| 1. |
- Löfberg, Nina, 1979-
(författare)
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Service Orientation in Manufacturing Firms : Understanding Challenges with Service Business Logic
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Globalisation and competition from low-cost countries has pushed manufacturing firms towards offering services to remain competitive. However, increasing the service orientation of a manufacturing firm to find new ways of value (co-)creation has presented several challenges, such as the fact that services do not provide the expected revenues, and resistance from both the sales force and from customers towards services.The aim of this thesis is to understand challenges linked to increasing service orientation in manufacturing firms, by means of goods and service business logics. The thesis emphasises the three dimensions of business logics – value perspective, service business strategy, and service offering – and studies them empirically in service divisions in the pulp and paper industry and in the automotive industry.The findings show that firms with inconsistency between the three dimensions face certain challenges. Most often, the firms have a value perspective of goods business logic, but a service business strategy and a service offering of service business logic. Therefore, the most important and most difficult challenge to overcome in order to increase a manufacturing firm’s service orientation is the employees’ value perspective.Three service manoeuvres were key to overcoming this challenge: changing employees’ mind-sets, starting to value services, and separating products and services. Although separating products and services could be assessed as a service manoeuvre consistent with goods business logic, it facilitated an increased service orientation. The fact that goods business logic manoeuvres led to a higher degree of service orientation, whereas service business logic manoeuvres did not always do so, is discussed as a service orientation paradox.
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| 2. |
- Spagopoulou, Foteini
(författare)
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Condition-dependence in life history evolution
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ageing is the progressive physiological deterioration that appears with increasing age and eventually leads to a decline in survival and reproduction. This physiological process is omnipresent across the tree of life, but the expected trajectory can widely vary between and within species. Classic theories predict that the evolution of senescence is strongly influenced by the level of extrinsic mortality. Furthermore, variation in early-life developmental environments can shape individual condition and thus lead to alternative life-history strategies. The interplay between early-life environment and individual condition might therefore predict the trajectory of ageing and is of importance when studying life history evolution. In this thesis, I focus on condition dependent life-history strategies and how this can translate in differential ageing patterns. Moreover, I specifically investigate the influence of early-life environment on key life history traits (i.e. survival and reproduction) and how this might eventually carry-over to future generations via nongenetic inheritance. First, I used an experimental approach involving lab populations of the nematode Caenorhabditis remanei to show that males, but not females, pay the cost for the evolution of increased lifespan (Paper I). Second, I used an empirical dataset based on 25 years of observations, to investigate the long-term effects of early-life environment on reproduction and survival (Paper II). Reproductive success of low-condition females in natural populations of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) peaks later in life, when high-condition females are already in steep reproductive decline and suffer from high mortality rates. Third, I used the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis in an experimental environment, to test whether condition-dependent investment in secondary sexual traits affects the life-history strategies of males (Paper III). High-condition males developed and aged faster than low-condition males, but interaction with rival males did not affect male reproductive ageing. Finally, continuing the T. angusticollis experiment, I also found that parental diet interacts with parental sex and offspring sex, ultimately affecting offspring life-histories. Parental effects can thus play an important role in shaping between-individual variation in reproductive and actuarial senescence (Paper IV). Overall, in this thesis I have explored the interaction between environment, condition and ageing in both experimental and natural settings.
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| 3. |
- Grythe, Henrik, 1980-
(författare)
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Primary Marine Aerosol : Validation of sea spray source functions using observations and transport modeling
- 2014
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Sea spray aerosols (SSA) are an important part of the climate system through their effects on the global radiative budget, both directly as scatterers and absorbers of solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) influencing cloud formation, lifetime and precipitation. In terms of their global mass, SSA is the largest source and has the largest uncertainty of all aerosols. In this study I have reviewed 21 SSA source functions from the literature, several of which are used in current climate models, and as a result of this work a new source function is proposed.The model FLEXPART was run in backward mode utilizing a large global set of observed SSA concentrations, comprised of several station networks and ship cruise measurement campaigns. FLEXPART backward calculations produce gridded emission sensitivity fields, which can subsequently be multiplied with gridded SSA production fluxes to obtain modeled SSA concentrations. This allows to efficiently evaluate all 21 source functions at the same time. Another advantage of this method is that source-region information on wind speed and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) could be stored and used for evaluating their influence on SSA production.The main driver of SSA production is wind, and the best fit to the observation data could be obtained when the SSA production is proportional to U103.5. A strong influence of SST on the production could be detected as well, although the underlying physical mechanisms of the SST influence remains unclear. For SST we obtain the best fit to the measurement data when SSA concentration is proportional to 0.031×T+0.39, where T is the source average SST. Based on the model source region average temperature and wind, an empirical fit was made to the data and a new source function obtained. The fit was made by using the model concentrations, observational data, ECMWF winds and the existing source function volume fluxes. Our new source function gives a global SSA production for particles smaller than 10μm of 9Pg yr-1 and is the best fit to the observed concentrations. The existing source functions display the large uncertainties, spanning from a global emitted mass of 1.9 to 100’s of Pg yr-1. Wind dependencies also range strongly and those far from U103.5, have poor correlation with observed values. It is also possible to add temperature dependence to an existing source function to come further towards observed values with the model results. Sea spray aerosols (SSA) are an important part of the climate system through their effects on the global radiative budget, both directly as scatterers and absorbers of solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) influencing cloud formation, lifetime and precipitation. In terms of their global mass, SSA is the largest source and has the largest uncertainty of all aerosols. In this study I have reviewed 21 SSA source functions from the literature, several of which are used in current climate models, and as a result of this work a new source function is proposed.The model FLEXPART was run in backward mode utilizing a large global set of observed SSA concentrations, comprised of several station networks and ship cruise measurement campaigns. FLEXPART backward calculations produce gridded emission sensitivity fields, which can subsequently be multiplied with gridded SSA production fluxes to obtain modeled SSA concentrations. This allows to efficiently evaluate all 21 source functions at the same time. Another advantage of this method is that source-region information on wind speed and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) could be stored and used for evaluating their influence on SSA production.The main driver of SSA production is wind, and the best fit to the observation data could be obtained when the SSA production is proportional to U103.5. A strong influence of SST on the production could be detected as well, although the underlying physical mechanisms of the SST influence remains unclear. For SST we obtain the best fit to the measurement data when SSA concentration is proportional to 0.031×T+0.39, where T is the source average SST. Based on the model source region average temperature and wind, an empirical fit was made to the data and a new source function obtained. The fit was made by using the model concentrations, observational data, ECMWF winds and the existing source function volume fluxes. Our new source function gives a global SSA production for particles smaller than 10μm of 9Pg yr-1 and is the best fit to the observed concentrations. The existing source functions display the large uncertainties, spanning from a global emitted mass of 1.9 to 100’s of Pg yr-1. Wind dependencies also range strongly and those far from U103.5, have poor correlation with observed values. It is also possible to add temperature dependence to an existing source function to come further towards observed values with the model results.Sea spray aerosols (SSA) are an important part of the climate system through their effects on the global radiative budget, both directly as scatterers and absorbers of solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) influencing cloud formation, lifetime and precipitation. In terms of their global mass, SSA is the largest source and has the largest uncertainty of all aerosols. In this study I have reviewed 21 SSA source functions from the literature, several of which are used in current climate models, and as a result of this work a new source function is proposed.The model FLEXPART was run in backward mode utilizing a large global set of observed SSA concentrations, comprised of several station networks and ship cruise measurement campaigns. FLEXPART backward calculations produce gridded emission sensitivity fields, which can subsequently be multiplied with gridded SSA production fluxes to obtain modeled SSA concentrations. This allows to efficiently evaluate all 21 source functions at the same time. Another advantage of this method is that source-region information on wind speed and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) could be stored and used for evaluating their influence on SSA production.The main driver of SSA production is wind, and the best fit to the observation data could be obtained when the SSA production is proportional to U103.5. A strong influence of SST on the production could be detected as well, although the underlying physical mechanisms of the SST influence remains unclear. For SST we obtain the best fit to the measurement data when SSA concentration is proportional to 0.031×T+0.39, where T is the source average SST. Based on the model source region average temperature and wind, an empirical fit was made to the data and a new source function obtained. The fit was made by using the model concentrations, observational data, ECMWF winds and the existing source function volume fluxes. Our new source function gives a global SSA production for particles smaller than 10μm of 9Pg yr-1 and is the best fit to the observed concentrations. The existing source functions display the large uncertainties, spanning from a global emitted mass of 1.9 to 100’s of Pg yr-1. Wind dependencies also range strongly and those far from U103.5, have poor correlation with observed values. It is also possible to add temperature dependence to an existing source function to come further towards observed values with the model results.
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| 4. |
- Gustafsson, Emil, 1982-
(författare)
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Tailoring adhesion and wetting properties of cellulose fibers and model surfaces
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The layer-by-layer (LbL) technique was used to modify the surface of cellulose fibers by consecutive adsorption of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) followed by a final adsorbed layer of anionic paraffin wax colloids. Paper hand sheets made from the modified fibers were found to be highly hydrophobic with a contact angle of 150°. In addition to the significantly increased hydrophobicity, the sheets showed improved mechanical properties, such as a higher tensile strength. Heat treatment of the prepared sheets further enhanced both the mechanical properties and the hydrophobicity. These results demonstrate the flexibility and robustness of the LbL technique, which allows us to combine the known adhesive effect of PAH/PAA LbL films with the functionality of wax nanoparticles, creating a stronger and highly hydrophobic paper.It was further observed that LbL modified sheets without wax also displayed increased hydrophobicity when heat treated. The mechanism was studied through model experiments where LbL films of PAH/PAA were assembled on flat non-porous model cellulose surfaces. Contact angle measurements showed the same trend due to heat treatment of the model films, although, the absolute value of the contact angles were smaller. Analysis using the highly interfacial sensitive vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy technique showed an enrichment of CH3 groups (from the polymer chain ends) at the solid/air interface. These results indicate that during the heat treatment, a reorientation of polymer chains occurs to minimize the surface energy of the LbL film.In the second part of this work, the adhesive interactions between the main constituents of wood fibers were studied using high-resolution measuring techniques and well-defined model films of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Successful surface modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) caps, needed in the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) measuring methodology, by LbL deposition of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) allowed for the first known all-wood biopolymer JKR measurements of the adhesion between cellulose/cellulose, cellulose/lignin and the cellulose/glucomannan surfaces. The work of adhesion on loading and the adhesion hysteresis were similar for all three systems, suggesting that adhesion between the different wood biopolymers does not differ greatly.
