What determines the development of rural financial markets? Starting from a simple theoretical framework, we derive the factors shaping the market entry of rural microfinance institutions across time and space. We provide empirical evidence for these determinants using the expansion of credit cooperatives in the 236 eastern counties of Prussia between 1852 and 1913. This setting is attractive as i

Being accepted by others matters more to us than being factually correct – and this is the key to tackling our post-truth society.

Recent evidence shows that rising wage inequality in industrialized countries can partially be attributed to trade integration. However, it is unclear what the mechanisms behind this relationship are. Previous explanations pointed towards the displacement of mid-wage manufacturing workers as a response to rising imports. But for Germany it has been shown that rising exports likewise create manufac

Patients with inherited α1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (ZZ-AATD) and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently experience exacerbations. We postulated that inhalation of nebulised AAT would be an effective treatment. We randomly assigned 168 patients to receive twice-daily inhalations of 80 mg AAT solution or placebo for 50 weeks. Patients used an electronic diary to capture

Interspecific hybridization is the process where closely related species mate and produce offspring with admixed genomes. The genomic revolution has shown that hybridization is common, and that it may represent an important source of novel variation. Although most interspecific hybrids are sterile or less fit than their parents, some may survive and reproduce, enabling the transfer of adaptive var

Cities are deploying tens of thousands of sensors and actuators and developing a large array of smart services. The smart services use sophisticatedmodels and decision-making policies supported by Cyber Physical Systems and Internet of Things technologies. The increasing number of sensors collects a large amount of city data across multiple domains. The collected data have great potential value, b

Finds and observations of the digger wasps Bembix rostrata L. and Philanthus triangulum F. are reported. They were found during a visit July 9-16 2019 in large aggregations in a nature preserve in Åhus, eastern Scania. The habitat provides shelter, open sand and several flowers as nectar resources. The ecology of the digger wasps are described.

Objectives: Evaluate if socioecological and biological factors, at the age of 8 years, are associated with lower level of physical activity (PA) 2 years later. Method: In a study cohort of 199 children aged 7.8±0.6 years, we used questionnaires and physical measurements to evaluate biological (eg, sex), social (eg, parental PA) and environmental (eg, school settings) factors. Objective PA was meas

Background and Purpose: Studies of monthly variation in acute stroke care have led to conflicting results. Our objective was to study monthly variation and longitudinal trends in quality of care and patient survival following acute stroke.Methods: Our nationwide study included all adult patients (≥18 years) with acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), admitted to Swedish hospitals from 2011 to 201

Sepsis is a serious condition that is associated with high mortality despite advanced modern medical treatment. Recent years have witnessed novel paradigms describing host responses in sepsis. In particular, the delicate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions has been subject to intense research. This volume in the book series 'Contributions to Microbiology' presents the state of the

Background: Though subjective, poor self-rated health (SRH) has consistently been shown to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD). The underlying mechanism is unclear. This study evaluates the associations of SRH with biomarkers for CVD, aiming to explore potential pathways between poor SRH and CVD. Methods: Based on the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cardiovascular Cohort study, a targeted proteomics approa

Soil and water acidification was internationally recognised as a severe environmental problem in the late 1960s. The interest in establishing “critical loads” led to a peak in weathering research in the 1980s and 1990s, since base cation weathering is the long-term counterbalance to acidification pressure. Assessments of weathering rates and associated uncertainties have recently become an area of

Population ageing is making it increasingly diffcult for countries to sustain their current levels social welfare transfers from the economically active population to the dependent elderly. To meet this challenge, the Swedish government has implemented various reforms since the 1990s aimed at reducing incentives to take early retirement. However, a critical question has emerged in response to thes

This paper presents a pilot study of the collaborative interaction between industrial design and engineering design in a significant productdevelopment project at a major Swedish vehicle manufacturer. Since industrial and engineering design have different approaches to productdevelopment, they require careful integration to reach their full potential, to reach project goals, and to ensure the inno

When corporations are faced with accusations of crime, they usually find it necessary to justify their actions to the public, the media and their shareholders. Corporate self-defense, aimed at protecting a corporation’s image and legitimacy, belongs to a broader category of offenders’ denials and neutralizations. The objective of this article is to compile and discuss literature that is of value fWhen corporations are faced with accusations of crime, they usually find it necessary to justify their actions to the public, the media and their shareholders. Corporate self-defense, aimed at protecting a corporation’s image and legitimacy, belongs to a broader category of offenders’ denials and neutralizations. The objective of this article is to compile and discuss literature that is of value f

Background: Cancer Antigen 125 (CA125) is currently the best available ovarian cancer screening biomarker. However, CA125 has been limited by low sensitivity and specificity in part due to normal variation between individuals. Personal characteristics that influence CA125 could be used to improve its performance as screening biomarker. Methods: We developed and validated linear and dichotomous (≥3

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is common in adolescents, and it has been shown that adolescents with pain may become young adults with pain. Pain often coincides with psychosomatic symptoms in adults, but little is known about longitudinal associations and predictors of pain in adolescents. The aim was to investigate chronic musculoskeletal pain and its associations with health status, s

Background: A healthy lifestyle has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). The extent to which lifestyle influences the risk of CAD for people with pre-existing non-modifiable risk factors is less studied. We therefore examined the associations between a favorable lifestyle and incidence of CAD in population subgroups based on gender, age, educational level, and parental h

Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of death worldwide and a major challenge for physicians to predict and manage. Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid) is a reliable surrogate marker for the more unstable endogenous opioid peptide enkephalin, which has previously been shown to predict both acute and chronic kidney disease. The aim of this prospective observational study was to assess penKid as a pre