No description available.

Pregnancy induces maternal metabolic adaptations including mild glucose intolerance and weight gain in order to support fetal development and lactation. Adipose tissue (AT) function in gestation is featured by reduced insulin sensitivity and fat mass accrual which partly accounts for the weight gain in pregnant women and adaptation of glucose metabolism. A common metabolic pregnancy complication is gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a disease characterized by impaired glucose tolerance with onset in gestation. However, the relationship between AT expandability and glucose metabolism in gestation is not well understood. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the adaptations of human AT expansion induced by pregnancy, how these changes are reflected in pregnancies complicated with GDM and characterize a mouse model to study the mechanisms underlying this disease. This dissertation illustrates that pregnancy promotes AT expandability by a signaling mechanism between placental pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and AT- insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 (IGFBP5). In addition, gravidas with GDM showed impaired AT expansion. Studies investigating the relationship between PAPP-A and glycemic state demonstrated that low levels of PAPP-A in the 1sttrimester are highly associated with the development of GDM. Moreover, PAPP-A knockout mice exhibit reduced insulin sensitivity and impaired AT growth exclusively in gestation. These results expand the knowledge of AT biology in gestation and have the potential to improve maternal care by proposing PAPP-A as an early biomarker and possible therapeutic for GDM. It also introduces a new mouse model to study the etiology of gestational diabetes.

Sontech International AB är ett företag som är specialiserade på ljudabsorbenter i metall och skum. De har tagit fram en ljudabsorbent i kartong med slitsar som går längs arket med ett avstånd på max 5 mm mellan dem. Denna produceras idag med en CNC-maskin och det tar 17 minuter per kvadratmeter att producera absorbenten med 5 mm mellan slitsarna. För att produkten ska vara lönsam behöver produktionstiden ned på en minut per kvadratmeter. Det är ett relativt litet företag med stora kunder och har därför inte tid eller resurser att lägga på att utveckla produktionen av den. Därför har författarna fått i ansvar att som examensarbete inom maskinteknik försöka utveckla och till sist presentera en färdig modell på en maskin för lösningen. Efter skisser, prototyper och val mellan tre färdiga modeller på föll valet på maskinen vid namn Krattan. Krattan drivs med två pneumatiska cylindrar som lyfter upp arket och drar vad som kallas krattan som består av 199 knivar tvärs över det. Produktionstiden uppskattas ha sjunkit till ca 20 sekunder per kvadratmeter kartongark. / Sontech International AB is a company that specializes in sound absorbents made of metal and foam. They have a new product that is a sound absorbent made of cardboard with cuts along the sheet of cardboard with a maximum distance between the cuts of 5 mm. This product is made with a CNC-machine and it takes 17 minutes per square meter to produce a sheet with 5 mm between each cut. To make the product viable the production time needs to come down to a minute per square meter. Sontech is are latively small company which is why they have not been able to spare the resources to develop a solution for manufacturing this product. The writers have based their thesis paper in mechanical engineering on developing and presenting a complete model of a machine as a method of production. After many sketches, prototypes and a selection between three different solutions they picked a machine that they refer to as ‘‘The rake’’. ‘’The rake’’ is powered by two pneumatic cylinders. One cylinder lifts the sheet of cardboard and either pushes or pulls ‘’the rake’’ part of the machine that is made of 199 blades. The production time is estimated to be about twenty seconds per square meter of cardboard.

No description available.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis was to establish methods for selected PAPP-A (Pregnancy- Associated Plasma Protein A) gene polymorphisms analysis and to study genetic background of PAPP-A and biochemical background of PAPP-A and PlGF (Placental Growth Factor) in relation to risk pregnancy. Secondly, the aim was to establish method for two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis of amniotic fluid. Methods for analysis of ten PAPP-A gene polymorphisms were established. These polymorphisms, PAPP-A and PlGF levels were studied in together 165 women in third trimester pregnancies complicated with threatening preterm labor (n=98), preeclampsia (n=35), IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) (n=34) and ICP (Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy) (n=15). 114 healthy pregnant women served as controls. The method for 2D electrophoresis of amniotic fluid was established. Preeclamptic patients had significantly higher frequency of TT genotype of Cys327Cys (C/T) PAPP-A gene polymorphism compared to controls. Patients with ICP had increased serum levels of PAPP-A compared to controls, in patients with threatening preterm labor PAPP-A levels were rather decreased. PlGF levels did not differ from control group in patients with ICP and threatening preterm labor. Positive correlation was found between PAPP-A and PlGF in group of...

The aim of this thesis was to establish methods for selected PAPP-A (Pregnancy- Associated Plasma Protein A) gene polymorphisms analysis and to study genetic background of PAPP-A and biochemical background of PAPP-A and PlGF (Placental Growth Factor) in relation to risk pregnancy. Secondly, the aim was to establish method for two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis of amniotic fluid. Methods for analysis of ten PAPP-A gene polymorphisms were established. These polymorphisms, PAPP-A and PlGF levels were studied in together 165 women in third trimester pregnancies complicated with threatening preterm labor (n=98), preeclampsia (n=35), IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) (n=34) and ICP (Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy) (n=15). 114 healthy pregnant women served as controls. The method for 2D electrophoresis of amniotic fluid was established. Preeclamptic patients had significantly higher frequency of TT genotype of Cys327Cys (C/T) PAPP-A gene polymorphism compared to controls. Patients with ICP had increased serum levels of PAPP-A compared to controls, in patients with threatening preterm labor PAPP-A levels were rather decreased. PlGF levels did not differ from control group in patients with ICP and threatening preterm labor. Positive correlation was found between PAPP-A and PlGF in group of...

