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The microbial decomposition of chlorinated organic compounds in kraft bleaching plant effluent (KBPE) was studied. An aerobic bacterium, Strain TCA1, able to grow on trichloroacetic acid as the sole source of energy and carbon was isolated and characterized. Cultivations of Strain TCA1 and another bacterium, Strain DCA1, on acetic acid and its chlorinated analogues mono-, di-, and trichloroacetic
The relationships of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia have been investigated by phylogenetic analysis using completely sequenced mitochondrial genomes. The organisation and structure of the marsupial mitochondrial genomes deviates from the general mammalian structure. Several features, not known from other mammalian mitochondrial genomes have been shown to be present in all seven living marsup
This thesis describes novel methods for the fabrication of nanometer-scale electronic devices, such as single-electron transistors and resonant tunneling diodes, from wire- and dot-shaped building blocks. The first part of the thesis describes the manipulation of metal nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes using an atomic force microscope. Single-electron transistors were realized by moving nanotubes
This study deals with the problem of how Ukraine has incorporated and made use of the Holocaust and the 1932?1933 famine (Holodomor) in its new national history and historical culture. The investigation departs from the increased interest in and attention devoted to the Holocaust in recent years. Various institutions and actors have brought the mass murder of Europe's Jews forward as an important
The main aim of the present investigation was to highlight middle childhood creativity, and the children’s perspective on creativity, in contrast to many, if not most, studies that investigate creativity from an adult perspective and a scholarly definition. This dissertation consists of two quasi-experimental studies, and one interview study. Study I investigated if, and how, state anxiety, broug
Individual-based determinations of the absorbed dose in radionuclide therapy largely rely on absolute measurement of the activity distribution and its redistribution over time. Scintillation-camera imaging is the most commonly employed measuring technique, applied in planar or SPECT mode, sometimes in combination with structural images from CT. In this thesis, methods for processing and analysis o
This thesis describes chondroadherin, one of the leucine-rich repeat proteins in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of cartilage. Chondroadherin defines a subgroup of its own by not having an N-terminal extension, having a different cysteine pattern and by being devoid of carbohydrate substitutions. Here we show that chondroadherin also have a different exon-intron organization and chromosomal localiz
The aims of the thesis were to investigate the prevalence of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in female milkers in relation to other occupational groups; to clarify the relationship between disorders and work environment, psychosocial and life style factors; to compare in a prospective study, pain, ache and discomfort reported by a questionnaire with clinical symptoms and sign; to exa
The modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of vegetables is used with the aim of prolonging the shelf-life of the packaged produce. The packaging material consists of a permeable film and as a result of the respiration of the produce and gas diffusion through the film, the O2 decreases and the CO2 increases inside the package. This thesis has focused on the MAP of broccoli and the effect of the packa
Melatonin is a neurohormone which mediates photoperiodic signals from the pineal organ to the brain. GABA (g-aminobutyric acid) is the major inhibitory transmitter in the central nervous system. It has previously been suggested that functional interaction exists between central binding sites for GABA/benzodiazepines (GABAA/bzd receptors) and melatonin in the central nervous system, and that GABA a
Abstract Hot springs in Iceland can serve as sources of thermophilic, xylanolytic bacteria secreting very thermostable xylanolytic enzymes. The aerobic, thermophilic bacteria Rhodothermus marinus secretes multiple xylanases and xylosidases. One of the xylanases was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and was characterized. The N-terminal sequence showed no homology with other xylanases. The p
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a modern welding process that joins materials by frictional heat, generated by a rotating tool. Unlike other welding processes, the material never melts, which is beneficial for the weld properties. FSW is already widely adopted in several industries but the applications are limited to simple geometries like straight lines or circular welds, mostly in aluminium. The
Cytochromes function in electron transfer reactions, e.g. in respiratory systems, and contain haem as a prosthetic group. Cytochromes of the c-type differ from other cytochromes in that haem is covalently attached, via thioether linkages, to two cysteine residues in a conserved sequence motif in the protein, Cys-Xaa-Yaa-Cys-His. The functional location of c-type cytochromes in bacteria is on the o
The three parts of this thesis are different examples of utilization of signal dependent basis functions in the estimation procedure. The first part surveys a number of parametric methods applied to estimation of single ERP (P300). The basis functions of the sERP are the damped sinusoids where the frequency and damping factor are estimated from the signal. The algorithms for white noise disturban
Structure activity relationship studies of synthetic flavone derivatives have been utilized to refine and evaluate a pharmacophore model of the benzodiazepine binding site of the GABAA receptors, originally developed by Zhang et al. (Drug Des. Discovery 1995, 12, 193-248). In addition to the previously proposed pharmacophore elements, two steric repulsive regions have been added to the model and t
The causes of autoimmune diseases are largely unknown today, but there is evidence supporting a substantial complex genetic influence on many of these diseases as well as environmental factors and chance. In this thesis I have tried to get one step closer to the genetic causes of two autoimmune diseases through their induced counterparts in mice, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple scler
Food hoarding is a widespread behavior among a large number of animals, and it exists in several different varieties, all of them used by the animals as a method of having a steady supply of food during periods of low food abundance such as the winter. This thesis concentrates mainly on two aspects of scatter food hoarding behavior, using small birds as study and model animals. Scatter hoarding is
The treatise attempts to approach and deal with some of the most fundamental problems facing anyone who wishes to uphold some version of the so-called theory of tropes. Three assumptions serve as a basis for the investigation: (i) tropes (i.e. particular properties) exist, (ii) only tropes exist (that is, tropes are the only basic or fundamental kinds of entities), and (iii) a one-category trope-t
The novel gastric hormone ghrelin was discovered by virtue of its ability to release growth hormone (GH) via interaction with the so-called GH-secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). Earlier only synthetic agents were known to bind with the GHS-R, hence, ghrelin is the first identified endogenous ligand. GHS-R occurs in the pituitary and hypothalamus but also in several peripheral tissues, suggesting the i
