The BioModelAnalyzer (BMA) is a web based tool for the development of discrete models of biological systems. Through a graphical user interface, it allows rapid development of complex models of gene and protein interaction networks and stability analysis without requiring users to be proficient computer programmers. Whilst stability is a useful specification for testing many systems, testing temporal specifications in BMA presently requires the user to perform simulations. Here we describe the LTL module, which includes a graphical and natural language interfaces to testing LTL queries. The graphical interface allows for graphical construction of the queries and presents results visually in keeping with the current style of BMA. The Natural language interface complements the graphical interface by allowing a gentler introduction to formal logic and exposing educational resources.

Poor indoor air in schools has become a wide-spread problem with serious effects on occupant health. Resultant costs can be considerable at both local and national government levels. These include absenteeism and rehabilitation as well as building alterations and even demolition and rebuilding. This project aims to show factors contributing to health problems in Swedish schools. It includes a literature survey and particle measurements taken during various activities. Due to the fact that today there is no standard for indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools, in this project we used the outdoor air surrounding the building as an indicator. Results showed that indoor school environments had high airborne pollution levels, to a degree that probably causes health problems for many people. Regarding IAQ, this project shows the importance of taking into consideration choices in activities and furnishing of the building.

Clinical Innovation Fellowships is a program that creates conditions for learning and for innovative thought to take place. It aims to educate innovators and to develop innovations that result in more efficient healthcare production. [1] Multiprofessional 4-person-teams of fellow candidates with competence in engineering, medicine, industrial design and management work together full time for eight months, with the aim to identify clinical needs that can be met by a medical technology innovation (process, product or service) or by an organizational improvement. Early in the program, the team spends two months full time at a clinical department observing the various healthcare activities. Among the clinical needs identified by the fellow candidates three needs will be chosen, validated and approved by the department's management as appropriate starting points for student thesis projects. We describe the phenomenon we have seen when introducing new disciplines as observers and problem solvers in a healthcare context as the improbable dialogue. The improbable dialogue is the unexpected dialogue between professionals and students, or professionals within separate disciplinary boundaries that generally never meet professionally. Such a dialogue may however be the channel in which the curiosity and openness of a novice can reflect on the daily work of a specialist, ultimately resulting in the development of ideas, knowledge exchange and learning. The Clinical Innovation Fellowships program enables this learning to take place and has shown to be a successful catalyst for the improbable dialogue; the unexpected, interdisciplinary, dialogue between healthcare specialists, high qualified fellow candidates with working experience and thesis students from different educational fields. This paper gives a qualitative problematization of the program with respect to the strategy and method of including thesis students to reinforce (almost) any innovation system through interdisciplinary, multiprofessional collaboration, where healthcare and academy learn from each other.

Objectives. This study analyses the relationships between pain intensity and other aspects of health commonly used to assess disease activity and disability in early rheumatoid arthritis and examines whether such relationships were different between women and men. Subjects and methods. This study included the 189 patients (69% women) with early RA (symptoms < 12 months at diagnosis) still remaining in the Swedish TIRA cohort 5 years after inclusion. Disease activity and disability was assessed 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months (M0-M60) after inclusion by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), number of swollen and tender joints, physicians global assessment of disease activity (PGA), grip force average over 10 seconds (Grippit), Grip Ability Test (GAT), Signals of Functional Impairment (SOFI) in hand, lower limb and upper limb, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and pain intensity measured with a visual analogue scale (VAS). The variables were divided into meaningful blocks according to the correlation structure in a principal component analysis (PCA) at M60. Using hierarchical partial least squares (PLS) analyses, this study investigated the blocks cross-sectionally to test for correlations with pain intensity at M0 and M60. The blocks at M0 were also used as predictors of pain intensity at M60 in a hierarchical PLS. Results. The strongest relationship was found between pain intensity and the second block, consisting of HAQ and SOFI-lower limb at the cross-sectional analyses in both women and men. The block representing disease activity (i.e., ESR, CRP, PGA, and swollen and tender joints) had the weakest relation to pain intensity. According to the longitudinal analyses, the disease activity variables (block 1) at M0 had the strongest relationship to pain intensity at M60 in men. In contrast, HAQ and SOFI-lower limb (block 2) at M0 had a strong relation to pain intensity in women.

