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).

At Saab Aerosystems, situated in Linköping Sweden, there is a presentation and manoeuvre simulator simulating the fighter jet JAS-39 Gripen. This flight simulator is called PMSIM. In this thesis we study how to transfer sensor images generated by PMSIM to other simulators or desktop computers. The transmission is band-limited so some kind of image coding must be used. Because of this the greater part of this thesis is concerned with image coding.

The purpose of this essay is to examine one of Sweden's oldest motorways in cityenvironment. The researched section is motorway E20 east of Gothenburg. Olskroksmotetin the west and Jonsered junction in the east, a distance of about 11 km. The mainquestion was, can maintenance of areas and objects related to the motorway give greatermeaning to a system that currently lacks historical connection?The survey was partly an archival study and partly a physical examination of themotorway and its appearance today.The road through Säveedalen from Gothenburg has a long history that begins with theriver and its valley as transport routes.

This essay aims to examine how science fiction literature is supported and made available for readers at four public libraries. Each library has its own opinion of what a public library?s role in society is, and that affects how literature acquisition and media exposure is done at that particular library. To explore this, the author uses a modified version of Elzinga and Andersson?s theory of traditionalism, pragmatism and emancipationism.

I Ur och Skur preschools base their teaching on outdoor activities and all educators are called leaders, disregarding their educational background.The purpose of this study is to find out how the leaders of six I Ur och Skur preschools are working, specifically with the written language, in the outdoors environment. The study discusses the concept of literacy, methods leaders use and the advantages and disadvantages they experience with outdoors education and the thoughts they have about outdoor activities. The basis for this study is the objective pursued in the curriculum: "preschools should strive to ensure that children develop an interest in written language and an understanding of symbols and their communicative functions". Respondents have also been asked what outdoors education means to them on a personal level.To achieve my research results five qualitative interviews, with room for follow-up questions, were conducted. One of the respondents felt that she lacked time but still wanted to participate and doing so by answering questions by email.

The concept of vulnerability is the capacity or the sensitivity to become damaged. Vulnerability are characterized by one or more of the following terms; a system´s sensitivity to exposure to shock, stress or interference, the state of the system in relations to a threshold of damages, and the system´s ability to adapt to the changing circumstances. Vulnerability in this study is referring to the sensitivity of the circumstances that lead to sustainable livelihood that can´t be maintain and that there is an inability to cope with and manage stress. The choice of making a study in this area is based on that action needs to be taken to moderate the vulnerable aspects of society, in this respect in relations to storms. Analyzes of the social vulnerability to climate change or natural events is needed for effective actions.

The purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of the dynamics behind Chinese-Western buyer-supplier relationships. The study takes on a partially inductive approach by commencing with exploratory in-depth interviews. The main body of the study consists of a cross-sectional survey. Data has been collected through an on-line questionnaire. The theoretical review consists of industrial relationships with specific accounts on the role of adaptation, trust and commitment; a stream of literature in cross-cultural relationships deriving from Hofstede?s culturalist legacy with specific reference to Chinese-Western relationships, including studies on relationship bonding, and the role of guanxi.

During the years 1950-75 was the construction of building apartments in high speed. A rapidly growing reconstruction requirement is the consequence of the rapid construction speed in these years. The technical lifetime of the different parts of the buildings is about to end and the needs for reconstruction is huge. One of Sweden's national environmental objectives is to reduce the urge of energy in buildings. This calls for radical measures to implement energy efficiency of existing assistance particularly in the assistance that is now facing reconstruction.

