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The Rustenburg Layered Suite (RLS) of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa is the largest mafic–ultramafic-layered complex on Earth. The RLS is associated with marginal sills that penetrate into the ~2.2 billion-year-old sedimentary strata of the Pretoria Group. These sills are in contact and share some geochemical similarities with different zones of RLS and are classified in terms of chemical co
Background: The aim of the study was to describe the technique of two-trocar laparoscopic appendectomy and compare the outcome between two- and three-trocar techniques in children. Methods: All children who underwent laparoscopic surgery for suspected appendicitis from 2006 to 2014 in a center for pediatric surgery were included in the study. Converted surgeries and patients with appendiceal absce
BACKGROUND: Oesophageal perforation is a rare but life-threatening condition with a significant morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective, nationwide study, the results of oesophageal perforation are reported for a well defined cohort, with special emphasis on the incidence, aetiology and results of surgical treatment.MATERIAL AND METHODS: 29 consecutive patients (16 males) were diagnosed wit
Secondary aerosols formed from anthropogenic pollutants and natural emissions have substantial impacts on human health, air quality, and the Earth's climate. New particle formation (NPF) contributes up to 70% of the global production of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), but the effects of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and their oxidation products on NPF processes in forests are poorly
Although zinc-blende (ZB) and wurtzite (WZ) structures differ only in the atomic stacking sequence, mixing of crystal phases can strongly affect the electronic properties, a problem particularly common to bottom up-grown nanostructures. A lack of understanding of the nature of electronic transport at crystal phase junctions thus severely limits our ability to develop functional nanowire devices. I
Context. With the aid of stellar abundance analysis, it is possible to study the galactic formation and evolution. Magnesium is an important element to trace the α-element evolution in our Galaxy. For chemical abundance analysis, such as magnesium abundance, accurate and complete atomic data are essential. Inaccurate atomic data lead to uncertain abundances and prevent discrimination between diffe
Occupational exposure to soot, rich in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, our knowledge about PAH exposure and early markers of CVD remains limited. In this cross-sectional study of 151 chimney sweeps and 152 controls, we investigated occupational exposure to PAH and early markers of CVD. Blood pressure (BP) (ch
Diabetic conditions are associated with modified brain function, namely with cognitive deficits, through largely undetermined processes. More than understanding the underlying mechanism, it is important to devise novel strategies to alleviate diabetes-induced cognitive deficits. Caffeine (a mixed antagonist of adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors) emerges as a promising candidate since caffeine cons
Despite the important medical implications, it is currently an open task to find optical non-invasive techniques that can image deep organs in humans. Addressing this, photo-acoustic tomography (PAT) has received a great deal of attention in the past decade, owing to favorable properties like high contrast and high spatial resolution. However, even with optimal components PAT cannot penetrate beyo
textcopyright 2017 John Wiley Sons Ltd.Across several animal taxa, the evolution of sociality involves a suite of characteristics, a "social syndrome," that includes cooperative breeding, reproductive skew, primary female-biased sex ratio, and the transition from outcrossing to inbreeding mating system, factors that are expected to reduce effective population size (Ne). This social syndrome may b
The gut microbiomes of birds and other animals are increasingly being studied in ecological and evolutionary contexts. Numerous studies on birds and reptiles have made inferences about gut microbiota using cloacal sampling; however, it is not known whether the bacterial community of the cloaca provides an accurate representation of the gut microbiome. We examined the accuracy with which cloacal sw
Background: Regional ventricular pumping mechanisms in patients with volume-loaded right ventricles (RV) are altered, but the cause is unknown. The aim was to determine whether these changes in ventricular pumping mechanisms are influenced by the RV dilatation itself or the aetiology behind it. Methods: Seventeen patients with atrial septal defects (ASD) and 10 healthy controls underwent cardiovas
BACKGROUND: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive, fatal tumor. Current therapeutic options only marginally improve survival. Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a dominant mediator of immunosuppression, binding to programmed cell death 1 (PD-1). PD-L1 is up-regulated in cancer cells, and the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway plays a critical role in tumor immune evasion, thus providing a target for
Objectives: Pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension are severe diseases with complicated treatment that need care at specialist clinics. The aim was to investigate changes in the patients' perceptions on coping, social support and received information when attending a newly started nurse-coordinated pulmonary arterial hypertension-outpatient clinic.Methods
With the sustainable potential of the city as a starting point, this thesis examines brownfield redevelopment in an existing urban context. The Nørrebro neighborhood of Copenhagen serves as a case. The focus is on learning from and reinterpreting existing urban structure, hierarchy, density and scale. Legislation allowing car free development at the chosen site, Vingelodden, also prompts explorati
The thesis investigates the perceptions about the importance of sustainability issues in the Millennial generation and the connection of the results to sustainability accounting to show how useful it is. The focus is particularly on sustainability as a criterion for job decisions and the extent to which it influences the motivation at work. In addition, differences in perception about age, gender,
Thirty years after the fall of communism and fifteen years after Poland joined the European Union, there have been more steps backwards than forwards in regards to gender and sexual equality. From the very beginning, this has been a cause of tension between Poland and the EU. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the conflicting constructs of sexual citizenship in Poland and Europe affect t
The purpose of this study is to explore identity dynamics in mergers and acquisitions. As Clark, Gioia, Ketchen and Thomas (2010) point out, traditional economic perspectives are often not sufficient in explaining merger outcomes. Extant research on identity largely take a functionalist approach and frequently use quantitative methods, not taking the individual seriously. In contrast, we want to b
In this study an evaluation of the ways in which the shopping mall NOVA Lund can improve its current waste management practices was conducted. This was done because NOVA plans to upgrade their waste management system. A survey was conducted where the staff of the 68 stores and 7 restaurants were inquired on the current system. The stores were asked to rank what kind of waste they encounter the mos
We live in a time where there is an increasing focus on the environment, in terms of classification of vehicle emission standards and environmental zones. Along with this and the fierce market competition that exists, it is odd that a greater effort has not been made in making material-transport more effective by renewing the tarmac on our road-network. The purpose of this report is to show the sa
