This thesis study employs textural classification techniques applied to four different data groups: (1) visible light photography, (2) high-resolution drill core line scan imaging (3) scanning electron microscopy backscattered electron (SEM-BSE) images, and (4) 3D data from X-ray microtomography (μXCT). Eleven textural classes from Aitik ores were identified and characterized. The distinguishing characteristics of each class were determined such as modal mineralogy, sulphide occurrence and Bond work indices (BWI). The textural classes served as a basis for machine learning classification using Random Forest classifier and different feature extraction schemes. Trainable Weka Segmentation was utilized to produce mineral maps for the different image datasets. Quantified textural information for each mineral phase such as modal mineralogy, mineral association index and grain size was extracted from each mineral map.  Efficient line local binary patterns provide the best discriminating features for textural classification of mineral texture images in terms of classification accuracy. Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) statistics from discrete approximation of Meyer wavelets decomposition with basic image statistical features[PK1]  (e.g. mean, standard deviation, entropy and histogram derived values) give the best classification result in terms of accuracy and feature extraction time. Differences in the extracted modal mineralogy were observed between the drill core photographs and SEM images which can be attributed to different sample size[PK2] . Comparison of SEM images and 2D μXCT image slice shows minimal difference giving confidence to the segmentation process. However, chalcopyrite is highly underestimated in 2D μXCT image slice, with the volume percentage amounting to only half of the calculated value for the whole 3D sample. This is accounted as stereological error. Textural classification and mineral map production from basic drill core photographs has a huge potential to be used as an inexpensive ore characterization tool. However, it should be noted that this technique requires experienced operators to generate an accurate training data especially for mineral identification and thus, detailed mineralogical studies beforehand is required. / Primary Resource Efficiency by Enhanced Prediction (PREP) / Center for Advanced Mining and Metallurgy (CAMM)

The aim of the present investigation was to study the influence of the sympathetic nervous system and of various adrenoceptor agents on enzyme secretion and morphology in rat parotid and guinea-pig submandibular glands. Biochemical methods were combined with electron microscopical techniques. Two different in vitro systems were employed, batch-incubation and microperifusion, to characterize the sympathetically evoked amylase release and its correlation to cyclic AMP. By using various selective β-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists a dominance of the β1-adrenoceptor over the β2 - in regulating amylase release - was establ ished. Continuous noradrenaline perifusion caused a rapid initial amylase discharge, closely correlated to tissue levels of cyclic AMP; no correlation between the two was observed during the later phase. Prenalterol (a β1-agonist) failed to elevate glandular cyclic AMP. This was in contrast to its potent secretagogic effect. On the other hand, terbutaline (a β2-agonist) was a weak secretagogue but markedly raised the levels of cyclic AMP. Thus, β-adrenoceptor activation may lead to release of large amounts of amylase despite minimal or no increase in cyclic AMP. Moreover, these effects seemed to be dissociated in salivary glands with regard to the β-adrenoceptor subtypes. This was further substantiated by the findings that repeated injections of prenalterol induced qualitative changes in the granule populations, similar to those caused by the non-selective β-agonist isoprenaline. Terbutaline was without effect. However, acinar cells size was increased following both prenalterol and terbutaline treatment. The data suggest that the 3-adrenergic effects on acinar cell size and granule population may be independently regulated. A decreased sympathetic activity of long duration was induced by neonatal or adult extirpation of the superior cervical ganlion on one side. Acinar cell size, as well as granule and amylase content was reduced 9 weeks after neonatal denervation. Ganglionectomy performed in adult animals was without significant effects. The secretory behaviour of neonatally denervated glands was characterized by an increased postjunctional sensitivity to 3-adrenoceptor agonists. Of special interest was the finding that neonatal denervation seemed to transform terbutaline from a partial to a full secretory agonist, thus changing its effects in the direction of those of prenalterol and noradrenaline. Moreover, increased levels of cyclic AMP as well as an enhanced response to DBcAMP were noted in the denervated glands as were intracellular changes. The denervation supersensitivity after neonatal denervation seems to differ from that observed in adult denervated glands. The results of the studies on denervated glands suggest that the sympathetic nervous system plays a fundamental role in the early maturation of the rat parotid gland as well as for the development of the β-adrenoceptor subtypes. / <p>S. 1-34: sammanfattning, s. 35-128: 6 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

Febrile seizures are epileptic seizures, arising in connection with febrile conditions in children of prechool age. In adults with epilepsy is often present a history of febrile status epilepticus, seizure whose duration is longer than 20 minutes. To study the role of febrile status epilepticus (FSE) in the development of epilepsy and neuronal damage, it is necessary to have a relevant animal models. This work is focused on the morphological analysis of the new created model of febrile status epilepticus, using a combination of short-term hyperthermia and chemical induced status epilepticus at 10 days old rats. In adulthood, the animals were examined by video/EEG monitoring, and then morphometric analysis. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of short-term hyperthermia during SE for neuropathological changes using stereological measurements of hippocampal volume.

The present Master thesis focuses on evalution of CO2 concentration and irradiance on selected leaf anatomical parameters of European Beech (Common Beech) Fagus sylvatica L.. The process of photosynthesis is remarkably determined by numerous extrenal factors, among them by atmoshperic CO2 concentration and irradiance and is closely correlated with leaf anatomical parameters. One of these most important anatomical parameters affecting the net assimilation rate is an internal leaf surface, which corresponds to mesophyll area avialable for gas exhcange. Experimental material of the study was sampled from the leaves of juvenile trees of F. sylvatica planted in 2005 and growing under ambient (390 ppm, AC) and elevated (700 ppm, EC) CO2 concentrations on the experimental site of the Global Change Research Center AS CR at Bílý Kříž in the Beskydy Mountains. Sun and shade leaves were sampled from trees of both CO2 treatments in two seasons 3 years apart (2009 and 2012). To determine leaf anatomical parameters, the stereological methods were applied, which yield unbiased estimation of measured parameters, particularly the Fakir method for internal leaf surface determination. The EC effect was observed on the leaves sampled in 2009 only in the decrease of proportion of intercellular spaces in mesophyll. In...

