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| 2. |
- Koch, Max, et al.
(författare)
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Approaches, actors and models of vertical collaborative governance arrangements in combating poverty – five European cities compared
- 2016
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Ingår i: Combating poverty in Europe – Active Inclusion in a Multi-Level and Multi-Actor Context. - Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing. - 9781784712174 ; , s. 159-180
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This chapter deals with the vertical linkages as well as the dynamics between the political, institutional and legal environments that we find between national and subnational levels of governance. By ‘vertical linkages’ we refer to collaborative governance arrangements, coordinated efforts and forms of cooperation between national, regional and local arenas. We compare the national and subnational arenas for combating poverty in five European cities (Dortmund, Turin, Radom, Malmö and Glasgow). These cities belong to countries with different welfare traditions but share the common background of being former industrial centers that subsequently had to adapt to ‘post-Fordist’ transitions.
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| 3. |
- Kvåle, Rune, et al.
(författare)
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Concordance between Gleason scores of needle biopsies and radical prostatectomy specimens : a population-based study
- 2009
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Ingår i: BJU International. - 1464-4096 .- 1464-410X. ; 103:12, s. 1647-1654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To study the concordance between the Gleason scores of needle biopsies and radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens in a population-based registry, to clarify whether the concordance depends on the annual number of RP specimens assessed in the pathology unit, and to identify preoperative clinical factors that predict upgrading from a Gleason score of or=7 in the RP specimen. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Through the Cancer Registry of Norway, we identified 1116 patients with available Gleason scores from biopsy and RP specimens. Concordance was evaluated using the kappa coefficient, and predictors of concordance were assessed in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The Gleason scores were identical in biopsy and RP specimens in 591 of the 1116 (53%) patients. The biopsy-based Gleason score more often under-graded (38%) than over-graded (9%) the RP-based Gleason score. Pathology units that examined >40 RP specimens annually had a higher concordance between the Gleason score in the biopsy and RP specimen than did lower-volume units. The rate of upgrading from a Gleason score of or=7 in the RP specimen increased with increasing preoperative prostate-specific antigen serum levels, and with increasing intervals between biopsy and RP. CONCLUSIONS: The concordance in Gleason score between biopsy and RP was highest among the pathology departments that regularly evaluated RP specimens. Careful consideration of clinical factors and biopsy grading might improve the identification of patients considered as suitable for active surveillance.
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| 4. |
- Mundra, Sunil, et al.
(författare)
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Ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi respond differently to long-term experimentally increased snow depth in the High Arctic
- 2016
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Ingår i: MicrobiologyOpen. - : Wiley. - 2045-8827. ; 5:5, s. 856-869
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Changing climate is expected to alter precipitation patterns in the Arctic, with consequences for subsurface temperature and moisture conditions, community structure, and nutrient mobilization through microbial belowground processes. Here, we address the effect of increased snow depth on the variation in species richness and community structure of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and saprotrophic fungi. Soil samples were collected weekly from mid-July to mid-September in both control and deep snow plots. Richness of ECM fungi was higher, while saprotrophic fungi was lower in increased snow depth plots relative to controls. ECM fungal richness was related to soil NO3-N, NH4-N, and K; and saprotrophic fungi to NO3-N and pH. Small but significant changes in the composition of saprotrophic fungi could be attributed to snow treatment and sampling time, but not so for the ECM fungi. Delayed snow melt did not influence the temporal variation in fungal communities between the treatments. Results suggest that some fungal species are favored, while others are disfavored resulting in their local extinction due to long-term changes in snow amount. Shifts in species composition of fungal functional groups are likely to affect nutrient cycling, ecosystem respiration, and stored permafrost carbon.
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| 5. |
- Mundra, Sunil, et al.
