WHO rekommenderar helamning upp till sex månaders ålder och delamning upp till två årsålder eller längre. Enligt Socialstyrelsen helammades endast 13 procent av de barn födda år 2017 vid sex månaders ålder. Att utesluta amningsperioden ur kvinnans reproduktiva cykel, kan leda till negativa aspekter för både mamman och barnet senare livet. Den viktigaste faktorn för att etablera amning är stöd. Har de blivande föräldrarna förkunskaper resulterar det i en ökad ansträngning till att etablera amning. Dagens mammor är vana att enkelt kunna söka information och stöd på internet dygnet runt. Bristen på lämpliga appar som stöd vid amning har föranlett denna studie, vars syfte är att undersöka nyblivna mammors önskemål och behov av en applikation som stöd vid amning. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie med halvstrukturerade intervjuer. Totalt utfördes 10 individuella intervjuer. Intervjuerna analyserades genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med en induktiv ansats. Studiens resultat har utmynnat i tre kategorier: Amningsinformation underlättar amningen, Vikten av att få personlig kontakt med amningsvården samt Amningsberättelsen som stöd. Kategorin Amningsinformation underlättar amningen har delats upp i fyra underkategorier. Det centrala i resultatet är att nyblivna mammor har ett stort behov av lättillgänglig information, stöd och kontakt baserad på vetenskapligt baserad kunskap under sin amningsresa men även under graviditeten. Det naturliga sättet att söka information på idag är via smartphones eller datorer men risk finns att man utsätts för felaktiga råd. Genom en amingsapplikation baserad på vetenskaplig kunskap skulle nyblivna mammor enkelt få tillförlitlig information och stöd vilket kan bidra till längre amningsduration. / WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding to six months of age and partial breastfeeding up to two years of age or longer. Only 13% of children born in 2017 were exclusively breastfed at the age of six months. Eliminating the breastfeeding period from a woman’s reproductive cycle can lead to negative aspects for mother and child later in life. The most important factors to establish breastfeeding is support and knowledge. Mothers of today are used to being able to easily search for information and support on the internet at all times. The lack of suitable apps as support during breastfeeding has resulted in this study, the aim of which is to examine the wishes and needs of new mothers with regards to an application as support during breastfeeding.The study is a qualitative interview study with in total 10 semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach.The findings of the study have resulted in three categories: Breastfeeding information facilitates breastfeeding, The importance of having contact with breastfeeding care and The breastfeeding story as support.The central finding is that new mothers have a great need of easily accessible information, support and contact based on evidence-backed knowledge during their breastfeeding journey but also during pregnancy. Today, the natural way to search for information is via smartphones or computers. Through a breastfeeding application based on scientific knowledge new mothers would have easy access to reliable information and support which can contribute to a longer duration of breastfeeding.

Eine virtuelle Gemeinschaft (VG) versteht sich primär als Medium zur Begegnung zwischen Individuen. Mit der Ausnahme von künstlichen Agenten, insbesondere derer mit adversarialen Problemstellungen im unbekannten Zustandsraum, sind diese Individuen zumeist menschlicher Natur. So versteht es sich, in diesen Bereich mit menschlichen Maßstäben zu messen.

Mobile applications are becoming more and more important in the daily life and offer interesting and completely new aspects to the field of cartography. The technological possibilities provided by computer science have had a large impact on cartography and therefore cartographers must be familiar with the development of software to present geographic information and make it accessible. With the recent rise of mobile devices like smartphones, it is inevitable that this has to include mobile platforms as well. The main focus of this Bachelor thesis is on the conceptual design and implementation of tutorials to teach the development of mobile applications or 'apps' for the Android platform. The tutorials are going to be part of exercises in a practical course that accompanies the lecture 'Mobile Cartography' held at the Institute of Cartography at the Dresden University of Technology. Five exercises have been created covering key aspects of Android programming with Java. The theoretical part of this thesis starts with providing definitions of important terms of mobile computing and mobile cartography that will play an important role throughout the thesis. After that possibilities of interaction with mobile and web applications are introduced and discussed briefly. Location-based services and their usage in the context of social networks are discussed in the following section before the sensors of mobile devices are analyzed. A brief discussion of the potential for augmented reality applications is also given. The following second section deals with mobile software platforms and focuses on the Android operating system for mobile devices. Within this section, the features of the Android framework are described and some specific characteristics of software development are explained. The third section is all about the conceptual design and implementation of the tutorials. Considering the requirements for the practical course and different aspects of learning, the pedagogical approach is described. Additionally the ECLASS model which has evolved in the context of E-Learning is explained as it provided the structure of the exercises. After that, the content of the five exercises which include basics, layout, internal interaction of components, database access and the integration of maps is reflected. Finally, a brief outlook on further possible exercises is given.

