Mechanism of acetylcholine-induced calcium signaling during neuronal differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells in vitro

Muscarinic (mAChRs) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are involved in various physiological processes, including neuronal development. We provide evidence for expression of functional nicotinic and muscarinic receptors during differentiation of P19 carcinoma embryonic cells, as an in vitro model of early neurogenesis. We have detected expression and activity alpha(2)-alpha(7), beta(2), beta(4) nAChR and M1-M5 mAChR subtypes during neuronal differentiation. Nicotinic alpha(3) and beta(2) mRNA transcription was induced by addition of retinoic acid to P19 cells. Gene expression Of alpha(2), alpha(4)-alpha(7), beta(4) nAChR subunits decreased during initial differentiation and increased again when P19 cells underwent final maturation. Receptor response in terms of nicotinic agonist-evoked Ca2+, flux was observed in embryonic and neuronal-differentiated cells. Muscarinic receptor response, merely present in undifferentiated P19 cells, increased during neuronal differentiation. The nAChR-induced elevation of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+](i)) response in undifferentiated cells was due to Ca2+ influx. In differentiated P19 neurons the nAChR-induced [Ca2+](i) response was reduced following pretreatment with ryanodine, while the mAChR-induced response was unaffected indicating the contribution of Ca2+ release from ryanodine-sensitive stores to nAChR- but not mAChR-mediated Ca2+ responses. The presence of functional nAChRs in embryonic cells suggests that these receptors are involved in triggering Ca2+ waves during initial neuronal differentiation. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of dietary lipid composition bioavailability and inulin-type fructans on mineral in growing rats

Objective: This study reports the effects of feeding with a combination of inulin-type fructans (ITF) and fish oil (FO) on mineral absorption and bioavailability as part of a semipurified diet offered to rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats (n = 24) were fed a 15% lipid diet (soybean oil [SO] or a 1:0.3 fish:soybean oil mixture [FSO]) and diets containing the same sources of lipids supplemented with 10% ITF (Raftilose Synergy 1) ad libitum for 15 d. Feces and urine were collected for mineral analyses during the last 5 d of the test period. Fatty acid composition was determined in liver and cecal mucosa homogenates. Liver and bone mineral analyses were performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Bone biomechanical analyses were evaluated by a 3-point bending test. Results: Compared with the controls, ITF-fed rats had enlarged ceca and a significant decrease in cecal content pH (P < 0.001). The apparent mineral absorption was improved in these rats, and this effect was enhanced by dietary combination with FO for all minerals except for magnesium. Addition of ITF to the diet resulted in higher bone mineral content (calcium and zinc) and bone strength, but increased bone mineral content was only statistically significant in FO-fed animals. A decrease in liver iron stores (P = 0.015) was observed in rats fed FO, considering that ITF consumption returned to levels comparable to the SO control group. Conclusion: These findings confirm the positive influence of ITF on mineral bioavailability, which was potentiated by addition of FO to the diet. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Central Nervous System as Target for Antihypertensive Actions of a Proline-Rich Peptide from Bothrops jararaca Venom

Pyroglutamyl proline-rich oligopeptides, present in the venom of the pit viper Bothrops jararaca (Bj-PROs), are the first described naturally occurring inhibitors of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The inhibition of ACE by the decapeptide Bj-PRO-10c (stores, as well as reduction of intracellular cAMP levels. Bj-PRO-10c promoted glutamate and GABA release that may be responsible for its antihypertensive activity and its effect on HR. (C) 2010 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry

Increased Activation of Stromal Interaction Molecule-1/Orai-1 in Aorta From Hypertensive Rats A Novel Insight Into Vascular Dysfunction

