Accurate measurements of soil solution electrical conductivity (or.) are needed in various applications. One recently developed technique that measures sigma(w) is the Sigma Probe (SP). The SP is supposed to give accurate readings only-slightly dependent on water content (theta) and soil type. To test the performance of the SP, it was compared with another dielectric technique, time domain reflect

BACKGROUND: Three reported Swedish cases of hepatitis C in patients receiving an intravenous immunoglobulin (Gammagard, Baxter Healthcare, Deerfield, IL) were among the first to bring to light a worldwide outbreak of hepatitis C associated with non-solvent/detergent (SD)-treated Gammagard. In February 1994, all implicated batches of Gammagard were recalled and exposed patients traced. STUDY DESIGN

The focus of this thesis was to explore the interaction between IgD and Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae. These two respiratory pathogens are responsible for otitis media in children, and exacerbations in patients afflicted with predisposing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Both M. catarrhalis and H. influenzae have been shown to bind IgD in a non-im

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using metsulfuron-methyl (MSM) as the template molecule. A combinatorial protocol has been employed to optimize the polymer in terms of the kind and relative amounts of functional and cross-linking monomers. A copolymer of 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid (TFMAA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) showed the highest binding capacity for MSM. The binding char

Lipid-filled macrophages (foam cells) are a defining feature of atherosclerotic plaques. Foam cells contain lipid dro plet- associated proteins that in other cell types regulate lipid turnover. In foam cell such proteins may directly affect lipid droplet formation and lipid efflux. Differentiated primary human monocytes or THP-1 cells were lipid loaded by incubation with aggregated low density lip

Popular Abstract in Swedish Universitet och högskolor har i kölvattnet av ett framväxande kunskapssamhället hamnat under kraftig institutionell press från en förändrad nationell forskningspolitik, de forskningsfinansierande aktörernas förändrade strategier och en snabb och omvälvande vetenskaplig dynamik. Avhandlingen handlar om hur Lunds universitet har reagerat på och hanterat dessa förändringspIn the wake of an emerging knowledge society, universities around the world have come under severe institutional pressure from changing national research policies, financing organizations´ new strategies and turbulent research dynamics. This study examines how Lund University in Sweden manages these institutional pressures. The study explores how the university leadership ? rector and the governin

Neural transplantation is an experimental treatment for Parkinson's disease. Widespread clinical application of the grafting technique is hampered by a relatively poor survival (around 10%) of implanted embryonic dopamine neurones. Earlier animal studies have indicated that a large proportion of the grafted cells die during graft tissue preparation and within the first few days after intracerebral

A theoretical analysis of the reduction of iron oxides by carbon in a circulating fluidized bed reactor is considered in this study. Iron oxide and coal particles are fast fluidized in the main column by a hot stream of gases (N2–CO–CO2–H2–H2O). The analysis considers kinetic and hydrodynamic factors in the reactor and assumes the reduction reaction by carbon to proceed through gaseous intermediat

The severity of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is usually graded according to the Stockholm workshop scales. Although the Stockholm workshop scales are regarded the gold standard for assessing the severity of HAVS, they are based primarily on subjective symptoms. The aim of the present study was to explore the agreement between Stockholm workshop scales and the outcome from ten well-defined cl

Popular Abstract in Swedish Den här avhandlingen fokuserar på socialsekreterares utredningsarbete av barn och unga inom socialtjänsten. Syftet har varit att beskriva och analysera tvångsvårdsprocessen ur socialsekreterares perspektiv, samt förstå och förklara hur detta påverkar barnavårdspraktiken. Det empiriska materialet består av barnavårdsakter och fokusgruppsintervjuer med socialsekreterare. This dissertation focuses on assessments concerning children and young persons in the Social Services. The aim has been to describe and analyse the compulsory care process from a social worker perspective, and to understand and explain how this affects the practice of child welfare. I have used case files from the Social Services and focus group interviews with social workers as empirical data. Th

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of central nervous system (CNS) which is thought to arise from a breakdown of immunological tolerance in CD4 cells. The aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of regulation mechanisms of T cell-dependent chronic inflammation in the CNS and explore ways to overcome the onset and progression of the disease, which can be an importa

Objective: To study antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP) and rheumatoid factor in patients with active, severe extra-articular rheumatoid arthritis (ExRA) compared with controls without ExRA. Methods: 35 consecutive patients with severe ExRA manifestations according to predefined criteria were studied. 70 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but no ExRA manifestations, individuall

A breast cancer-associated mRNA originally cloned as a 475-bp partial cDNA from a library enriched for tumour cDNAs [Oncogene 16 (1998) 327] is expressed at high levels in breast and prostate cancer cells. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates that the protein is expressed in primary breast tumours. We used RT-PCR to generate a full-length 2852 nt mRNA sequence that includes the hypothetical open

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a sensational topic largely because its exploitation to date has been primarily journalistic. Properly packaged it captures the attention of a sensitized lay public and peps up circulation. HGT provides technical challenges for academic scientists as well as market analysts. For fans of science fiction as well as for environmental pessimists, HGT is the stuff of d

Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) offers an unequivocal method of detecting and identifying both hidden explosives, such as land mines, and a variety of narcotics. Unfortunately, the practical use of NQR is restricted by a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and means to improve the SNR are vital to enable a rapid, reliable, and convenient system. In this paper, we introduce a frequency-selective ap