This thesis investigated the concept of balance in daily occupations. The overarching aim was to explore women’s patterns of everyday occupations and to investigate relationships between different aspects of patterns of daily occupations and health and well-being. The participants were working, cohabitant women with pre-school children. The methods used focused on exploring patterns of daily occup

Semiconducting nanowires have attracted scientific attention for more than 20 years due to their potential applications in electronic devices, as sensors, and in solid state lighting. These applications require high quality nanowires to begin with. Achieving such good control over the growth of nanowires is not trivial and requires profound understanding of the underlying processes. In this thesis

The present study deals with natural killer (NK) T cells restricted to the antigen presenting molecule CD1d. NKT cells have been suggested to play a role in many diverse immunological situations such as clearance of different pathogens, protection against certain tumors, regulation of autoimmune reactions and as a link between innate and adaptive immune responses. NKT cells are in many respects un

Multiplex protein quantification, proteomics, is essential for uncovering new biomarkers and understanding biology. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is the predominant technique for these measurements. In this thesis, optimization and quality control strategies for different phases of the LC-MS pipeline have been developed. Due to the inherent complexity and dynamic rang

The thesis presents the results from a research project targeting architectural design and house-building in a setting of industrialized design process and product platforms. During the early stages of a traditional design process, architects manage a degree of problem complexity, besides technical aspects, also includes user function, material, environment, aesthetics etc. As a result of the des

The metabolic syndrome (type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, dyslipidaemia, and hyperinsulinaemia), is increasing in prevalence world-wide. The progression of this syndrome proceeds through a step-wise deterioration of metabolic events where deterioration of insulin sensitivity appears to have a key role in a ?vicious circle? of hyperinsulinaemia/hypergly

In this thesis four new algorithms are presented for automatic segmentation in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR); automatic segmentation of the left ventricle, myocardial infarction, and myocardium at risk in two different image types. All four algorithms were implemented in freely available software for image analysis and were validated against reference delineations with a low bias and hig

The primary aim of this thesis is to formulate a theoretically and empirically based consultation model for psychologists in school contexts. Ideas and strategies are clarified so that they can be applied, evaluated, and further developed by other professionals. The model has been constructed with an interactional approach, with the stress on patterns of interaction between grown-ups and children

The steric and electronic properties of eight water-soluble phosphines (1-8) were investigated by different methods. Phosphines 1-6 were tested as ligands in palladium catalysed hydroxycarbonylation of styrene. In line with the proposal that a ligand with low basicity should facilitate nucleophilic attack of water on the acyl complex, the electron rich {4 - [Bis(2 - diethylaminoethyl)] - aminobenz

Pathogenic bacteria often produce potent proteases capable of destroying host tissue thereby providing the bacteria with tools for spreading and nutrient access. This thesis describes how group A, C and G streptococci can acquire surface bound protease activity through an alternative mechanism, namely by binding and activation of the human protease precursor plasminogen. Group A streptococci of c

Introduction: Shunting systems are implanted for draining cerebrospinal fluid to treat hydrocephalus, intracranial cysts, and idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Most shunt systems include a valve which regulates drainage. A differential pressure valve opens when intracranial pressure exceeds the valve’s opening pressure. The difficulty with these valves is selecting and predicting the most sui

Aim of the study Today´s methods for the staging of rectal carcinoma: ultrasonography with transrectal probe, CT, MRI or MRI with a rectal coil, all have limitations. The aim was therefore to develop a new, double-contrast MRI method for evaluation of rectal carcinoma. The idea was that a rectally applied contrast medium causing distension and signal void of the rectal lumen and an intravenous inj

It is well established that dietary fibre, especially soluble dietary fibre, has beneficial effects and can prevent diseases associated with the modern lifestyle. This has been explained by the viscous effects of soluble fibre, which can reduce or delay the absorption of carbohydrates and fat in the small intestine, resulting in lower blood concentrations of glucose, insulin and cholesterol. Oats,

The studies in this doctoral thesis report aspects of cognitive and socio emotional development in a group of teenagers and young adults with dyslexia. The 75 subjects, between 14 and 25 years of age, had been diagnosed in the latter half of the 1990s, and the collection of quantitative and qualitative data was performed in 2003-04. Study I investigated the stability of intelligence. Earlier rese

Blood cell formation, or hematopoiesis, is maintained by rare hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) residing in the bone marrow (BM). HSCs may self-renew (the process whereby HSCs replicate to produce new HSCs) to preserve their own numbers, as well as initiate a highly coordinated hierarchical differentiation process that results in the production of mature effector blood cells. Aging is characterized

Every day we encounter many potentially harmful microbes in our environment. The epithelial linings constitute an anatomical barrier protecting us and they also produce antimicrobial polypeptides (AMPs) that act as a chemical barrier. These AMPs are small and positively charged, killing a broad range of microbes rapidly. They can either be constitutively produced or rapidly induced when epithelial

The significant increase in the use of CT, alone or combined with SPECT or PET, has raised concerns about patient radiation exposure and the consequent increased risk of malignancy later in life. The overall objective of this work was to evaluate and optimise different approaches for minimising patient radiation absorbed dose and maintaining or improving image quality in CT, SPECT/CT, and PET/CT.

This thesis addressed the diagnosis, pathogenesis and clinical course of specific renal diseases hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and dense deposit disease (DDD). HUS may be associated with infection caused by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) or with complement dysfunction due to complement mutations or auto-antibodies (atypical HUS, aHUS). EHEC is a non-invasive highly virulent bacterium