Disturbances in the regulation of cytosolic calcium (Ca(2+)) concentration play a key role in the vascular dysfunction associated with arterial hypertension. Stromal interaction molecules (STIMs) and Orai proteins represent a novel mechanism to control store-operated Ca(2+) entry. Although STIMs act as Ca(2+) sensors for the intracellular Ca(2+) stores, Orai is the putative pore-forming component of Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) channels at the plasma membrane. We hypothesized that augmented activation of Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+)/Orai-1, through enhanced activity of STIM-1, plays a role in increased basal tonus and vascular reactivity in hypertensive animals. Endothelium-denuded aortic rings from Wistar-Kyoto and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats were used to evaluate contractions because of Ca(2+) influx. Depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores, which induces Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) activation, was performed by placing arteries in Ca(2+) free-EGTA buffer. The addition of the Ca(2+) regular buffer produced greater contractions in aortas from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats versus Wistar-Kyoto rats. Thapsigargin (10 mu mol/L), an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase, further increased these contractions, especially in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat aorta. Addition of the Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) channel inhibitors 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (100 mu mol/L) or gadolinium (100 mu mol/L), as well as neutralizing antibodies to STIM-1 or Orai-1, abolished thapsigargin-increased contraction and the differences in spontaneous tone between the groups. Expression of Orai-1 and STIM-1 proteins was increased in aorta from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats when compared with Wistar-Kyoto rats. These results support the hypothesis that both Orai-1 and STIM-1 contribute to abnormal vascular function in hypertension. Augmented activation of STIM-1/Orai-1 may represent the mechanism that leads to impaired control of intracellular Ca(2+) levels in hypertension. (Hypertension. 2009; 53[part 2]: 409-416.)

Automatic devices for monitoring environmentally induced auto-oxidative degradation of artistic materials in conservation sites

This paper describes an automatic device for in situ and continuous monitoring of the ageing process occurring in natural and synthetic resins widely used in art and in the conservation and restoration of cultural artefacts. The results of tests carried out under accelerated ageing conditions are also presented. This easy-to-assemble palm-top device, essentially consists of oscillators based on quartz crystal resonators coated with films of the organic materials whose response to environmental stress is to be addressed. The device contains a microcontroller which selects at pre-defined time intervals the oscillators and records and stores their oscillation frequency. The ageing of the coatings, caused by the environmental stress and resulting in a shift in the oscillation frequency of the modified crystals, can be straightforwardly monitored in this way. The kinetics of this process reflects the level of risk damage associated with a specific microenvironment. In this case, natural and artificial resins, broadly employed in art and restoration of artistic and archaeological artefacts (dammar and Paraloid B72), were applied onto the crystals. The environmental stress was represented by visible and UV radiation, since the chosen materials are known to be photochemically active, to different extents. In the case of dammar, the results obtained are consistent with previous data obtained using a bench-top equipment by impedance analysis through discrete measurements and confirm that the ageing of this material is reflected in the gravimetric response of the modified quartz crystals. As for Paraloid B72, the outcome of the assays indicates that the resin is resistant to visible light, but is very sensitive to UV irradiation. The use of a continuous monitoring system, apart from being obviously more practical, is essential to identify short-term (i.e. reversible) events, like water vapour adsorption/desorption processes, and to highlight ageing trends or sudden changes of such trends. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors transduce signals for neurite outgrowth after binding of the prion protein to laminin gamma 1 chain

