Background: There is growing evidence that air pollution from traffic has adverse long-term effects on chronic respiratory disease in children, but there are few studies and more inconclusive results in adults. We examined associations between residential traffic and asthma and COPD in adults in southern Sweden. A postal questionnaire in 2000 (n = 9319, 18-77 years) provided disease status, and se

A pilot plant was set up to treat leachate from an industrial landfill containing shredder residues of end-of-life vehicles and white goods. The treatment plant consisted of aeration and sedimentation steps for pre-treatment, and a filter. The plant was designed to simultaneously remove various types of pollutants. The efficiencies of pre-treatment and of the main treatment step were investigated

Abstract Background. Proteinuria is the hallmark of glomerular disease and non-selective proteinuria is often associated with progression to renal failure. The predictive value of urine IgG excretion was studied comprehensively in patients with nephrotic syndrome. In the present follow-up study, we examine the predictive value of IgG-uria in patients with idiopathic glomerular diseases with a wide

Abnormalities in blood inflammatory markers have been associated with clinical manifestations and the pathogenesis of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS); a relationship between inherited alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) and FMS has also been recently raised. In this study, plasma levels of inflammatory markers in FMS patients with and without AATD have been investigated. Blood samples from 138 ag

Hyolithids are a group of Paleozoic lophotrochozoans with a four-pieced skeleton consisting of a conch, an operculum, and a pair of lateral 'spines' named helens. Both the conch and operculum are relatively well known and, to a certain extent, have modern analogues in other lophotrochozoan groups. The helens, on the other hand, are less well known and do not have clear modern analogues. This has h

BACKGROUND: Although parasitism has been acknowledged as an important selective force in the evolution of host life histories, studies of fitness effects of parasites in wild populations have yielded mixed results. One reason for this may be that most studies only test for a linear relationship between infection intensity and host fitness. If resistance to parasites is costly, however, fitness may

Canopy-held organic matter develops into a distinct soil system separate from the forest floor in wet temperate coniferous forests, creating a natural microcosm. We distinguished between fungal and bacterial components of the decomposer community in one site with Maple (Acer macrophyllum) and one site with Alder (Alnus rubra) by using direct measurements of growth; acetate incorporation into ergos

Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) is a transcription factor involved in developmental processes. In adult hematopoiesis, only a small portion of early progenitor cells express WT1, whereas most leukemias show persistently high levels, suggesting an oncogenic role. We have previously characterized oncogenic BCR/ABL1 tyrosine kinase signaling pathways for increased WT1 expression. In this study, we show tha

Popular Abstract in Swedish Avhandlingen belyser läsning och läsarbanor i ett livsperspektiv där fyra lärarstudenters berättelser om läsning från barndom till mötet med lärarutbildningen analyseras ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Ur berättelserna om läsning i olika kontexter såsom familj, skola och lärarutbildning framträder ett perspektiv på läsning som en relationell process. I en relationellThe aim of the thesis is to contribute to knowledge about experience and perceptions of reading that students at a school of education have, from early reading experiences in childhood, to the encounter with reading in context of their teacher training. The following overarching questions were asked: What aspects of narratives appear to be significant in the students’ reading trajectories? Which a

Lichen cover and diversity were analysed on the dwarf shrub Helianthemum oelandicum (L.) Dum.Cours. at one site in the calcareous grassland of the area known as the ‘Great Alvar’ on the Island of Öland, Sweden. The age of 22 phorophytes was determined by ring counting and varied from 8 to 41 years and was accurately predicted by the root diameter. A total of 18 lichen species was found, with a ran

B vitamins and polymorphisms in genes coding for enzymes involved in one-carbon metabolism may affect DNA synthesis and methylation and thereby be implicated in carcinogenesis. Previous data on vitamins B2 and B6 and genetic polymorphisms other than those involving MTHFR as risk factors for gastric cancer (GC) are sparse and inconsistent. In this case-control study nested within the European Prosp

Obesity is increasing rapidly in all parts of the world and is now considered to be a global epidemic. Obesity is a major risk factor for several health issues such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. The adipose tissue is central in the maintenance of a normal energy homeostasis in the body for instance via regulating lipid storage and release. Besides being an important energy r

We report on measurements of the light absorption efficiency of InSb nanowires. The absorbed 70 fs light pulse generates carriers, which equilibrate with the lattice via electron-phonon coupling. The increase in lattice temperature is manifested as a strain that can be measured with X-ray diffraction. The diffracted X-ray signal from the excited sample was measured using a streak camera. The amoun

Aim To investigate health care improvement team coaching activities from the perspectives of coachees, coaches and unit leaders in two national improvement collaboratives. Background Despite numerous methods to improve health care, inconsistencies in success have been attributed to factors that include unengaged staff, absence of supportive improvement resources and organisational inertia. Metho

Identifying environmental factors that structure intraspecific genetic diversity is of interest for both habitat preservation and biodiversity conservation. Recent advances in statistical and geographical genetics make it possible to investigate how environmental factors affect geographic organisation and population structure of molecular genetic diversity within species. Here we present a study o

Many alloys undergo complex changes in local chemistry in the vicinity of weldments due to the thermal excursion during welding. The resulting changes in solute concentrations can lead to significant local variations in the unstrained unit cell parameter which, if not accounted for, can lead to serious error when determining residual stress by diffraction methods. Age-hardening aluminium alloys ar

Objective: A disturbed glucose metabolism has been observed in patients with aggressive behaviour. Interleukin (IL)-1β is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that can induce hypoglycaemia, but has also been suggested to be involved in the generation of hostility and aggression. Our group has previously shown an altered glucose metabolism in patients with self-inflicted aggressive behaviour. We investigat

Objectives Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis and accounts for substantial morbidity and disability, particularly in older people. It is characterised by changes in joint structure, including degeneration of the articular cartilage, and its aetiology is multifactorial with a strong postulated genetic component. Methods A meta-analysis was performed of four genome-wide asso

Popular Abstract in Swedish Avhandlingen handlar om vetenskaplig osäkerhet i policyprocessen, det vill säga när vetenskaplig kunskap om en fråga saknas eller den existerande kunskapen är osäker. Studiens huvudsyfte är att förstå om och hur vetenskaplig osäkerhet påverkar policyprocessen. För att undersöka detta har utvecklingen av den svenska klimatpolitiken från 1975 fram till 2007 studerats. MatThe dissertation is about scientific uncertainty in the policy process, that is when scientific knowledge about an issue is lacking or the existing knowledge is uncertain. The aim of the study is to understand if and how scientific uncertainty affects the policy process. For that purpose, the development of climate change policy in Sweden is studied, from 1975 until 2007. The material studied cons