| 1. |
- Bjornsdottir, Erla, et al.
(författare)
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Association between physical activity over a 10-year period and current insomnia symptoms, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness: a European population-based study
- 2024
-
Ingår i: BMJ OPEN. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 14:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To explore the relationship between physical activity over a 10-year period and current symptoms of insomnia, daytime sleepiness and estimated sleep duration in adults aged 39-67. Design Population-based, multicentre cohort study. Setting 21 centres in nine European countries. Methods Included were 4339 participants in the third follow-up to the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS III), who answered questions on physical activity at baseline (ECRHS II) and questions on physical activity, insomnia symptoms, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness at 10-year follow-up (ECRHS III). Participants who reported that they exercised with a frequency of at least two or more times a week, for 1 hour/week or more, were classified as being physically active. Changes in activity status were categorised into four groups: persistently non-active; became inactive; became active; and persistently active. Main outcome measures Insomnia, sleep time and daytime sleepiness in relation to physical activity. Results Altogether, 37% of participants were persistently non-active, 25% were persistently active, 20% became inactive and 18% became active from baseline to follow-up. Participants who were persistently active were less likely to report difficulties initiating sleep (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.45-0.78), a short sleep duration of <= 6 hours/night (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.85) and a long sleep of >= 9 hours/night (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33-0.84) than persistently non-active subjects after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking history and study centre. Daytime sleepiness and difficulties maintaining sleep were not related to physical activity status. Conclusion Physically active people have a lower risk of some insomnia symptoms and extreme sleep durations, both long and short.
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| 2. |
- Carlsson, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Prediction of designer drugs: synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of synthetic cannabinoid analogues of 1H-indol-3-yl(2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl) methanone and 1H-indol-3-yl(adamantan-1-yl)methanone
- 2016
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Ingår i: Drug Testing and Analysis. - : WILEY-BLACKWELL. - 1942-7603 .- 1942-7611. ; 8:10, s. 1015-1029
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, emergence patterns of synthetic cannabinoids were utilized in an attempt to predict those that may appear on the drug market in the future. Based on this information, two base structures of the synthetic cannabinoid analogues - (1H-indol-3-yl (2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl) methanone and 1H-indol-3-yl(adamantan-1-yl)methanone) - together with three substituents butyl, 4-fluorobutyl and ethyl tetrahydropyran - were selected for synthesis. This resulted in a total of six synthetic cannabinoid analogues that to the authors knowledge have not yet appeared on the drug market. Spectroscopic data, including nuclearmagnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), and Fourier transforminfrared (FTIR) spectroscopy (solid and gas phase), are presented for the synthesized analogues and some additional related cannabinoids. In this context, the suitability of the employed techniques for the identification of unknowns is discussed and the use of GC-FTIR as a secondary complementary technique to GC-MS is addressed. Examples of compounds that are difficult to differentiate by their mass spectra, but can be distinguished based upon their gas phase FTIR spectra are presented. Conversely, structural homologueswhere mass spectra aremore powerful than gas phase FTIR spectra for unambiguous assignments are also exemplified. This work further emphasizes that a combination of several techniques is the key to success in structural elucidations. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley amp; Sons, Ltd.
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| 3. |
- Christidis, Nikolaos, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish dental students’ clinical notes and reflections as part of a case-based examination – challenges for undergraduate education
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Medical Research Archives. - : European Society of Medicine. - 2375-1916 .- 2375-1924. ; 11:10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Clinical records are the basis for clinical reasoning, diagnostics, treatment planning, and management as well as for management of the patient and the outcome of the treatment, and therefore an important aspect of health professionals’ work. Several articles emphasize the importance of adequate and correct content in these records. Previous research shows that even health professionals need to improve the content and structure of their clinical records, for them to give the information needed for various needs. The focus of this article are the clinical records of undergraduate dental students. The aim of the study was to explore patterns of adequate and inadequate content in clinical notes of undergraduate dental students in their final year of education. Secondly, whether these results could provide insights for development of health professions education.Data comprised of 33 cased-based examinations collected during January 2020 at the University Dental Clinic, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, in Huddinge Sweden. Also, data included teachers’ assessment of these examinations. The texts were analyzed with thematic analysis.Analytical results showed three themes. The first theme, (i) Professional content knowledge, concerned information in patient history, status, diagnostics and treatment plan, and an information ambiguity. The theme also included the students' use of professional terminology and the choice of articles to support reflections. The second theme (ii) incomplete method of investigation involved the actual patient interview, but also students’ various misunderstandings of the template. The third theme was (iii) Academic formalities. This theme concerned students' understanding of the purpose of referencing and its function, but also a non-use of references, the use of irrelevant references, errors in the given citation style, and an incorrect structure of the text according to the template. In conclusion, results showed the need for continuous training in clinical note-taking and reflections during dental students' professional education. In this training, teachers’ assessment is important for students' development of professional literacy and professional judgment. Also, a continuous reminder of science and proven experience as the basis for the profession which is also made visible through academic formalities.