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| 5. |
- Gustafsson, Jörgen, 1972-
(författare)
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Historielärobokens föreställningar : Påbjuden identifikation och genreförändring i den obligatoriska skolan 1870–2000
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis sets out to address the question: How is Swedish history put forward as expected identification in history textbooks for the years of compulsory schooling and how did this change during the period 1870-2000? This question is legitimate since the writing of history is a form of meaning-creation that is built through the merging of different components (place, time, actors, objectives, etc.) into a coherent narrative. The writing of history is therefore a form of power.The study include a quantitative total enquiry into all published history textbooks in Sweden between 1870-2000 aimed at compulsory schooling, as well as läroverk and gymnasium. In aim to map out and analyse the framing patterns displayed by the genre in order to answer questions about its characteristics and find out which have been the dominant history textbooks. These have formed basis for the qualitative investigation. The genre has its own clear inherent components such as images which are used over a very long time and found in book after book and publisher after publisher. The genre of history textbooks has an independence in relation to current research in academia and equally The only time there is a fundamental change is after the 1950s and then the whole school system had been recast, but after a while the greater part of the elements under study returned. The results of the thesis point to the consumer side as being what largely upholds the tradition of the genre.A clear change is the significantly increased female representation during the 1990s. When the female representation is portrayed, it is more connected to traditional female values such as family than ever before. I argue that this is a consequence of the gender system’s logic of separation. When there is more space given to female representation, it becomes increasingly important to mark the boundaries between the female and the male.
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| 6. |
- Norin, Lars, 1976-
(författare)
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Secondary Electromagnetic Radiation Generated by HF Pumping of the Ionosphere
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Electromagnetic waves can be used to transmit information over long distances and are therefore often employed for communication purposes. The electromagnetic waves are reflected off material objects on their paths and interact with the medium through which they propagate. For instance, the plasma in the ionosphere can refract and even reflect radio waves propagating through it. By increasing the power of radio waves injected into the ionosphere, the waves start to modify the plasma, resulting in the generation of a wide range of nonlinear processes, including turbulence, in particular near the reflection region. By systematically varying the injected radio waves in terms of frequency, power, polarisation, duty cycle, inclination, etc. the ionosphere can be used as an outdoor laboratory for investigating fundamental properties of the near-Earth space environment as well as of plasma turbulence. In such ionospheric modification experiments, it has been discovered that the irradiation of the ionosphere by powerful radio waves leads to the formation of plasma density structures and to the emission of secondary electromagnetic radiation, a phenomenon known as stimulated electromagnetic emission. These processes are highly repeatable and have enabled systematic investigations of the nonlinear properties of the ionospheric plasma. In this thesis we investigate features of the plasma density structures and the secondary electromagnetic radiation. In a theoretical study we analyse a certain aspect of the formation of the plasma structures. The transient dynamics of the secondary radiation is investigated experimentally in a series of papers, focussing on the initial stage as well as on the decay. In one of the papers we use the transient dynamics of the secondary radiation to reveal the intimate relation between certain features of the radiation and structures of certain scales. Further, we present measurements of unprecedentedly strong secondary radiation, attributed to stimulated Brillouin scattering, and report measurements of the secondary radiation using a novel technique imposed on the transmitted radio waves.
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| 7. |
- Persson, Ing-Marie, 1946-
(författare)
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Krislärande – konfliktfylld anpassning : Pedagogik för samverkan inför samhällskriser
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A societal crisis is an emergency that affects many people and large parts of society, threatening life, health, safety and basic values. In a societal crisis, there is a need for coordination between various bodies in the society. Coordination in societal crises has previously been studied mainly from a management perspective. Learning perspectives have been studied to a lesser extent. The main purpose of this thesis is to increase knowledge about the conditions for developing consensus and establish a common understanding of synergy-effects, a surplus value, for knowledge meetings between individuals from different organizations when they cooperate in the emergency management system. The study seeks to understand to the following questions: 1) What images and ideas do participants bring into the coordination group about societal crisis, how have they developed and changed? 2) How do the participants act when they have different pictures and meet? 3) Can the basic ideas of the research circle be used for knowledge building at knowledge meetings in the emergency management-system? 4) Can the basic ideas of the research circle be used to develop consensus and establish a common understanding of synergy-effects before societal crises happen? The main study consists of three case studies in three different-sized municipalities. It is based on 36 semi-structured interviews with participants in local crisis management coordination groups, observations during exercises and meetings, document studies and an experiment with the so-called knowledge meeting. The results are compared with complementary studies from two knowledge meetings and two coordination exercises based on observation, questionnaires and evaluations. The individuals, organizations, and structures have been identified as frame factors for coordination groups. The results show that the participants have different images of societal crisis and that coordination is a time-consuming approach requiring cross-perspective learning, interaction, as well as dialogue and reflection skills. The participants eventually develop their crisis learning, i.e. conflict-filled adaptation. A system's opened nature is important for individual learning.
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| 8. |
- Sjanic, Zoran, 1975-
(författare)
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Navigation and SAR Auto-focusing in a Sensor Fusion Framework
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Since its discovery, in the 1940's, radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) has become an important ranging sensor in many areas of technology and science. Most of the military and many civilian applications are unimaginable today without radar. With technology development, radar application areas have become larger and more available. One of these applications is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), where an airborne radar is used to create high resolution images of the imaged scene. Although known since the 1950's, the SAR methods have been continuously developed and improved and new algorithms enabling real-time applications have emerged lately. Together with making the hardware components smaller and lighter, SAR has become an interesting sensor to be mounted on smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's). One important thing needed in the SAR algorithms is the estimate of the platform's motion, like position and velocity. Since this estimate is always corrupted with errors, particularly if lower grade navigation system, common in UAV applications, is used, the SAR images will be distorted. One of the most frequently appearing distortions caused by the unknown platform's motion is the image defocus. The process of correcting the image focus is called auto-focusing in SAR terminology. Traditionally, this problem was solved by methods that discard the platform's motion information, mostly due to the off-line processing approach, i.e. the images were created after the flight. Since the image (de)focus and the motion of the platform are related to each other, it is possible to utilise the information from the SAR images as a sensor and improve the estimate of the platform's motion. The auto-focusing problem can be cast as a sensor fusion problem. Sensor fusion is the process of fusing information from different sensors, in order to obtain best possible estimate of the states. Here, the information from sensors measuring platform's motion, mainly accelerometers, will be fused together with the information from the SAR images to estimate the motion of the flying platform. Two different methods based on this approach are tested on the simulated SAR data and the results are evaluated. One method is based on an optimisation based formulation of the sensor fusion problem, leading to batch processing, while the other method is based on the sequential processing of the radar data, leading to a filtering approach. The obtained results are promising for both methods and the obtained performance is comparable with the performance of a high precision navigation aid, such as Global Positioning System (GPS).
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| 9. |
- Zuo, Minyu
(författare)
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Enhanced phosphorus removal from wastewater using virgin and modified slags : performance, speciation and mechanisms
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Argon oxygen decarburization slag (AOD) was tested in batch and column experiments to investigate its phosphorus (P) removal performance. The effects of factors such as AOD dose, initial P concentration of the feeding solution, and aging on the P removal ability of the slags were analyzed. In a column experiment, electric arc furnace slag (EAF), blast furnace slag (BFS) and AOD were combined in five different ways to determine optimal conditions for P removal. In another column experiment, the three types of slag were modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and NaOH to adjust their dissolution properties and the effect on P removal performance was examined. In the batch experiments, AOD exhibited very promising P removal ability. It removed 94.8% of P from 6.5 mg P L-1 synthetic solution in 4 hours with a dose of 5 g L-1. Maximum P removal capacity of 27.5 mg P g-1 was achieved. In the dual-filter column experiment, the column packed with only EAF had the best P removal performance (consistently above 93%). Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) was identified as the main P species in the five slag samples collected from the outlet chambers. The contributions from crystalline calcium phosphate (Ca-P) and P adsorbed on iron/aluminum (hydr)oxides were greater in samples from the inlet chambers. The P speciation results revealed that P was predominantly removed by the slags through formation of ACP. The second column experiment showed that modification with PEG and NaOH solution only enhanced short-term P removal by the slags. However, exhaustion of the modified slags occurred much earlier, indicating that the modification process had shortened the lifespan of the slags. Untreated AOD showed better P removal than untreated EAF until pore volume 244, probably due to faster dissolution rate of gamma dicalcium silicate (dominating in AOD according to the XRD results) than of beta dicalcium silicate (dominating in EAF).