Byggbranschens utsläpp av växthusgaser utgör en stor andel av Sveriges totala utsläpp. För att minska de byggrelaterade utsläppen är det på många fronter som byggbranschen behöver förändras och effektiviseras. De senaste åren har en succesiv ökning av byggandet i trä skett vilket är gynnsamt då trä alternativet är mer klimatvänligt än stål och betong. De tuffa klimatmålen vi nu står framför innebär dock att mer behöver göras än att endast öka andelen träbyggnader. Pappersmassaindustrin är lätt att bortse ifrån, då den hittills inte varit relevant för byggbranschen och för att återanvändning är relativt framträdande inom den branschen. Ifrån sågverken som sönderdelar trästockar till virke fraktas flis som blir över till pappersbruk. Av flisen görs sedan bland annat diverse pappförpackningar som går att återvinna. Problemet är att dessa förpackningar endast går att återvinna ett visst antal gånger innan fibrerna blir obrukbara och istället används som biobränsle. Om byggmaterial skulle gå att producera baserat på dessa fibrer, skulle detta innebära en mer långlivad användning av dem. Ett byggmaterial som uppfunnits, gjort på fibrer från pappersmassabruk är core-materialet ”Greenwood”. Eftersom materialet är nytt och egenskaperna till stor del är okända krävs det att diverse studier görs som undersöker materialets olika egenskaper som är relevanta för en eventuell tillämpning inom byggbranschen. Denna studie avser att undersöka skjuvstyvhet, böjstyvhet och bärförmåga hos sandwichelement uppbyggda av core-materialet Greenwood och ytskikt av papp. Detta genom att först  dynamiskt och statiskt testa de ingående materialens egenskaper, följt av böjprovning av nio sandwichbalkar med varierande tjocklek på ytskikten. Samtliga balkar testades även dynamiskt. Core-materialet Greenwood som ingick i sandwichelementen var endast den begränsande faktorn en gång av tio böjprov. När core-materialets skjuvstyvhet togs fram både dynamiskt och statiskt och när den omvandlades till en skjuvmodul visade det sig att Greenwood har en mer än dubbelt så stor styvhet som EPS-cellplast vid liknande densitet. Detta är intressant då denna cellplast ofta agerar som ett core-material i sandwichelement ute i byggbranschen. Testerna visar även på att balkarna har en relativt liten spridning vilket innebär att resultaten har god tillförlitlighet. Slutligen, kan det konstateras att dessa sandwichelement uppvisar sega egenskaper med en viss kvarvarande lastkapacitet även efter brott. Samtliga nämnda egenskaper ovan talar för en viss potential för tillämpning av dessa sandwichelement inom byggbranschen. Fortsatta studier av fukt- och krypegenskaper vid långtidsbelastning rekommenderas, vilket är viktigt för användning inom byggandet. De omfattande resultaten från föreliggande studie utgör dock ett bra underlag för fortsatta undersökningar och värdering av möjliga tillämpningar. / The construction industry`s greenhouse emissions, makes up for a large portion of Sweden’s total emissions. In order to reduce construction related emissions, a fair amount of fronts within the construction industry needs to be changed and streamlined. In the last couple of years, there has been a successive increase in the number of structures that are built from wood amongst other things, which is beneficial because the wood alternative is more climate friendly than steel and concrete. The current tough climate goals entails that more has to be done than just increasing the amount of wood constructions. The pulp industry is easy to write off because so far, it has not been relevant to the construction industry and because recycling is relatively prominent within that industry. From the sawmills that dismember wooden logs to lumber, leftover wood chips are transported to paper mills. Among other things, different cardboard packages that can be recycled are then made from those wood chips. The problem with these packages is that they can only be recycled a certain number of times before the fibers become unusable and instead, are used as biofuel. If building materials were to be able to be produced with these fibers, that would be a more long-lived use of them. A building material, recently invented, made of fiber from paper mills is the core-material “Greenwood”. Because the material is new and its properties for the most part are unknown, this requires that various studies are conducted that examines the different properties the material possesses that are relevant for a contingent enforcement within the construction industry. This study intends to examine the shear rigidity, flexural rigidity and maximum capacity for sandwich panels made from the core-material Greenwood and faces of paperboard. This was achieved by first dynamically and statically test the properties of the two different materials, followed by flexure testing nine sandwich beams with varying face thicknesses. Every beam was also tested dynamically. The core-material Greenwood which was a part of the sandwich panels, was only the limiting factor 1 time out of 10 flexure tests. When the shear rigidity of the core-material was calculated both statically and dynamically and when it was converted to a shear modulus it was shown that Greenwood has a rigidity of more than double that of EPS cellular plastic at similar density. This is interesting because this type of cellular plastic often acts as a core-material in sandwich structures found in the construction industry. The tests also show that the beams have a relatively small spread which means that the results have good reliability. Finally, it can be concluded that these  sandwich panels exhibit ductile properties with a certain lasting load capacity even after ultimate load has been reached. Every property mentioned above indicates that there is a certain potential for applicability of these sandwich panels within the construction industry. Continued studies of moisture properties and creep properties during long-term loading is recommended, which is important for a possible use within construction. The extensive results from this study constitutes a good basis for continued research and assessment of possible applications.