A kinematic approach is applied to compute moisture flux and particle velocities in the unsaturated zone. The computations are compared with observations of tracer marked meltwater particles. Groundwater flow is computed accounting for storage and assuming constant particle velocity. It is found that meltwater particles that reach the groundwater not very close to the ground surface do not contrib

The New Basel Capital Accord, Basel II, promotes standards for measurement of financial and operational risk in the banking industry. Its approach to Such risk measurement has been severely criticized in the literature, inevitably raising doubts concerning the effectiveness of Basel II. Using data from 25 semi-structured interviews with banking staff in four Swedish banks, the study suggests that

Objective - Degradation of extracellular matrix plays an important role in growth and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. Cystatin C, inhibitor of the collagen- and elastin-degrading cysteine proteases of the cathepsin family, is produced by virtually all cell types. It is present in the normal artery wall but severely reduced in human atherosclerotic lesions. Methods and Results - To dete

BACKGROUND: The Case Method (Case) and Problem Based Learning (PBL) are two student active methods, increasingly used in medical education. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare medical student satisfaction with the two different active methods of learning and to see if there was any variation in preference between two stages in medical training. METHODS: A short questionnaire was given out to

All sesquiterpenes present in a sample of scented myrrh were isolated and characterised. Seven compounds, with cadinane, guaiane, oplopane, and eudesmane skeletons, were obtained, of which two are new and two are reported from a natural source for the first time. The major component, T-cadinol, has previously been shown to possess smooth muscle-relaxing properties, and the major purpose of the inv

Objective. To describe the change of pain reports over time in 3 cohorts derived from the general population: (1) no chronic pain (NCP, n = 1156); (2) chronic regional pain (CRP n = 502) and (3) chronic widespread pain (CWP; n = 242). To identify risk factors that predict the development or persistence of chronic widespread pain. Methods. A 3-year followup from 1995 to 1998 with postal questionnai

BACKGROUND: Infants born after IVF are often twins, and singleton IVF babies have an increased risk for preterm birth. Both conditions are likely to increase morbidity. We examined the frequency and duration of hospitalization required by babies born after IVF, and compared this information with all infants born in Sweden during the same time period. METHODS: We used a nationwide registration of I

beta-Hexosaminidase and its isoenzyme patterns were investigated in plasma from patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. The patients were divided into three main groups matched for duration of diabetes: (a) proliferative retinopathy (b), progress of retinopathy within a two-year period (c) and with no background retinopathy. When all patients were compared to a reference group, a significant incre

Objective: The insulin responsive adiponutrin (PNPLA3 or ADPN) gene shows association with obesity and in vitro adipocyte lipolysis. This study aimed to replicate the association between PNPLA3 variants and obesity, and to investigate their effect on insulin resistance and beta-cell function. Methods: rs738409 (Met148Ile) and rs2072907 (C to G) were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination as

In this paper we aim to understand the size/conformation relationship in waxy barley starch, a polydisperse and ultrahigh molar mass biomacromolecule. Characterizations are performed with asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF). Furthermore, we study the effect of homogenization on the molar mass, rms radius (r rms) and hydrodynamic radius (r h). For the untreated sample, the macromol

A total of 14 women and seven men with a mean age of 43 years (18 to 68) who sustained a Mason type IV fracture of the elbow, without an additional type II or III coronoid fracture, were evaluated after a mean of 21 years (14 to 46). Primary treatment included closed elbow reduction followed by immobilisation in a plaster in all cases, with an additional excision of the radial head in 11, partial

We wanted to study the expression of P2-receptors at the mRNA-level in the heart and if it is affected by congestive heart failure (CHF). To quantify the P2 receptor mRNA-expression we used a competitive RT-PCR protocol which is based on an internal RNA standard. The P2 receptor mRNA-expression was quantified in hearts from CHF rats and compared to sham-operated rats. Furthermore, the presence of

A novel sulfophenylated polysulfone membrane material has been evaluated in a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell using Nafion-impregnated commercial electrodes. Comparative measurements were performed with Nafion membranes to distinguish between different sources of potential losses. The operational temperatures in the experiments ranged from 60 to 110 °C, and the effect of different humidifying conditions

Dispersal is commonly considered to be a condition-dependent behaviour with no or low heritability. Here, we show that dispersal in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus ) has a high heritability. Analyses of capture-recapture data of male great reed warblers gathered from the species' whole Swedish breeding range revealed a remarkable offspring-parent resemblance in dispersal behaviou

Plots in a 40-yr-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stand in S. Sweden were treated with 5 tons tonnes? lime/ha, 7.5 tons wood-ash/ha, or left untreated. One-yr-old P. sylvestris seedlings were planted in each of the plots in early June, 12 months after ash treatment and 18 months after lime treatment. The pH of the limed, ash treated and untreated plots were 5.2, 6.4 and 3.8, respectively. Four mo

Streptomyces genomes encode two homologs of the nucleoid-associated HU-proteins. One of them, here designated HupA, is of a conventional type similar to E. coli HUalpha and HUbeta, while the other, HupS, is a two-domain protein. In addition to the N-terminal part that is similar to HU proteins, it has an additional C-terminal domain that is similar to the alanine and lysine-rich C-termini of eukar

Purpose To explore the effect of high-dose ifosfamide in first-line treatment for patients