The thesis comprises four independent research papers and a summary that focus on two related dimensions. The first dimension focuses on the understanding of the production of health. Particularly, the question is asked whether community's stock of social capital influence individual's health. The second dimension focuses on an attempt to understand the causes of socioeconomic health inequality (S

The free fatty acid receptor, GPR40, has been coupled with insulin secretion via its expression in pancreatic beta-cells. However, the role of GPR40 in the release of glucagon has not been studied and previous attempts to identify the receptor in alpha-cells have been unfruitful. Using double-staining for glucagon and GPR40 expression, we demonstrate that the two are expressed in the same cells in

We present an experimental comparison of magnetoconductance fluctuations measured in the ballistic, quasiballistic, and diffusive scattering regimes of semiconductor devices. In contradiction to expectations, we show that the spectral content of the magnetoconductance fluctuations exhibits an identical fractal behavior for these scattering regimes and that this behavior is remarkably insensitive t

Thiols are known to influence the metabolism of glutathione. In a previous study (Toxicology 156 (2001) 93) dithiothreitol (DTT) did not show any effect on intra- or extracellular glutathione concentrations in HeLa cell cultures but increased the effects of mercury ions on glutathione concentrations, whereas monothiols such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or glutathione did not. In the present study, we

By the use of wavelength-modulation diode laser spectroscopy, water vapor and oxygen are detected in scattering media nonintrusively, at 980 nm and 760 nm, respectively. The technique demonstrated is based on the fact that free gases have extremely sharp absorption structures in comparison with the broad features of bulk material. Water vapor and oxygen measurements have been performed during the

Aim: To determine if children adopted to Swedish families from countries with a high carrier rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are infected or colonized with MRSA. Methods: From January 2000 to May 2005, 23 adopted children from 6 countries were examined for MRSA at the University hospital in Lund after their arrival in Sweden. Results: Thirteen of the 23 children (57%) we

Purpose: To our knowledge we report the first long-term use of desmopressin for nocturia. Patients previously responding to desmopressin in short-term studies were enrolled in this long-term open label study. Materials and Methods: Patients received treatment for 10 or 12 months with the optimal desmopressin dose (0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg orally at bedtime). Patients were followed a further month withou

Darwin’s finches are an iconic bird group that has transformed our perception of evolutionary dynamics in wild populations. Surprisingly, the parasites and diseases of these finches are virtually unstudied. This study simultaneously investigates blood and intestinal parasitism in Darwin’s Small Ground Finch Geospiza fuliginosa and intestinal parasitism in the Medium Ground FinchGeospiza fortis. We

Popular Abstract in Swedish Denna avhandling behandlar statiska och dynamiska lagbeslutsproblem i både stokastiska och deterministiska ramverk. Lagproblemet är ett kooperativt spel, där ett antal spelare utgör ett lag som försöker optimera en given kostnad inducerad av omvärldens osäkerhet. Osäkerheten kan modelleras antingen som stokastisk, vilket ger upphov till det stokastiska lag problemet, elThis thesis considers static and dynamic team decision problems in both stochastic and deterministic settings. The team problem is a cooperative game, where a number of players make up a team that tries to optimize a given cost induced by the uncertainty of nature. The uncertainty is modeled as either stochastic, which gives the stochastic team problem, or modelled as deterministic where the team

Aiming for better understanding of the large complexity of excited-state processes in carotenoids, we have studied the excitation wavelength dependence of the relaxation dynamics in the carotenoid zeaxanthin. Excitation into the lowest vibrational band of the S-2 state at 485 nm, into the 0-3 vibrational band of the S2 state at 400 nm, and into the B-2(u)+ state at 266 nm resulted in different rel

The calcium-releasing second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is involved in the regulation of stomatal aperture by ABA. In other signalling pathways, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is generated by the action of phospholipase C. We have studied the importance of phospholipase C in guard cell ABA-signalling pathways. Immunolocalisation of a calcium-activated phospholipase C confirmed the presen

The interaction between acyl chain homologues (C10 and C12) of n-acyl beta-D-maltoside and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (LLGDFFRK-SKEKIGKEFKRIVQRIKDFLRNLVPRTES) was investigated. Emphasis was placed on peptide-micelle complexation and its consequences for peptide proteolytic stability, as well as bactericidal and hemolytic effects of the mixed systems. From circular dichroism and liposome leaka