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The respiratory chain of plants contains class 2 NAD(P)H dehydrogenases, not present in animals. The functional roles of these enzymes have been elusive for a long time. Two cDNAs, homologous to class 2 NADH dehydrogenase genes of yeast and E. coli, were isolated from potato leaves. The gene products, NDA1 and NDB1, were shown to reside on the internal and external sides of the inner mitochondrial

Replacing fossil fuels with biofuels is one way of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, thus decreasing our impact on the global climate. For this to be a viable option, several production routes are needed, as no single option can fully replace fossil fuels. One way of making biofuels more competitive with fossil fuels is by reducing the production cost. As most of the p

Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and laser Doppler imaging (LDI) are modern methods for non-invasive and continuous assessment of skin blood flow. The techniques are based on the phenomenon that monochromatic light transilluminating a perfused tissue is spectrally broadened owing to scattering by moving blood cells. In this study, methodological aspects of the two methods are presented. LDF was used

In the present thesis normal kidney tissue and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were studied by cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods to investigate chromosomal aberrations. In the first study, 4 samples of nonneoplastic kidney tissue were cultured for cytogenetic analysis and trisomy 7 was found in all cases in 3-15% of the cells. In the second study, cytogenetic analysis o

The present thesis describes a number of aspects of modern electro-optical measurement technology also known as bio-photonics; this includes instrumentation, applications, sample interaction and data interpretation. The methods employed operate over several domains, and light measurements are discretized both in intensity, space, angle, time, polarization and energy. Mainly the spectral domain is

Submerged macrophytes are thought to stabilize clear-water states of shallow lakes. The aim of this thesis was to elucidate how waterfowl herbivory can affect abundance, distribution and species composition of submerged macrophytes in eutrophic lakes. I found that in a lake with sparse vegetation, which was in a colonization phase, small plants were uprooted and large plants were heavily grazed up

Stroke caused by focal cerebral ischemia is a major cause of death and neurological disability in humans. The forebrain region most commonly affected by ischemic incidents is that supplied by the middle cerebral artery. In this thesis, neuronal cell death has been investigated using immunohistochemistry for identification of specific neurons and unbiased counting methods after transient occlusion

The present thesis deals with perspectives of anxiety experienced in stressful environments. As such two major issues are addressed. The first issue is whether increased trait anxiety during work in a high-stress environment is related to impaired performance on executive control tasks. The second issue is whether the characteristic of a stressor and pre-stress individual differences in executive

Between ca 1.53 and 1.40 Ga, the southwestern margin of the East European Craton was subjected to extensive magmatism and deformation. While various suites of anorthositic, mangeritic and charnockitic-granitic rocks were emplaced between ca. 1.53 and 1.50 Ga, a major event of A-type granitic magmatism took place around 1.45 Ga. During that event, numerous voluminous plutons were intruded in a wide

Streptococcus pyogenes is a common human pathogen, which causes a variety of diseases. A major virulence factor of S. pyogenes is the surface-associated M protein, which mediates resistance to phagocytosis. Several studies indicate that M proteins inhibit complement deposition and thereby phagocytosis. It is often assumed that S. pyogenes lacking M protein activates complement via the alternative

The present thesis aimed to examine how ischemic stroke affects the vascular endothelin and angiotensin systems in cerebral arteries. To study vascular receptor changes in ischemic stroke transient focal ischemia was induced in rats. In addition, rat cerebral arteries and arterial smooth muscle cells were cultured for further analysis of cerebrovascular receptor regulation. For functional studies

Interstitial laser thermotherapy (ILT) is a method well suited for selective local destruction of malignant tumours. In the present work, a laser thermotherapy system based on feedback temperature control of energy delivery (through computerised feedback system) was developed. Temperature control was excellent in experiments without carbonization and with preserved light penetration, whereas tempe

Abstract Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) has strong and direct lipid-lowering effects in man. All apoB-containing lipoproteins, i.e. VLDL, LDL, Lp(a), are reduced by 25-30%. In contrast, levels of HDL increase about 10%. In hepatic cell cultures, ACTH inhibits expression and secretion of apoB. In this thesis we corroborate that the reduced apoB synthesis, seen in hepatic cell systems, is als

This thesis presents results of studies on the ice flow pattern and ice movement mechanism during the Weichselian glaciations in the middle Notec River area, NW Poland. A new lithostratigraphy of the study area has been established, based on correlation of stratigraphical position, clast lithology, fabrics and grain size composition of till units. The lithostratigraphy covers two glacial advances

The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 are required, together with CD4, for the entry of HIV-1 into target cells. CCR5 using HIV-1 dominates during transmission and the asymptomatic phase of infection. During progression, virus phenotypes with the ability to use CXCR4 emerge in about 50% of infected individuals. Individuals continuously harbouring CCR5-restricted isolates still progress to AIDS. D

“Cutaneous melanoma is a most unpredictable lesion” wrote Alexander Breslow in 1970. He was one of the first to predict outcome in melanoma patients, based on the thickness of the primary tumor, and today this parameter bears his name and remains the main prognostic factor in melanoma. The aim of this thesis has been to contribute to the understanding of melanoma biology in order to make this canc

This thesis addressed the diagnosis, pathogenesis and clinical course of specific renal diseases hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and dense deposit disease (DDD). HUS may be associated with infection caused by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) or with complement dysfunction due to complement mutations or auto-antibodies (atypical HUS, aHUS). EHEC is a non-invasive highly virulent bacterium

Här behandlas Sveriges förbindelser med andra politisk-territoriella enheter, frånmedeltidens dynastiska unioner över de tidigmoderna konglomeratstaterna till1800-talets union av två nationalstater. Med hjälp av befintlig forskning fokuserasstatens växlande sammansättning och vikten av att skilja mellan riket och staten.Ett sådant perspektiv visar nya aspekter och ställer frågor som ett traditione

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is a growing concern. As the life expectancy increases across the globe, the number of affected people is estimated to reach 100 million by 2050. Efforts to develop effective treatments for humans have mostly been based on the assumption that a faulty homeostasis of beta amyloid (Aβ) is the triggering or the driving factor behind this co