Negative potassium (K) balances have been reported from grass-dominated organic systems in several European countries, and in these systems delivery of K from soil primary minerals by weathering is probably crucial to sustained productivity. Mass balances and K budgets have been made at eight grass-dominated experimental agricultural systems, one each in Scotland and Sweden and six in Norway. Wher

Objectives: To investigate if the detection of celiac disease (CD) in children was improved by using alternative conjugates for assessment of tissue transglutaminase (tTG) autoantibodies. Methods: Serum samples from 108 biopsy confirmed CD children and 42 control subjects were investigated for the presence of autoantibodies with tTG coated microplates using protein A (PA), protein G (PG), anti-IgG

We generalize a recently developed polymer density functional theory (PDFT) for polydisperse polymer fluids to the case of semiflexible (stiff) polymers. As with our earlier work on flexible polymers, we show here that the generalization of the PDFT to polydisperse: mixtures of semiflexible chains allows us to obtain a remarkable simplification of the solution algorithm, compared to the monodisper

The evolution of reproductive isolation in the presence of gene flow is supported by theoretical models but rarely by data. Empirical support might be gained from studies of parallel hybrid zones between interbreeding taxa. We analysed gene flow over two hybrid zones separating ecotypes of Littorina saxatilis to test the expectation that neutral genetic markers will show site-specific differences

Pressurized ventilation acts to increase the oxygen supply to roots and rhizomes in some species of emergent plants. In a greenhouse experiment, we investigated how pressurized ventilation affected growth, biomass allocation and mineral content of Phragmites australis in two water depths (15 cm or 75 cm) and two substrates (organic sediment or sand). Through perforating each stem above the water s

We discuss the human impact of the forests of north-western Europe, especially changes in disturbance regimes and changes in the density of important features for biodiversity preservation. In southern Sweden, human impacts have decreased densities of old (>150 years) living trees and large (DBH>40 cm) dead trees to less than 1% of their original densities. In the same fashion, forest fires have d

Software inspections have been introduced in software engineering in order to detect faults before testing is performed. Reading techniques provide reviewers in software inspections with guidelines on how they should check the documents under inspection. Several reading techniques with different 16 purposes have been introduced and empirically evaluated. In this paper, we describe a reading techni

Increasing use of antibiotics and the spread of resistant pneumococcal clones in the early 1990s alarmed the medical profession and medical authorities in Sweden. Strama (Swedish Strategic Programme for the Rational Use of Antimicrobial Agents and Surveillance of Resistance) was therefore started in 1994 to provide surveillance of antibiotic use and resistance, and to implement the rational use of

Cell surface proteins that bind to the Fc part of immunoglobulin (Ig) A and/or IgG are expressed by many strains of the group A Streptococcus, an important human pathogen. Two extensively characterized proteins in this group of molecules are protein Arp that preferentially binds IgA and protein H that binds IgG. In addition, recent work has shown that many group A streptococcal strains express a n

In an attempt to define the clinical utility of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangement identification for tumour cell detection in multiple myeloma, we investigated 36 consecutive newly diagnosed patients intended for high-dose chemotherapy in a study protocol. After identification of the IgH rearrangement, an allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO) was constructed and used in a semiqua

An improved design of fuel cells stacks arrangement has been suggested before for MCFC where reactant streams are ducted such that they are fed and recycled among multiple MCFC stacks in series. By networking fuel cell stacks, increased efficiency, improved thermal balance, and higher total reactant utilisation can be achieved. In this study, a combination of networked solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)

AFM measurements in the force volume mode were performed over the total penetration depth for different positions on casein aggregates adsorbed to a graphite surface in a liquid cell. The stiffness of the force curves was correlated to indentation depths, layer depth and lateral position within the aggregates with the aim of arriving at a credible explanation for the shapes of the force curves. Th

The objective of the study was to describe 20 matched pairs of children born to psychosocial risk mothers who have been followed from early pregnancy through their first 16 years of life. Interviews and standardized behavior measurements with a focus on the children's development were used. When considering the overall data from the different measurements done over the 16-year study period, the st

A general, dynamic model describing the drying mechanisms of paper has been developed. The model includes shrinkage and predicts temperature, moisture, and pressure profiles. It has been evaluated against steady-state as well as dynamic measurements on a multicylinder paper dryer. The results revealed critical sections where low web strength and maximum gas pressure occur. Measurements of the oute

The macula of the human retina contains high amounts of the xanthophyll carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin [a mixture of (3R,3′R)-zeaxanthin and (3R,3′S-meso)-zeaxanthin]. Recently, it was shown that the uptake and the stabilization of zeaxanthin and lutein into the retina are likely to be mediated by specific xanthophyll-binding proteins (XBP). Here, we have used femtosecond pump–probe spectroscop

Tissue levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein were studied using enzyme immunoassay in different forebrain regions in the ipsi- and contralateral hemispheres of rats housed under enriched or standard conditions after the middle cerebral artery ligation. BDNF levels in the ipsilateral to ligation side was significantly higher only in the frontal cortex of standard as compared to

Fibroblast growth factors and receptors are intimately connected to the extracellular matrix by their affinity to heparan sulfate proteoglycans. They mediate multiple processes during embryonic development and adult life. In this study, embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies were used to model fibroblast growth factor signaling during early epithelial morphogenesis. To avoid redundancy caused