| 1. |
- El Alaoui, Samir, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors and Moderators of Internet- and Group-Based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Panic Disorder
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) can be equally effective as traditional face-to-face cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for treating panic disorder (PD). However, little is known about the predictors and moderators of outcome of ICBT when delivered in psychiatric outpatient settings. This study investigated a selection of outcome predictors and moderators of ICBT for panic disorder based on data from a randomised controlled trial where therapist-guided ICBT was compared with group CBT (GCBT) for panic disorder. Participants (N = 104) received 10 weeks of ICBT or GCBT and were assessed before and after treatment, and after six months. Multiple regression analyses were used to test for significant predictors of treatment outcome. Predictors of positive treatment response for both modalities were having low levels of symptom severity and work impairment. In addition, anxiety sensitivity was found to have a small negative relationship with treatment outcome, suggesting that anxiety sensitivity may slightly enhance treatment response. Treatment modality had a moderating effect on the relationship between domestic impairment and outcome and on the relationship between initial age of onset of panic symptoms and treatment outcome, favouring ICBT for patients having had an early onset of PD symptoms and for patients having a high domestic functional impairment. These results suggest that both ICBT and GCBT are effective treatment modalities for PD and that it is possible to predict a significant proportion of the long-term outcome variance based on clinical variables.
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| 2. |
- Seibert, M. Marvin, et al.
(författare)
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Single mimivirus particles intercepted and imaged with an X-ray laser
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 470:7332, s. 78-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- X-ray lasers offer new capabilities in understanding the structure of biological systems, complex materials and matter under extreme conditions(1-4). Very short and extremely bright, coherent X-ray pulses can be used to outrun key damage processes and obtain a single diffraction pattern from a large macromolecule, a virus or a cell before the sample explodes and turns into plasma(1). The continuous diffraction pattern of non-crystalline objects permits oversampling and direct phase retrieval(2). Here we show that high-quality diffraction data can be obtained with a single X-ray pulse from a noncrystalline biological sample, a single mimivirus particle, which was injected into the pulsed beam of a hard-X-ray free-electron laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source(5). Calculations indicate that the energy deposited into the virus by the pulse heated the particle to over 100,000 K after the pulse had left the sample. The reconstructed exit wavefront (image) yielded 32-nm full-period resolution in a single exposure and showed no measurable damage. The reconstruction indicates inhomogeneous arrangement of dense material inside the virion. We expect that significantly higher resolutions will be achieved in such experiments with shorter and brighter photon pulses focused to a smaller area. The resolution in such experiments can be further extended for samples available in multiple identical copies.
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| 3. |
- Zamora, Juan Carlos, et al.
(författare)
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Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa
- 2018
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Ingår i: IMA Fungus. - : INT MYCOLOGICAL ASSOC. - 2210-6340 .- 2210-6359. ; 9:1, s. 167-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.
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| 4. |
- Yu, Junchun, et al.
(författare)
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Thermal properties and transition studies of multi-wall carbon nanotube/nylon-6 composites
- 2011
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Ingår i: Carbon. - : Elsevier. - 0008-6223 .- 1873-3891. ; 49:14, s. 4858-4866
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transition behavior and thermal properties of a multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/nylon-6 composite (P-composite) made by in situ polymerization and subsequently structurally modified by high-pressure–high-temperature treatment have been established. The thermal conductivity (κ) of nylon-6 improved 27% by the addition of 2.1 wt.% MWCNT filler simultaneously as the heat capacity per unit volume decreased 22% compared with that of nylon-6 at 1 atm and 298 K. Moreover, the MWCNT filler raises the glass transition temperature (Tg) of nylon-6, but the pressure dependence of Tg remains unchanged. A model for κ indicates that the interfacial thermal resistance between the MWCNT filler and the nylon-6 matrix decreases 20% up to 1 GPa and most significantly above 0.8 GPa. P-composite was structurally modified by a sluggish cold-crystallization transition at 1.0 GPa, 530 K, which further increased κ by as much as 37% as the crystallinity of nylon-6 improved from 31% to 58% with a preferred crystal orientation and increased crystal size.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Chapman, Henry N, et al.
