The objectives are to relate species distributions among 110 non-fertilized grassland ('dry meadow') sites in southeastern Sweden to soil chemical, physical, exposure and management variables using correlation, stepwise regression and factor (PCA) analysis based on quantitative data. It was suggested that soil acidity variables (pH, base saturation, exchangeable Ca, Al, Mn,and Fe), P, K, Mg, and N

Autoantibodies to insulin (IAA) are one of the first markers of the autoimmune process leading to type 1 diabetes (T1D). While other autoantibodies in T1D have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about IAA and their binding specificities, especially after insulin treatment is initiated. We hypothesize that insulin antibodies (IA) that develop upon initiation of insulin treatment d

Semiconductor heterostructures and their implementation into electronic and photonic devices have had tremendous impact on science and technology. In the development of quantum nanoelectronics, one-dimensional (1D) heterostructure devices are receiving a lot of interest. We report here functional 1D resonant tunneling diodes obtained via bottom-up assembly of designed segments of different semicon

One first generation assay (manufactured by Ortho, test I) and 3 second generation anti-HCV ELISAs (manufactured by Ortho, Abbott, and UBI, tests II-IV) were compared. Sera from 4 different sources were used: (1) intravenous drug-users (IVDUs, n = 50), (2) blood donors (n = 1055), (3) all clinical samples from one day of routine anti-HCV testing (n = 89), (4) hemodialysis patients previously found

Occupational exposure to diisocyanates within the plastic industry causes irritation and disorders in the airway. The aim of this study was to develop, validate and characterize a method for the determination of 2,4-toluenediamine (2,4-TDA), 2,6-toluenediamine (2,6-TDA), 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-NDA) and 4,4'-methylenedianiline (4,4'-MDA) in hydrolysed urine and plasma, and to study the correla

Popular Abstract in Swedish Hur man värderar resultat av kirurgisk behandling av ländryggens degenerativa åkommor är ett stort, komplext och delvis kontroversiellt ämne. Denna avhandling studerar resultatvärdering med olika metoder och instrument, huvudsakligen baserat på resultat från det nationella svenska ländryggskirurgiregistret. Arbete I. Inventering av befintliga instrument i litteraturen No consensus regarding outcomes assessment in spine patients exists. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) questionnaires are increasingly used. The objective of this thesis was the evaluation of HRQoL measures before and after lumbar spine surgery, and their relation to other evaluation parameters as well as relevance of differences. The patients included were operated on for lumbar spine disor

From August 1999 to April 2001, there was an outbreak of severe eczema at a factory manufacturing medical equipment. A glue, mainly based on the isocyanate dicyclohexylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate (DMDI), was suspected as being the cause of the problem. 16 workers with recent episodes of eczema were patch tested with a standard series, an isocyanate series and work material. The latter consisted of,

The possibility of modelling experiments conducted on P/M steel bars subjected to strain controlled fatigue loading is investigated. The constitutive relation is an extended Gurson model, using a viscoplastic formulation with plasticity driven damage accumulation supplemented by kinematic as we'll as isotropic hardening. The total damage is modelled as the sum of void growth and void nucleation. P

We used the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method to obtain genetic markers distinguishing two subspecies of willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus that have different migratory behaviours but are not differentiated in mitochondrial DNA or at several microsatellite loci. With the inverse-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach we converted a dominant AFLP-marker to a codominant sin

High-spin states in Ni-58 have been investigated by means of the fusion-evaporation reaction Si-28(S-32,2p)Ni-58 at 130 MeV beam energy. Discrete-energy levels are observed in Ni-58 at record-breaking 42 MeV excitation energy and angular momenta in excess of 30h. The states form regular rotational bands with unprecedented high rotational frequencies. A comparison with configuration dependent crank

The net primary productivity (NPP) of tropical forests is one of the most important and least quantified components of the global carbon cycle. Most relevant studies have focused particularly on the quantification of the above-ground coarse wood productivity, and little is known about the carbon fluxes involved in other elements of the NPP, the partitioning of total NPP between its above- and belo

The decay of OH concentration following photolysis of room-temperature vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide is studied as a function of photolysis fluence at 266 nm in an open air environment. The rate of decay is found to increase with increasing photolysis fluence, i.e., with increasing number of photodissociated H2O2(g) molecules. Single-exponential functions approximate the OH concentration decay rat

Bile-tolerant Helicobacter spp. are emerging human and animal pathogens. However, due to their fastidious nature, which requires nutrient-rich complex media to grow, infection with these bacteria may be underestimated. The accumulation of toxic metabolites in cultures may be one of the main obstacles for successful culture of these organisms. The present study examined various potential growth-enh

The performance of quantum dots-in-a-well infrared photodetectors (DWELL IPs) has been studied by means of interband and intersubband photocurrent measurements as well as dark current measurements. Using interband photocurrent measurements, substantial escape of electrons from lower lying states in the DWELL structure at large biases was revealed. Furthermore, a significant variation in the escape