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Popular Abstract in Swedish Tillväxtfaktorer kan förbättra cellöverlevnad och funktion i djurmodeller av Parkinson’s sjukdom. En av de vanligaste sjukdomarna i nervsystemet är Parkinson’s sjukdom. Den uppkommer genom att man gradvis förlorar en viss grupp av nervceller som använder signalsubstansen dopamin, vilket i sin tur leder till brist på dopamin i målområdet i hjärnan, striatum. Detta resulParkinson’s disease is characterized by progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine system, which results in tremor, rigidity, akinesia and postural abnormalities. New therapeutic strategies are aimed at halting the neurodegenerative process or restoring the system by transplantation of fetal dopamine neurons. We have investigated the potential of the neurotrophic factors glial cell lin

During the last decades of the 1900’s, businesses started to - in a broader sense than before - acknowledge the economic relevance of intangible components, such as emotional experiences, of products and services. This dissertation explores how the so-called lifestyle hotel segment reflects the socio-cultural currents that set the conditions for these changes in the Western economy. The aim of the

The bio-economy has been put forward as a strategy to increase economic growth without this leading to increased emissions of greenhouse gases. A key concept behind the bio-economy is the increased use of biomass for applications such as the production of bio-based chemicals and materials but also an increased importance for biotechnology and biorefinery systems in the production of these products

The world production of paper and paperboard products, which increased 3.3% per year since 1980, reached 243 million tonnes in 1991 and is expected to continue to grow by about 2.5% per year over the next decade. Consumption levels in 1990 ranged from 2.8 kg per capita in India to 313 kg per capita in the United States. The biggest producers of pulp are the United States, Canada and the Scandinavi

Protein structure and stability are inherent in the amino acid sequence and governed by non-covalent interactions. The cooperation between forces is, however, perplexing and not well understood. In order to elucidate and predict protein folding and stability, detailed studies of non-covalent interactions are required. Presented in this thesis are detailed studies on electrostatic interactions in

Smoking has recently been recognised as causally associated with the development of gastric cancer (GC). However, evidence on the effect by sex, duration and intensity of smoking, anatomic subsite and cessation of smoking is limited. Our objective was to assess the relation between tobacco use and GC incidence in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). We studied d

Background: Due to its high polymorphism and importance for disease resistance, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been an important focus of many vertebrate genome projects. Avian MHC organization is of particular interest because the chicken Gallus gallus, the avian species with the best characterized MHC, possesses a highly streamlined minimal essential MHC, which is linked to resis

Wilms' tumor 1 antigen (WT1) is overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a high-risk neoplasm warranting development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. Unfortunately, clinical immunotherapeutic use of WT1 peptides against AML has been inconclusive. With the rationale of stimulating multiantigenic responses against WT1, we genetically programmed long-lasting dendritic cells capable of pro

The enzymatic degradation of plant polysaccharides is a process of fundamental importance in nature which involves a wide range of enzymes. In this work, the structure and function of hemicellulose-degrading enzymes was investigated. The focus was on a beta-mannanase (TrMan5A) produced by the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. This enzyme is composed of a catalytic module and a carbohydrate-bi

The enzymatic degradation of wood polysaccharides such as cellulose and hemicellulose is an important process in nature. In addition, cellulases and hemicellulases can be used in industrial applications. Fuel ethanol can potentially be produced from wood by enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose followed by yeast fermentation of the formed sugars. In this thesis, fungal glycoside hydrolases, cellulase

This chapter provides a synthesis of three earlier published studies (Garmy et al. 2012a; Garmy et al. 2012b; Garmy et al. 2013) (survey I) as well as previously unpublished results from a survey conducted in 2013 among students aged 16 (survey II). Objective: The aim was to investigate the effects of sleep, television use and texting and computer habits on overweight, enjoyment of school and fee

Popular Abstract in Swedish Varje höst flyttar miljontals småfåglar från Sverige till sydligare breddgrader där de spenderar vintern, och varje vår flyger de tillbaka hit för att häcka. Trots att de är så många passerar småfåglarnas flyttning obemärkt för de allra flesta av oss. När de flyttar flyger nämligen flertalet fåglar nattetid och dessutom på hög höjd. Med hjälp av en specialbyggd radarstaMany passerines migrate during the night and at high altitudes, making their migration difficult to observe. By using tracking radars we have been able to make exact observations of the flight behaviour of passerines on nocturnal migration, which has enabled us to test several hypotheses about adaptive values and constraints regarding migratory behaviour in different ecological contexts. We have i

Popular Abstract in Swedish Infektioner i blodbanan orsakade av Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus bakteriemi) kompliceras ofta av nedslag i leder, skelett, hjärtklaffar eller inre organ. Dessa sekundära infektioner är inte alltid lätta att upptäcka, men de fordrar förlängd antibiotikabehandling och ibland även operativa ingrepp för att läka ut. S. aureus bakteriemi diagnosticeras oftast genom att m

Popular Abstract in Swedish Miljontals fåglar lämnar Sverige varje höst för att övervintra på sydligare breddgrader och återvänder nästkommande vår för att föda upp sina ungar på de enorma mängder insekter som finns här tack vare det tempererade klimatet. Småfåglar genomför sin flytt etappvis genom att flyga ett antal dagar eller nätter i sträck, beroende på om fågeln är en dag- eller nattsträckar

Popular Abstract in Swedish Så gott som alla metaller reagerar vid normala omständigheter med syret i luften och oxideras, vilket förändrar materialets egenskaper. T.ex. rostar järn efter hand, något som alla bilägare är bittert medvetna om. Oxider behöver dock inte vara negativa, utan kan även fungera som barriärer mot fortsatt korrosion, isolerande skikt i mikroelektronikkomponenter m.m. FöljaktThe oxidation of Rh, Pd and Pt is studied under conditions ranging from ultra high vacuum to ambient pressures, with emphasis on a complete understanding of the geometry of the various oxide structures found. The investigations use a combination of various experimental methods, including high resolution core level spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, surface x-ray diffraction and scannin

Popular Abstract in Swedish Vad har jag gjort de senaste åren? Och varför? Det är det många som har undrat. Så stundtals även jag. Vad jag skriver nedan syftar inte till att förklara detta, utan är bara ämnat som en kort introduktion. Jag har de senaste åren jobbat med gener och proteiner från både växter och bakterier. Både gener och proteiner är väldigt små saker, men även den minsta lilla sak This thesis deals with the structure and function of two different enzymes, ferrochelatase and magnesium chelatase, that catalyse similar reactions. When this work started, a three-dimensional model of ferrochelatase existed. Much was known about the enzyme, but some details remained unclear. The focus has been to establish where the metal and the porphyrin binds to the enzyme, and how they are pu

Popular Abstract in English Oil resources are finite; and political and economic factors affecting oil production,together with the environmental damage associated with the increased use of oil by a rapidly growing population, have underscored the need for developing cleaner technologies based on sustainable resources. In this context, any lignocellulosic biomass that is not used in the food chainThe present work was aimed at developing industrial S. cerevisiae strains with improved tolerance to two types of stressors encountered during the fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass that affect ethanol yield and productivity, namely hydrolysate-derived inhibitors and high temperature, and at understanding the response of yeast and mechanisms of adaptation to such stressors. In one part of the