(författare)
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Femtosecond X-ray protein nanocrystallography.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 470:7332, s. 73-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- X-ray crystallography provides the vast majority of macromolecular structures, but the success of the method relies on growing crystals of sufficient size. In conventional measurements, the necessary increase in X-ray dose to record data from crystals that are too small leads to extensive damage before a diffraction signal can be recorded. It is particularly challenging to obtain large, well-diffracting crystals of membrane proteins, for which fewer than 300 unique structures have been determined despite their importance in all living cells. Here we present a method for structure determination where single-crystal X-ray diffraction 'snapshots' are collected from a fully hydrated stream of nanocrystals using femtosecond pulses from a hard-X-ray free-electron laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source. We prove this concept with nanocrystals of photosystem I, one of the largest membrane protein complexes. More than 3,000,000 diffraction patterns were collected in this study, and a three-dimensional data set was assembled from individual photosystem I nanocrystals (∼200 nm to 2 μm in size). We mitigate the problem of radiation damage in crystallography by using pulses briefer than the timescale of most damage processes. This offers a new approach to structure determination of macromolecules that do not yield crystals of sufficient size for studies using conventional radiation sources or are particularly sensitive to radiation damage.
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| 7. |
- Smedman, Ann-Sofi, et al.
(författare)
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Precipitation and evaporation budgets over the Baltic Proper: observations and modelling
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Ocean Science. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1741-7538 .- 1741-7546. ; 10:3, s. 163-191
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Precipitation and evaporation budgets over the Baltic Sea were studied in a concerted project called PEP in BALTEX, combining extensive field measurements and modelling efforts. Eddy-correlation-measurements of turbulent heat flux were made on a semi-continuous basis for a 12 months period at four well-exposed coastal sites in the Baltic Proper. Precipitation was measured at land-based sites with standard gauges and on four merchant ships travelling between Germany and Finland with the aid of specially designed ship rain gauges (SRG).The evaporation and precipitation regime of the Baltic Sea was modelled for a 12 months period by applying a wide range of numerical models: The operational atmospheric High Resolution Limited Area Model HIRLAM (Swedish and Finnish versions), the German atmospheric REgional-scale MOdel, REMO, the operational German Europe-Model (only precipitation), the oceanographic model PROBE-Baltic, and two models that use interpolation of ground-based data, the Swedish MESAN model of SMHI and a German model of IFM-GEOMAR Kiel.Modelled precipitation was compared with ship rain gauge measurements on board the ships. A reasonable correlation was obtained, but the regional scale models and MESAN give some 20 percent higher precipitation over the sea than measured.Bulk parameterisation schemes for evaporation were evaluated against measurements. A constant value of CHN and CEN with wind speed underestimated large fluxes of both sensible and latent heat flux. The limited area models do not resolve the influence of the height of the marine boundary layer in coastal zones and the entrainment processes, which may explain the observed low correlations between modelled and measured latent heat fluxes.Estimates of evaporation, E, and precipitation, P, for the entire Baltic Proper were made with several models for a 12 months period. While the annual variation was well represented by all predictions, there are still important differences in the total mean. Evaporation ranges from 509 to 625 mm/year and precipitation between 624 and 805 mm/year for the particular 12 months period. Taking the results of model verification from the present study into account, the best estimate of P - E is about 100 50 mm for the particular 12 months period. But the annual mean of P - E varies considerably from year to year. This is reflected in simulations with the PROBE-Baltic model for an 18 years period, which gave 95 mm/year for the 12 months period studied here and 32 mm/year as an average for 18 years.
