| 1. |
- Abbasi, R., et al.
(författare)
-
SEARCH FOR HIGH-ENERGY MUON NEUTRINOS FROM THE "NAKED-EYE" GRB 080319B WITH THE IceCube NEUTRINO TELESCOPE
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 701:2, s. 1721-1731
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on a search with the IceCube detector for high-energy muon neutrinos from GRB 080319B, one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) ever observed. The fireball model predicts that a mean of 0.1 events should be detected by IceCube for a bulk Lorentz boost of the jet of 300. In both the direct on-time window of 66 s and an extended window of about 300 s around the GRB, no excess was found above background. The 90% CL upper limit on the number of track-like events from the GRB is 2.7, corresponding to a muon neutrino fluence limit of 9.5 x 10(-3) erg cm(-2) in the energy range between 120 TeV and 2.2 PeV, which contains 90% of the expected events.
|
|
| 2. |
- Achterberg, A., et al.
(författare)
-
Five years of searches for point sources of astrophysical neutrinos with the AMANDA-II neutrino telescope
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Physical Review D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology. - 1550-7998. ; 75:10, s. 102001-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the results of a five-year survey of the northern sky to search for point sources of high energy neutrinos. The search was performed on the data collected with the AMANDA-II neutrino telescope in the years 2000 to 2004, with a live time of 1001 days. The sample of selected events consists of 4282 upward going muon tracks with high reconstruction quality and an energy larger than about 100 GeV. We found no indication of point sources of neutrinos and set 90% confidence level flux upper limits for an all-sky search and also for a catalog of 32 selected sources. For the all-sky search, our average (over declination and right ascension) experimentally observed upper limit Phi0=((E/(1 TeV)))gamma·((d Phi)/dE) to a point source flux of muon and tau neutrino (detected as muons arising from taus) is Phinu[sub mu] + [overline nu ][sub mu]0+Phinu[sub tau] + [overline nu ][sub tau]0=11.1× 10-11 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1, in the energy range between 1.6 TeV and 2.5 PeV for a flavor ratio Phinu[sub mu] + [overline nu ][sub mu]0/Phinu[sub tau] + [overline nu ][sub tau]0=1 and assuming a spectral index gamma=2. It should be noticed that this is the first time we set upper limits to the flux of muon and tau neutrinos. In previous papers we provided muon neutrino upper limits only neglecting the sensitivity to a signal from tau neutrinos, which improves the limits by 10% to 16%. The value of the average upper limit presented in this work corresponds to twice the limit on the muon neutrino flux Phinu[sub mu] + [overline nu ][sub mu]0=5.5×10-11 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1. A stacking analysis for preselected active galactic nuclei and a search based on the angular separation of the events were also performed. We report the most stringent flux upper limits to date, including the results of a detailed assessment of systematic uncertainties.
|
|
| 3. |
- Aspholm, Marina, et al.
(författare)
-
SabA is the H. pylori hemagglutinin and is polymorphic in binding to sialylated glycans.
- 2006
-
Ingår i: PLoS pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7374 .- 1553-7366. ; 2:10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adherence of Helicobacter pylori to inflamed gastric mucosa is dependent on the sialic acid-binding adhesin (SabA) and cognate sialylated/fucosylated glycans on the host cell surface. By in situ hybridization, H. pylori bacteria were observed in close association with erythrocytes in capillaries and post-capillary venules of the lamina propria of gastric mucosa in both infected humans and Rhesus monkeys. In vivo adherence of H. pylori to erythrocytes may require molecular mechanisms similar to the sialic acid-dependent in vitro agglutination of erythrocytes (i.e., sialic acid-dependent hemagglutination). In this context, the SabA adhesin was identified as the sialic acid-dependent hemagglutinin based on sialidase-sensitive hemagglutination, binding assays with sialylated glycoconjugates, and analysis of a series of isogenic sabA deletion mutants. The topographic presentation of binding sites for SabA on the erythrocyte membrane was mapped to gangliosides with extended core chains. However, receptor mapping revealed that the NeuAcalpha2-3Gal-disaccharide constitutes the minimal sialylated binding epitope required for SabA binding. Furthermore, clinical isolates demonstrated polymorphism in sialyl binding and complementation analysis of sabA mutants demonstrated that polymorphism in sialyl binding is an inherent property of the SabA protein itself. Gastric inflammation is associated with periodic changes in the composition of mucosal sialylation patterns. We suggest that dynamic adaptation in sialyl-binding properties during persistent infection specializes H. pylori both for individual variation in mucosal glycosylation and tropism for local areas of inflamed and/or dysplastic tissue.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bodin, Örjan, et al.