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| 10. |
- Andersson K, Pernille
(författare)
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Changing the servicescape : The influence of music, self-disclosure and eye gaze on service encounter experience and approach-avoidance behavior
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and understand the effect of a servicescape’s ambient and social conditions on consumers’ service encounter experience and their approach/avoidance behavior in a retail context. In three papers, with a total sample of over 1600 participants (including 550 actual consumers) and seven experiments, the author investigates the effect of music (ambient stimuli), employees’ self-disclosure (verbal social stimuli) and employees’ gazing behavior (nonverbal social stimuli) on consumers’ service encounter experience and approach/avoidance behavior in a retail store.Paper I comprised two experiments, and the aim was to investigate the influence of music on emotions, approach/avoidance behavior. Paper II comprised two experiments, and the aim was to investigate the effect of frontline employees’ personal self-disclosure on consumers’ reciprocal behavior. Paper III comprised three experiments, and the aim was to investigate the influence of employee’s direct eye gaze/ averted eye gaze on consumer emotions, social impression of the frontline employee and encounter satisfaction in different purchase situations.The results in this thesis show that music affects consumers in both positive and negative ways (Paper I). Self-disclosure affects consumers negatively, in such a way that it decreases encounter satisfaction (Paper II) and, finally, eye gaze affects consumers by regulating both positively – and in some cases also negatively – consumers’ social impression of the frontline employee and their encounter satisfaction (Paper III).The conclusions of this thesis are that both ambient and social stimuli in a servicescape affect consumers’ internal responses, which in turn affect their behavior. Depending on the purchase situation, type of retail, and stimuli, the internal and behavioral responses are different.
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| 11. |
- Fletcher, Kevin
(författare)
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Causes and consequences of life-history variation : The effects of parasites, glucocorticoids, and environmental conditions in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis)
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Life-history is the study of all the different stages of life that affect reproductive success and survival between the birth and death of an organism. The reproductive output of an organism is constrained by many things including time, resource, disease agents and environmental conditions. In addition, lineage-specific traits and the limitations of the physiological systems can limit how an organism responds to ecological processes, and thus constrains the variation of life histories represented in nature. Central to the theory of life history are the trade-offs that organisms make during their lifetime to maximise their reproductive potential. In this thesis, I focus on the effect of haemosporidian blood parasites on host life history, in relation to the glucocorticoid response and environmental conditions. The host study species is a population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), a species that provides bi-parental care, located in the south of Gotland. We show that nestling condition predicts parasite infection and that parasite-mediated selection can start early on in the birds’ life. We also found a link between Lower levels of glucocorticoids and parasite infection, which might indicate a trade-off between immunity and reproductive effort. Adult birds’ upregulated glucocorticoids in response to an increase in reproductive effort and a predictable change in energy demand during reproduction. I also show that glucocorticoids respond to changing environmental conditions. These results together accentuate the importance of the plasticity of the glucocorticoid response to reproductive success. Moreover, higher levels of hormone during reproduction predicted survival to the next breeding season. In nestlings, glucocorticoid levels increased as a consequence of parent infection status and an increase in reproductive effort. Overall, our results indicate that the glucocorticoid response is context dependent. Finally, female collared flycatchers might pay a fitness cost as a consequence of parasite infection, but can still reproduce successfully suggesting that they can tolerate the parasite. To further our understanding of costs related to parasite infection, we must understand better the mechanisms that enable the host to tolerate infection. This study indicates that glucocorticoids provide a useful tool to detect how wild birds respond to predictable and unpredictable challenges.
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| 12. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic and drug target evaluation of 90 cardiovascular proteins in 30,931 individuals.
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature metabolism. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2522-5812. ; 2:10, s. 1135-1148
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Circulating proteins are vital in human health and disease and are frequently used as biomarkers for clinical decision-making or as targets for pharmacological intervention. Here, we map and replicate protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) for 90 cardiovascular proteins in over 30,000 individuals, resulting in 451 pQTLs for 85 proteins. For each protein, we further perform pathway mapping to obtain trans-pQTL gene and regulatory designations. We substantiate these regulatory findings with orthogonal evidence for trans-pQTLs using mouse knockdown experiments (ABCA1 and TRIB1) and clinical trial results (chemokine receptors CCR2 and CCR5), with consistent regulation. Finally, we evaluate known drug targets, and suggest new target candidates or repositioning opportunities using Mendelian randomization. This identifies 11 proteins with causal evidence of involvement in human disease that have not previously been targeted, including EGF, IL-16, PAPPA, SPON1, F3, ADM, CASP-8, CHI3L1, CXCL16, GDF15 and MMP-12. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the utility of large-scale mapping of the genetics of the proteome and provide a resource for future precision studies of circulating proteins in human health.
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| 13. |
- Gustafsson, Emil, 1982-
(författare)
-
Tailoring Adhesion and Wetting Properties of Cellulose Fibres and Model Surfaces Using Layer-by-Layer Technology
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The versatile layer-by-layer (LbL) technique, for consecutive adsorption of polyelectrolytes and charged nanoparticles onto a substrate, was used to modify cellulose fibres and model surfaces for improved mechanical and wetting properties. In addition to being used to modify cellulose substrates, the LbL technique was also used to create cellulose surfaces suitable for high resolution adhesion measurements. LbL assembly of cellulose nanofibrils and polyethylenimine was used to prepare cellulose model surfaces on polydimethylsiloxane hemispheres which allowed for the first known Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) adhesion measurements between cellulose and smooth, well-defined model surfaces of cellulose, lignin and glucomannan. The work of adhesion on loading and the adhesion hysteresis were comparable for all three systems which suggest that adhesion between wood constituents is similar. The LbL technique was also used to decrease the hydrophilicity of paper, while improving the dry strength, by coating cellulose fibres with a polylallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) LbL film, followed by adsorption of anionic wax particles. Paper sheets made from the modified fibres were highly hydrophobic with a contact angle of 150°, while retaining, and in some cases improving, the tensile index of the paper. It was also observed that PAH/PAA modified sheets without the addition of wax became hydrophobic when heat treated. The mechanism behind the increased hydrophobicity was studied by the interface sensitive technique, vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy, which indicated that the increased hydrophobicity is a result of the reorientation of polymer chains to expose more hydrophobic CH2 and CH groups at the polymer-air interface. Paper sheets prepared from LbL-modified bleached softwood fibres using PAH and the biopolymer hyaluronic acid (HA) exhibited a 6.5% strain at break and a tensile index which was increased 3-fold compared to unmodified fibres. The wet adhesive properties of the PAH/HA system were studied by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy and correlated to film growth and viscoelastic behavior. The presence of background salt was a crucial parameter for achieving high adhesion but time in contact and LbL film thickness also strongly affected the adhesion. Finally, the wet adhesive properties of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), which had been irreversibly adsorbed to regenerated cellulose, and polyvinylamine (PVAm) were evaluated by means of 90° peel tests. Strong wet adhesion was achieved for dried rewetted samples without any obvious chemical crosslinking, which was attributed to interdigitation and complex formation in PVAm-CMC films. This system also gave significant wet adhesion for non-dried systems at water contents around 45%.
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| 14. |
- Gustafsson, Michael, 1974-
(författare)
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Light from Dark Matter : Hidden Dimensions, Supersymmetry, and Inert Higgs
- 2008
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Recent observational achievements within cosmology and astrophysics have lead to a concordance model in which the energy content in our Universe is dominated by presumably fundamentally new and exotic ingredients – dark energy and dark matter. To reveal the nature of these ingredients is one of the greatest challenges in physics.The detection of a signal in gamma rays from dark matter annihilation would significantly contribute to revealing the nature of dark matter. This thesis presents derived imprints in gamma-ray spectra that could be expected from dark matter annihilation. In particular, dark matter particle candidates emerging in models with extra space dimensions, extending the standard model to be supersymmetric, and introducing an inert Higgs doublet are investigated. In all these scenarios dark matter annihilation induces sizeable and distinct signatures in their gamma-ray spectra. The predicted signals are in the form of monochromatic gamma-ray lines or a pronounced spectrum with a sharp cutoff at the dark matter particle’s mass. These signatures have no counterparts in the expected astrophysical background and are therefore well suited for dark matter searches.Furthermore, numerical simulations of galaxies are studied to learn how baryons, that is, stars and gas, affect the expected dark matter distribution inside disk galaxies such as the Milky Way. From regions of increased dark matter concentrations, annihilation signals are expected to be the strongest. Estimations of dark matter induced gamma-ray fluxes from such regions are presented.The types of dark matter signals presented in this thesis will be searched for with existing and future gamma-ray telescopes.Finally, a claimed detection of dark matter annihilation into gamma rays is discussed and found to be unconvincing.
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| 15. |
- Johansson, Kenny, 1978-
(författare)
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Low Power and Low Complexity Shift-and-Add Based Computations
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main issue in this thesis is to minimize the energy consumption per operation for the arithmetic parts of DSP circuits, such as digital filters. More specific, the focus is on single- and multiple-constant multiplications, which are realized using shift-and-add based computations. The possibilities to reduce the complexity, i.e., the chip area, and the energy consumption are investigated. Both serial and parallel arithmetic are considered. The main difference, which is of interest here, is that shift operations in serial arithmetic require flip-flops, while shifts can be hardwired in parallel arithmetic.The possible ways to connect a given number of adders is limited. Thus, for single-constant multiplication, the number of shift-and-add structures is finite. We show that it is possible to save both adders and shifts compared to traditional multipliers. Two algorithms for multiple-constant multiplication using serial arithmetic are proposed. For both algorithms, the total complexity is decreased compared to one of the best-known algorithms designed for parallel arithmetic. Furthermore, the impact of the digit-size, i.e., the number of bits to be processed in parallel, is studied for FIR filters implemented using serial arithmetic. Case studies indicate that the minimum energy consumption per sample is often obtained for a digit-size of around four bits.The energy consumption is proportional to the switching activity, i.e., the average number of transitions between the two logic levels per clock cycle. To achieve low power designs, it is necessary to develop accurate high-level models that can be used to estimate the switching activity. A method for computing the switching activity in bit-serial constant multipliers is proposed.For parallel arithmetic, a detailed complexity model for constant multiplication is introduced. The model counts the required number of full and half adder cells. It is shown that the complexity can be significantly reduced by considering the interconnection between the adders. A main factor for energy consumption in constant multipliers is the adder depth, i.e., the number of cascaded adders. The reason for this is that the switching activity will increase when glitches are propagated to subsequent adders. We propose an algorithm, where all multiplier coefficients are guaranteed to be realized at the theoretically lowest depth possible. Implementation examples show that the energy consumption is significantly reduced using this algorithm compared to solutions with fewer word level adders.For most applications, the input data are correlated since real world signals are processed. A data dependent switching activity model is derived for ripple-carry adders. Furthermore, a switching activity model for the single adder multiplier is proposed. This is a good starting point for accurate modeling of shift-and-add based computations using more adders.Finally, a method to rewrite an arbitrary function as a sum of weighted bit-products is presented. It is shown that for many elementary functions, a majority of the bit-products can be neglected while still maintaining reasonable high accuracy, since the weights are significantly smaller than the allowed error. The function approximation algorithms can be implemented using a low complexity architecture, which can easily be pipelined to an arbitrary degree for increased throughput.
