Detection of explosives vapours on quartz crystal microbalances: generation of very low-concentrated vapours for sensors calibration

AbstractA controlled vapours generator of explosives compounds has been evaluated for delivering low-concentrated vapours in order to determine the threshold of quartz crystal microbalances based chemical gas sensors

Chromatin and DNA methylation dynamics during retinoic acid-induced RET gene transcriptional activation in neuroblastoma cells

Although it is well known that RET gene is strongly activated by retinoic acid (RA) in neuroblastoma cells, the mechanisms underlying such activation are still poorly understood. Here we show that a complex series of molecular events, that include modifications of both chromatin and DNA methylation state, accompany RA-mediated RET activation. Our results indicate that the primary epigenetic determinants of RA-induced RET activation differ between enhancer and promoter regions. At promoter region, the main mark of RET activation was the increase of H3K4me3 levels while no significant changes of the methylation state of H3K27 and H3K9 were observed. At RET enhancer region a bipartite chromatin domain was detected in unstimulated cells and a prompt demethylation of H3K27me3 marked RET gene activation upon RA exposure. Moreover, ChIP experiments demonstrated that EZH2 and MeCP2 repressor complexes were associated to the heavily methylated enhancer region in the absence of RA while both complexes were displaced during RA stimulation. Finally, our data show that a demethylation of a specific CpG site at the enhancer region could favor the displacement of MeCP2 from the heavily methylated RET enhancer region providing a novel potential mechanism for transcriptional regulation of methylated RA-regulated loci

Registrering av testamente - En undersökning av behovet av ett svenskt testamentsregister och hur ett sådant bör utformas

Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka diskussionen kring testamentsregister i Sverige. Den deskriptiva delen av arbetet inriktar sig främst på varför Sverige saknar ett nationellt testamentsregister och vilka argument som har framförts för och emot ett sådant. För att ytterligare belysa frågan behandlas rättsläget för testamentsregister i Danmark och Norge som båda har någon form av testamentsregistrering. Situationen i dessa länder jämförs sedan med de förhållanden som råder i Sverige. Analysdelen av arbetet inriktar sig framför allt på hur ett testamentsregister i Sverige skulle kunna utformas. Detta innebär för det första en redogörelse för de olika alternativa lösningar som finns och för det andra en övervägning mellan de olika lösningarnas för- och nackdelar. Avslutningsvis presenteras ett förslag till utformning av ett svenskt testamentsregister. I Sverige har frågan om att införa ett testamentsregister inte förts fram på allvar förrän under de senaste tio åren så mängden utredningar som behandlar frågan är begränsade. För svenska förhållanden finns främst en promemoria från Skatteverket som delvis behandlar testamentsregister. I Norge har frågan dock behandlats mer ingående och då situationen där liknar den svenska kan lärdom dras av de norska förarbetena. De frågor där olika alternativa lösningar diskuteras är fem till antalet. För det första om en materiell granskning av testamentet bör ske vid registreringen. För det andra om registreringen av testamente bör vara obligatorisk eller frivillig. För det tredje hur kontroll av om testator lever bör ske och hur underrättelse av dödsboet bör ske. För det fjärde huruvida man endast skall kunna registrera sitt testamente eller om man även skall kunna förvara det. För det femte vilken myndighet eller annan organisation som bör administrera ett svenskt testamentsregister.The aim of this thesis is to discuss if registration of wills in Sweden would be possible. The descriptive part focuses mainly on why Sweden does not have a national register of wills and the arguments put forward for and against such a register. To further highlight the issue the register of wills in Denmark and Norway will be dealt with. Both of these countries have different forms of testamentary registration. The situation in these countries is then compared to the conditions found in Sweden. The analysis part of the thesis focuses primarily on how a register of wills in Sweden could be designed. This means, firstly, an explanation of the various alternatives available and, secondly, a discussion of the various solutions regarding the pros and cons. And finally, a presentation of a proposal for the design of a Swedish register of wills. In Sweden, the issue of introducing a register of wills has not been discussed until the last ten years. Because of that, the amount of studies that address the issue are limited. For Swedish conditions it is primarily a promemoria from the Swedish tax agency, which in part deals with register of wills. In Norway, however, the issue is addressed in more detail and because the situation is quite similar to the Swedish one, lessons can be learned from the Norwegian legislative history. The different alternatives when discussing a Swedish register of wills could be summoned up in five categories. If a review of the will should be done when it is registered. If the registration of wills should be mandatory. How to control whether the testator is still alive or not and how to contact the estate when the testator have died. If it should be possible to both register and store a will or only possible to register it. And finally which organisation should be responsible for the register of wills

Dumbledore, Remembrall and OWLs : Word formation processes of neologisms in the Harry Potter books

This thesis investigates the word formation processes of the neologisms in the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. The aim is to find the frequencies of these processes and then discuss why the frequency looks this way. By collecting and analysing the neologisms with the help of the classification of Plag (2003) and Ljung (2003), the frequencies of the different formation processes is established. The reasons why the distribution of word formation processes looks this way is then discussed and compared to the background information about the author. The conclusion is that compound is the most frequent word formation of this sample. The arguments why the distribution looks this way could be that the semantic meaning of the Harry Potter words is important and that many of the neologisms are based on humour, mythology and folklore.

The Disney Cliché : Relationship dynamics in Disneys animated films in the 21st century from a gender perspective

Disney is one of the largest media companies in the world. They have been critizied for portrayting men, women and love relationships with stereotypical behaviours and attributes. This may lead to negative effects on childrens and adolescents perception of reality. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Disney portrays the dynamic between the characters within the love relationship in their movies launched in the 21st century. This study has examined four movies released in the 21st century containing a love relationship between a man and a woman. Movies examined were; Atlantis - The Lost Empire, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled and Frozen. For this study, a quantitative content analysis with qualitative elements was applied to answer the purpose and issue of the study. The study measured the frequency of the characters activities and actions when they are with and without each other, what they are doing together and who is the initiator of classical love actions. The results for this study presented interesting patterns. Both female and male characters were often portrayed with stereotypical behaviuors in Disneys animated movies. However, these patterns differed when the characters were with and without each other. When the characters were together, the female characters tended to be portrayed with more male attributes, whilst the male characterstended to be portrayed with more female attributes. Additionally, Disney tend to portray love relationships in a stereotypical and unrealistic way

Wet Chemistry of Spinel Iron oxide Particles

Various properties of spinel iron oxide nanograins are reviewed, illustrating the broad possibilities of wet chemistry for tailoring materials for a wide range of utilizations, from catalysis and sensors to cast magnetic materials

Low temperature dynamics of small γ\gamma-Fe2_203_3 particles

We have studied the response of a system of small (~ 4 nm) ferrimagnetic particles to a field reversal at low temperature (0.6 to 12 K). The reversal of the particle magnetic moments through the anisotropy barriers is shown to be governed by thermally activated dynamics down to 0.6 K, with no evidence for quantum effects. We propose a data analysis in terms of the unique variable $T \cdot Ln(t/{\tau_0})$, which accounts for a non-constant distribution of anisotropy barriers