The prion protein (PrP(C)) is highly expressed in the nervous system, and its abnormal conformer is associated with prion diseases. PrP(C) is anchored to cell membranes by glycosylphosphatidylinositol, and transmembrane proteins are likely required for PrP(C)-mediated intracellular signaling. Binding of laminin (Ln) to PrP(C) modulates neuronal plasticity and memory. We addressed signaling pathways triggered by PrP(C)-Ln interaction in order to identify transmembrane proteins involved in the transduction of PrP(C)-Ln signals. The Ln gamma 1-chain peptide, which contains the Ln binding site for PrP(C), induced neuritogenesis through activation of phospholipase C (PLC), Ca(2+) mobilization from intracellular stores, and protein kinase C and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activation in primary cultures of neurons from wild-type, but not PrP(C)-null mice. Phage display, coimmunoprecipitation, and colocalization experiments showed that group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1/5) associate with PrP(C). Expression of either mGluR1 or mGluR5 in HEK293 cells reconstituted the signaling pathways mediated by PrP(C)-Ln gamma 1 peptide interaction. Specific inhibitors of these receptors impaired PrP(C)-Ln gamma 1 peptide-induced signaling and neuritogenesis. These data show that group I mGluRs are involved in the transduction of cellular signals triggered by PrP(C)-Ln, and they support the notion that PrP(C) participates in the assembly of multiprotein complexes with physiological functions on neurons.-Beraldo, F. H., Arantes, C. P., Santos, T. G., Machado, C. F., Roffe, M., Hajj, G. N., Lee, K. S., Magalhaes, A. C., Caetano, F. A., Mancini, G. L., Lopes, M. H., Americo, T. A., Magdesian, M. H., Ferguson, S. S. G., Linden, R., Prado, M. A. M., Martins, V. R. Metabotropic glutamate receptors trans-duce signals for neurite outgrowth after binding of the prion protein to laminin gamma 1 chain. FASEB J. 25, 265-279 (2011). www.fasebj.org

Grafisk profilering för butiksmiljö : Creating a visual identity for a store

A new visual identity for the ski store Alpingaraget in Stockholm has been proposed as the result of this thesis. Theproposal includes a new logotype, various printed matters, design planning of the store, interior design, signs and otherapplications.The theory section is within the field of graphic profiling and with some focus on profiling in stores.A clear visual identity is important for a company because what the company communicates internally and externallyshould be kept as consistent as possible. This is especially important nowadays when more and more similar products andstores are available. This means that the visual identity becomes part of the competition with other products and stores.The base elements in a visual identity are logotype, colors and typograpy. Using these elements according to rules andtemplates makes a consistent visual profile.

Identifiering av parametrar till ackumulatortanken Solus1050 från consolar - en metodbeskrivning

This report describes the work done creating a computer model of a kombi tank from Consolar. The model was created with Presim/Trnsys and Fittrn and DF were used to identify the parameters. Measurements were carried out and were used to identify the values of the parameters in the model. The identifications were first done for every circuit separately. After that, all parameters are normally identified together using all the measurements. Finally the model should be compared with other measurements, preferable realistic ones. The two last steps have not yet been carried out, because of problems finding a good model for the domestic hot water circuit.The model of the domestic hot water circuit give relatively good results for low flows at 5 l/min, but is not good for higher flows. In the report suggestions for improving the model are given. However, there was not enough time to test this within the project as much time was spent trying to solve problems with the model crashing. Suggestions for improving the model for the domestic circuit are given in chapter 4.4. The improved equations that are to be used in the improved model are given by equation 4.18, 4.19 and 4.22.Also for the boiler circuit and the solar circuit there are improvements that can be done. The model presented here has a few shortcomings, but with some extra work, an improved model can be created. In the attachment (Bilaga 1) is a description of the used model and all the identified parameters.A qualitative assessment of the store was also performed based on the measurements and the modelling carried out. The following summary of this can be given: Hot Water PreparationThe principle for controlling the flow on the primary side seems to work well in order to achieve good stratification. Temperatures in the bottom of the store after a short use of hot water, at a coldwater temperature of 12°C, was around 28-30°C. This was almost independent of the temperature in the store and the DHW-flow.The measured UA-values of the heat exchangers are not very reliable, but indicates that the heat transfer rates are much better than for the Conus 500, and in the same range as for other stores tested at SERC.The function of the mixing valve is not perfect (see diagram 4.3, where Tout1 is the outlet hot water temperature, and Tdhwo and Tdhw1 is the inlet temperature to the hot and cold side of the valve respectively). The outlet temperature varies a lot with different temperatures in the storage and is going down from 61°C to 47°C before the cold port is fully closed. This gives a problem to find a suitable temperature setting and gives also a risk that the auxiliary heating is increased instead of the set temperature of the valve, when the hot water temperature is to low.Collector circuitThe UA-value of the collector heat exchanger is much higher than the value for Conus 500, and in the same range as the heat exchangers in other stores tested at SERC.Boiler circuitThe valve in the boiler circuit is used to supply water from the boiler at two different heights, depending on the temperature of the water. At temperatures from the boiler above 58.2°C, all the water is injected to the upper inlet. At temperatures below 53.9°C all the water is injected to the lower inlet. At 56°C the water flow is equally divided between the two inlets. Detailed studies of the behaviour at the upper inlet shows that better accuracy of the model would have been achieved using three double ports in the model instead of two. The shape of the upper inlet makes turbulence, that could be modelled using two different inlets. Heat lossesThe heat losses per m3 are much smaller for the Solus 1050, than for the Conus 500 Storage. However, they are higher than those for some good stores tested at SERC. The pipes that are penetrating the insulation give air leakage and cold bridges, which could be a major part of the losses from the storage. The identified losses from the bottom of the storage are exceptionally high, but have less importance for the heat losses, due to the lower temperatures in the bottom. High losses from the bottom can be caused by air leakage through the insulation at the pipe connections of the storage.