(författare)
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Temporal variation of Bistorta vivipara-associated ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in the High Arctic
- 2015
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 24:24, s. 6289-6302
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are important for efficient nutrient uptake of several widespread arctic plant species. Knowledge of temporal variation of ECM fungi, and the relationship of these patterns to environmental variables, is essential to understand energy and nutrient cycling in Arctic ecosystems. We sampled roots of Bistorta vivipara ten times over two years; three times during the growing-season (June, July and September) and twice during winter (November and April) of both years. We found 668 ECM OTUs belonging to 25 different ECM lineages, whereof 157 OTUs persisted throughout all sampling time-points. Overall, ECM fungal richness peaked in winter and species belonging to Cortinarius, Serendipita and Sebacina were more frequent in winter than during summer. Structure of ECM fungal communities was primarily affected by spatial factors. However, after accounting for spatial effects, significant seasonal variation was evident revealing correspondence with seasonal changes in environmental conditions. We demonstrate that arctic ECM richness and community structure differ between summer (growing-season) and winter, possibly due to reduced activity of the core community, and addition of fungi adapted for winter conditions forming a winter-active fungal community. Significant month 3 year interactions were observed both for fungal richness and community composition, indicating unpredictable between-year variation. Our study indicates that addressing seasonal changes requires replication over several years.
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| 6. |
- Orrem, Hilde L., et al.
(författare)
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IL-6 Receptor Inhibition by Tocilizumab Attenuated Expression of C5a Receptor 1 and 2 in Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-3224. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and complement activation are associated with detrimental effects of inflammation in coronary artery disease (CAD). The complement anaphylatoxins C5a and C3a interact with their receptors; the highly inflammatory C5aR1, and the C5aR2 and C3aR. We evaluated the effect of the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R)-antagonist tocilizumab on the expression of the anaphylatoxin receptors in whole blood from non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients. Separately, anaphylatoxin receptor expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with different entities of CAD was investigated. Materials and Methods: NSTEMI patients were randomized to one dose of tocilizumab (n = 28) or placebo (n = 32) and observed for 6 months. Whole blood samples drawn at inclusion, at day 2, 3 and after 6 months were used for mRNA isolation. Plasma was prepared for analysis of complement activation measured as sC5b-9 by ELISA. Furthermore, patients with different CAD entities comprising stable angina pectoris (SAP, n = 22), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS, n = 21) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI, n = 20) were included. PBMC was isolated from blood samples obtained at admission to hospital and mRNA isolated. Anaphylatoxin-receptor-expression was analyzed with qPCR using mRNA from whole blood and PBMC, respectively. Results: Our main findings were (i) Tocilizumab decreased C5aR1 and C5aR2 mRNA expression significantly (p < 0.001) and substantially (> 50%) at day 2 and 3, whereas C3aR expression was unaffected. (ii) Tocilizumab did not affect complement activation. (iii) In analyzes of different CAD entities, C5aR1 expression was significantly increased in all CAD subgroups compared to controls with the highest level in the STEMI patients (p < 0.001). For C5aR2 and C3aR the expression compared to controls were more moderate with increased expression of C5aR2 in the STEMI group (p < 0.05) and C3aR in the NSTE-ACS group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Expression of C5aR1 and C5aR2 in whole blood was significantly attenuated by IL-6R-inhibition in NSTEMI patients. These receptors were significantly upregulated in PBMC CAD patients with particularly high levels of C5aR1 in STEMI patients.
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| 7. |
- Peciulyte, Ausra, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Redox processes acidify and decarboxylate steam-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass and are modulated by LPMO and catalase
- 2018
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Ingår i: Biotechnology for Biofuels. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1754-6834 .- 1754-6834. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The bioconversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to ethanol is being commercialised, but further process development is required to improve their economic feasibility. Efficient saccharification of lignocellulose to fermentable sugars requires oxidative cleavage of glycosidic linkages by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). However, a proper understanding of the catalytic mechanism of this enzyme class and the interaction with other redox processes associated with the saccharification of lignocellulose is still lacking. The in-use stability of LPMO-containing enzyme cocktails is increased by the addition of catalase implying that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is generated in the slurry during incubation. Therefore, we sought to characterize the effects of enzymatic and abiotic sources of H2O2on lignocellulose hydrolysis to identify parameters that could improve this process. Moreover, we studied the abiotic redox reactions of steam-pretreated wheat straw as a function of temperature and dry-matter (DM) content. Results: Abiotic reactions in pretreated wheat straw consume oxygen, release carbon dioxide (CO2) to the slurry, and decrease the pH. The magnitude of these reactions increased with temperature and with DM content. The presence of LPMO during saccharification reduced the amount of CO2liberated, while the effect on pH was insignificant. Catalase led to increased decarboxylation through an unknown mechanism. Both in situ-generated and added H2O2caused a decrease in pH. Conclusions: Abiotic redox processes similar to those that occur in natural water-logged environments also affect the saccharification of pretreated lignocellulose. Heating of the lignocellulosic material and adjustment of pH trigger rapid oxygen consumption and acidification of the slurry. In industrial settings, it will be of utmost importance to control these processes. LPMOs interact with the surrounding redox compounds and redirect abiotic electron flow from decarboxylating reactions to fuel the oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds in cellulose.
