Erythropoiesis is a complex and carefully controlled process which is mainly regulated by erythropoietin. Using flow cytometry cells in a blood sample can be analyzed one by one. ADVIA 2120 using flow cytometry for analysis of red blood cells (RBC) and reticulocytes. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a component of the RBC method. RDW indicates size variation on erythrocytes and is measured as a percentage of the mean cell volume (MCV). By measuring the RDW anemia can be divided into makrocytic, microcytic or normocytic. Reticulocytes refract light more strongly than red blood cells because they contain some cellular debris. The number of reticulocytes in the peripheral blood reflects erythropoiesis in the bone marrow. The purpose of this project was that by approved methods to establish reference ranges for the parameters, RDW and reticulocyte counts.The individuals who participated in the study, n=124, were considered healthy and had varying ethnicity. Reference subjects had not donated blood the last six months and participation in the study was voluntary.The statistic evaluation includes examination of distribution, and reference ranges for both men and women were established using the 2.5:t and 97.5:t percentiles. The calculated reference interval for RDW was between 12.0 ? 14.3% and the calculated reference interval for reticulocytes was between 38.0 ? 112.8 x109 cells/L. The results showed a significant difference between males and females for the parameter reticulocytes was seen. The difference indicates that different reference ranges should be established for men and women (p<0,0001). No significant difference between males and females were seen for RDW (p=0,74) indicating that the same reference ranges can be used for both men and women. .

This thesis has been done at the powder department (GH) at AB Sandvik Coromant in Gimo. With a rheometer measurements has been made on raw materials and powder blends. The focus of this report has been to find correlations between raw material powders and press data, comparisons have also been made between raw materials and powder blends.The rheometer can show information of how a powder act in flow conditions, together with air and with pressure. Analyses has been done comparing the rheometer data with press parameters (for example: rejected orders, weight variations and the compaction pressure) with the goal to find correlations between the powders flow properties and the powders compaction in production.The measurements and analyses have been showing that the powder flow properties depends on the powders composition and that properties like flow rate, aeration and permeability varies between powder blends and batches of the same powder sort. It seems to exist a correlation between the pressure force and the flow rate of a raw material.

Fastighetsregistret (The Cadastre) is a large and important information sourcesupplied by Lantmäteriet (the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registrationauthority). Fastighetsregistret provides geographical information about the 3.2 millionestates in use in Sweden. Fastighetsregistret has a large number of users who trustthat the provided data is reliable, but experience shows that the data can have varyingquality. As a user it is not always possible to access more detailed information inorder to assess to what extent the data in Fastighetsregistret is reliable.The purpose of this master's thesis is to investigate the possibilities of a system with agraphical user interface that present, classify and visualize the quality of the data inFastighetsregistret. The defined user group for this suggestion is internal users atLantmäteriet who have a good understanding of Fastighetsregistret.

It's an everyday experience shared by many that nature can be of help in relieving pain, reducing stress, support mental recovery etc. In the last three decades or so this experience has also found support in a large number of scientific investigations. Among other things the experience of nature has been shown to reduce stress and pain in patients and to boost concentration and reduce impulsive behavior in children. Most of this research however has mainly been concerned with the visual modality. In this thesis the aim has been to focus on the auditory modality in this context by trying to reveal some effects on people from the exposure of nature sounds played indoors in three different environments: a grammar school class room, a kindergarten play room and a post-surgery wake up room at an intensive care unit.

PDF-files are to become a native file format in all prepress supplier workflows during 2006. This will give an opportunity to automate and develop a more stream lined prepress workflow. It is desirable to secure digital files by preflight the files early in the process. The objective with this project is therefore to find software that can automate parts of the preflight process and also to build up a well-functioning preflight workflow for preflighting both PDF-files and native files.Meetings have been held with preflight suppliers to find a solution for how to automate parts of the preflight in the prepress workflow. Seven preflight software companies demonstrated the possibilities with their products and four of these were chosen for continuing working with.

Lake lowering in sulphide-rich areas is currently a major environmental impact for surface water. This study focuses on whether there is a relationship between a gradient of lake lowering and surface water impacts in areas of sulphide-rich sediments, in order to better understand their contribution of heavy metals and sulfuric acid. Also, is it a reasonable method to use the reduced lake area in order to quantify the gradient? The survey was conducted by collecting water samples from reference lakes and lowered lakes from south to north in coastal areas within the county of Västerbotten. Water samples were then analyzed for TOC, pH, conductivity, anions, base cations, alkalinity, acidity, sulfate, Al, Cd, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb.

Organic animal husbandry has received a lot of criticism lately. The aim of this literature review was to examine if the rules and principles of organic pig farming give better or worse welfare in comparison to the conventional systems in Sweden. Health, physiology and behaviour have been used as indicators of welfare in this study. This is due to the importance of using more than one indicator in welfare assessments. Studies have shown that organic pigs have more remarks on joints when slaughtered, but these remarks can be reduced by vaccination against erysipelas.