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| 4. |
- Claeson, Anna-Sara, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Feasibility and reliability of measures of bioactive lipids in human plasma and nasal mucosa
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of chromatography. B. - : Elsevier. - 1570-0232 .- 1873-376X. ; 1206
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analysis of bioactive lipids is increasingly useful in clinical studies, and there is a need for non-invasive and easy-to-use sampling methods that meet the demands of reliability. Samples that can be taken by a non-professional and that can be taken repeatedly so as to provide more detailed information about the inflammatory process are often desired. In this study, the feasibility of non-invasive sampling of nasal mucosa and saliva for the analysis of bioactive lipid mediators (e.g. oxylipins and endocannabinoids) was evaluated in a pilot study (n = 10). In a second study, the reliability (relative and absolute) of sampling of these lipid mediators derived from nasal mucosa and from plasma was assessed by calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman’s limit of agreement. Samples were taken at the same time of day on two occasions from a cohort of individuals with and without building-related intolerance (n = 37). Nasal mucosa proved to be a suitable matrix for the analysis of bioactive lipids and was therefore included in the study on reliability together with the plasma samples. Relative reliability varied among the identified oxylipins and endocannabinoids. Arachidonic acid derivatives showed generally better reliability. Absolute reliability measures also varied indicating that only a subset of the oxylipins and endocannabinoids were suitable as biomarkers in either nasal mucosa or plasma and should therefore be used with caution for that purpose.
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| 5. |
- Einarsson, Sandra, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Thinking and re-thinking : a qualitative study of university teachers' perspectives on the development process for a new online interprofessional education curriculum in a Swedish higher education institution
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nordic Studies in Education. - : Cappelen Damm Akademisk. - 1891-5914 .- 1891-5949. ; 43:3, s. 225-240
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective was to reflect on the experience of working collaboratively across education programmes, departments, and faculties from the perspective of university teachers at a higher education institution. Nine teachers from five programmes working together to develop a new curriculum for interprofessional education (IPE) participated in a focus group discussion. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that teacher experiences can be understood in terms of teamwork processes valued from both professional and IPE experiential variations within the group. Since findings illustrate pedagogical collaboration across department and faculty boundaries, they can inspire teachers who are planning a similar process.
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| 6. |
- Gouveia-Figueira, Sandra, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide, related N-acylethanolamines and linoleic acid-derived oxylipins in patients with migraine
- 2017
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Ingår i: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0952-3278 .- 1532-2823. ; 120, s. 15-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is evidence that patients with migraine have deficient levels of the endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand anandamide (AEA). It is not known, however, if this is a localised or generalised phenomenon. In the present study, levels of AEA, related N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) and linoleic acid-derived oxylipins have been measured in the blood of 26 healthy women and 38 women with migraine (26 with aura, 12 without aura) who were matched for age and body-mass index. Blood samples were taken on two occasions: the first sample near the start of the menstrual cycle (when present) and the second approximately fourteen days later. For a subset of migraine patients, two additional blood samples were taken, one during a migraine attack and one approximately 1 month later (to be at the same stage in the menstrual cycle, when present). NAEs and oxylipins were measured by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Twenty-nine lipids were quantified, of which 16 were found to have a high reproducibility of measurement. There were no significant differences in the levels of AEA, the related NAEs stearoylethanolamide and oleoylethanolamide or any of the nine linoleic acid derived oxylipins measured either between migraine patients with vs. without aura, or between controls and migraine patients (after stratification to take into account whether or not the individuals had regular menstruation cycles) in either of the first two samples. Levels of linoleoylethanolamide were lower in the patients with vs. without aura on the second sample but not in the first sample, but the biological importance of this fording is unclear. Due to time-dependent increases in their concentrations ex vivo prior to centrifugation, AEA and oleoylethanolamide levels in the samples collected during migraine attacks were not analysed, but for the other fourteen lipids, there were no significant differences in plasma concentrations during migraine vs. one month later. It is concluded that migraine is not associated with a generalised (as opposed to localised) deficiency in these lipids.
