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Females often base their choice of mates on the expression, size or intensity, of male sexual ornaments. Indicator models of sexual selection assume that females assess male genetic quality through the expression of these secondary sexual characters. Several mechanisms that link the expression of sexual ornaments to genetic quality have been suggested. Many models assume that this link is individu
Apoptosis is a defined process for cells to commit suicide through a set of biochemical and morphological cell changes. Activated apoptotic signals converge on the mitochondria, leading to permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes and release of different apoptosis regulatory proteins into the cytosol. With my studies I wanted to investigate the importance of polyamines in the regulation of apop
Nematode-trapping fungi are soil-living organisms with the unique ability to capture and infect free-living nematodes. The interest in studying these fungi arises from their potential use as biological control agents for plant- and animal-parasitic nematodes. To enter the parasitic stage, nematode-trapping fungi develop different kinds of trapping structures. In order to understand more about the
Using energy at low-quality levels opens up new possibilities for low-energy houses. Low-quality energy can be heat at a temperature that is close to that of its surrounding, and can be used, for example, to pre-heat ventilation air or domestic hot water. Pre-heating the incoming outdoor air reduces the need to heat ventilation and reduces the need for high-quality energy such as electricity or he
In this thesis, I have investigated factors (cues, benefits, and costs) affecting the evolution of an inducible morphological defence in crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Inducible defences are favoured over permanent defences when prey have reliable cues to detect predators, when defences are effective but costly, and when predation pressure is variable and unpredictable, but sometimes s
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
This thesis examines associations between a number of epidemiological or biological markers of cancer risk and oxidative stress, in order to achieve a better understanding of how diet, lifestyle, and genetic factors contribute to the occurrence of oxidative stress. Data from the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) cohort was used. The MDC study is a population-based cohort study which uses a detailed modi
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 main purpose was to investigate children's participation in the decision-making processes in health care. Twenty-four children (0-18 år)admitted to hospital, their parents, and the staff present were observed during totally 135 hours in order to (i) identify the children's needs, (ii) their participation in the decision-making processes, and (iii) their parents' participation. Twenty-six child
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
The method of microdialysis has been adapted for ocular use. It is a technique for monitoring concentrations of different molecules in a tissue in vivo. It is based on the principle of diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. The membrane is mounted on a soft plastic shaft, connected to an inlet and an outlet tube. The whole device, called microdialysis probe, was implanted into the vitreous bo
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
Insulin is a protein needed for the uptake of glucose from the circulating blood. In absence of sufficiently high insulin levels in the body or when the cells have a reduced sensitivity for insulin a disease state referred to as diabetes occurs. Treatment of diabetes generally requires daily injections of exogenous insulin. Many of the pharmaceutical formulations consist of insulin in a crystallin
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
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
