| 1. |
- Allen, John, et al.
(author)
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Energy transduction anchors genes in organelles
- 2005
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In: BioEssays. - : Wiley. - 0265-9247. ; 27:4, s. 426-435
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The work of mitochondria and chloroplasts is energy transduction in respiration and photosynthesis. The physico-chemical mechanisms of bioenergetics do not directly involve genes and heredity, and furthermore, redox chemistry is intrinsically mutagenic. Thus the small, functional genomes of mitochondria and chloroplasts are an oddity. Although extensively sequenced and catalogued, cytoplasmic genomes are still not explained. Genomic lethargy is not the answer. Some genes linger from the bacterial ancestors of these organelles, true, but most have left, and new ones arrive. There is a mounting case for a massive and indiscriminate intracellular gene transfer between organelles and the cell nucleus, with the frequency of relocation being comparable to that of mutation. Nevertheless, a few organellar proteins, all working at the core of bioenergetics, always seem to keep the genes encoding them close at hand. Stability amid flux suggests the invisible hand of selection. Selection for what? There are clues, and the beginnings of experimental support, for the theory that expression of mitochondrial and chloroplast genes is regulated by the function of their gene products. For safe and efficient energy transduction, genes in organelles are in the right place at the right time. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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| 2. |
- Bartunek, Josef Ström, et al.
(author)
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Adaptive Fingerprint Binarization by Frequency Domain Analysis
- 2006
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This paper presents a new approach for fingerprint enhancement by using directional filters and binarization. A straightforward method for automatically tuning the size of local area is obtained by analyzing entire fingerprint image in the frequency domain. Hence, the algorithm will adjust adaptively to the local area of the fingerprint image, independent on the characteristics of the fingerprint sensor or the physical appearance of the fingerprints. Frequency analysis is carried out in the local areas to design directional filters. Experimental results are presented.
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| 3. |
- Bartunek, Josef Ström, et al.
(author)
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Improved Adaptive Fingerprint Binarization
- 2008
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper improvements to a previous work are presented. Removing the redundant artifacts in the fingerprint mask is introduced enhancing the final result. The proposed method is entirely adaptive process adjusting to each fingerprint without any further supervision of the user. Hence, the algorithm is insensitive to the characteristics of the fingerprint sensor and the various physical appearances of the fingerprints. Further, a detailed description of fingerprint mask generation not fully described in the previous work is presented. The improved experimental results are presented.
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| 4. |
- Bartunek, Josef Ström, et al.
(author)
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Neural Network based Minutiae Extraction from Skeletonized Fingerprints
- 2006
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Human fingerprints are rich in details denoted minutiae. In this paper a method of minutiae extraction from fingerprint skeletons is described. To identify the different shapes and types of minutiae a neural network is trained to work as a classifier. The proposed neural network is applied throughout the fingerprint skeleton to locate various minutiae. A scheme to speed up the process is also presented. Extracted minutiae can then be used as identification marks for automatic fingerprint matching.
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| 5. |
- Borg, Jörgen, et al.
(author)
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Perilipin is present in islets of Langerhans and protects against lipotoxicity when overexpressed in the beta-cell line INS-1.
- 2009
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In: Endocrinology. - : The Endocrine Society. - 0013-7227 .- 1945-7170. ; 150:7, s. 3049-3057
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lipids have been shown to play a dual role in pancreatic beta-cells - a lipid-derived signal appears to be necessary for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, whereas lipid accumulation causes impaired insulin secretion and apoptosis. The ability of the protein perilipin to regulate lipolysis prompted an investigation of the presence of perilipin in the islets of Langerhans. In this study evidence is presented for perilipin expression in rat, mouse and human islets of Langerhans as well as in the rat clonal beta-cell line INS-1. In rat and mouse islets, perilipin was verified to be present in beta-cells. In order to examine if the development of lipotoxicity could be prevented by manipulating the conditions for lipid storage in the beta-cell, INS-1 cells with adenoviral-mediated overexpression of perilipin were exposed to lipotoxic conditions for 72 hours. In cells exposed to palmitate, perilipin overexpression caused increased accumulation of triacylglycerols and decreased lipolysis compared to control cells. Whereas glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was retained following palmitate exposure in cells overexpressing perilipin, it was completely abolished in control beta-cells. Thus, overexpression of perilipin appears to confer protection against the development of beta-cell dysfunction following prolonged exposure to palmitate by promoting lipid storage and limiting lipolysis.