Objective: The aims of this study were: (i) to classify subgroups according to the degree of pain intensity, depression, and catastrophizing, and investigate distribution in a group of patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders; and (h) to investigate how these subgroups were distributed and inter-related multivariately with respect to consequences such as health and quality of life outcome measures. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Patients: A total of 275 consecutive chronic pain patients with whiplash-associated disorders who were referred to a university hospital. Methods: The following data were obtained by means of self-report questionnaires: pain intensity in neck and shoulders, background history, Beck Depression Inventory, the catastrophizing scale of Coping Strategy Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Checklist, the SF-36 Health Survey, and the EuroQol. Results: Principal component analysis was used to recognize subgroups according to the degree of pain intensity, depression, and catastrophizing. These subgroups have specific characteristics according to perceived health and quality of life, and the degree of depression appears to be the most important influencing factor. Conclusion: From a clinical point of view, these findings indicate that it is important to assess patients for intensity of pain, depression, and catastrophizing when planning a rehabilitation programme. Such an evaluation will help individualize therapy and intervention techniques so as to optimize the efficiency of the programme.

Purpose. To identify subgroups of patients with chronic pain based on the occurrence of depression, anxiety and catastrophising and the duration of pain and pain intensity. In addition to this, the relationship between the subgroups with respect to background variables, diagnosis, pain-related disability and perceived quality of life are investigated. Methods. This study used 433 patients with chronic pain including 47 patients with spinal cord injury-related pain, 150 with chronic whiplash associated disorders and 236 with fibromyalgia. The participants answered a postal questionnaire that provided background data, pain intensity and duration and psychological and health-related items. Results. On the basis of depression, anxiety, catastrophising, pain intensity and duration, we identified subgroups of patients with chronic pain that differed with respect to perceived quality of life, disability and diagnosis. The psychological factors, especially depression, significantly influenced perceived quality of life and disability. Pain intensity and duration play a minor role with respect to quality of life, although pain intensity is associated to perceived disability. Conclusions. The results of this study highlight the importance of not looking at patients with chronic pain as a homogenous entity. A detailed assessment, including psychological factors with emphasis on depressive symptoms, might be essential for planning and carrying through treatment and rehabilitation.

Quantification of MRS spectra is a challenging problem when a large baseline is present along with a low signal to noise ratio. This work investigates a robust fitting technique that yields accurate peak areas under these conditions. Using simulated long echo time 1H MRS spectra with low signal to noise ratio and a large baseline component, both the accuracy and reliability of the fit in the frequency domain were greatly improved by reducing the number of fitted parameters and making full use of all the known information concerning the Voigt lineshape. Using an appropriate first order approximation to a popular approximation of the Voigt lineshape, a significant improvement in the estimate of the area of a known spectral peak was obtained with a corresponding reduction in the residual. Furthermore, this improved parameter choice resulted in a large reduction in the number of iterations of the least-squares fitting routine. On the other hand, making use of the known centre frequency differences of the component resonances gave negligible improvement. A wavelet filter was used to remove the baseline component. In addition to performing a Monte Carlo study, these fitting techniques were also applied to a set of 10 spectra acquired from healthy human volunteers.Again, the same reduced parameter model gave the lowest value for X2 in each case.