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| 7. |
- Hellmeier, Sebastian, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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State of the world 2020: autocratization turns viral
- 2021
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Ingår i: Democratization. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1351-0347 .- 1743-890X. ; 28:6, s. 1053-1074
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article analyses the state of democracy in 2020. The world is still more democratic than it was in the 1970s and 1980s, but a trend of autocratization is ongoing and affecting 25 countries in 2020, home to 34% of the world's population. At the same time, the number of democratizing countries has dwindled by nearly half, reducing to 16 countries, home to a mere 4% of the global population. Freedom of expression, deliberation, rule of law and elections show the most substantial net declines in the last decade. A major change is that India, formerly the world's largest democracy, turned into an electoral autocracy. The V-Dem data suggests that direct effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on levels of liberal democracy were limited in 2020. Still, the longer-term consequences may be worse and must be monitored closely. Due to the pandemic and state restrictions on the freedom of assembly, mass mobilization declined to its lowest level in over a decade, yet the decline in pro-democracy protests in 2020 may well prove to be short-lived once the pandemic subdues.
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| 8. |
- Hugerth, Luisa W., et al.
(författare)
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DegePrime, a Program for Degenerate Primer Design for Broad-Taxonomic-Range PCR in Microbial Ecology Studies
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 80:16, s. 5116-5123
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The taxonomic composition of a microbial community can be deduced by analyzing its rRNA gene content by, e. g., high-throughput DNA sequencing or DNA chips. Such methods typically are based on PCR amplification of rRNA gene sequences using broad-taxonomic-range PCR primers. In these analyses, the use of optimal primers is crucial for achieving an unbiased representation of community composition. Here, we present the computer program DegePrime that, for each position of a multiple sequence alignment, finds a degenerate oligomer of as high coverage as possible and outputs its coverage among taxonomic divisions. We show that our novel heuristic, which we call weighted randomized combination, performs better than previously described algorithms for solving the maximum coverage degenerate primer design problem. We previously used DegePrime to design a broad-taxonomic-range primer pair that targets the bacterial V3-V4 region (341F-805R) (D. P. Herlemann, M. Labrenz, K. Jurgens, S. Bertilsson, J. J. Waniek, and A. F. Andersson, ISME J. 5:1571-1579, 2011, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2011.41), and here we use the program to significantly increase the coverage of a primer pair (515F-806R) widely used for Illumina-based surveys of bacterial and archaeal diversity. By comparison with shotgun metagenomics, we show that the primers give an accurate representation of microbial diversity in natural samples.
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| 9. |
- Höjer Holmgren, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Part 1 : Tracing Russian VX to its synthetic routes by multivariate statistics of chemical attribution signatures
- 2018
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Ingår i: Talanta. - : Elsevier. - 0039-9140 .- 1873-3573. ; 186, s. 586-596
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chemical attribution signatures (CAS) associated with different synthetic routes used for the production of Russian VX (VR) were identified. The goal of the study was to retrospectively determine the production method employed for an unknown VR sample. Six different production methods were evaluated, carefully chosen to include established synthetic routes used in the past for large scale production of the agent, routes involving general phosphorus-sulfur chemistry pathways leading to the agent, and routes whose main characteristic is their innate simplicity in execution. Two laboratories worked in parallel and synthesized a total of 37 batches of VR via the six synthetic routes following predefined synthesis protocols. The chemical composition of impurities and byproducts in each route was analyzed by GC/MS-EI and 49 potential CAS were recognized as important markers in distinguishing these routes using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The 49 potential CAS included expected species based on knowledge of reaction conditions and pathways but also several novel compounds that were fully identified and characterized by a combined analysis that included MS-CI, MS-EI and HR-MS. The CAS profiles of the calibration set were then analyzed using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and a cross validated model was constructed. The model allowed the correct classification of an external test set without any misclassifications, demonstrating the utility of this methodology for attributing VR samples to a particular production method. This work is part one of a three-part series in this Forensic VSI issue of a Sweden-United States collaborative effort towards the understanding of the CAS of VR in diverse batches and matrices. This part focuses on the CAS in synthesized batches of crude VR and in the following two parts of the series the influence of food matrices on the CAS profiles are investigated.
