The project concerns a predevelopment work for Scania AB, a leading manufacturer of heavytrucks, and was performed as a master thesis work for the program Design and ProductDevelopment at KTH. The purpose of this work was to examine how the work situation of truckdrivers, especially long-haulage drivers, can be improved with respect to prolonged sedentaryoccupation. Mental fatigue and under-stimulation due to low cognitive load during long drivescan be major risk factors for traffic accidents. Physical strain injuries to both the skeleton andmuscles are common for this working group and minimal opportunity for daily exercise alsoincreases the risk of developing blood clots in the legs, which can have serious consequences forthe driver's health.An extensive background study, both theoretical and exploratory, was performed to identify thedrivers' concerns and comfort needs. Various treatments such as massage and active sitting wereinvestigated and existing products within the area studied.

This master thesis was a continuation of a previous study in the diesel exhaust characterization, which is part of the academical work embedded in the EMIR-1 project. The main objective of this thesis work was to finish the installation and make the proper modifications of the particulate mass measuring system located in one of the engine test cells at KTH, in order to be able to measure the mass of the particles from the exhaust of diesel engines.This experiment requires a diluted flow sample from the exhaust that should be sent to the device that makes possible the measurement of particle mass, called TEOM. In the first stage of this project, the objective was to study and make the proper modifications in the existing KTH diluter because there were several problems to obtain a constant dilution ratio from it during tests.This modifications were made and it resulted in a great improvement in the maximum inlet and outlet flow that this diluter can handle. Therefore another modification is proposed for controlling the inlet exhaust flow so it will be possible to regulate the dilution ratio and make it constant along a wide range of engine loads and speeds.The second and most important stage was to make particulate mass measurements possible by analyzing the frequency signal from the TEOM device. The idea was to obtain the frequency of oscillation from the tapered element in the TEOM, and therefore with the proper correlations, be able to predict the particulate mass concentration in the exhaust flow from the engine.An electrical problem in the TEOM circuit was detected and corrected, so the signal that carries the frequency from the TEOM can be analyzed properly.

Mastocytom är den vanligaste typen av kutana tumörer som ses hos hundar, och utgör 7-21 % av hundens alla hudtumörer. Majoriteten av alla mastocytom hos hundar uppstår i dermis eller i subkutan vävnad. Etiologin bakom uppkomsten av kutana mastocytom hos hundar är fortfarande inte helt klarlagd, och den är förmodligen multifaktoriell. Syftet med den här litteraturstudien är att diskutera olika mekanismer som kan ligga bakom utvecklingen av kutana mastocytom hos hund. Studien tar även upp frågan om det finns en genetisk predisponering hos vissa hundraser. Mastceller härstammar från hematopoetiska stamceller.

Urinsten, urolithiasis, är en relativt vanlig åkomma i hundens urinvägar. Stenarna är uppbyggda av olika mineraler och salter av vilka kalciumoxalat och struvit (magnesiumammoniumfosfat) är de vanligaste, ensamma eller i kombination med andra ämnen. Stenarna återfinns framförallt i de nedre urinvägarna, det vill säga i urinblåsa och urinrör. De kan ställa till stora problem genom obstruktion och svår smärta. De upptäcks vanligtvis genom röntgen och måste ofta avlägsnas kirurgiskt men risken för att nya stenar utvecklas är stor.

In metabolism Mg plays an important role because it affects many cellular enzymes in the body. The energy metabolism and protein synthesis are dependent on Mg as an enzyme activator, Mg is also involved in the synthesis of RNA and DNA. Absorption of Mg primarily takes place over the ruminal epithelium in ruminants. The main storage of Mg is in the bones but that can only be reached if the cow is in great need of calcium or phosphorus, it's a hormonal regulated process that induces catabolism of bones. Free and available sources of Mg are found in soft tissues and in the extra cellular fluids that includes cerebrospinal fluids and blood.

Renal dysplasia is a developmental anomaly of the kidneys which is considered to be the primary lesion in juvenile progressive nephropathy, a condition leading to chronic renal failure in young dogs. It is defined as disorganised development of the renal parenchyma due to abnormal differentiation, and pathological lesions include persistent foetal structures, dysplastic tubules and cartilaginous and osseus metaplasia. The aetiology of renal dysplasia in dogs is still unknown, but possible causes are infection with canine herpesvirus, teratogenic substances or intrauterine ureteral obstruction. In some breeds renal dysplasia is a familial or inherited disease. Clinical signs of chronic renal failure, such as polyuria, polydipsia, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, lethargy and anemia, usually appear before the age of 2 years.

Blåsljud är vanligt förekommande hos hund. Bakgrunden kan antigen vara patologisk eller fysiologisk. Det patologiska blåsljudet hörs ofta i samband med aorta- eller pulmonalisstenos. Etiologin bakom uppkomsten av fysiologiska blåsljud är komplex. Den mest grundläggande faktorn är ett turbulent blodflöde som skapar vibrationer tillsammans med olika anatomiska delar i hjärtat.