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| 16. |
- Modén, Carl S., 1979-
(författare)
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Micromechanics of softwoods in the transverse plane : effects on cell and annual ring scales
- 2008
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Transverse mechanical properties of wood are important in many practial applications and an interesting scientific subject. A very low transverse shear modulus has been identified in spruce, which causes large strain concentrations in wood structures. In this thesis, experimental characterization of local density variations as well as local strain fields are carried out using the SilviScan apparatus and digital speckle photography, respectively. This is combined with micromechanical modeling based on hexagonal wood cells in combination with finite element analysis. Problems addressed include the moduli in the transverse plane, including variations at the scale of individual annual rings. The relative importance of cell wall bending and stretching deformation mechanisms is analysed as a function of wood cell geometry, relative density and direction of loading (radial, tangential and shear). Transverse anisotropy is also analyzed, including its dependency of earlywood and latewood characteristics. The wood cell shape angle variation and density effects are sufficient to explain transverse anisotropy in softwoods (no ray effects), and the influence of earlywood/latewood ratio is explained. As a practical test method for shear modulus measurements, an off-axis compression test with full-field strain determination is proposed. The advantage is a simple fixture and large region of representative strain required for a heterogeneous material such as wood. As an alternative, the single cube apparatus (SCA) for shear tests is evaluated. The SCA is used to determine the shear strain distribution within the annual rings. Based on the density distribution of the shear test specimen and a micromechanics model, a finite element model is developed, and predictions are compared with the measured shear strains. The agreement between predicted and measured shear strains at the annual ring scale are remarkably good. It shows that the low GRT of spruce is due to the low earlywood density and the large cell wall bending deformation resulting from shear loading. Furthermore, it illustrates the need for improved understanding of annual ring scale effects. For example, fairly low transverse global loads will lead to lage local shear strains.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Arct, Aneta, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of elevated nest box temperature on incubation behaviour and offspring fitness-related traits in the Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Ornithology. - : Springer Nature. - 2193-7192 .- 2193-7206. ; 163, s. 263-272
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ambient temperature experienced by an animal during development or subsequently as an adult can affect many aspects of its behaviour and life-history traits. In birds, egg incubation is a vital component of reproduction and parental care. Several studies have suggested that environmental factors (such as nest microclimate) can influence the ability of incubating parents to maintain suitable conditions for embryo development. Here, we manipulated the developmental conditions of embryos through a modification of nest box thermal microclimate to investigate female incubation behaviour and its impact on offspring fitness-related traits in a wild population of the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). The temperature in experimental nests was increased using a heat-pack placed under the roof of a nest box, resulting in an average temperature increase of 2.5 degrees C, which corresponds to projected climate change scenarios. We demonstrated that females from nests with elevated temperature spent less time in the nest box during egg incubation and had more off-bouts than females from control nests. Moreover, we found that offspring from the experimentally heated nests had larger body mass at fledging in comparison to the control ones. Our study indicates that nest microclimate during the incubation period affects female incubation behaviour and offspring quality, indicating that environmental variation in nest temperature early in ontogeny can have important and long-lasting fitness consequences.
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| 19. |
- Arct, Aneta, et al.
(författare)
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Parental genetic similarity and offspring performance in blue tits in relation to brood size manipulation
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : WILEY. - 2045-7758. ; 9:18, s. 10085-10091
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In birds, as in many other taxa, higher genetic similarity of mates has long been known to reduce offspring fitness. To date, the majority of avian studies have focused on examination whether the genetic similarity of social mates predicts hatching success. Yet, increased genetic similarity of mates may also reduce offspring fitness during later life stages, including the nestling period and beyond. Here, we investigated whether parental genetic similarity influences offspring performance using data from free-living blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) collected across three breeding seasons. Additionally, we tested whether brood size manipulation affects the magnitude and direction of the relationship between genetic similarity of mates and offspring performance. Sixteen microsatellite markers were used to measure genetic similarity between biological parents. We found that the genetic similarity of parents negatively affects offspring immune response and this effect was independent of the experimental brood size manipulation.
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| 20. |
- Arct, Aneta, et al.
(författare)
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Temperature variability is associated with the occurrence of extrapair paternity in blue tits
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Behavioral Ecology. - : Oxford University Press. - 1045-2249 .- 1465-7279. ; 35:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In birds, extrapair paternity (EPP) constitutes an alternative mating strategy, with potentially important fitness consequences for both males and females and their offspring. Several factors have been identified that can influence the occurrence of EPP, but the role of environmental variability has so far received relatively little attention. Using long-term data set from a wild population of the blue tit (Cyanistes cearuleus), we assess the importance of ambient temperature in modulating the levels of extrapair paternity. Here, we showed that the variability of local thermal conditions affects the occurrence of EPP. Specifically, we found that the probability of EPP increased with rising variability in ambient temperature experienced by females prior to egg laying. This pattern is consistent with an idea of plastic female responses to unpredictable environments. Our results suggest that extrapair mating may represent an adaptive behavioral strategy to compensate for the potential negative effects of unstable environmental conditions.
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| 21. |
- Arct, Aneta, et al.
(författare)
-
The interactive effect of ambient temperature and brood size manipulation on nestling body mass in blue tits : an exploratory analysis of a long-term study
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Zoology. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1742-9994. ; 19:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Relatively few studies have examined the interactive effects of ecological factors on physiological responses in wild animals. Nearly all of them have been short-term investigations that did not include experimental manipulations, limiting our ability to understand how climate change will affect natural populations. Using a 10-year brood size manipulation experiment in wild blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), we quantified the impact of weather conditions and brood competition on the body mass and structural size (tarsus length) of nestlings just prior to leaving the nest. Results We found that variation in nestling body mass on day 14 after hatching was explained by an interactive effect between average ambient temperature experienced during nestling period and brood size treatment. Specifically, in control broods nestling body mass was correlated with temperature in a non-linear manner (concave) with the vertex point (maximum body mass) at ca. 13 degrees C. In contrast, in enlarged broods nestling body mass permanently increased (also non-linearly) as temperature advanced. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of considering the effects of brood rearing conditions alongside other environmental factors experienced during growth while investigating early-life environmental effects on body condition.
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| 22. |
- Bonnet, Timothee, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic variance in fitness indicates rapid contemporary adaptive evolution in wild animals
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 376:6596, s. 1012-1016
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The rate of adaptive evolution, the contribution of selection to genetic changes that increase mean fitness, is determined by the additive genetic variance in individual relative fitness. To date, there are few robust estimates of this parameter for natural populations, and it is therefore unclear whether adaptive evolution can play a meaningful role in short-term population dynamics. We developed and applied quantitative genetic methods to long-term datasets from 19 wild bird and mammal populations and found that, while estimates vary between populations, additive genetic variance in relative fitness is often substantial and, on average, twice that of previous estimates. We show that these rates of contemporary adaptive evolution can affect population dynamics and hence that natural selection has the potential to partly mitigate effects of current environmental change.
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| 23. |
- Briedis, Martins, et al.
(författare)
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A full annual perspective on sex-biased migration timing in long-distance migratory birds
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 286:1897
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many taxa, the most common form of sex-biased migration timing is protandry – the earlier arrival of males at breeding areas. Here we test this concept across the annual cycle of long-distance migratory birds. Using more than 350 migration tracks of small-bodied trans-Saharan migrants, we quantify differences in male and female migration schedules and test for proximate determinants of sex-specific timing. In autumn, males started migration about 2 days earlier, but this difference did not carry over to arrival at the non-breeding sites. In spring, males on average departed from the African non-breeding sites about 3 days earlier and reached breeding sites ca 4 days ahead of females. A cross-species comparison revealed large variation in the level of protandry and protogyny across the annual cycle. While we found tight links between individual timing of departure and arrival within each migration season, only for males the timing of spring migration was linked to the timing of previous autumn migration. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that protandry is not exclusively a reproductive strategy but rather occurs year-round and the two main proximate determinants for the magnitude of sex-biased arrival times in autumn and spring are sex-specific differences in departure timing and migration duration.
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| 24. |
- Briedis, Martins, et al.
