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Autoimmune diabetes is characterized by cell mediated autoimmunity against insulin producing beta cells in pancreatic islets. Type 1 diabetes is the major cause of diabetes in children and adolescents and is believed to be mediated by a Thl driven destruction of beta cells. The much more prevalent type 2 diabetes is not considered as an autoimmune disease but diabetes specific autoantibodies (ICA

The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to provide extended background knowledge concerning several biochemical markers, used for the medical evaluation of pregnant women with suspected or confirmed preeclampsia, in order to improve the reliability of monitoring. Plasma levels of beta-2 microglobulin, cystatin C and beta trace protein are known to reflect renal filtration in non-pregn

This thesis is about aesthetic observance. By these terms I intend to give an account of a social phenomenon considered an angle of approach on the understanding of norms. I narrow down the problems with the perspective from social psychology. The central claim by George Herbert Mead was that mind arises from human interaction. The individual subject by this means appears as an effect. I whish to

The aim was to study digital radiography and to evaluate the influence of image processing on digital dental radiographs for the assessment of periapical lesions. In four studies, artificial bone lesions were made periapically and interradicularly in the mandibular premolar and molar regions. In a clinical study, direct digital radiographic images depicting the periapical bone tissue of different

Is it possible to understand a society and a certain place that is long since gone? The aim of this thesis is to study and analyse a historic period and its people through the remains of their material culture, the social relations and how these were materialized in an urban setting. The main subject of the empirical study, the medieval episcopal town of Linköping, has shifted out-look, function a

This thesis aims at shedding light on three important issues related to intra-industry trade (IIT); the relevance of demand patterns, horizontal versus vertical IIT, and the measurement of IIT. Chapter two analyses IIT between high and low-income countries, and uses a theoretical model that explains the exchange of similar products of different qualities. We are particularly interested in the rol

The expression of surface adhesion molecules on white blood cells (WBC) and platelets, and the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) after incubation with expanded-polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)- or woven Dacron grafts was determined. Both graft-materials induced alteration of the WBC adhesion molecule receptor and caused release of TNF-a and IL-6, higher for wov

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor deficits. Levodopa treatment provides marked symptomatic relief. However, within 5-10 years after the start of Levodopa treatment, most PD patients display a gradual loss of drug efficacy. Importantly, the neuropathology of PD is dominated by a marked loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra.

This work addresses the phenomenon of long-term, so-called ‘independent’ travelling, or backpacking, often to destinations described as the ‘third world’. It regards backpacker journeys as arenas for identity work, for expressing individuality and a ‘strong character’. Rather than merely being a parenthetic detour in time and space a backpacker’s trip to the tropics can be understood as a creative

The over-arching objectives of this thesis were to formulate a method to describe the consequences of traffic casualties, and to explain the influence of different traffic engineering factors on these consequences for society and individuals over time. A more detailed objective was to examine whether available short-term indicators can be used to predict consequences in a long-term perspective. Ot

This thesis deals with the conceptualisation of da‘wa, ‘the call to Islam’, of the British organisation the Islamic Foundation, and focuses its 25 years of publication of Islamic-English children’s literature. In order to analyse the implications of the new modalities of da‘wa in the late modern Muslim minority context, the present study applies a genealogical perspective. The study explores the

This dissertation examines the interaction between municipal home-helpers and care re-cipients from a social psychological perspective. One of the starting points is a critique of some classical works in the caring science inspired by women’s studies for not taking into consideration that care-giving work constitutes social interaction. The aim is to analyse how elderly people and the home-helpers

Dementia is a state of permanent loss of cognitive function, most commonly affecting the elderly. With a rapidly growing aged population, the spectrum of disorders that lead to dementia is exerting an ever-increasing toll on patients, families and society alike. The most common dementing disorders are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Although Alzheimer's disease is very common and was de

The work presented in this thesis deals with measuring in-cylinder combustion species and events using different laser-based diagnostic methods. A variety of engine operating modes, like HCCI and partially premixed diesel combustion, have been investigated. In the very first measurements, in-cylinder flow-fields were compared to CFD and steady-state blow rig results. After that, the ignition and

During the period (1976-1995) a total of 175 consecutive patients (m 88/f 87) with neuropathologically verified vascular dementia (VaD) were examined. 22 patients with pure Alzheimer's Disease (AD) were also studied. All patients were diagnosed and followed at the Department of Psychogeriatrics (Lund University Hospital). The neuropathological examination revealed VaD, sometimes with additional co

The operating principle of all laser Doppler methods is based on the fact that incident photons shift in wavelength when interacting with moving blood cells passing through the microvascular network. After photodetection and further signal processing, the recorded parameter can be considered an arbitrary measure of tissue blood flow, and this is referred to as ?perfusion?. Laser Doppler perfusion

The clinically important carbohydrate P/GLOB blood group systems and collection give rise to both common (P1, P2) and rare (p, P1k, P2k) blood group phenotypes. The associated antibodies are implicated in severe transfusion reactions and recurrent spontaneous abortions. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular genetic basis of Pk, P and P1 antigen expression. Sequence analysis of the A4

In this present study the population of endothelin-like receptors in the human umbilical artery was examined in vitro in different parts of the umbilical cord. Immunohistochemistry revealed ETB receptors in the endothelium and an uneven distribution of ETA receptors in the smooth muscle of the arterial wall, when comparing different parts of the umbilical artery. ET-1 induced vasoconstriction wa

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are sufficient and required for life long production of all blood cell lineages. Steady state HSCs are largely quiescent and we demonstrate that the kinetics of HSC cell cycling are slower compared to more committed progenitor cells also during expansion and self-renewal ex vivo and in physiological conditions. Such slow kinetics during cell division might reflect a

This thesis deals with the process of estimating underwater current from the backscattering signal transmitted from an ultrasonic transducer. The narrowband sinusoidal burst signal is Doppler-shifted due to the current, and this information is converted into current. The traditional mathematical model for this Doppler process is based on the assumption that the backscattering time signal is Gaussi