Six-Day System Test and Component test and System Simulation for Combitanks with Internal heat Exchangers

An international standard, ISO/DP 9459-4 has been proposed to establish a uniform standard of quality for small, factory-made solar heating systerns. In this proposal, system components are tested separatelyand total system performance is calculated using system simulations based on component model parameter values validated using the results from the component tests. Another approach is to test the whole system in operation under representative conditions, where the results can be used as a measure of the general system performance. The advantage of system testing of this form is that it is not dependent on simulations and the possible inaccuracies of the models. Its disadvantage is that it is restricted to the boundary conditions for the test. Component testing and system simulation is flexible, but requires an accurate and reliable simulation model.The heat store is a key component conceming system performance. Thus, this work focuses on the storage system consisting store, electrical auxiliary heater, heat exchangers and tempering valve. Four different storage system configurations with a volume of 750 litre were tested in an indoor system test using a six -day test sequence. A store component test and system simulation was carried out on one of the four configurations, applying the proposed standard for stores, ISO/DP 9459-4A. Three newly developed test sequences for intemalload side heat exchangers, not in the proposed ISO standard, were also carried out. The MULTIPORT store model was used for this work. This paper discusses the results of the indoor system test, the store component test, the validation of the store model parameter values and the system simulations.

TCA Evaluation : Lab Measurements, Modelling and System Simulations

The study reported here is part of a large project for evaluation of the Thermo-Chemical Accumulator (TCA), a technology under development by the Swedish company ClimateWell AB. The studies concentrate on the use of the technology for comfort cooling. This report concentrates on measurements in the laboratory, modelling and system simulation. The TCA is a three-phase absorption heat pump that stores energy in the form of crystallised salt, in this case Lithium Chloride (LiCl) with water being the other substance. The process requires vacuum conditions as with standard absorption chillers using LiBr/water. Measurements were carried out in the laboratories at the Solar Energy Research Center SERC, at Högskolan Dalarna as well as at ClimateWell AB. The measurements at SERC were performed on a prototype version 7:1 and showed that this prototype had several problems resulting in poor and unreliable performance. The main results were that: there was significant corrosion leading to non-condensable gases that in turn caused very poor performance; unwanted crystallisation caused blockages as well as inconsistent behaviour; poor wetting of the heat exchangers resulted in relatively high temperature drops there. A measured thermal COP for cooling of 0.46 was found, which is significantly lower than the theoretical value. These findings resulted in a thorough redesign for the new prototype, called ClimateWell 10 (CW10), which was tested briefly by the authors at ClimateWell. The data collected here was not large, but enough to show that the machine worked consistently with no noticeable vacuum problems. It was also sufficient for identifying the main parameters in a simulation model developed for the TRNSYS simulation environment, but not enough to verify the model properly. This model was shown to be able to simulate the dynamic as well as static performance of the CW10, and was then used in a series of system simulations. A single system model was developed as the basis of the system simulations, consisting of a CW10 machine, 30 m2 flat plate solar collectors with backup boiler and an office with a design cooling load in Stockholm of 50 W/m2, resulting in a 7.5 kW design load for the 150 m2 floor area. Two base cases were defined based on this: one for Stockholm using a dry cooler with design cooling rate of 30 kW; one for Madrid with a cooling tower with design cooling rate of 34 kW. A number of parametric studies were performed based on these two base cases. These showed that the temperature lift is a limiting factor for cooling for higher ambient temperatures and for charging with fixed temperature source such as district heating. The simulated evacuated tube collector performs only marginally better than a good flat plate collector if considering the gross area, the margin being greater for larger solar fractions. For 30 m2 