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,

The reuse and closed-loop recycling of food packaging was studied in order to assess consumer safety and the sensory quality (e.g. taste and smell) of packaged food. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage bottles that were refillable or that contained recycled material, either in direct contact or with a functional barrier protecting the food, were investigated with focus on odorous compounds f

The central phenomenon investigated concerns the valence-based process asymmetry found in several earlier studies (e.g. Pratto & John, 1991; Taylor, 1991), where negative stimuli seem to initiate more thorough processing than positive stimuli. This finding was consistent in the three empirical studies forming this dissertation. In Study 1 (three experiments) emotionally valenced words were pre

In this thesis, the phylogenetic relationships of the Mammalia have been studied at various levels. Different sources of genetic information have been evaluated and used as phylogenetic markers. These include the well-known mitochondrial genome, cDNA from housekeeping genes and expressed sequence tags from nuclear genes. Applying RT-PCR on mRNA from nuclear genes is a new approach for collecting

The cyanoprokaryote (blue-green algae) genus Arthrospira occurs in saline, alkaline tropical waters of Africa, Asia, and Central America. Traditionally Arthrospira has been used as a food supplement by the Kanembu tribe of Lake Chad and Aztecs living in the valley of Mexico City. It is presently cultivated in large scale throughout the world and sold as a health food supplement due to its nutritio

Vascular smooth muscle can adapt to increased intraluminal pressure by remodelling and hypertrophy, as seen in hypertension. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this are still incompletely characterized. We have developed an organ culture system where strips of rat or mouse portal veins are cultured for 1 to 3 days loaded (stretched) by an attached weight and then studied for morphology, func

The biological response to different implanted biomaterials vary. The relative importance of factors in the material and host for this variation are at present incompletely known. The variation in the cellular response to specific proteins and the rapid adsorption of proteins to surfaces exposed to biological environments has created the hypothesis that the cellular interactions with biomaterials

The aim of this work was to study prospectively the effects of different feeding regimens during the first three days of life. A group of 129 infants were randomly assigned at birth to one of three feeding regimens: human milk (HM), cow's milk formula (CMF), or a casein hydrolysate formula (CHF). The formula-fed infants received no human milk until the fourth day of life, after which all infants w

The interaction between murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DC) and the Gram negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli have been characterised. These studies showed that DC phagocytosed and processed S. typhimurium and E. coli expressing defined epitopes for peptide presentation on major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) and class II (MHC-II) molecules. Process

Nematophagous fungi possess various mechanisms for infecting nematodes, and are either obligate parasites or facultative saprophytes. Nematophagous fungi have a potential as biological control agents against plant- and animal-parasitic nematodes. Generally there has been little success in using these fungi in such a way, and one reason might be that too little is known about the ecology of the nem

Vitreoscilla is an obligate aerobic bacterium living in oxygen-poor environments such as stagnant ponds and decaying vegetable matter. Vitreoscilla expresses a homodimeric haemoglobin (VHb) when subjected to oxygen-limited conditions. In several organisms, expression of VHb has been shown to increase microaerobic cell growth and enhance oxygen-dependent cell metabolism. Moreover, the presence of V

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

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

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

The lowering of energy use from artificial lighting in buildings is vital to reaching the goal of reducing CO2 emissions. Hence, changes in individuals’ behaviours regarding lighting use have received increased attention. Feedback on energy use has often been used to change individuals’ behaviour. However, it is not clear to what extent this approach can be applied for non-residential buildings, w

Commonly cooked meat dishes contain heterocyclic amines (HAs) at ng/g levels. HAs are animal carcinogens, form DNA adducts in human tissues, and have been associated with increased risk of cancer in epidemiological studies, and it is thus recommended that human intake be decreased. The aim of this investigation was to find ways of modifying cooking practices to reduce the formation of HAs. Various

This thesis presents the utilization of two different decomposition techniques, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD), for enhanced understanding of flow structures and their stability. The advantages of these techniques are shown for a range of flow situations, most of which are turbulent. It is shown that by these methods additional insight into complex flow