| 1. |
- Olabarrieta, Idoia, et al.
(författare)
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Aging properties of films of plasticized vital wheat gluten cast from acidic and basic solutions
- 2006
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 7:5, s. 1657-1664
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to understand the mechanisms behind the undesired aging of films based on vital wheat gluten plasticized with glycerol, films cast from water/ethanol solutions were investigated. The effect of pH was studied by casting from solutions at pH 4 and pH 11. The films were aged for 120 days at 50% relative humidity and 23 C, and the tensile properties and oxygen and water vapor permeabilities were measured as a function of aging time. The changes in the protein structure were determined by infrared spectroscopy and size-exclusion and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and the film structure was revealed by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The pH 11 film was mechanically more stable with time than the pH 4 film, the latter being initially very ductile but turning brittle toward the end of the aging period. The protein solubility and infrared spectroscopy measurements indicated that the protein structure of the pH 4 film was initially significantly less polymerized/ aggregated than that of the pH 11 film. The polymerization of the pH 4 film increased during storage but it did not reach the degree of aggregation of the pH 11 film. Reverse-phase chromatography indicated that the pH 11 films were to some extent deamidated and that this increased with aging. At the same time a large fraction of the aged pH 11 film was unaffected by reducing agents, suggesting that a time-induced isopeptide cross-linking had occurred. This isopeptide formation did not, however, change the overall degree of aggregation and consequently the mechanical properties of the film. During aging, the pH 4 films lost more mass than the pH 11 films mainly due to migration of glycerol but also due to some loss of volatile mass. Scanning electron and optical microscopy showed that the pH 11 film was more uniform in thickness and that the film structure was more homogeneous than that of the pH 4 film. The oxygen permeability was also lower for the pH 11 film. The fact that the pH 4 film experienced a larger and more rapid change in its mechanical properties with time than the pH 11 film, as a consequence of a greater loss of plasticizer, was presumably due to its initial lower degree of protein aggregation/ polymerization. Consequently, the cross-link density achieved at pH 4 was too low to effectively retain volatiles and glycerol within the matrix.
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| 2. |
- Evander, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Acoustic trapping of cells in a microfluidic format
- 2005
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Ingår i: Proceedings of µTAS 2005 Conference. ; 1, s. 515-517
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents, for the first time, non-contact acoustic trapping of cells in a microfluidic format. The employed acoustic force maintains the cells in the center of a fluidic channel while allowing for perfusion of e.g. nutrients or drugs as well as optical monitoring of the cells. Neural stem cells have been acoustically trapped and tested for viability after 15 minutes of ultrasonic radiation. It is also shown that it is possible to grow yeast cells suspended in an acoustic standing wave while perfusing with cell media.
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| 3. |
- Johansson, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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A RANDOMIZED INCREMENTAL SUBGRADIENT METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTED OPTIMIZATION IN NETWORKED SYSTEMS
- 2009
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Ingår i: SIAM Journal on Optimization. - 1052-6234 .- 1095-7189. ; 20:3, s. 1157-1170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an algorithm that generalizes the randomized incremental subgradient method with fixed stepsize due to Nedic and Bertsekas [SIAM J. Optim., 12 (2001), pp. 109-138]. Our novel algorithm is particularly suitable for distributed implementation and execution, and possible applications include distributed optimization, e.g., parameter estimation in networks of tiny wireless sensors. The stochastic component in the algorithm is described by a Markov chain, which can be constructed in a distributed fashion using only local information. We provide a detailed convergence analysis of the proposed algorithm and compare it with existing, both deterministic and randomized, incremental subgradient methods.
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| 4. |
- Schmidt, Henning, et al.
(författare)
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DESIREE as a new tool for interstellar ion chemistry
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of Astrobiology. - 1473-5504 .- 1475-3006. ; 7:3-4, s. 205-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A novel cryogenic electrostatic storage device consisting of two ion-beam storage rings with a common straight section for studies of interactions between oppositely charged ions at low and well-defined relative velocities is under construction at Stockholm University. Here we consider the prospect of using this new tool to measure cross-sections and rate coefficients for mutual neutralization reactions of importance in interstellar ion chemistry in general and specifically in cosmic pre-biotic ion chemistry.
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| 5. |
- Ullsten, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Enlarged processing window of plasticized wheat gluten using salicylic acid
- 2006
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 7:3, s. 771-776
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The temperature window for the extrusion of glycerol-plasticized wheat gluten was increased by the use of salicylic acid, a known scorch retarder and radical scavenger. It was possible to extrude 30 wt % glycerol-wheat gluten films with a die-head temperature as high as 135 °C, rather than 95 °C, by incorporating only 1 wt % salicylic acid. Small effects of shear-induced heating during extrusion at the higher temperatures suggested that the acid acted as a lubricant and viscosity reducer. The latter was suggested to originate primarily from the salicylic-acid-induced reduction in the degree of protein aggregation/cross-linking, as indicated by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography and chemiluminescence. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy on extruded films indicated that the beneficial effect of salicylic acid was due to its radical scavenging effect. Tensile tests on extrudates revealed that the materials produced at the substantially higher processing temperature were still ductile. The complex shear modulus increased more slowly with increasing salicylic acid content above 110-120 °C, indicating that the aggregation/cross-linking rate was slower with salicylic acid, th t is, that it did have a scorch-retarding effect, besides yielding a lower final degree/complexity of aggregation.