Fonologisk medvetenhet krävs för en framgångsrik läsinlärning. Samtidigt digitaliseras skolan och digitala redskap blir allt vanligare. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om och hur digitala läromedel kan fungera som medierande verktyg för utveckling av läsinlärningen och mer specifikt av den fonologiska medvetenheten hos elever. Syftet uppfylls genom följande frågeställningar: Hur svarar digitala läromedel upp mot vad forskningen menar är framgångsfaktorer vid utveckling av elevens fonologiska medvetenhet? Behöver digitala läromedel kompletteras med annan undervisning och inom vilka områden behöver de i så fall kompletteras för att utveckla elevens fonologiska medvetenhet? Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med en sociokulturell syn samlades data från fyra digitala läromedel in, kategoriserades och ett resultat togs fram. Samtliga analyserade läromedel innefattar övningar som tränar den fonologiska medvetenheten. Läromedlen svarar också upp mot flertalet av framgångsfaktorerna i fonologisk medvetenhetsträning, exempelvis genom en explicit undervisning. Dock är inget av de analyserade läromedlen utformade för att ge en komplett undervisning i fonologisk medvetenhet. Resultat pekar således mot att de analyserade läromedlen kan vara ett redskap som till viss del förändrar lärarens roll, men som inte ersätter läraren. / To successfully learn to read phonological awareness is required. At the same time, schools are being digitized and digital tools are becoming more common. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how digital learning materials can act as a mediation tool for the development of reading skills and more specifically of the phonological awareness of students. The aim is fulfilled by the following issues: How do digital learning materials respond to what research believes are success factors in the development of the student's phonological awareness? Do digital learning materials need to be complemented by other teaching form and in what areas do they need to be supplemented to develop the student’s phonological awareness? Through a qualitative content analysis with a sociocultural view, data from four digital learning materials was collected, categorized and a result was produced. All analyzed learning materials include exercises that train the phonological awareness. The learning materials also correspond to the majority of the success factors in phonological awareness training, for example through explicit teaching. However, none of the analyzed learning materials are designed to provide a complete teaching of phonological awareness. The result points out that the analyzed learning materials can be a tool and to some extent change the role of the teacher, but not replace the teacher.

With Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 8, a new type of applications were introduced, Windows Store Apps. These applications must meet certain requirements in order to be uploaded to Windows own store for apps. There are also guidelines to follow. The requirements and guidelines include appearance and functionality, such as a common search function in the applications to contribute to a more unified experience. How does these requirements and guidelines influence developers? Whether the development of the Windows Store Apps gets more difficult, or perhaps even simpler, is studied and evaluated in this report. In order to reach a reliable conclusion, a Windows Store App has been designed and developed in consensus with Microsoft's requirements. The app that has been developed is intended to help users to find Stockholm's best spots. It turned out that none of the demands were unreasonable hard to implement. However, it may be difficult to find meaningful uses for some of the recommended features. If common features, such as search and sharing, are implemented it should be done in accordance with Microsoft's requirements and guidelines. This is no problem since Microsoft provides information and examples of how the features should be implemented. Of course, all of the Windows Store Apps must be able to run on all devices that can run Windows 8, which means several different resolutions and input methods to take into account. This is one of the more difficult requirements to fulfill and require extensive testing of the application, which contributes to a longer development time. With the help of Visual Studio’s simulator, it is possible to get a reasonably good idea of how the app works, but it is still not good to trust it. The look must follow the guidelines that allow the user to always be familiar with the interface, regardless of which app is running. For