(författare)
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Broad-scale patterns of the Afro-Palaearctic landbird migration
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : WILEY. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 29:4, s. 722-735
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Knowledge of broad-scale biogeographical patterns of animal migration is important for understanding ecological drivers of migratory behaviours. Here, we present a flyway-scale assessment of the spatial structure and seasonal dynamics of the Afro-Palaearctic bird migration system and explore how phenology of the environment guides long-distance migration.Location: Europe and Africa.Time period: 2009-2017.Major taxa studied: Birds.Methods: We compiled an individual-based dataset comprising 23 passerine and near-passerine species of 55 European breeding populations, in which a total of 564 individuals were tracked during migration between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, we used remotely sensed primary productivity data (the normalized difference vegetation index) to estimate the timing of vegetation green-up in spring and senescence in autumn across Europe. First, we described how individual breeding and non-breeding sites and the migratory flyways link geographically. Second, we examined how the timing of migration along the two major Afro-Palaearctic flyways is tuned with vegetation phenology at the breeding sites.Results: We found the longitudes of individual breeding and non-breeding sites to be related in a strongly positive manner, whereas the latitudes of breeding and non-breeding sites were related negatively. In autumn, migration commenced ahead of vegetation senescence, and the timing of migration was 5-7 days earlier along the Western flyway compared with the Eastern flyway. In spring, the time of arrival at breeding sites was c. 1.5 days later for each degree northwards and 6-7 days later along the Eastern compared with the Western flyway, reflecting the later spring green-up at higher latitudes and more eastern longitudes.Main conclusions: Migration of the Afro-Palaearctic landbirds follows a longitudinally parallel leapfrog migration pattern, whereby migrants track vegetation green-up in spring but depart before vegetation senescence in autumn. The degree of continentality along migration routes and at the breeding sites of the birds influences the timing of migration on a broad scale.
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| 25. |
- Broadaway, K Alaine, et al.
(författare)
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Loci for insulin processing and secretion provide insight into type 2 diabetes risk.
- 2023
-
Ingår i: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 110:2, s. 284-299
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Insulin secretion is critical for glucose homeostasis, and increased levels of the precursor proinsulin relative to insulin indicate pancreatic islet beta-cell stress and insufficient insulin secretory capacity in the setting of insulin resistance. We conducted meta-analyses of genome-wide association results for fasting proinsulin from 16 European-ancestry studies in 45,861 individuals. We found 36 independent signals at 30 loci (p value < 5 × 10-8), which validated 12 previously reported loci for proinsulin and ten additional loci previously identified for another glycemic trait. Half of the alleles associated with higher proinsulin showed higher rather than lower effects on glucose levels, corresponding to different mechanisms. Proinsulin loci included genes that affect prohormone convertases, beta-cell dysfunction, vesicle trafficking, beta-cell transcriptional regulation, and lysosomes/autophagy processes. We colocalized 11 proinsulin signals with islet expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data, suggesting candidate genes, including ARSG, WIPI1, SLC7A14, and SIX3. The NKX6-3/ANK1 proinsulin signal colocalized with a T2D signal and an adipose ANK1 eQTL signal but not the islet NKX6-3 eQTL. Signals were enriched for islet enhancers, and we showed a plausible islet regulatory mechanism for the lead signal in the MADD locus. These results show how detailed genetic studies of an intermediate phenotype can elucidate mechanisms that may predispose one to disease.
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| 26. |
- Cullhed, Anna, 1966-
(författare)
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The language of passion : the order of poetics and the construction of a lyric genre 1746-1806
- 2001
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The subject of this dissertation is the construction of a lyric genre in academic poetics between 1746 and 1806, in handbooks and lectures by Ch. Batteux, J. A. Schlegel, J. G. Sulzer, H. Blair, J. J. Eschenburg, J. J. Engel, A. W. Schlegel, F. W. J. Schelling, F. Ast, and F. Bouterwek. The study also aims at a reconsideration of neoclassical versus romantic poetics. The first chapter investigates the relation between tradition and discourse. It argues that poetics as a discipline relies on an ancient legacy and on contemporary legitimising discourses, such as the natural sciences, moral philosophy, or idealist philosophy. The two levels indicate sites of interplay between continuity and change. The second chapter discusses the concept of genre. It is established that the lyric genre is not dependent on a triadic system of genres. All sources provide generic enumerations, even though they represent different approaches to systematic closure. The lyric genre consists of a classical canon paired with a more changeable set of contemporary lyrics. The lyric genre is defined as the language of passion in all sources and is connected with brevity, enthusiasm, metrical freedom, and disorder. In the third chapter lyrical expression is related to concepts such as imitation, authenticity, original poetry, and religious poetry. The lyric genre vacillates between the expression of universal and individual feelings. It is argued that the identification of lyric poetry as expression does not entail that the emotions in question are to be understood as authentic.
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| 27. |
- Dodig-Crnkovic, Gordana, 1955-
(författare)
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Investigations into Information Semantics and Ethics of Computing
- 2006
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The recent development of the research field of Computing and Philosophy has triggered investigations into the theoretical foundations of computing and information.This thesis consists of two parts which are the result of studies in two areas of Philosophy of Computing (PC) and Philosophy of Information (PI) regarding the production of meaning (semantics) and the value system with applications (ethics).The first part develops a unified dual-aspect theory of information and computation, in which information is characterized as structure, and computation is the information dynamics. This enables naturalization of epistemology, based on interactive information representation and communication. In the study of systems modeling, meaning, truth and agency are discussed within the framework of the PI/PC unification.The second part of the thesis addresses the necessity of ethical judgment in rational agency illustrated by the problem of information privacy and surveillance in the networked society. The value grounds and socio-technological solutions for securing trustworthiness of computing are analyzed. Privacy issues clearly show the need for computing professionals to contribute to understanding of the technological mechanisms of Information and Communication Technology.The main original contribution of this thesis is the unified dual-aspect theory of computation/information. Semantics of information is seen as a part of the data-information-knowledge structuring, in which complex structures are self-organized by the computational processing of information. Within the unified model, complexity is a result of computational processes on informational structures. The thesis argues for the necessity of computing beyond the Turing-Church limit, motivated by natural computation, and wider by pancomputationalism and paninformationalism, seen as two complementary views of the same physical reality. Moreover, it follows that pancomputationalism does not depend on the assumption that the physical world on some basic level is digital. Contrary to many believes it is entirely compatible with dual (analogue/digital) quantum-mechanical computing.
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| 28. |
- Drobniak, Szymon M., et al.
(författare)
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Differential effects of steroid hormones on levels of broad-sense heritability in a wild bird : possible mechanism of environment x genetic variance interaction?
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Heredity. - : Springer Nature. - 0018-067X .- 1365-2540. ; 128:1, s. 63-76
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic variation is one of the key concepts in evolutionary biology and an important prerequisite of evolutionary change. However, we know very little about processes that modulate its levels in wild populations. In particular, we still are to understand why genetic variances often depend on environmental conditions. One of possible environment-sensitive modulators of observed levels of genetic variance are maternal effects. In this study we attempt to experimentally test the hypothesis that maternally transmitted agents (e.g. hormones) may influence the expression of genetic variance in quantitative traits in the offspring. We manipulated the levels of steroid hormones (testosterone and corticosterone) in eggs laid by blue tits in a wild population. Our experimental setup allowed for full crossing of genetic and rearing effects with the experimental manipulation. We observed that birds treated with corticosterone exhibited a significant decrease in broad-sense genetic variance of tarsus length, and an increase in this component in body mass on the 2nd day post-hatching. Our study indicates, that maternally transmitted substances such as hormones may have measurable impact on the levels of genetic variance and hence, on the evolutionary potential of quantitative traits.
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| 29. |
- Drobniak, Szymon M., et al.
(författare)
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Habitat shapes diversity of gut microbiomes in a wild population of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Avian Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0908-8857 .- 1600-048X. ; 2022:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbiome constitutes an important axis of individual variation that, together with genes and the environment, influences an individual's physiology and fitness. Microbiomes are dependent not only on an individual's body condition but also on external factors, such as diet or stress levels, and as such can be involved into feedbacks between the external ecological factors and internal physiology. In our study, we used a wild population of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus to investigate the impact of external habitat composition on the microbiome of adult birds. We hypothesized that - through differences in plant composition, potentially affecting diet complexity - habitat type may impact the diversity and structure of the gut microbiome. Blue tits breeding in dense deciduous forests tended to have more diverse microbiomes and be significantly different in terms of microbiome composition from birds breeding in open, sparsely forested hay meadows. Distinct study plots also tended to differ in a number of parameters describing microbiome diversity. We observed no microbiome differentiation according to individual characteristics such as sex or age. The study emphasizes that external environment is one of the important modulators of microbiome diversity and calls for more such studies in wild animal populations.
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| 30. |
- Eveborn, David
(författare)
-
Bed filters for phosphorus removal in on-site wastewater treatment : Removal mechanisms and sustainability
- 2010
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- For many surface waters, phosphorus (P) leaching is a serious problem that should be minimized to prevent eutrophication. In Sweden there is a demand for physical and technical development of high-performance P removal techniques to reduce phosphorus leaching from on-site wastewater treatment systems to the Baltic Sea. However, although these systems are designed to reduce eutrophication there are also other environmental impacts to be considered when implementing them in on-site systems; energy use and global warming potential are two examples. This study has investigated several bed filter materials (reactive media and natural soils) for their total environmental impact (in commercial applications) as well as for the predominating chemical phosphorus removal mechanisms. The use of life cycle assessment revealed that several reactive bed filters are relatively energy-consuming due to the material manufacturing process. Characterization of phosphorus compounds in used reactive media provided evidence for calcium phosphate precipitation as the predominating P removal mechanism in alkaline filter materials. However, in soil treatment systems with noncalcareous soils, batch experiments and extractions suggested that aluminium compounds were important for P removal. According to mass balance calculations that compared accumulated P with the estimated P load in a soil treatment system, the long term P removal capacity was very low; only 6.4 % of the applied phosphorus had been removed during 16 years of operation.
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| 31. |
- Fletcher, Kevin, et al.
