| 1. |
- Mazur, G. P., et al.
(författare)
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Towards modeling quasi-periodic oscillations of microquasars with oscillating slender tori
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 554
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. One of the often discussed models for high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations of X-ray binaries is the oscillating torus model, which considers oscillation modes of slender accretion tori. Aims. Here, we aim at developing this model by considering the observable signature of an optically thick slender accretion torus subject to simple periodic deformations. Methods. We compute light curves and power spectra of a slender accretion torus subject to simple periodic deformations: vertical or radial translation, rotation, expansion, and shear. Results. We show that different types of deformations lead to very different Fourier power spectra and therefore could be observationally distinguished. Conclusions. This work is a first step in a longer term study of the observable characteristics of the oscillating torus model. It gives promising perspectives on the possibility of constraining this model by studying the observed power spectra of quasi-periodic oscillations.
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| 2. |
- Capezza, Antonio Jose, et al.
(författare)
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Extrusion of Porous Protein-Based Polymers and Their Liquid Absorption Characteristics
- 2020
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Ingår i: Polymers. - : MDPI. - 2073-4360. ; 12:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The production of porous wheat gluten (WG) absorbent materials by means of extrusion processing is presented for the future development of sustainable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). Different temperatures, formulations, and WG compositions were used to determine a useful protocol that provides the best combination of porosity and water swelling properties. The most optimal formulation was based on 50 wt.% WG in water that was processed at 80 degrees C as a mixture, which provided a porous core structure with a denser outer shell. As a green foaming agent, food-grade sodium bicarbonate was added during the processing, which allowed the formation of a more open porous material. This extruded WG material was able to swell 280% in water and, due to the open-cell structure, 28% with non-polar limonene. The results are paving the way towards production of porous bio macromolecular structures with high polar/non-polar liquid uptake, using extrusion as a solvent free and energy efficient production technique without toxic reagents.
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| 3. |
- Fornara, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
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Tailored Magnetic Nanoparticles for Direct and Sensitive Detection of Biomolecules in Biological Samples
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nano letters (Print). - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 8:10, s. 3423-3428
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We developed nanoparticles with tailored magnetic properties for sensitive detection of biomolecules directly in biological samples in a single step. Thermally blocked nanoparticles obtained by thermal hydrolysis are mixed with sample solutions and the variation of the magnetic relaxation due to surface binding is used to detect the presence of biomolecules. The binding events significantly increase the hydrodynamic volume of nanoparticles, thus changing their Brownian relaxation frequency which is measured by a specifically developed AC-susceptometer.The system was tested for the presence of Brucella antibodies in serum samples from infected cows and the surface of the nanoparticles was functionalized with lipopolysaccarides (LPS) from Brucella abortus. The hydrodynamic volume of functionalized particles increased by 25-35% as a result of the binding of the antibodies, as measured by changes in the susceptibility in an alternating magnetic field. The method has shown high sensitivity, with detection limit of 7 nmol·L-1 in serum without any pre-treatment of the biological samples.The detection method is very sensitive, cost-efficient and versatile, giving a direct indication if the animal is infected or not, making it suitable for point-of care applications. The functionalization of tailored magnetic nanoparticles can be modified to suit numerous homogenous assays for a wide range of applications.
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| 6. |
- Nordqvist, Petra, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of hydrolyzed or heat treated wheat gluten by SE-HPLC and 13C NMR : Correlation with wood bonding performance
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial crops and products (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 0926-6690 .- 1872-633X. ; 51, s. 51-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wheat gluten, being an abundant and relatively inexpensive protein source, is an attractive raw material for sustainable wood adhesives. Mild enzymatic hydrolysis (degree of hydrolysis: 0-5.5%) or heat treatment (50, 70, or 90°C for 15min-24h) was used to improve the bonding performance of wheat gluten. Size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) were used to correlate the obtained changes in bonding performance with the structural changes of wheat gluten.The protein structures of the samples heated at 50°C or 70°C were mainly unfolded as interpreted from the SE-HPLC results, however, without improvement in bonding performance. The 13C NMR results indicate that the extent of unfolding at 50°C or 70°C is too low to result in improved bond strength. Generally, heat treatment at 90°C or lower levels of hydrolysis (0-0.6%) resulted in similar improvements in bond strength and water resistance. The results indicate that the improvements in bonding performance are due to a combination of unfolding and polymerization for the samples heated at 90°C, while it is due to unfolding of the protein structure for the hydrolyzed samples. Higher levels of hydrolysis (≥1.3%) resulted in impaired bond strength and water resistance, most likely due to the decreased molecular size of the proteins. Carbohydrates, normally strongly associated with the proteins, were liberated during the hydrolysis, possibly contributing to the reduced bond strength for these samples.
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| 7. |
- Repapi, Emmanouela, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide association study identifies five loci associated with lung function.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nature genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-1718 .- 1061-4036. ; 42:1, s. 36-44
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pulmonary function measures are heritable traits that predict morbidity and mortality and define chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We tested genome-wide association with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and the ratio of FEV(1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) in the SpiroMeta consortium (n = 20,288 individuals of European ancestry). We conducted a meta-analysis of top signals with data from direct genotyping (n < or = 32,184 additional individuals) and in silico summary association data from the CHARGE Consortium (n = 21,209) and the Health 2000 survey (n < or = 883). We confirmed the reported locus at 4q31 and identified associations with FEV(1) or FEV(1)/FVC and common variants at five additional loci: 2q35 in TNS1 (P = 1.11 x 10(-12)), 4q24 in GSTCD (2.18 x 10(-23)), 5q33 in HTR4 (P = 4.29 x 10(-9)), 6p21 in AGER (P = 3.07 x 10(-15)) and 15q23 in THSD4 (P = 7.24 x 10(-15)). mRNA analyses showed expression of TNS1, GSTCD, AGER, HTR4 and THSD4 in human lung tissue. These associations offer mechanistic insight into pulmonary function regulation and indicate potential targets for interventions to alleviate respiratory disease.