(författare)
-
The value of small size: loss of forest patches and ecological thresholds in southern Madagascar
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Ecological Applications. - : the Ecological Society of America. - 1051-0761 .- 1939-5582. ; 16:2, s. 440-451
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many services generated by forest ecosystems provide essential support for human well-being. However, the vulnerability of these services to environmental change such as forest fragmentation are still poorly understood. We present spatial modeling of the generation of ecosystem services in a human-dominated landscape where forest habitat patches, protected by local taboos, are located in a matrix of cultivated land in southern Madagascar. Two ecosystem services dependent on the forest habitats were addressed: (1) crop pollination services by wild and semidomesticated bees (Apoidea), essential for local crop production of, for example, beans, and (2) seed dispersal services based on the presence of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). We studied the vulnerability of these ecosystem services to a plausible scenario of successive destruction of the smallest habitat patches. Our results indicate that, in spite of the fragmented nature of the landscape, the fraction of the landscape presently covered by both crop pollination and seed dispersal services is surprisingly high. It seems that the taboo system, though indirectly and unintentionally, contributes to upholding the generation of these services by protecting the forest patches. Both services are, however, predicted to be very vulnerable to the successive removal of small patches. For crop pollination, the rate of decrease in cover was significant even when only the smallest habitat patches were removed. The capacity for seed dispersal across the landscape displayed several thresholds with habitat patch removal. Our results suggest that, in order to maintain capacity for seed dispersal across the landscape and crop pollination cover in southern Androy, the geographical location of the remaining forest patches is more crucial than their size. We argue that in heavily fragmented production landscapes, small forest patches should increasingly be viewed as essential for maintaining ecosystem services, such as agricultural production, and also should be considered in the ongoing process of tripling the area of protected habitats in Madagascar.
|
|
| 5. |
- Carlsson, Arne, 1943-, et al.
(författare)
-
Vägslitage och beläggningsunderhåll : analys av spårdjupsmätningar på fyra objekt
- 2006
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Förstudien från 1997 analyserade skillnader i spårdjups- och IRI-utveckling och därtill knutna beläggningskostnader vid nuvarande RUD-krav (17 mm spårdjup och IRI 2,5 över 400 m-sträckor för riksvägar med ÅDT >4 000 axelpar/dygn) för alternativa vägtyper med hjälp av Vägverkets PMS-modeller. Vid ÅDT >4 000 blir spårdjup styrande för underhållskostnaden enligt PMS-modellen.
|
|
| 6. |
- Cedergren, Jan, 1965-
(författare)
-
Radical aspects on arthritis : the role of neutrophil generation of nitric oxide and superoxide in inflammatory conditions
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (neutrophils) are gaining renewed interest regarding their involvement in chronic inflammatory disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Besides phagocytic and destructive capabilities, neutrophils have regulatory roles, e.g. by influencing responses from dendritic cells and lymphocytes. Several animal models have revealed that neutrophils are crucial for the initiation and maintenance of chronic inflammatory diseases. Neutrophil function is highly dependent on their ability to produce superoxide, an oxygen radical which can be further metabolized to other free radicals. Whether or not neutrophils are capable of producing the oxygen radical nitric oxide (NO˙) has been a matter of debate.In this thesis it was shown that freshly isolated neutrophils from the joint cavity of patients with RA, but not from other arthritis patients, had ongoing intracellular production of superoxide, indicating the processing of ingested material.The finding that joint neutrophils, but seemingly not circulating cells, expressed the NO-inducing enzyme iNOS, led to a series of experiments aimed to elucidate where in the exudative process this enzyme could first be detected. We could finally, for the first time, present evidence that human neutrophils actually express iNOS constitutively. Our data also suggest that neutrophil iNOS may be membrane associated, thus differing from the cytosolic location in other cell types. Since NOS activity was not demonstrated in isolated cells, the notion that neutrophil iNOS is regulated primarily at the transcriptional level must be questioned. NO production from iNOS requires the presence of its substrate, L-arginine. To test the hypothesis that neutrophil arginase prevents neutrophil NO-production, we investigated whether arginase inhibition affects neutrophil NO-dependent oxidative function. Initial data revealed a difference in the effect of arginase inhibition comparing neutrophil stimulus with a soluble formylated tri-peptide (fMLF) and integrin-mediated stimulation with particle-bound collagen type-1. This led to the hypothesis that integrin-ligation on neutrophils induces extracellular liberation of arginase, which was confirmed both by measuring arginase and its enzyme activity. The findings in this thesis may be important not only regarding the role of neutrophils in chronic joint inflammation, but also as a link in the accelerated atherosclerosis observed in chronic inflammatory disorders, e.g. RA.
