Observations on Salvinia and its environment at lake Naivasha (Kenya)

Volume: 7

The Glass Knife in Ultramicrotomy

To obtain the best ultrathin sections in ultramicrotomy and cryoultramicrotomy, a high quality knife is of paramount importance. Glass knives were introduced for ultramicrotomy, in the manually broken form, in 1950. Since the introduction of mechanical knifemakers, the production of glass knives has become a standardized laboratory routine. In conventional ultramicrotomy different knife angles are used to cover different specimens and embedding media. The 50° knife broken with a small deviation of the score from the diagonal of the square gives a long useful edge, especially if damping during breaking is used. The 50° knife is, therefore recommended as the knife for routine ultramicrotomy. The demands of cryoultramicrotomy initiated a re-evaluation of the concepts of glass-knife preparation. The need for a sharp (45° real angle) knife for the preparation of ultrathin cryosections became evident. The balanced break concept of producing sharp knives from perfectly flat-sided squares greatly facilitates cryosectioning routines. Knives produced with a short score ( long free break ) potentially have the sharpest edges and give the thinnest sections

Mining and indigenous rights in Sweden:what is at stake and the role for legislation

Mining and the permitting process for mineral projects in Sweden has been criticised as inadequately safeguarding the rights of Indigenous reindeer herding Sámi, who hold usufruct rights to more than half the country’s territory. There have been calls for Sweden to ratify the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (ILO 169) and to change its Mineral Law. This paper evaluates the extent of protection of Sámi rights — and not only those engaged in reindeer herding — in Sweden’s minerals permitting process. It also considers the implications if changes were made to align this process with the Indigenous-rights framework. The paper demonstrates that reindeer herding Sámi are, broadly, treated similar to landowners in the mineral projects permitting process. However, there is discrimination when it comes to being able to have a share in the benefits of a project: impacted reindeer herders have no such option whereas landowners do. Also, the permitting processes do not consider social and cultural impacts, nor are there obligations for the state to be sufficiently involved in consultation processes. Addressing the identified shortcomings would require only small changes to the Mineral Law and/or to its application and would be possible with only limited impacts on mining because the sector is not a significant user of land whilst it creates large economic values. However, extending those changes (to give parity between landowners and Sámi rights holders) in other important economic sectors which use more extensive land areas, would entail a considerable transfer of resources and associated power. Furthermore, changing the Mineral Law specifically would mean little in terms of safeguarding the rights of the majority of Sami who do not engage in reindeer herding. This suggests that calls for changes to mineral-related legislation to resolve indigenous land right issues are mis-directed or at least insufficient, and that other type of legislative change is required, fundamentally including resolving how extensive and strong the Sámi’s rights to land should be.</p

Medias påverkan på Sveriges biståndspolitik - En jämförande fallstudie mellan konflikterna i Kashmir och Palestina

I denna uppsats söker vi finna om det råder ett samband mellan nivån på Sveriges bistånd och den mediala exponering som riktas mot olika konfliktzoner. Palestina och Kashmir, två konflikter som delar likheter i många avseenden, har trots liknande krissituationer erhållit avsevärda skillnader i humanitärt stöd från Sida. Hypotesen kring tänkbara förklaringar till snedfördelningen har sin grund i CNN-effekten – en teori vars centrala antagande är att olika nivåer av mediaexponering kring händelser även påverkar nivån på humanitär hjälp. Först genomförs en kvantitativ undersökning, där antalet artiklar skrivna om vardera konflikt sätts i relation till nivån på bistånd. Det framkommer att Palestina tilldelats betydligt mer bistånd och att konflikten har figurerat i betydligt större omfattning i svensk media än vad som är fallet med den i Kashmir. För att söka påvisa om det går att finna ett kausalt samband bedrivs sedan en kvalitativ studie där tre olika biståndsbeslut från Sida kopplas till olika tidningsartiklar vars publiceringar skett innan besluten har tagits. Tongångar i beslutsdokument från Sida tyder på att myndigheten har påverkats av media i sin beslutsfattning – om än inte i hur stor omfattning. I uppsatsens avslutande del diskuteras det kring vikten av bakomliggande faktorer för att förstå varför vi kunnat observera en skillnad i humanitär hjälp avsedd för Palestina och Kashmir. Såväl områdenas geografiska belägenhet som biståndstradition har troligen spelat in i utfallet. Även om det i slutändan inte var möjligt att säkerställa ett kausalt samband mellan nivån på mediaexponering och tilldelat bistånd, så har resultaten medfört att vi med relativ säkerhet kan fastslå att media har en reell påverkan på den svenska biståndspolitiken

