Protein G-related alpha(2)-macroglobulin-binding (GRAB) protein is a cell wall-attached determinant of group A streptococcus (GAS) that interacts with the human protease inhibitor a 2-macroglobulin (alpha(2)-M). Of 86 clinical isolates tested, 23% could bind a alpha(2)-M. However, all strains tested contained the grab gene. High levels of anti-GRAB antibodies were found in the serum of convalescen

Introduction: Risedronate, a bisphosphonate for treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, has been shown in several clinical trials to reduce the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The cost-effectiveness of risedronate treatment has previously been evaluated within different country settings using different model and analysis approaches. The objective of this study was to

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organic pesticides (i.e., DDTs) were measured in long finned eels (Anguilla dieffenbachii) in 17 streams on the west coast of South Island, New Zealand. Very low levels of PCBs and low levels of ppDDE were found. The concentrations of PCBs and ppDDE were not correlated within sites indicating that different processes determined the levels of the two pollutants

Pre-treatment of sludge before anaerobic digestion can increase methane production and degradation of organic matter. There are various pre-treatment methods for this purpose. Anaerobic digestion tests were performed for comparison of three pre-treatment methods (hygienisation, ultrasonic treatment and enzyme dosing) used separately or in combination on biosludge and mixed sludge. COD solubilisati

We compare the generation and decay dynamics of charges and excitons in a model polymer semiconductor (MEH-PPV) in solution and drop-cast thin films, by recording the sub-ps transient complex conductivity using THz time-domain spectroscopy. The results show that the quantum efficiency of charge generation is two orders of magnitude smaller in solution (~10–5) than in the solid film (~10–3). The pr

Excited states in the N=Z+1 nucleus Kr-73 have been investigated using the Ca-40(Ar-36,2pn) and Ca-40(Ca-40,alpha2pn) reactions at 145 and 160 MeV, respectively. gamma rays were detected using the Gammasphere array and events were recorded in coincidence with charged-particle and neutron detectors. The three previously observed bands were extended to high spin, and a new unfavored positive-parity

Popular Abstract in Swedish Kartering av primärproduktion i Västrafrikanska Sahel genom användning av satellitdata. I avhandlingen har utvecklats en Light Use Efficency (LUE) modell som medger kartering av bruttoprimärproduktionen (GPP) exemplifierad i ett område i Västafrikanska Sahel. Modellen utnyttjar satellitbaserad månatlig Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) tillsammans med andraA light Use Efficiency (LUE) model is developed that allows the mapping of total growing season Gross Primary Production (GPP) for the West African Sahel, using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) together with other data. Image quality may be poor in monthly NDVI maximum value composites as shown by an improved geostatistical noise estimation technique. Quality may be improved by ot

Dissociation of 6He on a lead target has been studied at 240 MeV/u. The four-momenta of the two neutrons in coincidence with greek small letter alpha-particles have been measured and used to reconstruct the three-body energy and angular correlations in the final state. For the first time, three-body correlations were included in the analysis of the 6He dissociation data, and compared with calculat

Regulation of the telomerase catalytic subunit, hTERT, is a complex process accomplished on many levels. Transcription of the hTERT gene has been widely studied but less is known about the implication of genetic variations. Recently, a functional T to C transition polymorphisin was indicated 1327 bp upstream the hTERT transcription starting site. The C-1327/C genotype was associated with shorter t

Popular Abstract in Swedish Parallellt med att kommunerna under 1990-talet fick ett utvidgat ansvar för t.ex. vården av och omsorgen om äldre och funktionshindrade gavs de större frihet att lokalt bestämma över sina organisationsformer. Omständigheterna ledde till ett starkt kommunalt reformtryck, inte minst genom de reformförslag som på olika sätt och i varierande grad utmanade den traditionella The 1990s was a period characterized by a strong pressure for reform in the Swedish municipalities. The care manager reform, i.e. the initiation of a position within the administration - the care manager - whose work tasks are concentrated around needs-assessment practices only, was one of many reform proposals. Within a fairly short time span a great number of municipalities decided to implement

Infants treated in neonatal intensive care units suffer an increased risk for invasive candidiasis, but the diagnosis is sometimes difficult. D-arabinitol is a metabolite of most pathogenic Candida species. An elevated urine D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol (DA/LA) ratio is a sensitive sign of invasive candidiasis in children with cancer, but the method has not been previously evaluated for newborn infan

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical usefulness of cerebrospinal fluid stroke volume (SV) assessed in the cerebral aqueduct, via cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging, for predicting outcome after shunt surgery in suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus were included. SV was assessed using cine phase-contrast magnetic

Popular Abstract in Swedish Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling var att hos individer med kvarstående muskelsvaghet efter stroke utvärdera effekterna av progressiv styrketräning (PRT) av knäledens sträck- och böjmuskler på muskelstyrka och muskelspänning, men även att analysera om en förbättrad muskelstyrka påverkar gångförmåga och upplevd delaktighet (individens egen upplevelse av hur maThe overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of strength training on muscle function, gait performance and perceived participation in subjects with chronic mild to moderate post-stroke hemiparesis. A main impairment after stroke is reduced muscle strength. This post-stroke weakness is a major contributor to mobility limitations, which can prevent the resumption of activities of dail

Trellis decoding is a popular method to recover encoded information corrupted during transmission over a noisy channel. Prominent members of this class of decoding algorithms are the Viterbi algorithm, which provides maximum likelihood estimates, and the BCJR algorithm, which is a maximum a posteriori estimator commonly used in iterative decoding. In this thesis, the Viterbi algorithm is chosen si