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Autoimmune diseases are dependent on both genetic and environmental factors in complex interplay. They arise from a faulty immune response against self-antigens, and causes great suffering in affected individuals. Despite large efforts and hundreds of thousands of research articles published, the disease etiologies remain largely unknown. Knowledge of which genes are involved and how they interact
Propagation of transient waves in nonstationary, inhomogeneous, dispersive, stratified media is considered. Waves originating from sources exterior to the scatterer as well as from internal sources are treated. Algorithms are developed and illustrated by computations of wave phenomena in stationary, nonstationary and weakly nonlinear media. In the theoretical part, the underlying hyperbolic equati
Cytochromes function in electron transfer reactions, e.g. in respiratory systems, and contain haem as a prosthetic group. Cytochromes of the c-type differ from other cytochromes in that haem is covalently attached, via thioether linkages, to two cysteine residues in a conserved sequence motif in the protein, Cys-Xaa-Yaa-Cys-His. The functional location of c-type cytochromes in bacteria is on the o
In this thesis the tensile strength, deformation, damage resistance and tear propagation for flexible composites are analysed. There are two essential requirements common to all flexible composites; namely, high tearing strength and good matrix-to-fabric adhesion. The interaction of fabric and matrix is complex. The most critical variables are those of yarn and fabric structure, the mechanical pro
Cultural semiotics studies encounters between cultures. Notions such as Culture, Extra-culture and Non-culture were developed in the 1970s by the Tartu school and were used in their studies of Russian culture and its relation to Western Europe, with special focus on Peter the Great's attempt to Westernize Russia in the eighteenth century. The aim of this dissertation in cultural semiotics is to fu
Food hoarding is a widespread behavior among a large number of animals, and it exists in several different varieties, all of them used by the animals as a method of having a steady supply of food during periods of low food abundance such as the winter. This thesis concentrates mainly on two aspects of scatter food hoarding behavior, using small birds as study and model animals. Scatter hoarding is
Abstract Hot springs in Iceland can serve as sources of thermophilic, xylanolytic bacteria secreting very thermostable xylanolytic enzymes. The aerobic, thermophilic bacteria Rhodothermus marinus secretes multiple xylanases and xylosidases. One of the xylanases was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and was characterized. The N-terminal sequence showed no homology with other xylanases. The p
The causes of autoimmune diseases are largely unknown today, but there is evidence supporting a substantial complex genetic influence on many of these diseases as well as environmental factors and chance. In this thesis I have tried to get one step closer to the genetic causes of two autoimmune diseases through their induced counterparts in mice, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple scler
With the challenges Africa faces with respect to the predicted warming due to climate change, the continents role in the global carbon cycle has been increasingly recognized. Earth observing satellites have played a significant role in the study of vegetation, particularly in Africa where climate stations are sparse. Satellite data can provide the means to map plant primary production for monitori
Structure activity relationship studies of synthetic flavone derivatives have been utilized to refine and evaluate a pharmacophore model of the benzodiazepine binding site of the GABAA receptors, originally developed by Zhang et al. (Drug Des. Discovery 1995, 12, 193-248). In addition to the previously proposed pharmacophore elements, two steric repulsive regions have been added to the model and t
Phase diagrams of mixed alkylglucoside surfactants, n-nonyl-b-D-glucopyranoside and n-decyl-b-D-glucopyranoside (C9G1 and C10G1) have been examined for the purpose of determining the microstructure surrounding a closed-loop miscibiliyt gap. There are large deuterium isotope effects on the phase diagram. NMR-self diffusion, cryoTEM and TRFQ experiments show the presence of long interconnect network
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a modern welding process that joins materials by frictional heat, generated by a rotating tool. Unlike other welding processes, the material never melts, which is beneficial for the weld properties. FSW is already widely adopted in several industries but the applications are limited to simple geometries like straight lines or circular welds, mostly in aluminium. The
The aims of the thesis were to investigate the prevalence of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in female milkers in relation to other occupational groups; to clarify the relationship between disorders and work environment, psychosocial and life style factors; to compare in a prospective study, pain, ache and discomfort reported by a questionnaire with clinical symptoms and sign; to exa
The modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of vegetables is used with the aim of prolonging the shelf-life of the packaged produce. The packaging material consists of a permeable film and as a result of the respiration of the produce and gas diffusion through the film, the O2 decreases and the CO2 increases inside the package. This thesis has focused on the MAP of broccoli and the effect of the packa
Individual-based determinations of the absorbed dose in radionuclide therapy largely rely on absolute measurement of the activity distribution and its redistribution over time. Scintillation-camera imaging is the most commonly employed measuring technique, applied in planar or SPECT mode, sometimes in combination with structural images from CT. In this thesis, methods for processing and analysis o
The main aim of the present investigation was to highlight middle childhood creativity, and the children’s perspective on creativity, in contrast to many, if not most, studies that investigate creativity from an adult perspective and a scholarly definition. This dissertation consists of two quasi-experimental studies, and one interview study. Study I investigated if, and how, state anxiety, brough
This thesis describes novel methods for the fabrication of nanometer-scale electronic devices, such as single-electron transistors and resonant tunneling diodes, from wire- and dot-shaped building blocks. The first part of the thesis describes the manipulation of metal nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes using an atomic force microscope. Single-electron transistors were realized by moving nanotubes
The relationships of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia have been investigated by phylogenetic analysis using completely sequenced mitochondrial genomes. The organisation and structure of the marsupial mitochondrial genomes deviates from the general mammalian structure. Several features, not known from other mammalian mitochondrial genomes have been shown to be present in all seven living marsup