Pupillstorlekens förändring vid hanterandet av minnesinterferens som leder till Retrieval Induced Forgetting

I denna studie undersöktes fenomenet Retrieval Induced Forgetting (RIF) (Anderson, Bjork & Bjork, 1994) och dess relation till TEPR (task evoked pupillary responses) (Beatty, 1982). Tidigare studier har konstaterat ett samband mellan ökad pupillstorlek och kognitiv belastning såsom minnesinkodning och framplockning (Beatty & Kahneman, 1966). RIF innebär att hågkomsten av viss information gör det svårare att minnas relaterad information. RIF kan ses vid försök att återkalla något av flera minnen med samma framplockningsledtråd. Effekten uppstår som ett resultat av att man måste hantera interferens från konkurrerande minnen vid framplockning av önskade minnen. RIF testas med ett minnesexperiment i tre delar; inkodning, generering och minnestest. Enligt den inhibitoriska förklaringsmodellen för RIF (Anderson, 2003) måste konkurrerande minnen inhiberas för att underlätta hågkomsten av önskade minnen, och eftersom inhibering kräver kognitiva resurser förväntas processen leda till en ökad pupillstorlek. I denna studie mättes gymnasieelevers pupillstorlek med en eyetracker under genomförandet av ett minnesexperiment. Associationsstyrkan mellan orden justerades genom varierande ordfrekvens i betingelserna High- och Low-competition condition (HCC och LCC). Resultatet visade en signifikant RIF-effekt i båda betingelserna och en signifikant ökning av pupillstorleken i HCC jämfört med LCC. Inget signifikant samband mellan mellan pupillens ökning i genereringsfasen och prestationen på minnestestet kunde konstateras.The present study investigated the retrieval induced forgetting phenomenon (RIF) (Anderson, Bjork & Bjork, 1994) and the relation to task evoked pupillary responses (TEPR) (Beatty, 1982). Previous studies suggests that the pupil diameter increases as a result of cognitive demands such as memory retrieval (Kahneman & Beatty, 1966). RIF is forgetting caused by managing of interference from competing memories when attempting to retrieve one of several memories that share a common retrieval cue. This phenomenon is tested using the RIF-paradigm in which participants complete a memory task including three parts; memory encoding, generating and a memory test. The effect of RIF results in a decreased memory for competing words in the memory test. According to the Inhibitory-control account (Anderson, 2003) the competing memory is inhibited to promote recall of the target memory. Since this inhibitory mechanism requires cognitive demands, this should result in an enlarged pupil diameter. The pupil diameter was collected using an eyetracker, and the results indicated a significant RIF-effect in both conditions and a significantly more increased pupil diameter in HCC compared to LCC. No significant association between an increased pupil-size in generate and decreased performance in the memory test was confirmed

