Background: Folate is a water - soluble vitamin necessary for normal DNA synthesis among  other mechanisms. Folate deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia resulting from abnormal erythrocyte d evelopment. At the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Linköping, analysis of folate is performed with Siemens ADVIA Centaur® XP which uses an immunochemical method with chemiluminimetric detection. Currently, the assay is conducted on serum, is poured off and frozen after 48 h and treated with light protection because folate is considered to be light sensitive.Methods: This study tested lithium heparin plasma for analysis of folate with Siemens ADVIA Centaur® XP with the aim to be able to perform a package of analyzes in anemia investigation from the same collection tube. Furthermore, the stability of folate was studied for up to 168 h and examined regarding light sensitivity.Results: Statistically significant higher values were obtained in the analysis of folate in lithium heparin plasma than folate in serum (p < 0,001).

The main purpose of this project was to make a survey of the steam and electricity consumption at Akzo Nobel Functional Chemistry AB and give suggestions of how to minimize them. These three different areas were focused on. First to make a survey of all the most important consumers, second to find the electricity consumption of the air compressors and the amount of waste heat produced from them. The third area was to calculate a model of how much fresh water that is used during a cooling sequence in the water based heating/cooling system of the reactors and give a suggestion of a suitable reuse for this water.The main result is a total survey of the energy consumption in steam and electricity. The survey shows that the second largest group after drying is heating of ventilation which gives big potentials of reducing the total steam consumption if there is a way of being self supporting in ventilation heat.

The trends in trade have been changing in the last few years. To offer a good product with agood price is not enough today, it?s also required that businesses create a good relationshipwith their customers and then do their best in maintaining it. It is now even more brandscompeting in the market, which indicates how a good relationship between the parties can bean important competitive advantage and also a significant variable.The goal and purpose of the study is to investigate and analyze the factors that influence thatthe supplier, in the sporting goods industry, is seen as a good supplier on the basis of theretailer's point of view. Then we want, from different sized companies, analyze and study howthey work with the key properties in creating a good customer relationship and hencecustomer satisfaction.

Predation is one of many factors that form the structure of the macroinvertebrate community in lakes, wetlands and watercourses. Earlier studies lack an examination concerning how fish- and waterfowl predation affect macroinvertebrates during shorter periods in the spring. I performed an exclosure study in the shallow eutrophic Lake Tåkern which is located in the western part of Östergötland County, Sweden. The experiment was performed during a three week period (1-21 April 2012) when the water temperature was low and the density of migrating diving ducks was high. The experimental cages used included three out of four different treatments; general predation (open cages), bird exclusion (net with mesh size 90*45mm) and no predation (net with mesh size 1*1mm).

This thesis has been performed at Clinical Chemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. The purpose of the project was to investigate new and alternative ways to determinate synthetic cannabinoids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Currently, the possibilities to quantify synthetic cannabinoids are very limited. This can lead to an increased use of synthetic cannabinoids as the risk of detection is low, which may be known by drug users. The synthetic cannabinoids are sold mixed with different herbs and have varying names like Spice Gold, Spice Silver, K2, Smoke and Pot-pourri.The synthetic cannabinoids analyzed were JWH-018 and JWH-073, which are commonly found in seized Spice material.

Samhällets behov av naturvetenskapliga problemlösningar när de rör kemin ökar mer och mer, men ungdomars kunskaper och intresse för kemi har minskat det sista decenniet. Den kemididaktiska forskningen pekar ofta på brister och även om lärarens praktik har en avgörande betydelse för elevernas lärande är det väldigt lite av lärarens praktiska undervisnings metoder som kommer till tals. Syftet med denna studie är att sammanställa och lyfta fram det positiva i det praktiska arbetssättet som några yrkesverksamma lärare använder sig av för att uppfylla något eller delar av kursmålen i kemi för årskurs 5. Resultatet kan förhoppningsvis användas för att få fler lärare att våga undervisa i kemi i grundskolans tidigare år. Studien genomfördes genom djupintervjuer.Genom att välja en flexibel undervisning där elevernas intresse och förmåga var i fokus kunde lärarna genomföra en undervisning som bidrog till att delar av de beskrivna målen skulle kunna uppfyllas.

Platelet aggregation is a major and common problem in blood samples from cats. This greatly affects the accuracy of counting of the platelets. Because of the difficulties in counting feline platelets, results for patients and reliable reference values for cat platelets are currently so inaccurate as to be almost useless in diagnosis of thrombocytopenia. In this study we used an effective method to prevent platelet aggregation. Blood was collected in CTAD test tubes and prostaglandin E1 was added to the blood sample.