collector a solar faction of 49% and 67% were achieved for the Stockholm and Madrid base cases respectively. The average annual efficiency of the collector in Stockholm (12%) was much lower than that in Madrid (19%). The thermal COP was simulated to be approximately 0.70, but has not been possible to verify with measured data. The annual electrical COP was shown to be very dependent on the cooling load as a large proportion of electrical use is for components that are permanently on. For the cooling loads studied, the annual electrical COP ranged from 2.2 for a 2000 kWh cooling load to 18.0 for a 21000 kWh cooling load. There is however a potential to reduce the electricity consumption in the machine, which would improve these figures significantly. It was shown that a cooling tower is necessary for the Madrid climate, whereas a dry cooler is sufficient for Stockholm although a cooling tower does improve performance. The simulation study was very shallow and has shown a number of areas that are important to study in more depth. One such area is advanced control strategy, which is necessary to mitigate the weakness of the technology (low temperature lift for cooling) and to optimally use its strength (storage).

Energy Efficiency through Thermal Energy Storage : Possibilities for the Swedish Building Stock

The need for heating and cooling in buildings constitutes a considerable part of the total energy use in a country and reducing this need is of outmost importance in order to reach national and international goals for reducing energy use and emissions. One important way of reaching these goals is to increase the proportion of renewable energy used for heating and cooling of buildings. Perhaps the largest obstacle with this is the often occurring mismatch between the availability of renewable energy and the need for heating or cooling, hindering this energy to be used directly. This is one of the problems that can be solved by using thermal energy storage (TES) in order to save the heat or cold from when it is available to when it is needed. This thesis is focusing on the combination of TES techniques and buildings to achieve increased energy efficiency for heating and cooling. Various techniques used for TES as well as the combination of TES in buildings have been investigated and summarized through an extensive literature review. A survey of the Swedish building stock was also performed in order to define building types common in Sweden. Within the scope of this thesis, the survey resulted in the selection of three building types, two single family houses and one office building, out of which the two residential buildings were used in a simulation case study of passive TES with increased thermal mass (both sensible and latent). The second case study presented in the thesis is an evaluation of an existing seasonal borehole storage of solar heat for a residential community. In this case, real measurement data was used in the evaluation and in comparisons with earlier evaluations. The literature reviews showed that using TES opens up potential for reduced energy demand and reduced peak heating and cooling loads as well as possibilities for an increased share of renewable energy to cover the energy demand. By using passive storage through increased thermal mass of a building it is also possible to reduce variations in the indoor temperature and especially reduce excess temperatures during warm periods, which could result in avoiding active cooling in a building that would otherwise need it. The analysis of the combination of TES and building types confirmed that TES has a significant potential for increased energy efficiency in buildings but also highlighted the fact that there is still much research required before some of the technologies can become commercially available. In the simulation case study it was concluded that only a small reduction in heating demand is possible with increased thermal mass, but that the time with indoor temperatures above 24 °C can be reduced by up to 20%. The case study of the borehole storage system showed that although the storage system worked as planned, heat losses in the rest of the system as well as some problems with the system operation resulted in a lower solar fraction than projected. The work presented within this thesis has shown that TES is already used successfully for many building applications (e.g. domestic hot water stores and water tanks for storing solar heat) but that there still is much potential in further use of TES. There are, however, barriers such as a need for more research for some storage technologies as well as storage materials, especially phase change material storage and thermochemical storage.

