| 61. |
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| 62. |
- Åsberg, Cecilia, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Biology is a feminist issue : Interview with Lynda Birke
- 2010
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Ingår i: The European Journal of Women's Studies. - London : Sage Publications. - 1350-5068 .- 1461-7420. ; 17:4, s. 413-423
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This is an interview with Professor Lynda Birke (University of Chester, UK), one of the key figures of feminist science studies. She is a pioneer of feminist biology and of materialist feminist thought, as well as of the new and emerging field of hum-animal studies (HAS). This interview was conducted over email in two time periods, in the spring of 2008 and 2010. The format allowed for comments on previous writings and an engagement in an open-ended dialogue. Professor Birke talks about her key arguments and outlooks on a changing field of research. The work of this English biologist is typical of a long and continuous feminist engagement with biology and ontological matters that reaches well beyond the more recently articulated material turn of feminist theory. It touches upon feminist issues beyond the usual comfort zones of gender constructionism and human-centred research. Perhaps less recognized than for instance the names of Donna Haraway or Karen Barad, Lynda Birkes oeuvre is part of the same long-standing and twofold critique from feminist scholars qua trained natural scientists. On the one hand, theirs is a powerful critique of biological determinism; on the other, an acutely observed contemporary critique of how merely cultural or socially reductionist approaches to the effervescently lively and biological might leave the corporeal, environmental or non-human animal critically undertheorized within feminist scholarship. In highlighting the work and arguments of Lynda Birke, it is hoped here to provide an accessible introduction to the critical questions and challenges that circumvent contemporary discussions within feminist technoscience as theory and political practice.
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| 63. |
- Melin, Petter, et al.
(författare)
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Formulation and stabilisation of the biocontrol yeast Pichia anomala
- 2011
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Ingår i: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology. - Dordrecht, Netherlands : Springer Netherlands. - 0003-6072 .- 1572-9699. ; 99:1, s. 107-112
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The yeast Pichia anomala has antifungal activities and its potential in biocontrol and biopreservation has previously been demonstrated. To practically use an organism in such applications on a larger scale the microbe has to be formulated and stabilised. In this review we give an overview of our experience of formulating and stabilising P. anomala strain J121 in a wider perspective. The stabilisation techniques we have evaluated were liquid formulations, fluidised bed drying, lyophilisation (freeze-drying) and vacuum drying. With all methods tested it was possible to obtain yeast cells with shelf lives of at least a few months and in all cases the biocontrol activity was retained. Fluidised bed drying was dependent on the addition of cottonseed flour as a carrier during the drying process. In liquid formulations a sugar, preferentially trehalose, was a required additive. These two kinds of microbial stabilisation are easily performed and relatively inexpensive but in order to keep the cells viable the biomaterial has to be stored at cool temperatures. However, there is room for optimization, such as improving the growth conditions, or include preconditioning steps to enable the cells to produce more compatible solutes necessary to survive formulation, desiccation and storage. In contrast, lyophilisation and vacuum drying require a lot of energy and are thus expensive. On the other hand, the dried cells were mostly intact after one year of storage at 30A degrees C. Inevitably, the choice of formulation and stabilisation techniques will be dependent also on the intended use.
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| 64. |
- Passoth, Volkmar, et al.
(författare)
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Past, present and future research directions with Pichia anomala
- 2011
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Ingår i: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology. - Dordrecht, Netherlands : Springer. - 0003-6072 .- 1572-9699. ; 99:1, s. 121-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The first International Pichia anomala Symposium provided a survey of past, recent and ongoing research on this yeast. The research community working with this yeast has focussed on several areas. Based on molecular data, a revision of the taxonomy is required: the name P. anomala is no longer applicable, as the genus Pichia is polyphyletic. The current debate centres on whether the yeast should be designated as Wickerhamomyces anomalus or if the previous name, Hansenula anomala, should be re-instated. The anti-microbial activities of this yeast received considerable attention during the symposium. H. anomala has been extensively studied as a biopreservation agent in many different post-harvest systems. Several mechanisms account for its anti-microbial activities, including the production of killer proteins and toxic volatile metabolites. Anti-idiotypic antibodies generating an "internal image" of a killer protein have been found to possess therapeutic activity against a broad range of microorganisms. A great diversity of H. anomala strains was reported at the symposium. Strains have been isolated from several food and feed systems and even from the intestine and reproductive organs of a malaria vector (Anopheles stephensi). Feed and food supplemented with certain H. anomala strains show an improved quality due, for example, to the addition of advantageous proteins and phytase activity. However, a number of apparent opportunistic pathogenic strains have also been isolated. Strain differentiation, especially the recognition of potentially pathogenic isolates, is an important challenge for the future commercialisation of this yeast. Future industrial and agricultural application of this yeast also raises questions of the economics of large-scale production, its survival during storage (formulation) and of safety regulations, all of which require further investigation.