A new initiative of advanced multidisciplinary training in innovation, highly based on collaboration betweenstakeholders in health care, medical device industry and universities. Key areas of development are; overallprinciples of teaching innovation, accelerated problem based learning, the innovation process as educationand practice, needs in healthcare & medtech industry.This paper presents a Swedish initiative of advanced multidisciplinary training in innovation, which is highly based oncollaboration between stakeholders in health care, medical device industry and universities. The goal of this post-graduate education in clinic-centered innovation is to contribute to the development of a regional medical device cluster, toeducate the health care and medical device innovators and leaders for the future and to develop technical and organizational tools and solutions for the participating clinics.A few years ago some individuals at the Center for Technology, Medicine and Health, CTMH, got in contact with theStanford Biodesign Innovation program. Since the need for collaboration across boundaries and silos had been identified there was almost an instant initiative to try this model in Sweden. A dedicated effort to get funding and buildingresearch capacity started in parallel. A joint project for designing and developing a Swedish variation of the programwas set up.The paper presents examples of an existing innovation research education program at Stanford University and thenthe Swedish initiative that starts in the fall of 2010. Then issues and key areas of interest that have been identified indevelopment of the Swedish initiative are presented.These are; overall principles of teaching innovation, accelerated problem based learning, the innovation processas education and practive, and finally particular needs in Swedish health care and medical technology industry. Animportant difference between the programs at Stanford and Stockholm is the inclusion in the Swedish initiative of theorganizational issues faced by the clinics. These issues are exemplified with leadership and management theoriesidentifying health care as a technology intensive and safety critical socio-technical system. Finally these key areas of interest are then consolidated in designing the overall approach to the Swedish initiative and the curriculum in the fellowsspecialized training.The paper reports findings from an ongoing research project whose aim is to identify obstacles and success factorsfor initiating such an initiative within Swedish university and healthcare structures. The research project also aims toevaluate at least three cycles of the program.

We conducted a prospective randomized study to investigate predictive factors for short- and long-term outcome of anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) as measured by current pain intensity on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and by disability using the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Current understanding about how preoperative and short-term outcome data predict long-term outcome is sparse, and there are few studies involving analysis of short-term follow-up using multivariate approaches with quantification of the relative importance of each variable studied. A total of 95 patients were randomly allocated for ACDF with the cervical intervertebral fusion cage or the Cloward procedure. The mean follow-up time was 19 months (range 12-24) for short-term follow-up and 76 months (range 56-94 months) for long-term. Background factors, radiologically detected findings, physiological measurements, treatment type, pain, and disability were used as potential predictors. Multivariate statistical analysis by projection to latent structures was used to investigate predictors of importance for short- and long-term outcome of ACDF. A "preoperative" low disability and pain intensity, non-smoking status, male sex, good hand strength, and an active range of motion (AROM) in the neck were significant predictors for good short- and long-term outcomes. The short-term outcome data were better at predicting long-term outcome than were baseline data. Radiologically detected findings and surgical technique used were mainly insignificant as predictors. We suggest that the inclusion criteria for ACDF should be based on a bio-psycho-social model including NDI. NDI may also be regarded as an important outcome measurement in evaluation of ACDF.

Background: Different research techniques indicate alterations in muscle tissue and in neuromuscular control of aching muscles in patients with chronic localized pain. Ultrasound can be used for analysis of muscle tissue dynamics in clinical practice. Aim: This study introduces a new muscle tissue sensitive ultrasound technique in order to provide a new methodology for providing a description of local muscle changes. This method is applied to investigate trapezius muscle tissue response especially with respect to specific regional deformation and deformation rates - during concentric shoulder elevation in patients with chronic trapezius myalgia and healthy controls before and after pain provocation. Methods: Patients with trapezius myalgia and healthy controls were analyzed using an ultrasound system equipped with tissue velocity imaging (TVI). The patients performed a standardized 3-cm concentric shoulder elevation before and after pain provocation/exercise at a standardized elevation tempo (30 bpm). A standardized region of interest (ROI), an ellipsis with a size that captures the upper and lower fascia of the trapezius muscle (4 cm width) at rest, was placed in the first frame of the loop registration of the elevation. The ROI was re-anchored frame by frame following the same anatomical landmark in the basal fascia during all frames of the concentric phase. In cardiac measurement, tissue velocities are measured in the axial projection towards and against the probe where red colour represents shortening and red lengthening. In the case of measuring the trapezius muscle, tissue deformation measurements are made orthogonally, thus, indirectly. Based on the assumption of muscle volume incompressibility, blue represents tissue contraction and red relaxation. Within the ROI, two variables were calculated as a function of time: deformation and deformation rate. Hereafter, max, mean, and quadratic mean values (RMS) of each variable were calculated and compared before and after pain provocation/exercise. Results: This new methodology seems valuable when looking at local muscle changes and studying the mechanism behind chronic muscle pain. The univariate analyses indicate that patients with chronic trapezius myalgia after pain provocation due to exercise at group level showed decreased strain and unchanged strain rate while healthy controls had unchanged strain and increased strain rate. However, the multivariate analysis indicates that most patients showed lower levels according to both strain and strain rate after exercise compared to most controls. Conclusion: Tissue velocity imaging can help describe musculoskeletal tissue activity and dynamics in patients with chronic pain conditions. An altered muscle tissue dynamic after pain provocation/exercise among the majority of trapezius myalgia patients compared with the healthy controls was found.

