Technical solutions for a number of Swedish industrial installations for dewatering and drying of bark are compiled and discussed. Further, lab-scale experiments with a heated bark pressing process have been performed to investigate to what extent parameters such as temperature and pressure will influence the dewatering process. Pressing with a heated press at 150 °C was shown to increase the dewa

Ionic microgels are intriguing soft and deformable colloids with an effective pair potential that crosses over from Yukawa-like at large distances to a much softer repulsive interaction at short distances. Here we report the effect of adding an anisotropic dipolar contribution to colloids with such "ultra-soft" interactions. We use an alternating electric field to induce a tunable dipolar contribu

A linearly polarized photon beam has been produced at MAX-lab using the coherent bremsstrahlung of electrons with an energy of 192.6 MeV in a 0.1 mm thick diamond crystal. The intensity and shape of the coherent maxima and their dependence on the crystal orientation are similar to the features observed at higher electron energies (similar to 1 GeV) and are well described by coherent bremsstrahlung

Popular Abstract in Swedish Mikroorganismer (bakterier, virus och protozoer) finns överallt I vår omgivning. Vi människor har tio gånger fler bakterier på och i oss än vi har mänskliga celler. De flesta bakterier orsakar sällan eller aldrig sjukdom, men det finns de som ofta orsakar sjukdom och dessa kallas patogener. För att skydda oss från patogener har vi ett komplicerat och välutvecklat immunfSeminal plasma is semen without the spermatozoa. Human seminal plasma is a complex mixture of secretions from the sex accessory glands, mainly the seminal vesicles and the prostate. Seminal plasma has high protein content and it also contains ions, sugars and low molecular weight components. Immediately after ejaculation the semenogelins and fibronectin aggregate and a coagulum forms trapping the

Popular Abstract in English The dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the development of a questionnaire diagnostic instrument for atopic dermatitis (AD). The second part concerns following a cohort and assessing the natural history of AD, in which the effect of specified risk factors is analysed. In Värmland, Sweden, a questionnaire that diagnoses AD in infants and preAbstract In childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most frequent inflammatory condition. Validated eczema questionnaires have been available for schoolchildren only, but the incidence of atopic dermatitis is highest during infancy. Evidence is needed on the further development of asthma, and rhinitis in these infants with AD and on remission of AD in children. We aimed to validate a parental ques

Popular Abstract in Swedish Enterohemorragisk Escherichia coli (EHEC) EHEC är mycket virulent för människor, det räcker med så få som 50-100 bakterier för att man ska bli infekterad och utveckla symtom. Varje år rapporteras ca 300-500 fall av EHEC smitta i Sverige. Den stam som oftast isoleras från patienter är E. coli O157:H7. Reservoarer för EHEC är idisslare och framförallt kor. Kor är nämligHemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized by non-immune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute kidney failure. The most common form of HUS is associated with gastrointestinal Shiga toxin-producing enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection. EHEC are non-invasive strains with Shiga toxin as the unique virulence factor. The aim of this study was to describe host-pathogen intera

Mast cell are found throughout the body, but are especially prominent in tissues that have direct contact with the external milieu such as the skin, gastrointestinal tract and lungs. Mast cells are commonly recognized for their detrimental role in allergic reactions and can, upon activation through the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI), rapidly produce and secrete many of the mediators respon

Background: Excess body weight, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and certain dietary factors are individually related to colorectal cancer (CRC) risk; however, little is known about their joint effects. The aim of this study was to develop a healthy lifestyle index (HLI) composed of five potentially modifiable lifestyle factors healthy weight, physical activity, non-smoking, limited

Background: The efficacy of concentrates of fibrinogen and factor XIII in hypothermia and haemodilution has not yet been completely investigated. Clauss methods have not previously been evaluated perioperatively. Methods: Coagulation was assessed with rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) or free oscillation rheometry (FOR) in vitro and different fibrinogen measurement methods in observational stu

Prophylaxis and treatment with antiretroviral drugs, a consequent low viral load, and the use of elective Caesarean section, are factors that radically decrease the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child during pregnancy and delivery. The availability of new antiretroviral drugs, updated general treatment guidelines and increasing knowledge of the importance of drug resistance, have necessi

High nuclear expression of the RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) has previously been found to correlate with favourable clinicopathological characteristics and a prolonged survival in several cancer forms. Here, we examined the clinicopathological correlates and prognostic significance of RBM3 expression in tumours from a consecutive cohort of upper gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma.

There is an increasing interest in achieving gene regulation in biotechnological and biomedical applications by using synthetic DNA-binding agents. Most studies have so far focused on synthetic sequence-specific DNA-binding agents. Such approaches are relatively complicated and cost intensive and their level of sophistication is not always required, in particular for biotechnological application.

Background: Prior studies on the association between prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and child motor development have found contradicting results. Using data collected in the INUENDO cohort in Kharkiv (Ukraine), Warsaw (Poland) and Greenland (N = 1,103) between the years 2002 and 2012, we examined relations of prenatal exposure to 1,