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Voluntary Sector Organisation Public Partnerships (IOP) are a new collaboration form for voluntary and public organisations aiming to give financial support to a welfare service provided by the voluntary actor. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent a voluntary organisation can be independent in order to be able to advocate as an IOP-participant. The object of study is the Red Cross an

The aim of this thesis is to study the flammability and fire spread for textile membranes for weather protection. This thesis includes literature studies to determine current standards and recommendations available. Main focus however have been on the European classification system EN 13501-1 and construction site safety. Two types of experimental tests have been done, cone calorimeter test and te

Dietary supplements, designed to fortify the antioxidant status of human metabolism, are intended to provide nutritional support against the aging process. The strategy is based on the observation that environmental and metabolic sources of oxidatively generated free radicals damage key macromolecules, such as DNA, that in turn alter physiologic processes, and in turn may contribute to aging and a

Previous work has shown that the lips are moving at a high velocity when the oral closure occurs for bilabial stop consonants, resulting in tissue compression and mechanical interactions between the lips. The present experiment recorded tongue movements in four subjects during the production of velar and alveolar stop consonants to examine kinematic events before, during, and after the stop closur

Antigenicity, the ability to bind to members of repertoire of diverse immune receptors, is a concept that is poorly characterised with respect to its defining parameters. To learn more about its makeup, we have investigated the ability of two peptides with highly related sequences, derived from the tumour-associated antigen mucin-1, to recruit in vitro members from a large naive repertoire of synt

When heating a dilute sample of the binary system of tetraethyleneglycol dodecyl ether (C12E4) and water from the micellar phase (L-1) into the two-phase region of a lamellar phase (L-alpha) and excess water (W) vesicles are formed. During heating, one passes a region of phase separation in the micellar phase (L-1' + L-1") where the initial micelles rapidly fuse into larger aggregates forming the

A runtime system for implementation of image processing operations is presented. It is designed for working in a flexible and distributed environment related to the software architecture of a newly developed UAV system. The software architecture can be characterized at a coarse scale as a layered system, with a deliberative layer at the top, a reactive layer in the middle, and a processing layer a

Macroscopic phase separation in covalent sodium polyacrylate (PA) networks following the absorption of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/chloride (CTAB/C) from aqueous solutions is studied experimentally and theoretically. The gels are shown to consist of a solvent-swollen polyelectrolyte network (core), surrounded by a dense surface phase (skin) of polyion/surfactant complexes. The effect of core sw

Galectins are a group of lactose-binding proteins widely distributed in nature. Twelve mammalian galectins have so far been identified, but their functions are to a large extent unknown. In this work we study galectin-1 in its interaction with human neutrophils, with regard to both cell surface binding and activation of the superoxide-producing NADPH-oxidase. We show that galectin-1 is able to act

To define the clinical presentation of aerococcal infective endocarditis (IE) and the prevalence of synergy between penicillin and gentamicin on aerococcal isolates.

The addition of amphiphiles grafted with polyethylene glycol units to constructs of DNA-amphiphiles is of most relevance for applications demanding colloidal stability. In this work, we study the self-assembly behavior of a true ternary mixture comprising (i) an electroneutral complex of DNA and a cationic surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium, DTA), (ii) water, and (iii) nonionic surfactant (dodec

In this review, I will present an overview of the development of the field of scatter hoarding studies. Scatter hoarding is a conspicuous behaviour and it has been observed by humans for a long time. Apart from an exceptional experimental study already published in 1720, it started with observational field studies of scatter hoarding birds in the 1940s. Driven by a general interest in birds, sever

The human host-defense peptide LL-37 not only displays antimicrobial activity but also immune modulating properties that trigger intracellular signaling events in host cells. Since the cytolytic activity of high LL-37 concentrations affects cell viability, the function of LL-37 requires tight regulation. Eukaryotic cells therefore benefit from protective measures to prevent harmful effects of LL-3

Since the mass protests erupted in early 2011 has the Arab Spring been the central focus for studies from various approaches. This study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the Arab Spring from the perspective of democratisation theory. More specifically, the study analyses the case of the Arab Spring as a set of paths determined by the interplay of class actors. In doing so, the study fol

Despite the consensus that reading is good for the individual, teachers seem to report the existence of a different mindset in the classroom as they struggle to motivate students to read. Research has indicated the existence of a growing gap between weak and strong readers, and that the fast-paced and technologically advanced society of today is noticeably affecting students’ reading habits. Howev

The silo is a landmark that is known for its unique shape, height and large volume and is now a building that in our big cities threatens extinction. This type of construction is not usually built anymore, all because of new techniques that replaces this kind of large mass grain storages. The intention of the report is to analyze how an industrial building, shaped as a silo can be changed into res

The U.S.-China relationship is undeniably one of the most important economic and security relationships of the 21st century. Since Barack Obama took office in 2009, increasing emphasis has been put on ending the two wars in the Middle East and to redirect focus towards the increasingly important Asia Pacific region. The U.S. relationship with China has proven difficult to manage, and major differi