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Infrared (IR) dryers are widely used in the paper industry, mainly in the production of coated paper grades. The thesis deals with various aspects of heat transfer and energy use in infrared heaters and dryers as employed in the paper industry. Both gas-fired and electric IR dryers are considered and compared. The thesis also provides an introduction to infrared heaters and infrared drying, includ
Spectroscopic analysis of scattering media is difficult because the effective path length of the light is non-trivial to predict when photons are scattered many times. The main area of research for such conditions is biological tissues, which scatter light because of variations of the refractive index on the cellular level. In order to analyze tissues to diagnose diseases, or predict doses during,
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a heterogeneous disorder that is defined as carbohydrate intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. Impaired beta-cell function and insulin resistance are the hallmarks of GDM. The overall aim of this thesis was to study the genetic and immunological risk factors that increase susceptibility to GDM. First, we investigated whether autoimmuni
This thesis presents results from studies on geomorphology, lithostratigraphy and ice flow patterns during the final termination and deglaciation of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet in NE Germany. Ice flow patterns derived from till fabrics and glaciotectonical data indicate that short-lived marginal domes had formed during the advance and the retreat of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet in NE German
Moraxella catarrhalis is frequently colonizing the human respiratory tract, particularly in children. This gram-negative bacterium has during the last two decades been recognized as a pathogen causing otitis media in children and lower respiratory tract infections in adults with predisposing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The virulence determinants of M. catarrhal
In the cultured immature rat full-thickness neuroretina, massive apoptosis appears in the GCL within hours after explantation, but in the ONL cell death is low. Microglia cells become activated when the retina is kept in culture and are found in the GCL within 24 hours of culture. Embryonic porcine retina kept in culture can survive and develop according to its intrinsic timetable for at least si
HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells), a molecular complex derived from human milk, is an interesting new tool in cancer research since it induces programmed cell death in tumor cells while leaving normal, differentiated cells unharmed. The in vivo effects of HAMLET were studied in a rat xenograft model of human glioblastoma. HAMLET reduced the tumor volume and delayed the o
Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy can be utilised for gas detection in biological and medical applications. The common approach is to analyse transmitted light according to the Beer-Lambertian law. Normally, the light has a well-defined path length through the gas sample since it can be assumed that it has negligible scattering properties. Samples which, by contrast, have strong scatteri
The aim of the current thesis was to investigate glial responses to electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), an animal model of the fast-acting antidepressant treatment electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Depression, a common and devastating disorder, has in recent years been associated with volumetric changes in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala, brain regions known to be implicated in emotional
Coronautbrottet är ett hot mot Sveriges nationella säkerhet. Det riskerar leda till en ökning av främmande makters aktiviteter, terrorattacker, organiserad brottslighet samt social oro, skriver Ardavan Khoshnood, specialistläkare, kriminolog och statsvetare.
Among policy-makers in Europe the modal shift - a shift från polluting modes of freight transport to less polluting modes - has been a popular suggestion for reducing CO2-emissions of transportation. In particular, intermodal road-rail solutions, where a combination of road and rail transport is utilized to move trailers and containers, have been stressed as an important measure to reach de desire
The gastrointestinal tract of the foetus is considered sterile but during vaginal birth the neonate comes into contact with bacteria from the maternal vaginal and intestinal microbiota. The main focus of this doctoral thesis was to elucidate the initial bacterial ecosystem in newborns and to relate microbial perturbations to physiological traits. The bacterial flora was mainly studied with molecul
Proteins are complex structures and years of research have been spent on attempts to understand their complexity. The non-covalent interactions involved in protein folding are: hydrophobic effect, electrostatic interactions, van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding. It has been of great interest to address the importance of each of those interactions in proteins. While hydrophobic effect is
The impact of olfactory and auditory cues on the mating behaviour in two species of moths, Agrotis segetum (Noctuidae) and Plodia interpunctella (Pyralidae), was investigated to evaluate their potential use in integrated pest management. The flight behaviour of male A. segetum under natural and pheromone-based mating disruption conditions was monitored by harmonic radar. Individual males were equi
The utilisation of energy in the form of biogas is one of the environmentally sound alternatives available using renewable energy sources. Biogas is formed by anaerobic degradation of organic material, the main consistuent being energy-rich methane. There is a large unused potential of organic waste that is suitable for biogas production and the anaerobic digestion process has the potential of bec
