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It is well established that dietary fibre, especially soluble dietary fibre, has beneficial effects and can prevent diseases associated with the modern lifestyle. This has been explained by the viscous effects of soluble fibre, which can reduce or delay the absorption of carbohydrates and fat in the small intestine, resulting in lower blood concentrations of glucose, insulin and cholesterol. Oats,

The primary aim of this thesis is to formulate a theoretically and empirically based consultation model for psychologists in school contexts. Ideas and strategies are clarified so that they can be applied, evaluated, and further developed by other professionals. The model has been constructed with an interactional approach, with the stress on patterns of interaction between grown-ups and children

The steric and electronic properties of eight water-soluble phosphines (1-8) were investigated by different methods. Phosphines 1-6 were tested as ligands in palladium catalysed hydroxycarbonylation of styrene. In line with the proposal that a ligand with low basicity should facilitate nucleophilic attack of water on the acyl complex, the electron rich {4 - [Bis(2 - diethylaminoethyl)] - aminobenz

Pathogenic bacteria often produce potent proteases capable of destroying host tissue thereby providing the bacteria with tools for spreading and nutrient access. This thesis describes how group A, C and G streptococci can acquire surface bound protease activity through an alternative mechanism, namely by binding and activation of the human protease precursor plasminogen. Group A streptococci of c

Introduction: Shunting systems are implanted for draining cerebrospinal fluid to treat hydrocephalus, intracranial cysts, and idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Most shunt systems include a valve which regulates drainage. A differential pressure valve opens when intracranial pressure exceeds the valve’s opening pressure. The difficulty with these valves is selecting and predicting the most sui

Aim of the study Today´s methods for the staging of rectal carcinoma: ultrasonography with transrectal probe, CT, MRI or MRI with a rectal coil, all have limitations. The aim was therefore to develop a new, double-contrast MRI method for evaluation of rectal carcinoma. The idea was that a rectally applied contrast medium causing distension and signal void of the rectal lumen and an intravenous inj

This thesis investigated the concept of balance in daily occupations. The overarching aim was to explore women’s patterns of everyday occupations and to investigate relationships between different aspects of patterns of daily occupations and health and well-being. The participants were working, cohabitant women with pre-school children. The methods used focused on exploring patterns of daily occup

Semiconducting nanowires have attracted scientific attention for more than 20 years due to their potential applications in electronic devices, as sensors, and in solid state lighting. These applications require high quality nanowires to begin with. Achieving such good control over the growth of nanowires is not trivial and requires profound understanding of the underlying processes. In this thesis

The present study deals with natural killer (NK) T cells restricted to the antigen presenting molecule CD1d. NKT cells have been suggested to play a role in many diverse immunological situations such as clearance of different pathogens, protection against certain tumors, regulation of autoimmune reactions and as a link between innate and adaptive immune responses. NKT cells are in many respects un

The structure, hydration, and dynamics of concentrated DNA-amphiphile complexes were investigated by small-angle X-ray diffraction, sorption calorimetry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. A concentrated, electroneutral, DNA-amphiphile complex can be formed by mixing charge-stoichiometric solutions. The effect is a strong association of DNA with the oppositely charged amphiphile resulting in the form

The present thesis focuses on the vascular effects of antimicrobial peptides especially mechanisms involving the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO), which is released from the blood vessel wall during inflammatory conditions such as sepsis. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulates the expression of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which increases the NO production in vascular tissues or cultured vascular s

This thesis investigates students' dialogue and collaboration when working in small groups in a netbased course. The aim is to describe and shed light on student's dialogue and collaboration in a computer-mediated communication working with a problem oriented task. Thus, the interest lies in student's engagement in the learning situation rather than on the learning outcomes. The research was carr

Through deforestation and conversion of natural ecosystems to croplands and pastures, have humans released vast amounts of carbon (C) dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Roughly one third of the cumulative anthropogenic emissions until today stem from these practices, the remainder being mostly due to fossil fuel combustion. The extra CO2 has caused an increase in global air temperature, and both t

In an industrial context when the product development cycles are shortened and constraints on technical innovations are high, it is very important to provide a very efficient and effective engineering design activity. In the current engineering design literature, most methodologies are by and large based on the so-called systematic engineering design approach. This approach is characterized by an

The effect of short time vibration exposure and tourniquet compression on nerve regeneration in rats was studied with special reference to cell activation. One of the hindlimbs was conditioned by either vibration exposure (5 hours / day - 5 consecutive days) or compression (150-300 mmHg for 30-120 minutes), which was followed by a recovery period of 0-7 days. Test crush lesions or a transplantatio

Carbon credits are used as an instrument for climate change mitigation. Each credit represents a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) equivalent of 1 ton of carbon dioxide. Crediting mechanisms and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol in particular have been important for the international efforts to limit GHG emissions and the engagement of developing countries in m

In this thesis four new algorithms are presented for automatic segmentation in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR); automatic segmentation of the left ventricle, myocardial infarction, and myocardium at risk in two different image types. All four algorithms were implemented in freely available software for image analysis and were validated against reference delineations with a low bias and hig

This study explores the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) for neuronal vulnerability and neurogenesis following cerebral ischemia in the rat. Cerebral ischemia results in selective neuronal cell loss in specific brain regions. We here demonstrate the rank order of vulnerability in two regions affected by global forebrain ischemia, i.e., hippocampus and striatum, by combining specifi

Recent studies indicate that experience dependent mechanisms shape the pain system during the development. In view of that painful stimuli are rare during development it is not clear how this is accomplished. In this thesis it is confirmed, using a battery of sensory deprivations in the rat, that the development of an essential component of the pain system, the nociceptive withdrawal reflexes (NWR

This thesis is concerned with a family of bacterial surface proteins expressed by different strains of the anaerobic Gram-positive, commensal and human pathogen Peptostreptococcus magnus. These proteins have been studied with respect to their role in virulence, function, structure, and evolution. Strains isolated from patients with vaginosis have previously been shown to be associated with express