Aalborg University

About: Aalborg University is a education organization based out in Aalborg, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Wind power. The organization has 14395 authors who have published 45630 publications receiving 1257866 citations. The organization is also known as: AAU & Aalborg Universitet.

Depth and duration of skin analgesia to needle insertion after topical application of emla cream

Abstract: We have determined the depth and duration of analgesia to needle insertion after topical application of EMLA cream (Eutectic Mixture of Local Analgesics). EMLA was applied for 30. 60, 90 and 120 min and the sensory and pain threshold depths were determined before analgesia (1.0 and 1.9 mm, respectively) and up to 4 h after the cream was removed from the skin. The maximal depth of analgesia (approx. 5 mm) was observed 30 min after a 90-min application and during the 60-min period after a 120-min application of EMLA cream, for both sensory and pain thresholds. For application times shorter than 120 min, the depth of analgesia increased during the perio d after remo val of the cream. This suggests new guidelines for the use of this topical analgesic

Application of Sensitivity Analysis in Design of Sustainable Buildings

Abstract: Building performance can be expressed by different indicators such as primary energy use, environmental load and/or the indoor environmental quality and a building performance simulation can provide the decision maker with a quantitative measure of the extent to which an integrated design solution satisfies the design objectives and criteria. In the design of sustainable buildings, it is beneficial to identify the most important design parameters in order to more efficiently develop alternative design solutions or reach optimized design solutions. Sensitivity analyses make it possible to identify the most important parameters in relation to building performance and to focus design and optimization of sustainable buildings on these fewer, but most important parameters. The sensitivity analyses will typically be performed at a reasonably early stage of the building design process, where it is still possible to influence the most important design parameters. A methodology of sensitivity analysis is presented and an application example is given for design of an office building in Denmark.

An Active Damper for Stabilizing Power-Electronics-Based AC Systems

Abstract: The interactions among the parallel grid-connected converters coupled through the grid impedance tend to result in stability and power quality problems. To address them, this paper proposes an active damper based on a high bandwidth power electronics converter. The general idea behind this proposal is to dynamically reshape the grid impedance profile seen from the point of common coupling of the converters, such that the potential oscillations and resonance propagation in the parallel grid-connected converters can be mitigated. To validate the effectiveness of the active damper, simulations and experimental tests on a three-converter-based setup are carried out. The results show that the active damper can become a promising way to stabilize the power-electronics-based ac power systems.

MiR-155 is overexpressed in patients with atopic dermatitis and modulates T-cell proliferative responses by targeting cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen 4

Abstract: Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that suppress gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by the presence of activated T cells within the skin. Objective We sought to explore the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. Methods Global miRNA expression in healthy and lesional skin of patients with atopic dermatitis was compared by using TaqMan MicroRNA Low Density Arrays. miR-155 expression in tissues and cells was quantified by means of quantitative real-time PCR. The cellular localization of miR-155 was analyzed by means of in situ hybridization. The regulation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen (CTLA-4) by miR-155 was investigated by using luciferase reporter assays and flow cytometry. CTLA-4 expression and functional assays were performed on T H cells overexpressing miR-155. Results miR-155 was one of the highest-ranked upregulated miRNAs in patients with atopic dermatitis. In the skin miR-155 was predominantly expressed in infiltrating immune cells. miR-155 was upregulated during T-cell differentiation/activation and was markedly induced by T-cell activators in PBMCs in vitro and by superantigens and allergens in the skin in vivo . CTLA-4, an important negative regulator of T-cell activation, was identified as a direct target of miR-155. Overexpression of miR-155 in T H cells resulted in decreased CTLA-4 levels accompanied by an increased proliferative response. Conclusion miR-155 is significantly overexpressed in patients with atopic dermatitis and might contribute to chronic skin inflammation by increasing the proliferative response of T H cells through the downregulation of CTLA-4.

starER: a conceptual model for data warehouse design

Abstract: Modeling data warehouses is a complex task focusing, very often, into internal structures and implementation issues. In this paper we argue that, in order to accurately reflect the users requirements into an error-free, understandable, and easily extendable data warehouse schema, special attention should be paid at the conceptual modeling phase. Based on a real mortgage business warehouse environment, we present a set of user modeling requirements and we discuss the involved concepts. Understanding the semantics of these concepts, allow us to build a conceptual model—namely, the starER model—for their efficient handling. More specifically, the starER model combines the star structure, which is dominant in data warehouses, with the semantically rich constructs of the ER model; special types of relationships have been further added to support hierarchies. We present an evaluation of the starER model as well as a comparison of the proposed model with other existing models, pointing out differences and similarities. Examples from a mortgage data warehouse environment, in which starER is tested, reveal the ease of understanding of the model, as well as the efficiency in representing complex information at the semantic level.