Cadmium accumulation in arable soils causes concern due to possible direct environmental effects and health risks associated with exposure of humans to cadmium through agricultural products. This paper discusses the problem of cadmium accumulation in Swedish arable land, and evaluates Salix (Salix vinimalis) cultivation as a tool for addressing the problem. It is found that Salix cultivation offer

Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is present in the intestinal tract and additionally human bile. It hydrolyses sphingomyelin in both intestinal lumen and the mucosal membrane in a specific bile salt dependent manner. The enzyme was discovered 36 years ago but got real attention only in the last decade, when sphingomyelin metabolism was realized to be a source of multiple lipid messengers, and

Artikel med anledning av Landsarkivets i Lund 100-årsjubileum.

Stratospheric ozone levels are near their lowest point since measurements began, so current ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation levels are thought to be close to their maximum. Total stratospheric content of ozone-depleting substances is expected to reach a maximum before the year 2000. All other things being equal, the current ozone losses and related UV-B increases should be close to their maximum. I

Aims: To explore the precision of task based estimates of upper arm elevation in three occupational groups, compared to direct measurements of job exposure. Methods: Male machinists (n = 26), car mechanics ( n = 23), and house painters ( n = 23) were studied. Whole day recordings of upper arm elevation were obtained for four consecutive working days, and associated task information was collected i

The present paper aims to explore the effects of [Mg2+]o and glucose, insulin and K+ (GIK) on action potential parameters in guinea-pig atrial muscle. Specimens of atrial appendages were taken from guinea-pig hearts. Action potentials were recorded in isolated atrial trabeculae. Resting potential (RP) and action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD90) were measured with conventional micro

An effective way to increase the insulation on feet is to add socks. However, the effect of adding new layers on feet has not been studied enough. There is limited data on insulation of socks and their combination with footwear. In this study 4 types of socks with different fabric thickness and 3 types of footwear were tested on a thermal foot model to study the effect of the number, thickness and

Popular Abstract in Swedish Denna avhandling i nationalekonomi består av fyra stycken självständiga akademiska arbeten. Syftet med avhandlingen är att studera vilken roll hälsoförsäkringar spelar för den privata finansieringen av hälso- och sjukvården i låg- och mellaninkomstländer. Arbetena studerar både effektivitets- och fördelningsfrågor med hjälp av olika typer av metoder. De enskilda arbetenThe thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four independent research papers, summarized as follows. The introductory chapter discusses the role of economics in international health and the policy contributions of each of the particular papers. In addition, the data and the methods that have been used are discussed. Paper I, entitled Community-based health insurance in low-income countries:

BACKGROUND: Budesonide, a marker for corticosteroid allergy, is a 1:1 mixture of 2 diastereomers, the R and S, present in all commercial formulations. Budesonide is said to cross-react with group B substances through the R and S diastereomer and some group D substances only through the S diastereomer. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cross-reactivity pattern between the R and S diastereomers and 4 po

This paper describes a comparison between auditory threshold elevations and morphological cochlear changes evaluated with scanning electron microscopy in order to identify cochlear defects in guinea pigs exposed to impulse noise of varying durations. There was a significant difference in the auditory threshold shifts between animals exposed for 3 and 12 hours. Hair cell loss is generally used as a

The use of the extracting syringe (ESy), a fully automated membrane-based extraction technique, for analysis of phthalate esters in complex aqueous samples has been investigated. The ESy, working as an autosampler that combines the extraction process and injection into the gas chromatograph (GC) in one single step, is placed on top of the GC equipped with a flame ionisation detector. The aqueous s

Vibrationally resolved C1s photoelectron spectra of benzene and d(6)-benzene have been recorded using monochromated synchrotron radiation at photon energies of 330 eV. The spectrum of normal benzene displays considerable vibrational structure. Particularly noteworthy is the strong excitation of a combined CCH-bending and CC-stretching mode which splits the main peak into two well-defined maxima. I

Classical conditioning of motor responses, e.g., the eyeblink response, depends on the cerebellum. In the theoretical works of David Marr (1969) and James Albus (1971), it was proposed that Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex learn to associate the neutral conditioned stimulus with the response. Since their work, several studies have provided data that are consistent with this suggestion, but

Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In order to successfully infect the human host, S. pyogenes is equipped with tools that modulate the human immune defence. The present thesis explores how different streptococcal proteins interfere with innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and blood coagulation. M protein is a surface-b

Allt fler gravstenar har enbart namn och födelsedata. Likaså minskar antalet gravar med yrkesangivelse. Antalet gravstenar med blommor, fåglar och naturscenerier ökar. Huruvida dessa skall ses som en beskrivning av individen är osäkert, men i vissa fall är det uppenbart, t ex när tecknet utgörs av en hund eller en tydlig yrkessymbol. Liksom i dödsannonserna kan man förvänta sig att också gravstena