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Helicobacter pylori and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. can cause chronic infections by evading the immune system. These two human pathogens express a number of immunogenic cell surface proteins. The aims of this study were to gain further knowledge about these antigens and to analyse the serum antibody response in infected individuals. Both invasive and non-invasive diagnostic methods are available for

Fishes (Superclass Pisces) constitute the most numerous and morphologically diverse vertebrate group, yet only a small fraction of all molecular evolutionary studies concern piscine evolution. This thesis aims to investigate the vertebrate tree, through the analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences. To this end the coding regions of the mt genome of a jawless fish, the hagfish (Myxine glutinosa

The lichen genus Candelariella comprises crustose to small squamulose members of the family Candelariaceae. The genus currently includes c. 50 species world-wide but few studies have treated the taxonomy within this group. In the present thesis the taxonomy of the genus in western North America is treated. Nine new species are proposed and in total twenty-one species are recognized from the region

Highly glycosylated glycoproteins – mucins – are the major constituents of the mucus layer and glycocalyx that cover mucosal surfaces. Twelve human mucin genes have been identified, and the mucins may be divided into those that are membraneassociated and those that are secreted. Among the latter, the oligomeric mucins are responsible for mucus formation. The various tissues have characteristic muc

The potato is one of our most important food crops, being sold in its natural state or processed into a wide range of products. Starch, by far the most abundant component in the tuber, is greatly affected by heat processing. Therefore it is logical to study starch thermal properties within the tuber tissue, although most previous studies have focused on starch-water model systems. One of the main

The release of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) from endometrial stromal cells decreased after progesterone stimulation, due to upregulation of PA inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and uPA receptor (uPAR). Subsequently, the uPA:PAI-1 complex was internalized and degraded via uPAR. Predecidual cells in the late secretory phase expressed PAI-1 and uPAR, supporting a specific role for predecidual cells in the

Dermatan sulphate is a prominent feature of several different proteoglycans and occurs in almost every tissue of the body. It is an unbranched polymer containing the repeating disaccharide unit of N-acetylgalactosamine and D-glucuronic acid or L-iduronic acid. The polymer can be highly sulphated resulting in an unusual and largely unknown diversity in the chain. The unique step in dermatan sulphat

Exposure to vibration is known to cause vasospastic white fingers and/or sensorineural symtoms such as numbness and tingling in fingers and/or musculoskeletal disorders such as reduction in muscle force, fatigue and reduced endurance. Classifications for the vasospastic and sensorineural symptoms are established. The general purpose of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that vibration exposur

Eta Carinae is a super-massive, super-luminous star. It is surrounded by a bipolar nebula, the "Homunculus", and several blobs of ejected gas which are the source of a complex emission-line spectrum. This thesis presents results from spectroscopic investigations of the star and its surroundings, performed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Goddard High Resolution Spectrog

Eta Carinae is one of the most massive and luminous stars in the Galaxy. A huge bipolar nebula and an equatorial disk give the object a characteristic shape. Close to the star there are gas clouds, which emit intriguing emission line spectra. One such region, the strontium filament, is studied in more detail in this thesis, and the identities of 600 emission lines are reported. Some of these requi

This thesis presents experimental studies of microchannel acoustophoresis, a technique for manipulation of microscopic objects in suspension by means of acoustic radiation forces induced by ultrasonic standing wave fields. By arranging an acoustic resonance across the width of a microchannel, the path of individual cells or microparticles can be deflected orthogonally to the fluid flow. The prop

This thesis deals with methods for extracting robust and relevant information from high-dimensional data sets, and statistically guided visualization methods for representing the data in an informative and easily accessible way. High-dimensional data sets are becoming increasingly prevalent in many different scientific disciplines. In this thesis, we focus particularly on so called "omics" data. T

Epithelial damage may contribute to the pathology in airway diseases such as asthma and rhinitis. However, the distribution of epithelial shedding in inflammatory airway diseases and, particularly, the ensuing repair processes are largely unknown. In the present studies we have developed novel in vivo techniques to explore epithelial repair mechanisms and associated tissue responses occuring in gu

Type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome are highly prevalent disorders with severe complications such as cardiovascular disease. The aetiology of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome is not known, but the interaction between genetic factors and environmental triggers is important. The aim this thesis was to identify genetic factors that may increase susceptibility to these disorders by in

Laser sheet imaging, also known as planar laser imaging, is one of the most versatile optical imaging techniques known and is frequently applied in several different domains. It furthermore constitutes the basis for a variety of other 2D methods, in turn allowing visualization of e.g. velocity, particle size, species concentration and temperature. However, when applied on turbid, light scattering

Many sources of airborne contaminants have always been present in various work environments. With the development of thermosetting plastic systems, the use of reactive chemical compounds was greatly increased and thus also the risk of exposure to reactive and potentially hazardous compounds. Exposure can occur in many situations, not only at the workplace where the raw materials are handled. The f

The main impetus for this research was the desire to verify models for determining transient moisture profiles in the capillary range. For the evaluations, transient moisture profiles were both simulated and measured, after which the results of the two methods were compared. The study was performed for on specimens exposed to continuous water absorption, using specimens of both single and combined

Nerve injuries have a profound impact on individuals, suffering for the patients and induce cost for society. When dealing with severe nerve injuries that create a gap between nerve segments or when the injury is at the brachial plexus level, the clinical alternatives are limited. The brachial plexus model and its branches in the forelimb was evaluated as an experimental model for studies of nerve

Cardiovascular diseases constitute the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western World. To increase our knowledge of cardiovascular diseases, it is important to find methods, preferably non-invasive ones, to study very early manifestations of vascular disease. Changes in the mechanical properties of the arteries can be an early manifestation of vascular disease. Further, changes in the

Background and Methods: Signal-averaging ECG (SAECG), a bioelectrical processing method, is a further development of the conventional ECG. SAECG can detect voltage potentials in the microvolt range and provide a noise-reduced determination of QRS duration. Extended frequency spectra can be analysed. In adult patients after myocardial infarction it is used to predict the risk for arrhythmias and su