| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 2. |
- Fleiter, Judy, et al.
(författare)
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Characteristics of Chinese drivers attending a mandatory training course following licence suspension
- 2013
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference Road Safety on Four Continents. - Linköping : Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Penalties and sanctions to deter risky/illegal behaviours are important components of traffic law enforcement. For licence sanctions, some offences attract automatic suspension while others attract demerit points which can indirectly lead to licence loss. In China, a licence is suspended when a driver accrues twelve demerit points within one year. When this occurs, the person must undertake a one-week retraining course at their own expense and successfully pass an examination to become relicensed. Little is known about the effectiveness of this program. A pilot study was conducted in Zhejiang Province to examine basic information about participants of a retraining course. The aim was to gather baseline data for future comparison. Participants were recruited at a driver retraining centre in a large city in Zhejiang Province. In total, 239 suspended drivers completed an anonymous questionnaire which included demographic information, driving history, and crash involvement. Overall, 87% were male with an overall mean age of 35.02 years (SD=8.77; range 21-60 years). A large proportion (83.3%) of participants owned a vehicle. Commuting to work was reported by 64% as their main reason for driving, while 16.3% reported driving for work. Only 6.4% reported holding a licence for 1 year or less (M=8.14 years, SD=6.5, range 1-31 years) and people reported driving an average of 18.06 hours/week (SD=14.4, range 1-86 hours). This represents a relatively experienced group, especially given the increase in new drivers in China. The number of infringements reportedly received in the previous year ranged from 2 to 18 (M=4.6, SD=3.18); one third of participants reported having received 5 or more infringements. Approximately one third also reported having received infringements in the previous year but not paid them. Various strategies for avoiding penalties were reported. The most commonly reported traffic violations were: drink driving (DUI; 0.02-0.08 mg/100ml) with 61.5% reporting 1 such violation; and speeding (47.7% reported 1-10 violations). Only 2.2% of participants reported the more serious drunk driving violation (DWI; above 0.08mg/100ml). Other violations included disobeying traffic rules, using inappropriate licence, and licence plate destroyed/not displayed. Two-thirds of participants reported no crash involvement in the previous year while 14.2% reported involvement in 2-5 crashes. The relationship between infringements and crashes was limited, however there was a small, positive significant correlation between crashes and speeding infringements (r=.2, p=.004).
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| 3. |
- Larsson, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Purification and Characterization of the Nerve Growth Factor R221W mutant causing Insensitivity to Pain
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We have previously identified a homozygous missense (R221W) mutation in the NGFβ gene which causes insensitivity to pain in patients. The mutation impairs the secretion of NGF and the majority of the protein accumulates as proNGF. NGF mediates its function by binding and activating the TrkA and p75 receptors and is important for the survival of the sensory and sympathetic neurons as well as the cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain. However, the R221W mutation seems to discriminate between these types of neurons as it is the sensory neurons that are mainly affected in the patients. A second human NGFβ mutation causes a more severe form of pain insensitivity with additional anhidrosis and cognitive dysfunctions in affected patients which is also seen in patients with mutations in the gene encoding the TrkA receptor. Because R221W NGF cause a less severe phenotype we hypothesised that the mutation mainly affects the p75 interaction which is also strengthened by the fact that the substitution is located in a region known to interact with p75. In this report, we show that R221W NGF is able to bind and activate TrkA at a level comparable to wild-type NGF in cells stably expressing TrkA while the activation of the downstream target ERK1/2 is impaired in cells that co-express TrkA and p75. We also describe the effects of the mutation in terms of expression and purification properties from E.coli which indicate the likelihood that eukaryotic folding machinery is needed for correct folding of R221W NGF.
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| 4. |
- Lewis, Ioni, et al.
(författare)
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Designing and evaluating road safety advertising campaigns
- 2019
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Ingår i: Traffic Safety Culture. - : Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.. - 9781787146174 - 9781787146181 ; , s. 297-319
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This chapter defines what road safety advertising campaigns are and the objectives that they typically seek to achieve. The argument put forward in this chapter is that when theoretically informed in their design and sensitive to the array of potential personal, social, and cultural influences which may be at play, road safety advertising can contribute to both reinforcing and transforming contemporary traffic safety culture. This chapter offers guidance to researchers and practitioners in the field regarding relevant theory which may be applied to inform message design and evaluation.
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| 5. |
- Mustafa, Nida, et al.
(författare)
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The lived experiences of chronic pain among immigrant Indian-Canadian women : A phenomenological analysis
- 2020
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Ingår i: Canadian Journal of Pain. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2474-0527. ; 4:3, s. 40-50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Chronic pain is a growing public health concern affecting 1.5 million people in Canada. In particular, it is a concern among the expanding immigrant population, as immigrant groups report higher pain intensity than non-immigrants. In 2011, the Indian population became the largest visible minority group, and continues to be the fastest growing. While the prevalence of chronic pain among Canadian-Indians is unknown, research has found a higher prevalence among Indian women than men in India, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom, with women reporting more severe pain. An understanding of how pain is experienced by this particular group is, therefore, important for providing culturally-sensitive care. Aims. This study explores the lived experiences of chronic pain among immigrant Indian women in Canada. Methods. Thirteen immigrant Indian women participated in a one-on-one interview exploring daily experiences of chronic pain. Results. Using thematic analysis informed by van Manen’s phenomenology of practice, four themes emerged: (1) the body in pain, (2) pain in the context of lived and felt space, (3) pain and relationships and (4) pain and time. Women revealed their experiences were shaped by gender roles and expectations enforced through culture. Specifically, a ‘dual gender-role’ was identified after immigration, in which women had to balance traditional household responsibilities of family labour and care, alongside employment outside the home, exacerbating pain. Conclusions. This research uncovers the multifaceted nature of chronic pain and identifies factors within the socio-cultural context which may place particular groups of women more at risk of living with pain.
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| 6. |
- Sandoval-Velasco, Marcela, et al.
(författare)
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The ancestry and geographical origins of St Helena's liberated Africans
- 2023
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Ingår i: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Cell Press. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 110:9, s. 1590-1599
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The island of St Helena played a crucial role in the suppression of the transatlantic slave trade. Strategically located in the middle of the South Atlantic, it served as a staging post for the Royal Navy and reception point for enslaved Africans who had been "liberated"from slave ships intercepted by the British. In total, St Helena received approximately 27,000 liberated Africans between 1840 and 1867. Written sources suggest that the majority of these individuals came from West Central Africa, but their precise origins are unknown. Here, we report the results of ancient DNA analyses that we conducted as part of a wider effort to commemorate St Helena's liberated Africans and to restore knowledge of their lives and experiences. We generated partial genomes (0.1-0.53) for 20 individuals whose remains had been recovered during archaeological excavations on the island. We compared their genomes with genotype data for over 3,000 present-day individuals from 90 populations across sub-Saharan Africa and conclude that the individuals most likely originated from different source populations within the general area between northern Angola and Gabon. We also find that the majority (17/20) of the individuals were male, supporting a well-documented sex bias in the latter phase of the transatlantic slave trade. The study expands our understanding of St Helena's liberated African community and illustrates how ancient DNA analyses can be used to investigate the origins and identities of individuals whose lives were bound up in the story of slavery and its abolition.
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