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In allergic asthma the immune response to antigen is inappropriate, leading to an inflammatory process in the respiratory mucosa. To further elucidate immunological mechanisms involved in the development of such inflammation, control mice and mice deficient in selected cell types or proteins, were used in experimental models of allergic asthma and anaphylaxis. The present study demonstrates that

The human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y can be induced to differentiate into a neuronal sympathetic phenotype after treatment with 16 nM 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) in serum, or by a combination of the growth factors basic fibroblast growth factor and insulin-like growth factor-I (bFGF/IGF-I). SH-SY5Y cells stably transfected with TrkA, the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor, dif

Polyelectrolytes are polymers bearing ionisable groups, which, in polar solvents, can dissociate into charged polymer chains (polyelectrolytes) and small counterions. In aqueous solutions, polyelectrolytes interact strongly with other macroions and in particular they tend to associate with objects of opposite charge and form complexes. Nearly all industrial and biological process involves solution

This thesis investigated the effects of eyewitnesses retellings and discussions with non-witnesses on the eyewitness memory and meta-memory judgments. In Study I, the effect of eyewitness discussions with non-witnesses (persons who had not experienced the event) on eyewitness memory and meta-memory realism for the overall information about an event was investigated. The results suggest that discussi

Popular Abstract in Chinese 在世界許多地方蛾類幼蟲是主要的農業害蟲，但也有蛾類養殖業為獲取其絲綢蠶繭，例如家蠶。其實它也是第一個也是最好的研究揮發性有機分子用於傳遞信息的昆蟲研究模型。一般來說是雌蛾釋放信息素通過很長的距離來吸引雄性同類，而且具有出色的靈敏度和特異性。至今有記載的蛾類信息素都屬於同一類化合物(脂肪酸衍生物), 在信息素腺體內合成。信息素的生物合成涉及到脂肪酸的脫飽合，碳鏈縮短，並最終還原，乙酰化或氧化成醛等。這些反應過程中的酶已經進化到具有專一性，專門用於生產複雜的化學信號，使得蛾類的信息素存在豐富的化學多樣性。在本論文中，首先對幾個脫飽和酶進行研究。第一篇文章對冬尺蠖的脫飽合酶進行克隆並在酵母中通過異源表達證明了它具有把順十一,順十四,順十七-二十碳三烯酸轉化成順十一,順十四,順十七,十九-二十碳四烯酸的能力。這是有史以來第一個對甲基端脫飽合酶Moth caterpillars are major agricultural pests in many parts of the world. In general female moths attract male mates with their pheromone over long distance. Most of the described moth pheromones belong to the same class of chemical compounds, fatty acid derivatives that are produced de novo in the pheromone gland. The pheromone biosynthesis involves desaturation, chain-shortening by β-oxidation

Biological markers offer a way of assessing ethanol intake and determining whether a health problem is alcohol related. This study investigated the use of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in blood as a new marker of alcohol abuse. PEth is an abnormal phospholipid, formed only in the presence of ethanol via the transphosphatidylation reaction of phospholipase D (PLD). A new HPLC-evaporative light scatter

Malaria-like parasites consist of a large group of species that infects primates, rodents, bats, lizard and birds. I have focused on parasites from the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon that are infecting birds. By using molecular methods to identify parasites from avian blood samples, I have found a diversity, based on the cytochrome b gene, that greatly exceeds the diversity prev

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class IIB genes exhibit extensive allelic polymorphism, most likely maintained by pathogen-mediated balancing selection (PMBS). PMBS may operate in the form of heterozygote advantage (HA), and/or through the interaction of pathogens and specific MHC alleles via fluctuating selection (FS) or negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS). In particular, NFD

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the phenomenon of critical thinking in scholarship as regards its meanings, conditions, and development using a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach. This exploration takes its departure in ancient Greece, following a historical movement of the phenomenon up to present day perspectives on critical thinking, revealing a range of different meanings and condi

I show that crayfish consume detritus, algae, macrophytes, and an array of invertebrates. Crayfish were found to reduce invertebrate densities. However, prey mobility seemed to be a key factor regulating the strength of interactions between crayfish and prey. Since crayfish seek to maximize growth, they benefit from feeding on invertebrates, shown to promote high growth rates. I found crayfish to

This thesis explores a novel transistor technology based on vertical InAs nanowires, which could be considered both for low-power high-frequency analog applications and for replacing Si CMOS in the continued scaling of digital electronics. The potential of this device - the vertical InAs nanowire MOSFET – lies in the combination of the outstanding transport properties of InAs and the improved elec

The patient with unilateral trans-tribal amputation for vascular disease. Functional assessments, prognostic factors and cost of prostheses. The aims of the study were to focus on the functional ability of the dysvascular patient with unilateral trans-tibial amputation and the early rehabilitation period, defined here as the period between the amputation and the prosthetic fitting. Results revea

Neuroblastoma is a tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, and arises during early childhood. The tumor is highly heterogeneous and evidence, such as expression of genes normally only expressed during embryonic and fetal stages, suggests that the tumor is of embryonic origin and that the tumor arises as a consequence of perturbed differentiation during the development of the sympathetic nervous s

Proprioceptive ability was estimated in different groups of patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury as well as in different groups of healthy uninjured individuals. In study I, patients with poor outcome of the ACL injury – i.e. persistent symptoms of instability – were compared with patients with few symptoms after ACL injury, as well as with a control group. The results showed that

The primary role of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), an 84 kDa enzyme of 768 amino acids (in the rat protein), is to hydrolyse stored triacylglycerols in adipocytes of white adipose tissue. Catecholamines and insulin regulate lipolysis through cellular signalling. A major target of this regulation is HSL, activated through phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAMP-PK). Insulin activate

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent vasoconstrictor that is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension, heart failure and atherosclerosis. In this thesis, the efficacy and safety of Ang II receptor blockers (ARB) were evaluated. The vasomotor effects of Ang II in endothelium-denuded human coronary arteries were characterized by in vitro pharmacology and the Ang II receptor mRNA levels were qua

Basement membranes are sheet like structures underlying epithelial, endothelial, adipocytes, muscle and peripheral nerve cells. Laminins are an important family of basement membrane proteins implicated in various biological functions through their interactions with cell surface receptors. Laminins are trimers composed of a, b and g chains. Integrins, dystroglycan and other transmembrane glycoprote

Toothed whales (Odontocetes) use echolocation to navigate and find food in dark or murky waters. A wide range of innovative studies has since the 1960:s been used to characterize their echolocation beam and map out their echolocation skills. In order to render high quality recordings of the sounds emitted by these animals, advanced measurement systems are required. There are still interesting env