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The investigations presented in this thesis have evaluated different strategies to prevent thrombosis in an experimental model of deep arterial injury in rats. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is often used to prevent thrombosis in microvascular surgery and in other vascular interventions, but a major drawback of UFH is increased bleeding. In the first paper the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) da
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is still the leading cause of mortality in the surgical intensive care unit. The effect on among others endothelial barrier permeability, reticuloendothelial function, organ function and protease-antiprotease activities was studied following a variety of challenges, especially over-activation of macrophages induced by intraperitoneal administration of zym
According to the theory of sexual selection, traits can evolve because they confer a mating advantage in competition with members from the same sex. In animals, sexual selection is considered as an important evolutionary force. In this thesis I have investigated the potential for sexual selection in plants. I have concentrated on the phase of reproduction that occurs after pollinators have deposit
In this thesis, semiconductor nanowires are studied from the point of view of growth and electrical properties. The growth of nanowires is done by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE), an ultra-high vacuum technique allowing a precise control of precursor deposition and low growth rates. In conventional epitaxy, growth is usually two or three- dimensional, depending on growth conditions and material combin
This study investigated the pathogenesis of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). (1) The relative roles of lipopolysaccharide and Shiga-like toxin-2 were studied in a mouse model of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection. Both factors were found to be important for the virulence of the strain and contributed in an additive manner. The mouse model mimicked cert
To examine cardiovascular risk factors, glycaemic control and survival in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated in primary care, patients with T2DM and a randomised age-stratified sample of men and women aged ≥40 years living in the same community were surveyed 1992-1994. ß–Cell function and insulin resistance were estimated using the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA). Vital stat
Algorithms based on the variational approach, as used in statistical physics, are developed. For constraint satisfaction problems a novel cost function, based on information-theoretic arguments, is introduced, and an algorithm similar to the mean-field annealing algorithm is proposed. It outperforms the conventional mean-field algorithm, and its performance is comparable to good problem-dedicated
A distinguishing feature of Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) is their ability to resist phagocytosis in whole human blood in the absence of type-specific antibodies, a property that is dependent on the expression of the surface associated M proteins. A common characteristic of M proteins is their interaction with a variety of host proteins including the complement regulatory protein factor H (FH) and
This thesis describes patients in acute postoperative pain as well as patients with acute cancer-related pain in palliative care, and their experiences and perceptions of pain management in relation to HRQOL and the multidimensionality of pain. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was chosen. Data were collected using interviews and questionnaires; APS, SF:36 and a new developed q
The aim of the thesis was to examine the expression and function of the extracellular nucleotide P2 receptors in the cardiovascular system. In the cardiovascular system nucleotides are released during shear stress, hypoxia, ischemia, from endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, aggregating platelets, inflammatory cells and erythrocytes. We demonstrate that ATP, ADP, UTP and UDP induce vascular rel
Leukotrienes belong to a family of biologically active conjugated trienes that are formed from arachidonic acid via the 5-lipoxygenase pathway and are important mediators of inflammatory reactions. The CysLT1 receptor that specifically serves as receptor for leukotriene D4 (LTD4) has been identified as a G-protein coupled receptor. Cell-cell and cell-matrix complexes of epithelial cells are inter
Changes in vascular permeability can immensely change plasma volume and affect the degree of oedema in the body. In diseases with an increased vascular permeability, adequate fluid therapy is of considerable importance to prevent hypovolaemia. Mechanisms behind differences in effectiveness of various plasma volume expanders to restore a low plasma volume and a compromised microcirculation are stil
In this thesis I have investigated the effects of pesticide exposure on the ecosystem level using various types of experimental ecosystems, i.e. microcosms. The direct effect of exposure to cyperemthrin, a pyretroid insecticide, was a rapid decrease of crustancean zooplankton in enclosures in a lake. In the exposed enclosures the biomass of algae, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliates and bacter
Pharmaceutical tablets and pellets are often covered with a coating. There is a need for methods that enable monitoring of the growth of such films during processing. Such analyses can be performed using process analytical chemical methods based on near infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectrometry. It provides with analyses that take only ca. 8 seconds in total analysis time, including physical
Replacing fossil fuels by biofuels such as ethanol is considered a promising alternative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate climate change. Biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass, so-called second generation biofuels, result in decreased GHG emissions and limit competition with food and animal feed production. Interest in producing ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass ha
Population dynamics in space and time are manifested as changes in the distribution and abundance of organisms. To couple such patterns to the underlying processes is a central question in ecology and also key to successful management. In this thesis, I use theoretical models as well as time series data to analyze population dynamics in environments that are variable in space or time. An example o
Plants are exposed to many different stress factors during their lifetime, often more than one factor at a time, which highlights the importance of research regarding interaction among stress factors. Cadmium and ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-315 nm) are two potential stress factors in the environment, which have gained increased interest due to atmospheric pollution. In this work the intera
The current thesis is aimed to increase our understanding of the generation and differentiation of telencephalic neurons, with emphasis on the role of glial cells in these processes. Using in vitro methods we have studied the role of glial cells in neurogenesis, inheritance of genetic regional specification, and influence on differentiation of neurons. We demonstrate that expanded cell cultures ex
The reduction of sludge volumes for disposal is a topic of high interest for wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) all over the world. Steadily increasing volumes for disposal create an economic, environmental, legislative and technological challenge. Researchers and process developers try to minimise the sludge during its genesis or in the downstream treatment. Due to rising costs and scarcity of fo
The human pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus) expresses several different virulence factors. Of these, the M protein is regarded as one of the most important, because it confers resistance to phagocytosis, allowing the bacterium to multiply in blood. A remarkable property of M proteins is their ability to bind different human plasma proteins, in partic
