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The point of departure of this dissertation is a consideration of the problems in the field of architecture, of conceptualizing and addressing aspects of the complex relationship between architectural form and use. The aim of the thesis is to create conditions for a discussion on architectural design and territorial power relations within the context of everyday life, and more specifically to inve

HCCI is an advanced combustion concept, using premixed fuel and air with a diluted charge. This is thermodynamically favorable, leading to high efficiency and therefore lower CO2 emissions. The well-premixed and diluted fuel charge gives lower cylinder temperatures than conventional diesel compression ignition and spark ignited gasoline combustion, resulting in low engine out emissions of both nit

Unsatisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) may result from polluting emissions that are spread from building materials such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and/or microbial components or from various kinds of human activity such as smoking. Different methods are available to limit the exposure to unwanted pollutants and improve human wellbeing and health. One goal of this thesis was to determine

Synthesis and characterization of new transition metal carbonyl clusters has been undertaken, and evaluation of the new clusters to act as catalysts/catalysts precursor in asymmetric reactions has been carried out. The catalytic hydrogenation of tiglic acid under relatively mild conditions, using diastereomeric clusters of the general formula [(µ-H)2Ru3(µ3-S)(CO)7(µ-1,2-L)] (L= chiral diphosphine

Dyes are commercially indispensable and the expanding industry offers a complete palette of colors. Azo dyes constitute the largest chemical class of synthetic dyes because of their versatility, low price, and ease of production. These dyes may, however, pose health risk to humans due to formation of mutagenic/carcinogenic aromatic amines upon reductive cleavage of their azo groups (-N=N-). Theref

Diffusion MRI is widely used to study brain structure in vivo. While this technique is often applied to investigations of brain connectivity, it can also be used to infer specific information about the tissue microstructure; for example, to estimate the axon diameter. In the present work, the role of tissue microstructure and water exchange in biophysical models employed in diffusion MRI was inves

This thesis is a study of a particular limestone votive statuary type which was dedicated in the sanctuaries on Cyprus during the entire 6th century B.C. Common to the group of figures is that they are wearing a Cypriote version of an Egyptian-type outfit, including characteristic Egyptian royal headgear and jewelry. In order to be able to answer questions on the origin of the Egyptianizing iconog

Complex I is the mitochondrial enzyme complex that oxidizes NADH produced in the citric acid cycle and reduces quinone in the membrane, coupled to proton pumping out of the mitochondrial matrix, creating a membrane potential. This process generates about 40% of the energy used by living organisms. High-resolution structures of complex I recently became available, but the molecular mechanism behind

The free volume in polymers is coupled to several important physical properties, such as density, viscosity and gas diffusivity. The physical properties of polymers close to a solid surface have been shown to be significantly perturbed as compared to their bulk state. The behavior of polymers close to surfaces comes into play within the field of polymer composites, where the properties of the inte

The studies presented in Papers I to IV illustrate the importance of soil moisture in soil solution chemistry and response of native plants to the changes induced by change in moisture regime. With the help of glasshouse experiments I tried to study the influence of different treatments of soil moisture conditions on the mineral uptake by native plants of calcareous soil. I also tried to find the

The ionization sensor is an electrical probe for diagnostics in internal combustion engines. The combustion process affects the electrical properties of the gas in the cylinder. Thus the sensor signal contains copious information about the conditions in the combustion chamber. A thorough characterization of the sensor makes it possible to take advantage of a larger portion of this information for

The sovereignty- and self-determination movements of indigenous peoples are a salient factor on the political agenda in many western world countries. Indigenous peoples in Hawai´i and elsewhere have become increasingly politicised in hope of changing their relationship with the states within which they are located. The discourse of indigenous peoples turn around the concept ”First Nations” whose c

The present study is composed of eight chapters relating to children's rights and child labor activity in the Republic of Paraguay. The problem of child labor in Paraguay is central for this study and the legal ideals that are intended to uphold and strengthen the rights of the child are described and contrasted with the present normative reality in which the children work and live. The discrepanc

The general aim of the investigation is to contribute to the development of a theory of change and learning within the working environment. The specific change processes that were examined, emerged from an interactive initiative for change, intending to facilitate an emancipatory development: employees increasing their control of the work situation, thus improving the quality of service. The empir

The paper making process involves chopping of wood, cooking and forming, followed by dewatering in a vacuum section, press section and drying section. Several models for the most important parts of the paper machine drying section are presented in this thesis to describe phenomena at steady state and during state transitions. New control strategies applicable/useful for both steady-state control a

In this thesis a graphical language for sequential control is presented and its application to batch control is examined and discussed. The name of the language is Grafchart. Its main feature is that it makes it possible to express complicated control problems in a compact and intuitive manner.Grafchart exists in two versions; a basic version and a high-level version. The basic version was availab

While much of semi-arid Africa is still sparsely populated with unused land, there are everywhere pockets of high and increasing population density in attractive locations. Small-scale farmers can respond to beginning land-scarcity in a number of ways. Through migration, through diversification of livelihoods, or through changes in their farming system. Which solution is chosen, depends not only o

Why do some children in the developing world choose to stay out of school? Is it mainly because poverty leaves them with no options or because schooling seems to offer them few benefits? The answers to these questions have profound policy implications. An empirical input into this discussion is the extent to which schooling can actually be perceived as a profitable option in various countries and,

There is an increasing need for education since the workforce of today is expected to be highly educated and continuously learn. Distance education is a powerful response to meet the growing need for education. Online education, here concisely defined as distance education mediated online, is the most common type of distance education. It mainly relies on asynchronous communication although it is

The thesis treats methods for pattern recognition in multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, for application to diagnostics of epilepsy. Parts I-IV treat methods for feature extraction and clustering of EEG spikes, occurring between epileptic seizures, and part V presents a method for filtering seizure onset EEG signals. In part I, Hermite functions are used for parametric description of