example, every page in the app has to be built up horizontally unlike traditional websites. The interface is easy to implement using Visual Studio’s templates but it may be really tricky if you try to implement it by yourself. Windows Store Apps is extensively different from its competitor’s apps and as a developer, you are forced to think in completely new ways. It can sometimes feel limited, but on the other hand you got very much for free considering the standard look and functionality. / Med Microsoft nya operativsystem, Windows 8, introducerades en ny typ av applikationer, Windows Store Apps. Dessa applikationer måste uppfylla vissa krav för att få laddas upp till Windows egen Store för appar. Det finns även riktlinjer att hålla sig till. Kraven och riktlinjerna innefattar utseende och funktionalitet, som till exempel en gemensam sökfunktion i applikationerna för att bidra till en mer enhetlig upplevelse. Hur påverkas utvecklare av dessa krav och riktlinjer? Huruvida utvecklingen försvåras eller kanske till och med förenklas undersöks och utvärderas i denna rapport. För att komma fram till en tillförlitlig slutsats har en egen Windows Store App konstruerats och utformats i enighet med Microsofts krav. Appen som har utvecklats är ämnad att hjälpa användarna att finna Stockholms smultronställen. Det visade sig att inget av kraven var orimliga att implementera. Däremot kan det vara svårare att finna meningsfulla användningsområden för en del av de rekommenderade funktionerna. Om vanliga funktioner, såsom sök och delning, implementeras ska detta ske enligt Microsofts krav och riktlinjer. Just detta är inga problem då Microsoft tillhandahåller information och exempel på hur det ska ske. Självklart måste alla Windows Store Apps fungera på samtliga enheter som kan köra Windows 8 vilket innebär flera olika upplösningar och inmatningsmetoder. Detta är ett av de svårare kraven att uppfylla och kräver omfattande testning av applikationen, vilket bidrar till en längre utvecklingstid. Med hjälp av Visual Studios simulator är det möjligt att få en någorlunda uppfattning om hur väl appen fungerar men den är långt ifrån att lita på. Utseendet måste följa riktlinjerna för att låta användaren hela tiden vara familjär med gränssnittet oavsett app. Exempelvis måste varje sida i appen byggas upp horisontellt till skillnad från traditionella hemsidor. Utseendet är lätt att implementera med hjälp av Visual Studios mallar men kan vara riktigt knepigt att försöka sig på själv. Windows Store Apps skiljer sig markant från konkurrenternas appar och utvecklare tvingas att tänka i helt nya banor. Det är möjligt ibland känna sig begränsad, men å andra sidan finns mycket gratis genom det standardiserade utseendet och funktionerna.

The City of Stockholm’s budget for sports is 1.6% of the total city budget in 2014. About 60,000, licensed (age 15 and up, about 50%) and younger actively played soccer in Stockholm in 2005. That is roughly 24% of the total number of participants in sports activities in Stockholm’s district. There is a need for a location-based application (commonly abbreviated "app") to help people spontaneously meet for different sports activities. The app developed and analyzed in this thesis will address this need and assist potential participants in organizing sports activities, deciding to participate in these activities, make friends, etc. Not only large team sports will be considered, but sports done in pairs such as tennis and other sports as well that you do with others. Consider a person who has moved to a new city and wants to play football (soccer), but does not know people in this city. This app can help this person find others who would like to play in a quick and easy way by looking at a map and seeing where others would like to participate in this sport, for example at a particular soccer field, using location information concerning the potential participants and this specific field. Apps that use location information have become very common with the widespread use of smartphones. Such an app provides a location-based service. This thesis describes the design and implementation of an Android app with a location-based service and how to set up this app, what technology is needed to get the needed location information, and the programming language used. In addition, the thesis considers users’ needs and how the app caters to those needs. An analysis will be done of how well this app communicates with a database server as the number of users increases, scales. Performance and load on both the server and app will be considered. The performance will be analyzed to see how well it matches the users’ expectations. The