(författare)
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Glucocorticoid response to both predictable and unpredictable challenges detected as corticosterone metabolites in collared flycatcher droppings
- 2018
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In most vertebrate animals, glucocorticoid hormones are the chief mediators of homeostasis in response to ecological conditions and as they progress through their lifecycle. In addition, glucocorticoids are a major part of the stress response and stress induced elevations of the hormone can make it difficult to assess glucocorticoid secretion in response to changes in life-stage and current environmental conditions in wild animals. Particularly when quantifying circulating levels of glucocorticoids in the blood which fluctuate rapidly in response to stress. An alternative method of quantifying glucocorticoids is as hormone metabolites in faeces or urine giving a historical sample related to the gut passage time and urinary tract that is less sensitive to stressful events which cause spikes in the circulating hormone level. Although the concentration of glucocorticoid metabolites are influenced by faecal mass thereby potentially affecting any differences in hormone metabolites detected amongst samples. In the present study, we aimed to detect changes in levels of corticosterone, the primary bird glucocorticoid, in relation to the phase of reproduction, in a breeding population of collared flycatchers by sampling corticosterone metabolites in droppings. We also tested how corticosterone metabolite concentrations were affected by ambient temperature and related to body condition in adult birds. Our results indicate that the upregulation of corticosterone between incubation and nestling feeding in female birds is crucial for successful reproduction in this species. Also, females appear to downregulate corticosterone during incubation in response to lower ambient temperature and poorer body condition. Our results did not indicate a relationship between dropping mass and corticosterone metabolite concentrations, which suggests that our findings were linked to the regulation of corticosterone in response to predictable and unpredictable challenges.
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| 32. |
- Fletcher, Kevin, et al.
(författare)
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Importance of infection of haemosporidia blood parasites during different life history stages for long-term reproductive fitness of collared flycatchers
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Journal of Avian Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0908-8857 .- 1600-048X. ; 50:8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interaction between birds and haemosporidia blood parasites is a well-used system in the study of parasite biology. However, where, when and how parasites are transmitted is often unclear and defining parasite transmission dynamics is essential because of how they influence parasite-mediated costs to the host. In this study, we used cross-sectional and longitudinal data taken from a collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis population to investigate the temporal dynamics of haemosporidia parasite infection and parasite-mediated costs to host fitness. We investigated host-parasite interactions starting at the nestling stage of the bird's life-cycle and then followed their progress over three breeding attempts to quantify their fitness - measured as the number of offspring they produced that recruited back into the breeding population. We found that the majority of haemosporidia blood parasite infections occurred within the first year of life and that the most common parasite lineages that infected the breeding population also infected juvenile birds in the natal environment. Moreover, our findings suggest that collared flycatcher nestlings in poorer condition could be at a higher risk of haemosporidia blood parasite infection. In this study, only female and not male bird fitness was adversely affected by parasite infection and the cost of infection on female fitness depended on the timing of transmission. In conclusion, our study indicates that in collared flycatchers, early-life is potentially important for many of the interactions with haemosporidia parasite lineages, and evidence of parasite-mediated costs to fitness suggest that these parasites may have influenced the host population dynamics.
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| 33. |
- Gebresenbut, Girma Hailu, 1982-
(författare)
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Syntheses, structure determination, magnetic and thermoelectric properties of quasicrystal approximants in RE-Au-SM systems (RE = Gd, Tb and Yb and SM = Si, Ge)
- 2014
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this study, new compositions of Tsai-type 1/1 quasicrystal approximants Gd(14)Au(70)Si(16), Gd(14)Au(67)Ge(19), Tb(14)Au(70)Si(16) and Yb(16)Au(65)Ge(19)are synthesized using both self-flux and arc-melting-annealing techniques. Both syntheses routes resulted single phase samples. The crystal structures of the compounds are determined by collecting single crystal X-ray and/or powder X-ray and powder neutron diffraction intensities. The atomic structure refinements indicated that the compounds are essentially iso-structural with the prototype Tsai-type 1/1 approximant crystal, YbCd6. However, there are subtle structural variations at their cluster centers and in the so-called cubic interstices which affects some of their physical properties.Thermoelectric and magnetic properties of the compounds are investigated. Significant differences are observed in the thermoelectric properties of Gd(14)Au(70)Si(16), Gd(14)Au(67)Ge(19) and Yb(16)Au(65)Ge(19) compounds which are explained on the bases of their crystal structures and chemical compositions. Magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements revealed ferromagnetic transitions at low temperatures, Tc ≈ 22.5 K for Gd(14)Au(70)Si(16) and Tc ≈ 13.1 K for Gd(14)Au(67)Ge(19), whereas, for the Tb(14)Au(70)Si(16) compound a ferrimagnetic-like transition is observed at Tc ≈ 9 K. Moreover, a re-entrant spin-glass transition is observed at TRSG ≈ 3.3 K for Gd(14)Au(67)Ge(19) compound. Finally, the magnetic structure of the Tb(14)Au(70)Si(16) compound was determined from powder neutron diffraction data which is to our knowledge the first magnetic structure refinement report in the family of quasicrystals and approximants.
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| 34. |
- Germain, Marion, 1986-
(författare)
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The links between dispersal and individual fitness: correlation or causality? : Exploring mechanisms using correlative and experimental approaches in a passerine bird species, the collared flycatcher
- 2014
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dispersal is commonly defined as the movement of an individual from its natal orprevious breeding site to a new breeding site. Because dispersal involves movements ofindividuals and genes among populations, it is recognized as a key life history trait withstrong effects on many ecological and evolutionary processes such as populationdynamics and genetics but also species spatial distribution or response to brutalenvironmental variations induced by human activities. Yet, the consequences of dispersalin terms of individual fitness remain poorly understood despite their crucial importance inthe understanding of the evolution of dispersal. The aim of this PhD is to get betterinsights in the fitness consequences of dispersal using both correlative and experimentalapproaches at different scales, i.e. annual and lifetime scales, in a wild patchy populationof migratory passerine bird, the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). Using a long-termdata set encompasses more than 20 years of data, differences between dispersing andphilopatric individuals were demonstrated both at a lifetime and annual scale. The resultsshowed strong phenotypic- and condition-dependent effects of dispersal and highlightthat the balance between the costs and benefits of dispersal is likely to be the result ofsubtle interactions between environmental factors and individuals’ phenotype. Moreover,the forced dispersal experiment demonstrated that dispersal might entail costs link tosettlement in a new habitat, which only some individuals may overcome. Nevertheless,the absence of difference in major fitness related decisions after settlement suggests thatdispersal is mostly adaptive for individuals overcome such costs.Key words: dispersal, fitness, collared flycatcher, dispersal costs and benefits,experimental approach, correlative approach, passerine.
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| 35. |
- Gustafsson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Markers of imminent myocardial infarction
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Cardiovascular Research. - : Springer Nature. - 2731-0590.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Myocardial infarction is a leading cause of death globally but is notoriously difficult to predict. We aimed to identify biomarkers of an imminent first myocardial infarction and design relevant prediction models. Here, we constructed a new case–cohort consortium of 2,018 persons without prior cardiovascular disease from six European cohorts, among whom 420 developed a first myocardial infarction within 6 months after the baseline blood draw. We analyzed 817 proteins and 1,025 metabolites in biobanked blood and 16 clinical variables. Forty-eight proteins, 43 metabolites, age, sex and systolic blood pressure were associated with the risk of an imminent first myocardial infarction. Brain natriuretic peptide was most consistently associated with the risk of imminent myocardial infarction. Using clinically readily available variables, we devised a prediction model for an imminent first myocardial infarction for clinical use in the general population, with good discriminatory performance and potential for motivating primary prevention efforts.
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| 36. |
- Hjernquist, Mårten B.
(författare)
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Living in a Variable Environment : Reproductive Decisions in Wild Bird Populations
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In nature, environments are often variable and heterogeneous influencing ecological and evolutionary processes. This thesis focus on how animals interact with their environment and how that affects the reproductive decisions they make. Using empirical data collected from wild collared flycatcher populations, experiments and molecular approaches I try to unveil some of these relationships and the evolutionary, ecological and conservation implications of these findings are discussed. Firstly, collared flycatchers were shown to use breeding densities of their own and other species using similar resources when assessing costs and benefits associated to breeding in specific habitats. However, species will vary in how informative they are, and the worst competitor – with whom you overlap most in resources needs – also provides the best source of information. Collared flycatcher parents will also benefit differentially from investments in sons and daughters due to habitat characteristics and dispersal differences between the sexes. Here, I show that they will produce more of the sex that will give the highest expected fitness return given the environment they are in. These results also provide a reciprocal scenario to Clark's (1978) classical study of sex ratio adjustment in relation to local resource competition (LRC), as more of the natal philopatric sex is produced when LRC is low. Secondly, the effect of elaborated ornaments on paternity in the socially monogamous collared flycatcher was shown to be of more importance in areas where the intensity of intra- and intersexual conflicts are expected to be elevated. Hence, ornamentation by environmental interactions determines paternity, illustrating that sexual selection through extra-pair paternity is context dependent. Finally, even though the collared flycatcher populations that this thesis is based on have been studied on their breeding grounds for more then 25 years, we know little of where they are when they are not breeding. Here, stable isotope signatures in winter-grown feathers suggests that they may spend their winter with their breeding ground neighbours and do so repeatedly over years. Differences between breeding populations at this small scale should have many impactions for evolutionary and ecological processes as it will, for example, determine with whom individuals interact throughout their life.
