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Purpose The aim of this paper is to explore key challenges of adopting, designing and managing performance-based contracts (PBC) for advanced logistics services, as seen by providers. The shift towards performance-based solutions has proved challenging since providers often struggle to link performance to their payment. Despite such managerial challenges, empirical research in this area has been l
We studied the nature of the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and the risk of death among elderly men. BMD was associated with mortality risk and was independent of adjustments for other co-morbidities. A piecewise linear function described the relationship more accurately than assuming the same gradient of risk over the whole range of BMD (p = 0.020). Low BMD was associated with a
The topic of this thesis is estimation of nonlinear dynamical systems, focusing on the use of methods such as particle filtering and smoothing. There are three areas of contributions: software implementation, applications of nonlinear estimation and some theoretical extensions to existing algorithms. The common theme for all the work presented is the pyParticleEst software framework, which has b
Previous prevalence rates of non-suicidal self-injury(NSSI) in adolescents have varied considerably. In the present cross-sectional study, prevalence rates, characteristics and functions of NSSI were assessed in a large randomized community sample consisting of 3,060 (50.5 % female) Swedish adolescents aged 15–17 years. The suggested criteria for NSSI disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Man
Objective This study assessed pesticide exposure of children in rural Nicaragua in relation to parental pesticide use, from around conception to current school age, as part of an epidemiological evaluation of neurodevelopment effects. Methods We included 132 children whose parents were subsistence farmers or plantation workers, or had an agricultural history. As proxies for children's long-term ex
This paper challenges the idea that emissions of greenhouse gases simply increase over time with income. It adopts a 200-year perspective and includes the important flows of greenhouse gases related to agriculture, not just the CO2 from fossil fuels. The result is that the pattern of Swedish total greenhouse gas emissions over time resembles an N. In contrast, when only emissions from fossil fuels
Background: Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists have proved effective as treatment against rheumatoid arthritis ( RA), but the unresolved issue of whether the use of anti-TNF therapy increases the already elevated risk of lymphoma in RA remains a concern. Methods: Using the Swedish Biologics Register (ARTIS), the Swedish Cancer Register, pre-existing RA cohorts and cross-linkage with other na
Many studies have been made on the impact of supplemental instruction in supported courses, most show significantly better examination results for students attending supplemental instruction in comparison to those who do not. However, remarkably little attention has been devoted to following up whether the benefits of supplemental instruction reach beyond the course it supports. The present study
Background The Chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus (CHIPS) blocks the Complement fragment C5a receptor (C5aR) and formylated peptide receptor (FPR) and is thereby a potent inhibitor of neutrophil chemotaxis and activation of inflammatory responses. The majority of the healthy human population has antibodies against CHIPS that have been shown to interfere with its function in vit
Purpose: Yttrium-90 (Y-90) is one of the most commonly used radionuclides in targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT). Since it decays with essentially no gamma photon emissions, surrogate radionuclides (e.g., In-111) or imaging agents (e.g., Tc-99m MAA) are typically used for treatment planning. It would, however, be useful to image Y-90 directly in order to confirm that the distributions measured wit
Three studies of the psychological and physiological effects on people of colored room interiors are described. Experiment 1 compared a colorful and a gray room, whereas in experiments 2 and 3 red and blue rooms were compared. The results indicate that the color of an interior space will have effects on many different levels. The perception of the room itself was affected, and the colors also had
When demand is uncertain, manufacturers and retailers often have private information on future demand, and such information asymmetry impacts strategic interaction in distribution channels. In this paper, we investigate a channel consisting of a manufacturer and a downstream retailer facing a product market characterized by short product life, uncertain demand, and price rigidity. Assuming the fir
Background: Although case-control studies have identified numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with prostate cancer, the clinical role of these SNPs remains unclear. Objective: Evaluate previously identified SNPs for association with prostate cancer and accuracy in predicting prostate cancer in a large prospective population-based cohort of unscreened men. Design, setting, an
Background: Dietary supplement use is increasing, but there are few comparable data on supplement intakes and how they affect the nutrition and health of European consumers. The aim of this study was to describe the use of dietary supplements in subsamples of the 10 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Specific questions on di
The electronic structure of methylene peroxide is a balance between zwitterionic and biradical valence structures. In this work we study how this balance is changed by an aqueous solvent, and what effect this has on the nuclear structure. A combined quantum chemical statistical mechanical method with an explicit representation of the solvent is used. The multiconfigurational quantum chemical metho
This paper draws upon the recent carbon market turmoil to understand how the private realm is imagined in global climate governance. Instead of asking which entities (eg, public or private authorities) govern the carbon economy, we draw attention to the procedures (eg, caps on emissions, techniques of verification, or performance standards) by which carbon markets are made thinkable and governable
For some time it has been argued that cities all over the world have become more entrepreneurial and increasingly competitive. Most research has focused on spectacular events in well-known metropolises, but far less is known about how smaller cities engage in competitive activities. This paper focuses on how, why and what Swedish cities hope to achieve by engaging themselves in hosting the tryouts
In this study, a signal analysis framework based on the Karhunen-Loève expansion and k-means clustering algorithm is proposed for the characterisation of arteriovenous (AV) fistula’s sound recordings. The Karhunen-Loève (KL) coefficients corresponding to the directions of maximum variance were used as classification features, which were clustered applying k-means algorithm. The results showed that
