Filtyp
The aim of this work was to study prospectively the effects of different feeding regimens during the first three days of life. A group of 129 infants were randomly assigned at birth to one of three feeding regimens: human milk (HM), cow's milk formula (CMF), or a casein hydrolysate formula (CHF). The formula-fed infants received no human milk until the fourth day of life, after which all infants w
Starch is a plant-derived polysaccharide with many uses in different food and non-food applications. In this thesis, the production of two novel potato starch qualities, amylopectin and high-amylose, and the modifications and the characteristics of the produced plants and starches are described. The novel potato starch qualities will find uses in e.g. the paper, adhesive, textile and packing indus
Animal models of Parkinson’s disease and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia are essential to explore pathophysiological hypotheses and to test new treatment options. There are many different animal models of Parkinson's disease, which differ greatly with respect to species, mechanisms of nigral cell death, and extent of dopamine-dependent motor deficits. My work has been performed in rats and mice with uni
In this dissertation I will discuss horror film as a genre and study how Hellraiser relates to its themes and problems. First I describe the production of the film and after that I present Clive Barker - his background, authorship, film-making and artwork. Next I study the problems of the genre and the different ways in which this genre is defined. I look at narrative characteristics as well as, f
Higher education has become a mega-topic in both political and scientific debate. Developments in systems of higher education and changes in the governance of such systems have been discussed in the literature. Such changes are brought about by collective actors within institutional settings. The present volume considers the policies of higher education supported by Social Democratic governments i
There is a growing need for multifunctional polymeric materials for the development of several important energy conversion technologies. For example, the polymer electrolyte is a key component in lithium polymer batteries. The basic functions of this electrolyte are to efficiently conduct the lithium ions and physically separate the electrodes. Consequently, these electrolytes should ideally posse
The reuse and closed-loop recycling of food packaging was studied in order to assess consumer safety and the sensory quality (e.g. taste and smell) of packaged food. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage bottles that were refillable or that contained recycled material, either in direct contact or with a functional barrier protecting the food, were investigated with focus on odorous compounds f
In this thesis, the phylogenetic relationships of the Mammalia have been studied at various levels. Different sources of genetic information have been evaluated and used as phylogenetic markers. These include the well-known mitochondrial genome, cDNA from housekeeping genes and expressed sequence tags from nuclear genes. Applying RT-PCR on mRNA from nuclear genes is a new approach for collecting
The cyanoprokaryote (blue-green algae) genus Arthrospira occurs in saline, alkaline tropical waters of Africa, Asia, and Central America. Traditionally Arthrospira has been used as a food supplement by the Kanembu tribe of Lake Chad and Aztecs living in the valley of Mexico City. It is presently cultivated in large scale throughout the world and sold as a health food supplement due to its nutritio
Vascular smooth muscle can adapt to increased intraluminal pressure by remodelling and hypertrophy, as seen in hypertension. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this are still incompletely characterized. We have developed an organ culture system where strips of rat or mouse portal veins are cultured for 1 to 3 days loaded (stretched) by an attached weight and then studied for morphology, func
The biological response to different implanted biomaterials vary. The relative importance of factors in the material and host for this variation are at present incompletely known. The variation in the cellular response to specific proteins and the rapid adsorption of proteins to surfaces exposed to biological environments has created the hypothesis that the cellular interactions with biomaterials
The central phenomenon investigated concerns the valence-based process asymmetry found in several earlier studies (e.g. Pratto & John, 1991; Taylor, 1991), where negative stimuli seem to initiate more thorough processing than positive stimuli. This finding was consistent in the three empirical studies forming this dissertation. In Study 1 (three experiments) emotionally valenced words were pre
In this thesis the phenomenology of Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD) is studied in a variety of circumstances from both perturbative and non-perturbative perspectives. The main emphasis is on the production and hadronization of heavy particles, specifically heavy quarks, gauge bosons, leptoquarks and supersymmetric particles. In the hadroproduction of long-lived heavy quarks (i.e. charm and bottom)
This thesis is a study of how energy use and air pollution in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been affected by the economic transition after 1989. It consists of six articles, which examine three different aspects of these changes. The first group of articles analyses the structure of energy use in the Baltic states (Article I) and Poland Articles II and III) at the outset of transitio
Degradation of mRNA is a controlled process which is as important for gene regulation as the synthesis of mRNA. This thesis focuses on mechanisms of mRNA stability and degradation in Bacillus subtilis, the model of Gram-positive bacteria. The aprE mRNA, encoding an exported protease named subtilisin, is extremely stable with a half-life of more than 25 minutes. Average mRNA half-lives in B. subtil
The neutrophil store its effector proteins in several distinct types of cytoplasmic granules, developed sequentially during cell maturation. The different subtypes of granules have unique protein content and functional characteristics. The formation of each granule subtype coincides with the biosynthesis of its content. Granule proteins synthesised during the formation of a granule subtype are thu
Falls and fractures in older people are a common and increasing health problem which causes physical, social and psychological problems for the individual and is costly to society. The aims of this thesis were to investigate accidental falls of patients aged 65 - 74 who attended an orthopedic emergency ward, to investigate reliability of the modified figure of eight (MFE) and compare it with other
The topic of this dissertation is the work of the poet Bruno K. Öijer (b. 1951). My thesis is, that a recognition of how he has assumed the outsider position is vital for an understanding of his work, and that it also may contribute to an explanation of his particular importance in the cultural arena of the early 70s. The thesis is structured in four parts. Part one deals with the concept “outside
Two polymers, alginate and Eudragit S-100 were used as reversibly soluble-insoluble ligand carriers for the selective isolation of enzymes and lectins respectively. These two polymers have the inherent property of being precipitated under well defined conditions. Alginate was made insoluble by the addition of Ca2+ ions, and Eudragit S-100 by a pH shift. The polymers were modified with affinity lig
Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a Birnavirus that infects salmonid fish. The infection is usually mortal for fish under six months of age, while older fish become carriers, usually without any signs of infection, and will spread the virus to other susceptible fish and to their offspring. IPNV is an icosahedral, naked virion and the genome consists of two segments of double-stranded
