We are currently witnessing an enormous interest in psi phenomena as cultural and experiential events, displayed in landmark exhibits throughout the world and discussed from historical and other perspectives. This essay focuses on the various connections between art and psi. We mention how many forbears of parapsychology were artists or had a serious interest in the arts, and discuss how ostensibl

Popular Abstract in Swedish Diabetes är en endokrin sjukdom som också kallas sockersjuka. Den kännetecknas av förhöjda mängder socker i blodet. Halten av socker i blodet, blodsockret, styrs av hormonet insulin, som produceras av β-celler i Langerhanska öar i bukspottskörteln. När insulin frisätts stimuleras muskler, fettväv och lever till att ta upp glukos ur blodet och lagra det. På så sätt sänksType 2 Diabetes (T2D) prevalence is growing to pandemic proportions worldwide. The link between genotype, environment and β-cell function is still being investigated. I have devoted the work presented in this thesis to attempt to elucidate the coupling of β-cell metabolism to insulin secretion and to look for casual mechanisms underlying metabolic alterations disturbing insulin secretion. In paper

Highly skilled workers are increasingly recognised as a key competitive asset for regional development, and claims have been made that emphasise the importance of certain amenities for the prospects of attracting this particular group of workers. We use a recent large-scale survey to investigate the relative importance of jobs versus amenities for the decision to migrate, as perceived by the migra

Popular Abstract in Swedish Ljus växelverkar med materia på ett mycket specifikt sätt och är anledningen till att saker har färger, himlen är blå, vår spegelbild reflekteras i en spegel och att solljus kan delas upp i en regnbåge genom vattendroppar. Läran om hur ljus växelverkar med material - spektroskopi - används inom astronomi, kemi, fysik och medicin. Absorptionsspektroskopi studerar just huAbsorption spectroscopy constitutes a chemical analysis tool which can be applied to various samples and application fields. This thesis focuses on gas absorption spectroscopy with the means of diode lasers - tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, TDLAS. In particular, the absorption of gases inside porous scattering solids and liquids, referred to as GASMAS - gas in scattering media absorpt

Process diagnosis is essential to ensure anaerobic fermentation stable and efficient. Here, a novel sensor system combining microbial fuel cell (MFC), gas flow meter and pH meter was developed to evaluate its feasibility for probing the anaerobic process established on a model high-rate bioreactor. Repeated transient responses of electrical signal, proton concentration, and gas flow rate, were obs

Popular Abstract in Swedish Graviditetsdiabetes (GDM) innebär att förhöjd glukosnivå i blodet (blodsocker) upptäckts hos en kvinna när hon är gravid. GDM behandlas med anpassad kost, fysisk aktivitet, och när det behövs även insulin, vilket tillsammans har visats motverka de ökade riskerna vid graviditet och förlossning för mamma och barn. Glukosnivåerna normaliseras nästan alltid efter förlossninBackground: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with risks during pregnancy, during delivery, and in later life with a substantial risk of subsequent diabetes. The worldwide prevalence of GDM is increasing, but varies with differences in diagnostic methods and population characteristics. Results: Capillary glucose concentrations were found to be higher than venous glucose concentrat

Chiral bicyclic diols based on bicyclo[2.2.2]octane and bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane have been synthesized and their catalytic capacity in the asymmetric diethylzinc addition to benzaldehyde compared with those described for previously synthesized 2,6-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-diols (BODOLs). The influence of the number of coordinating sites and the distance between them were studied. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. A

This study examines how survival strategies of homeless people in St. Petersburg, Russia, have been affected by “roll back” and “roll out” patterns of neoliberalism. The chaotic transition to market economy after 1990 caused widespread poverty, but it also provided opportunities that allowed the most marginalized people to carve out niches to exist. Outdoor markets, railway stations, and other pla

Ethanol can be produced from softwood by steam pretreatment followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). However, the final ethanol concentration in the SSF step is usually rather low (around 4 wt%) and as a result the energy demand in the downstream processing will be high. In an effort to reduce the energy consumption various alternatives for the downstream processing part o

Popular Abstract in Swedish POPULÄRVETENSKAPLIG SAMMANFATTNING Halsbränna och sura uppstötningar är vanliga åkommor i den svenska befolkningen där upp till 20 procent av de tillfrågade uppger sig ha besvär av dessa symtom varje vecka. Både halsbränna och sura uppstötningar anses vara symtom på att magsäcksinnehåll flödar tillbaka upp genom övre magmunnen till matstrupen sk gastroesofageal reflux.This thesis investigates several aspects on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and associated complications as Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. I. To clarify the natural course of GERD, a pH-metry verified cohort was re-evaluated after 20 years. The course of GERD may well be progressive. A statement based on the evidence that reflux induced complications as esophagitis and

Many studies have found close relationships between accessibility and various socio-economic indicators. Yet, since accessibility tends to have differentiated effects, both socially and spatially, there is a need for a model which allows for a disaggregated analysis of accessibility. The model should be possible to use in areas where road network data is incomplete. In this paper such an accessibi

Background: More than half of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan African countries, including Uganda, occur among young people between the ages of 15 and 24, the most sexually active period of their lives. Understanding the contextual determinants of sexual behavior in this group is crucial in combating the pandemic. Aim: The overall aim of this study was to assess the impact of demographic, r

Although Moraxella catarrhalis and Neisseria meningitidis are important human pathogens, they often colonize the human respiratory tract without causing overt clinical symptoms. Both pathogens express structurally unrelated proteins that share the ability to stimulate the adhesion molecule CEACAM1 expressed on human cells. Here we demonstrate that the interaction of CEACAM1 with ubiquitous surface

Forest soils are generally considered to be net sinks of methane (CH4), but CH4 fluxes vary spatially depending on soil conditions. Measuring CH4 exchange with chambers, which are commonly used for this purpose, might not result in representative fluxes at site scale. Appropriate methods for upscaling CH4 fluxes from point measurements to site scale are therefore needed. At the boreal forest resea

Many of Sweden’s red listed species are found in the agricultural landscape. Small biotopes (e.g. field margins and field islets) are important for the maintenance of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, and agri-environmental support is paid to farmers who keep them open. However, a proper evaluation of the biodiversity-gains from this type of management is lacking. We examined the predicted