The energy consumption continues to increase as the use of electronics and energy consuming equipment increases. The use of fossil fuels has to be phased out for this to be sustainable in the long run while the use of renewable energy continues to increase. A renewable energy source is solar energy but the production of heat and electricity are today very expensive compared to other energy sources and an important task for the solar energy market to grow is therefore to minimize the production cost of the solar collectors while increasing its efficiency to produce heat and/or electricity. One way to convert solar energy into heat is by using solar collectors and electricity can be produced by utilizing the produced heat, or by applying solar cells.This thesis aims to recommend a reflective material for the next generation solar collectors from Absolicon and to recommend a commercially available coating for the receiver tube of the solar collector. A market study has been carried out to investigate the cost-related aspects along with the optical and durable aspects for the optical material of the solar collector.

SAMMANFATTNINGDenna litteraturstudie har gjorts med syfte att utöka kunskapen om atopisk dermatit hos hund med fokus på mastcellens roll i immunopatogenesen. Atopisk dermatit är en relativt vanlig sjukdom som kan drabba alla hundar oavsett ras; den är oftast livslång och kräver visst arbete för att diagnosticera och behandla med gott resultat. Förutom att det är ett problem hos hundar, finns även ett nära samband med atopiska sjukdomar hos människa, och hundar fungerar som en bra modell för forskning på humansidan.Trots omfattande forskning, vet man fortfarande inte varför sjukdomen uppkommer. Många teorier finns kring den immunologiska bakgrunden, men stora delar är fortfarande okända. Att mastcellen spelar en nyckelroll är dock allmänt vedertaget.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamin, 5-HT) är en neurotransmittor som till största del syntetiseras i tarmsystemets enterokromaffina celler (en typ av neuroendokrin cell) men även på andra platser i kroppen så som i hjärnstammen, till viss del i hjärtat, lungorna och njurarna. I hundens kropp har serotonin en rad olika funktioner så som reglering av tarmmotorik och sammandragning av glatt muskulatur. Det kan även ha inverkan på sinnestillstånd och kognition. Serotonin kan på olika sätt förstärka eller hämma nervimpulser och därigenom ha stor påverkan på kroppens olika system kopplade till neurologisk verksamhet och dess funktioner. I den fria cirkulationen finns serotonin i trombocyter och vid en kärlskada kan serotonin släppas ut av trombocyterna och orsaka förändringar i deras struktur och även verka på det skadade kärlet genom att orsaka exempelvis kärlsammandragning. Serotonins specifika receptorer har blivit uppdelade i sju huvudfamiljer, 5-HT1-7. De flesta receptorfamiljerna har vidare blivit uppdelade i flera underfamiljer. De olika receptorerna finns i olika uppsättning på olika platser i hundens kropp och beroende på vart receptorn finns och i vilken mängd kan konsekvenserna till följd av aktiverade receptorer vara olika.

Sarcoid is the most common tumor in horses all over the world. The sarcoid is a benign, locally invasive, usually fibroblastic proliferative skin neoplasm. Even if the etiology is not completley verified, the epidemiology and clinical behavior suggest a infectious intervention, probably BPV type 1 or type 2. However, it is known that the cause is multifactorial. A genetic prepdispositon has been identified associated to genes within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), but also to breed, age and perhaps gender.

Sarcoid is the most common tumor in horses all over the world. The sarcoid is a benign, locally invasive, usually fibroblastic proliferative skin neoplasm. Even if the etiology is not completley verified, the epidemiology and clinical behavior suggest a infectious intervention, probably BPV type 1 or type 2. However, it is known that the cause is multifactorial. A genetic prepdispositon has been identified associated to genes within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), but also to breed, age and perhaps gender.

Detta är en litteraturstudie av sjukdomen Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) som drabbar tasmansk djävul. De lever i vilt tillstånd på ön Tasmanien som ligger utanför Australiens södra kust. Tasmanska djävular är köttätande pungdjur i ungefär samma storlek som en rödräv. De är nattaktiva och lever ensamma, förutom vid konkurrens om föda och under parningsperioden då de möter andra tasmanska djävular. Vid dessa möten blir det ofta slagsmål för att göra upp rangordningen. DFTD ger stora tumörer i munhåla, ansikte och halsregion samt eventuella metastaser.

The purpose of the house which is the basis of this report is to be able present itself on the market as a relatively cheap and at the same time a climate friendly choice. The house is supposed to be able to be built anywhere in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia in a short period of time. This puts demand on what kind of heating system the house can have, since not all places have the geographic advantage of being able to use geothermal or district heating. Therefore the heating system choices will only include those that are not limited by their geographic location. The house will be built in modules which only require the groundwork to be done before the house can be erected. In this report "System solutions for plus or passive-housing" a comprehensive literature search has been conducted as well as a number of calculations.

The housing sector of today represents for almost 40% of the energy consumption, an energy consumption of which the major part consists of non-renewable energy sources. This is not sustainable and utilization of new energy-efficient technologies in buildings can be a step in the right direction, towards a sustainable energy society.This report has been made on behalf of and in cooperation with Älvstranden Utveckling AB in Gothenburg to examine how future energy-efficient technologies can affect the energy demand in energy-efficient multi-dwelling buildings.The report is based on Älvstrandens passive house, Hamnhuset, a house whose energy consumption is far below the BBR's requirements. The report looks at the opportunities for improvement within windows, insulation, solar energy technologies, as well as white goods. Computer simulations are then made to apply the selected technologies into a reference building. Technologies are selected from an energy efficient perspective and no account has been taken of other aspects such as the economy.