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This Ph.D. thesis is about how the design of measurement systems may influence-or even drive-the integration of firms in supply chains, and is based on research presented in my licentiate thesisR. The research aims at providing a conceptual framework for designing measurement systems in supply chains, and at supporting firms in their quest for ways of developing closer relationships with suppliers
This thesis focuses on contemporary organ improvisation in Western European musical culture. The aim of the study is to explore organists’ descriptions, constructions and definitions of improvisation in words and music, with an interest in the interaction between receptivity, creativity and change. As a research object, the art of organ improvisation is defined as a source for exploring learning a
An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the determination of lead in blood plasma has been developed. The detection limit was below 0.1 microgram/liter, and the precision 5%. There was no significant difference between levels in plasma and serum. Studies of individuals with varying lead exposure showed that in the general population the plasma concentrations were less t
In the present thesis benign breast lesions of various histologies, i.e., fibrocystic lesions from women with and without a known hereditary predisposition to breast cancer, fibroadenomas, phyllodes tumors, and papillomas were cytogenetically investigated with the aim to characterize the chromosomal patterns, and to relate the findings with those in breast carcinomas. No lesion-specific aberration
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer diagnosed in western countries. Complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) reflects a state of hyperestrinism and its role as a precursor lesion of this cancer is established. Endometrial cancers arising in association with CAH are reported in women of younger age, with early stage disease, favorable histological types, higher progesterone recepto
Sample clean-up methodologies based on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) have been developed for determination of fat-soluble vitamins in foods. This thesis focuses on method development, stressing important issues concerning sample pre-treatment, extraction conditions and collection parameters. It was demonstrated that by using SFE followed by saponification and determination using RP-HPLC wit
In the present work, I study various aspects of Martin Buber's model of how a human being can communicate, in a meaningful way, his or her religious experiences to and with another human being. My method has aspects of both conceptual analysis and phenomenologial description. I focus on the individual partners, their mutual relationships and the religious message. Buber's model is based on the con
The standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the most commonly used methods for diagnosing heart disease. Standard ECG is not always optimal, however, and new ECG methods can provide additional information. Analysis of high-frequency QRS components (HF-QRS) has been shown to increase the diagnostic performance of the ECG. Since the amplitudes of the HF-QRS are low compared with those vis
The main aim of this work, was to lay the foundations for the experimental realisation of a quantum mechanical controlled NOT gate in rare-earth-metal-ion-doped crystals. Small amounts of rare-earth elements, added during the growth of some inorganic crystals, will become substituted into the crystal lattice as trivalent ions. The trivalent rare-earth-metal ions between cerium, with atomic number
Asthma is a chronic disorder of the lower airways, characterized by inflammation and hyperreactivity. Pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) are known to play important roles in the pathogenesis, but our knowledge how these cytokines contribute to the development of airway hyperreactivity is limited. The aims of the present study
The adult brain constantly produces new neurons from endogenous neural progenitor cells located in at least two regions, the subgranular zone (SGZ) in dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, and the subventricular zone (SVZ). Major efforts are underway to discover the functional significance of new neurons in the adult brain. Several studies have indicated a relationship exists between newborn hippoca
This thesis contains four separate papers in the field of monetary economics. The common basis for all the papers is that they deal with money and network effects in one way or another. Although the common basis is the same in all the articles, different approaches are used: theory, econometrics and history of economic thought. This first essay focuses on the network effect in the use of money an
This study treats the textual tradition of the Epistle of Jude. After an introductory survey of earlier text-critical research, the two main purposes of this investigation are formulated: to gather and to analyze the complete textual evidence of the Epistle of Jude. The first task, to gather the evidence, involves the collation of all Greek continuous text MSS of the Epistle of Jude. The evidence
Until recently, the islets of Langerhans were thought to harbour four main cell types characterised with respect to principal hormone product. Here we show that the novel hormone ghrelin is expressed in a fifth islet cell type, the islet ghrelin cell, in humans and rodents. The cells are developmentally regulated in that they are numerous around birth and fewer in the adult. The islet ghrelin cell
High body mass index (BMI) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Obesity is also an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and can cause structural as well as functional changes in the heart. High BMI is associated with increased mortality in the population. Weight-loss from a state of overweight or obesity may
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. The new WHO criteria for classification of diabetes takes into account also clinical stages dividing the diabetic patients into noninsulin requiring (NIR), insulin requiring for control (IRC) and insulin requiring for survival (IRS) subgroups. Diab
This thesis concerns how people with stroke describe their experiences of life with stroke and how they learn to live with stroke. In the western world the interest for research in lived experiences has increased. This might be due to the higher rate of people with illness and lifelong diseases. The aim of the study is to analyze stories from persons with stroke of their lived experiences of life
The immune pathology and MHC association of chronic arthritis was studied in three rat models for reumatoid arthritis (RA). Susceptible rat strains develop a T cell dependent chronic disease after immunization with rat collagen type II (CII). The LEW rat does not develop arthritis after immunization with rat CII, but a heterologous immune response to pepsin can break the tolerance to CII and rende
A considerable part of all chemistry in nature and in industry occurs in solvents. Sol- vents affect both the interactions and the reactions of the particles immersed in them. The work in this thesis concerns the properties of ionic and polar solvents, as well as the interactions between solutes and/or dispersed particles. Molecular simulations and simple approximate theories were used to study th
The aim of this thesis is to study the life-changing processes necessary when a person is faced with the demands caused by chronic illness or disability. As subjects for the study, women with chronic pain (fibromyalgi and myofascial pain syndrome), were chosen. Eighteen women active in working life were interviewed on two occasions, with an interval of two months. The women have been living with t
