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The available bandwidth in wireless communication systems, such as the 802.11 family, is very limited. Together with the ever increasing data traffic, this causes problems. New possibilities are, however, available thanks to wide license-free bandwidth allocated at higher frequencies. Increased available bandwidth enables higher data rates in future radio systems that will be capable of Giga-bit/s
To understand the growth of continental crust, the balance between juvenile mantle derived extraction, infracrustal reworking and crustal recycling, needs to be estimated. Since the beginning of the century, the use of coupled in situ zircon U–Pb, Lu–Hf and O isotope analyses as a tool to address these questions have increased exponentially. Numerous compilations of ever growing datasets have been
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease, caused by mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene. The gene codes for a protein that serve as chloride channel. In cystic fibrosis, this protein is lacking or has a defect function resulting in a thick and sticky mucus of the airways. The altered airway environment promotes mucus and growth of pathogenic bacteria. A common
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory and systemic disease characterised by joint destruction and pannus formation. To enlarge the understanding how pannus and granulation tissue are formed two animal models were used; one using cartilage wrapped in cotton and implanted into a rat air pouch (AP) and one where mBSA induced arthritis (AIA) was performed. Cell cultures from synovial specime
The aim of this thesis is development and application of different miniaturized strategies for detection of biomarkers. The biomarker PSA (prostate specific antigen), which is prostate cancer specific, has been the main focus of the thesis. The papers present two miniaturized strategies for biomarker detection, developed at the department, an antibody microarray and the ISET platform. The antibo
The telomeres, the physical ends of the chromosomes, consist in various species of short simple tandem repeats which are extended by telomerase. The Drosophila melanogaster telomeres, which instead are elongated by retroposons, are an exception. In Chironomus pallidivittatus and Chironomus tentans the telomeres contain 340/350-bp tandem repeats in blocks up to 200 kb in size. The structure of the
A gene encoding a multidomain xylanase from the thermophilic bacterium Rhodothermus marinus has been cloned, sequenced and produced in Escherichia coli . The gene product was found to be a 109 kDa protein consisting of five domains. The catalytic domain and the two polysaccharide binding domains (PBD, previously called carbohydrate binding domains) have been cloned and produced separately for func
Photosynthesis is the process by which light energy is converted into chemical products, in photoautotrophic bacteria, algae and plants. The principal idea is the production of reducing agents by photo-induced oxidation of a sacrificial electron donor. Photosystem II in plants, algae and cyanobacteria, absorbs light and catalyzes the oxidation of water, liberating electrons that are used to form r
A new and simple method for the repair of nerve defects, in which sutures alone are used to guide regeneration between the nerve endings, was developed. Bilateral seven to 17 mm rat sciatic nerve defects were bridged by continuous longitudinal sutures with or without different modifications, by conventional autologous nerve grafts or direct repair under tension as controls. Evaluation was performe
14C-labelled substances have been used in biomedical research and clinical medicine for over 50 years. Physicians and scientists however, often hesitate to use these substances in patients and volunteers because the radiation dosimetry is unclear. In this work detailed long-term biokinetic and dosimetric estimation have been carried out for four clinically used 14C-breath tests: 14C-triolein (exam
This study focuses on various aspects of costs of reproduction and the evolution of energetic breeding tactics. It emphasizes the distinction between demographic costs of reproduction expressed already before current offspring have reached independence (prebreeding costs), and costs expressed only after offspring independence (postbreeding costs). Prebreeding costs have only rarely been appreciate
The human neutrophil is the most abundant granulocyte and the major type of cell involved in an acute inflammatory response. Neutrophils are armed with various systems of enzymes, that can find and kill pathogens, but unfortunately, these "weapons" cannot distinguish between the host tissues and the "invaders." Therefore, an extensive neutrophil reaction leads to continuous release of toxic metabo
Phosphoinositides (PIs) play major roles in cell signal transduction. Although it is clear that PIs are important components also in plant signalling, little is known about their roles in plant cells, compared to animal cells. This thesis describes work on two PI-dependent enzymes involved in plant intracellular signalling, phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and 3-phosphoinositide
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterised by diffuse, long-lasting, widespread pain and aching, accompanied by fatigue, stiffness and sleep disturbances. The symptoms may be aggravated by physiological and psychological overload. The aim of this thesis was to obtain further knowledge of the functional limitations and disabilities of patients with FMS and to evaluate the effects of physical exer
The design and implementation of a hearing conservation programme in a heavy industry with high noise levels is described. Action was taken on several points, including noise measurements, noise reduction, education on hearing protector use, and audiometric monitoring. It was found that the noise at the plant has been greatly reduced during a period of 25 years. The reduction in noise was made pos
Cardiovascular diseases are characterized by changes in morphology and function of the blood vessels. Different signalling molecules are involved in these changes. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is one of the most potent signalling molecules found in man. Its actions are mediated by two receptors, the ETA and the ETB receptors. The ETA receptor is located on the smooth muscle cells and mediates potent contra
Non-heme mononuclear iron oxygenases catalyze a large number of oxidation reactions in biological systems. The reactions are often proposed to proceed via the intermediacy of high valent Fe(IV) oxo (ferryl) or, Fe(V) oxo (perferryl) intermediates. Therefore, in order to mimic the high valent Fe(IV) oxo chemistry as well as the catalytic processes exhibited by those enzymes, new functional model co
The diagnostic value of modern fast pulse sequences and breath-hold technique was evaluated in a prospective study of patients with suspected biliary diseases. The cost-effectiveness of MRI compared to ultrasound was calculated. Characteristics of acute cholecystitis and cholangitis were evaluated, the appearance of bile in MRCP with reference to its chemical and physical properties was studied, a
Aggregation in protein-surfactant systems have been studied with the ambition of reaching a deeper understanding of the balance of the interaction forces involved. A pure system with maximized electrostatic interactions has been used. The approach has been to use a step-wise sample preparation where initially a stoichiometric protein-surfactant salt is precipitated and freeze-dried. Secondly, the
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are responsible for the daily and life long production of large numbers of mature blood cells through highly regulated self-renewal and multilineage capabilities. Leukemias on the other hand, are characterized by a clonal, dysregulated, lineage skewed proliferation and impaired differentiation as the result of multiple accumulated genetic events. In acute myeloid le
