The calcium homeostasis in the body is normally strict regulated to be kept within very narrow limits. This regulation is due to the action of parathyroid hormone (PTH) which is synthesized in the chief cells of the parathyroid glands. In different diseases, the calcium homeostasis is disturbed and this could either be due to a dysfunction of the parathyroid gland itself, or it could have a completely different explanation. To investigate disturbed calciumhomeostasis, ionized calcium and PTH can be analyzed from a blood sample. There are a lot of different assays to measure PTH in humans.

Establishing a reference interval for plasma fibrinogen in foals Fibrinogen concentrations were analysed in EDTA preserved blood plasma samples from 34 thoroughbred foals born in 2001 and 2002 at one stud farm. The foals were between 0 and 240 days old at the time of the sampling, and there were 19 fillies and 12 stallions in the group. The foals were examined for clinical symptoms of disease and their body temperature was measured before blood was sampled from the jugular vein. From totally 156 blood samples, 31 were selected as originating from clinically healthy foals, and used to determine a reference range for thoroughbred foals. Samples originating from foals showing clinical symptoms of disease or an abnormal body temperature at the time of sampling, were classified as coming from unhealthy animals.

Many invasive species propose a big threat against the native fauna in the area that they colonise. Today the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is speeding from Finland over the border in to northern Sweden. A project to stop the spread and eliminate the individuals that already have established was initiated in the autumn of 2008. To investigate areas that might be interesting for raccoon dogs and to confirm sightings, cameras with auto triggering mechanisms are used. To get the raccoon dog in front of the camera some kind of lure is used. In this study three kinds of different lures was tested against each other?s.

Abstract The purpose of this work is to investigate children?s perception of Swedish birds. Through qualitative questions there were twelve children interviewed. I showed the pictures for the children of different animals that we discussed but with focus on birds. The children could partly distinguish which of the pictures that represented birds and who did not.

This thesis aims at investigating the conflict development of Swedish foreign policy debates during 1989-2000. It is rather assumed that the Swedish foreign policy debates have been highly characterized by a large consensus. Despite that, there have been certain occurrences where the political parties have flushed into party struggle and shown disagreements over the party frontiers. This has raised questions about the range of conflict and consensus in such debates where I have studied the political parties' backchats. I have studied situations where the political parties replicate each other in order to investigate the range of consensus and controversy that exists within different foreign policy areas.

A protection helmet for young people (3-7 years) in winter environment has been developed in this thesis. The result is a concept proposal for development at STIGA Sports AB in Eskilstuna. This thesis work has been performed during 20 weeks, for a Master of Science in Product and Process development at Mälardalen University Eskilstuna Sweden in September 2009 to January 2010. The helmet is shown as a CAD model with detailed solutions to the outer shell, interior and adjustability (in sizes 50-56 cm) which are the three focused areas in the development. Also a physical model in scale 1:1 has been developed and is shown in this thesis work.To achieve the best result possible the process started with an analysis of the market and the product.

This thesis investigates three different surface modifications, and the route to design and synthesize them. The thesis is therefore divided into three sub- projects. (i.) Design and synthesis of a peptide which secondary structure could be controlled by a negatively charged surface. (ii.) Design and synthesis of a cyclic peptide, that would self-organize prior to surface interaction, using the type I anti-freeze protein of a winter flounder as template. (iii.) The use of solid-phase synthesis to make the synthesis of SAM-molecules easier..

HemoCue AB is a multinational corporation targeted on manufacturing point-of-care analysisinstruments for medical treatment. Their main product, the DM 201, is outdated and has bigissues gaining new market shares. For example, no medical treatment center in Sweden usesDM 201 frequently. The project of developing a new instrument to replace it was assignedtwo students at the development engineering program at Halmstad University. The projectalso included integration of the new platform for DM 202 to HemoCue AB:s remainingproducts.The project began by defining the different technical areas concerned.

