Filtyp
This thesis covers aspects of the mature human B cell and its different guises on its way to become a fully differentiated antibody forming plasma cell (AFC), the key player in the humoral immune system. The understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms taking place in the B cell, as it first encounters antigen, enters the germinal center (GC) reaction, giving rise to memory cells and plasma c
Popular Abstract in Swedish Öbiogeografi och populationsdifferentiering hos Skyros murödla Hur den fantastiska variationen som finns i naturen bildas är en fråga som länge fascinerat biologer. För mer än 150 år sedan inledde två välkända biologer, Charles Darwin och Alfred Russel Wallace, en brevväxling som skulle komma att bli startskottet för ett paradigmskifte. De hade båda fått idén om naturlIslands are cradles for new biodiversity and provide natural laboratories for the study of population divergence. In my thesis, I investigated the role of different evolutionary processes in the population divergence in the Skyros wall lizard (Podarcis gaigeae), a species where islet populations have strongly diverged morphologies. I used replicate islet populations and their respective most proxi
It is shown that the high-resolution laser photoelectron microscope withsubwavelength-spatial resolution can be used for an absolute values ofthe two-photon external photoelectric effect measurements with high (afew nm-scale) localization. The spatial distribution of light intensityin the near field is studied by observing the photoelectron projectionimages of a subwavelength nanoaperture. The ima
Our problem is how to design, with the use of distance and ICT, an appropriate academic context for learning, for students with no previous knowledge of this context. Our aim is to analyse and describe the learner’s relation to the object of his/her studies as part of his/her relation to the learning activity. By using a combination of a phenomenographic approach and activity system theory, we ana
Popular Abstract in Swedish Denna avhandling handlar om antikroppar. Antikroppar är proteiner som bildas av vårt immunförsvar för att skydda oss mot farliga ämnen i vår omgivning, som tex bakterier. På grund av antikroppars unika uppbyggnad och funktion utnyttjas ofta dessa på konstgjord väg. De kan injiceras i kroppen för att bota någon sjukdom eller användas på laboratoriet i olika analyser. InnIn vitro generation of antibody fragments of desired specificity and affinity plays an important role since it permits the generation of reagents which may be valuable for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Furthermore, the kinetic parameters for an antibody-antigen interaction, rather than the affinity, has shown to correlate with biological functions like virus neutralization. This points
Mounting discoveries of extrasolar planets orbiting post-main-sequence stars motivate studies to understand the fate of these planets. In the traditional 'adiabatic' approximation, a secondary's eccentricity remains constant during stellar mass-loss. Here, we remove this approximation, investigate the full two-body point-mass problem with isotropic mass-loss, and illustrate the resulting dynamical
The NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) complex is a professional producer of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is mainly expressed in phagocytes. While the activity of the NOX2 complex is essential for immunity against pathogens and protection against autoimmunity, its role in the development of malignant tumors remains unclear. We compared wild type and Ncf1 (m1J) mutated mice, which lack functional NOX2 com
The arterio-venous anastomoses (AVA) play a major role in the blood circulation in the peripheral body parts. In this work, the segmental bioheat model of Salloum et al. [1] is improved to accurately predict skin blood flow rate in the hands and fingers, and the local and overall human thermal responses in transient environments. The improvements in the model include: 1) extending the artery tree
BACKGROUND: Molecular evolution of carbohydrate binding modules (CBM) is a new approach for the generation of glycan-specific molecular probes. To date, the possibility of performing affinity maturation on CBM has not been investigated. In this study we show that binding characteristics such as affinity can be improved for CBM generated from the CBM4-2 scaffold by using random mutagenesis in combi
The classical pathway of complement is crucial to the immune system, but it also contributes to inflammatory diseases when dys-regulated. Binding of the C1 complex to ligands activates the pathway by inducing autoactivation of associated C1r, after which C1r activates C1s. C1s cleaves complement component C4 and then C2 to cause full activation of the system. The interaction between C1s and C4 inv
Permanent exposure to pathogens requires decisions toward tolerance or immunity as a prime task of dendritic cells. The molecular mechanisms preventing uncontrolled immune responses are not completely clear. We investigated the regulatory function of Ncf1, an organizing protein of NADPH oxidase, in the signaling cascade of Toll-like receptors. TLR9-stimulated spleen cells from both Ncf1-deficient
Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells (iRBC) express variant surface antigens (VSA) of which VAR2CSA is involved in placental sequestration and causes pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM). Primigravidae are most susceptible to PAM whereas antibodies associated with protection are often present at higher levels in multigravid women. However, HIV co-infection with malaria has been shown to al
Immunoglobulin A deficiency (IgAD) is the most common primary immunodeficiency in the general population. It is defined as a serum IgA level below or equal to 0.07 g/l with normal IgM and IgG levels in children over the age of 4. However, a few cases of reversal of IgAD at later ages have been observed previously, especially in pediatric patients. This study aimed at investigating the frequency of
OBJECTIVE - Impaired muscular mitochondrial function is related to common insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Mitochondrial diseases frequently lead to diabetes, which is mostly attributed to defective beta-cell mitochondria and secretion. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We assessed muscular mitochondrial function and lipid deposition in liver (hepatocellular lipids [HCLs]) and muscle (intramyoce
