Filetype
Sub Saharan African (SSA) countries are facing severe economic challenges such as high trade costs, poor trade performance and low growth levels. As a result development assistance is needed to overcome these difficulties. SSA countries receive the highest share of Aid for Trade (AfT) and therefore it is important to assess the effects of AfT. This study investigates the trade effect of AfT on tra
This thesis discusses a rather contentious issue of how copyright law possesses musical works nowadays. It is essentially argued in the thesis that current copyright law appears to be too restrictive, leaving not enough space for creativity in the musical world. In this regard, the issue related to musical works are mainly analysed through the prism of the idea-expression dichotomy. One of the gen
In adaptive deep brain stimulation, a treatment for motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, the target of the stimulus is usually in the sub-thalamic nucleus or the globus pallidus. In this thesis, a new stimulus target called reticular thalamus is investigated in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease. The responses to the stimulus were recorded from both local field potentials and action potentials f
Streptomyces species are filamentous bacteria from the phylum Actinobacteria in which cell elongation occurs at the poles of the cell. This differs from many other bacteria like Escherichia coli where cell elongation occurs by insertion of peptidoglycan in the lateral wall. An essential protein for polar growth in Streptomyces is the coil-coiled protein DivIVA. DivIVA has an essential role in orch
Background/purpose Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is an MRI-based post processing technique to evaluate the magnetic susceptibility, χ, of human tissue using phase data. While brain imaging has been the most common application, other areas have also raised interest. For example, QSM of the articular cartilage of the knee has been suggested as a means to study the degeneration of this ti
In 2021, the Icelandic government stated that Iceland will implement an energy transition plan with the goal of becoming a 100% carbon neutral and fossil free nation by 2040, furthermore, that a doubling in renewable energy production was needed to reach that goal. This led to an upsurge of a discourse among stakeholders and concerned citizens about the future of Iceland. This thesis is an attempt
In this master’s thesis, different options to update the variant rank model used at the University hospital in Lund are presented. The variant rank model filters genetic variants from whole genome sequencing. This is done to identify potential causative variants in patients. Since the knowledge concerning these variants and rare genetic diseases grows rapidly, the model which filters said variants
Streamflow analysis helps us understand the availability of water resources in a region or a river. Accurate and timely streamflow monitoring is essential to improve our understanding of the hydrological cycle. Streamflow information is also necessary for many applications, such as irrigation planning, watershed management, hydropower products, flood control, and integrated water resources managem
A novel process for the production of biodegradable lubricant-based stocks from epoxidized vegetable oil with a lower pour point via cationic ion-exchange resins as catalysts was developed. This involves two steps, first, ring-opening reactions by alcoholysis followed by esterification of the resultant hydroxy group in the first step. The ring-opening reaction of epoxidized soybean oil with differ
Protein C (PC), a 62 kDa multi-modular zymogen, is activated to an anticoagulant serine protease (activated PC or APC) by thrombin bound to thrombomodulin on the surface of endothelial cells. PC/APC interacts with many proteins and the characterisation of these interactions is not trivial. However, molecular modelling methods help to study these complex biological processes and provide basis for r
Effects of ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation and acidification on pelagic carbon flux in a humic lake (dissolved organic carbon [DOC] similar to15 mg C L-1) were studied in a mesocosm experiment during the summer of 2000. Triplicate tanks (107 liters volume, 1 m high) were exposed to natural solar radiation, a daily extra dose of UV-B radiation, or kept dark. One set of tanks was submitted to a decreas
Two methods for visual evaluation of image quality of clinical radiographs have been compared. In visual grading analysis (VGA) specified anatomical structures in an image are visually compared with the same structures in a reference image, and in a free-response forced error (FFE) experiment - an extension of conventional ROC (receiver operating characteristics) analysis - the objective is to cor
Ultrafast accelerator-based sources combined with synchronized femtosecond lasers are currently being developed. The method described here is intended as a jitter monitor at such facilities. We report on the possibility of extracting a time-offset signal between two different synchronized ultrashort light pulses. The method is based on sum-frequency generation in a nonlinear crystal. Aiming at ext
The findings from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) and how they relate to the management of prostate disease were reviewed by leading European urologists during a meeting held in December 2005. The consensus opinions that were reached were endorsed by the European Association of Urology and are documented here. The key points of the consensus are as follows: (1) The overall results from
Non-targeted effect of BCG: Several recent studies suggest that BCG has beneficial non-targeted effects on general child survival in low-income countries. Studies of the effect of BCG on morbidity in humans are scarce; some found a positive effect of BCG and others show no effect. Non-targeted effects of vaccines-possible bias and confounding: The major argument against comparing vaccinated and un
Using a grounded theory perspective, this article focuses on experiences of participation in relation to home among very old people who are living alone. Eight people selected from the larger ENABLE-AGE Project were interviewed. Data analysis identified the core category as "home as the locus and origin for participation" with two main categories ("performance-oriented participation" and "together
Quality of life has various dimensions with multiple meanings for people. One vital issue is whether a person's subjective experienced quality of life correlates with his or her personality. Several studies show a correlation between personality and quality of life, life satisfaction or well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between personality and life quality, in parti