Identifiering och kartläggning av buller i centrala Falun

Ett problem i dagens moderna samhälle är att bullernivåerna är för höga. Dessa höga bullernivåer är en hälsorisk och kan ge människan permanenta skador. Buller är något som inte får försummas. Syftet med examensarbetet är att identifiera och kartlägga bullret på Holmgatan i centrala Falun. Syftet är också att analysera resultatet och sätta det i förhållande till myndigheternas krav och riktlinjer avseende bullernivåer. Examensarbetet avgränsas till bullermätning och kartläggning på delar av Holmgatan i centrala Falun, som bedömts vara extra utsatta för buller. Bullermätningarna utfördes under fyra vardagar och under tider från det att de flesta affärer öppnar till att de stänger, kl. 10-18. Metoden bestod utav bullermätningar som utfördes med en timmes intervall längs den utvalda delen av Holmgatan. Dagarna då dessa mätningar utfördes var 2/12 till 5/12-2013. Resultatet redovisas som medelvärdet per timme av alla dagar då bullermätningarna utfördes. Resultatet varierade, det lägsta bullermedelvärdet var 57 dB och det högsta bullermedelvärdet var 83 dB. Det syns tydligt att de högre värdena ligger närmare en gata som används av bussar och andra transportfordon. De lägre värdena låg oftast i närheten av Geislerka parken, som är en stor och öppen yta mitt i Holmgatan. Över lag så låg bullermedelvärdena mellan 60-65 dB. Slutsatsen tyder på att bullernivån på Holmgatan överskrider inte myndigheternas krav på vad som anses som skadligt men ligger strax under riktlinjerna för maximalnivån för utomhusbuller (70 dB). Åtgärder såsom att plantera vegitation på fasader och omleda trafiken skulle kunna vidtas för att minska bullernivån på Holmgatan.

Las abreviaciones del español usadas en lacomunicación mediada por ordenador por jóvenesmexicanos.

The aim of this study is to investigate the reasons why young people in Mexico useabbreviations, how abbreviations are used and what kind of abbreviations they use amongtheir group of friends. The study is conducted among a small sample of persons between 18 to30 years old and from one sociocultural group.We studied a group of 20 informants. In this group we included young people working as acashiers, warehouse workers, employees in stores, etc. These informants answered a writtenquestionnaire and we also analyzed 40 of their Facebook messages.In summary, it was noticed that the abbreviations were used because it is a fast way to writebecause they save time. According to the informants “It is fun and is easy to use them whenwriting their messages”. We could see that a few informants use them because it is a new wayof writing as well as considering it to be entertaining to write their messages. When analyzingtheir messages, we saw that these informants do not seem to have rules when writing theirabbrevations, they shorten the words in all forms and place them in any part of theirmessages. They often adapt their way of writing to the pronunciation of the words, similar tothe spoken language. Some words had influences from the caliche jargot (a variety ofcolloquial language used among young people in Mexico). The informants in this study areusing all kinds of abbreviations such as abbreviated words, acronyms and shortenings

The impact of big-boxes on local retail : What happens when IKEA comes to town?