Every year a number of tenant-owner flat deals are concluded and the availability of real estate agents on the market is today very widespread. It has become increasingly difficult for estate agents to distinguish themselves in a way that makes the estate agent the customer?s choice. Estate agents must have a good understanding of what is important to the customer. An apartment deal is, for most people, an important event in their life.

During a fire large amounts of particles and unhealthy agents occur.  Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and toxic metals are examples among many others. These agents have a capacity to bond to particles and when the fire is extinguished, the particles can be transferred with the extinguish water into the soil and to the groundwater.Recent studies in particles have been conducted. A study by Ulrika Iverfelt (2014) reviled that the particles from a fire contained large amounts of both PAH and metals, which is consistent with earlier analyses. Her column experiments with particles in the size ? 11 microns and ?100 microns in silica sand, reviled that the larger particles was immobilized because the transportation was influenced by sieving or physiochemical particle and surface interactions.The transport of the particles in soil and groundwater is regulated by two main mechanisms: physiochemical surface interactions and straining.

In this study I have brought up what pupils within vocational training, with focus on upper-secondary school have apprehended about the course ?Projektarbete 100 p? (Project job 100 point). In my analysis I interviewed twelve pupils from upper-secondary school who had 20 % or more truancy during their three years of studying in upper-secondary school and achieved a result to these pupils had problems with absenteeism then primary school. The pupils agreed about the school?s existence but they need schools of practical type.

Både internationellt och nationellt sett har elevers kunskaper i naturvetenskap försämrats enligt PISA-undersökningarna. Vi har även ute i verksamheten uppmärksammat en brist på kemiundervisning i de lägre åldrarna. Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om ett vardagsnära och experimentellt arbetssätt och synlig- göra det naturvetenskapliga språkets betydelse för yngre elevers kunskapsutveckling i kemi. Studien utfördes som en aktionsforskning vilket innebär att en kunskapsbas skapas om sin egen praktik för att sedan genomföra en forskning som leder till en förändring. Aktionerna vi utförde bestod av två experiment med tillhörande för- och efterarbete.

The eutrophication of lakes and seas with the algal bloom and deficiency inoxygen that follow, has been given priority by the Swedish government as oneof 16 environmental objectives. The purpose of this project was to develop a toolbased on a simple model, limited amount of data and geographic informationsystem (GIS) to identify areas with risk for phosphorus losses due to surfacerunoff. This tool can act as a decision support to decide where appropriatemeasures should be applied with the aim of reducing phosphorus losses and bythat the eutrophication.The method that has been used is a combination of two models, one calculatingthe potential erosion while the other one identifies areas of erosion (net erosion)or deposition. This ability is of great importance because potential erosionshould be calculated on areas with net erosion. Areas with high potential erosionhave an increased risk for phosphorus losses due to surface runoff.The potential erosion was calculated based on factors which describe how topography(LS), land use (C), soil type (K) and precipitation (R) effect the erosion.All of them have been modified to a greater or lesser extent.

Uganda anses vara ett högriskland för utveckling av nya plötsligt uppdykande sjukdomar (emerging infectious diseases, EID). Grisproduktionen i Uganda har ökat drastiskt de senaste åren och en stor del av Ugandas grisar är frigående. De kan därför lätt komma i kontakt med vilda djur i deras närområde. Porcint circovirus 2 (PCV2) är ett ubikvitärt virus och etiologiskt agens för bland annat porcine multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Förutom att infektera tamgrisar över hela världen så har PCV2 också visats kunna infektera vildsvin.

The acid deposition of sulphur- and nitrogenoxides from combustion of coal and oil cause acidification that lowers pH and gives increased contents of metals and altered aquatic biodiversity in the stream. The liming of lakes and streams, which was introduced to resist the acidification, demand large economic resourses despite of the decreased deposition of the acidifyng substances. Some of the streams are influenced by the acid deposition, while others are naturally acidic. It is therefore importaint to separate the anthropogenically acidified waters from the naturally acidic, in order to optimize the use of governmental fundings for liming. This thesis aims to estimate the acidity status and impact of acidification on 24 catchments upstream liming dispensers, which is part of the liming activities at the County of Dalarna.The acidity status of the streams was classified according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency old classification system (Naturvårdsverket 1999) as very acid to acid, with small ability to withstand a pH-change (alkalinity) due to acid deposition.

Using biofuels from regeneration cuttings is becoming more common in Sweden. Ash from the combustion of biofuels contains many valuable nutrients and base cations. The Swedish Forest Agency recommends that ash should be recycled to clearings where biofuels have been removed, to avoid future impoverishment of Swedish woodlands. In Jämtland, in northern Sweden, a large quantity of biofuels are taken out from cuttings but ash recycling has not yet been tried. The aim of this thesis was to examine the conditions for ash recycling in Jämtland regarding to soil Chemistry and heavy metal content in soil and biofuels.