Background: Although reduced lung function is associated with both COPD and coronary events (CE), the pattern of lung function impairment could be different for the two outcomes. We examined different measures of lung function in relation to incident COPD events and CE in a population-based cohort. Methods: Baseline spirometry and lung clearance index (LCI) were assessed in 672 men aged 55 years.

Chromosomal rearrangements (e.g., fusions/fissions) have the potential to drive speciation. However, their accumulation in a population is generally viewed as unlikely, because chromosomal heterozygosity should lead to meiotic problems and aneuploid gametes. Canonical meiosis involves segregation of homologous chromosomes in meiosis I and sister chromatid segregation during meiosis II. In organism

There are many indicators that the representative democratic system is currently facing serious legitimacy challenges. Two central indicators of these challenges are changing patterns of political participation and a decline in system support. Against this backdrop, a growing number of governments claim that democratic innovations (DIs) could reconnect institutions with citizens. This thesis focus

Background: An increased Head Shaft Angle (HSA) has been reported as a risk factor for hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy (CP) but opinions differ in the literature. The purpose of this study was to re-evaluate the relationship between HSA and hip displacement in a different population of children with CP. Methods: The Cerebral Palsy Integrated Pathway Scotland surveillance programme

The derivation of dopamine neurons from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) now offers a promising alternative to fetal tissue for cell replacement therapy (CRT) in Parkinson´s disease (PD). Using the appropriate chemical cues in vitro, hESCs can be patterned towards bona-fide ventral midbrain (VM) DA neurons that survive, reinnervate, release DA and provide functional recovery when transplanted in

We investigate the Josephson radiation of nanowire (NW)-based Josephson junctions in a parallel magnetic field. The Josephson junction made of an InAs NW with superconducting Al leads shows the emission spectra which follow the Josephson frequency over the range 4-8 GHz at zero magnetic field. We observe an apparent deviation of the emission spectra from the Josephson frequency which is accompanie

Background: Fitness costs imposed on bacteria by antibiotic resistance mechanisms are believed to hamper their dissemination. The scale of these costs is highly variable. Some, including resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to the clinically important antibiotic mupirocin, have been reported as being cost-free, which suggests that there are few barriers preventing their global spread. However, this

Home care services are an important part of the Swedish social welfare system. Considering the size of the sector and the increasing future needs for home care, due to growing elderly populations, it is worrisome that problems in terms of injuries, sick leave and staff turnover appear common in this occupation. A problem for managing the situation is, however, that the current knowledgebase is fra

Background: Despite improvements in therapy regimens over the past decades, overall survival rates for pancreatic and periampullary cancer are poor. Specific cancer registries are set up in various nations to regional differences and to enable larger prospective trials. The aim of this study was to describe the Swedish register, including possibilities to improve diagnostic work-ups, treatment, an

Begreppet likhet i porträtt och avbildning, satt i relation till sin varierande historiska kontext.

In modern gas turbine, the over tip leakage flow is inevitably generated in the tip gap of the first stage turbine blade due to the freestanding airfoil. In order to obtain a higher thermal efficiency, the turbine inlet temperature is gradually increased. Therefore, the over tip leakage flow induces significant aerodynamic losses and the blade tip and the over tip casing endure high level of therm

Natural selection often produces parallel phenotypic changes in response to a similar adaptive challenge. However, the extent to which parallel gene expression differences and genomic divergence underlie parallel phenotypic traits and whether they are decoupled or not remains largely unexplored. We performed a population genomic study of parallel ecological adaptation among replicate ecotype pairs

A rapid shift from traditional Sanger sequencing-based molecular methods to the phylogenomic approach with large numbers of loci is underway. Among phylogenomic methods, restriction site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing approaches have gained much attention as they enable rapid generation of up to thousands of loci randomly scattered across the genome and are suitable for nonmodel species. RAD data

Doktorsavhandling framlagd vid Institutionen för Tema, Linköpings universitet 1994. Avhandlingen behandlar produktion och och bruk av porträtt i Sverige under perioden 1840-65, då fotografiska porträtt gradvis introducerades på den svenska marknaden och trängde tillbaka vissa delar av en etablerad porträttmarknad. Detta dynamiska skede granskas med avseende på samspelet mellan beställare och portr

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men after lung cancer. Annually, more than 9000 new cases are diagnosed in Sweden and 2500 of them die each year. Metastatic prostate cancer can be treated with castration. However, the disease eventually recurs within 2 years in more aggressive form and becomes insensitive to castration which is termed as castration resista

The thermostable cellulase Cel12A from Rhodothermus marinus was produced at extremely low levels when expressed in Escherichia coli and was cytotoxic to the cells. In addition, severe aggregation occurred when moderately high concentrations of the enzyme were heat-treated at 65°C, the growth optimum of R. marinus. Sequence analysis revealed that the catalytic module of this enzyme is preceded by a