Background: The observation of differences in the way apparently similar patients are treated from one health care setting to another, i.e., practice variation, have been recognized in numerous studies. The variations across the health care settings have been shown to exist for different outcomes. However, any measurement of any system will reveal some form of variation and this normal inevitable

Context. The performance of interferometers has been much increased over the past ten years. But the number of observable objects is still limited by the low sensitivity and imaging capability of the current facilities. Studies have been conducted with the aim to propose a new generation of interferometers. Aims. The Carlina concept studied at the Haute-Provence Observatory consists of an optical

The central question of the dissertation is whether and how African Caribbeans in the Danish West Indies identified themselves with African ethnic groups. The dissertation discusses if and how such identifications played a role in the social life of African Caribbeans and influenced how new social networks developed in the colony. The dissertation is shaped as a micro study focusing on members of the

Repeated exposure to certain low molecular weight (LMW) chemical compounds may result in development of allergic reactions in the skin or in the respiratory tract. In most cases, a certain LMW compound selectively sensitize the skin, giving rise to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), or the respiratory tract, giving rise to occupational asthma (OA). To limit occurrence of allergic diseases, efforts

Background: Cerebral ischemia results in enhanced expression of contractile cerebrovascular receptors, such as endothelin type B (ETB), 5-hydroxytryptamine type 1B (5-HT1B), angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) and thromboxane (TP) receptors in the cerebral arteries within the ischemic area. The receptor upregulation occurs via activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway. Previous

The human herpesviruses are involved in a variety of diseases. Large-scale evaluation of the clinical and epidemiological importance of different herpesviruses requires high-throughput methods. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a method that has a multiplex capacity enabling simultaneous detection of several viruses in a single sample. P

Background: Acute thromboembolic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is associated with high mortality. Recent advances in diagnostics and surgical techniques may affect outcome. Methods: Through the Swedish Vascular Registry (Swedvasc), 121 open and 42 endovascular revascularizations of the SMA at 28 hospitals during 1999 to 2006 were identified. Patient medical records were retriev

This article highlights our recent achievements on the development and upgrade of new potential tumor-specific contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on gadolinium complexes and peptides, assemblied in amphiphilic supramolecular aggregates. The physico-chemical characterization of these aggregates provides novel and interesting opportunities to investigate surfactant aggregatio

The essay focuses on the apophatic tradition, Western metaphysics, and the unknown God. It presents Jaspers' thoughts on transcendence as an eye-opener. To take the issue of the unknown God, two philosophers are highlighted, David Hume and Simone Weil. For Hume the concept of the unknown God presents the problem of how might anything that is unknown have any moral influence on human beings? Simone

The ability to quickly acquire 3D models is an essential capability needed in many disciplines including robotics, computer vision, geodesy, and architecture. In this paper we present a novel method for real-time camera tracking and 3D reconstruction of static indoor environments using an RGB-D sensor. We show that by representing the geometry with a signed distance function (SDF), the camera pose

The main topic of this PhD thesis is complexity reduction of linear time-invariant models. The complexity in such systems is measured by the number of differential equations forming the dynamical system. This number is called the order of the system. Order reduction is typically used as a tool to model complex systems, the simulation of which takes considerable time and/or has overwhelming memory

This biennial Review summarizes much of particle physics. Using data from previous editions., plus 2778 new measurements from 645 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We also summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as Higgs bosons, heavy neutrinos, and supersymmetric particles. All the particle properties and s

Popular Abstract in Swedish Spädbarn med kolik – föräldrars upplevelse i ett kortare och ett längre perspektiv samt effekten av akupunktur på barnets skrik, ätande, avföringsmönster och sömn. Spädbarnskolik definieras som ett tillstånd där ett för övrigt friskt barn skriker och gnäller mer än tre timmar per dag mer än tre dagar i veckan. Kolik drabbar ca 10 % av nyfödda barn i västvärlden. Både bInfantile colic, involving an otherwise healthy infant crying and fussing more than three hours per day and more than three days per week, is a common problem in Western countries. Both the infant and the parents suffer during the months of persistent crying and there is a risk that the establishing of the early relationship might be disturbed. Safe and effective treatment that provides relief in

In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the fibrillatory frequency trend and the time-dependent spectral characteristics can be investigated using a spectral profile technique. The spectral profile is updated by fitting each short-time spectrum. The aim of this study is to develop model-based means for stricter control on the update of the spectral profile. A spectral model defined by a superpo

This thesis demonstrates how network analysis, ecological economics and the world-system perspective can be combined into an ecographic framework that can yield new insights into the underlying structure of the world-economy as well as its surrounding world-ecology. In particular, the thesis focuses on the structural theory of ecological unequal exchange, a theory suggesting a relationship between

Cyclins D1 and E play an important role in breast carcinogenesis. High cyclin E expression is common in hormone receptor negative and high grade aggressive breast cancer, whereas cyclin D1 in hormone receptor positive and low grade breast cancer. Experimental data has suggested that cyclin D1 and E mediate cell proliferation by different mechanisms in estrogen receptor (ER) positive and negative b