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| 65. |
- Schnürer, Johan, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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Pichia anomala J121 : a 30-year overnight near success biopreservation story
- 2011
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Ingår i: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology. - Dordrecht, Netherlands : Springer Netherlands. - 0003-6072 .- 1572-9699. ; 99:1, s. 5-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thirty years ago, the ascomycetous yeast Pichia anomala strain J121 was isolated from moist wheat grain stored under conditions of restricted air access. Early observations indicated that an inverse relationship existed between mould and P. anomala colony forming units in grain. This yeast strain was later found to have strong antifungal properties in laboratory, pilot and farm studies with high-moisture wheat under malfunctioning airtight storage. P. anomala had the highest inhibitory activity of 60 yeast species evaluated against the mould Penicillium roqueforti. It also demonstrated strong inhibitory effects against certain Gram-negative bacteria. P. anomala J121 possesses a number of physiological characteristics, i.e. capacity to grow under low pH, low water activity and low oxygen tension and ability to use a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources, enabling it to act as an efficient biopreservative agent. The biocontrol effect in grain was enhanced by addition of glucose, mainly through formation of the volatile antimicrobial ethyl acetate. Animal feeding trials with P. anomala J121 inoculated grains, fed to chickens and beef cattle, demonstrated that mould control observed in vitro in small scale laboratory experiments could be extended to large scale farm trials. In addition, no adverse effects on animal weight gain, feed conversion, health or behaviour were observed. We have now studied P. anomala J121 biology, ecology and grain preservation ability for 30 years. Over this period, more than 40 scientific publications and five PhD theses have been written on different aspects of this yeast strain, extending from fundamental research on metabolism, genetics and molecular biology, all the way to practical farm-scale level. In spite of the well documented biopreservative ability of the yeast, it has to date been very difficult to create the right constellation of technical, agricultural and biotechnical industries necessary to reach a commercial launch of a P. anomala J121 based biopreservation system. Additionally, the complications caused by a complex EU regulatory system remain a significant barrier to practical applications.
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| 66. |
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| 67. |
- Persson, Sara
(författare)
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The wild male mink as a sentinel for endocrine-disrupting chemicals and reproductive toxicity
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Increasing evidence indicates that pollutants may affect the hormone system of humans and wildlife. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals are related to an increased risk of a variety of diseases and disorders, including adverse effects on the reproductive system. By using a sentinel wildlife species, an early warning of adverse health effects due to pollutants in the environment may be provided. This is also relevant for humans, as wildlife and humans can be exposed to similar mixtures of pollutants. With this in mind, the aim of this thesis is to investigate the possibility of establishing the wild mink (Neovison vison) as a sentinel species in Sweden, for both exposure to pollutants and effects of pollutants on the reproductive system. Mink were collected from local hunters and necropsies were performed focusing on the male reproductive system. The collected mink provided an insight in how to handle the variation in data due to sample season, age and nutritional status. These factors significantly influenced many, but not all, of the concentrations of chlorinated, brominated and perfluorinated compounds and also some reproductive organ variables. In addition, the results offer information on how to optimize the design of future studies, and some baseline data for reproductive organ measurements were compiled. Considerable concentrations of PCBs were found in some areas and the concentrations of PFOS were among the highest ever recorded in mink. Associations were found between measurements on the reproductive organs and pollutant concentrations. The anogenital distance was inversely associated with concentrations of some perfluoroalkyl acids and DDE. Several associations were also found between some PCB congeners and measurements on the penis and baculum. In conclusion, the wild mink males may serve as an indicator for environmental exposure to pollutants in Sweden. In addition, the wild mink seems to be a suitable sentinel species that may provide an early warning of alterations in the male reproductive organs related to environmental pollution.
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| 68. |
- Tengvall, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-Wide Analysis in German Shepherd Dogs Reveals Association of a Locus on CFA 27 with Atopic Dermatitis
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS Genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 9:5, s. e1003475-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Humans and dogs are both affected by the allergic skin disease atopic dermatitis (AD), caused by an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. The German shepherd dog (GSD) is a high-risk breed for canine AD (CAD). In this study, we used a Swedish cohort of GSDs as a model for human AD. Serum IgA levels are known to be lower in GSDs compared to other breeds. We detected significantly lower IgA levels in the CAD cases compared to controls (p = 1.1x10(-5)) in our study population. We also detected a separation within the GSD cohort, where dogs could be grouped into two different subpopulations. Disease prevalence differed significantly between the subpopulations contributing to population stratification (lambda = 1.3), which was successfully corrected for using a mixed model approach. A genome-wide association analysis of CAD was performed (n(cases) = 91, n(controls) = 88). IgA levels were included in the model, due to the high correlation between CAD and low IgA levels. In addition, we detected a correlation between IgA levels and the age at the time of sampling (corr = 0.42, p = 3.0x10(-9)), thus age was included in the model. A genome-wide significant association was detected on chromosome 27 (p(raw) = 3.1x10(-7), p(genome) = 0.03). The total associated region was defined as a similar to 1.5-Mb-long haplotype including eight genes. Through targeted re-sequencing and additional genotyping of a subset of identified SNPs, we defined 11 smaller haplotype blocks within the associated region. Two blocks showed the strongest association to CAD. The similar to 209-kb region, defined by the two blocks, harbors only the PKP2 gene, encoding Plakophilin 2 expressed in the desmosomes and important for skin structure. Our results may yield further insight into the genetics behind both canine and human AD.
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| 69. |
- Verbeek, Else, et al.
(författare)
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The gut microbiota and microbial metabolites are associated with tail biting in pigs
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tail biting is an abnormal behaviour that causes stress, injury and pain. Given the critical role of the gut-microbiota in the development of behavioural problems in humans and animals, the aim of this study was to determine whether pigs that are biters, victims of tail biting or controls (nine matched sets of pigs) have a different microbiota composition, diversity and microbial metabolite profile. We collected faecal and blood samples from each individual for analysis. The gut microbiota composition was most different between the biter and the control pigs, with a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes in tail biter pigs than the controls. Furthermore, we detected differences in faecal and plasma short chain fatty acids (SCFA) profiles between the biter and victim pigs, suggesting physiological differences even though they are kept in the same pen. Thus, in addition to supporting an association between the gut microbiota and tail biting in pigs, this study also provides the first evidence of an association between tail biting and SCFA. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these associations, to determine causality and to study how the SCFA profiles of an individual play a role in the development of tail biting behaviour.
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| 70. |
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