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During tumor progression a strong immunosuppression is developed and is believed to be the major reason why immunotherapy fails. This suppression is induced in response to factors produced from tumor cells, but can also be induced after immunotherapy. NO has been shown to play a major role in this suppression both in patients with gliomas and colon carcinomas. The aim of this thesis is to clarify
To measure the importance of early neurodevelopmental disturbance for schizophrenia, early trauma and dysmorphogenesis (i.e. obstetric complications (OCs), minor physical anomalies (MPAs), head circumference (HC) and dermatoglyphic characteristics) were studied in relationship to adult neurodysfunction (i.e. neurological abnormality (NA), neurocognitive dysfunction (NCGD), tardive dyskinesia (TD)
The fundamental question in this work concerns the ideal relation between asceticism and society in a 5th c. writing (C.E.), the Philotheos Historia (PH), written in elaborate Greek by the learned bishop of Cyrrhus, Theodoret. This collection of saints’ stories tells about the lives of a number of ascetics who lived in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire, many of them close to Antioch. As these n
The biosynthesis of chlorophylls is an important process in nature. The green pigments play a fundamental role in absorbing and transferring solar energy to the photosynthetic apparatus. This thesis elucidates the role and function of the enzyme magnesium chelatase, which catalyses the insertion of magnesium (II) into protoporphyrin IX and is the first committed enzyme of the chlorophyll biosynthe
Microorganisms in forest ecosystems normally recycle nitrogen (N), such that gaseous losses and leaching are limited. Mobilization of organic N, including microbial N, and immobilization of inorganic N, especially NH4+, are the quantitatively most important N transformation processes. Various factors influence their rates, e.g. the amount of carbon and nitrogen, temperature, moisture, and the micr
Despite considerable research efforts, the incidence and mechanisms of diffuse cognitive impairment after coronary artery bypass surgery are not fully understood. The aim of the dissertation was to describe cognitive changes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and the predictors and consequences thereof. Neuropsychological tests, interviews and questionnaires were used to assess objectiv
Background: Restenosis is the most frequently occurring adverse event after percutaneous intravascular treatment of atherosclerotic lesions, which limits long-term patency of the intervention. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate if minimizing vascular injury during treatment by insertion of self-expanding stents or modifying the reparative mechanisms by local drug delivery can reduce r
Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT), a circulating single-chain glycoprotein is the most abundant serine proteinase inhibitor in human plasma. AAT is an acute phase protein, its levels increase rapidly to concentrations exceeding 50mM in response to inflammation, infection and malignant diseases. Since AAT is a powerful inhibitor of neutrophil elastase and proteinase 3, it is generally assumed that its physi
Three main themes are outlined in this thesis: Polyelectrolytes/DNA : In a living cell, DNA molecules have a compact conformation in order to fit in, while in a test tube they will take on an expanded cylindrical shape, due to the negative phosphate groups along the DNA molecule. With the help of computer simulations it has been shown that like-charged monomers of a poly- electrolyte can attract
The purpose of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between support and control. The purpose is reached by a study of the probation service as an organization and the practical side of its work The thesis is based on two empirical studies. One is a study of records and published texts from the period 1820-2000. The second is an interview study, in which twenty probatio
In order to produce fuel ethanol from lignocellulose, it is necessary to hydrolyse the sugar-containing constituents hemicellulose and cellulose. During acid hydrolysis, a number of compounds are formed or liberated in addition to the fermentable monomeric sugars. Several of these compounds might act as inhibitors during the fermentation of the sugars to ethanol. Thus, in order to obtain high etha
This thesis is based upon four original papers in which human dendritic cells (DCs) and B cells have been analyzed in terms of how they influence the character of adaptive immune responses. DCs isolated from human tonsils were found to possess a capacity to directly regulate proliferation, isotype switching, and antibody production in B cells. DC-produced cytokines, including IL-13, were identifie
Plasticity induced damage evolution is considered using a thermodynamical approach. Different postulates on how to include the effects of damage in the constitutive equations have been studied. The results reveal that a mapping, similar to that of the stress, of both the kinematic and isotropic hardening variables is to be preferred. The undesired property that, irrespectively of the postulate emp
The aim of this dissertation is to address a paradox: government control and social freedom on China's Internet are growing simultaneously. The study, which is based on fieldwork conducted between 2002 and 2006, and 48 interviews, seeks answers to the following two questions: 1. How can Internet use contribute to an unlocking of the public sphere, making it more independent from party-state contro
It is important to replace fossil resources such as oil, coal and natural gas with renewable raw materials for the production of materials and fuels in order to reduce environmental impact. Furthermore, these raw materials should preferably be residues, e.g. agricultural or forest residues, in order not to compete with the production of human food and animal feed. High molecular weight arabinoxyla
In this thesis, I present both theoretical and empirical work where we have studied how humans and animals use information in situations where they need to continually update their information on the density of a resource. We have found that the amount of information, and the way the information is presented, are important factors for how well decisions are adapted to current circumstances. In an
This thesis consists of three theoretical essays on Bargaining and Social Choice. The first essay addresses the problem of retaining the uniqueness of equilibrium when extending the Rubinstein model to accommodate more than two players. We achieve a unique subgame perfect equilibrium in a bargaining model with three players by assuming that the players make demands in a clockwise order and practic
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the role of visibility in the production and contestation of belonging to political communities. On the basis of an empirical enquiry of Russian media during the 2010s, a theoretical conceptualization of the relation between visibility and belonging is suggested, starting in the idea that what becomes visible to publics and how, and what is rendered i
The xanthophyll cycle involves the light-dependent and reversible conversion of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin. The enzyme, violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) catalyses the conversion of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin, via the intermediate antheraxanthin. VDE is a membrane-hosted enzyme during its activity. Low lumenal pH, violaxanthin, ascorbate and monogalactosyldiacylglycerol are required for activity. Th
Understanding of the growth of fatigue cracks is of utmost importance since such growth often has a profound influence on the life of components subjected to cyclic loading. Thus, reliable fatigue life models enable a more efficient use of materials and improve the performance and efficiency in many applications. This thesis deals with the growth of fatigue cracks subjected to high load amplitude
