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A new method for optimising threshold values of dry/wet spells is evaluated. A set of indices is used to find the best threshold giving good correspondence between the frequency of dry/wet spells in Hadley Centre regional model (HadRM3) output, reference observations with predetermined thresholds, and area-averaged observations. The analyses focus on selected model gridboxes in 3 different Europea
This study reports carbon and water fluxes between the land surface and atmosphere in eleven different ecosystems types in Sub-Saharan Africa, as measured using eddy covariance (EC) technology in the first two years of the CarboAfrica network operation. The ecosystems for which data were available ranged in mean annual rainfall from 320 mm (Sudan) to 1150 mm (Republic of Congo) and include a spect
Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL; AML M3) is identified by a unique t(15;17) translocation which fuses the PML gene to the retinoic acid receptor alpha gene (RARA). Reverse transcription coupled with the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been used to develop a diagnostic test for APL based on the PML-RARA fusion message. Separate PCR assays were designed to amplify either PML-RARA (15q+ der
This study gives an outlook on the carbon balance of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by presenting a summary of currently available results from the project CarboAfrica (namely net ecosystem productivity and emissions from fires, deforestation and forest degradation, by field and model estimates) supplemented by bibliographic data and compared with a new synthesis of the data from national communications
Numerous theories have been developed describing the drop break-up in a high-pressure homogenizer (HPH), but they are generally based on quite rudimentary descriptions of the flow fields. As the flow in a real HPH is very extreme, with gaps of 10–100 μm and velocities of hundreds of m/s, it is practically impossible to measure the velocity fields. In this study, a scale model of an HPH made of acr
Addition of chemicals during the extraction of cassava starch for enhancing the settling rate, whiteness and compactness of the settled starch is an accepted commercial practice. The effect of addition of selected chemicals such as acids (sulphuric and hydrochloric acids), bleaching and oxidising agents (sodium metabisulphite and sodium hypochlorite) and alum during settling on the thermal and pas
Time-series of NASA/NOAA Pathfinder AVHRR Land (PAL) data have been analysed to extract parameters describing the seasonality of vegetation in Africa. Two methods have been developed to fit smooth curves to the time-series. The first method is based on an adaptive Savitzky-Golay filtering technique, and the second on non-linear least-squares fits of asymmetric Gaussian model functions. Both proces
Longitudinal data are presented on a boy between the ages ofthree and eight. At age three he received a diagnosis oflanguage impairment and at age six a diagnosis of high-functioning autism. Results are presented from extensive assessments at four points in time, including interviews with his mother and teachers. The results indicate that the boy s core problem was poor language comprehension, esp
This study reports on three years (2004-2006) of measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) over a young Siberian larch plantation in Iceland established on previously grazed heathland pasture that had been scarified prior to planting. The study evaluated the variation of NEE and its component fluxes, gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R-e), with the aim to clarify how cli
Background A large number of observational epidemiological studies have reported generally positive associations' between circulating mass and activity levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Few studies have been large enough to provide reliable estimates in different circumstances, such as in different subgroups (e.g., by age group
The paper presents results on the use of NOAA AVHRR data for desertification monitoring on a regional-global level. It is based on processing of the GIMMS 8 km global NDVI data set. Time series of annually integrated and standardized annual NDVI anomalies were generated and compared with a corresponding rainfall data set (1981-2003). The regions studied include the Mediterranean basin, the Sahel f
Measurements of the gas transfer rate of CO2 between lake water and the atmosphere present a critical problem for the understanding of lake ecosystem carbon balances and landscape carbon budgets. We present calculations of the gas transfer rate of CO2 from direct measurements of the CO2 flux using an eddy covariance system and concurrent measurements of the concentration of CO2 in the surface wate
Objective: In our previous study, auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) in preterm 1-year-old children had a positive deflection at 150-350 ms that correlated positively with their 2-year neurodevelopmental outcome. In a study of the same subjects at age 5, our aim was to assess AERPs and their relationship to neuropsychological test results. Methods: Preterm small (SGA, n = 13), appropriate f
[1] Mires are key landscape elements at high latitudes and have certainly accumulated carbon during the Holocene, but their current carbon balance at the present time is very unclear. The major carbon flux is the land-atmosphere CO2 exchange and full-year data are still limited. Here we present data from 3 a (2001-2003) of continuous Eddy Covariance measurements at Degero Stormyr (64 degrees 11'N,
Subarctic aerosol was sampled during July 2007 at the Abisko Research Station Stordalen field site operated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Located in northern Sweden at 68 degrees latitude and 385 m above sea level (m asl), this site is classified as a semicontinuous permafrost mire. Number density, size distribution, cloud condensation nucleus properties, and chemical composition of th
Based on theories of mire development and responses to a changing climate, the current role of mires as a net carbon sink has been questioned. A rigorous evaluation of the current net C-exchange in mires requires measurements of all relevant fluxes. Estimates of annual total carbon budgets in mires are still very limited. Here, we present a full carbon budget over 2 years for a boreal minerogenic
Abstract: Studies reported in this paper indicate the Presence of a relation between NOAA/AVHRR data and crop biomass in Sweden. Conclusions so far, however, are that NOAA/AVHRR at the present time can not be successfully applied for operational crop biomass estimation in Sweden. Investigations are now in progress aiming at the practical use of this remotely sensed data for the determination of bi
In order to better assess the role of agriculture within the global climate-vegetation system, we present a model of the managed planetary land surface, Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land (LPJmL), which simulates biophysical and biogeochemical processes as well as productivity and yield of the most important crops worldwide, using a concept of crop functional types (CFTs). Based on the LPJ-Dynamic Glo
Objective: to conceptualise mothers’ and fathers’ thoughts and feelings before, during and after the routine ultrasound examination during the second trimester of pregnancy. Design, setting and participants: a grounded theory study. Two to four weeks after their ultrasound examination, 22 Swedish mothers and 22 fathers were interviewed in their homes. Findings: the basic social process was co