|
|
| 7. |
- Cheng, Wing-Shing, 1974-
(författare)
-
TARP Promoter-Based Prostate Cancer Gene Therapy : From Development to Application
- 2005
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Prostate cancer is one leading cause of cancer-related death among men in Western countries. The standard therapies for localized prostate cancer include radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy. Such measures are relatively effective in the short term, but many patients ultimately relapse. These patients may benefit from a combination of standard therapy and oncolytic virus therapy. My work aimed to develop viruses for this purpose.TARP is a protein that in males is specifically expressed in prostate epithelial and cancer cells. In my thesis, I characterized the TARP promoter and showed that TARP expression is regulated at the transcriptional level by testosterone through binding of the androgen receptor in the proximal TARP promoter. I further developed TARP promoter-based regulatory sequences for prostate-specific gene expression. A sequence comprising a PSA enhancer, a PSMA enhancer and the TARP promoter was constructed and designated PPT. An adenoviral vector containing the PPT sequence shielded from transcriptional interference by an H19 insulator showed high prostate-specific transcriptional activity in human cells both in the presence and absence of testosterone. However, in experimental murine prostate cancer the PPT sequence is not active. Therefore, a two-step transcriptional amplification (TSTA) system was used together with the PPT sequence to develop an adenovirus that confers prostate-specific transgene expression also in murine cells.I constructed a conditionally replicating adenovirus where the E1A gene expression is controlled by an H19 insulator-shielded PPT regulatory sequence, Ad[I/PPT-E1A]. This virus exhibited absolute prostate specificity in terms of E1A expression, viral replication and cytolysis in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, our virus is active both in the presence and absence of testosterone, which may prove beneficial for patients treated by hormonal withdrawal. Hopefully, my work will improve existing gene therapy strategies for prostate cancer and in the long term improve the prognosis for patients with prostate cancer.
|
|
| 8. |
- Chung, Yuen-Li, et al.
(författare)
-
Creatine supplements in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies who are clinically weak after conventional pharmacologic treatment: Six-month, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 1529-0131 .- 0004-3591. ; 57:4, s. 694-702
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To test the hypothesis that oral creatine supplements with exercise are more effective than exercise alone in improving muscle function in patients with established dermatomyositis or polymyositis receiving chronic medical therapies who are clinically weak yet stable. Methods. In a 6-month, 2-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, patients were randomized to receive oral creatine supplements (8 days, 20 gm/day then 3 gm/day) or placebo. All patients followed a home exercise program. The primary outcome was aggregate functional performance time (AFPT), reflecting the ability to undertake high-intensity exercise. Secondary outcomes included a Functional index measuring endurance and muscle bioenergetics on P-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (P-31 MRS). Patients were receiving stable immunosuppressive treatment and/or corticosteroids. Results. A total of 37 patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis were randomized (19 to creatine, 18 to placebo); 29 completed 6 months. Intent-to-treat analyses demonstrated that AFPT improved significantly at 6 months with creatine (median decrease 13%, range -32-8%) compared with placebo (median decrease 3%, range -13-16%; P = 0.029 by Mann-Whitney U test). A completer analysis also showed significant benefits from creatine (P = 0.014). The functional index improved significantly with both creatine and placebo (P < 0.05 by paired Wilcoxon's rank sum test), with a significant benefit between groups in the completer analysis only. Phosphocreatine/beta-nucleoside triphosphate ratios using MRS increased significantly in the creatine group (P < 0.05) but not in the control group. No clinically relevant adverse events were associated with creatine. Conclusion. Oral creatine supplements combined with home exercises improve functional performance without significant adverse effects in patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis. They appear safe, effective, and inexpensive.
|
|
| 9. |
- Hansson, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
-
Sights of touching activates the somatosensory cortex in humans
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Hand Surgery. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-2073 .- 0284-4311. ; 43:5, s. 267-269
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report our observations of cross-modal interactions between sight and touch using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Experiments were devised to show that sight and touch are linked in a cross-modal arrangement, and two separate experiments were done in an MRI scanner. In the first, the subject's right hand was stimulated with a brush; in the second, a video sequence was presented to the subject inside the scanner through video goggles in visual three-dimensional stereo, showing one brushstroke every second on a hand in the same manner as the subject had just previously experienced. The result was that both the primary and the secondary somatosensory cortexes were activated in the participants when the hands were touched, and when the subjects saw only a hand being touched in the same manner. The results indicated cross-modal links between sight and touch of the hand in humans.
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
