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Knowledge of biomolecules three-dimensional structure has provided a detailed understanding of their function. In recent years the number of new protein sequences has far exceeded the number of protein experimental structure determinations. One goal of the new field of protein structural bioinformatics is to provide reliable and automated protein functional annotations and initial protein structur
This thesis concerns alterations in signal transduction in Schwann cells as a response to nerve injury as well as their survival, proliferation and death. Enzymes and transcription factors belonging to the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the stress activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathways were studied. This included the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-termin
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and upper limb are a major problem. Women in repetitive manual work is one large affected group. Preventive actions are hampered by the lack of knowledge regarding quantitative exposure-response relations for physical workload. The present work shows, that available electrogoniometers are, with a sampling frequency of 20 Hz, feasible for measurin
This thesis reports experimental studies performed with two advanced coherent XUV sources with ultrashort pulse duration, high-order harmonic generation and seeded-free electron laser. High-order harmonic generation (HHG) is the generation of overtones of a fundamental laser pulse in a medium, e.g. noble gases. The emitted radiation has a high degree of transverse coherence, and pulse lengths in t
This thesis documents my work in the luminosity and supersymmetry groups of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The theory of supersymmetry and the concept of luminosity are introduced. The ATLAS experiment is described with special focus on a luminosity monitor called LUCID. A data-driven luminosity calibration method is presented and evaluated using the LUCID detector. This method
The aim of this dissertation was to examine whether the temporal distance of moral events affects the moral judgments and decisions people make in response to those events. Drawing upon Construal Level Theory (CLT; Trope & Liberman, 2003) which posits that the distant future is represented at a higher, more abstract level of mental construal than the near future, and that high-level mental con
Aqueous mixtures of hydrophobically modified polymers (HMP) with amylose have been investigated by rheology and 1H NMR. Amylose can cross-link HMP chains by forming single-helical inclusion complexes with the hydrophobic side chains of the HMP, leading to thermoreversible, elastic, and thixotropic gels at ambient temperatures. The complexation ability, the strength of the association, and the visc
In this thesis, two potential endogenous mechanisms for neuronal survival and repair have been investigated in a rat model of stroke, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO): signaling of the GDNF family of neurotrophic factors, and neurogenesis from endogenous progenitor cells. As determined by in situ hybridization for GDNF family ligand and receptor genes, MCAO caused widespread upregulation o
Hyaluronan has been found in the eye in varying amounts and at different sites. It is involved in physiological and pathological processes, though many aspects of its bio-logi-cal functions are still unclear. We have studied the role of iris tissue in hyal-uro-nan production in the anterior segment of the eye, and its changes after trauma. After peripheral iridectomy or argon laser treatment, the
Organic acid anhydrides (OAAs) are low molecular weight chemicals used in the industry for manufacturing of plastics such as epoxy resins. Exposure to these chemicals may lead to symptoms from the eyes and the respiratory tract in form of conjunctivitis, rhinitis and asthma. In many workers production of specific IgE antibodies are induced suggesting that a type-1 allergy mediated mechanism is inv
Electrostatic interactions in bio-molecular systems are important not only in the living cell but also in more technical applications. Using molecular simulation as well as approximate theories the properties of a number of aqueous protein solutions have been studied. This includes interactions with other proteins, protons, charged membranes as well as flexible polyelectrolytes. The focus is on el
A thorough physical-chemical characterisation of alkylglycosides has been performed. The effects of temperature, salt, concentration and deuterium exchange on the self-aggregation of n-nonyl-b-D-glucoside (b-C9G1) and n-tetradecyl-b-D-maltoside (b-C14G2) have been studied in dilute solutions by static and dynamic light scattering, neutron scattering, rheology, capillary viscometry and tensiometry.
Thermal radiation is an important physical phenomenon in combustion environments. For the understanding of existing- and the design of new combustion environments computational modelling is a useful tool as it can describe the different transport phenomena. This thesis has focused on studying thermal radiative property models of the participating media, gases and particles. Two specific combustion
The diagnostic value of modern fast pulse sequences and breath-hold technique was evaluated in a prospective study of patients with suspected biliary diseases. The cost-effectiveness of MRI compared to ultrasound was calculated. Characteristics of acute cholecystitis and cholangitis were evaluated, the appearance of bile in MRCP with reference to its chemical and physical properties was studied, a
Aggregation in protein-surfactant systems have been studied with the ambition of reaching a deeper understanding of the balance of the interaction forces involved. A pure system with maximized electrostatic interactions has been used. The approach has been to use a step-wise sample preparation where initially a stoichiometric protein-surfactant salt is precipitated and freeze-dried. Secondly, the
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin-film manufacturing process in which the growth surface is exposed to non-overlapping alternating injections of gas-phase chemical precursor species separated by intermediate purge periods to prevent gas-phase reactions. ALD is characterized by sequential self-terminating heterogeneous reactions between highly reactive gas-phase precursor species and surface-
The telomeres, the physical ends of the chromosomes, consist in various species of short simple tandem repeats which are extended by telomerase. The Drosophila melanogaster telomeres, which instead are elongated by retroposons, are an exception. In Chironomus pallidivittatus and Chironomus tentans the telomeres contain 340/350-bp tandem repeats in blocks up to 200 kb in size. The structure of the
A gene encoding a multidomain xylanase from the thermophilic bacterium Rhodothermus marinus has been cloned, sequenced and produced in Escherichia coli . The gene product was found to be a 109 kDa protein consisting of five domains. The catalytic domain and the two polysaccharide binding domains (PBD, previously called carbohydrate binding domains) have been cloned and produced separately for func
Photosynthesis is the process by which light energy is converted into chemical products, in photoautotrophic bacteria, algae and plants. The principal idea is the production of reducing agents by photo-induced oxidation of a sacrificial electron donor. Photosystem II in plants, algae and cyanobacteria, absorbs light and catalyzes the oxidation of water, liberating electrons that are used to form r