Promocijas darbs

Darbā ir apkopota literatūra par furāna un tiofēna karbonilgrupas atvasinājumu, silatrānu un germatrānu iegūšanas metodēm. Tika sintezēti aminosililgrupu saturoši furfurola dietilacetāli, silīciju un germāniju saturoši furāna un tiofēna karbonilsavienojumi, veiktas karbonilgrupas reakcijas un iegūti jauni furil(tienil)nitroni, -aldimīni, -laktoni, -metilēn-bis-indoli, -ketoksīmi, -O-alkil- ketoksīmi, -1,5-benzodiazepīni. Sintezēti silatrāni un bis-germatrāni. Sintezēto savienojumu struktūras pierādītas ar spektrometriskajām metodēm, izpētīta un salīdzināta iegūto vielu bioloģiskā aktivitāte. Perspektīvākajām savienojumu klasēm noteikta spēja inhibēt angioģenēzi un matricas metaloproteināzes.Synthesis of furane and thiophene carbonyl group containing derivatives, silatranes and germatranes have been reviewed. Were synthesized aminosilyl group containing furfurol diethylacetals, silicon and germanium containing furane and thiophene carbonyl compounds, performed carbonyl group reactions and obtained new furyl(thienyl)nitrones, -aldimines, -lactones, -methylene-bis-indoles, -ketoximes, -O-alkylketoximes, -1,5-benzodiazepines. Were synthesized silatranes and bis-germatranes. Structure of the synthesized compounds demonstrated by spectrometrical methods and studied and compared the biological activity of substances. For the most promising compounds a certain ability to inhibit angiogenesis and matrix metalloproteinase was determine

Photostability of commercial sunscreens upon sun exposure and irradiation by ultraviolet lamps

BACKGROUND: Sunscreens are being widely used to reduce exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The fact that some sunscreens are photounstable has been known for many years. Since the UV-absorbing ingredients of sunscreens may be photounstable, especially in the long wavelength region, it is of great interest to determine their degradation during exposure to UV radiation. Our aim was to investigate the photostability of seven commercial sunscreen products after natural UV exposure (UVnat) and artificial UV exposure (UVart). METHODS: Seven commercial sunscreens were studied with absorption spectroscopy. Sunscreen product, 0.5 mg/cm(2), was placed between plates of silica. The area under the curve (AUC) in the spectrum was calculated for UVA (320–400 nm), UVA1 (340–400 nm), UVA2 (320–340 nm) and UVB (290–320 nm) before (AUC(before)) and after (AUC(after)) UVart (980 kJ/m(2 )UVA and 12 kJ/m(2 )of UVB) and before and after UVnat. If theAUC Index (AUCI), defined as AUCI = AUC(after)/AUC(before), was > 0.80, the sunscreen was considered photostable. RESULTS: Three sunscreens were unstable after 90 min of UVnat; in the UVA range the AUCI was between 0.41 and 0.76. In the UVB range one of these sunscreens was unstable with an AUCI of 0.75 after 90 min. Three sunscreens were photostable after 120 min of UVnat; in the UVA range the AUCI was between 0.85 and 0.99 and in the UVB range between 0.92 and 1.0. One sunscreen showed in the UVA range an AUCI of 0.87 after UVnat but an AUCI of 0.72 after UVart. Five of the sunscreens were stable in the UVB region. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that several sunscreens are photounstable in the UVA range after UVnat and UVart. There is a need for a standardized method to measure photostability, and the photostability should be marked on the sunscreen product

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Promises of paradise? : A study on official ISIS-propaganda targeting women

Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 close to 30 000 foreign recruits from more than 100countries have migrated to the area of Iraq and Syria in support of the terrorist organization this thesiswill refer to as ISIS. Among those traveling is a historically unprecedented number of women. Whywomen are drawn to violent Islamic extremist groups is rather unexplored. Through a qualitative textanalysis of official ISIS-propaganda this thesis investigates what promises the organization makes towomen, examining pull-factors derived from social media studies of female migration to ISIS-heldterritories. The thesis concludes that women are promised the possibility to fulfill their religious duty,become important state builders, experience deep and meaningful belonging and sisterhood, to live anexciting adventure and find true romance, as well as being increasingly influential is also promised.Official propaganda does not make explicit promises to women of exerting violence. A secondarypurpose of the thesis is to assess the potential risk that ISIS-affiliated women returning to the West,pose to society. This thesis further concludes that women who gain limited knowledge of handlingweapons and explosives in ISIS-territory are not probable participants in armed terrorist attacksdirected towards the West. However, through increased social networks acquired while in Syria orIraq, women may play an important supporting role in the process of planning, crowd funding andexecuting attacks. Based on these findings the thesis provides some gender specific policy proposalsintended to counter the recruitment of women to ISIS