In recent years, the demands for effectiveness and evidence in social work have increased in all work areas, including that of healthcare. This has sparked the discussion on concepts such as practical- and theoretical knowledge and their respective roles in social work. In the light of this, the purpose of this candidate thesis is to investigate healthcare social workers understanding of practical- and theoretical knowledge in the working process as well as their respective influence and importance. This candidate thesis is based on three interviews with social workers from different departments in Norrlands Universitetssjukhus in Umeå, Sweden. To provide range to the thesis, the interviewees were chosen from a purposeful sampling.

ABB I-R Waterjet Systems combines the robotics and motion expertise of ABB Flexible Automation with high-pressure intensifier/pumping technology from Ingersoll-Rand to provide and continue to develop innovative waterjet cutting systems for global markets. The purpose of this assignment is to develop a process water purifier. The purifier should be applicable as an option to ABB I-R?s production cell Cutting-Box. At first hand the process water should be purified well enough to let out in the municipal sewage system, but the ultimate solution is purifying the process water to the range that recycling is possible.

This Master Thesis has been carried out as a new product development project in collaborationwith G-Man Tools AB located in Edsbyn. The purpose of the project was to construct a newpruning saw there the blade is integrateble in the handle, thus a foldable pruning saw.The work has been performed on the occasion of G-Man Tools AB wanted to improve theirproduct range by creating a saw that complement their range of quality saws. They have a similarproduct today, but they do not manufacture this product by them selves and it is not directlytargeted against garden use, which is a disadvantage when it is one of their major markets.Even though almost the entire chain from the requirements of the users to drawings has beentaken into consideration, emphasizes has been put on generating ideas. However the first thingthat was carried out was to establish a productspecifikation from interviews with users and thecompany?s experience.

The loss of habitat is one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity today. Consequences to a species inhabiting fragmented habitats include: group size changes, altered diets and altered foraging behaviours. In my study I observed Colobus anlgolensis palliatus troops living in the forests of Diani, a highly developed area on the Kenyan coast. I looked for differences in behaviours between three troops inhabiting pristine forest patches and three troops inhabiting highly degraded forest areas. I used focal animal sampling with instantaneous sample points.

This project is about color and light and how it affects the atmosphere in the city. I choseto look closer into the central parts of the city, a place where I often feel a lack of lightand color, especially during the winter season. In the beginning of the project I made ananalysis of how intense colors are used in the city and how we can use color as a tool tocreate effectful spaces. Further into the project I chose to look closer into the effects thatare made by the facades, how the light from the windows affects the room outside when the dark falls. At the end of the project I caught a feeling inspired by the city and applied it into an installation of light..

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the parent training The Incredible Years in clinical settings. The study included 33 families in clinical practice. There were two parts to the study; a main part with a before and after measurement, and a follow-up study on 12 children one year later. On baseline the children (3-9 years) as a group were on the borderline clinical range, (M = 61.8), with 70 % of the children in the borderline or clinical range. The childrens emotional and behavioral problems were measured with Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

ABB I-R Waterjet Systems combines the robotics and motion expertise of ABB Flexible Automation with high-pressure intensifier/pumping technology from Ingersoll-Rand to provide and continue to develop innovative waterjet cutting systems for global markets. The purpose of this assignment is to develop a process water purifier. The purifier should be applicable as an option to ABB I-R?s production cell Cutting-Box. At first hand the process water should be purified well enough to let out in the municipal sewage system, but the ultimate solution is purifying the process water to the range that recycling is possible. When investigating the different principle of purifying water, a research of different products and their manufactories was done. These different products were compared and the principle of filtration was the most applicable, as most of the products were designed for far larger applications. As the process water contains quite large amount of particles, it is necessary to perform the filtration in different steps. The process water purifier is therefore composed of a module of coarse filtration and one of micro filtration. In the module of coarse filtration the mainly amount of fibres and particles are eliminated. They are kept back in the container unit with the larger fragments and dumped with these when the container is emptied. In the module of micro filtration the filtration is performed in two steps. In the first step particles larger than 50?m are eliminated, in the second step the micro filter is setting the range of purifying, in this case 10?m.