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Differences in ecological conditions can result in the evolution of dramatic inter-population shifts in whole suites of traits. We studied variation in reproductive output in three lizard populations of the Skyros Wall Lizard (Podarcis gaigeae, Lacertidae) endemic to the Skyros Archipelago (Greece), which live under similar climatic conditions but differ in predation pressure and food availability

In many vertebrate radiations, food partitioning among closely related taxa is a key factor in both the maintenance of species diversity and the process of diversification. We compared diet composition and jaw morphology of 18 New Zealand triplefin species (F. Tripterygiidae) to examine whether species have diversified along a trophic axis. These fishes predominantly utilised small, mobile benthic

Many birds use a flight mode called undulating or flap-gliding flight, where they alternate between flapping and gliding phases, while only a few bats make use of such a flight mode. Among birds, flap-gliding is commonly used by medium to large species, where it is regarded to have a lower energetic cost than continuously flapping flight. Here, we introduce a novel model for estimating the energet

Background: Swedish nursing homes (NH) have limited capacity. As a result elderly people living in NH represent the part of the elderly population in most need of care. In Sweden a General Practitioner (GP) is usually responsible for the medical care of all subjects living in a NH. The residents in NH seldom have adequate pharmacological treatment according to diagnosis and often have polypharmacy

Trismus, a well-known sequelae after treatment of head and neck cancer, decreases a patient's oral function and quality of life. The main objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate the long-term prevalence of radiation-induced trismus in patients treated for head and neck cancer according to two different fractionation schedules; and 2) model a dose-response relationship for trismus. Materia

International water resources agreements for transboundary rivers in southern Africa are generally founded in system analysis models for water planning and allocation. The Water Resources Yield Model (WRYM) developed in South Africa has so far been the only model applied in official joint water resources studies aimed to form water-sharing agreements. The continuous discussion around the model per

Background/Aims: To identify prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects using a data-driven approach to determine cognitive profiles in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: A total of 881 MCI subjects were recruited from 20 memory clinics and followed for up to 5 years. Outcome measures included cognitive variables, conversion to AD, and biomarkers (e. g. CSF, and MRI markers). Two hierarchi

Agricultural intensification in Europe has affected farmland bird populations negatively, both during summer and winter. Although the migratory period poses separate challenges on birds than breeding and wintering, the consequences of farming practices for birds during migration remain poorly investigated. We monitored abundance and species richness of migratory birds in autumn at matched pairs of

Objectives: To explore how quality of life (QoL) and quality of care (QoC) for people with dementia (PwD) vary across 8 European countries; to explore how QoL and QoC for PwD vary across living arrangements; and to assess the association between QoL and QoC. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Institutional long term care and home care in 8 European countries (England, Estonia, Finland, Franc

Objectives: The optimal treatment of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is not established. We explored whether early insulin treatment, which has shown beneficial effects in rodents and in human pilot studies, would result in better preservation of beta-cell function or metabolic control, compared with conventional treatment. Subjects and methods: Glucagon-stimulated C-peptide and HbAlc

Environmental conditions and human activities play a significant role in structuring novel assemblages of native and non-native species. Ongoing and future climatic change may alter the performance of native and non-native species and their biotic interactions. In the northern hemisphere, expected climate changes include warmer temperatures and higher precipitation, the latter of which may increas

P>Purpose: To describe the 3-year risk of cataract after intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA) injections for diabetic macular oedema and the outcomes of cataract surgery. Methods: Prospective data from a randomized clinical trial were analysed. At baseline, 27 phakic eyes with diabetic macular oedema were randomized to receive IVTA and 25 to receive sham injection. After 2 years, initial sham-treated

Developing a functional blood substitute as an alternative to donated blood for clinical use is believed to relieve present and future blood shortages, and to reduce the risks of infection and blood type mismatching. Hemoglobin vesicle (HbV) encapsulates a purified and concentrated human-derived Hb solution in a phospholipid vesicle (liposome). The in vivo safety and efficacy of HbV as a transfusi

Wireless communication systems are by nature and by regulations limited in bandwidth and are therefore limited in capacity. Services with Quality of Service (QoS) requirements will enforce a more efficient utilisation of the available capacity. This observation motivates the development of schedulers that can deliver the required QoS as well as being resource efficient. In this thesis, we study r

Background: Working memory is considered to influence a range of linguistic skills, i.e. vocabulary acquisition, sentence comprehension and reading. Several studies have pointed to limitations of working memory in children with specific language impairment. Few studies, however, have explored the role of working memory for language deficits in children with hearing impairment. Aims: The first aim

Based on a literature review and the SSG experience, the most important prognostic factors in high-grade osteosarcoma appear to be the presence of detectable metastases at diagnosis, tumour volume, old age, sex, histologic response, and possibly tumoral P-glycoprotein expression. However, for an adolescent patient with non-metastatic extremity disease, there is no consensus regarding prognostic fa

Popular Abstract in Swedish Den här avhandlingen behandlar analys och bearbetning av bilder ur ett beräkningsmässigt perspektiv. Den är uppdelad i tre delar, vilka diskuterar bilder i så olika sammanhang som i ett artificiellt seende system för robotar, i det mänskliga seendet och i ett bildbehandlingssystem för analys av förbränningsförlopp i tex bilmotorer. Den första delen handlar om två styckThis thesis is divided into three parts, which all deal with computational analysis and processing of images. However, the settings are quite diverse.They range from robotic camera sensors, over human perception, to physical measurement setups. In spite of this diversity, common theoretical ideas and computational aspects are applied which ties the three different parts closer together. The first

Object. With increasing use of endovascular procedures, the number of aneurysms treated surgically will decline. in this study the authors review complications related to the surgical treatment of aneurysms and address the issue of maintaining quality standards on a national level. Methods. A prospective, nonselected amalgamation of every aneurysm case treated in five of six neurosurgical centers