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University of Gothenburg

Study: Charging for plastic bags cuts use

Tue, 11/30/2010 - 10:22 by Prince damin

Gothenburg, Sweden -- Consumption of plastic bags in China dropped by half when stores starting charging consumers for them, a Swedish study says.

Research by the University of Gothenburg showed the Chinese, the No. 1 consumers of plastic bags in the world, cut their use of them by half after a June 2008 ordinance against free plastic bags took effect.

Plastic bags is a growing global environmental problem and are becoming subject to various regulations in an growing number of countries with mixed results, a university release said.

University doctoral student Haoran He studied the effect of the Chinese ordinance as part of his thesis in environmental and behavioral economics.

New Alzheimer's marker is discovered

Wed, 09/16/2009 - 03:29 by surajdogra

Gothenburg, Sweden -- Swedish scientists say they've discovered a previously unknown substance in spinal fluid that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.

University of Gothenburg researchers say the substance is a beta-amyloid protein called Abeta16. The scientists say two independent studies showed Alzheimer's patients have higher levels of the protein in their spinal fluid than do healthy
individuals.

"The discovery of the new protein could be used to diagnose patients with Alzheimer's and also help determine which medications are most effective for the disease," said biochemist Erik Portelius, the study's author.

Portelius describes the findings in a thesis at the university's Sahlgrenska Academy.