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| 10. |
- Jensen, Poul Erik H., et al.
(författare)
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Detection and kinetics of persistent neutralizing anti-interferon-beta antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis : Results from the ABIRISK prospective cohort study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Neuroimmunology. - : Elsevier. - 0165-5728 .- 1872-8421. ; 326, s. 19-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two validated assays, a bridging ELISA and a luciferase-based bioassay, were compared for detection of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) against interferon-beta (IFN-β) in patients with multiple sclerosis. Serum samples were tested from patients enrolled in a prospective study of 18 months. In contrast to the ELISA, when IFN-β-specific rabbit polyclonal and human monoclonal antibodies were tested, the bioassay was the more sensitive to detect IFN-β ADA in patients' sera. For clinical samples, selection of method of ELISA should be evaluated prior to the use of a multi-tiered approach. A titer threshold value is reported that may be used as a predictor for persistently positive neutralizing ADA.
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| 11. |
- Kihlstedt, Annika, et al.
(författare)
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Material identity in a packaging context
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Package design includes a number of considerations ranging from protecting the content to conveying the brand image. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding on how Swedish consumes perceive product packaging attributes, with a special emphasis on in which way packaging material (carton, paper plastic), and structural design (folding carton, paper bag, standing pouch and plastic bag), have an emotional impact on consumers' evaluation of the product and packaging. Assessing the appearance and effectiveness of a packaging system is often confounded by branding, why it is important to separate the brand influence from the attributes of the packaging system. Thus, in the experimental part, packaging prototypes of different structural design and materials were manufactured in order to present commercial cereal brands in different types of packaging. The research involved a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, comprising (i) focus groups on cereal (muesli) packaging; (ii) a mock-up study of four muesli packaging types: transparent plastic bag, carton box, paper bag, and a resalable stand-up plastic pouch; and (iii) a questionnaire on environmental attitudes to packaging materials. Fourteen respondents participated in the focus groups and 20 in the mock-up study. Result show that the paper bag and the carton box were perceived to be the most environmentally friendly packaging material. Heavy ink usage on paper bags and carton boxes can however raise concern regarding the environmental impact. Introducing functionality and good print quality can cause preferences to divert to an alternative packaging material. In the mock-up study the standing pouch was the most liked package type regardless of brands. Functional reasons (protect, re-closable etc.) and appearance reasons (nice print, nice colours) was claimed for giving this package high ratings.
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| 12. |
- Koenig, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Bicameral conflict resolution in the European Union : An empirical analysis of conciliation committee bargains
- 2007
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Ingår i: British Journal of Political Science. - 0007-1234 .- 1469-2112. ; 37:2, s. 281-312
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article is a study of bicameral conflict resolution between the Council and the European Parliament in the European Union, which has established a bicameral conciliation process under the co-decision procedure. Scholars commonly agree that the European Parliament has gained power under the co-decision procedure, but the impact of the conciliation process on the power distribution between the Council and the European Parliament remains unclear. The scholarly debate suggests that the power of the institutional actors depends on their proximity to the status quo, the (im-)patience and the specific preference distribution of the institutional actors, although most analyses assume that the Commission plays an insignificant role. Using an ordered probit model, this study examines the power distribution between the two institutional actors, the factors for their bargaining success and the role of the Commission in the period between 1999 and 2002. The findings show that the European Parliament wins most conflicts, but that the Council is more successful in multi-dimensional disputes. The results confirm some theoretical claims made in the literature, such as the importance of the status quo location and of preference cohesiveness. However, they also reject a major assumption in the literature on the irrelevance of the Commission in the conciliation process, which we show to have an influential informational position for parliamentary success.
