This study examines the attempts made by one local government in China, Shenzhen, to improve its investment environment for foreign-invested enterprises through administrative reforms between 1980 and 1997. Three empirical questions are posed: what reforms have been undertaken, what effects have they had and how have changes in the organizational environment affected them. The theoretical aim is

Dercums sjukdom, adiposis dolorosa eller, mera allmänt, fettvävsreumatism är en relativt okänd sjukdom trots att den beskrevs redan 1888 av den amerikanske neurologen Francis Xavier Dercum. Den drabbar företrädesvis 20–40-åriga kvinnor, men kan även debutera hos barn. Kännetecknande är en uttalad smärta i fettväven. Patienterna har liksom fibromyalgikerna ofta nonchalant avfärdats med att »alla fe

The thesis contains a general theoretical and historical argument and the application of this argument to specific empirical data gathered over a period of 23 years among young people in Iceland. The first part consists of a selective review of the international research literature on television at the time of writing. This review leads to the establishment of three stages in the development of t

The insulin-degrading enzyme is responsible for the intracellular proteolysis of insulin. Its gene IDE is located on chromosome 10, in an area with suggestive linkage to type 2 diabetes and related phenotypes. Due to the impact of genetic variants of this gene in rodents and the function of its protein product, it has been proposed as a candidate gene for type 2 diabetes. Various groups have explo

In a replicated field experiment we studied the effects of natural densities of two exotic consumers, the predatory and herbivorous signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and the predatory rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), on multiple trophic levels of a pond community. The goals were to: (1) determine the individual and combined effects of predators on macroinvertebrates, macrophytes, and

The combination of Doppler tissue imaging and myocardial contrast echocardiography has the potential to provide information about motion and perfusion of the myocardium in a single examination. The purpose of this study was to establish how the presence of ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) affects measurements of Doppler tissue velocities in vivo and in vitro. We performed echocardiography in 12 pat

The charmed strange baryon Xi(c)(0) was searched for in the decay channel Xi(c)(0) -> Xi(-)pi(+), and the beauty strange baryon Xi(b) in the inclusive channel Xi(b) -> Xi(-)l(-)(nu) over barX, using the 3.5 million hadronic Z events collected by the DELPHI experiment in the years 1992-1995. The Xi(-) was reconstructed through the decay AT, using a constrained fit method for cascade decays. An iter

Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) catalyze the reduction of ribonucleotides into deoxyribonucleotides, which constitute the precursor pools used for DNA synthesis and repair. Imbalances in these pools increase mutational rates and are detrimental to the cell. Balanced precursor pools are maintained primarily through the regulation of the RNR substrate specificity. Here, the molecular mechanism of t

In dual cultures Oudemansiella mucida and Xerula melanotricha (basidiomycetes) react to the presence of living Penicillium notatum or P. turbatum with an increased production of strobilurin A (1) or X (2). P. notatum in turn reacts to the two basidiomycetes or their antibiotic strobilurin A alone with the production of N-(2-hydroxypropanoyl)-2-aminobenzoic acid amide (3) or chrysogine (4). P. meli

AIM: To assess the prognostic value of amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG) 3 and 6 hours after birth. METHODS: Seventy three term, asphyxiated infants were studied (from two different centres), using the Cerebral Function Monitor (CFM Lectromed). The different aEEG tracings were compared using pattern recognition (flat tracing mainly isoelectric (FT); continuous extremely low voltage (CLV); burst-supp

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in brain plasticity and neuronal survival. Generally, BDNF enhances synaptic activity and neurite growth, although the effect of BDNF on neuronal survival and brain plasticity following injury is equivocal. Housing rats in an enriched environment after experimental stroke enhances recovery of sensory-motor function, which is associated with a de

Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) have been shown to broadly reproduce seasonal and interannual patterns of carbon exchange, as well as realistic vegetation dynamics. To assess the uncertainties in these results associated with model parameterization, the Lund-Potsdam-Jena-DGVM (LPJ-DGVM) is analyzed in terms of model robustness and key sensitive parameters. Present-day global land-atmosphe

The phase formation, heat of hydration and dilatation in a blended cement consisting of 50 wt.% calcium aluminate cement, 25 wt.% Portland cement and 25 wt.% calcium sulfate were studied (w/c= 1). The calcium sulfate was beta-hemilrydrate, anhydrite and mixes of the two. Kinetic expressions describing the ettringite formation in the pastes with the pure calcium sulfates were found. Hydration react

AIM: To study the detection rates of second trimester ultrasound screening for neural tube defects (NTD), abdominal wall defects (AWD) and Down's syndrome (DS) in low risk populations at tertiary centers, and to compare the ultrasound screening detection rates with those that were obtainable by biochemical serum screening (double test: alpha-fetoprotein/human chorion gonadotrophin/age test). STUDY

Festschrift to Hans Andersson, professor in medieval archaeology in Lund, with 43 articles and also an bibliography.

A theoretical model is established for diffusion of different types of ions in pore solution of concrete and the coupling to moisture flow and moisture content. Mass exchanges between ions in pore solution and solid hydration products in the concrete are also considered. The basic concepts behind the so-called mixture theory are used. The development of a mass balance principle for ions in pore so

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate transvaginal sonograpbic assessment of cervical length at 23 weeks as a screening test for spontaneous preterm delivery in order to define a cut-off value that could be used to select twin pregnancies at low risk of spontaneous preterm delivery. Methods In a prospective multicenter study of 383 twin pregnancies included before 14 + 6 weeks a cervical