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The aim of this project is to explore and understand the combustion phenomenon in engines operating on gaseous fuels, and develop technologies as an alternative to the present diesel engine technologies for heavy duty applications; which are facing severe challenges like stringent emissions norms, high technology costs and unsustainable fuel supply. The studies presented in this thesis focus on th
Background: There are several risk factors for the colonisation, infection and spreading of antibiotic resistant bacteria among elderly residents of nursing homes. An updated estimate of the native prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in uropathogens among Swedish nursing home residents is needed. Methods: Urine specimens were collected for culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing agains
Background: Ingestion of a meal increases the blood flow to the gastrointestinal organs and affects the heart rate (HR), blood pressure and cardiac output (CO), although the mechanisms are not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endogenously released glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), ghrelin on CO, HR, stroke volume (SV), and blood pressure. Methods: Eleven
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed prognostic factors regarding long-term outcome for amputation and death among patients who underwent intra-arterial thrombolysis due to lower limb ischemia. METHODS: Consecutive patients with intra-arterial thrombolysis due to lower limb ischemia treated at the Department of Vascular Diseases, University Hospital of Malmö, between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 20
In experimentally induced myocardial ischemia, mild hypothermia (33-35 degrees C) has a robust cardioprotective effect. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is a profibrinolytic enzyme that is released from the vascular endothelial cells in response to ischemia and other injurious stimuli. t-PA has also been found to have proinflammatory properties that could contribute to reperfusion injury. We po
Background: While simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) is considered to be a promising process for bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials to ethanol, there are still relatively little demo-plant data and operating experiences reported in the literature. In the current work, we designed a SSCF process and scaled up from lab to demo scale reaching 4% (w/v) ethanol using xylos
Background: The aim in the thesis is to study diagnostic issues, clinical features, therapy, and prognosis in selected demyelinative disorders of the nervous system: optic neuritis (ON), primary progressive MS (PPMS), and tumefactive MS (a very rare acute demyelinating disorder). Methods: From an initial cohort of 110 patients with ON collected 19 to 31 years ago, a new follow-up survey was con
BACKGROUND: Primary cervical screening with both human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing and cytological examination of cervical cells with a Pap test (cytology) has been evaluated in randomized clinical trials. Because the vast majority of women with positive cytology are also HPV DNA positive, screening strategies that use HPV DNA testing as the primary screening test may be more effective. METHO
OBJECTIVE: High concentrations of leukocytes in blood have been associated with diabetes mellitus. This prospective study aimed to explore whether total and differential leukocyte counts are associated with incidence of diabetes. A missense variant R262W in the SH2B3 (SH2B adaptor protein 3) gene, coding for a protein that negatively regulates hematopoietic cell proliferation, was also studied in
Sustainability researchers are facing increasing pressure to improve their scientific communication and to achieve impacts in wider society with their research. Knowledge mobilisation (KMB) is a key component of both challenges, as it relates to efforts undertaken by researchers to achieve impacts with their research. This study seeks to identify some of the KMB practices being undertaken by exper
Deteriorating water quality is a challenge which affects people of the entire world, with a growing population and increased industrialization worldwide. The problem is especially apparent in many developing nations where water resource management must be improved to secure a future sustainable supply. This study was undertaken as a bachelor degree within the MFS-program funded by SIDA. The study
Popular science Using remote sensing to assess drought in Somalia Somalia, the country in East Africa in a region referred to as Horn of Africa is in a civil war, conflict and unrest since 1991. The prolonged conflict increases the impact of droughts in the country which is already prone to drought continuously. The country is frequently exposed to drought, occurring moderately every 3-4 years a
Leaving a sustainable society for our children is considered an arbitrary goal for the environmental work that is currently taking place in Sweden. Today, 140 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste is generated in Sweden, which is unsustainable. 31% of the non-hazardous waste is traced to the construction industry, the mining industry excluded. Today, the waste is an unused resource that is purchas
In the central Himalayas, water dynamics are expected to change due to multiple factors like climate change, hydro power development and shifting land use practices. This thesis looks at possible changes in water dynamics in Marsyandi river basin, Nepal, as well as causes to those changes and how they are perceived locally. Grounded in critical physical geography, the study uses mixed methods an
Hummeln is a simple impact structure located in south-eastern Sweden. It is approximately 1.2 km in diameter and almost completely covered by a lake. Here, we present the first detailed investigation of impactites and mapping of the 164.25 m deep drill core Hummeln-1 with a focus on impact metamorphism and the impact process. We find that the drilling has penetrated a complex sedimentary successio
Introduction: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents continues to rise, and there is a lack of long-term follow-up to clarify health and well-being trajectories into adolescence and adulthood. This study investigated anthropometry and quality of life (QoL) trajectories in 7-14-year-old vulnerable children three years after attending a lifestyle camp. Methods: Vulnerab
Neoliberalism, as a loosely defined set of political beliefs, calls for more individual freedom and autonomy, resulting in increased responsibility for each person to address major societal issues. ‘Individualization’ is the process by which responsibility for addressing major environmental issues such as climate change is placed on individuals. In this thesis I investigate whether individualizati
Objective: Foetal growth restriction (FGR) affects 10% of pregnancies, contributing to 30% of stillbirths. Current management of early-onset FGR (< 32 + 0 weeks' gestation) delivers the foetus before stillbirth or irreversible organ damage. The resulting preterm births create additional risks independent of FGR. We determined the economic cost associated with severe early-onset FGR. Design: Econom
Context. Pismis 18 is a moderately populated, intermediate-Age open cluster located within the solar circle at a Galactocentric distance of about seven kpc. Few open clusters have been studied in detail in the inner disc region before the Gaia-ESO Survey. Aims. New data from the Gaia-ESO Survey allowed us to conduct an extended radial velocity membership study as well as spectroscopic metallicity
Objectives: Pregnancy can influence immune control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (MtbI). We recently reported an association between MtbI and pregnancy complications, particularly severe preeclampsia, in a registry-based cohort of women originating in tuberculosis-endemic countries screened for MtbI in Swedish antenatal care, implying a potential role of MtbI for the development of preec