The development of large discount retailers, or big-boxes as they are sometimes referred to, are often subject to heated debate and their entry on a market is greeted with either great enthusiasm or dread. For instance, the world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart (Forbes 2014) has a number of anti- and pro-groups dedicated to its being and the event of a Wal-Mart entry tends to be met with protests and campaigns (Decamme 2013) but also welcomed by, for instance, consumers (Davis & DeBonis 2013). Also in Sweden, the entry of a big box is a hot topic and before IKEA’s opening i Borlänge 2013, the first in Sweden in more than five years, great expectations were mixed with worry (Västerbottens-Kuriren 2011).The presence of large scale discount retailers is not, however, a novel phenomenon but a part of a long-term change in retailing that has taken place globally over the past couple of decades (Taylor & Smalling, 2005). As noted by Dawson (2006), the trend in Europe has over the past few decades gone towards an increasing concentration of large firms along with a decrease of smaller firms.This trend is also detectable in the Swedish retail industry. Over the past decade, the retailing industry in Sweden has increased by around 190 Billion SEK, and its share of GDP has risen from 2,7% to 2,9%, while the number of employees have increased from 200 000 to 250 000 (HUI 2013). This growth, however, has not been distributed evenly but rather it has been oriented mainly towards out-of-town retail clusters. Parallel to this development, the number of large retailers has risen at the expense of market shares of smaller independent firms (Rämme et al 2010). Thereby, the presence of large scale retailers is simply part of a changing retail landscape.The effects of this development, where large scale retailing agents relocate shopping to out-of-town shopping areas, have been heavily debated. On the one hand, the big-boxes are accused of displacing independent small retail businesses in the city-centers and the residential areas, resulting in, to some extent, reduced employment opportunities and less availability for the consumers - especially the elderly (Ljungberg et al 2006). In addition, as access to shopping now tends to require some sort of a motorized vehicle, environmental aspects to the discussion have emerged. Ultimately these types of concerns have resulted in calls for regulations against this development (Olsson 2010). On the other hand, the proponents of the new shopping landscape argue that this evolution implies productivity gains, the benefits of lower prices and an increased variety of products (Maican & Orth 2012). Moreover it is argued that it leads to, for instance, better services (such as longer opening hours) and a creative destruction transformation pressure on retailers, which brings about a renewal of city-centerIIretail and services, increasing their attractivity (Bergström 2010). The belief in benefits of a big box entry can be exemplified by the attractivity of IKEA, and the fact that municipalities are prepared to commit to expenses amounting up to hundreds of millions in order to attract the entry of this big-box. Borlänge municipality, for instance, agreed to expenses of about 350 million SEK in order to secure the entry of IKEA, which opened in 2013 (Blomgren 2009).Against this backdrop, the overall effects of large discount retailers become important: Are the economic benefits enough to warrant subsidies or are there, on the contrary, some very compelling grounds for regulations against these types of establishments? In other words; how is overall retail in a region where a store like IKEA enters affected? And how are local retail firms affected?In order to answer these questions, the purpose of this thesis is to study how entry of a big-box retailer affects the entry region. The object of this study is IKEA - one of the world’s largest retailers, with 345 stores, active in over 40 countries and with profits of about 3.3 billion (IKEA 2013; IKEA 2014). By studying the effects of IKEA-entry, both on an aggregated level and on firm level, this thesis intends to find indications of how large discount retail establishments in general can be expected to affect the economic development both in a region overall, but also on the local firm level, something which is of interest to both policymakers as well as the retailing industry in general.The first paper examines the effects of IKEA on retail revenues and employment in the municipalities that IKEA chose to enter between 2000 and 2011; Gothenburg, Haparanda, Kalmar and Karlstad. By means of a matching method we first identify non-entry municipalities that have a similar probability of IKEA entry as the true entry municipalities. Then, using these non-entry municipalities as a control group, the causal effects of IKEA entry can be estimated using a treatment-control approach. We also extend the analysis to examine the spatial impact of IKEA by estimating the effects on retail in neighboring municipalities. It is found that a new IKEA store increases revenues in durable goods trade with 20% in the entry municipality and the number of employees with 17%. Only small, and in most cases statistically insignificant, negative effects were found in neighboring municipalities.It appears that there is a positive net effect on durables retail sales and employment in the entry municipality. However, the analysis is based on data on an aggregated municipality level and thereby it remains unclear if and how the effects vary within the entry municipalities. In addition, the data used in the first study includes the sales and employment of IKEA itself, which could account for the majority of the increases in employment and retail. Thereby the potential spillover effects on incumbent retailers in the entry municipalities cannot be discerned in the first study.IIITo examine effects of IKEA entry on incumbent retail firms, the second paper in this thesis analyses how IKEA entry affects the revenues and employment of local retail firms in three municipalities; Haparanda, Kalmar and Karlstad, which experienced entry by IKEA between 2000 and 2010. In this second study, we exclude Gothenburg due to the fact that big-box entry appears to have weaker effects in metropolitan areas (as indicated by Artz & Stone 2006). By excluding Gothenburg we aim to reduce the geographical heterogeneity in our study. We obtain control municipalities that are as similar as possible to the three entry municipalities using the same method as in the previous study, but including a slightly different set of variables in the selection equation. Using similar retail firms in the control municipalities as our comparison group, we estimate the impact of IKEA entry on revenues and employment for retail firms located at varying distances from the IKEA entry site.The results generated in this study imply that entry by IKEA increases revenues in incumbent retail firms by, on average, 11% in the entry municipalities. In addition, we do not find any significant impact on retail revenues in the city centers of the entry municipalities. However, we do find that retail firms within 1 km of the IKEA experience increases in revenues of about 26%, which indicates large spillover effects in the area nearby the entry site. As expected, this impact decreases as we expand the buffer zone: firms located between 0-2 km experiences a 14% increase and firms in 2-5 km experiences an increase of 10%. We do not find any significant impacts on retail employment.

