The topic of this work is simulations of porous materials and transport phenomena at a mesoscopic length scale, i.e., a length scale larger than an individual atom but smaller than the continuum. The porous material studied is a membrane used in fuel cells. Mass transfer has also been studied in the membrane. Heat and mass transfer has been studied in parallel plate channels, first in saturated ch

This thesis is about the social services’ investigations into childrens need of protection and support. The principal purpose is, from a critical perspective, to analyse and discuss how the legally-accorded procedural directives for the execution of an investigation, and therein the integrated support and counselling work, are adapted in the social services’ actual investigation work in relation t

Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) is one of the endogenous factors found in bone matrix. bFGF is a mitogen for many cell types, including osteoblasts and chondrocytes. It can stimulate angiogenesis and osteoblast gene expression. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether exogenous bFGF can stimulate the formation of bone in bone grafts and in a bone graft substitute. All experiments

The aim of this prospective longitudinal multicenter study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with head and neck cancer at diagnosis, after one and five years in relation to tumour location, stage, sub site, treatment modality, gender and age. The first part of the study, lasting for one year, consisted of 357 patients (mean age 63 years; 72% males) that were in

The dissertation deals with Islamic preaching in theory and practice, with special focus on material recorded and published in the format of audiotapes/cassettes. One aim is to explore possible implications of the use of this special format of publication in the context of Islamic preaching. How is this new format of publication to be understood in relation to the norms regulating the activity of

The primary aim of the present thesis is to increase understandig of the relationship between organisational structure, gender and power. Understanding of this relationship requires a closeness to the individual being studied as well to the content and consequences of that individuals´actions. The empirical object of study is a group of professional women at a somatic clinic. The problem investiga

Knowledge about lung mechanics is of interest in intensive care to adjust mechanical ventilation and in the lung laboratory for diagnostics and evaluation of patients with various kinds of respiratory diseases. In mechanical ventilation a single inspiratory elastic pressure-volume (Pel/V) curve is difficult to interpret due to continuing re-expansion of collapsed lung units over a large pressure

The field of vitreoretinal surgery has expanded greatly over the last decades. A continuous refinement of surgical methods and instruments has increased the number of treatable retinal disorders. Vitrectomy, retinectomy and laser treatment are all part of the modern surgical arsenal. In order to further develop and refine these methods, and also to improve the knowledge of the mechanisms behind th

The main pathological feature in Parkinson's disease is the progressive loss of dopamine neurons in the midbrain, which in turn leads to the appearance of motor deficits such as akinesia/bradykinesia (loss/slowness of movements), rigidity, postural imbalance and tremor. To this day, there is no cure for the disease, but there are medications to relieve the symptoms. The gold standard medication is

The dissertation focuses on interpretations of Islam that claim compatibility with international human rights norms in the context of women’s rights. These interpretations are seen as parts of an on-going contemporary international debate on women’s human rights and Islam that engages Muslims as well as non-Muslims. Existing UN-formulated international human rights schemes are a basic starting poi

What are the effects of growth on equality in a long-term perspective? What are the effects of different patterns of equality on subsequent growth? And why are these questions relevant for the understanding of economic development? These are the overriding questions posed in the dissertation. They are addressed in the context of long-term change from economic backwardness to modern economic growth

This dissertation examines and discusses some phenomena related to the geometric representation of similarity. It takes its inspiration from the existing body of empirical research within the fields of perceptual and cognitive psychology, but also connects to certain areas of machine learning. The problems discussed concern the modelling of information integration behavior when concepts like asym

Leukocyte recruitment is considered to playa key role in numerous inflammatory diseases. Tissue accumulation of Jeukocytes is a multi-steps process comprising rolling, adhesion and transmigration. This process depends on the function of several different cells, including leukocytes, endothelial cells, mast cells and macrophages as well as a wide spectrum of inflammatory mediators, such as TNF-alph

Life cycle environmental problems have been addressed by a number of strategies. However, the results are mostly lamentable because solutions are searched for within the same paradigms that give rise to the problems. This research questions the vision of linear material growth and searches for ways to sustain economic growth without putting the natural environment under stress. The research explor

The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in psychological and social variables before and after group therapy for adult women who were sexually abused in childhood. Other aims were to describe and evaluate the traumafocused group therapy by consumer satisfaction, to describe the women's health before group therapy start and to evaluate the impact of single childhood sexual abuse variables on m

Processing of programs is a core area in computer science. A compiler that translates source text to machine language is the most well-known kind of tool in this area, but there are numerous other kinds of related applications: source-to-source translators, refactoring tools, reengineering tools, metrics tools, consistency checkers, etc. These tools perform similar analyses and can therefore benef

This paper explores the relationship between sensitivity to rejection and using social media for political activity. We hypothesize that individuals who are afraid of being rejected behave differently when using social media than the ones who are less sensitive to rejection. We argue that “rejection sensitive” individuals are less likely to share political information in social media, since the re

The aim was to study the long-term consequencies of vesicoureteral reflux and reflux nephropathy (RN) in adults, with regard to radiological progression, urinary tract infections, renal functional impairment, hypertension, and to determine if the extent of renal damage can predict the outcome. Attempts to differentiate between acquired and developmental renal damage were also made. 115 patients wi

Local treatment with the aim to destruct tissue by heating (thermotherapy) may in some cases be an alternative or complement to surgical methods, and has gained increased interest during the last decade. The major advantage of these, often minimally-invasive methods, is that the disease can be controlled with reduced treatment trauma and complications. The extent of thermal damage is a complex fun

The aim of this thesis is to offer a contribution to the understanding of marketing work. In orthodox, mainstream marketing management literature, the work of marketing is commonly depicted as a fairly straightforward practice, technical in character, neutral in terms of social values and ideologies, operating within an objective and pre-given world. A counter picture to this idealised view of mar