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Moths use chemical signals emanating from food to find sites for oviposition and subsequent larval feeding. By identifying these odours, novel approaches to pest management can be developed, such as monitoring of females in pest populations. The pyralid moths studied in this thesis, the almond moth (Ephestia cautella), the Mediterranean flour moth (E. kuehniella) and the Indian meal moth (Plodia i
Sphingomyelin (SM) is a major component of mammalian cell membranes. Due to its widespread occurrence it is a dietary component, occurring mainly in milk, eggs, meat and fish. In the cell membrane SM was earlier considered to be only a structural element, which interacts with cholesterol and forms a system for bilayer stabilization. In the last decade there has been an increasing interest in sphin
Atherosclerosis is one of the major causes of death in the world. It is an inflammatory disease in the arteries which causes a gradual increase in arterial wall thickness and stiffness. Eventually a plaque could be formed, protruding into the artery and partially occluding the blood flow. Rupture of such a plaque could cause cardiac infarction or stroke. This dissertation revolves around finding b
The role of dietary fibre (DF) in disease prevention has been extensively investigated and prospective studies observed that increased DF intake decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), reduced the risk of weight gain as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Also a diet characterized by low glycaemic index (GI) has been shown to reduce the risk of T2D and CVD. More recently, eviden
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine system, which results in tremor, rigidity, akinesia and postural abnormalities. New therapeutic strategies are aimed at halting the neurodegenerative process or restoring the system by transplantation of fetal dopamine neurons. We have investigated the potential of the neurotrophic factors glial cell lin
The two most common autoimmune endocrine diseases in children are autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Autoantibodies (ab) can be found several years before clinical diagnosis in both diseases. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of thyroid ab in children with IDDM and in children with allergic diseases; to study islet ab and t
The reaction dynamics of several polyatomic systems have been investigated in solution by femtosecond spectroscopy. Tetranitromethane-naphtalene complexes excited in the charge-transfer band at 400 nm undergo dissociative electron transfer, resulting in three primary products: [naphthalene].+, NO2 and C(NO2)3-. It was shown that this triad is formed within 200 fs. The subsequent competing reaction
This thesis describes studies of the structure and tissue distribution of alpha-1-microglobulin (a1-m), a member of the lipocalin protein superfamily with immunosuppressive properies. It was shown that a1-m appears in human plasma in five major forms. These were identified as monomeric a1-m and covalent complexes between a1-m and IgA, prothrombin, albumin and a1-m. In addition to blood, both monom
Disregarding the small primordial traces of the lightest elements, all metals have been formed in stellar processes, which means that the relative amount of metals in the Universe increases for every stellar generation. This build-up of elements is called chemical evolution and might be used both to constrain stellar models as well as understanding the formation and evolution of stellar population
After transient global cerebral ischemia, selected populations of neurons in the brain will die after a period of 2-3 days, a phenomenon termed delayed neuronal death. This is of clinical importance as delayed neuronal death has been found to occur in humans as well. The mechanism that kills a neuron 2-3 days after the initial insult is unclear, but transcriptional steps have been implicated. The
The sensory neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are present in human cerebral, meningeal and temporal arteries, as are peptides associated with the sympathetic (neuropeptide Y, NPY) and parasympathetic (vasoactive intestinal peptide, VIP) nervous system. NPY is a vasoconstrictor in cerebral and meningeal arteries and potentiates noradrenaline (NA) as a vasocon
In this study we demonstrated the production of SLPI (Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor) in serous glands in the nasal mucosa. We have shown that the pattern of the expression of mRNA corresponds to the encoded protein. The encoded protein was detected by immunohistochemical methods and mRNA was discovered by in situ hybridisation. Nasal mucosa from 11 test subjects without atopic disposition
This dissertation deals with the geometric and electronic structure of surfaces on III–V semiconductor nanowires (NWs). NWs made of InAs, GaAs, and InP have been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S), low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All of the mentioned techniques have been devel
Persons are not just mechanical systems of instinctual animalistic proclivities, but also language-producing, existentially aware creatures, whose experiences and actions are drenched in subjective meaning. To understand a human being as a person is to understand him or her as a rational system that wants, fears, hopes, believes, and in other ways imbues the world with meaning, rather than just a
Hematopoiesis is a highly complex process by which a range of specialized blood cells are generated from a small pool of multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow. The survival, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells are tightly regulated by both soluble and membrane-bound cytokines produced within the bone marrow microenvironment. Kit Ligand (KL) and Flt3 Ligand (FL) are t
Mucosal inflammation and airway hyperreactivity are regulated by hundreds of different mediators. The recent discovery of gaseous mediators, produced and active within the airways, opens new possibilities for identification of therapeutic targets and ways to monitor airway inflammation. This thesis is focused on two such mediators, nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) along with their role i
Multiplex protein quantification, proteomics, is essential for uncovering new biomarkers and understanding biology. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is the predominant technique for these measurements. In this thesis, optimization and quality control strategies for different phases of the LC-MS pipeline have been developed. Due to the inherent complexity and dynamic rang
The thesis presents the results from a research project targeting architectural design and house-building in a setting of industrialized design process and product platforms. During the early stages of a traditional design process, architects manage a degree of problem complexity, besides technical aspects, also includes user function, material, environment, aesthetics etc. As a result of the des
