Filtyp
Autoimmune diabetes is characterized by cell mediated autoimmunity against insulin producing beta cells in pancreatic islets. Type 1 diabetes is the major cause of diabetes in children and adolescents and is believed to be mediated by a Thl driven destruction of beta cells. The much more prevalent type 2 diabetes is not considered as an autoimmune disease but diabetes specific autoantibodies (ICA
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are sufficient and required for life long production of all blood cell lineages. Steady state HSCs are largely quiescent and we demonstrate that the kinetics of HSC cell cycling are slower compared to more committed progenitor cells also during expansion and self-renewal ex vivo and in physiological conditions. Such slow kinetics during cell division might reflect a
The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to provide extended background knowledge concerning several biochemical markers, used for the medical evaluation of pregnant women with suspected or confirmed preeclampsia, in order to improve the reliability of monitoring. Plasma levels of beta-2 microglobulin, cystatin C and beta trace protein are known to reflect renal filtration in non-pregn
This thesis is about aesthetic observance. By these terms I intend to give an account of a social phenomenon considered an angle of approach on the understanding of norms. I narrow down the problems with the perspective from social psychology. The central claim by George Herbert Mead was that mind arises from human interaction. The individual subject by this means appears as an effect. I whish to
The aim was to study digital radiography and to evaluate the influence of image processing on digital dental radiographs for the assessment of periapical lesions. In four studies, artificial bone lesions were made periapically and interradicularly in the mandibular premolar and molar regions. In a clinical study, direct digital radiographic images depicting the periapical bone tissue of different
The work presented in this thesis deals with measuring in-cylinder combustion species and events using different laser-based diagnostic methods. A variety of engine operating modes, like HCCI and partially premixed diesel combustion, have been investigated. In the very first measurements, in-cylinder flow-fields were compared to CFD and steady-state blow rig results. After that, the ignition and
Dementia is a state of permanent loss of cognitive function, most commonly affecting the elderly. With a rapidly growing aged population, the spectrum of disorders that lead to dementia is exerting an ever-increasing toll on patients, families and society alike. The most common dementing disorders are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Although Alzheimer's disease is very common and was de
This thesis deals with the conceptualisation of da‘wa, ‘the call to Islam’, of the British organisation the Islamic Foundation, and focuses its 25 years of publication of Islamic-English children’s literature. In order to analyse the implications of the new modalities of da‘wa in the late modern Muslim minority context, the present study applies a genealogical perspective. The study explores the
This dissertation examines the interaction between municipal home-helpers and care re-cipients from a social psychological perspective. One of the starting points is a critique of some classical works in the caring science inspired by women’s studies for not taking into consideration that care-giving work constitutes social interaction. The aim is to analyse how elderly people and the home-helpers
Although the civil aviation industry has gone through great technological and commercial change in the last decades, basic civil aviation training has not kept pace accordingly. The changes in civil aviation have rarely resulted in research programs in the field of basic training, which has long received minimal attention from the industry. In the research presented in this thesis, methods for und
In this thesis, aspects of the use of cryogenically cooled rare-earth-ion-doped crystals in the fields of quantum optics and quantum information processing are addressed. The experiments and theoretical considerations referred to in this thesis are based on the coherent transient interaction between light and the ions in the crystals. A photon echo experiment has been performed where faint optica
The aim of this work was to study atmospheric aerosols, focusing on the chemical composition, the morphology and the origin of the aerosol in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere. An aerosol sampler was developed for this purpose. A new method for quantitative analysis of the major components of the aerosol, i.e. C, N and O was developed, and methodologies for single-particle analysis
Selenium is an essential nutrient and in animals and humans it can either be specifically incorporated into proteins as selenocysteine or randomly as selenomethionine. It can also occur as low-molecular-weight compounds and the form of selenium in foods may also influence food quality. The aims of the present studies were: to study selenium and other trace element compounds in milk and whey; to el
Power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) is a sensitive technique to detect slow blood movement. The aim of the present study was to develop a standardized method for quantification of the PDU signals recorded from a specific region of interest (ROI) within fetal organs. The quantification method - fractional moving blood volume (FMBV) - compensating for factors potentially affecting the final results, e.g.
The subject of this thesis is plasma protein C4b-binding protein (C4BP). C4BP is an important regulator of the classical pathway of the complement system, a cascade-like system comprised of over 35 proteins, which partakes in the defence against micro-organisms and is involved of clearance of immune-complexes and apoptotic cells. C4BP contains two different types of subunits, seven identical alfa-
Poststernotomy mediastinitis is a devastating complication associated with median sternotomy, which occurs mainly after cardiac surgery. The optimal treatment is still controversial. The aim was to develop, describe and evaluate a surgical procedure consisting of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) in combination with delayed primary closure in patients with mediastinitis. A porcine sternotomy wound mo
Coagulase-negative staphyloccoci (CoNS) are the most frequently isolated micro-organisms from infected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts and temporary ventricular drainage catheters, used in modern neurosurgery. CoNS originate from the skinflora of the patient or the surgeon and gain access to the surface of the implant at the insertion, but the infection can erupt up to a year later or more. Immed
Postoperative pain relief with opioids after major non-cardiac surgery may give rise to adverse effects. The fear of dangerous side effects may therefore limit the optimal use of different treatment modalities in surgical wards. Opioids can be administered alone as an intravenous infusion, or in combination with local anaesthetics as an epidural infusion. Both regimes can be tailored with a patien
Around 1750 a German chemist discovered it to be possible to extract sugar crystals from beet juice. Since then, breeding and improved agricultural practices have increased the concentration of sucrose per root from around 4% to around 18%. Sugar content is still one of the most important characters in sugar beet breeding, but breeders of today are also faced with many more characters, many of a c
Carex humilis forms rings of densely aggregated ramets in dry grassland vegetation in Central Europe. In the thesis I conclude that ramet demography is important both for analyzing fitness in clonal plants and for understanding how C. humilis rings are formed. I studied the ramet demography of C. humilis from 1993-1998 at the Hexenberg mountain, 300 m.a.s., 60 km east of Vienna, Austria. In total,