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| 13. |
- Lindberg, Aleksandra, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Gas phase composition of a NiMH battery during a work cycle
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- NiMH batteries are popular in the electromotive industry due to good rate capability, reliability, and environmental friendliness. Although the battery type is thoroughly investigated, studies of battery gas composition formed during a work cycle are few. The gas composition would be useful to understand the reactions occurring in the battery during cycling and could be used to optimize battery operation. In this study, two methods for investigating the internal NiMH battery gas phase composition during different charge/discharge cycles using mass spectrometer (MS) were developed. In the first method, the battery module was connected by a sampler system. In the second method, the battery was connected directly using a microcapillary, and the gas composition was continuously measured. In addition to the gas composition the voltage, pressure, and temperature of the battery were recorded. The biggest contributor in the measured gas phase was N2, followed by H2. A clear rising trend of H2 pressure as SOC increased was recorded, while O2 levels were low except around end of charge. Thus, the methods were found to be a reliable way of investigating NiMH gas composition without negatively affecting the battery.
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| 14. |
- Lindberg, Aleksandra, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Gas phase composition of a NiMH battery during a work cycle
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Side reactions that lead to gas evolution are undesirable in batteries, and result in reduced Coulombic efficiency and shortened lifetime. Quantitative analysis of the gases that develop istherefore important to increase the understanding of the reactions occurring in the batteryduring cycling and could be used to optimize battery operation. However, the measurementsare associated with challenges because batteries are by their nature closed with limited gasspace. Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are widespread due to good rate capability,reliability, and environmental friendliness. Although the battery type is thoroughlyinvestigated, studies of battery gas composition formed during a work cycle are few. In thisstudy, two methods for investigating the internal NiMH battery gas phase composition duringdifferent charge/discharge cycles using a mass spectrometer (MS) were developed. In the firstmethod, the battery module was connected by a sampler system. In the second method, thebattery was connected directly using a microcapillary, and the gas composition wascontinuously measured. In addition to the gas composition the voltage, pressure, andtemperature of the battery were recorded. The biggest contributor in the measured gas phasewas nitrogen, present in the cell already from the assembling, followed by hydrogen. A clearrising trend of hydrogen pressure as depth of charge (DOC) increased was recorded, whileoxygen levels were low except around end of charge. The methods were found to be a reliableway of investigating NiMH gas composition without negatively affecting the battery and maybe adapted to other battery chemistries.
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| 15. |
- Lindberg, Aleksandra, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Gas phase composition of a NiMH battery during a work cycle
- 2024
-
Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 14:28, s. 19996-20003
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Side reactions leading to gas evolution are undesirable in batteries and result in reduced coulombic efficiency and shortened lifetime. Quantitative analysis of the gases that evolve is therefore important to improve understanding of the reactions occurring in the battery during cycling and could be used to optimize battery operation. However, the measurements are challenging because batteries are by their nature closed with limited gas space. Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are widely used due to their good rate capability, reliability, and environmental friendliness. The battery type has been extensively studied in terms of degradation and performance. However, very few studies have been conducted on the gas composition created during a work cycle. In this study, two methods for investigating the internal NiMH battery gas phase composition during different charge/discharge cycles using a mass spectrometer (MS) were developed. In the first method, the battery module was connected by a sampler system. In the second method, the battery was connected directly using a microcapillary, and the gas composition was continuously measured. In addition to the gas composition, the voltage, pressure, and temperature of the battery were recorded. The most abundant component in the measured gas phase was nitrogen, present in the cell from the assembly stage, followed by hydrogen. A clear rising trend of hydrogen pressure as depth of charge (DOC) increased was recorded, while oxygen levels were low except around the end of charge. The methods were found to be a reliable means of investigating NiMH gas composition without negatively affecting the battery and may be adapted to other battery chemistries. In this study, two methods for investigating the internal NiMH battery gas phase composition during different charge/discharge cycles using a mass spectrometer (MS) were developed.
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| 16. |
- Lindberg, Bo G., et al.
