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Pheomelanins, the epidermal pigments of red-haired people responsible for their enhanced UV susceptibility, contain 1,4-benzothiazines and 1,3-benzothiazole as main structural components. Despite the major role played in pheomelanin phototoxicity, the photoreactivity of these species has so far remained unexplored. Static and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy was used to identify excited-sta

Chlorosomes are light-harvesting antennae that enable exceptionally efficient light energy capture and excitation transfer. They are found in certain photosynthetic bacteria, some of which live in extremely low-light environments. In this work, chlorosomes from the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum were studied by coherent electronic two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy. Previously unchara

HAMLET is a protein-lipid complex that selectively kills tumor cells. In this thesis, we identified new mechanisms, whereby HAMLET initiates and executes tumor cell death. HAMLET targets several cellular compartments ranging from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. HAMLET rapidly binds to the plasma membrane of tumor cells and the resulting changes in membrane shape and lipid composition activate

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of antiretroviral therapy (ART) between hospital and health center levels in Ethiopia. METHODS: Medical records of 1709 ART patients followed for 24 months at 2 hospitals and 3 health centers in the Oromia region of Ethiopia were reviewed. Noted outcomes of ART were currently alive and on treatment; lost to follow-up (LTFU); transf

Importance Active perinatal care increases survival of extremely preterm infants; however, improved survival might be associated with increased disability among survivors. Objective To determine neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely preterm children at 2.5 years (corrected age). Design, Setting, and Participants Population-based prospective cohort of consecutive extremely preterm infants born be

The photophysical properties of conjugated polymers (CPs) largely depend on the interactions between the CP and its environment. We present a study of two polymers with identical conjugated backbones, bare and insulated, that showed different fluorescence excitation modulation depth histograms. However, the polarization differences are not related to differences in conformation, as commonly believ

Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is a novel procedure designed to rapidly assess and recondition unusable donor lungs for transplantation (LTx). EVLP may reduce graft immunogenicity and allorecognition via removal of passenger leukocytes. We aimed to explore this hypothesis using human EVLP and in vitro analysis.

In the upper airway, the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) protects against bacteria, viruses and fungi. Previous investigations have revealed downregulated expression of AMPs in different manifestations of allergic disease. In this study, we examined the expression of LL-37, RNase7 and LEAP-2 in tonsillar tissue and studied a possible relation to seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR).

Rotational CARS N-2 thermometry has been developed for improved accuracy in spatial flame regions with high concentrations of either H-2 or CH4, which are typical conditions on the fuel side of diffusion flames. In initial validation experiments up to 700 K, rotational CARS measurements were performed in binary mixtures of H-2 and N-2. Subsequent spectral evaluation with commonly used N-2-N-2 Rama

Understanding the mechanisms governing chemical and morphological changes induced by an ambient-pressure gas and how such changes influence the activity of heterogeneous catalysts is central to the formation of a predictive capability for structure-reactivity relationships. With techniques such as ambient-pressure photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and surface X-ray diffrac

Sammanfattning Det naturvetenskapliga kunskapsläget om klimatförändringarna förbättrats ständigt genom forskningen om klimatsystemet, klimatpåverkan, klimatets variationer och förändringar samt klimateffekter. Kunskapsläget är väletablerat när det gäller den grundläggande fysiken bakom växthuseffekten, liksom att genomsnittstemperaturen vid jordytan stigit de senaste femtio åren. Det är också my

As part of a program designed to elucidate the excited state properties of key eumelanin building blocks, we report herein a study of 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) in phosphate buffer at pH 3 and pH 7 using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The transient absorption changes following excitation at 266 nm were used to directly monitor relaxation of the excited states. It was found that the

Cooperative effects between molecular wires affect conduction through the wires, and studies have yet to clarify the conditions under which these effects enhance (diminish) conduction. Using a simple but general model, we attribute this crosstalk to the duality of energetic splitting and phase interference between the wires' conduction channels. In most cases, crosstalk increases (decreases) condu

This paper discusses how the gestural modality can contribute to our understanding of anaphoric linkage in learner varieties, focusing on gestural anaphoric linkage marking the introduction, maintenance, and shift of reference in story retellings by learners of French and Swedish. The comparison of gestural anaphoric linkage in native and non-native varieties reveals what appears to be a particula

Gestures are visuospatial events, meaning carriers, and social interactional phenomena. As such they constitute a particularly favourable area for investigating visual attention in a complex everyday situation under conditions of competitive processing. This chapter discusses visual attention to spontaneous gestures in human face-to-face interaction as explored with eye-tracking. Some basic fixati

The molecular mechanisms by which the black eumelanin biopolymers exert their photoprotective action on human skin and eyes are still poorly understood, owing to critical insolubility and structural heterogeneity issues hindering direct investigation of excitation and emission behavior. Recently, we set up strategies to obtain water-soluble 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI)-based polymers as useful models

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) improves the survival time in hypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite warnings about potential dangers, a considerable number of patients continue to smoke while on LTOT. The incidence of burn injuries related to LTOT is unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the rate of burn injury requiring health care contact during LTOT.