app developed in this thesis will be for the Android platform and Apple's iOS (but the focus in the thesis is on the Android-version). This app will communicate with a database server running a Linux OS, an Apache HTTP server, a MySQL database, and using a PHP programming web infrastructure (such a setup of services is commonly called by the acronym LAMP). The app will connect to Facebook and Twitter to exchange information (however, that is outside the scope of this thesis). / Stockholms stads budget för sport är 1,6% av den totala budgeten 2014. Ungefär 60 000 licensierade (15 år och uppåt, 50 %) och yngre aktiva fotbollsspelare fanns i Stockholm år 2005. Det motsvarar ungefär 24 % av dem som utövade sport det året i Stockholms distrikt. Det finns ett behov av en platsbaserad applikation (vanligen förkortat ”app”) som hjälper människor att spontant träffas för att utöva olika sporter man utför tillsammans. Appen som utvecklas och analyseras i detta examensarbete försöker tillgodose detta behov och hjälper potentiella deltagare att organisera sportaktiviteter, besluta att delta i dessa aktiviteter, skaffa nya vänner m.m. Inte bara stora lagsporter, men också sporter man utför i par som tennis och andra sporter man utför tillsammans med andra kommer beaktas. Betänk en person som nyss har flyttat till en ny stad och vill spela fotboll, men inte känner några i denna stad. Denna app kan hjälpa den här personen hitta andra som vill sporta på ett enkelt och snabbt sätt genom att titta på en karta och se var andra vill utöva denna sport, t.ex. på en viss fotbollsplan, med användning av platsinformation om potentiella deltagare och denna specifika plan. Appar som använder platsinformation har blivit väldigt vanliga med det utbredda användandet av smarta mobiltelefoner. En sådan här app erbjuder en platsbaserad tjänst. Denna rapport beskriver designen och implementationen av en Android app med en platsbaserad tjänst och hur man sätter upp en sådan här app, vilka teknologier som behövs för att få den platsinformation som behövs och det programmeringsspråk som används. Därutöver kommer rapporten överväga användares behov och hur appen tillgodoser dessa behov. En analys kommer genomföras av hur denna app kommunicerar med en databas server när antalet användare ökar, när den skalar. Prestanda och belastning av både appen och servern kommer tas med i beräkningen. Prestandan kommer analyseras för att se hur väl det motsvarar användares förväntningar. Appen som utvecklas i detta examensarbete kommer vara för Android och Apples iOS (men fokuset i detta examensarbete kommer vara på Android versionen). Denna app kommer kommunicera med en databas server som kör ett Linux OS, har en Apache http (webb) server, en MySQL databas och som använder en PHP programmerings-infrastrutur (en sådan uppsättning tjänster kallas vanligen LAMP, en akronym). Appen kommer ansluta till Facebook och Twitter för att utbyta information (men det ligger dock utanför ramen för detta examensarbete).

Målet med detta examensarbete har varit att utveckla en mobilapplikation till Android som på ett användarvänligt sätt exponerar de webbtjänster som företaget TLab West AB’s säkerhetssystem Sentrion tillhandahåller. Företaget har introducerat ett nytt kommunikationsprotokoll baserat på JSON till Sentrionsystemet vilket har testats och använts av vår applikation. Det främsta effektmålet företaget velat se är ett utökat stöd av funktionaliteten som systemets webbserver erbjuder, och detta med ett tydligt och lättmanövrerat användargränssnitt. Detta har åstadkommits genom att övergå ifrån det befintliga webbgränssnittet till en native Android applikation som utnyttjar det nya JSON kommunikationsprotokollet med ett snabbt och intuitivt menysystem. Då kommunikationen med företaget huvudsakligen skett på distans, och de har utvecklat sitt JSON protokoll parallellt med vår applikation så valde vi att arbeta iterativt. Den iterativa processen blev inspirerad av Scrum med korta sprintar på en till två veckor för att upprätthålla en intensiv kontakt med företaget och snabbt få återkoppling på utvecklingsprocessen. Arbetet genomfördes enligt projektplaneringen och resulterade i en mobilapplikation som företaget blev mycket nöjda med, all grundläggande önskad funktionalitet implementerades samt att en del bonuskrav uppfylldes. Vi kände i efterhand att valda arbetsmetoder var helt rätt för denna typ av projekt och de krav som återstår att lösa är programvaruinställning för större textstorlek, ett användarfall som består av att kvittera larm och meddelanden. Slutligen återstår det en teoretisk lösning på ett specifikt kommunikationsproblem då säkerhetssystemet helt stängt