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Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders with multiple neurobiological aetiologies, which could be genetic, structural, metabolic or immune-mediated. ASDs are diagnosed with deficits in social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviours, and are associated with sensorial atypicalities. 30% of cases have co-existing epilepsy. A series of in vitro, in vivo and post-mortem investigations were undertaken to examine sensory atypicalities in ASD. In vitro characterisation of hippocampal neuronal cultures using immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of multiple cell types including neurons, astrocytes and microglia. The distribution of ion channels of the Shaker family and tumour necrosis factor α receptors in astrocytes and neurons were identified but not explored further. Neuroanatomical and neuropathological investigations of primary olfactory cortex, using post-mortem stereology, demonstrated a specific increase in glial cell densities in layer II, which was negatively associated with age in ASD. Increases in glia were also associated with symptom severity and often co-localised with the presence of corpora amylacea in layer I. Qualitative analysis of the olfactory tubercle demonstrated that corpora amylacea did not extend to this neighbouring region of the primary olfactory cortex in ASD. These changes were independent of co-existing epilepsy and not observed in epilepsy without ASD. Preliminary pilot studies of the hippocampus provided a stereological sampling strategy to quantify cell densities in future investigations of this area in ASD. Neurophysiological investigations using collected magnetoencephalography data demonstrated diminished occipital gamma oscillatory synchrony in ASD in a visual time perception task. This did not always predict behavioural outcome but was specific to ASD and could not be explained simply in terms of changes in task performance. Moreover, changes in oscillatory synchrony were associated with symptom severity. These observations in primary sensory domains in post-mortem tissue and in patients suggest possible novel mechanisms in ASD and extend knowledge of the neurobiological bases of these disorders.

Cortical malformations as a result of altered development are a common cause of human epilepsy. The cellular mechanisms that render neurons of malformed cortex epileptogenic remain unclear. Using a rat model of the malformation of microgyria, a previous study showed an alteration in the number of immunocytochemically-identified parvalbumin cells, a GABAergic inhibitory interneurons subtype (Rosen et al., 1998). A second study showed no change in the total number of GABAergic neurons (Schwarz et al., 2000). Consequently, we hypothesize that interneuron subtypes are differentially affected by maldevelopment. The present study investigated (1) whether interneuron subtype identity is retained in malformed cortex, based on chemical content, and (2) whether the proportion of three chemical subtypes is altered in malformed cortex. Here we demonstrate that three non-overlapping subtype markers remain non-overlapping in malformed cortex, but show altered distributions. These findings suggest that an increase in one subpopulation of interneurons may compensate for a corresponding decrease in a second subset.

La cristallisation en solution est un procédé largement utilisé dans l'industrie comme opération de séparation et de purification qui a pour but de produire des solides avec des propriétés spécifiques. Les propriétés concernant la taille et la forme ont un impact considérable sur la qualité finale des produits. Il est donc primordial de pouvoir déterminer la distribution granulométrique (DG) des cristaux en formation. En utilisant une caméra in situ, il est possible de visualiser en temps réel les projections 2D des particules 3D présentes dans la suspension. La projection d'un objet 3D sur un plan 2D entraîne nécessairement une perte d'informations : déterminer sa taille et sa forme à partir de ses projections 2D n’est donc pas aisé. C'est tout l'enjeu de ce travail: caractériser géométriquement et morphométriquement des objets 3D à partir de leurs projections 2D. Tout d'abord, une méthode basée sur le maximum de vraisemblance des fonctions de densité de probabilité de mesures géométriques projetées a été développée pour déterminer la taille d'objets 3D convexes. Ensuite, un descripteur de forme stéréologique basé sur les diagrammes de forme a été proposé. Il permet de caractériser la forme d'un objet 3D convexe indépendamment de sa taille et a notamment été utilisé pour déterminer les facteurs d'anisotropie des objets 3D convexes considérés. Enfin, une combinaison des deux études précédentes a permis d'estimer à la fois la taille et la forme des objets 3D convexes. Cette méthode a été validée grâce à des simulations, comparée à une méthode de la littérature et utilisée pour estimer des DGs d'oxalate d'ammonium qui ont été comparées à d’autres méthodes granulométriques. / Solution crystallization processes are widely used in the process industry as separation and purification operations and are expected to produce solids with desirable properties. The properties concerning the size and the shape are known to have a considerable impact on the final quality of products. Hence, it is of main importance to be able to determine the granulometry of the crystals (CSD) in formation. By using an in situ camera, it is possible to visualize in real time the 2D projections of the 3D particles in the suspension.The projection of a 3D object on a 2D plane necessarily involves a loss of information. Determining the size and the shape of a 3D object from its 2D projections is therefore not easy. This is the main goal of this work: to characterize geometrically and morphometrically 3D objects from their 2D projections. First of all, a method based on the maximum likelihood estimation of the probability density functions of projected geometrical measurements has been developed to estimate the size of 3D convex objects. Then, a stereological shape descriptor based on shape diagrams has been proposed. It enables to characterize the shape of a 3D convex object independently of its size and has notably been used to estimate the value of the anisotropy factors of the 3D convex objects. At last, a combination of the two previous studies has allowed to estimate both the size and the shape of the 3D convex objects. This method has been validated with simulated data, has been compared to a method from the literature and has been used to estimate size distributions of ammonium oxalate particles crystallizing in water that have been compared to other CSD methods.

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