Biological drugs such as tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) blockers are very successful and effective in therapy of chronic inflammatory disease. These blockers bind TNFα and inhibit its pro-inflammatory function. But unfortunately, biological drugs are immunogenic and prolonged treatment triggers the formation of anti-drug antibodies and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). This reaction is associated with

What decides how plant litter is decomposed, and by whom? Trees take up carbon in form of atmospheric CO2 from the air and use as building material as they grow. This carbon, locked in plant material, enters the soil carbon cycle via aboveground litter for example in the form of fallen foliage, dead trees, lost bark or via the plants root system as root litter or root exudates. Fungi and bacteria

Hur känner växter kyla? Växter har, precis som djur, utvecklat en mängd olika responser på signaler från miljön de lever i. En av dessa är vernalisering. Vernalisering innebär att en växt blommar tidigare om den utsatts för en kalla temperaturer under en längre period än vad den annars skulle ha gjort. I detta projekt har vi kollat närmare på gener involverade i denna mekanism. För att vernalise

The Pacific marten (Martes caurina) is thought to be a forest specialist closely linked to older forests with high canopy cover and dense shrubs. It is therefore highly surprising that a small population have been found in the coastal sand dunes in Oregon, United States. The martens seem to be choosing this habitat even though large areas of older forests are available just next to the dunes. With

Does urbanisation make great tits clever? The expanding urban areas are changing the environment that the wildlife lives in. Most bird species avoid cities while some animals seem to prosper there. On the other hand, there are some species that live both in urban and rural areas without a preference for one. Such species are really interesting to study, because they can directly show the impact t

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Infection occurs through inhalation of bacteria-containing droplets. After entry into the respiratory tract the bacteria mainly reside within macrophages in the lung by using different strategies to escape killing by the immune system. The attenuated Mycobacterium bovis strain Bacille Calmette

The fast food industry is one of the important and growing segments of the overall restaurant industry. At the same time, it is a very dynamic and competitive business where too many vendors are chasing too few clients.To maintain sustainable growth and long-term success it is crucial to meet consumer needs and offer value to them. In order to achieve this, fast food providers must first evaluate

This research study aims to examine why small business owners comply with rules and regulations within their industries. The purpose is to obtain a deeper understanding of legal obedience amongst small business owners. More specifically, what extrinsic and intrinsic motivations makes small business owners comply with the laws. This study is exploratory and is based on five semi-­structured intervi

The purpose of this project was to gain knowledge of polyhydroxyalkanoates’ (PHAs’) ability to be fractionated and form miscible blends for different structures, by using the methods: solvent/non solvent fractionation and co-dissolving in 2-butanol.The outcome of the fractions and blends was evaluated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), Fourier transf

This bachelor thesis was performed at BorgWarner AB in Landskrona. The assignment was to investigate different methods for external measurement of a permanent magnetized DC motor speed in revolutions per minute when you have no access to the rotor. The task was to examine different measurement methods, to produce a finished circuit that converts the signal frequency to rpm and build a complete too

Building new wind farms is an important part in the transition to renewable energy. However these projects often require large investments, and the cost of upgrading the existing infrastructure - to allow for the connection of new parks - is a component that cannot be ignored. When several wind farms seek interconnections, they are forced to collaborate and financing the connection. This leads to

Do sick birds migrate at different times than healthy ones? The word migration comes from the Latin migratus that means “to change”, referring to how birds change their geographic locations seasonally. Birds migrate to escape from decreased food availability or harsh weather on their breeding grounds. They migrate to areas of high or increasing resources where they stay during the winter period b

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing have uncovered that the vast majority of the cellular genome encodes for a myriad of noncoding RNAs, which lack coding potential for proteins. Increasing evidence suggests that ncRNA classes are involved in important processes that help in decoding the genetic information within cells. A striking example is the family of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs)

After the introduction of a conjugate vaccine that provides immunization to Haemophilus influenzae type b, an increase in the number of infections caused by Non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) has been reported. NTHi mostly affects children under the age of 1, causing cases of otitis media and conjunctivitis, and it is also associated with respiratory tract infections such as exacerbations of chroni

Catalase transport in Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that lives in the human stomach of 50% of the world’s population. Its presence in the stomach induces a strong immune response in all these cases and the body’s response to fight off the infection causes an irritation of the stomach that may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. A persistent infection may lead to ulcers or in

The CRISPR-Cas9 system for genetic engineering has recently emerged as promising tool for studying gene functions in a variety of systems and organisms. Here, we are particularly interested in studying the role of DGCR8 in a human neuroepithelial-like stem (hNES) cell line. Beyond its characterized role in the microRNA biogenesis pathway, recent studies have implicated the enzyme’s involvement in

What does not kill bacteria, makes them stronger Bacteria most often gather together to form communities called biofilms, which represent the underlying cause of 60% of all infections. Bacteria hidden in the biofilms cannot be eliminated by the human immune system and by antibiotics, therefore, they cause persistent infections which require long-term antibiotic therapy. One of the unwanted effect

Citrat ger cellerna mer energi Njurarna är ett organ i kroppen vars huvuduppgift är att avlägsna överflödig vätska och rena blodet från restprodukter. Njursvikt innebär ett tillstånd där njurarna helt eller till största delen förlorat sin funktion och kan leda till ett livshotande tillstånd då vätskenivån i kroppen ökar. Detta kan bl.a. leda till ett förhöjt blodtryck och att nivån av olika giftiObjective: Citrate is widely used in dialysis, either as an acid in dialysis fluids or as a regional anticoagulant. In both cases, the concentration of citrate in the plasma of the patients will increase above physiological levels, up to 5-foldes in some cases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of citrate on the transcriptional level, as well as on the metabolic level and elucida

The focus of this master’s thesis has been getting a six-legged robot to autonomously navigate around a room with obstacles. To make this possible a time-of-flight camera has been implemented in order to map the environment. Two force sensing resistors were also mounted on the front legs to sense if the legs are in contact with the ground. The information from the sensors together with a path plan

Marine protected areas (MPA) have been widely used the recent years, as an alternative to the traditional management tools, in order to increase the yield and the health of a stock. The present study shows how cod population in Öresund would respond under different spatial and temporal MPA and how they will affect the gill-net fisheries in the area. For that reason, a simple model, based on logist