sina inkommande portar och all kommunikation måste initieras från Sentrion-enheten. / The goal with this bachelor thesis has been to develop a cell phone application for the Android platform that utilizes the web services offered by TLab West AB’s security system called Sentrion. TLab West has introduced a new communication protocol for their Sentrion system that is based upon JSON and was tested for the first time with our cell phone application. The most prominent effect goal that TLab West strived for was an enhanced support of the core functionality offered by the security systems web server, all this with a clear and easily maneuvered user interface. To accomplish this we abandoned the existing web interface and developed a native Android application that communicates with Sentrion using the newly developed JSON protocol and implementing a quick and intuitive menu system. Most of our dealings with TLab West took place using distance communication and they were developing the JSON protocol in parallel with our own application development. This led us into using an iterative software process model inspired by Scrum with short sprints of one to two weeks in order to maintain an intensive contact with TLab West and quickly get feedback on the development. The development transpired according to the project plan and resulted in a cell phone application that was well received by TLab West, all the core functional requirements were implemented and some of the bonus requirements were achieved as well. In reflection we felt that the chosen development process worked very well for this type of distance communication project. The requirements which have not been met are the functionality to increase the font size within the application settings, also the functionality to acknowledge alarm and messages. A solution to a very specific communication problem is unsolved where the security system’s inbound ports are unavailable and all communication must be initiated by the Sentrion.

Background: Social networking mobile applications are designed to socially connect users among each other to consume but also to produce content. Especially because these apps represent a high potential to acquire revenue streams through advertisements, but also to gain customer insights, companies are interested in entering this market by creating new social networking apps. However, switching costs for users are high due to the varied user base of established social networking apps. Accordingly, marketing strategies need to be created to enter the market to target users’ interests. One concept to do so is distributing invitations for the social networking app that can be shared among users. The invite-only strategy has been successfully used to establish themselves in the market by for example Facebook, but also recently with the social networking app Clubhouse. To apply it effectively the motivators of the users to initially adopt invite-only social networking apps are important to understand. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to generate an in-depth understanding of the motivators that foster the initial user adoption of social networking mobile apps based on the invite-only strategy. To investigate the motivators, it is crucial for this study to gain knowledge from the user perspective. In that case, we will contribute our derived knowledge to the theory of technology acceptance, scarcity in digital marketing, and virtual social networking apps. Research Question: Why do users initially adopt social networking mobile applications using an invite-only strategy? Method: Ontology – Relativism; Epistemology – Social Constructionism; Approach –Inductive; Data Collection – 14 Semi-Structured In-Depth Interviews; Sampling –Purposive, Convenience, Snowball; Data Analysis – Grounded Analysis Conclusion: As a result, a framework was derived depicting the main motivators for users to initially adopt invite-only social networking apps. Through our empirical data, we found out that Artificial Scarcity, Closed Network, and Social Influence motivate users to initially adopt invite-only social networking apps. Additionally, Contributing Factors were identified to influence the initial adoption, although they are not directly influenced by the invite-only strategy. The framework further describes the interrelations between the identified sub-categories affecting the initial adoption. We conclude that the main motivators are desire- and fear-driven. The framework can be used by marketers to design invite-only strategies more effectively and consistently to attract a large group of initial users and establish themselves in the market.

