Popular Abstract in English More than 50% of road accident fatality victims in Malaysia are motorcyclists, numbering more than 4,000 fatalities per year. The aim of this thesis was to investigate motorcyclists’ road safety problems in general in Malaysia, and narrow down the focus to the most salient road infrastructure related risk factors. After identifying access points on primary roads as hazaMore than 50% of road accident fatality victims in Malaysia are motorcyclists, numbering more than 4,000 fatalities per year. The aim of this thesis is to investigate motorcyclists’ road safety problems in general in Malaysia, and narrow down the focus to the most salient road infrastructure related risk factors. After identifying access points on primary roads as hazardous sites, observations of

The following text addresses the threats aecting the honey-bee, and which are manifesting through the unusual death rates of bee colonies. Focus is placed in reviewing the scientic knowledge that concerns the honey-bee by discussing its cognitive and ethical categories and its in uence in nature conservation, mainly centred in the EU. Results indicate that scientic knowledge plays a fundamental ro

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of prolonged heat processing (180 min at 50-80 degrees C) on the functional and theological properties of pectin, derived from olive mill wastewater (OMW). It was shown that a low temperature blanching of OMW at 60 degrees C, activates endogenous pectin methyl esterase and promotes demethylation, despite the high concentration of phenols. Activa

The brick kiln at Saltsjö Boo is one of very few such structures known from medieval Sweden. Approx ¾ of the kiln has been excavated in successive short excavations from 2006 to 2011. Carbon 14 and TL (Thermoluminiscence) analyses indicate that the kiln has been in operation from c. 1250 to c.1450. This paper presents the results of the excavations and discusses the production of bricks and indust

The phosphatase and actin regulator 1 (PHACTR1) locus is a very commonly identified hit in genome-wide association studies investigating coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI). However, the function of PHACTR1 in the heart is still unknown. We characterized the mechanisms regulating Phactr1 expression in the heart, used adenoviral gene delivery to investigate the effects of Phactr1

Head and neck cancer is a heterogeneous group of tumours, although histopathologically, >95% are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Some tumours respond better to therapy than others. Not enough is known to predict the outcome and tailor individualised treatment. Although one of the main risk factors, smoking, has decreased over the last decades, some head and neck cancer groups show increasing incid

OBJECTIVE-This study assessed insulin and glucagon secretion in relation to insulin sensitivity in Caucasian women who develop impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) versus those who maintain normal glucose tolerance (NGT) over a 12-year period. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-At baseline and after 3, 8, and 12 years, glucose tolerance (75-g oral glucose tolerance test), insulin sensitivity (euglycemic-hype

We describe quantum-size and binding-site effects on the chemical and local field enhancement mechanisms of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS), in which the pyridine molecule is adsorbed on one of the vertices of the Ag-20 tetrahedron. We first investigated the influence of the binding site on normal Raman scattering (NRS) and excited state properties of optical absorption spectro

Recently, the possibility of misrepresentation has resurfaced in the debate between higher-order thought theorists and their opponents. One new element in the debate has been the rare cases of Charles Bonnet syndrome (RCB cases), proposed as empirical evidence for misrepresentation as posited by the higher-order theories. In this article I will spell out the argument supposedly underlying the clai

Objectives To describe the gray-scale and vascular characteristics of endometrial cancer in relation to stage, grade and size using two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) transvaginal ultrasound. Methods This was a prospective multicenter study including 144 women with endometrial cancer undergoing transvaginal ultrasound before surgery. The sonographic characteristics assessed were echogenic

Cohorts comprising fishermen's families on the east coast of Sweden have been found to have a high consumption of contaminated fish as well as high body burdens of persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs). Their west coast correspondents are socio-economically similar, but with considerably lower POP exposure since the fish caught on the west coast is far less contaminated. The rationale for th

This dissertation investigates references to five mythological characters (Penelope, Laodamia, Andromache, Alcestis and Euadne) used as paragons of wifely virtues in Roman elegy. Providing extensive close readings, it discusses the usage of these five characters in the works of Propertius and Tibullus, and in the elegiac works of Ovid, with special reference to issues of narratology, intertextuali

Traditionally, heavy-duty diesel engines have high efficiencies but also high emissions of NOx and soot particles. New engine concepts show the potential to retain diesel-like efficiencies while reducing emissions by forming a completely or partially homogeneous mixture of fuel and air prior to ignition through compression. The long ignition delay required to form this homogeneous mixture makes th

Purpose: Glucose concentrations are elevated in retinal cells in undiagnosed and in undertreated diabetes. Studies of diabetic patients suggest that retinal function adapts, to some extent, to this increased supply of glucose. The aim of the present study was to examine such adaptation in a model of type 2 diabetes and assess how the retina responds to the subsequent institution of glycemic contro