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Large plants are often more conspicuous and more attractive for associated animals than small plants, e.g. due to their wider range of resources. Therefore, plant size can positively affect species richness of associated animals, as shown for single groups of herbivores, but studies usually consider intraspecific size differences of plants in unstandardised environments. As comprehensive tests of

Disperse dyes are the most common allergens among textile dyes. It is not known whether the purified dyes, impurities in the commercial dyes, or metabolites are the actual sensitisers. Moreover, it is not known whether those disperse dyes that are now present in test series are actually used in textile dyeing today. The aim of this thesis was A) to evaluate the significance of the impurities foun

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is one of the most active and mobile carbon pools, and thus an important component of the global carbon cycle. Previous research on DOC transport in the soil and on factors controlling DOC export towards the river system focused mainly on forest and wetland areas, with only limited information available from agricultural soils. We carried out rainfall simulations on

We investigate a new method to place patients into risk groups in censored survival data. Properties such as median survival time, and end survival rate, are implicitly improved by optimizing the area under the survival curve. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are trained to either maximize or minimize this area using a genetic algorithm, and combined into an ensemble to predict one of low, interme

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a measure of the strength of the zonal wind across the North Atlantic Ocean, strongly influences weather conditions in NW Europe, e.g. temperature, precipitation and wind, especially during winter. It was hypothesised that elevated concentrations of nitrogen oxides in Gothenburg would be enhanced during negative NAO index (NAOI) conditions, representing more a

Background. Many individuals are infected with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Some develop ulcers or mucosal atrophy. Aims. To correlate the histological characteristics of the H. pylori-induced gastritis to the immunoblot pattern of the H. pylori infection and to compare the presence of H. pylori bacteria in tissue specimens with ELISA serology and immunoblot analysis. Methods. One hundred an

Anesthetized, paralyzed and mechanically ventilated pigs were exposed to extreme hypercapnia (PaCO2 approximately 20 kPa) at FiO2 0.4 for 480 min, with (n = 6) or without (n = 6) continuous infusion of isotonic buffers (bicarbonate and trometamol). Arterial pH was higher in buffered animals than controls, 7.21 +/- 0.01 vs 7.01 +/- 0.01 (mean +/- s.e.mean, P < 0.01). Serum osmolality and PaCO2 did

The evidence for anthropometric factors influencing breast cancer risk is accumulating, but uncertainties remain concerning the role of fat distribution and potential effect modifiers. We used data from 73,542 premenopausal and 103,344 postmenopausal women from 9 European countries, taking part in the EPIC study. RRs from Cox regression models were calculated, using measured height, weight, BMI an

Sugarcane bagasse is a potential lignocellulosic feedstock for ethanol production, since it is cheap, readily available, and has a high carbohydrate content. In this work, bagasse was subjected to steam explosion pretreatment with different impregnation conditions. Three parallel pretreatments were carried out, one without any impregnation, a second with sulfur dioxide, and a third with sulfuric a

Objective and Background: Pulse wave amplitude (PWA) derived from the digital vascular bed has been used in sleep studies. The nocturnal attenuation of PWA has been shown to reflect sympathetic activation during sleep. We assessed the relationship between nocturnal PWA attenuation and office blood pressure (BP). Methods: Eighty-one subjects (46 men; age 60 7 years: body mass index [BMI] 28.2 +/- 4

In an attempt to define clinically relevant models of akinesia and dyskinesia in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats, we have examined the effects of drugs with high (L-DOPA) vs. low (bromocriptine) dyskinesiogenic potential in Parkinson's disease on three types of motor performance, namely: (i) abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) (ii) rotational behaviour, and (iii) spontaneous forelimb us

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic sphincterotomy is an established treatment of retained or recurrent common bile duct calculi after cholecystectomy and in the majority of patients with an intact gallbladder. In order to identify patients ultimately requiring additional endoscopic procedures or surgery, factors predictive of decreased endoscopic bile duct clearance were sought. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Bet

Background: Tibial osteotomy is a treatment for younger and/or physically active patients suffering from uni-compartmental knee osteoarthritis. The open wedge osteotomy by the hemicallotasis technique includes the use of external fixation. The use of external fixation has several advantages, as early mobilization and the opportunity for optimal correction. However, the hemicallotasis technique has

BACKGROUND: Individuals with low income have poorer health and should, therefore, have higher health expenditure than people with high income particularly in countries with a universal health care system. However, it has been discussed if social inequities in health diminish with age and we, hence, aimed to analyse this question. METHODS: We performed an age stratified cross-sectional analysis usi

The first stories about Kluskap, the culture hero of the Mi’kmaq in eastern Canada, were written down at the end of the 19th century. The romantic epoch and the environmental failures of industrialism had generated a growing interest for the “Indian”, who seemed to inherit the continent’s authentic “poetry of the Volk” and harbour deep wisdom about nature. The first written literature about Kluska

BACKGROUND: Human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is ubiquitous and found in all individuals. Studies have documented endocrine disrupting effects and impact on reproduction. The aim of the present study was to compare the level of xenoestrogenic activity in serum of groups with varying POP exposure, and to evaluate correlations to the POP biomarkers, 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiph

Popular Abstract in Swedish Döva barns begreppsbildning i matematik Denna studie tar utgångspunkt i frågan varför många döva barn har svårt att lära sig matematik. Studiens syfte är att belysa döva barns begreppsbildning i ämnet matematik genom att beskriva hur några döva barn uttrycker sig och agerar på väg mot förståelse av två centrala matematiska begrepp, nämligen multiplikation med heltal ochThe question why deaf children have difficulties in learning mathematics is the basis of this study. The aim of the study is to illuminate deaf children’s concept formation in mathematics by describing how some deaf children express themselves and act on their way towards understanding two basic concepts, the concept of multiplication with whole numbers and the concept of length. Theories develope

Objective. To study to what extent geographical differences of the mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) can be accounted for by the 28-day case fatality rate (CFR) following first hospital admittance for acute myocardial infarction (MI) and whether the geographical pattern of survival has any relationship with socio-economic circumstances. Design. Register-based surveillance study. Setting

Based on a literature review and the SSG experience, the most important prognostic factors in high-grade osteosarcoma appear to be the presence of detectable metastases at diagnosis, tumour volume, old age, sex, histologic response, and possibly tumoral P-glycoprotein expression. However, for an adolescent patient with non-metastatic extremity disease, there is no consensus regarding prognostic fa

Insertion of metals into various tetrapyrroles is catalysed by a group of enzymes called chelatases, e.g. nickel, cobalt, magnesium and ferrochelatase. It has been proposed that catalytic metallation includes distorting the porphyrin substrate by the enzyme towards a transition state-like geometry in which at least one of the pyrrole rings will be available for metal chelation. Here, we present a