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This thesis deals with the process of estimating underwater current from the backscattering signal transmitted from an ultrasonic transducer. The narrowband sinusoidal burst signal is Doppler-shifted due to the current, and this information is converted into current. The traditional mathematical model for this Doppler process is based on the assumption that the backscattering time signal is Gaussi
Morphogens such as Hedghog, Wnt, FGF, and retinoic acid are important signals whose concentrations need to be tightly regulated in the vertebrate embryo to ensure body axis development and formation of the central nervous system. We first show that the intracellular cytoplasmic protein XSufu acts as a dual regulator of Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt signals during neural induction and patterning in the Xen
The aim of this work was to study atmospheric aerosols, focusing on the chemical composition, the morphology and the origin of the aerosol in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere. An aerosol sampler was developed for this purpose. A new method for quantitative analysis of the major components of the aerosol, i.e. C, N and O was developed, and methodologies for single-particle analysis
Selenium is an essential nutrient and in animals and humans it can either be specifically incorporated into proteins as selenocysteine or randomly as selenomethionine. It can also occur as low-molecular-weight compounds and the form of selenium in foods may also influence food quality. The aims of the present studies were: to study selenium and other trace element compounds in milk and whey; to el
Power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) is a sensitive technique to detect slow blood movement. The aim of the present study was to develop a standardized method for quantification of the PDU signals recorded from a specific region of interest (ROI) within fetal organs. The quantification method - fractional moving blood volume (FMBV) - compensating for factors potentially affecting the final results, e.g.
The subject of this thesis is plasma protein C4b-binding protein (C4BP). C4BP is an important regulator of the classical pathway of the complement system, a cascade-like system comprised of over 35 proteins, which partakes in the defence against micro-organisms and is involved of clearance of immune-complexes and apoptotic cells. C4BP contains two different types of subunits, seven identical alfa-
Poststernotomy mediastinitis is a devastating complication associated with median sternotomy, which occurs mainly after cardiac surgery. The optimal treatment is still controversial. The aim was to develop, describe and evaluate a surgical procedure consisting of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) in combination with delayed primary closure in patients with mediastinitis. A porcine sternotomy wound mo
Carex humilis forms rings of densely aggregated ramets in dry grassland vegetation in Central Europe. In the thesis I conclude that ramet demography is important both for analyzing fitness in clonal plants and for understanding how C. humilis rings are formed. I studied the ramet demography of C. humilis from 1993-1998 at the Hexenberg mountain, 300 m.a.s., 60 km east of Vienna, Austria. In total,
Around 1750 a German chemist discovered it to be possible to extract sugar crystals from beet juice. Since then, breeding and improved agricultural practices have increased the concentration of sucrose per root from around 4% to around 18%. Sugar content is still one of the most important characters in sugar beet breeding, but breeders of today are also faced with many more characters, many of a c
Postoperative pain relief with opioids after major non-cardiac surgery may give rise to adverse effects. The fear of dangerous side effects may therefore limit the optimal use of different treatment modalities in surgical wards. Opioids can be administered alone as an intravenous infusion, or in combination with local anaesthetics as an epidural infusion. Both regimes can be tailored with a patien
Coagulase-negative staphyloccoci (CoNS) are the most frequently isolated micro-organisms from infected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts and temporary ventricular drainage catheters, used in modern neurosurgery. CoNS originate from the skinflora of the patient or the surgeon and gain access to the surface of the implant at the insertion, but the infection can erupt up to a year later or more. Immed
The issue of higher education and its relation to the working life of graduates has been intensely discussed since the beginning of the 1990’s. There have been constant complaints about an alleged mismatch between graduate competence and competence required by potential employers, regardless of field. On the other hand, representatives of higher education have stressed the independent role of univ
The chloroplast-localized small heat shock protein (sHsp) Hsp21 belongs to the family of alpha-crystallin like sHsps which form large oligomeric structures and protect partly unfolded aggregation-prone proteins against aggregation. The main focus for this thesis has been on the highly conserved methionines in Hsp21. These methionine residues are situated on one side of an amphipathic alpha-helix.
Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) is an economically important crop, and recognised as an important source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds with health promoting effects. Yet increased incidence of allergy puts a limit to the choice of food for an increasing percentage of the population. As part of this thesis a strawberry allergen termed Fra a 1 was identified, which is related to a major bi
Primary infections and vaccination stimulates the immunesystem to produce memory cells that rapidly respond to reexposure of the same antigen. These memory responses are dependent on an adaptive type of immunity that sustains the reactivity of the immune system by long-lived memory immune cells. From an evolutionary perspective adaptive immunity as such appears to be restricted to jawed vertebrate
The Class Aves (birds) is generally divided into two main groups - the Palaeognathae and the Neognathae. Paleognathous birds are the flightless ratites and the tinamous, while Neognathae include all other extant birds (more than 9,000 species). This opinion has prevailed for more than a century and is primarily based on morphological studies of the avian bony palate. In this study, the relationsh
The two last novels by Richard Hughes (1900-1976), the first in his planned The Human Predicament series, are partly set in Germany in the years between the First and the Second World War. Much of the action in The Fox in the Attic (1961) takes part in and around Munich, culminating in a fictional reconstruction of the so-called Hitler Putsch on November 8-9, 1923, the future dictator's aborted ea
Proteins carry out the instructions encoded in genes and are crucial for many important tasks in the living organism. Often the specific three dimensional structure, or fold, of a protein enables it to carry out a given task. It is an open question whether protein folds have arisen independently or whether mutations to existing protein sequences have caused switches to new folds. In the main part
Abstract The efficiency of different leachate treatment methods for the removal of refractory organic compounds and ammonium-nitrogen was investigated. The methods evaluated were nitrification, denitrification, adsorption onto activated carbon, precipitation by ferric chloride or aluminum sulphate and oxidation by ozone or Fenton´s reagent. Furthermore, analyses were performed on leachates from mu
Two non-thermal regimens of light interaction with biological tissue, that are in a natural way connected, are discussed in the present thesis. These are photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of malignant tumours and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) for tissue characterization. In PDT, a photochemical reaction is induced by non-ionizing electromagnetic irradiation in tissue where photosens
