No description available.

The phylogeny and diversity within the Lasiosphaeriaceae family of Ascomycete fungi is poorly known in many aspects. In this study a phylogenetic hypothesis for a subclade within Lasiosphaeriaceae was developed using nucleotide sequence data from the ribosomal LSU and ITS, and the nuclear protein coding βT, RPB2, MCM7, and TSR1 genes. The phylogenetic analyses based on maximum likelihood revealed non-monophyly in seven out of eight studied genera, among them Podospora with the model species P. anserina. Data on spore number and collection substrate type were optimized on the concatenated nucleotide maximum likelihood tree using an equal rate maximum likelihood model. Three independent switches from 8 to 4 spores and five unambiguous independent substrate switches from soil to dung were inferred.

Two multilayer thin films have been studied: TiN/SiNx and ZrN/SiNx. A double-corrected transmission electron microscope (TEM) was utilized for imaging and spectroscopy. Imaging was carried out in scanning mode (STEM) for all samples. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry was used for chemical mapping of the ZrN/SiNx samples and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS) for atomic coordination of the nitrogen in the TiN/SiNx samples. In the TiN/SiNx multilayer the structure of the epitaxially stabilized cubic SiNx was investigated. The high-resolution STEM images were compared with image simulations of SiNx in B1 (sodium chloride) and B3 (zinc blende) configurations and were found to be most similar to the B1 configuration. Core-loss EEL spectra were compared with calculated spectra and corroborated a resemblance with the B1 configuration. The ZrN/SiNx multilayers were initially believed to show a similarity to TiN/SiNx but further investigations with STEM showed that the SiNx is amorphous. For samples deposited at 800 °C a SiNx layer thickness ≤6 Å the SiNx forms precipitates at grain boundaries and surface defects of the ZrN resulting in a columnar distribution of the SiNx, which was further revealed by EDX. For such samples the ZrN grows by epitaxial lateral overgrowth. For samples deposited at 800 °C but with a SiNx layer thickness of 6 Å the SiNx starts to form more laterally extending layers and for thicknesses ≥8 Å the SiNx grows into continuous, amorphous layers causing the following ZrN layers to assume a polycrystalline microstructure. The transition from epitaxial ZrN with columnar, amorphous SiNx, to multilayers of polycrystalline ZrN and amorphous SiNx layers appears at an even smaller thickness of SiNx if the  deposition temperature is lowered, which is explained by the lowered adatom mobility.

For a fundamental understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation and molecular materials, experimental measurements are to be combined with theoretical models. With this combination, materials can be characterized in terms of composition, structure, time-resolved chemical reactions, and other properties. This licentiate thesis deals with the development and evaluation of a theoretical method by which X-ray absorption spectra can be interpreted and predicted. In X-ray absorption spectroscopy the photon energy is tuned such that core electrons are targeted and excited to bound states. Such core excitations exhibit strong relaxation eects, making theoretical considerations of the processes especially challenging. In order to meet these challenges, a damped formalism of the coupled cluster (CC) linear response function has been developed, and the performance of this approach evaluated. Amongst the quantum chemical methods available, CC stands out as perhaps the most accurate, with a systematic manner by which the correct physical description can be approached. Coupled with response theory, we thus have a reliable theoretical method in which relaxation eects are addressed by means of an accurate treatment of electron correlation. By use of the hierarchy of CC approximations (CCS, CC2, CCSD, CCSDR(3)), it has been shown that the relaxation eects are accounted for by the inclusion of double and triple excitations in the CC excitation manifold. The performance of the methods for K-edge NEXAFS spectra for water, neon, carbon monoxide, ammonia, acetone, and a number of uorine-substituted ethenes has been investigated, and we observe relaxation eects amounting to 7–21 eV. The discrepancy in absolute energy for the most accurate calculations as compared to experiments are reported as 0.4–1.5 eV, and the means by which this can be decreased further are discussed. For relative energies, it has been demonstrated that CCSD yields excellent spectral features, while CC2 yields good agreement to experiments only for the most intense features. Comparisons have also been made to the more computationally viable method of density functional theory, for which spectral features are in excellent agreement with experiment.

This thesis presents fundamental mechanisms of nucleation and early growth of and stress generation in thin polycrystalline metal films deposited using pulsed energetic deposition fluxes. The effects of a pulsed deposition flux and energetic bombardment on film nucleation was investigated using in situ stress measurements and in situ ellipsometry to determine the film thickness at which the films become continuous. Ag films where deposited using high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) in two series - one with constant low pulse power to minimize energetic bombardment while varying the pulse frequency and one with a constant pulse frequency while varying the pulse power, resulting in different amounts of energetic bombardment and different deposition rates - to separate the effects of a pulsed deposition flux and energetic bombardment. The thickness at which the film becomes continuous was found to decrease both with increasing pulse frequency and increasing pulse power. The effects of the increased energetic bombardment and deposition rate cannot be separated due to their coupling. Adatom lifetimes and the coalescence times for islands where calculated for different coverages and island sizes and compared to the time between pulses. It was found that the time between pulses was lower than the adatom lifetimes for certain conditions; this leads to an increase in the adatom density and therefore an increase of the nucleation density resulting in smaller thicknesses for the formation of continuous film. It was also found that the coalescence time for clusters becomes longer than the time between pulses, retarding the coalescence process; this leads to formation of long lived elongated clusters also resulting in a decrease of the thickness at which the films become continuous. Energetic bombardment during growth of Mo films using HiPIMS is found to result in large compressive stresses without the commonly observed defect induced associated lattice expansion seen when depositing films using energetic bombardment. This and a correlation between the magnitude of the compressive stress and the film density allow us to conclude that the compressive stress is generated by grain boundary densification. Two mechanisms leading to grain boundary densification and thus generation of compressive stresses are proposed.

