet well understood. There are some indications that the response of the soil microbial