Kundernas behov i butiksmiljöer : Skillnaderna mellan handlares och kunders uppfattning av kundernas behov i klädbutiker

Konkurrensen inom detaljhandeln blir allt hårdare, både från andra butiker men även från e-handeln, vilket sätter press på fysiska butiker att ha nöjda kunder som fortsätter handla i butiken. Ett tillvägagångssätt för att möta den hårdnande konkurrensen är att ha en butiksmiljö s.k. servicescape som är utformad efter kundernas behov, vilket dock förutsätter att handlarna vet vilka behov sina kunder har. Har handlarna en felaktig uppfattning om kundernas behov föreligger det ett gap som minskar chansen att kunderna blir nöjda och därmed butikens konkurrenskraft. En avgränsning gjordes till klädbutiker, då klädbutiker är bland de butikstyper som är mest konkurrensutsatt. Syftet med uppsatsen var att kartlägga hur kundernas behov överensstämmer eller skiljer sig från handlarnas uppfattning om deras behov. För att uppfylla syftet tillämpades en kvalitativ metod men med en statistisk bearbetning dvs. en kvantitativ bearbetning då resultatet redovisades med hjälp av frekvenser och värden på en skala. Datainsamlingsverktyget som användes var enkäter och utformades efter de tio faktorerna som sammanställdes i den teoretiska referensramen. Enkäterna delades ut till både kunder och handlare i Borlänges stadskärna och Faluns stadskärna. Resultatet av uppsatsen visade att det för faktorerna ljus (4,2), trängsel (4.5) (4.6), Ljud (4.7), toaletter (4.9), (4.10) finns en skillnad ett s.k. gap mellan handlarnas uppfattning om kundernas behov och vad kundernas behov egentligen är. Det framkom även att handlarna ansåg att kunderna har större behov av att faktorerna rent & städat (4.3), (4.4) in & utgångar (4.8) är tillfredsställande än vad kunderna egentligen har. Det framkom precis som behandlades i den teoretiska referensramen att kundernas behov tenderar att variera utifrån deras demografiska faktorer ålder och kön. Om handlarna har en låg, medel eller hög prisnivå påverkade även det hur viktigt det är för kunderna att faktorerna är tillfredsställande. Slutsatsen som författarna identifierade var att det föreligger ett gap mellan handlarnas uppfattning om kundernas behov och vad kunderna anser att deras behov är gällande flera av faktorerna. Detta är dock något som kunderna säger vilket inte behöver stämma överrens med hur de verkligen tycker. Det är dock svårt att urskilja något mönster gällande gapen utan det är nästan enbart tendenser man kan urskilja, vilket gör att varje faktor bör analyseras individuellt.