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This work demonstrates the determination of absolute stellar radial velocities from geometrical principles, i.e. using astrometry. Such `astrometric radial velocities' are obtained independently of spectroscopic information. While spectroscopic radial velocities are affected by line shifts from astrophysical processes on the stellar surfaces, by gravitational redshift and various other effects, as
In order to identify integral and peripheral proteins associated with the plasma membrane (PM), highly purified Arabidopsis PMs were analyzed by mass spectrometry. In total, 238 putative PM proteins were identified, of which 114 were predicted to have transmembrane domains or to be PM-anchored. Identified proteins were involved in transport, signal transduction, membrane trafficking and stress res
ABSTRACT Streptococci constitute a heterogeneous group of Gram-positive bacteria, divided into different serological groups on the basis of antigenic differences in a cell wall-associated carbohydrate. This thesis describes related surface proteins expressed by bacteria in two of these groups, the group B streptococcus (GBS) and the group A streptococcus (GAS). GBS is an encapsulated bacterium th
Information about extracellular proteolytic activity is transduced to the cell by a transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor subfamily. These receptors are activated by proteolytic cleavage in the extracellular amino-terminal domain and are thus termed proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). The second member of this subfamily, PAR-2, is activated by trypsin-like proteinases, however the physiologi
Many wader (Charadrii) populations are declining throughout in Europe, but the underlying causes are often poorly known and diverse. To fully grasp the reasons behind declines in vulnerable wader populations, it is crucial to understand the demography. In my thesis, I have focused on the viability and management of waders occurring on coastal meadows in the Baltic Sea using redshank (Tringa totanu
It has previously been shown that the cerebellum is critical for classical conditioning. The experiments presented in this thesis aimed to study how the cerebellum controls conditioned eyeblink responses (CRs) and specifically the efferent path from the cerebellar cortex to the muscles. Ferrets, decerebrated rostral to the superior colliculus and the red nucleus, were trained in a classical condit
Genetic and non-genetic factors probably act together to initiate and accelerate development of type 1 diabetes [T1D]. One suggested risk factor contributing to development of T1D is air pollution.
A majority of the proteins of the immune system are glycosylated and the glycans of IgG are essential for its functionality. Bacteria display enzymes that modulate the glycans of the immune system to weaken the host defense and favor bacterial survival. In this thesis we aimed at exploring bacterial modulation of host glycosylation in infection and to evaluate the usefulness of bacterial enzymes i
Celiac disease is a prevalent small bowel disease in children caused by permanent intolerance against gliadin, which is the alcohol-soluble fraction of the cereal protein gluten in wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease is characterized by an inflammatory infiltrate of CD4+ T lymphocytes in the intestinal mucosa leading to damage of villous structure and loss of absorptive surface. As a consequence
Cardiovascular complications are frequent in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular death is the most common cause of death for these individuals. A region on chromosome 19 (19q13) has been indicated by several genome scans as a susceptibility locus for T2D or components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). This gene rich region contains the gene encoding muscle glycogen synthase (GYS1), earlier as
Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy can be utilised for gas detection in biological and medical applications. The common approach is to analyse transmitted light according to the Beer-Lambertian law. Normally, the light has a well-defined path length through the gas sample since it can be assumed that it has negligible scattering properties. Samples which, by contrast, have strong scatteri
HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells), a molecular complex derived from human milk, is an interesting new tool in cancer research since it induces programmed cell death in tumor cells while leaving normal, differentiated cells unharmed. The in vivo effects of HAMLET were studied in a rat xenograft model of human glioblastoma. HAMLET reduced the tumor volume and delayed the o
Spectroscopic analysis of scattering media is difficult because the effective path length of the light is non-trivial to predict when photons are scattered many times. The main area of research for such conditions is biological tissues, which scatter light because of variations of the refractive index on the cellular level. In order to analyze tissues to diagnose diseases, or predict doses during,
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a heterogeneous disorder that is defined as carbohydrate intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. Impaired beta-cell function and insulin resistance are the hallmarks of GDM. The overall aim of this thesis was to study the genetic and immunological risk factors that increase susceptibility to GDM. First, we investigated whether autoimmuni
Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections in macaques are commonly used as models to study the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Both SIV and HIV normally use the CD4 receptor and an additional coreceptor for cell entry. The most common coreceptors used by HIV are CCR5 and CXCR4. SIV use CCR5 and rarely CXCR4 but may use other coreceptors as alternatives. We have studied vi
Some components of the below-ground carbon (C) cycle in terrestrial ecosystems are still poorly understood. A better understanding will be necessary to predict adequately the impacts of global change factors on C cycling and storage, especially in high-latitude ecosystems, where much of the C is stored below-ground. In this work some of the mechanisms of the below-ground C cycle in subarctic ecosy
Moraxella catarrhalis is frequently colonizing the human respiratory tract, particularly in children. This gram-negative bacterium has during the last two decades been recognized as a pathogen causing otitis media in children and lower respiratory tract infections in adults with predisposing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The virulence determinants of M. catarrhal