Hematology-instruments that analyze blood cells can at specific cases be followed by manual counting with a hemocytometer. The plastic hemocytometer which has a fixed coverslip and is assigned for disposable use, appears to reduce the problems arising from the use of the traditional glass hemocytometer, for instance coverslip-application difficulty and dust particles. Capillary whole blood sampling may be useful for patients at the emergency department and in addition, a smaller volume of blood is taken compared to venous blood sampling. This study will focus on the platelet- and leukocyte count (PLT and WBC) in venous and capillary blood, in order to compare the plastic- and glass hemocytometers with Sysmex XN-2000 (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan), and verify if capillary whole blood sampling can be used for the measurement of these hematological parameters. 30 subjects donated both capillary- and venous blood samples and these blood samples were analyzed with glass- and plastic hemocytometers with Sysmex XN-2000 as the reference method.

More often consumers demand instant dry soup that can be prepared with a water temperature below 100o C, which is currently not possible, because the dry soup becomes too thin when using water with a lower temperature. In this study, various kinds of starch studies were made to optimize the starch used in the existing product to make it more viscous at both high and low temperatures. The result was that one of the two starches present in the existing product was retained by change in quantity as it contributed to important flavor parameters. The second was removed and replaced with a starch that made the product more viscous at lower temperatures. To find out if the new product differed from the existing product a viscosity measurement and a sensory paired preference test were made.

Future emission legislation puts great emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the engine, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The tribological contact between cylinder liner and piston ring is where an great amount of energy is lost due to friction, and by reducing these losses an reduction in fuel consumption can be achieved.The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the tested piston ring coatings against a plasma sprayed cylinder liner and rank these combinations of materials for friction and wear resistance. The coatings that were tested was Cr + Al2O3, (Al,Cr)N, two types of CrN and WC / C.The experimental tests were performed with a so-called pin-plate, where used oil with addition of an acidic mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid to mimic the acidic condensate formed when exhausts recirculate, were added with a continuous flow. The results were then analyzed by weighing, studies by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and profile measurements.The results from each material combination were that the plasma coated cylinder liner wears too aggressively in order to yield a ranking of the piston ring coatings based on the parameters of friction and wear resistance. It is therefore proposed that an alternative coating on the cylinder liner should be developed, lacking the large abrasive wear on piston rings and that can withstand the corrosive environment resulting in engines equipped with EGR.

This thesis falls within the realm of social studies, specifically social studies in literature, and attempts to establish whether the sub-genre of fantasy literature known as sword and sorcery contains elements which resemble the tenets of fascism. Robert E. Howard is considered the progenitor of the sub-genre and his stories have an influence on the nature of sword and sorcery literature today, 70 years after his death. Howards creation of the sub-genre coincides with the spread of fascist ideologies around the world in the 1930s and the study attempts a societal mirroring analysis of Howards texts. With the help of an analytical model based on fascism expert Robert O.

The main purpose with the project has been to approximate the magnitude of the pollution transport from the actual road surfaces and to get an approximation of the possibility to collect the pollutants to reduce the load to the water and improve the water quality.The quantity of pollution transport from the most trafficated roads areas in Örebro city has been calculated. Roads whith a traffic exceeding 10 000 vehicle/day. The study has been done with the calculation tool StormTac. Through analysis of traffic loads and road surface, which together with a different kinds of parameters gives an approximation of the pollutant transport.The calculation has included some metals and other substances in the stormwater and has also included the present of suspended solids. Included the overall study, some smaller areas has also been calculated for the possibility to remove pollutants.The work also includes calculation for three different areas for stormwater treatment.

The purpose of this study has been to make an inventory of combustible waste in the region around Norrköping and to investigate the composition of domestic waste, industrial waste and two different types of sludge. The work was performed at the request of Norrköping Miljö & Energi, due to the planning of an incineration plant. The inventory of the waste was performed through inspection of environmental impact reports, from waste disposal plants in a number of local government areas in the region. The quantities were also compared to another inventory, carried out in a different way. The characterisation of the wastes was compared to the fuel specification determined by Norrköping Miljö & Energi.

Heavy duty vehicles often have problems with traction during the winter periods. For vehicles that can lift tag axles it is possible to increase the normal force on the driven axle by lifting one or more tag axles, this will then increase the propulsive force of friction. This however increases wear on both road and vehicle. A possibility to reduce the wear while achieving nearly equivalent traction compared to lifted tag axles is to allow the vehicle to regulate the normal force by lowering the pressure in the air suspension associated with the tag axles or by the lifting of these axles. The vehicle would then by itself be able to set just the right amount of normal force on the drive wheels to avoid unnecessarily high normal forces while maintaining sufficient traction.The purpose of the report is to find out which parameters affect heavy duty vehicles when driving on slippery slopes and how traction can be improved.

In this report I have compiled my thesis which was about investigating what sellers of real estates find important when they shall appoint a real estate agent. I have also looked into other parameters in my study, like whether the sellers at all use real estate agents and how they have proceeded in case they do not use an agent. In addition to that, I have tried to find out why sellers didn´t chose LRF Konsult and what they know about the company. This analyses was made through questionnaires sent to those estate owners who didn´t use LRF Konsult when they sold their estate. The questionnaires contained 8 questions.