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Polymeric nanoparticles is an established and efficient means to achieve controlled release of drugs. Incorporation of minocycline, an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, into biodegradable nanoparticles may therefore provide an efficient means to combat foreign body reactions to implanted electrodes in the brain. However, minocycline is commonly associated with poor
The capability of retrieving spectral information from line shapes recorded by two-tone frequency-modulation spectroscopy (TTFMS) is investigated. A TTFMS theory accounting for dispersion and nonlinear distortion of diode laser frequency modulation response is presented. The adequacy of the theory for a detailed modeling of line shapes recorded with high resolution is examined. An extensive error
A modified local error model is developed for numerical integration of ODEs with invariants. The basic idea is to use a commutativity relationship that holds for implicit state-space form methods. A new implicit state-space form predictor is developed from which error estimates can be obtained by predictor-corrector difference: This technique is demonstrated through the preliminary examples in thi
Macroporous scaffolds composed of chitosan and using oxidized dextran as a crosslinker are produced through cryogelation. Introducing gelatin as a third component into the structure results in the formation of mesopores in the pore walls, which are not seen if gelatin is excluded. The mesoporous structure is explained by the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes between chitosan and gelatin befor
Phosphoproteomics relies on methods for efficient purification and sequencing of phosphopeptides from highly complex biological systems, especially when using low amounts of starting material. Current methods for phosphopeptide enrichment, e.g., Immobilized Metal ion Affinity Chromatography and titanium dioxide chromatography provide varying degrees of selectivity and specificity for phosphopeptid
Abstract In this thesis I address some of the ethical issues that arise in relation to consumers and personalised dietary advice made on the basis of genetic information. By carrying out two empirical studies, I wanted to find out what Swedish consumers think about personalised nutrition, and how they reason regarding risks, possible value conflicts, and benefits that may arise from implementing t
Among Swedish families with an inherited predisposition for breast cancer, less than one third segregate mutations in genes known to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in combination with other types of tumours. In a search for new putative familial breast cancer syndromes we studied Swedish families undergoing genetic counselling during 1992-2000. Four thousand families from co
The incidence of allergy is steadily increasing, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the allergic immune response are still not fully understood. In particular, further investigations focusing on dendritic cells, which are central in orchestrating the immune response, are needed. The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of myeloid leukaemia-derived cell lines, such as KG-1,
Analysis of the case studies of two preschool children with profound cognitive disabilities indicates that training in a powered wheelchair can increase wakefulness and alertness, stimulate a limited use of the arms and hands, and promote the understanding of very simple cause-and-effect relationships. The enhanced activity level had a positive influence on the children's ability to react to exter
We use Monte Carlo methods to study the properties of the bootstrap Breusch-Godfrey test for autocorrelated errors in two versions a) by bootstrapping under the null hypothesis, restricted and b) by bootstrapping under the alternative hypothesis, unrestricted. We use the residual bootstrap for the bootstrap-BG test. Our analysis regarding the size of the test reveals that both bootstrap tests have
An integrated cell cultivation and protein product separation process was developed using a new type of supermacroporous polyacrylamide gel, called cryogel (pAAm-cryogel) support matrix. Human fibrosarcoma HT1080 and human colon cancer HCT116 cell lines were used to secrete urokinase (an enzyme of immense therapeutic utility) into the culture medium. The secreted protein was isolated from the circ
The feasibility and scalability of extraction in detergent-based aqueous two-phase systems for the separation of proteins from culture broth is demonstrated. At the same time the large-scale production of a fusion protein and the influence of cultivation scale on the efficiency of separation were investigated. An amphiphilic fusion protein EGIcore-HFBI was chosen, consisting of the catalytic core
The use of trimethylsilyl (TMS)-derivatisation for determining muramic acid in environmental and clinical samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry provides high detection sensitivity; however, questions have been raised as concerns the chemical structure of the entity giving the strong signal of m/z 185. In the present communication we present evidence that this entity results from the form
Extreme values of non-linear functions of multivariate Gaussian processes are of considerable interest in engineering sciences dealing with the safety of structures. One then seeks the survival probability P{(X1(t),⋯ ,Xn(t))∈ S, all t∈ [0,T]}, where X(t)=(X1(t),⋯ ,Xn(t)) is a stationary, multivariate Gaussian load process, and S is a safe region. In general, the asymptotic survival probability for
In patients with radiculopathy due to degenerative disease in the cervical spine, surgical outcome is still presenting with moderate results. The preoperative investigations consist of clinical investigation, careful history and most often magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine. When MRI shows multilevel degeneration, different strategies are used for indicating which nerve root/ro
Pollen productivity estimates (PPE) are one of the critical parameters for a quantitative reconstruction of past vegetation from fossil pollen records. Modern pollen and vegetation data were collected in traditional landscapes of southern Sweden to derive PPE for the most characteristic plant taxa. The 42 selected sites are assumed to be good analogues of historical to prehistorical grasslands. A
Ring chromosomes are cytogenetic hallmarks of genomic amplification in several bone and soft tissue tumors, in particular atypical lipomatous tumors (ALT). In ALT, the ring chromosomes invariably contain amplified material from the central part of the long arm of chromosome 12, mainly 12q 12 -> 15, but often also segments from other chromosomes are involved. Previous studies have shown that one of
Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting destructive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the knee joint, and to compare this method with clinical examination and conventional radiography (CR). Methods: Clinical evaluations of the knee joint, followed by MRI and CR examinations were performed in 30 patients with early RA. The MRI examination included evaluati