No description available.

Syftet med examensarbetet var att verifiera adsorptions- och elueringsmetod för detektion av G-antikroppar. Detta för att transfusionsmedicin i Karlskrona själva ska kunna genomföra utredning av G-antikroppar. En RhD-negativ gravid kvinna som bär på ett RhD-positivt barn är i behov av RhD-profylax. Har kvinnan redan bildat antikroppar mot RhD finns inte behovet av RhD-profylax. En RhD-negativ gravid kvinna som inte får RhD-profylax kan bilda antikroppar mot fostrets RhD-positiva erytrocyter vilket kan få allvarliga konsekvenser så som hemolytisk sjukdom hos foster och nyfödda. Då RhD-profylax är en dyr bristvara tas blodprover på mamman för att kontrollera fostrets RhD och kontrollera eventuellt behov av RhD-profylax. Det kontrolleras även om kvinnan har bildat några D-antikroppar. Problem som kan uppstå är att G-antikroppar serologisk liknar D och C-antikroppar, skulle då inte Gantikropparna upptäckas utan det anses vara D-antikroppar kommer den gravida kvinnan att gå miste om RhD-profylax hon är i behov av. Att urskilja D och Cantikroppar från att vara G-antikroppar genomförs med adsorption och eluering. I dagens läge genomför inte transfusionsmedicin i Karlskrona detta själva utan skickar proverna till Lund som genomför utredningen av G-antikroppar. Verifieringen genomfördes med hjälp av Lunds metodbeskrivningar för adsorption och eluering. Till verifieringen användes 7 patientprover som alla innehöll D och C-antikroppar, varav 5 kom från gravida kvinnor. Färska erytrocyter (< 72 h) användes för adsorption och eluering av antikropparna. Resultaten visade på att ett av proverna innehöll Gantikroppar i kombination med C-antikroppar och resterande sex prover innehöll D- och C-antikroppar. Resultaten blev som förväntat och metoden kunde godkännas för användning på transfusionsmedicin i Karlskrona.

The present work investigates further development of a small-scale fixed bed batch operating gasification pilot system intended to be used as a waste-to-energy process to reduce littering of PET-bottles on Pemba Island in Tanzania. By developing a simplified gasification model and identifying the most important parameters to obtain a syngas with a lower heating value suitable for combustion and maximizing the overall efficiency and cold gas efficiency. By a literature study the most important parameters were identified along with how the methodology for developing the model and selection of modelling software. The model was developed as an equilibrium-based model in Aspen Plus representing the pilot system, the most important parameters was identified as equivalence ratio and temperature. Multiple scenarios, regarding sensitivity analysis of these parameters was conducted to determine how the outcome of the process was affected. The model was validated against a reference study and was proven to be accurate with small variations. High content of methane and carbon monoxide promoted the highest lower heating value which was at an equivalence ratio of 0.25 and a temperature of 450°C, which also indicated the highest overall efficiency. Increasing the temperature favoured the carbon monoxide content and the cold gas efficiency but indicated a decrease in lower heating value and overall efficiency. It was concluded that the optimal operational conditions were at an equivalence ratio at 0.25 and a temperature at 450°C. At these conditions, the formation of by-products from the gasification is higher than at higher equivalence ratios and temperature which needs to be further investigated through experimental work. It was also concluded that the system could benefit to operate in a semi- batch configuration with a higher equivalence ratio to utilize the excess heat from the process.

Since different patients may have different causes of getting a disease, treating every patient having a certain disease in the same manner is not always be the best way to go. A treatment having effect in one type of patients may not have the same effect in a different type of patients. This makes it possible to partition a patient population into subpopulations in which a drug has distinct expected response. In this thesis the patient population is partitioned into two subpopulations where we have prior knowledge that one of them has a higher expected response to a drug than the other. based on responses to a drug in Phase II, it has been analyzed in which of the populations Phase III should continue. The results show that the decision is highly dependent on the utility function on which the analysis is based. One interesting case is when the vast majority of the patient population belongs o the subpopulations with the higher expected response and a utility function that takes into account the prevalence of the populations. In that case the simulations show that when the difference in expected response between the subpopulations is large, it is a safer choice in continuing in Phase III in the subpopulation having the higher expected response than in the full population even though the expected utility will be less. This is an expected result which indicates that the approach used to model the situation studied in this report is reasonable.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Swedish municipalities work with food preparedness in preparation for extraordinary events. The purpose was also to see if the preparedness differs between municipalities depending on size in terms of area and population. To answer these purposes, three questions about food preparedness, geographical areal responsibility and private actors in meal activities were raised. The method used was a questionnaire, which was sent to employees who work as meal manager, diet manager or work with food preparedness in each municipality. The results of the study indicate that municipalities with an area and population less than the median in Sweden has come further in the preparedness work. The municipalities ́ view of food preparedness linked to their delegated geographical areal responsibility cannot been clarified. Furthermore, the results indicate that one of the eight municipalities with private actors can take care of residents who receive food from the private actors and thereby follow the principle of responsibility and the Swedish model of welfare.