The aim of this thesis was to investigate old people's care and quality of life during the last period of life, but also to investigate their own and next-of-kin's experience of this phase. The thesis is based on four studies using separate samples. The sample (n=1198) in study I was drawn from the care and services part of the sub-study ?Good Aging in Skåne? (GAS). The criteria for inclusion in s

Tissue remodeling is observed in several physiological conditions such as embryogenesis, senescence, wound healing and pregnancy, as well as in several pathological conditions such as fibrosis and tumorgenesis. Fibroblasts play a key role in this tissue remodeling due to their capability of altering the turnover of the extracellular matrix. During the remodeling process, the fibroblasts are believ

The phase behaviour and gelation of the anionic polysaccharide kappa-carrageenan (KC) in different salt solutions was studied. The specific site binding of certain anions and certain cations to the KC helix was used as a means of controlling the interactions. In the presence of a binding anion (I-) the charge density of the helix increases and the aggregation of helices, and thereby the gelation,

The serotonergic vascular control was investigated by in vitro pharmacology in the human uterine and umbilical arteries. The localisation of immunoreactive (IR) neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the influence of NPY on the adrenergic vascular effects in the human uterine artery were also studied. NPY-IR nerve fibres were observed predominantly at the media-adventitial border of the uterine artery. About 50

Purpose: To study dark adaptation in patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease or polycythemia before and after treatment. This necessitated determinations of pupillary changes as such may influence the findings. To determine whether changes in the retinal blood flow in light and darkness occur in healthy humans. Methods: Repeated automatic dark adaptometry was recorded monocularly in 21 c

The fermentative performance of bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi was investigated in a pentose (xylose)-rich lignocellulosic hydrolyzate. The filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum and the xylose-fermenting yeast Pichia stipitis were found to be very sensitive to the inhibiting hydrolyzate. Recombinant xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed very poor ethanol formation from xylose;

The legislative limits for NOX emissions in the exhaust gas from heavy-duty diesel engines will be decreased in the European Union from today 3.5 g/kWh (Euro IV) to 2.0 g/kWh in 2008 (Euro V). In the USA and Japan a similar trend can be seen. Accordingly, the development of an exhaust aftertreatment system for heavy-duty trucks seems unavoidable. In this work, an 11 l diesel engine rig has been bu

In this thesis, electron transport in mesoscopic semiconductor nanostructures, in particular so-called electron billiards or quantum dots, is studied. The thesis can be divided into two areas: the linear response regime of transport, and the nonlinear response regime of transport. The classical and quantum mechanical electron dynamics are studied for triangular and square-shaped electron billiard

The root vole (Microtus oeconomus) is a rodent with Holarctic distribution. In fact, it is the only Microtus vole found in both Eurasia and North America. Phylogeographic analyses of the root vole from across its distribution range were performed using mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA sequences. Mitochondrial cytochrome b gene data demonstrate that the root vole is divided into four geographical

The regulation of the exocrine pancreas has been under thorough investigation for many decades. In rats, cholecystokinin (CCK) is considered to be the major gut hormone stimulating the pancreas to releasing the digestive enzymes. CCK acts directly via CCK-A receptors in the pancreas, or through receptors located on the vagal afferents and stimulating the secretion via the cholinergic vagal efferen

Phage display technology is a biotechnological tool that can be used to obtain molecules/reagents able to discriminate between target molecules. Reagents with such features can be used in diverse settings like biological chemistry, diagnostics and in therapeutic applications. Phage display technology is based on the use of recombinant DNA technology, bacteria and a special kind of bacterial virus,

This thesis concerns clean and adsorbate covered metal surfaces and surface alloys. These systems have been studied using theoretical and experimental methods. In the first part of the thesis, the different techniques that have been utilized in this work are presented, and the included publications are summarized. The second part of the thesis consists of seven original publications. In the first

Elastic scattering and the Lorenz-Mie (LM) theory in particular is used for the characterization of sub-micron- and micron-sized droplets of organic fuels in sprays and aerosols. Calculations on the Lorenz- Mie theory show that backward-sideward scattered visible radiation can be used for unambiguous detection of ensembles of homogeneous droplets of organic substances with diameters around 1 micro

This thesis concerns agreement with collective nouns in American, British and Australian English. It is based on material from newspaper corpora and spoken corpora. The findings suggest that dialectal, stylistic, diachronic, syntactic and semantic factors interact in the selection of singular and plural agreement. It was shown that there are differences between regional varieties, between speech a

Increased understanding of the pumping mechanics of the heart are of great importance to develop diagnostics, treatment and prognostics for cardiovascular diseases. Blood flow in the heart is connected to its anatomy and function, and may therefore be a sensitive marker of cardiac health and disease. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to develop and validate methods for quantification and visual

Despite considerable research efforts, the incidence and mechanisms of diffuse cognitive impairment after coronary artery bypass surgery are not fully understood. The aim of the dissertation was to describe cognitive changes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and the predictors and consequences thereof. Neuropsychological tests, interviews and questionnaires were used to assess objectiv

Background: Restenosis is the most frequently occurring adverse event after percutaneous intravascular treatment of atherosclerotic lesions, which limits long-term patency of the intervention. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate if minimizing vascular injury during treatment by insertion of self-expanding stents or modifying the reparative mechanisms by local drug delivery can reduce r

The balance between our demands of energy and the energy we are consuming is not in equilibrium anymore. Therefore, the search for other energy resources is indispensable. Sustainable energy sources offer the alternative to the fossil fuels. Within many types of sustainable energy sources, solar energy offers more than the total global energy consumption. Solar cells are the smart conversion tools

Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT), a circulating single-chain glycoprotein is the most abundant serine proteinase inhibitor in human plasma. AAT is an acute phase protein, its levels increase rapidly to concentrations exceeding 50mM in response to inflammation, infection and malignant diseases. Since AAT is a powerful inhibitor of neutrophil elastase and proteinase 3, it is generally assumed that its physi

The biosynthesis of chlorophylls is an important process in nature. The green pigments play a fundamental role in absorbing and transferring solar energy to the photosynthetic apparatus. This thesis elucidates the role and function of the enzyme magnesium chelatase, which catalyses the insertion of magnesium (II) into protoporphyrin IX and is the first committed enzyme of the chlorophyll biosynthe