Industrial robots are fast and accurate when working with known objects at precise locations in well-structured manufacturing environments, as done in the classical automation setting. In one sense, limited use of sensors leaves robots blind and numb, unaware of what is happening in their surroundings. Whereas equipping a system with sensors has the potential to add new functionality and increase

Novel DNA-chitosan particles were prepared based on associative phase separation and interfacial diffusion. These particles formed at water/water emulsion type interfaces were characterized with respect to several properties including stability, DNA conformational state, and entrapment and release of DNA. In particular it was found that the chitosan molecular weight is a good controlling parameter

Theory predicts that variability in size and the shape of a morphological trait should often be stable both at the intra- and interspecific level. We studied variation in beak integration among several populations of two species of the genus Passer, a hybrid species, the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) and one of its parents, the Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis). We show that the general s

Aims. "Earthshine" is the dim light seen on the otherwise dark side of the Moon, particularly when it is close to new. "Earthlight", or reflected sunlight from the Earth, is the source of Earthshine. Using B and V band CCD images of both the dark and bright sides of the Moon, we aim to estimate the Johnson photometry B V colour of the Earthshine for the first time since the late 1960s. From these

Popular Abstract in Swedish Vad är en familj, vilka kan bilda en familj och vem bestämmer det? Hur ser föreställningarna kring den ideala familjen ut? Och varför anses det viktigt att ha kännedom om sitt ursprung och att tillhöra en familj, en släkt eller en nation? I denna avhandling undersöks den svenska familjepolitiken kring internationella adoptioner och assisterad befruktning. UndersökningenThe purpose of this thesis is to study the norms and values surrounding the family and the nation-state in Swedish family policy as they appear in Official Government Reports (SOU) on international adoption and assisted reproductive technology (ART) between 1953 and 2007. I argue that the committees’ reports can be viewed as normative statements constituting a hegemonic state discourse. The method

MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases) are signalling components highly conserved among eukaryotes. Their diverse biological functions include cellular differentiation and responses to different extracellular stress stimuli. Although some substrates of MAPKs have been identified in plants, no information is available about whether amino acids in the primary sequence other than proline-directed

Maximising media coverage is one way for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) to account for themselves and it has been argued that SAIs can become independent partners with the media. This strategy may appear appealing in particular when a response to audits is not compulsory. However, based on a case study of the Swedish National Audit Office (SNAO) in the years 2003-2007, this paper shows that sev

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is a biomarker of fibrosis in lung and skin. In this exploratory study we investigated the biomarker potential of COMP in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We included consecutive patients with CHC admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Lund University Hospital. COMP was analysed in serum using ELISA. The correlations between COMP and liver fibrosis,

Introduction: Fenestrated aortic stent-grafts are increasingly being used to treat patients with juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AM). Sizing of these stent-grafts is critical to ensure success and requires detailed expert assessment of aortic morphology. At present little is known about how sizing of these stent-grafts varies between observers and the necessary tolerances involved to ensure

Background Few authors have investigated function and pain after surgical treatment of patients with bone metastases. In 1999 the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group (SSG) initiated the Skeletal Metastasis Registry as a multi-centric, prospective study to provide a scientific basis for recommendations of treatment. Patients and methods We have analyzed function and pain in 530 patients (mean age 65 yr) ope

Popular Abstract in German Bakterielle Infektionen gehören zu den häufigsten Todesursachen weltweit. Sepsis ist definiert durch das Vorhandesein einer Infektion, sowie der Erfüllung von 2 der 4 Kriterien eines systemischen Entzündungssyndroms. Die durch die Bakterien ausgelöste Immunantwort umfasst die Aktivierung der zellulären Immmunität, der Gerinnerungs- und Komplementsysteme, sowie die ProdukBacterial infections and sepsis are amongst the leading causes of death worldwide. Sepsis is caused by an uncontrolled systemic host response towards an invading pathogen. Due to the engagement of various systems including cellmediated responses, the coagulation and complement cascades, treatment of sepsis remains challenging. This is reflected in mortality rates of about 50 % for patients with se

Penile cancer is a disease with a high morbidity and mortality. Its prevalence is relatively rare, but the highest in some developing countries. Insight into its precursor lesions, pathogenesis and risk factors offers options to prevent this potentially mutilating disease. This review presents an overview of the different histologically and clinically identified precursor lesions of penile cancer

We investigate theoretically the properties of the photon state and the electronic transport in a system consisting of a metallic quantum dot strongly coupled to a superconducting microwave transmission line cavity. Within the framework of circuit quantum electrodynamics, we derive a Hamiltonian for arbitrary strong capacitive coupling between the dot and the cavity. The dynamics of the system is

BMR (Basal metabolic rate) is an important trait in animal life history as it represents a significant part of animal energy budgets. BMR has also been shown to be positively related to sustainable work rate and maximal thermoregulatory capacity. To this date, most of the studies have focused on the causes of interspecific and intraspecific variation in BMR, and fairly little is known about the fi

Approximately 10—20 % of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) develop a severe disease with high mortality and morbidity. Activation of pancreatic proteases, the inflammatory response and impaired pancreatic circulation are pathophysiological events that are important in order for the disease to develop. There is no specific treatment for severe AP, and no useful marker for predicting the severit

Mental health disorders are a rapidly growing public health problem. Despite the fact that lack of trust in the health-care system is considered to be an important determinant of health, there is scarcity of empirical evidence demonstrating its associations with health outcomes. This is the first study which aims to evaluate the association between trust in the health-care system and psychological