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We present a model for developing health services for men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa and other places where MSM are heavily stigmatized and marginalized. The processes of the SPEND model include Safe treatment for sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and HIV; Pharmacy sites for treatment of STIs in countries where pharmacies and drug stores are the source of medical advi
An unconventional system for separate collection of food waste was investigated through evaluation of three full-scale systems in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Ground food waste is led to a separate settling tank where food waste sludge is collected regularly with a tank-vehicle. These tank-connected systems can be seen as a promising method for separate collection of food waste from both households
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) causes invasive infections in human newborns. We recently showed that the GBS beta-protein attenuates innate immune responses by binding to sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 5 (Siglec-5), an inhibitory receptor on phagocytes. Interestingly, neutrophils and monocytes also express Siglec-14, which has a ligand-binding domain almost identical to Siglec-5 but s
Local adaptation is an important process contributing to population differentiation which can occur in continuous or isolated populations connected by various amounts of gene flow. The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is one of the most common songbirds in Fennoscandia. It has a continuous breeding distribution where it is found in all forested habitats from sea level to the tree line and t
Migrating birds are expected to fly at higher airspeeds when minimizing time rather than energy costs of their migratory journeys. Spring migration has often been suggested to be more time selected than autumn migration, because of the advantage of early arrival at breeding sites. We have earlier demonstrated that nocturnal passerine migrants fly at higher airspeeds during spring compared to autum
Many people have experienced computers not doing what they were expected to do or, perhaps more often, met with computers that deliver faulty results. Frequently, if not always, such behavior is blamed the lack of a complete requirements specification. hi this assertion, it is tacitly understood that if a specification is correct and comprehensive enough then it is possible to avoid computing erro
A strain of an alkaliphilic bacterium Bacillus halodurans was isolated from a water sample in Lake Shalla, a soda lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. From the culture of this isolate, B. halodurans S7, a xylanase which is active in a wide range of pH, with an optimum at about 9-9.5 was purified. When assayed at pH 10, the enzyme was optimally active at 70 ?C. The xylanase was free from any associat
Sensor based control systems increase flexibility and autonomy in robotics. One of the most common applications in robotics is welding, which is often limited to objects with fine tolerances. To be able to manage objects with relatively large tolerances, such as ship-hulls, sensor guided control systems have to be incorporated that are able to handle large deviations from the drawings. To be able
Highly sensitive biosensors were developed for environmental and medical applications. The biosensors were based on bioengineered proteins as biorecognition elements coupled to a highly sensitive capacitive transducer. Heavy metal binding proteins like the metallothionein SmtA, regulatory protein MerR, periplasmic protein MerP and the synthetic phytochelatin EC20 were used for designing, construc
BACKGROUND: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles accumulate in the arterial wall and become oxidized during atherogenesis, leading to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The major protein of the LDL particle, apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100), becomes fragmented during oxidation and a target for the immune system. METHODS: In this study we used in situ ellipsometry to monitor the adsorption
Dendrochronological analysis was applied to subfossil remains of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) buried in a South Swedish peat deposit. In combination with peat stratigraphy, this approach was explored for its potential to provide information on the local hydrological and depositional history at the site, forming the basis for a regional palaeohydrological analysis. A 726-year ring-width chronol
The cloud-nucleating properties of the atmospheric aerosol were studied in an area under strong influence of vegetation burning. The measurements were part of Large-Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia-Smoke Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall and Climate (LBA-SMOCC) and were carried out at a ground site located in the state of Rondonia in southwestern Amazonia, Brazil, September to November 2
Asthma is an increasingly common disorder, affecting 5-10% of the population. It involves a dysregulated immune function, which may predispose to subsequent cancer. We examined cancer risk among Swedish subjects who had hospital admission once or multiple times for asthma. An asthma research database was created by identifying asthma patients from the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register and by lin
For most species, it is currently not known whether individual characteristics and population parameters affecting dispersal distances within the local population are also affecting dispersal of individuals emigrating longer distances. We evaluated this in the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus by analysing data of natal dispersal distances within (1) the local hatching area in southern
Humans utilise about 40% of the earth's net primary production (NPP) but the products of this NPP are often managed by different sectors, with timber and forest products managed by the forestry sector and food and fibre products from croplands and grasslands managed by the agricultural sector. Other significant anthropogenic impacts on the global carbon cycle include human utilization of fossil fu
Six methyl cellulose (MC) samples, one with a IDS Of 1.32 and five with a DS between 1.83 and 1.88, were degraded with five different enzymes or enzyme preparations containing endoglucanases. The main goal was to investigate whether enzymes could be used for determination of heterogeneity of the substituent distribution along the cellulose chain. To obtain information about the heterogeneity it wa
The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibody responses to different VIsE protein IR6 peptide variants and the synthetic C6 peptide in acute and convalescent (2-3 and 6 months) serum samples from Swedish patients with clinical erythema migrans (EM). Serum samples were prospectively collected from 148 patients with EM and compared to serum samples obtained from 200 healthy blood donors. The Ig
The influence of pH on the growth and assimilation of N-15-labelled ammonium and nitrate was studied in intact ectomycorrhizal systems consisting of Betula pendula Roth and Picea abies (L.) Karst. colonized with a common mycelium of Paxillus involutus (Batsch) Fr. The plants were grown together in Plexiglass observation chambers containing non-sterile peat with three different pH values, 4.0, 5.1
This paper investigates how vascular plants affect carbon flow and the formation and emission of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4 ) in an arctic wet tundra ecosystem in NE Greenland. We present a field experiment where we studied, in particular, how species-specific root exudation patterns affect the availability of acetate, a hypothesized precursor of CH4 formation. We found significantly higher a
Airway infections are known to cause exacerbations of allergy and asthma. Tonsils constitute a primary site for microbial recognition and triggering of the immune system in the airways. Human β-defensins (HBDs) are antimicrobial peptides with an important role in this defense. Our aim was to investigate HBD1-3 in tonsillar tissue and their potential role in allergic rhinitis (AR). Tonsils, obtaine
