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This study examines the management of used mobile phones in the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2008. It shows that the replacement cycle for mobile phones got shorter during the period due to heavy handset subsidies given by mobile network operators. The planned obsolescence presented a business opportunity for the exports of used phones to developing countries. However, the collection for re-use

In this chapter, we focus on one element of the fragmentation of global climate governance, namely the overlap between the UN climate regime and the World Trade Organization (WTO). With a view to the appraisal question for the ‘architecture’ theme of this volume, we hold that this overlap not only implies benefits, but may also entail significant drawbacks for the development and implementation of

A statistical distribution for the number of CDMA RAKE fingers, N T, to be assigned in order to track a given percent of the total received power has been derived. The obtained distribution reveals a strong dependence of NT on the system bandwidth, the median RMS delay spread, its standard deviation and other environment specific parameters. Also, a statistical distribution for the fading width fw

A strong molecule-surface interaction between free-base-tetra(4-bromophenyl)-porphyrin and Cu(111) results in a distortion of both the molecule and the underlying copper surface in the vicinity of the molecule. This in turn leads to the formation of an intermediate complex due to bonding between the iminic nitrogens and surface copper atoms.

In order to systematically improve the performance of anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) for alkaline fuel cells, a series of poly(phenylene oxide)s (PPOs) was tethered with cationic alkyl side chains of different lengths and configurations. PPO was first functionalized with bromomethyl and longer bromoalkyl side chains, respectively, before introducing quaternary ammonium (QA) groups via Menshutkin

Inland waters were recently recognized to be important sources of methane (CH4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) to the atmosphere, and including inland water emissions in large scale greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets may potentially offset the estimated carbon sink in many areas. However, the lack of GHG flux measurements and well-defined inland water areas for extrapolation, make the magnitude of the poten

BACKGROUND: The method for red marrow dosimetry in radioimmunotherapy, in the absence of specific activity uptake in red marrow, is based on the activity measured in the blood or plasma. The activity concentration ratio of red marrow to blood is then assumed to be constant. The aim of the current study was to determine whether this ratio varies with time after injection. METHODS: Measurements were

Protein D (PD) is a highly conserved 42 kDa surface lipoprotein found in all Haemophilus influenzae, including nontypeable (NT) H. influenzae. PD is involved in the pathogenesis of respiratory tract infections, in the context of which it has been shown to impair ciliary function in a human nasopharyngeal tissue culture model and to augment the capacity to cause otitis media in rats. A likely mecha

The relative importance of seed, habitat and microhabitat limitation has rarely been investigated for invasive non-native species, although this is critical for their effective management and for predicting future range expansion. Rosa rugosa is an abundant non-native shrub in coastal habitats of NW Europe; it is common along the Baltic coast but more scarce in exposed dunes of the North Sea. To i

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term impact on quality of life (QoL) in women referred for colposcopy after an abnormal cervical smear. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred consecutive women referred for colposcopy for the first time subsequent to receiving notification of an abnormal cervical smear. Women in the study group completed the Swedish Health Survey Short Form-36 (SF-36), the State/Trait Anxiety I

Subject Objective: To assess the accuracy of a portable monitoring device based on peripheral arterial tonometry to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To propose a new standard for limited-channel device validation using synchronized polysomnography (PSG) home recordings and a population-based cohort. Design: Single-night, unattended PSG and Watch_PAT 100 (WP_100). Setting: Home environment.

The development of blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow is dependent on communication with bone marrow stroma cells, making these cells central for the appropriate regulation of hematopoiesis. To identify transcription factors that may play a role in gene regulation in stroma cells, we performed comparative gene expression analysis of fibroblastic NIH3T3 cells, unable to su

Background: The proteome of the serine protease prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and its enzymatic properties have been clarified only recently. We have developed a specific and sensitive method for the measurement of active PSA and used it to measure proPSA in blood. Methods: We used the synthetic peptide KGISSQY, which possesses a PSA-specific cleavage site, as substrate. To ascertain the specifi

A method was developed for the determination of benzene in urine. The sample was pumped through the donor channel of a membrane extraction unit with a micro-porous membrane, separating the donor channel from an identical acceptor channel purged with nitrogen. The analyte reached the acceptor channel by diffusion through the membrane and was then swept by the carrier to a solid sorbent tube, where

Photovoltaic modules in two-dimensional low-concentrating systems with specular parabolic reflectors often experience high local irradiance that causes high local currents and cell temperatures. This generally results in power losses. The use of low-angle scattering reflectors gives a smoother irradiance distribution, which results in a higher fill factor. In order to study how the choice of refle

Background and purpose The introduction of Monte Carlo (MC) techniques for treatment planning and also for verification purposes will have considerable impact on the radiation therapy planning process. The aim of this work was to use a virtual accelerator to study the performance of a MC-based electron dose calculation algorithm, implemented in a commercial treatment planning system. Methods The