This paper describes a method of finding thin, elongated structures in images and volumes. We use shortest paths to minimize very general functionals of higher-order curve properties, such as curvature and torsion. Our globally optimal method uses line graphs and its runtime is polynomial in the size of the discretization, often in the order of seconds on a single computer. To our knowledge, we ar

The primary topic of this thesis is a class of tempo-spatial models which are rather flexible in a distributional sense. They prove quite successful in modeling (temporal) dependence structures and go beyond the limitation of Gaussian models, thus allowing for heavy tails and skewness. By generalizing the construction of the above class of models, it is possible to ‘control’ some random geometric

In contrast to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, adult cases of this disease are associated with a very poor prognosis. In order to ascertain whether the frequencies and patterns of submicroscopic changes, identifiable with single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis, differ between childhood and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, we performed single nucleotide polymorphism array analys

Review of a book on art and occultism

Herbivory is an important part of most ecosystems and affects the ecosystems' carbon balance both directly and indirectly. Little is known about herbivory and its impact on the carbon balance in high arctic mire ecosystems. We hypothesized that trampling and grazing by large herbivores influences the vegetation density and composition and thereby also the carbon balance. In 2010, we established fe

Multi taper spectrogram decomposition of the time-lag kernel of a time-frequency distribution might result in computationally efficient calculations if the number of multi tapers to be considered in the spectrogram are small. In this paper, penalty functions are designed and used in the computation of multi tapers corresponding to the Wigner distribution time-lag kernel. The resulting multi taper

A new program of Compton scattering on deuterium is under way at the tagged-photon facility at MAX-Lab in Lund, Sweden. We will measure differential cross sections between 60A degrees and 150A degrees over the photon energy range 60-115 MeV in 5 MeV steps, with the ultimate goal of obtaining new precision information on the electric and magnetic polarizabilities of the neutron.

Population fluctuations and synchrony influence population persistence; species with larger fluctuations and more synchronised population fluctuations face higher extinction risks. Here, we analyse the effect of diet specialisation, mobility, length of the flight period, and distance to the northern edge of the species' distribution in relation to between-year population fluctuations and synchrony

Background: Misuse of substances is a major contributor to disability and mortality worldwide. The use of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs in adolescence and young adulthood are well-known risk factors for subsequent substance-related harms. A better understanding of adolescent and young adult substance use behaviors and their correlates might help develop new prevention programs. This thesis a

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using proton-proton collision data at is root s = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 fb(-1). No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and model-dependent 95% confidence level exclusion limits are set. In the context of a generalise

Energy spectra of superconducting nanospheres observed via tunneling spectroscopy are theoretically discussed. In the energy gap we find small peaks which correspond to the two-particle dynamics beyond the mean-field BCS approximation. These peaks promise to be a sensitive test of theories of superconductivity as their number and positions depend on the approximation used.

Wind and ocean currents may potentially have important effects on travelling animals, as an animal which does not respond to lateral flow will be drifted from its intended direction of movement. By analysing daily movements of migrating ospreys Pandion haliaetus and marsh harriers Circus aeruginosus, as recorded by satellite telemetry, in relation to global wind data, we showed that these raptors

Background: Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics is considered to be the most important reason for development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. As antibiotic resistance may spread across borders, high prevalence countries may serve as a source of bacterial resistance for countries with a low prevalence. Therefore, bacterial resistance is an important issue with a potential serious

In this study the excited-state dynamics of protochlorophyllide a (PChlide), the substrate of the enzyme protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase, was examined by means of time-resolved absorption anisotropy and magic-angle measurements. The solvent polarity dependent anisotropy data provide strong evidence for the existence of an excited-state with charge-transfer character. A solvent dependency is als

The purpose of the present study was to explore the risk for complications and reoperations following open repairs for sliding groin hernias.

In this work we investigated the ability of a series of amino acids to act as cloud condensation nuclei using a static thermal gradient diffusion type cloud condensation nucleus counter. Particles of pure dry l-glycine, glycyl-glycine, l-serine, l-methionine, l-glutamic acid, l-aspartic acid, and l-tyrosine were studied as well as internally mixed dry particles containing ammonium sulfate and one

Colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is associated with the phase transition from a metallic ferromagnetic to insulating paramagnetic phase, which can be controlled by an applied magnetic field. The insulating phase occurs due to trapping of the charge carriers by polaronic lattice distortions, which raise the resistivity. Theories based on local physics predict that the magnitude of the resistivity j