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Over the last several decades, the light-harvesting protein complexes of purple bacteria have been among the most popular model systems for energy transport in excitonic systems in the weak and intermediate intermolecular coupling regime. Despite this extensive body of scientific work, significant questions regarding the excitonic states and the photo-induced dynamics remain. Here, we address the

Monolithic integration of III-V semiconductors with Silicon technology has instigated a wide range of new possibilities in the semiconductor industry, such as combination of digital circuits with optical sensing and high-frequency communication. A promising CMOS compatible integration process is rapid melt growth (RMG) that can yield high quality single crystalline material at low cost. This paper

Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important factor of the aging process and may play a key role in various diseases. Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) is an indirect measure of mitochondrial dysfunction and is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, whether mtDNA-CN can predict the risk of developing T2DM is not well-known. We quantified absolute mtDNA-CN in both prevalent a

The efficiency of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) based organic solar cells is highly dependent on the morphology of the blend film, which is a result of a fine interplay between donor, acceptor, and solvent during the film drying. In this work, a versatile set-up of in situ spectroscopies is used to follow the morphology evolution during blade coating of three iconic BHJ systems, including polymer:full

There is concern that immunotoxic environmental contaminants, particularly perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), may play a role in the clinical course of COVID-19 and epidemiologic studies are needed to answer if high-exposed populations are especially vulnerable in light of the ongoing pandemic. The objective was, therefore, to determine if exposure to highly PFAS-contaminated drinking water was ass

Lead-free halide perovskites have triggered interest in the field of optoelectronics and photocatalysis because of their low toxicity, and tunable optical and charge-carrier properties. From an application point of view, it is desirable to develop stable multifunctional lead-free halide perovskites. We have developed a series of Cs2PtxSn1−xCl6 perovskites (0≤x≤1) with high stability, which show sw

Dion–Jacobson (DJ)-type 2D halide perovskites present superior environmental stability and a narrower bandgap, yet a contradiction between charge transport and stability remains to be resolved. Herein, it is shown that both symmetry and substitution of the organic spacer in DJ perovskites synergistically direct the narrow interlayer spacing, staggered spacer alignment, and regular phase arrangemen

Converting incoming photons to electrical current is the key operation principle of optical photodetectors and it enables a host of emerging quantum information technologies. The leading approach for continuous and efficient detection in the optical domain builds on semiconductor photodiodes. However, there is a paucity of efficient and continuous photon detectors in the microwave regime, because

Purpose: We aimed to study the influence of fast-track care programs in total hip and total knee replacements (THR and TKR) at Swedish hospitals on the risk of revision and mortality within 2 years after the operation. Methods: Data were collected from the Swedish Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Registers (SHAR and SKAR), including 67,913 THR and 59,268 TKR operations from 2011 to 2015 on patients with

The high polymorphism of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes is generally considered to be a result of pathogen-mediated balancing selection. Such selection may operate in the form of heterozygote advantage, and/or through specific MHC allele–pathogen interactions. Specific MHC allele–pathogen interactions may promote polymorphism via negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS), or sele

Aim: Very preterm birth may be associated with lung function impairment later in life. It is not known if this is caused by prematurity per se or by associated perinatal events, such as maternal–foetal inflammation and severity of early neonatal lung disease. We assessed these factors in a prospective cohort of very preterm infants followed from birth to middle school age. Methods: In 71 infants w

Predation is a well-studied driver of ecological selection on prey traits, which frequently drives divergence in anti-predator performance across environments that vary in predation risk. However, predation also alters prey mortality regimes, where low predation risk often results in higher prey densities and consequently higher intensities of intraspecific resource competition. In addition, preda

It is widely known that the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ϵ4 allele imposes a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent evidence suggests that exposure to air pollution is also a risk factor for AD, and results from a few studies indicate that the effect of air pollution on cognitive function and dementia is stronger in APOE ϵ4 carriers than in non-carriers. Air pollution and interaction with APO

Background: Radiographic damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) includes erosions and joint space narrowing (JSN). Different mechanisms may underlie their development. The objective of this study was to evaluate predictors of these entities separately. Methods: Consecutive early RA patients (symptom duration ≤12 months) from a defined area (Malmö, Sweden) recruited during 1995-2005 were investigated

As the use of engineered nanomaterials increases, so does the risk of them spreading to natural ecosystems. Hitherto, knowledge regarding the toxic properties of nanoparticles (NP’s) and their potential interactions with natural bio-organic molecules adsorbed to them, and thereby forming surface coronas, is limited. However, we show here that the toxic effect of NPs of tungsten carbide cobalt (WC–

Internal fixation failure in hip fractures can lead to reoperation. Calcium sulfate/hydroxyapatite (CaS/HA) is a biomaterial that can be used for augmenting fracture fixation. We aimed to determine whether an injection of 2 ml CaS/HA increases the fixation of a dynamic hip screw inserted in synthetic and human trabecular bone. The study consists of two parts: 1) synthetic bone blocks (n = 74), wit

Objective: Autoantibodies, such as anti–citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs), have been described as inducing bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which can also be reflected by bone mineral density (BMD). We therefore examined the association between osteoporosis and autoantibodies in two independent RA cohorts. Methods: Dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine and left hip was

We have exposed sixteen test subjects to particle and gas phase phthalates in the controlled chamber exposure study. Deuterium labelled phthalates were used to generate particle D4-DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) and gas phase D4-DEP (diethyl phthalate) for exposures scenarios allowed studying the dermal only and combined inhalational and dermal uptake. Metabolites were measured in urine samples

We investigate the uptake of the Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) by laboratory generated and ambient aerosol particles passing through a 1.2 liter chamber covered with vinyl flooring on its internal surfaces. We found approximately five times more efficient DEHP uptake on a mass basis by organic particles (ambient particles) compared to laboratory generated salt particles. The increased uptake i

Base-catalyzed depolymerization of black liquor retentate (BLR) from the kraft pulping process, followed by ultrafiltration, has been suggested as a means of obtaining low-molecular-weight (LMW) compounds. The chemical complexity of BLR, which consists of a mixture of softwood and hardwood lignin that has undergone several kinds of treatment, leads to a complex mixture of LMW compounds, making the