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This study has involved investigation of number of populations of the damselfly Ischnura elegans over several years, looking at frequency changes over time, morphological differences between the sexes and the morphs, differences in growth rate and development time, differences in fecundity between the morphs, and genetic differentiation between populations. I. elegans is a small annual damselfly w
Microbial activity in soil is generally assumed to be limited by carbon availability. The soil closest to roots, the rhizosphere, is therefore a zone of high microbial activity due to carbon containing substances released by the root. In this work short-term effects in the rhizosphere have been the subject of investigation. I have shown that the thymidine and leucine incorporation techniques are w
Molar mass and molar mass distribution of polymers are parameters of fundamental importance as they influence the performance of the polymer in applications. Polysaccharide derivatives are a class of polymers that have attracted significant scientific and commercial interest as they can be manufactured from a wide range of abundant sources in nature and thereby often are both cheap and biocompatib
Inhalation of air-borne microorganisms and components thereof can cause illnesses and diseases. However, lack of specific and sensitive methods for exposure assessment can pose problems in predicting health outcomes. Characterization of microbial load from indoor environments using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and/or tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MSMS) as well as various bioassays (
A number of homo- and heterodinuclear complexes have been synthesized as structural and functional models for the the active sites of phosphoesterases and soluble methane monooxygenases. The complexes are based on four new dinucleating ligands containing a central, potentially bridging, phenolate moiety. The hydrolytic activity of the complexes was examined by exploring the ability of the complexe
This thesis focuses on i) the effect of packing on the molecular geometry ii) packing arrangements of neutral Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes iii) the trans influence in Pt(II) complexes iv) the differences in bonding in corresponding Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes and v) the geometry of Pd(II) complexes with potential catalytic properties. Detailed three-dimensional structural information at the atomic
Organic carbon and bacteria have a high variability at different scales in the soil, and organic carbon may be a limiting factor for growth of soil bacteria. Thus, it can be expected that these co-vary at different scales in the soil. In this thesis, I have studied the spatial interaction between soil bacteria and natural and contaminant (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, PAH) organic carbon. The o
Rare-earth ions doped into a transparent crystal can have optically excited states with coherence times of milliseconds and hyperfine levels with coherence times of hours when cooled down to liquid helium temperatures. This makes them attractive for developing quantum computing hardware. A quantum transistor can be implemented in a rare-earth-ion-doped crystal by utilizing a dipole blockade effe
In the work presented in this thesis, different laser-based techniques were employed for measurements in different combustion devices. Laser-based techniques enable non-intrusive and in-situ measurements to be carried out, in which high spatial and temporal resolution can be obtained. Different parameters related to combustion research can be visualized, such as species concentrations, temperature
Computer generated imagery is vital to the entertainment industry in the production of games and films, for example. It is also increasingly important for visualization in design, architecture, engineering, and medicine, to name a few. Improvements to rendering techniques come from a combination of improved algorithms and more powerful hardware. Typically, hardware developments introduce new chall
In light of autobiographical theory, this study deals with the critics' reception of Simone de Beauvoir's La Force des choses when the book was first published in 1963 in France. The three main parts examine the critical comments on the genre, the final controversial words expressing the author's disappointment, and the evaluation of her style. For the latter, Morten Nøjgaard's theory of literary
One objective of attosecond science is to study electron dynamics in atoms and molecular systems on their natural time scale. This can be done using attosecond light pulses. Attosecond pulses are produced in a process called high-order harmonic generation, in which a short, intense laser pulse interacts with atoms or molecules in a highly nonlinear process, leading to the generation of high-order
A consistent theme throughout this thesis is quasilinear partial differential equations (PDEs) appearing in one-dimensional models of sedimentation for solid-liquid separation of suspensions. We mainly focus on continuous sedimentation in so-called clarifier-thickeners (CTs), which are found in mineral processing and wastewater treatment. In addition to complications with shocks and non-unique sol
This work has been aimed at developing and applying laser-induced incandescence (LII) for flame soot characterization. The basic principle of LII is rapid heating of the soot particles to temperatures of 3500-4000 K by short laser pulses. Thereby the intensity of the soot incandescence is increased. By detection of this increased incandescence and analysis of the detected signal, the volume fracti
Optical spectroscopy is a versatile and powerful tool to probe translucent materials. In this work, the focus is on characterization of strongly scattering (turbid) materials by means of time-of-flight spectroscopy (TOFS). Instrumentation and modelling aspects of TOFS were investigated and improved, enabling significantly more accurate spectroscopic measurements. It was shown that the commonly us
Advanced manufacturing technologies and programmable machines such as industrial robots are used to increase productivity and quality for competitiveness on a global market. Development of increasingly flexible manufacturing systems has resulted in an increasing importance of software aspects, both on a system level and for efficient interaction with human operators. Trends toward providing custom
GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is a well-known inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. GABA is also present at high concentrations in the insulin-producing β-cells in the islets of Langerhans, but its function there is less clear. GABA is believed to accumulate in SLMVs (synaptic-like microvesicles). These vesicles are different from the insulin-containing LDCVs (large dense-core vesicles). In this th
In this thesis I used allozymes and PCR-RFLP analysis of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) to investigate geographic differentiation within the widespread Silene dioica (L.) Clairv. (Caryophyllaceae) and the narrowly-distributed S. hifacensis Rouy ex Willk., (a Spanish endemic). In an investigation of allozyme variation in Nordic S. dioica, multivariate analysis of variation at eight polymorphic loci reveal
Macrophages mediate innate immunity through release of cytokines, eicosanoids, reactive oxygen species as well as through phagocytosis and secretion of lysosomal enzymes. Regulation of lysosomal secretion in macrophages differs in several respects from release of specialized granules in other leukocytes. Lysosomal secretion is not dependent upon cytosolic calcium but is instead triggered by lysoso
Amphibious vision is accomplished in many animals by special optical and physiological adaptations in the eyes. However, human eyes are considered to be adapted to a life in air since our curved outer cornea – which is used to refract more than two-thirds of the incoming light on land – becomes useless underwater. This thesis produces evidence that Moken children, a population of sea nomads (or se
