The process of speciation is a cornerstone in evolutionary biology. In Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, he described how he imagined that a new species would evolve to fill an empty niche. This focus on ecology shifted with Mayr towards the importance of isolation, and for many decades the geographic modes of speciation were debated. Speciation in sympatry, i.e. without any isolation between the

Are there special ways of exerting influence for small states in a complex multi-actor governance system such as the EU? Intergovernmental theories of European integration emphasize great power nota bene the Franco-German axis, but other observers suggest that smaller member states may actually use the EU institutions to their advantage. Based on literature about small states in international rela

The importance of early detection of brain changes during ageing has been recognised. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a method used for estimation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in clinical work and in research. The aim of thesis was to study CBF in demented and non-demented elderly persons with special reference to blood pressure changes. Elderly women with senile dementia of

The varieties of prey phenotypes that have been revealed in nature are vast and many of these phenotypes are the result of the selective force that predators have had on prey traits in the past. Even within species and populations we see variations due to both differences in the selection forces they live under but also due to individual trait variation. In this thesis I investigate both the direc

Since soluble fibre in the form of the cereal beta-glucans found in oats and barley has been shown to have a positive effect on lipid and glucose metabolism, people at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or diabetes might benefit from that a variety of palatable food products containing beta-glucans being available to them. The aim of the papers presented in the thesis was to evaluate the m

Patients waiting for cardiac surgery often consider the period from the decision for surgery to the time for the operation as long, heavy and dreary. Therefore, it is important that patients are supplied with structured oral and written information regarding their disease and its treatment, so that they are able to understand and discuss the forthcoming operation, the risk of complications and the

In an organization where the safety level is high and incidents and serious accidents are very rare, a steady erosion of safety awareness and protective measures can occur, especially when productive demands rise. Thus, it is important to continuously identify and monitor aspects in the organization that can affect work performance and safety. In an ongoing joint research project between the LFV G

This thesis is based on data from a large glaucoma screening, comprising 32, 918 elderly citizens of Malmö and data from retrospective analysis of glaucoma patients’ charts from the Eye Department of Malmö University Hospital. The definition of glaucoma was based on reproducible visual field defects and/or glaucomatous optic nerve head damage in both groups. In paper I, including screened individ

Background & Aims Cholera toxin can act as a modulator of the immune response with anti-inflammatory effects; it reduces development of colon polyps in mouse models of colorectal cancer (CRC). We performed a population-based study to determine whether, in patients with a diagnosis of CRC, subsequent administration of the cholera vaccine (killed Vibrio cholerae O1 whole cells and recombinant ch

An energy system that relies on fossil fuel is not sustainable. Emissions, such as carbon dioxide, nitric oxide and corpuscles, affect the climate and pollute the air. Furthermore, the supply of oil, coal and natural gas is located a few places worldwide, which can give provide incentive to geopolitical conflicts for access to these areas. This is not a local issue for Tjörn, nor even a national i

The South American golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) was intentionally introduced to aquacultures in South East Asia to produce snails for human consumption, but the aquatic snails soon escaped and started to consume large amounts of rice seedlings. The aim of this thesis was to quantify the effects of this invasive herbivore on aquatic plants in natural wetlands since previous research h

Chronic atrial fibrillation (CAF), with a prevalence progressively increasing with age, is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias in man and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have shown that, in animals as well as in man, experimental atrial fibrillation is based on different types and dimensions of intra-atrial electrical re-entry. However, there is a lack of

In clinical situations with raised intracranial pressure (ICP) and impending insufficient cerebral blood flow (ischaemia), bedside information about energy metabolism in the brain would be helpful. Microdialysis is a technique that makes it possible to monitor the interstitial concentrations of various compounds in an organ. Intracerebral microdialysis with bedside analysis of metabolites related

The main objective of this thesis is to study the response and development of permanent deformation in unbound granular materials, theoretically and experimentally. A testing box technique is used here to more closely simulate the behaviour of unbound aggregates subjected to external vertical loading. A small box device (800×800×800 mm) is employed to test both the response and permanent deforma

The chapter gives a short description of the INS-investigation, its methods and results. The investigation tested 1800 pupils in secondary education in the three Scandinavian languages and English. The results show that youngsters in the Nordic countries are better at understanding English than their neighbouring languages. The results also indicate a deterioration in the comprehension of neighbou

This thesis deals with the combination of electrochromatography and molecular imprinting technology. Electrochromatography is characterised by high separation efficiency, simple instrumentation, and minute consumption of sample. As a novel approach to obtain unique selectivity in capillary electrochromatographic systems molecularly imprinted matrices were used. Molecular imprinting technology repr