Management has historically sought to restrict the options for manual workers to rebel by simplifying and limiting their jobs according to Tayloristic principles. The need for their experience and knowledge has been consciously minimized, having been relocated instead to supervisors and middle managers, working routines and machines. In high-tech industries, by contrast, the workers' fundamental contribution to the enterprise is their very knowledge, offering other possibilities for rebellious activities or, at least, for rebellious plans. This chapter focuses on one of the common denominators in the exchanges among programmers, namely the concept of knowledge: how to get it, who has got it (and who hasn't), what kinds are important and its role in their conflict with management.

The functioning of a hydronic baseboard heating system with integrated air supply was analyzed. The aim was to investigate thermal performance of the system when cold outdoor (ventilation) airflow was forced through the baseboard heater. The performance of the system was evaluated for different ventilation rates at typical outdoor temperatures during the Swedish winter season. Three different analytical models and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) were used to predict the temperature rise of the airflow inside the baseboard heater. Good agreement between numerical (CFD) and analytical calculations was obtained. Calculations showed that it was fully possible to pre-heat the incoming airflow to the indoor temperature and to cover transmission losses, using 45 degrees C supply water flow. The analytical calculations also showed that the airflow per supply opening in the baseboard heater needed to be limited to 7.0 l/s due to pressure losses inside the channel. At this ventilation rate, the integrated system with one air supply gave about 2.1 more heat output than a conventional baseboard heating system. CFD simulations also showed that the integrated system was capable of countering downdraught created by 2.0 m high glazed areas and a cold outdoor environment. Draught discomfort in the case with the conventional system was slightly above the recommended upper limit, but heat distribution across whole analyzed office space was uniform for both heating systems. It was concluded that low-temperature baseboard heating systems with integrated air supply can meet both international comfort requirements, and lead to energy savings in cold climates.

Two gap waveguide technologies, groove and ridge, are presented here for F-band applications. Three different groove gap waveguide devices and four different ridge gap waveguide devices have been fabricated. All of them were micromachined to achieve the feature size required for the frequency band and fabricated in a single process using SOI wafers. The two types provide a more robust coupling to standard waveguides and high frequency probes. Measurements for most of the devices are shown in this paper, showing robust measurements and good agreement with simulations. More measurements need to be done but the initial ones show the promise both in the manufacturing technique and the coupling.

This paper reports the first RF-MEMS component in OSTE polymer. Three OSTE-based ridge gap resonators were fabricated by direct, high aspect ratio, photostructuring. The OSTE polymer's good adhesion to gold makes it suitable for RF-MEMS applications. The OSTE ridge gap resonators differ in how they were coated with gold. The OSTE-based devices are compared to each other as well as to Si-based, SU8-based, and CNT-based devices of equal design. The OSTE-based process was performed outside the cleanroom, and with a fast fabrication process (∼1 h). The OSTE-based device performance is on par with that of the other alternatives in terms of frequency, attenuation, and Q-factor.