(författare)
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Medium from gamma-irradiated Escherichia coli bacteria stimulates a unique immune response in Drosophila cells
- 2014
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Ingår i: Developmental and Comparative Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0145-305X .- 1879-0089. ; 46:2, s. 392-400
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well known that gamma-irradiated, non-dividing bacteria can elicit potent immune responses in mammals. Compared to traditional heat or chemical inactivation of microbes, gamma -irradiation likely preserves metabolic activity and antigenic features to a larger extent. We have previously shown that antimicrobial peptides are induced in Drosophila by peptidoglycan fragments secreted into the medium of exponentially growing bacterial cultures. In this study, we gamma-irradiated Escherichia coil cells at a dose that halted cell division. The temporal synthesis and release of peptidoglycan fragments were followed as well as the potential of bacterial supernatants to induce immune responses in Drosophila S2 cells. We demonstrate that peptidoglycan synthesis continues for several days post irradiation and that monomeric peptidoglycan is shed into the medium. Whole transcriptome analysis revealed a strong immune response against the bacterial medium. The response to medium taken directly post irradiation shows a large overlap to that of peptidoglycan. Medium from prolonged bacterial incubation does, however, stimulate a selective set of immune genes. A shift towards a stress response was instead observed with a striking induction of several heat shock proteins. Our findings suggest that gamma-irradiated bacteria release elicitors that stimulate a novel response in Drosophila.
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| 17. |
- Lindberg, David, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Lipid membranes catalyse the fibril formation of the amyloid-? (1–42) peptide through lipid-fibril interactions that reinforce secondary pathways
- 2017
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Ingår i: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-2642 .- 0005-2736. ; 1859:10, s. 1921-1929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alzheimer's disease is associated with the aggregation of amyloid-? (A?) peptides into oligomers and fibrils. We have explored how model lipid membranes modulate the rate and mechanisms of A?(1–42) self-assembly, in order to shed light on how this pathological reaction may occur in the lipid-rich environments that the peptide encounters in the brain. Using a combination of in vitro biophysical experiments and theoretical approaches, we show that zwitterionic DOPC lipid vesicles accelerate the A?(1–42) fibril growth rate by interacting specifically with the growing fibrils. We probe this interaction with help of a purpose-developed Förster resonance energy transfer assay that monitors the proximity between a fibril-specific dye and fluorescent lipids in the lipid vesicle membrane. To further rationalise these findings we use mathematical models to fit the aggregation kinetics of A?(1–42) and find that lipid vesicles alter specific mechanistic steps in the aggregation reaction; they augment monomer-dependent secondary nucleation at the surface of existing fibrils and facilitate monomer-independent catalytic processes consistent with fibril fragmentation. We further show that DOPC vesicles have no effect on primary nucleation. This finding is consistent with experiments showing that A?(1–42) monomers do not directly bind to the lipid bilayer. Taken together, our results show that plain lipid membranes with charge and composition that is representative of outer cell membranes can significantly augment autocatalytic steps in the self-assembly of A?(1–42) into fibrils. This new insight suggests that strategies to reduce fibril-lipid interactions in the brain may have therapeutic value.
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| 18. |
- Lindberg, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Fate of active pharmaceutical ingredients in a northern high-rate algal pond fed with municipal wastewater
- 2021
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 271
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are vital to human health and welfare, but following therapeutic use, they may pose a potential ecological risk if discharged into the environment. Today's conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove APIs specifically, and various techniques, preferably cost-effective and environmentally friendly, are being developed and evaluated. Microalgae-based treatment of wastewater is a sustainable and low-cost approach to remove nutrients and emerging contaminants. In this study, a North Sweden high-rate algal pond (HRAP) using municipal untreated wastewater as medium, was investigated in terms of API distribution and fate. Three six-day batches were prepared during 18 days and a total of 36 APIs were quantified within the HRAP of which 14 were removed from the aqueous phase above 50% and seven removed above 90% of their initial concentrations. Twelve APIs of a hydrophobic nature were mostly associated with the algal biomass that was harvested at the end of each batch. HRAPs treatment successfully removed 69% of studied APIs (25 of 36 studied) in six day time. The distribution of various APIs between the aqueous phase and biomass suggested that several removal mechanisms may occur, such as hydrophobicity driven removal, passive biosorption and active bioaccumulation.
