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Thanks to an intensive technological effort in the framework of the EUFELE collaboration, the European FEL at ELETTRA was able to break the previous record for the shortest wavelength of an FEL oscillator. Novel solutions were adopted for multilayer mirrors to allow FEL operation in the wavelength region between 160 and 190 nm, which is one of the main targets of the project. The characteristics o
Background: Analysis of sialic acid (SA) metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is important for clinical diagnosis. In the present study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) method for free sialic acid (FSA) and total sialic acid (TSA) in human CSF was validated. Methods: The method utilized a simple sample-preparation procedure of protein precipitatio
Agricultural intensification and associated loss of high-quality habitats are key drivers of insect pollinator declines. With the aim of decreasing the environmental impact of agriculture, the 2014 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) defined a set of habitat and landscape features (Ecological Focus Areas: EFAs) farmers could select from as a requirement to receive basic farm payments. To inform th
The excessive use of pesticides is a serious health problem due to their toxicity and bioaccumulation through the food chain. Due to the complexity of foods, the analysis of pesticides is challenging often giving large matrix effects and co‐extracted compounds. To overcome this problem, a selective and “green” supercritical fluid extraction method was developed, using neat carbon dioxide as a solv
Great attention has been paid to developing low bandgap non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) for matching wide bandgap donor polymers to increase the photocurrent and therefore the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of NFA organic solar cells, while pyrene-core based acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) NFAs have been mainly reported via the 2,9-position connection due to their bisthieno[3′,2′-b']thienyl[a
The ambition to keep global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, as recognised in the Paris Agreement, implies a reorientation towards low-carbon societal development and, ultimately, the decarbonisation of human societies and economies. While climate policy has been geared towards achieving set emission reduction targets, the decarbonisation of key socioeconomic sectors such as ene
Viable city logistics are built on a sound business model that considers the financial viability and performance, and the role of externalities and stakeholders. To this end, the purpose of this dissertation is to increase understanding of how a business model can contribute to achieving viable city logistics initiatives.The research presented is qualitative and consists of three studies and five
Marine mammals and coastal fisheries are two features commonly associated with thriving marine environments, but it is also a case of wildlife impact on human interests. This paper analyses the seal-fisheries encounter in a Swedish Baltic Sea fishery. The problem concerns seals eating fish from the fishing gear which causes considerable economic losses to small-scale fishermen. This mixed-method s
BACKGROUND: The objective of the Swedish cleft lip and palate (CLP) registry is to promote quality control, research and improvement of treatment, by comparison of the long-term results of surgery, orthodontics and speech from all six Swedish CLP centres. The purpose of the study was to investigate the coverage and reporting degree of the Swedish CLP registry, and to describe the design of the reg
Objective: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has been extensively study regarding elective and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. However, much less is known about EVAR of symptomatic nonruptured AAA, especially concerning the long-term results. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of EVAR of symptomatic AAA compared with asymptomatic AAA at a tertiary center using a si
Mitochondrial dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOdehase; EC 1.3.99.11) is a target of anti-proliferative, immunosuppressive and anti-parasitic agents. Here, redoxal, (2,2'-[3,3'-dimethoxy[1, 1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diyl)diimino]bis-benzoic acid, was studied with isolated mitochondria and the purified recombinant human and rat enzyme to find out the mode of kinetic interaction with this target. Its pattern
Phenological vegetation characteristics are valuable inputs to several ecosystem-related models: including carbon exchange and climate change. Phenological characteristics are effective measures of changes in vegetation in an area and are subject to the seasonal and inter-annual climatic variations. In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, precipitation is the main driving factor for changes in vegetatio
The aim of this Masters Thesis was to investigate whether social capital is translated into performance by the Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to reach collective goals for the development of the community in rural Bangladesh. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study. This research was carried out in eight villages of Bangladesh and two hundred households were surveye
Abstract The integration of Muslim immigrants into the European societal sphere has have recently received the utmost concern of Europeans. This is because Muslim status has changed from ?immigrant? to ?threat? or ?challenge? to peace and prosperity of Europe in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks. Muslim exclusion from social life is now a problem necessitating an urgent solution. At this point, this
The work presented in this thesis has aimed to improve the knowledge about the groundwater occurrence in different geological conditions in Mozambique. The main focus in this study has been on the understanding of hydrogeological conditions in area with little background information by use of geophysical investigation. The lack of background information is a problem in many countries because the
Background: The rapid adoption of robot-assisted laparoscopy in radical prostatectomy has preceded data regarding associated costs. Qualitative evidence regarding cost outcomes is lacking. Objective: This study assessed how costs were affected by robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) compared with open surgery. Design, setting, and participants: Cost analysis was based on the dataset of
BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) and/or energy metabolic disturbances exist in the tissue surrounding a surgically evacuated intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). If present, such CBF and/or metabolic impairments may contribute to ongoing tissue injury and the modest clinical efficacy of ICH surgery.OBJECTIVE: To conduct an observational study of CBF and the energy meta
The question posed by this thesis is how limits can be constructed to the exercise of EU powers. While there are limits to the exercise of EU competences in the Treaties and in the Court of Justice’s jurisprudence, it is argued that those limits suffer from conceptual and practical problems. In particular, the Court does not have appropriate criteria to examine whether the limits of the Treaties h