We present the first micromachined double-sided contactless WR03 pin-flange adapter for 220-325 GHz based on gap waveguide technology. The pin-flange adapter is used to avoid leakage at the interface of two waveguides even when a gap between them is present and can be fitted onto any standard WR03 waveguide flange. Tolerance measurements were performed with gaps ranging from 30-100 mu m. The performance of the micromachined pin flange has been compared to a milled pin flange, a choke flange and to standard waveguide connections. The micromachined pin flange is shown to have better performance than the standard connection and similar performance to the milled pin flange and choke flange. The benefits of micromachining over milling are the possibility to mass produce pin flanges and the better accuracy in the 2D design. Measurements were performed with and without screws fixing the flanges. The flanges have also been applied to measure two devices, a straight rectangular waveguide of 1.01 inch and a ridge gap resonator. In all cases, the micromachined pin flange performed flawlessly while the standard flange experienced significant losses at already small gaps.

The present paper demonstrates groove gap waveguides at around 100 GHz, fabricated on Gold-plated micromachined silicon. Three different groove gap waveguides have been manufactured and measured: a resonator for determining Q-factor and thereby attenuation, a straight waveguide, and a waveguide with two 90 degree bends.

The ridge gap waveguide is a new transmission line for millimeter-wave applications. Traditionally, rectangular waveguides are used for those applications due to their low loss. However their fabrication requires precision machining, very good electrical contact and alignment between two joining mechanical parts. Ridge gap waveguides can obtain similar performance without requiring conductive sidewalls and this provides more freedom during the fabrication and assembly process as the structure is no longer sensitive to small gaps between the side walls and the upper lid. The ridge gap waveguide has already been validated for 10-20 GHz using conventional fabrication methods. The ridge gap waveguide prototypes presented in this paper are designed to work in the frequency region between 210 and 340 GHz, and fabricated using MEMS technology. MEMS technology provides fabrication precision of the structures and thus opens the path for high-frequency components.

The ridge gap waveguide is a fundamentally new high-frequency waveguide. It does not need any electrical contact between the split blocks which gives it an advantage compared to the rectangular waveguide which is the standard today. These waveguides are conventionally fabricated by milling, although above 100 GHz milling is not adequate anymore. MEMS technology on the other hand, can offer high-precision fabrication and thus opens the path for new types of high-frequency components. In this paper both a ridge gap waveguide and a ridge gap resonator have been fabricated for the frequencies 220-325 GHz using M EMS technology. Support packages have been designed to enable device measurements. Simulations show that the reflection coefficient for the ridge gap waveguide is below -15 dB between 240 and 340 GHz. Two resonance peaks were measured at the frequencies 234 GHz and 284 GHz for the ridge gap resonator with unloaded Q-values of 336 and 527 respectively. Both the waveguide and resonator have the potential to obtain similar performances as the rectangular waveguide without strict requirement on electrical contact, allowing simplified fabrication and assembly technique.

This paper presents a packaging approach for inertial sensors using wire bonding technology. The die is mounted exclusively by bond wires on the front- and backside to the package. Conventional single-side die attach to substrates, such as gluing, is abandoned. The approach is characterized by its novel and symmetric die attach concept as well as its simplicity of applying a standard wire bonding process. The wire bond attachment facilitates significant reduction of thermally induced mechanical stresses. The attachment concept is characterized in terms of attachment stiffness and potential die resonances using Laser Doppler Vibrometry(LDV). White-light interferometry is used to investigate stress related warping that is induced by the die attachment process.

Efficient algorithms for time synchronization, including compensation for clock drift, are essential in order to obtain reliable fusion of data samples from multiple wireless sensor nodes. This paper evaluates the performance of algorithms based on three different approaches; one that synchronizes the local clocks on the sensor nodes, and a second that uses a single clock on the receiving node (e.g. a mobile phone), and a third that uses broadcast messages. The performances of the synchronization algorithms are evaluated in wireless personal area networks, especially Bluetooth piconets and ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 networks. A new approach for compensation of clock drift and a realtime implementation of single node synchronization from the mobile phone are presented and tested. Finally, applications of data fusion and time synchronization are shown in two different use cases; a kayaking sports case, and monitoring of heart and respiration of prematurely born infants.