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| 37. |
- Holmlund, Anders, 1953-
(författare)
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Oral health and cardiovascular disease
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the past two decades studies have indicated that oral health might be associated with the prevalence for cardiovascular disease (CVD), although the biological link still remains unknown. Bacteria and inflammatory mediators causing periodontal disease have also been suggested to influence the progression of atherosclerosis.The aims of this thesis were to study oral inflammation and associations between different oral health parameters and CVD. Inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) as well as bone resorption activity (BRA) were significantly higher in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from sites with periodontal disease compared to healthy sites. Treatment resulted in a reduction of BRA as well as the levels of IL-1 for most of the diseased pockets. The levels of IL-1 were not correlated to the amount of BRA.Number of teeth (NT) was consistently associated to CVD and was the only oral health parameter that related to all-cause mortality and mortality in CVD in a dose-dependent manner. Subjects with <10 teeth had a 7-fold increase risk for mortality in coronary heart disease compared to those with >25 teeth. Furthermore, NT was also significantly associated to the levels of leukocytes and to the metabolic syndrome, which consists of a combination of cardiovascular risk factors.Other investigated oral health parameters, such as severity of periodontal disease, number of deepened pockets, and bleeding on probing, were not related to CVD in a consistent way. Oral health parameters as well as myocardial infarction (MI) were related to serum antibody levels against Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), indicating that Pg might be a link between oral health and MI.In conclusion, treatment reduced the increased levels of IL-1 and BRA in GCF from sites with periodontal disease. Oral health was associated to CVD with number of teeth being the only oral health parameter that consistently was associated to CVD. Serum antibody levels against P. gingivalis were related to myocardial infarction (MI) as well as to oral health parameters, suggesting that this bacteria could be a link between oral health and CVD.
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| 38. |
- Hsu, Bin-Yan, et al.
(författare)
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Transient growth-enhancing effects of elevated maternal thyroid hormones at no apparent oxidative cost during early postnatal period
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Avian Biology. - : Wiley. - 0908-8857 .- 1600-048X. ; 50:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maternal thyroid hormones (THs) have been proven crucial for embryonic development in humans, but their influence within the natural variation on wild animals remains unknown. So far the only two studies that experimentally investigated the potential fitness consequences of maternal THs in birds found inconsistent results. More studies are thus required to assess the general effects of maternal THs and their influences on more behavioral and physiological parameters. In this study, we experimentally elevated yolk TH content in a wild migratory passerine species, the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis, to investigate the effects on hatching success, nestling growth and oxidative stress. We found that TH‐injected eggs had a higher hatching success, and the nestlings hatched from TH‐injected eggs were heavier and larger than control nestlings, but only during the early postnatal period. These differences vanished by fledging. Nestlings from TH‐injected eggs exhibited lower activity of the glutathione‐s‐transferase, a major antioxidant enzyme, than control nestlings at day 12, a few days before fledging, but they did not differ in oxidative damage and overall intracellular oxidative state. These results suggest that the early growth‐enhancing effects incurred no observable oxidative stress. We hypothesize that such a transient growth‐enhancing effect might be adaptive in advancing the development and maturation of the offspring so they are well‐prepared in time for the upcoming migration. Further studies investigating whether such advancing effects can influence long‐term fitness, will be more than valuable.
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| 39. |
- Håkansson, Pelle, 1973-
(författare)
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Ribonucleotide reductase and DNA damage
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A prerequisite for a multicellular organism to survive is the ability to correctly replicate and repair DNA while minimizing the number of heritable mutations. To achieve this, cells need a balanced supply of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs), the precursors for DNA synthesis. The rate-limiting step in de novo biosynthesis of dNTPs is catalyzed by the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). The classic eukaryotic RNR enzyme consists of a large and a small subunit. Together, these subunits form a heterotetrameric RNR complex. The larger subunit harbours active sites whereas the smaller subunit contains a stable tyrosyl free radical. Both subunits are required for RNR activity. Since failure to correctly regulate de novo dNTP biosynthesis can lead to misincorporation of nucleotides into DNA, genetic abnormalities and cell death, RNR activity is tightly regulated. The regulation of RNR activity involves cell cycle-specific expression and degradation of the RNR proteins, as well as binding of allosteric effectors to the large RNR subunit. In this thesis, in vitro assays based on purified recombinant RNR proteins, in combination with in vivo assays, have been used successfully to study the regulation of RNR activity in response to DNA damage. I present new findings regarding the function of an alternative mammalian RNR small subunit, and on the role of a small RNR inhibitor protein of fission yeast, during normal growth and after DNA damage. I also show conclusively that there are fundamental differences in the regulation of dNTP biosynthesis between the cells of higher and lower eukaryotes after DNA damage.
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| 40. |
- Ibrahim, Ahmed, et al.
(författare)
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Colitis-induced colorectal cancer and intestinal epithelial estrogen receptor beta impact gut microbiota diversity
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 144:12, s. 3086-3098
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic inflammation of the colon (colitis) is a risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). Hormone-replacement therapy reduces CRC incidences, and the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ/ESR2) has been implicated in this protection. Gut microbiota is altered in both colitis and CRC and may influence the severity of both. Here we test the hypothesis that intestinal ERβ impacts the gut microbiota. Mice with and without intestine-specific deletion of ERβ (ERβKOVil ) were generated using the Cre-LoxP system. Colitis and CRC were induced with a single intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane (AOM) followed by administration of three cycles of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water. The microbiota population were characterized by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing of DNA extracted from fecal samples (N = 39). Differences in the microbiota due to AOM/DSS and absence of ERβ were identified through bioinformatic analyses of the 16S-Seq data, and the distribution of bacterial species was corroborated using qPCR. We demonstrate that colitis-induced CRC reduced the gut microbiota diversity and that loss of ERβ enhanced this process. Further, the Bacteroidetes genus Prevotellaceae_UCG_001 was overrepresented in AOM/DSS mice compared to untreated controls (3.5-fold, p = 0.004), and this was enhanced in females and in ERβKOVil mice. Overall, AOM/DSS enriched for microbiota impacting immune system diseases and metabolic functions, and lack of ERβ in combination with AOM/DSS enriched for microbiota impacting carbohydrate metabolism and cell motility, while reducing those impacting the endocrine system. Our data support that intestinal ERβ contributes to a more favorable microbiome that could attenuate CRC development.
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| 41. |
- Janas, Katarzyna, et al.
(författare)
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Carotenoid-based coloration correlates with the hatching date of Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusnestlings
- 2020
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Ingår i: Ibis. - : WILEY. - 0019-1019 .- 1474-919X. ; 162:3, s. 645-654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carotenoid-based coloration occurs predominantly in adult birds, yet in some species from the family Paridae, this trait is also present at the nestling stage. One of the factors proposed to affect the expression of this trait in immature birds is hatching date. Here, using the avian tetrahedral colour space model, we examined the influence of hatching date on the breast carotenoid-based plumage coloration of the Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusnestlings. Because Blue Tits are sexually dichromatic, we also investigated the potential interaction between hatching date and sex that could arise from differences in condition dependence of this trait between males and females. We found a positive relationship betweenUVchroma of breast feathers and hatching date. The amount ofUVreflectance is thought to be negatively related to carotenoid content in feathers. The observed increase ofUVchroma through the breeding season might therefore be caused by a seasonal decline in the availability and quality of Lepidoptera larvae - the main source of carotenoids in food of the Tits. We also observed a sex difference in the relationship between brightness of breast feathers (achromatic, structural component) and hatching date, which in males was negative and in females not significant. Our study provides further evidence that the timing of breeding is related to the expression of nestling carotenoid-based coloration, a potentially meaningful element of offspring-parent communication, and suggests a sex-specific effect of hatching date on its structural component.
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| 42. |
- Janas, Katarzyna, et al.
(författare)
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Differential effects of early growth conditions on colour-producing nanostructures revealed through small angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopy
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Biology. - : COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD. - 0022-0949 .- 1477-9145. ; 223:18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The costs associated with the production and maintenance of colour patches is thought to maintain their honesty. Although considerable research on sexual selection has focused on structurally coloured plumage ornaments, the proximate mechanisms of their potential condition dependence, and thus their honesty, is rarely addressed, particularly in an experimental context. Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings have ultraviolet (UV)-blue structurally coloured tail feathers, providing a unique opportunity for investigation of the causes of variation in their colour. Here, we examined the influence of early growing conditions on the reflectance and structural properties of UV-blue-coloured tail feathers of blue tit nestlings. We applied a two-stage brood size manipulation to determine which stage of development more strongly impacts the quality of tail feather colouration and microstructure. We used small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and electron microscopy to characterise the nanoscale and microscale structure of tail feather barbs. Nestlings from the broods enlarged at a later stage of growth showed a sex-specific rectrix development delay, with males being more sensitive to this manipulation. Contrary to predictions, treatment affected neither the quality of the barbs' nanostructures nor the brightness and UV chroma of feathers. However. at the microscale. barbs' keratin characteristics were impaired in late-enlarged broods. Our results suggest that nanostructure quality, which determines the UV-blue colour in tail feathers, is not sensitive to early rearing conditions. Furthermore, availability of resources during feather growth seems to impact the quality of feather microstructure more than body condition, which is likely to be determined at an earlier stage of nestling growth.
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| 43. |
- Janas, Katarzyna, et al.
(författare)
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Sexual dichromatism, size dimorphism, and microscale anatomy of white wing stripe in blue tits
- 2021
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Ingår i: Current Zoology. - : Oxford University Press. - 1674-5507 .- 2396-9814. ; 67:6, s. 585-596
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Achromatic patches are a common element of plumage patterns in many bird species and there is growing body of evidence that in many avian taxa they can play a signaling role in mate choice. Although the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus is a well-established model species in the studies on coloration, its white wing patch has never been examined in the context of sex-specific trait expression. In this exploratory study, we examined sexual size dimorphism and dichromatism of greater covert's dots creating white wing patch and analyzed its correlations with current body condition and crown coloration-a trait with established role in sexual selection. Further, we qualitatively analyzed microstructural barb morphology underlying covert's coloration. We found significant sexual dimorphism in the dot size independent of covert size and sexual dichromatism in both white dot and blue outer covert's vane spectral characteristics. Internal structure of covert barbs within the white dot was similar to the one found in barbs from the blue part that is, with a medullary area consisting of dead keratinocytes containing channel-type beta-keratin spongy nanostructure and centrally located air cavities. However, it lacked melanosomes which was the main observed difference. Importantly, UV chroma of covert's blue vane was positively correlated with crown UV chroma and current condition (the latter only in males), which should be a premise for further research on the signal function of the wing stripe.