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| 19. |
- Lührmann, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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State of the world 2018: democracy facing global challenges
- 2019
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Ingår i: Democratization. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1351-0347 .- 1743-890X. ; 26:6, s. 895-915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article analyses the state of democracy in the world in 2018, and recent developments building on the 2019 release of the V-Dem dataset. First, the trend of autocratization continues and 24 countries are now affected by what is established as a "third wave of autocratization". Second, despite the global challenge of gradual autocratization, democratic regimes prevail in a majority of countries in the world (99 countries, 55%) in 2018. Thus, the state of the world is unmistakably more democratic compared to any point during the last century. At the same time, the number of electoral authoritarian regimes had increased to 55, or 31% of all countries. Third, the autocratization wave is disproportionally affecting democratic countries in Europe and the Americas, but also India's large population. Fourth, freedom of expression and the media, and the rule of law are the areas under attack in most countries undergoing autocratization, but toxic polarization of the public sphere is a threat to democracy spreading across regimes. Finally, we present the first model to predict autocratization ("adverse regime transitions") pointing to the top-10 most at-risk countries in the world.
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| 20. |
- Maerz, Seraphine, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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State of the world 2019: autocratization surges - resistance grows
- 2020
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Ingår i: Democratization. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1351-0347 .- 1743-890X. ; 27:6, s. 909-927
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article analyses the state of democracy in the world in 2019. We demonstrate that the "third wave of autocratization" is accelerating and deepening. The dramatic loss of eight democracies in the last year sets a new record in the rate of breakdowns. Exemplifying this crisis is Hungary, now the EU's first ever authoritarian member state. Governmental assaults on civil society, freedom of expression, and the media are proliferating and becoming more severe. A new and disturbing trend is that the quality of elections is now also deteriorating in many countries. Nevertheless, there are also positive signs: pro-democracy protests reached an all-time high in 2019. People are taking to the streets to protest the erosion of democracies and challenge dictators. Popular protests have contributed to substantial democratization in 22 countries over the last ten years - including Armenia, Tunisia, and Ecuador. This was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Responses to the crisis, including many states of emergencies, risk further accelerating autocratization.
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| 21. |
- Malmquist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Imaging agent of a TRPA1 inhibitor
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of labelled compounds & radiopharmaceuticals. - : Wiley. - 0362-4803 .- 1099-1344. ; 56:9-10, s. 536-537
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A method for the preparation of [3'-3H]-4-(2'-chloro-6'- hydroxyphenyl)-2-thioxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-indeno[1,2-d]pyrimidin-5 (2H)-one (1), a TRPA1 inhibitor, was developed for the evaluation of imaging properties of a class of TRPA1 inhibitors. 1 was prepared via tritiation of a protected benzaldehyde followed by a tetrachlorosilane catalyzed multicomponent one-step fusion and was obtained at a specific activity of 0.9 TBq/mmol. A 3H-NMR spectrum on 13.5MBq at 75 μM was recorded.
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| 22. |
- Pesce, Giancarlo, et al.
(författare)
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Low dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) is associated with worse lung function in women
- 2018
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Ingår i: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society. - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 52
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- DHEA-S is the most abundant circulating steroid hormone in humans. Low concentrations of DHEA-S have been linked to several chronic diseases, but it is unclear if DHEA-S affects respiratory health. As part of the ALEC project [EU H2020 grant #633212], the associations of DHEA-S concentrations with lung function levels and decline were evaluated in women from the general population.Serum DHEA-S concentrations were measured in 2,250 women (28-57 years) participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey in 1999-2002. Associations of DHEA-S concentrations (categorized by age-adjusted quintiles) with FEV1, FVC, and the FEV1/FVC ratio were investigated using linear regression models adjusted for age, height, active and passive smoking, BMI, physical activity, education, menopausal status, and with study centre included as a random effect. Associations of DHEA-S concentrations with yearly decline in lung function (ΔFEV1, ΔFVC, ΔFEV1/FVC) were assessed in 1,340 women with spirometry data at follow-up in 2010-2014.The median (25th-75th percentile) concentration of DHEA-S was 4.2 µmol/L (2.9-6.0). The concentration of DHEA-S was significantly higher in current smokers and steadily declined with age. In fully adjusted models, women with low DHEA-S concentrations (below the 1st quintile) at baseline had worse FEV1 (-80mL, p<0.001) and FVC (-79mL, p=0.001) compared to women with higher DHEA-S levels. Low DHEA-S concentrations at baseline were associated with ΔFEV1/FVC (-0.08%/year, p=0.006), but not with ΔFEV1 or ΔFVC.The results suggest that low DHEA-S concentrations are associated with worse lung function in women, but have limited effects on lung function decline.
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