The studies in this doctoral thesis investigated the concept of touch avoidance. Touch avoidance indicates a person’s negative affect toward physical contact/touch. In study 1 the aim was to develop a questionnaire that measures the level of touch avoidance. The results showed that touch avoidance can be measured along five different dimensions. The results are discussed in relation to attachment

The influence of trauma (acute pancreatitis) or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on pancreatic islet hormone secretion in relation to islet expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was investigated. Acute pancreatitis resulted in an impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) which was found to be parallelled by a marked expression of iNOS and an exaggerated NO production in t

TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which binds to two cell surface receptors, TNF-R55 and TNF-R75. The receptors undergo proteolytic cleavage and release a fragment (soluble TNF-receptors or TNF-Binding Protein), TNF-R55-BP and TNF-R75-BP. Soluble TNF-receptors are able to bind and inactivate TNF. The release of soluble TNF-receptors was measured with ELISA. TNF binding cap

Total hip replacement (THR) is a common procedure, generally performed in elderly persons. Previous studies indicated that the use of isoxazolyl penicillins could induce a transient post-operative renal dysfunction in these patients. By measuring urinary levels of markers for glomerular (albumin, IgG) and tubular (protein HC) function we studied the influence of systemic cloxacillin, the gentamic

Cell-signalling via cytokines modulates the local response to surgical trauma, directs the immunologic response and initiates the healing process. Surgical trauma induces a systemic cytokine response and a down-regulation of the antigen presentation capacity of monocytes (HLA-DR expression), which is associated with a poor prognosis if pronounced. The aims with the studies in this thesis were to i

Increasing awareness of the need of reducing CO2, NOx and SOx emissions from combustion systems has led to a strong interest in biomass as a fuel source. Using it in combination with fluidised bed combustion technology can lead to a lowering of NOx emissions to the atmosphere. However, this is not a problem-free technique, since the flue gas can contain ammonia, NOx and tar. The fluidised bed can

PSII catalyses the light-induced water splitting process which leads to electron transfer through the thylakoid membrane and formation of energy rich molecules. Several redox components including a Mn4Ca, an amino acid residueYZ, two special Chl molecules P680, two Pheo and two quinone molecules participate in this process. Another component of PSII which interacts magnetically with Mn4Ca is D2-Ty

Atmospheric aerosol particles are believed to have an impact on the radiative forcing of the earth's surface. The predicted results indicate a net cooling effect on the global climate, however there are few studies available to substantiate this and experimental data are needed. This work deals with the collection and the analysis of aerosol particles in various environments, specifically in the

Background: A large number of different wound coverings have been used in order to improve the wound microenvironment, and thus accelerate repair. Since almost two centuries, clinicians and researchers have developed techniques for skin transplantation. In the past several decades, growth factors have been used as tools for accelerating and modifying skin wound repair. The experimental work in thi

In this work, the morphology and crystal structure of epitaxial semiconductor nanowire structures grown by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) are studied by electron microscopy methods. In particular, the three-dimensional structure of nanowires and nanotrees has been characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and multi-sli

This thesis explores several novel material systems and innovative device concepts enabled by nanowire technology. State-of-the-art fabrication techniques such as electron beam lithography and atomic layer deposition are utilized to achieve high control and quality in the device fabrication. The devices in this thesis are based on two main types of design geometries, lateral and vertical, each of

The work presented in the thesis covers the use of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PFLIF) with short laser pulses to determine species concentrations in different combustion environments. To attain quantitative species concentrations using LIF investigations of the influence of collisional quenching on the fluorescence signal strength is of vital

Biofilms are compact, sessile microbial communities that attach to surfaces in aqueous environments. In wastewater treatment, they are especially important for removal of phosphorus and nitrogen, which, if released into a receiving water body, can cause severe eutrophication. Mathematical models of biofilms in wastewater are used to understand the underlying processes and to describe and analyze b

High repetition rate laser diagnostics has proven to be a useful tool for studying combustion phenomena. Laser techniques are, in general, relatively non-intrusive and have the potential to measure specific species at very low concentrations and with extremely high temporal resolution. However, most laser systems in this field of research are limited to repetition rates below 100 Hz, and are thus

Chromoendoscopy, endoscopic tissue staining, is an adjunctive method using chemical agents applied to the mucosal surface in order to aid gastrointestinal endoscopic diagnosis and therapy. Acid producing mucosa in the GI tract may be visualized endoscopically by Congo red staining in combination with stimulation of gastric acid production. Congo red is a reactive indicator dye that changes color f

Interest in sustainable development has increased throughout society during the past decades, and the chemical industry is no exception. The appeal for renewable raw materials has consequently increased and has paved the way for the implementation of industrial biotechnology. Since enzymes are used to convert biomass in nature, they may also be a good choice in the chemical industry. However, to i

Large areas of grazed, species rich semi-natural grassland were lost in Europe during the last two centuries and as a consequence led to decreases in grassland specialist species. Therefore, today the “restoration” of grassland on previously arable fields is recommended for the protection of grassland specialists. Even “substitute habitats” for lost grasslands are discussed as temporary alternativ

This thesis dealswith the field of high-energy particle physics. It ismainly concernedwith two issues: the “renormalization of effective field theories” and the “detection of hidden sectors”. The first two papers are dedicated to the renormalization issue while the second two deal with the hidden sectors. Renormalization is crucial when one calculates physical observables to a high degree of preci

The aim of the this thesis was surface modification of a biomedical polyurethane (PUR), Pellethane 2363-80AE*, to improve the biocompatibility. Surfaces modified by poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were prepared either by grafting PEO covalently at the PUR surface by a two-step reaction, or by using amphiphilic polymers containing PEO as the hydrophilic part. The amphiphilic polymers consisted of one co

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is among the most common bacterial infections in humans and the majority are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli). Abundant evidence indicates that nitric oxide (NO) produced by the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) plays an important role in host defense against infection. This thesis examines iNOS expression in experimental UTI models. The rat and pig bladder urothelium