Svenska folket gör allt fler mobila betalningar, (Riksbanken, 2020), men trotsbeteendeförändringen som privatperson tycks situationen för svenska företag vara enannan. Näringsdepartementet (2021) konstaterar att svenska företag är kvar i analogabetalningsprocesser, en tes The World Payment Report (2020) stämmer in i samtidigt somde konstaterar att digitaliserade affärsmodeller kring B2B-betalningar förutspås ha storutvecklingspotential.Hur ser det då ut inom forskningen på mobila betalningar? I sammanställningen avDahlberg et al (2015; 2008) befaras forskningens perspektiv varit allt för fokuserat påprivatpersoner vilket skapat ett gap mellan praxis och den akademiska världen.Den här studien syftar till att belysa Svenska mikroföretagares situation genom att titta påhur Svenska mikroföretagare använder tjänster kopplade till mobila betalningar, vad derasförväntningar är och hur tjänsterna uppfyller mikroföretagens behov.Detta gjordes med utgångspunkt i ett teoretiskt ramverk utvecklat av Apanasevic et al(2016) vilket lämpar sig väl då det dels bidrar till med ett nytt perspektiv på frågor som rörmobila betalmedel samt lägger stor vikt vid respondenternas förväntningar. Med entolkande forskningsmetod genomfördes studien som kvalitativ studie där sju kvalitativa,semistrukturerade intervjuer analyserades tematiskt.Studien kom fram till att svenska mikroföretagares adoption till mobila betaltjänster skiljersig kraftigt. Från att sköta hela företagets ekonomi genom en app till att främst användamobila betalmedel i situationsanpassade händelser, eller att inte alls nyttja mobilabetalmedel. Studien visar även att förväntningen när en företagare går över till ett mobiltbetalmedel är att digitalisera en manuell tidskrävande process. Har detta gjorts helhjärtatär företagarna nöjda med den mobila tjänsten och förväntningarna infrias. Integreradesystem, framförallt med bokföringen är mycket positivt. I likhet med tidigare forskningupplevs en snabb, smidig och tydlig tjänst positivt, och dess motsatser som negativt.Företagarna resonerar kring interna affärsmöjligheter, att tjänsten sparar dem tid, då tid ärpengar. Detta skiljer sig från studier som ser till handlare och privatkund, där tidigarestudier så som Mallat (2007) och Apanasevic et al (2016) snarare fokuserar på att en mobilbetaltjänst skapar externa affärsmöjligheter som kan locka kunder eller mer försäljning.För framtida forskning föreslås fallstudier på några av de mobila tjänster som nämns idenna studie, i enlighet med att fortsatt vidga perspektivet inom mobila betalningar. / The Swedish people are making more and more mobile payments, (Riksbanken, 2020), but despite the change in behaviour as a private individual, the situation for Swedishcompanies seems to be different. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (2021) states thatSwedish companies remain in analogue payment processes, a thesis The World PaymentReport (2020) agrees with, while they state that digitized business models around B2Bpayments are predicted to have great development potential.What does it look like in research on mobile payments? In the compilation of Dahlberg etal (2015; 2008), it is feared that the research perspective has been too focused on privateindividuals, which has created a gap between practice and academia.This study aims to shed light on the situation of Swedish micro-entrepreneurs by lookingat how Swedish micro-entrepreneurs use services linked to mobile payments, what theirexpectations are and how the services meet the needs of micro-companies.This was done on the basis of a theoretical framework by Apanasevic et al (2016), whichis well suited as it partly contributes to a new perspective on issues concerning mobilepayments and attaches great importance to the respondents' expectations. Using aninterpretive research method, the study was conducted as a qualitative study in whichseven qualitative, semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically.The study concluded that Swedish micro-entrepreneurs' adoption of mobile paymentservices differs. From managing the entire company's finances through an app to mainlyusing mobile means of payment in situation-adapted events, or not using mobile means ofpayment at all. The study also shows that the expectation when an entrepreneur switchesto a mobile means of payment is to digitize a manual process. If this is done wholeheartedly, the entrepreneurs are satisfied with the mobile service and expectations are met.Integrated systems, especially with accounting, are very positive. As in previous research,a fast, smooth and clear service is perceived positively, and its opposites as negative.Entrepreneur’s reason about internal business opportunities, that the service saves themtime, as time is money. This differs from studies that look at retailers and privatecustomers, where previous studies like Mallat (2007), and Apanasevic et al (2016) ratherfocus on a mobile payment service creating external business opportunities that can attractnew customers or more sales.For future research, case studies on the mobile services mentioned in this study areproposed, in accordance with continuing to broaden the perspective in mobile payments.

