Swedish Institute

About: Swedish Institute is a government organization based out in Stockholm, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 1657 authors who have published 2301 publications receiving 103682 citations. The organization is also known as: Svenska Institutet.

Strengthening mechanisms in vanadium microalloyed steels intended for long products

Abstract: The present work has concentrated on the roles of vanadium, nitrogen and carbon in controlling the microstructures and strength of steels designed for hot rolled long products. Effects of cooling rate and additional microalloying with titanium have also been included. The degree of precipitation strengthening of ferrite at a given vanadium content depends on the available quantities of carbon and nitrogen. The nitrogen content of the ferrite is approximately the same as that of the austenite from which it forms, i.e. the total nitrogen content in steel. It was confirmed that nitrogen is a very reliable alloying element, increasing the yield strength of V-microalloyed steels by some 5 MPa for every 0.001% N, essentially independent of processing conditions. Carbon content, on the other hand, has usually been considered not relevant to precipitation strengthening when the precipitation occurs in ferrite because of the very small carbon content in solution in ferrite at equilibrium. We demonstrate that the effective carbon for precipitation in ferrite may be much greater than this during the period of phase transformation, which in turn has a great effect on precipitation strengthening. Such behaviour is explained on the basis that the activity of carbon in ferrite is abnormally high in the presence of under-cooled austenite and before cementite nucleation so that profuse nucleation of vanadium carbonitride is encouraged. This new mechanism for precipitation is particularly significant for medium carbon steels typically used for hot rolled bars and sections. The total carbon content of the steel also contributes to the yield strength by increasing the volume fraction of pearlite. It is shown that the contribution from pearlite is stronger than generally recognised.

Default Pathway of var2csa switching and translational repression in Plasmodium falciparum.

Abstract: Antigenic variation is a subtle process of fundamental importance to the survival of a microbial pathogen. In Plasmodium falciparum malaria, PfEMP1 is the major variable antigen and adhesin expressed at the surface of the infected erythrocyte, which is encoded for by members of a family of 60 var-genes. Peri-nuclear repositioning and epigenetic mechanisms control their mono-allelic expression. The switching of PfEMP1 depends in part on variable transition rates and short-lived immune responses to shared minor epitopes. Here we show var-genes to switch to a common gene that is highly transcribed, but sparsely translated into PfEMP1 and not expressed at the erythrocyte surface. Highly clonal and adhesive P. falciparum, which expressed distinct var-genes and the corresponding PfEMP1s at onset, were propagated without enrichment or panning. The parasites successively and spontaneously switched to transcribe a shared var-gene (var2csa) matched by the loss of PfEMP1 surface expression and host cell-binding. The var2csa gene repositioned in the peri-nuclear area upon activation, away from the telomeric clusters and heterochromatin to transcribe spliced, full-length RNA. Despite abundant transcripts, the level of intracellular PfEMP1 was low suggesting post-transcriptional mechanisms to partake in protein expression. In vivo, off-switching and translational repression may constitute one pathway, among others, coordinating PfEMP1 expression.

The Impact of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Vaccination in Sweden

Abstract: The number of patients with meningitis and bacteremia due to Haemophilus influenzae was studied in Sweden over the period 1987-1994. Conjugated H. influenzae type b vaccines were introduced in Sweden in 1992, and all children born after December 31, 1992, were offered vaccination free of charge. A rapid decline of H. influenzae meningitis and bacteraemia was observed in the autumn of 1993, when the expected peak incidence failed to appear. In the prevaccination period 1987-1991, the average annual incidence (cases/100,000) was 34.4 in children aged 0-4 years. In 1994, the annual incidence fell to 3.5. No significant decline was observed in older children or adults. There was a 92% reduction in the number of meningitis cases and an 83% reduction in cases of bacteraemia. A similar decline was noted in 2 regions which followed different strategies for the introduction of the vaccination programme.

Tuberculosis control in big cities and urban risk groups in the European Union: a consensus statement.

Abstract: In low-incidence countries in the European Union (EU), tuberculosis (TB) is concentrated in big cities, especially among certain urban high-risk groups including immigrants from TB high-incidence countries, homeless people, and those with a history of drug and alcohol misuse. Elimination of TB in European big cities requires control measures focused on multiple layers of the urban population. The particular complexities of major EU metropolises, for example high population density and social structure, create specific opportunities for transmission, but also enable targeted TB control interventions, not efficient in the general population, to be effective or cost effective. Lessons can be learnt from across the EU and this consensus statement on TB control in big cities and urban risk groups was prepared by a working group representing various EU big cities, brought together on the initiative of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The consensus statement describes general and specific social, educational, operational, organisational, legal and monitoring TB control interventions in EU big cities, as well as providing recommendations for big city TB control, based upon a conceptual TB transmission and control model.