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| 8. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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Canine tick-borne diseases in pet dogs from Romania
- 2017
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Ingår i: Parasites & Vectors. - : BioMed Central. - 1756-3305. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Tick-borne diseases are of substantial concern worldwide for animals as well as humans. Dogs have been a human companion for millennia, and their significant impact on human life renders disease in dogs to be of great concern. Tick-borne diseases in dogs represent a substantial diagnostic challenge for veterinarians in that clinical signs are often diffuse and overlapping. In addition, co-infections with two or more pathogens enhance this problem further. Molecular methods are useful to disentangle co-infections and to accurately describe prevalence and geographical distribution of tick-borne diseases. At this point, this information is lacking in many areas worldwide. Romania is one such area, where prevalence and distribution of several important pathogens need to be further investigated. To address this, we screened blood samples from 96 sick dogs with molecular methods for eight different pathogens including Babesia spp., Theileria spp., Hepatozoon spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis", Mycoplasma spp., and Borrelia spp. Results: As many as 45% (43/ 96) of the dogs in the study were infected with protozoan parasites. Babesia canis was the most frequent of these (28 infected dogs), whereas Hepatozoon canis was detected in 15% (14/ 96) and Babesia gibsoni was found in a single sample. Bacterial infection with Mycoplasma spp. occurred in 18% (17/ 96) of the sampled dogs. Obtained bacterial sequences revealed the occurrence of two species: Mycoplasma canis and "Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum". In several cases co-infection with protozoan parasites and Mycoplasma sp. were detected. All dogs were negative for Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., "Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis", and for Borrelia spp. Conclusions: The results from the present study reinforce the notion that Babesia canis is an important pathogen in the Romanian dog population. However, more surprisingly, another protozoan species, H. canis, seems to be infecting dogs to a larger extent than previously recognized in Romania. Well-known tick-borne bacterial disease agents such as Anaplasma spp. and Borrelia spp. were not detected. In contrast, less wellstudied bacteria such as hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. were detected frequently. Moreover, co-infection might aggravate disease and complicate diagnosis and should be further studied in dogs.
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| 9. |
- Yu, Junchun, et al.
(författare)
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A MWCNT/Polyisoprene Composite Reinforced by an Effective Load Transfer Reflected in the Extent of Polymer Coating
- 2012
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 45:6, s. 2841-2849
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tensile and microstructural properties of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polyisoprene (PI) composites have been investigated after cross-linking achieved purely by simultaneous high-pressure high-temperature treatment. The method enables gradual increase of the cross-link density without interference of vulcanization chemicals, and the results suggest a link between an interfacial PI layer wrapped/coated on the MWCNTs and reinforcement in carbon nanotube (CNT)/PI composites. The interfacial layer, which is augmented by high-pressure treatment, was detected indirectly in swelling experiments and also reflected in results of atomic force microscopy. The results imply more efficient load transfer and mechanical reinforcement by CNTs with improved interfacial layer and that changes in the layer can be probed by swelling measurements.
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| 10. |
- Yu, Junchun, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Buckminsterfullerene : A Strong, Covalently Bonded, Reinforcing Filler and Reversible Cross-Linker in the Form of Clusters in a Polymer
- 2013
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Ingår i: ACS Macro Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2161-1653. ; 2:6, s. 511-517
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A Buckminsterfullerene/polyisoprene (C60/PI) composite was synthesized at high-temperature, high-pressure (HP&HT) conditions. The composite has significantly improved tensile strength and Young’s modulus, by up to 49% and 88% per wt % C60, respectively, which is much higher than for corresponding composites with carbon nanotube (CNT) fillers. The reinforcing action of C60 fillers is different from that of CNTs as C60 becomes covalently bonded to PI chains, and C60 clusters in PI form C60–C60 covalent bonds. The latter are reversible and break by heating at 1 bar, which suggests improved recyclability of the material and indicates that carbon nanostructures can be used as strong reversible cross-linkers (“vulcanizers”) in elastomers.
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