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In On What Matters (2011) Derek Parfit advocates the Kantian Contractualist Formula as one of three supreme moral principles. In important cases, this formula entails that it is wrong for an agent to act in a way that would be partially best. In contrast, Parfit’s wide value-based objective view of reasons entails that the agent often have sufficient reasons to perform such acts. It seems then tha

Flexible multibody dynamics (FMD) has found many applications in control, analysis and design of mechanical systems. FMD together with the theory of structural optimization can be used for designing multibody systems with bodies which are lighter, but stronger. Topology optimization of static structures is an active research topic in structural mechanics. However, the extension to the dynamic case

This thesis is focused on the detail process of formation of mesoporous silica materials.Mesoporous silica materials are one type of porous materials with a pore size between 2 and 5 nm (1 nm=0.000 000 001 m). The pore walls consist of silicon dioxide – silica (sand also consists of silica). The mesoporous silica materials are formed by amphiphilic molecules, a kind of molecule with one part that We investigate the formation mechanism responsible for two specific systems of mesoporous silicas formed with the so-called co-structure directing agent (CSDA) route. The synthesis relies on the interactions between silica source (tetraethylorthosilicate, TEOS), surfactants and CSDA. The structures of the mesoporous silica materials were investigated mainly by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD),

This paper uses a method devised by Geary and Stark to estimate regional GDPs for 24 Swedish provinces 1855-2007. In empirical tests, we find that the Swedish estimations yield results of good precision, comparable to those reported in the international literature. From the literature, we generate six expectations concerning the development of regional GDPs in Sweden. Using the GDP estimations, we

Training and exercises programmes are not independent activities, forming part of a larger, risk-based, process of disaster management preparedness. In order to have an impact on an individual's skills knowledge or behaviours, or to influence organizational learning or procedures, the programmes needs a cyclic and holistic approach. It should focus on clearly identified outcomes that are designed

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Age is a major determinant of clinical outcome in ALI. The increased ALI-associated mortality in the older population suggests that there are age-dependent alterations in the responses to pulmonary challenge. The objective of this observational study was to evaluate age-dependent diff

The aging lung is increasingly susceptible to infectious disease. Changes in pulmonary physiology and function are common in older populations, and in those older than 60 years, pneumonia is the major cause of infectious death. Understanding age-related changes in the innate and adaptive immune systems, and how they affect both pulmonary and systemic responses to pulmonary challenge are critical t

Societal functions constitute of public and private organisations and companies that provide commodities and services that are vi-tal for the functioning of the modern society. The public are highly dependent on these vital societal services and commodities, such as power supply, health care and education. In this paper we present an application of a method for collecting and structuring data and

BACKGROUND: The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), remains a significant source of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Pneumonia and sepsis are leading causes of ARDS, the pathophysiology of which includes increased pulmonary microvascular permeability and hemodynamic instability resulting in organ dysfunction. We hypothesized that N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) r

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is characterized by dysregulated systemic inflammation and cytokine storm. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is known to closely correlate with severity of sepsis-related acute lung injury and mortality. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms involved in Ang-2 secretion to better understand the pathophysiology of sepsis.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The concentration of Ang-2 was a

The review presented in this paper aims to describe the state-of-the art concerning methods for measuring societal resilience. A literature search is conducted where 36 recently published methods are selected. Then, various questions are explored concerning the methods, such as how resilience is operationalized, how data is collected, and about their normative foundation. Several methods exist wit

A new, integrated, diagnosis tool in the field of industrial sustainability management named the ‘Initial Review for Sustainable Consumption and Production.’ was developed and tested. Most of the existing tools for an initial diagnosis and for identification of suitable interventions in this area have some of the following drawbacks: a. they are incomplete because they do not address all levels of

New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) rely heavily on a range of tools to extract prey. They manufacture novel tools, save tools for later use, and have morphological features that facilitate tool use. We report six observations, in two individuals, of a novel tool-use mode not previously reported in non-human animals. Insert-and-transport tool use involves inserting a stick into an object an