Clinical findings have linked multiple risk factors and associated pathologies to Alzheimer\''s disease (AD). Amongst them are vascular risk factors such as hypertension and pathologies such as stroke. Coexistence of AD and these associated pathologies worsenes dementia, the clinical hallmark of the disease, as compared to pure AD. One general common denominator of these associated pathologies is the presence of hypoxic tissue conditions. It was asked the question, whether there exists a mutual, causal interaction between hypoxia and AD pathology, that could explain the clinical observations. Alternatively, the worsened clinical state of multiple brain pathologies could \"simply\" be the consequence of multimorbidity, i.e. accumulated disease load, without any causal interaction between the constituents. To approach this question whether hypoxia influences AD progression, use was made of a murine animal model of AD (transgenic mice: APPswe, PSEN1dE). Animals of two ages (8 and 14 months, \"young\" and \"old\" respectively) and two genotypes (transgenic and wild- type) were either treated under hypoxia or normoxia, corresponding to 8% and 21% oxygen, for 20 consecutive days. The resulting changes in the brain were assessed with a variety of techniques, namely by histology, ELISA, dot and Western blotting. Additional experiments in primary cell cultures were performed. Animals exposed to hypoxia showed an increased hematocrit (HCT), weight loss, reactive angiogenesis, but no infarctions. This illustrates that our hypoxic treatment put significant stress on the animals, without causing major pathologies. A large number of variables exists that could potentially be measured to assess the effect of hypoxia on AD. The focus was put on three of them: First, there is the Abeta1-42- protein, known to be the Abeta- isoform associated with the most detrimental disease progression. In AD, the self-combinatory Amyloid- beta peptide (Abeta) accumulates in the brain in so- called plaques, which is a main histologic finding of the disease. Its quantity was determined through histology and ELISA. Secondly, it was attempted to estimate the structural quality of the Abeta- protein by assessing the amount of A!- oligomers present. Abeta- protein does self- accumulate in various grades of complexity, i.e. as monomer, oligomer or fibril. Since oligomers are known to be the most neurotoxic \"species\" of the Abeta- protein, it was hypothesized that under hypoxic treatment their quantity could increase. And third, the organism\''s response to the Abeta- protein stimulus was investigated. Microglial cells have been described as the first cells to encounter the Abeta- protein \"threat\" in the shape of plaques, i.e. Abeta- protein aggregates. They then try to encapsulate and subsequently degrade them. Therefore, the attention was put on this cellular population. It was asked whether hypoxia could change the Abeta- protein quantity in the brain. This was assessed in two ways: First histologically, by staining for Abeta- protein depositions and quantifying them. Second, an ELISA was performed. Our findings state that hypoxic treatment does not alter the Abeta1-42 protein load in the brain, neither in young nor old animals, as assessed by histology and by total ELISA quantification of Abeta1-42 protein. Since hypoxia did not alter the quantity of the Abeta- protein, it was asked whether it influenced it qualitatively? If hypoxia increased oligomer formation, this change in the spectrum of the Abeta- species could, without any change in total Abeta- protein load, lead to increased neurotoxicity in animals under hypoxia. Initial experiments showed that oligomer formation in the brain seems to increase. However, this was not statistically significant and future experiments are necessary to evaluate this hypothesis further. It was then asked, whether hypoxia alters the cellular response to the protein. The total number of microglia in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, our structure of interest for practical purposes, and, it can be argued, by extension the brain, changes dynamically with various factors. First, transgenic animals present an increase in microglia. Second, microglia increase with age. Third, microglia decrease under hypoxia, but only do so significantly in old animals. Next, a parameter called \"plaque occupancy\" was coined to assess the microglia function to confront Abeta- plaques. Plaque occupancy is defined as the number of microglia in spatial proximity to one square millimeter of Abeta- plaque. This means, that microglia restricting one plaque are counted, and then normalized to this plaque\''s area. It was hypothesized that hypoxia would decrease plaque occupancy. Indeed, plaque occupancy roughly halved under hypoxia. Summarizing, our results demonstrate that long- term exposure to hypoxia significantly reduces the number of microglia. The reduced number results in significantly reduced plaque occupancy and compromizes the function of microglia to confront Abeta- plaques. The Abeta1-42 load, however, is not affected. On the other hand, Abeta shows an increased trend towards oligomer formation. A variety of possible explanations to these phenomena have been presented, that in our opinion deserve further investigation.