Filtyp
Moisture buffering in the indoor environment is the ability, through absorption and desorption, of surface materials to attenuate the moisture variations of the indoor air. Moisture buffering plays an important role in understanding the risks for biological growth in surface materials in the indoor environment, e.g., mold growth on walls and house dust mites in beds, and thereby also have an impac
This thesis describes basic models for thermo-fluid systems and the implementation of the models using a flexible object-oriented structure in the ThermoFluid library. Model libraries provide an excellent way to package engineering knowledge of systems to be reused by non-experts. Many commercial simulation packages provide good model libraries, but they are usually domain specific and closed. Mod
The purpose of this thesis is to study the computer using practice within pre-school activity, or more specifically, to study aspects of meaning-making as afforded when the computer is in use in pre-school. In the study a socio-cultural perspective is used as the point of departure combined with an Ecological approach to visual perception and Positioning theory. Data was collected in three pre-sch
This thesis purports to prove the logical necessity of the psychic energy concept discarded by modern psychoanalysis by linking the "evolutionistic argument" against epiphenomenalism to Brillouin´s negentropy principle. If our conscious awareness of affects and other psychological events should be attributed a signal value at all, they must necessarily exercise effect on the soma. This presupposes
This dissertation studies statistical properties and applications of the Markov switching models for economic time series in five separate papers. The two main statistical themes are (i) the task of choosing the number of states to use in the model, and (ii) inference on time-varying transition probabilities. Our empirical applications span a wide array of topics in international finance and macro
Information and Communication Technologies change the way we work and communicate, enabling us to telework and to have virtual meetings - collaborating without a physical meeting. This can influence the need for commuting and business travel by provision of access to an activity without mobility - virtual mobility. The large environmental impact of travel makes this potential travel reduction inte
This thesis is divided into three parts, which all deal with computational analysis and processing of images. However, the settings are quite diverse.They range from robotic camera sensors, over human perception, to physical measurement setups. In spite of this diversity, common theoretical ideas and computational aspects are applied which ties the three different parts closer together. The first
This dissertation critically examines the tension between mainstream and counterpoint perspectives on sustainability on the basis of analyses of four approaches to this issue: environmental economics, ecological economics, adaptive management, and bioregionalism, which are presented as successive attempts to challenge mainstream, modernist perspectives on socio-ecological relationships. The differ
State policy intervention in the economy has been a ubiquitous phenomenon in history. Varying in form and intensity, it has had a profound impact on trade, welfare, international relations, and political and economic thinking. This thesis provides an inclusive analysis of policy action in the European car industry. It details its development, processes, nature, and content and presents the story a
In most control problems the objective is to control the output at a desired value in spite of disturbances. In some cases, the best setpoint is not known a priori and it should be found online to optimize the process performance. This thesis examines a probing strategy that can be applied for this class of problems. The focus is on the application of the technique to the control of feed supply in
Flowers use different cues to attract pollinators including colour and odour. How do hawkmoths use these cues to find the flowers? This question was investigated in two species of hawkmoth, the diurnal species, Macroglossum stellatarum, and the nocturnal species, Deilephila elpenor. Both species have colour vision and D. elpenor can discriminate colours under very dim light intensities. Both speci
This thesis describes the preparation of heterogeneous latexes, which may serve as binders in coating applications, and the characterization of these. The latexes were prepared in two-stage seeded emulsion polymerization. The seed latexes used were polystyrene, whose properties had been changed by copolymerization with methacrylic acid (MAA) or divinyl benzene. The second-stage polymers were copol
Increasing attention is paid to mechanical ventilation as one cause behind aggravation of lung injury. Lung protective ventilation can be achieved e.g. by minimising tidal lung collapse and re-expansion and by the use of small tidal volume allowing some degree of permissive hypercapnia. The ventilator and the sick lung comprise a very complex system. Identification of a ventilator setting that wit
The purpose of the present investigations was to obtain a more comprehensive view of fire setting by children and adolescents; to explore the prevalence of the phenomenon; whether or not it experimentally may be related to frustration or boredom and to examine the role of personality traits such as optimism, pessimism and creativity. This dissertation consists of two experimental and two interview
Cellulose based derivatives, such as cellulose ethers, today find many applications in a diverse range of fields. The numerous applications put high demands on the technological performance of the cellulose ethers. In order to be able to control the technological properties it is necessary to develop analytical methods by, which they can be correlated to the chemical structure. In some cases va
Based on the results of two rehabilitation engineering design projects, this thesis aims to present and analyze: ? What is required for genuine engineering knowledge and expertise to come into its own in rehabilitation engineering when the entire effort starts and ends with the person for whom it is intended. ? How the work of an engineer not only can improve the conditions for the actual d
This thesis presents the development, optimisation, and various applications of enzyme-based biosensors and immunoassays, mainly with relevance to environmental analysis. the thesis discusses problems and possible solutions associated with selectivity, sensitivity and robustness of such bioassays with emphasis on various immunoasssay configurations for determination of surfactants, phenols, or dru
In the research area of cleaning and process hygiene it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms behind the deposition of particles and macromolecules onto surfaces. The deposition process is described as the transport of particles to the surface followed by attachment. If the hydrodynamic forces are strong enough, the particles can be re-entrained. In this work particle deposition wa
Natural products have until recently provided the only remedy for treatment of diseases. The development of modern chemistry in the last centuries has opened the door for tapping into the chemical diversity found in nature. Synthetic natural products, together with analogues, are an important piece in the puzzle towards curing many ailments. In this thesis, synthetic endeavors towards different bi