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| 8. |
- Callaghan, Terry V., et al.
(författare)
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Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic : complex processes and multiple drivers
- 2013
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Ingår i: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 368:1624
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The subarctic environment of northernmost Sweden has changed over the past century, particularly elements of climate and cryosphere. This paper presents a unique geo-referenced record of environmental and ecosystem observations from the area since 1913. Abiotic changes have been substantial. Vegetation changes include not only increases in growth and range extension but also counterintuitive decreases, and stability: all three possible responses. Changes in species composition within the major plant communities have ranged between almost no changes to almost a 50 per cent increase in the number of species. Changes in plant species abundance also vary with particularly large increases in trees and shrubs (up to 600%). There has been an increase in abundance of aspen and large changes in other plant communities responding to wetland area increases resulting from permafrost thaw. Populations of herbivores have responded to varying management practices and climate regimes, particularly changing snow conditions. While it is difficult to generalize and scale-up the site-specific changes in ecosystems, this very site-specificity, combined with projections of change, is of immediate relevance to local stakeholders who need to adapt to new opportunities and to respond to challenges. Furthermore, the relatively small area and its unique datasets are a microcosm of the complexity of Arctic landscapes in transition that remains to be documented.
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| 9. |
- Albers, Eva, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Selective suppression of bacterial contaminants by process conditions during lignocellulose based yeast fermentations
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biotechnology for Biofuels. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1754-6834 .- 1754-6834. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundContamination of bacteria in large-scale yeast fermentations is a serious problem and a threat to the development of successful biofuel production plants. Huge research efforts have been spent in order to solve this problem, but additional ways must still be found to keep bacterial contaminants from thriving in these environments. The aim of this project was to develop process conditions that would inhibit bacterial growth while giving yeast a competitive advantage.ResultsLactic acid bacteria are usually considered to be the most common contaminants in industrial yeast fermentations. Our observations support this view but also suggest that acetic acid bacteria, although not so numerous, could be a much more problematic obstacle to overcome. Acetic acid bacteria showed a capacity to drastically reduce the viability of yeast. In addition, they consumed the previously formed ethanol. Lactic acid bacteria did not show this detrimental effect on yeast viability. It was possible to combat both types of bacteria by a combined addition of NaCl and ethanol to the wood hydrolysate medium used. As a result of NaCl + ethanol additions the amount of viable bacteria decreased and yeast viability was enhanced concomitantly with an increase in ethanol concentration. The successful result obtained via addition of NaCl and ethanol was also confirmed in a real industrial ethanol production plant with its natural inherent yeast/bacterial community.ConclusionsIt is possible to reduce the number of bacteria and offer a selective advantage to yeast by a combined addition of NaCl and ethanol when cultivated in lignocellulosic medium such as wood hydrolysate. However, for optimal results, the concentrations of NaCl + ethanol must be adjusted to suit the challenges offered by each hydrolysate.
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| 10. |
- Haileselassie, Yeneneh, et al.
(författare)
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Lactobacilli Regulate Staphylococcus aureus 161:2-Induced Pro-Inflammatory T-Cell Responses In Vitro
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There seems to be a correlation between early gut microbiota composition and postnatal immune development. Alteration in the microbial composition early in life has been associated with immune mediated diseases, such as autoimmunity and allergy. We have previously observed associations between the presence of lactobacilli and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus in the early-life gut microbiota, cytokine responses and allergy development in children. Consistent with the objective to understand how bacteria modulate the cytokine response of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) lines and immune cells, we exposed IEC lines (HT29, SW480) to UV-killed bacteria and/or culture supernatants (-sn) from seven Lactobacillus strains and three S. aureus strains, while peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) from healthy donors were stimulated by bacteria-sn or with bacteria conditioned IEC-sn. Although the overall IEC response to bacterial exposure was characterized by limited sets of cytokine and chemokine production, S. aureus 161: 2-sn induced an inflammatory response in the IEC, characterized by CXCL1/GROa and CXCL8/IL-8 production, partly in a MyD88-dependent manner. UV-killed bacteria did not induce a response in the IEC line, and a combination of both UV-killed bacteria and the bacteria-sn had no additive effect to that of the supernatant alone. In PBMC, most of the Lactobacillus-sn and S. aureus-sn strains were able to induce a wide array of cytokines, but only S. aureus-sn induced the T-cell associated cytokines IL-2, IL-17 and IFN-gamma, independently of IEC-produced factors, and induced up regulation of CTLA-4 expression and IL-10 production by T-regulatory cells. Notably, S. aureus-sn-induced T-cell production of IFN-gamma and IL-17 was down regulated by the simultaneous presence of any of the different Lactobacillus strains, while the IEC CXCL8/IL-8 response was unaltered. Thus these studies present a possible role for lactobacilli in induction of immune cell regulation, although the mechanisms need to be further elucidated.
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