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| 8. |
- Rydgren, Knut, et al.
(författare)
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Infrequent sporophyte production maintains a female-biased sex ratio in the unisexual clonal moss Hylocomium splendens
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2745 .- 0022-0477. ; 98:5, s. 1224-1231
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- P>1. Sex ratios in unisexual bryophytes are most often female biased, whereas male-biased sex ratios predominate in unisexual seed plants. This 'bryophyte paradox', i.e. that sex ratios are biased in favour of the sex associated with the highest reproductive costs, has remained unexplained. 2. Analysis of sex-ratio patterns via the influence of sex distribution on population growth rates (lambda) has not previously been carried out for bryophytes. We used this method to model how variation in sex ratio and sporophyte frequency influences lambda in the clonal bryophyte Hylocomium splendens. We obtained lambda by matrix modelling of synthetic experimental populations derived from demographic field data, using a linear two-sex model. 3. In our set of experimental populations lambda varied between 1.13 and 1.27 in response to variation in sex ratio and sporophyte frequency, with the highest lambda obtained for the combination of a very low sporophyte frequency and a slightly female-biased sex ratio. 4. Our results explain the female-biased sex ratio of H. splendens by the slightly lower survival of and production of vegetative offspring by males than by non-sporophytic females. 5. Synthesis. According to our models, female dominance is the predicted outcome of low to moderate fertilization success and male performance intermediate between that of sporophytic and of non-sporophytic females. Our results therefore explain how a female-biased sex ratio can be maintained despite higher costs of reproduction in females than in males. In dioecious bryophytes, males and females must grow in close contact for fertilization to take place. Better performance of male ramets than of the female ramets they fertilize also explains how male clones can expand into female clones. A similar performance hierarchy of males and females may occur in unisexual clonal seed plants, but more efficient fertilization systems by pollination prevents the selective advantage of unfertilized females from being realized. This explains why vascular plant populations tend to be male biased. We hypothesise difference in fertilization distance range between sperm and pollen as a simple explanation why ramet level sex ratios are in general male dominated in clonal seed plants and female dominated in clonal bryophytes.
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| 9. |
- Scott, Brian R., et al.
(författare)
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Catalase improves saccharification of lignocellulose by reducing lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-associated enzyme inactivation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biotechnology Letters. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-6776 .- 0141-5492. ; 38:3, s. 425-434
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Efficient enzymatic saccharification of plant cell wall material is key to industrial processing of agricultural and forestry waste such as straw and wood chips into fuels and chemicals. Results Saccharification assays were performed on steam-pretreated wheat straw under ambient and O2-deprived environments and in the absence and presence of a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) and catalase. A kinetic model was used to calculate catalytic rate and first-order inactivation rate constants of the cellulases from reaction progress curves. The addition of a LPMO significantly (P < 0.01, Student’s T test) enhanced the rate of glucose release from 2.8 to 6.9 h−1 under ambient O2 conditions. However, this also significantly (P < 0.01, Student’s T test) increased the rate of inactivation of the enzyme mixture, thereby reducing the performance half-life from 65 to 35 h. Decreasing O2 levels or, strikingly, the addition of catalase significantly reduced (P < 0.01, Student’s T test) enzyme inactivation and, as a consequence, higher efficiency of the cellulolytic enzyme cocktail was achieved. Conclusion Oxidative inactivation of commercial cellulase mixtures is a significant factor influencing the overall saccharification efficiency and the addition of catalase can be used to protect these mixtures from inactivation.
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