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This dissertation analyzes the work on universal morality by the Swiss theologian Hans Küng. According to Küng, a universal morality can be formed out of the world's religions that can reconcile ideological, cultural and religious differences. This morality can then form the basis for international policy and politics and guarantee that relations among states are peaceful. Küng's project focuses
Antibiotic resistance is now a large threat with worldwide agreement that we will fall into a post-antibiotic era unless there is suitable treatment alternatives discovered. In recent years, chronic wounds have become a major burden on society and treatment is complicated. Honey has been widely used as a topical treatment for wounds yet there is much discourse between studies examining its effect
Heart disease results from the loss of cardiomyocytes following myocardial damage and is a leading cause of death worldwide. Stimulating the endogenous regeneration of cardiomyocytes or isolating them from in vitro culture is an attractive therapeutic strategy. In paper I, the focus is on the cellular growth patterns of murine cardiomyocytes under steady-state conditions. The turnover of cardiomyo
Land degradation is commonly perceived to be severe in many parts of semi arid China. The transition towards market economy since the 1978 reforms, have set marginal dry lands under added pressure in the form of increased livestock numbers and expanding cultivation on erosive soils. To evaluate land degradation since the reforms, this study focuses on mapping and analysing the biological productio
The overiding aim of this study is to promote an increace in the knowledge regarding school children´s learning and meaning construction, whereby teachers attempt to exceed traditional ways of learning by combining asthetics and rationality as an integration of the learning process. The aim is to describe and interpret that which occurs in discussions between teachers and the children, when the ch
The spectra of highly charged tungsten ions have been investigated using x-ray and extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy. These heavy ions are of interest in relativistic atomic structure theory, where high-precision wavelength measurements benchmark theoretical approaches, and in magnetic fusion research, where the ions may serve to diagnose high-temperature plasmas. The work details spectroscopic in
The aim was to study a broader phenotype of language-related diagnoses and problems in three generations of relatives of children with specific language impairment (SLI). Our study is based on a family history interview of the parents of 59 children with SLI and of 100 matched control children, exploring the prevalence of problems related to language, reading, attention, school achievement and soc
In this thesis temperature induced vesicle formation in both a block copolymer system and nonionic surfactant system have been investigated. The block copolymer is a triblock copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), PEO-PPO-PEO, with the average molecular composition of EO5PO68EO5 and the commercial trade name Pluronic L121 (papers I, II). In the L121 system the for
The use of polymers and composite materials based on polymer matrix systems increases. With this raise the demands on recycling of both post-consumer and in house based material increase. The demands on the recycling process also increase. The reason is that the process more often has to be a part of the conventional production line. In order to incorporate such a process in a production line tech
Food hoarding is a widespread behavior among a large number of animals, and it exists in several different varieties, all of them used by the animals as a method of having a steady supply of food during periods of low food abundance such as the winter. This thesis concentrates mainly on two aspects of scatter food hoarding behavior, using small birds as study and model animals. Scatter hoarding is
Abstract Hot springs in Iceland can serve as sources of thermophilic, xylanolytic bacteria secreting very thermostable xylanolytic enzymes. The aerobic, thermophilic bacteria Rhodothermus marinus secretes multiple xylanases and xylosidases. One of the xylanases was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and was characterized. The N-terminal sequence showed no homology with other xylanases. The p
The causes of autoimmune diseases are largely unknown today, but there is evidence supporting a substantial complex genetic influence on many of these diseases as well as environmental factors and chance. In this thesis I have tried to get one step closer to the genetic causes of two autoimmune diseases through their induced counterparts in mice, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple scler
With the challenges Africa faces with respect to the predicted warming due to climate change, the continents role in the global carbon cycle has been increasingly recognized. Earth observing satellites have played a significant role in the study of vegetation, particularly in Africa where climate stations are sparse. Satellite data can provide the means to map plant primary production for monitori
This thesis describes chondroadherin, one of the leucine-rich repeat proteins in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of cartilage. Chondroadherin defines a subgroup of its own by not having an N-terminal extension, having a different cysteine pattern and by being devoid of carbohydrate substitutions. Here we show that chondroadherin also have a different exon-intron organization and chromosomal localiz
Structure activity relationship studies of synthetic flavone derivatives have been utilized to refine and evaluate a pharmacophore model of the benzodiazepine binding site of the GABAA receptors, originally developed by Zhang et al. (Drug Des. Discovery 1995, 12, 193-248). In addition to the previously proposed pharmacophore elements, two steric repulsive regions have been added to the model and t
Phase diagrams of mixed alkylglucoside surfactants, n-nonyl-b-D-glucopyranoside and n-decyl-b-D-glucopyranoside (C9G1 and C10G1) have been examined for the purpose of determining the microstructure surrounding a closed-loop miscibiliyt gap. There are large deuterium isotope effects on the phase diagram. NMR-self diffusion, cryoTEM and TRFQ experiments show the presence of long interconnect network
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a modern welding process that joins materials by frictional heat, generated by a rotating tool. Unlike other welding processes, the material never melts, which is beneficial for the weld properties. FSW is already widely adopted in several industries but the applications are limited to simple geometries like straight lines or circular welds, mostly in aluminium. The
The aims of the thesis were to investigate the prevalence of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in female milkers in relation to other occupational groups; to clarify the relationship between disorders and work environment, psychosocial and life style factors; to compare in a prospective study, pain, ache and discomfort reported by a questionnaire with clinical symptoms and sign; to exa
The modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of vegetables is used with the aim of prolonging the shelf-life of the packaged produce. The packaging material consists of a permeable film and as a result of the respiration of the produce and gas diffusion through the film, the O2 decreases and the CO2 increases inside the package. This thesis has focused on the MAP of broccoli and the effect of the packa