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| 44. |
- Lind, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma Protein Profiling of Incident Cardiovascular Diseases : A Multisample Evaluation
- 2023
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Ingår i: CIRCULATION-GENOMIC AND PRECISION MEDICINE. - : Wolters Kluwer. - 2574-8300. ; 16:6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Proteomic profiling could potentially disclose new pathophysiological pathways for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and improve prediction at the individual level. We therefore aimed to study the plasma protein profile associated with the incidence of different CVDs.METHODS: Plasma levels of 245 proteins suspected to be linked to CVD or metabolism were measured in 4 Swedish prospective population-based cohorts (SIMPLER [Swedish Infrastructure for Medical Population-Based Life-Course and Environmental Research], ULSAM (Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men), EpiHealth, and POEM [Prospective Investigation of Obesity, Energy Production, and Metabolism]) comprising 11 869 individuals, free of CVD diagnoses at baseline. Our primary CVD outcome was defined by a combined end point that included either incident myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure.RESULTS: Using a discovery/validation approach, 42 proteins were associated with our primary composite end point occurring in 1163 subjects. In separate meta-analyses for each of the 3 CVD outcomes, 49 proteins were related to myocardial infarction, 34 to ischemic stroke, and 109 to heart failure. Thirteen proteins were related to all 3 outcomes. Of those, urokinase plasminogen activator surface receptor, adrenomedullin, and KIM-1 (kidney injury molecule 1) were also related to several markers of subclinical CVD in Prospective Investigation of Obesity, Energy production and Metabolism, reflecting myocardial or arterial pathologies. In prediction analysis, a lasso selection of 11 proteins in ULSAM improved the discrimination of CVD by 3.3% (P<0.0001) in SIMPLER when added to traditional risk factors.CONCLUSIONS: Protein profiling in multiple samples disclosed several new proteins to be associated with subsequent myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure, suggesting common pathophysiological pathways for these diseases. KIM-1, urokinase plasminogen activator surface receptor, and adrenomedullin were novel early markers of CVD. A selection of 11 proteins improved the discrimination of CVD.
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| 45. |
- Löfgren, Martin, 1975-
(författare)
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The Leader of the Pack : A Service Perspective on Packaging and Customer Satisfaction
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Almost everything we as consumers buy in a store has a package. Packages have many functions – some, if not all, present marketers with the opportunity to gain competitive advantages. The packaging influences the usage behavior long after it has influenced the purchase, therefore it is an interesting empirical context to study within the field of marketing. Nevertheless, academic attention to packaging has been sparse over the last two decades even though the industry focus on packaging as a strategic tool has grown over that same period. Exceptions in the marketing literature are investigations of packaging and brand communication, advertisement-package coordination, and packaging size and shape. In contrast to the traditional approach that views packaging as a complimenting non-product-related attribute, it is suggested in this thesis that packaging is a product-related attribute that does affect the customers’ experiences of products.The overall aim of this thesis is to develop and test theoretical models and provide empirical evidence of customer experiences in the context of packaging from a service perspective. To study packaging from a service perspective is relevant for several reasons. One reason is that packaging can have several functions, which include more than the physical package. Another reason is that packages are carriers of information that is interpreted by customers. The combination of function, information, the physical package, and its content creates the total customer experience.The results of this thesis provide increased knowledge about packaging and customer experiences from a service perspective. On an attribute level, quality attributes such as protection and usability are categorized according to Kano’s theory of attractive quality. The results show that customers’ evaluations of packages are multi-dimensional. On a comprehensive or an overall level, structural equation modeling is used to investigate the consumption process. We conclude that the quality attributes of packages need to be designed to display quality both on the shelf in a store and during usage and consumption at both the attribute and comprehensive level.
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| 46. |
- Martyka, Rafal, et al.
(författare)
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Age- and trait-dependent breeding responses to environmental variation in a short-lived songbird
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Breeding responses of organisms to environmental changes may profoundly depend on an individual's age, as an age-environment interaction may be expected to affect the expression of reproductive traits. However, little is known about how this interaction affects short-lived species that experience various environmental conditions in adulthood. Here, we used a 32-year dataset from the collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis, population to test whether and how the environment interacts with age to shape female age-specific reproduction. To characterise environmental variation, we applied the remotely sensed normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), estimating vegetation productivity, and used it as a surrogate for habitat quality. Then, we analysed how within-individual age and NDVI determine patterns in laying date, clutch size, offspring production, and recruitment. We found that young and old females, but not middle-aged females, breeding under low NDVI started to lay eggs later and produced smaller clutches than females of the same age breeding under higher NDVI. No such effects were observed for offspring production or recruitment. Our study provides evidence that both an individual's age and the environmental variation experienced during adulthood may be crucial for shaping reproductive patterns in short-lived avian species, as has been found in long-lived birds.
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| 47. |
- Nadachowska-Brzyska, Krystyna, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic inference of contemporary effective population size in a large island population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis)
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 30:16, s. 3965-3973
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to its central importance to many aspects of evolutionary biology and population genetics, the long-term effective population size (N-e) has been estimated for numerous species and populations. However, estimating contemporary N-e is difficult and in practice this parameter is often unknown. In principle, contemporary N-e can be estimated using either analyses of temporal changes in allele frequencies, or the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between unlinked markers. We applied these approaches to estimate contemporary N-e of a relatively recently founded island population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). We sequenced the genomes of 85 birds sampled in 1993 and 2015, and applied several temporal methods to estimate N-e at a few thousand (4000-7000). The approach based on LD provided higher estimates of N-e (20,000-32,000) and was associated with high variance, often resulting in infinite N-e. We conclude that whole-genome sequencing data offers new possibilities to estimate high (>1000) contemporary N-e, but also note that such estimates remain challenging, in particular for LD-based methods for contemporary N-e estimation.
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| 48. |
- Pape Møller, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Interaction of climate change with effects of conspecific and heterospecific density on reproduction
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 129:12, s. 1807-1819
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied the relationship between temperature and the coexistence of great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, breeding in 75 study plots across Europe and North Africa. We expected an advance in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer springs as a general response to climate warming and a delay in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer winters due to density‐dependent effects. As expected, as spring temperature increases laying date advances and as winter temperature increases clutch size is reduced in both species. Density of great tit affected the relationship between winter temperature and laying date in great and blue tit. Specifically, as density of great tit increased and temperature in winter increased both species started to reproduce later. Density of blue tit affected the relationship between spring temperature and blue and great tit laying date. Thus, both species start to reproduce earlier with increasing spring temperature as density of blue tit increases, which was not an expected outcome, since we expected that increasing spring temperature should advance laying date, while increasing density should delay it cancelling each other out. Climate warming and its interaction with density affects clutch size of great tits but not of blue tits. As predicted, great tit clutch size is reduced more with density of blue tits as temperature in winter increases. The relationship between spring temperature and density on clutch size of great tits depends on whether the increase is in density of great tit or blue tit. Therefore, an increase in temperature negatively affected the coexistence of blue and great tits differently in both species. Thus, blue tit clutch size was unaffected by the interaction effect of density with temperature, while great tit clutch size was affected in multiple ways by these interactions terms.
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| 49. |
- Saether, Bernt-Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Density-Dependent Adaptive Topography in a Small Passerine Bird, the Collared Flycatcher
- 2021
-
Ingår i: American Naturalist. - : University of Chicago Press. - 0003-0147 .- 1537-5323. ; 197:1, s. 93-110
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adaptive topography is a central concept in evolutionary biology, describing how the mean fitness of a population changes with gene frequencies or mean phenotypes. We use expected population size as a quantity to be maximized by natural selection to show that selection on pairwise combinations of reproductive traits of collared flycatchers caused by fluctuations in population size generated an adaptive topography with distinct peaks often located at intermediate phenotypes. This occurred because r- and K-selection made phenotypes favored at small densities different from those with higher fitness at population sizes close to the carrying capacity K. Fitness decreased rapidly with a delay in the timing of egg laying, with a density-dependent effect especially occurring among early-laying females. The number of fledglings maximizing fitness was larger at small population sizes than when close to K. Finally, there was directional selection for large fledglings independent of population size. We suggest that these patterns can be explained by increased competition for some limiting resources or access to favorable nest sites at high population densities. Thus, r- and K-selection based on expected population size as an evolutionary maximization criterion may influence life-history evolution and constrain the selective responses to changes in the environment.
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| 50. |
- Sandén, Bodil, 1973-
(författare)
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The Customer's Role in New Service Development
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Given today’s industry dynamics, new service development is becoming increasingly important to the competitiveness, growth, and survival of organizations. Unfortunately, new service development has proven to be a complex and difficult task. Numerous reasons are stated in the literature such as the difficulty of understanding and anticipating latent customer needs and insufficient market research techniques. To facilitate proactive learning about the customer, recent findings stress customer involvement in the development process and observations of customers in real action.The overall objective of the dissertation is to contribute to an increased knowledge of customer involvement, i.e., the role of customers as contributors and co-creators in new service development. The thesis draws on theory from market and learning orientation in conjunction with a service-centered model, and provides an extensive review of literature on customer involvement in innovation. In five separate studies, this doctor’s thesis addresses the customer’s role in innovation activities in various industries (e.g., Staffing Services, Airline Services, and Mobile Telecommunication services).In this thesis it is argued that interaction is not only the focal point of services, but also the essence of customer involvement. A special emphasis is put on supporting techniques as these are the means by which customer information and knowledge are created. In addition, results are provided showing that customer involvement in innovation pays off. Companies that engage in collaborative innovation with customers can expect improved customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profit margin.
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