Den pedagogiska verksamheten påverkas av ljudmiljön som antingen kan främja eller motverka kommunikationsmöjligheter. Då tidigare forskning genomfört objektiva mätningar efterlyses mer subjektiva studier, vilket denna studie syftar till. Syftet i denna studie är att undersöka hur de medverkande förskollärarna uppfattar att ljudmiljön påverkar den pedagogiska verksamheten. Studien ämnar även undersöka vad förskollärare uppfattar sig göra för att främja en god ljudmiljö. För att besvara syftet har följande frågeställningar använts:Hur uppfattar förskollärarna att ljudmiljön påverkar verksamheten?Vad uppfattar förskollärarna vara en god ljudmiljö?Hur uppfattar förskollärarna sig arbeta för att främja en god ljudmiljö?Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien är von Glasersfelds (1995; 2000) radikal konstruktivism och kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts.

Fluoroskopi är benämningen på kontinuerlig röntgengenomlysning av en patient. Eftersom patienten och även läkaren då utsätts för kontinuerlig röntgenstrålning måste strålningsdosen hållas låg, vilket leder till brusiga bilder. Det är därför önskvärt att genom bildbehandling förbättra bilderna. Bildförbättringen måste dock ske i realtid och därför kan inte konventionella metoder användas.Detta examensarbete avser att undersöka hur ortogonala s k. derivataoperatorer kan användas för att förbättra läsbarheten av fluoroskopibilder med hjälp av brusundertryckning och kantförstärkning.

The purpose of this work has been to explore what ecosystem services a small green area in an urban environment can offer and whether specific trees can be used to maximize regulatory ecosystem services in a cultural-historical environment. Additionally, it investigates whether there is any difference in ecosystem services depending on whether these trees, or trees that better fit into the cultural-historical environment, are used. Through simulations and comparisons with existing trees in Pommerska tomten, Mariestad, Sweden, a pocket park within a national interest area, different hypothetical tree planting options are analyzed and evaluated. To measure ecosystem services, the website My-Tree, developed by the US equivalent of the Department of Agriculture, was used. By inputting data about the tree, such as location, species, vitality, stem diameter, and solar exposure, My-Tree calculates some of the ecosystem services the tree provides.

In our case study we investigate how media chose to illuminate the process of court proceedings concerning a one specific rape case in Sweden during the spring and autumn 2007. For our study we have chosen to investigate two Swedish daily newspapers, one known to be a serious morning newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, and the other an evening tabloid newspaper Expressen. We would like to see whether the reports of the trial diverge and if that is, how they differ.The rape took place in Stockholm?s posh area named Stureplan in March 2007. The two men 21 and 25 years old, accused for the crime were acquitted after the first instance.

This study demonstrates that there is variety of treatment interventions for children exposed to intimate violence. These interventions are differentiated in design but a common ground for them all is that they strive to provide a chance for children exposed to intimate violence, to be able to speak about and process their feelings and violent experiences. The study?s aim is to, with a qualitative approach, seek understanding for the different actors who practice social work, see upon their task in the treatment interventions that are provided for children exposed to intimate partner violence. The study is based on mapping the existing treatment interventions for previously mentioned target group, in Malmö.

This study is about the use of textbooks in teaching English as a second language and about teachers? attitudes and opinions of using textbooks during lessons. The aim of the study is to receive a deeper understanding of the use of textbooks in English teaching and to learn about why teachers choose whether to use the textbook approach or not. The study contains an analysis of the textbooks the teachers in our study used. The analysis shows the actual content and the types of texts together with the design and the structure of the textbooks.

Immune stimulating complex (iscom) matrix is a formulation that is used as anadjuvant within research. The capability of the iscom matrix to elicit an immuneresponse when not present together with an antigen has not been extensivelyinvestigated. One way to evaluate the status of the immune system is to measure theamount of cytokines that usually are produced by various cell types during an immuneresponse. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the early immune responses inporcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after stimulation in vitro with theiscom matrix, AbISCO®-100. The immune response was evaluated by measuring themRNA expression for various cytokines, a chemokine receptor (CXCR4) andregulator of G-protein signaling (RGS16) in porcine PBMC after stimulation withAbISCO®-100 or other inducers like a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a CpGoligodeoxynucleotide (ODN 2216) used as controls.