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| 6. |
- Aksyutina, Yu, et al.
(författare)
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Lithium isotopes beyond the drip line
- 2008
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Ingår i: Physics Letters B. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-2693. ; 666:5, s. 430-434
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The unbound isotopes 10Li, 12Li and 13Li have been observed after nucleon-knockout reactions at relativistic energies with 11Li and 14Be beams impinging on a liquid hydrogen target. The channels , and were analysed in the ALADIN-LAND setup at GSI. The 10Li data confirm earlier findings, while the 12Li and 13Li nuclei were observed for the first time. The relative-energy spectrum shows that the ground state of 12Li can be described as a virtual s-state with a scattering length of -13.7(1.6) fm. A broad energy spectrum was found for the channel. Based on the assumption that the relative-energy spectrum is dominated by a correlated background presumably stemming from initial correlations in the 14Be ground-state, evidence for a 13Li resonance at 1.47(31) MeV above the threshold with a width around 2 MeV has been found.
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| 7. |
- Aksyutina, Yuliya, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Properties of the 7He ground state from 8He neutron knockout
- 2009
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Ingår i: Physics Letters B. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-2693. ; 679:3, s. 191 - 196
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The unbound nucleus 7He, produced in neutron-knockout reactions with a 240 MeV/u 8He beam in a liquid-hydrogen target, has been studied in an experiment at the ALADIN-LAND setup at GSI. From an R-matrix analysis the resonance parameters for 7He as well as the spectroscopic factor for the 6He(0+) + n configuration in its ground-state have been obtained. The spectroscopic factor is 0.61 confirming that 7He is not a pure single-particle state. An analysis of 5He data from neutron-knockout reactions of 6He in a carbon target reveals the presence of an s-wave component at low energies in the α+n relative energy spectrum. A possible low-lying exited state in 7He observed in neutron knockout data from 8He in a carbon target and tentatively interpreted as a Iπ=1/2− state, could not be observed in the present experiment. Possible explanations of the shape difference between the 7He resonance obtained in the two knockout reactions are discussed in terms of target-dependence or different reaction mechanisms at relativistic energies.
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| 8. |
- Djurfeldt, Mikael, 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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Brain-scale simulation of the neocortex on the IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer
- 2008
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Ingår i: IBM Journal of Research and Development. - : IBM. - 0018-8646 .- 2151-8556. ; 52:1-2, s. 31-41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biologically detailed large-scale models of the brain can now be simulated thanks to increasingly powerful massively parallel supercomputers. We present an overview, for the general technical reader, of a neuronal network model of layers II/III of the neocortex built with biophysical model neurons. These simulations, carried out on an IBM Blue Gene/Le supercomputer, comprise up to 22 million neurons and 11 billion synapses, which makes them the largest simulations of this type ever performed. Such model sizes correspond to the cortex of a small mammal. The SPLIT library, used for these simulations, runs on single-processor as well as massively parallel machines. Performance measurements show good scaling behavior on the Blue Gene/L supercomputer up to 8,192 processors. Several key phenomena seen in the living brain appear as emergent phenomena in the simulations. We discuss the role of this kind of model in neuroscience and note that full-scale models may be necessary to preserve natural dynamics. We also discuss the need for software tools for the specification of models as well as for analysis and visualization of output data. Combining models that range from abstract connectionist type to biophysically detailed will help us unravel the basic principles underlying neocortical function.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Evander, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Noninvasive acoustic cell trapping in a microfluidic perfusion system for online bioassays
- 2007
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Ingår i: Analytical Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 79:7, s. 2984-2991
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Techniques for manipulating, separating, and trapping particles and cells are highly desired in today's bioanalytical and biomedical field. The microfluidic chip-based acoustic noncontact trapping method earlier developed within the group now provides a flexible platform for performing cell- and particle-based assays in continuous flow microsystems. An acoustic standing wave is generated in etched glass channels (600x61 microm2) by miniature ultrasonic transducers (550x550x200 microm3). Particles or cells passing the transducer will be retained and levitated in the center of the channel without any contact with the channel walls. The maximum trapping force was calculated to be 430+/-135 pN by measuring the drag force exerted on a single particle levitated in the standing wave. The temperature increase in the channel was characterized by fluorescence measurements using rhodamine B, and levels of moderate temperature increase were noted. Neural stem cells were acoustically trapped and shown to be viable after 15 min. Further evidence of the mild cell handling conditions was demonstrated as yeast cells were successfully cultured for 6 h in the acoustic trap while being perfused by the cell medium at a flowrate of 1 microL/min. The acoustic microchip method facilitates trapping of single cells as well as larger cell clusters. The noncontact mode of cell handling is especially important when studies on nonadherent cells are performed, e.g., stem cells, yeast cells, or blood cells, as mechanical stress and surface interaction are minimized. The demonstrated acoustic trapping of cells and particles enables cell- or particle-based bioassays to be performed in a continuous flow format.
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