We provide a brief introduction to this special issue on social dynamics and collective rationality, and summarize the gist of the papers collected therein.

A multi-channel analyzer was used to evaluate biogas potential of sugarcane bagasse (SCB). The Automatic Methane Potential Test System contained fifteen parallel reactors and the same number of gas flow meters attached to the acquisition system. The set of reactors - gas flow meters gave reproducible results during anaerobic digestion of chemically defined carbon source and the units were used to

Stakeholders can positively assist or hinder attempts at innovation. Much depends on the nature of their engagement. The stakeholder engagement process can be complex and unpredictable, more so if no strategic plan is put in place or if no systematic thinking is invested in the innovation. Stakeholder engagement in the innovation process in general and innovation diffusion in particular is examine

A description is given of the upgraded photon tagging facility at the MAX IV Laboratory. Two magnetic spectrometers are used to momentum analyze post-bremsstrahlung electrons. The tagged photon range extends from 10 to 180 MeV with an energy resolution of about 300 keV. The system has been operated at rates up to 4 x 10(6) photons s(-1) MeV (-1). Different diagnostic tools are described as well as

Using penetrating high-energy synchrotron X-ray radiation and thermal neutrons, the residual strains and stresses associated with the high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coating of WC-Co on two different substrate materials with significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) to that of the coating material, have been investigated in a systematic approach. This approach

In the title compound [systematic name: tricarbonyl(eta 6-7-methoxy-2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran)chromium(0)], [Cr(C16H16O2)(CO)(3)], the Cr(CO)(3) unit is coordinated by the phenylene ring of the flavan ligand, exhibiting a three-legged piano-stool conformation, with a point to plane distance of 1.750 (1) A. The phenyl ring is twisted away from the fused ring system by 36.49 (5)degrees (r

The carbon dynamics of northern natural ecosystems contribute significantly to the global carbon balance. Periodic disturbances to these dynamics include insect herbivory. Larvae of autumn and winter moths (Epirrita autumnata and Operophtera brumata) defoliate mountain birch (Betula pubescens) forests in northern Scandinavia cyclically every 9-10 years and occasionally (50-150 years) extreme popul

Climate change leads to rapid, differential changes in phenology across trophic levels, often resulting in temporal mismatches between predators and their prey. If a species cannot easily adjust its timing, it can adapt by choosing a new breeding location with a later phenology of its prey. In this study, we experimentally investigated whether long-distance dispersal to northern breeding grounds w

C3 nephritic factors are autoantibodies that prolong the half-life or prevent regulation of the alternative pathway C3 convertase, resulting in uncontrolled complement activation. They are strongly associated with renal disease but their role in pathogenesis remains controversial. Here we optimized and compared a panel of assays to identify and interrogate nephritic factor activities. Of 101 patie

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) sodium salt on growth rate in relation to bone collagen formation during the first 70 d of postnatal life in piglets. The results show that dietary AKG supplementation increased body weight of the experimental piglets in comparison to the controls, especially between 21(st) and 56(th) d of l

In most parts of preindustrial Europe, road transport was a crucial part of rural life as it linked the agricultural producers with urban markets. This study focuses on the development of road transport during the agricultural transformation in order to understand its importance in agricultural change. Scania, in southern Sweden, provides the possibility of examining the basic patterns in the road

The present investigation is a multifaceted study of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl, whose overexpression and activation is implicated in several human malignancies, with focus on renal cell carcinoma (RCC). At first, our main interest concerned the intracellular Axl interactor named Tensin2 (Tns2) and its family member Tensin3 (Tns3). Tns2 and Tns3 are structural focal adhesion proteins, linkin

Cassava cultivars are classified following different criteria, such as cyanogenic glucoside content or starch content. Here, flours from the roots of 25 cassava varieties cultivated simultaneously in a single plantation, were characterized in terms of starch content (SC), amylose content (AC), alpha-amylolysis index (AI) and gel formation ability. Resistant starch content (RS) was measured in 10 o

Numerous fossil meteorites and high concentrations of sediment-dispersed extraterrestrial chromite (EC) grains with ordinary chondritic composition have previously been documented from 467 +/- 1.6 Ma Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) strata. These finds probably reflect a temporarily enhanced influx of L-chondritic matter, following the disruption of the L-chondrite parent body in the asteroid belt