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This thesis presents two new technologies, SIRE technology based biosensors and magneto immunoassays, which can be used for bioanalytical applications. One of the main problems associated with biosensor technology is the instability of the recognition element since it is of biological origin and thus, has a limited lifetime. Conventionally, this problem has been solved by immobilizing the biologic
Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are surrogate measures of central adiposity that are associated with adverse cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and cancer independent of body mass index (BMI). WC and WHR are highly heritable with multiple susceptibility loci identified to date. We assessed the association between SNPs and BMI-adjusted WC and WHR and unadjusted WC in up to
The barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mutants fch2 and clo-f2 comprise an allelic group of 14 Chl b-deficient lines. The genetic map position of fch2 corresponds to the physical map position of the gene encoding chlorophyllide a oxygenase. This enzyme converts chlorophyllide a to chlorophyllide b and it is essential for Chl b biosynthesis. The fch2 and clo-f2 barley lines were shown to be mutated in the
Aims Biogeographical evidence suggests a strong link between climate and patterns of species diversity, and climate change is known to cause range shifts. However, there is little understanding of how shifts affect community composition and we lack empirical evidence of recent impacts of climate change on the diversity of vertebrates. Using a long-term comprehensive dataset on bird abundance, we e
Lake sediments from the Magherus, Valley in the lowlands of northern Transylvania provide new evidence of paleoenvironmental development in Romania during the Late Glacial. The studied sediments were deposited as a result of the damming of a small river valley following a series of mass wasting events that occurred during the deglaciation period. A continuous sedimentary sequence belonging to the
Immunotherapy with intratumoral injection of adenoviral vectors expressing CD40L has yielded positive results in experimental and clinical bladder cancer. We therefore hypothesized that anti-CD40 antibody would be effective in this setting. Agonistic CD40 antibodies were developed as vaccine adjuvants but have later been used as treatment of advanced solid tumors and hematologic cancers. Systemic
In the in vitro motility assay, actin filaments are propelled by surface-adsorbed myosin motors, or rather, myosin motor fragments such as heavy meromyosin (HMM). Recently, efforts have been made to develop actomyosin powered nanodevices on the basis of this assay but such developments are hampered by limited understanding of the HMM adsorption geometry. Therefore, we here investigate the HMM adso
It was previously shown that letrozole (Femara(R)) was significantly more potent than anastrozole (Arimidex(R)) in inhibiting aromatase activity in vitro and in inhibiting total body aromatisation in patients with breast cancer. The objective of this study was to compare letrozole (2.5 mg per day) and anastrozole (1 mg per day) as endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast canc
Steller's Eider Polysticta stelleri has a restricted arctic breeding range. The world population declined to c. 220,000 individuals in the late 1990s from an estimated 400,000-500,000 in the 1960s. The species has a limited global wintering distribution, occurring in marine habitats in north-east Europe, islands close to Kamchatka in Russia, and the eastern Aleutian Islands and south-west Alaska.
Adsorption of Co(II) at the aqueous interfaces of ZnO and ZnS (wurtzite) has been studied by classical wet-chemical methods, and the structure and composition of Co adsorption complexes at these interfaces have been determined by in-situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. On both adsorbents, adsorption as a function of pH shows the normal behavior, i.e., a pronounced adsorption w
This second edition of the infrared microwindow atlas contains a collection of spectral mi- crowindows commonly used or recently suggested for ground-based, high resolution, infrared solar absoption spectroscopy. These solar observations are aimed at quantifying the abun- dance of trace species in the terrestrial atmosphere. A microwindow is a narrow spectral interval that allows to observe a spec
1. Using data from a 9-year study of the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus L. carried out in Sweden, I tested the main assumption of the polygyny threshold model (that there is a cost of polygyny) and the main prediction (that this cost is compensated for). The main question was whether a female that chose a mated male (secondary females) experienced the same fitness as a female that at