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| 6. |
- Davidsson, Lars, 1974-
(author)
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I linje med partiet? : Maktspel och lojalitet i den svenska riksdagen
- 2006
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The preconditions for Swedish MPs’ (Members of Parliament) loyalty to their parliamentary party groups have been modified by two recent constitutional changes: the introduction of preference voting in the electoral system in 1998, and the 1997 reorganisation of the national budgetary process. The main purpose of this thesis is to determine the impact of these reforms on Swedish MPs’ inclination to defect from their party group’s interests. A theory is developed and its propositions empirically tested on the case of the Swedish Parliament. The theory states that the tasks of forming and upholding the party line are delegated from the party group to an elected leadership, and then re-delegated back to individual MPs. The party group leadership acts as a principal, monitoring the adherence of MPs as agents to party group interests in the fulfilment of these tasks. The nature of the interaction varies with the type of parliamentary activity, and the monitoring capacity of the leadership. This theory is strongly supported by Swedish data, and a comparative overview indicates that the theory may also be useful for analysing party loyalty in other parliamentary systems.The thesis uses a mixed methodology design, combining data from a survey study, an interview study, and a document study of Private Member Initiatives.The preference vote reform has increased MPs' willingness to defect, as well as actual defections from their party group’s interests. The effect is, however, mainly limited to electorally vulnerable MPs, who after the reform need to build a personal political profile. The budget reform has decreased defection on budgetary issues, but from a fairly low starting level. A third effect on party loyalty is found, in that the youngest generation MPs are significantly more prone to defect than their colleagues of older generations.
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| 7. |
- Eklund, Ulrik, et al.
(author)
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Industrial Challenges of Scaling Agile in Mass-Produced Embedded Systems
- 2014
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In: Agile Methods. Large-Scale Development, Refactoring, Testing, and Estimation. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319143583 - 9783319143576 ; , s. 30-42
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When individual teams in mechatronic organizations attempt to adopt agile software practices, these practices tend to only affect mod- ules or sub-systems. The short iterations on team level do not lead to short lead-times in launching new or updated products since the overall R&D approach on an organization level is still governed by an overall stage gate or single cycle V-model. This paper identifies challenges for future research on how to combine the predictability and planning desired of mechanical manufacturing with the dynamic capabilities of modern agile software development. Scaling agile in this context requires an expansion in two dimensions: First, scal- ing the number of involved teams. Second, traversing necessary systems engineering activities in each sprint due to the co-dependency of software and hardware development.
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| 8. |
- Forsberg, Jens, et al.
(author)
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Protease activities in the chloroplast capable of cleaving an LHCII N-terminal peptide
- 2005
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In: Physiologia Plantarum. - : Wiley. - 0031-9317 .- 1399-3054. ; 123:1, s. 21-29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two protease activities of pea chloroplasts, one located in the stroma and the other associated to the thylakoid membrane, are described. Both proteases catalyse the endo-proteolytic cleavage of a peptide corresponding to the N-terminal loop and the first turn in helix-B of light-harvesting complex II (Lhcb1 from pea). The stromal protease cleaves preferentially on the carboxy-side of glutamic acid residues. Inhibitor studies indicate that this protease is a serine-type protease. The protease was partially purified and could be correlated to a 95-kDa polypeptide band on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. The 95 kDa protein was partially sequenced and showed similarity to an to an 'unknown protein' from A. thaliana (in the NCBI public database) as well as to a glutamyl endopeptidase purified from crude extract of cucumber leaves. It is concluded that the stromal protease is a chloroplast glutamyl endopeptidase (cGEP). The protease localized in the thylakoid membrane, cleaved the peptide at only one site, close to its N terminus. The activity of the thylakoid-associated protease was found to be drastically increased in the presence of the reducing agent 1,4-dithiothreitol. Inhibitor studies suggest that this protease is a cysteine- or serine-type protease. The possible roles of these proteases in the regulation of photosynthetic electron transport and in the chloroplast homeostasis are discussed.
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| 9. |
- Magnusson, Jesper, et al.
(author)
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Broad and complex antifungal activity among environmental isolates of lactic acid bacteria
- 2003
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In: FEMS Microbiology Letters. - : Elsevier. - 0378-1097 .- 1574-6968. ; 219:1, s. 129-135
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- More than 1200 isolates of lactic acid bacteria isolated from different environments were screened for antifungal activity in a dual-culture agar plate assay. Approximately 10% of the isolates showed inhibitory activity and 4% showed strong activity against the indicator mould Aspergillus fumigatus. The antifungal spectra for 37 isolates with strong activity and five isolates with low or no activity were determined. Several of the strains showed strong inhibitory activity against the moulds A. fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Penicillium commune and Fusarium sporotrichioides, and also against the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Penicillium roqueforti and the yeasts Pichia anomala and Kluyveromyces marxianus were not inhibited. Several isolates showed reduced antifungal activity after storage and handling. The majority of the fungal inhibitory isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as Lactobacillus coryniformis. Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus were also frequently identified among the active isolates. The degree of fungal inhibition was not only related to production of lactic or acetic acid. In addition, antifungal cyclic dipeptides were identified after HPLC separation and several other active fractions were found suggesting a highly complex nature of the antifungal activity.
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| 10. |
- Marklund, Bertil, 1945, et al.
(author)
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Computer-supported telephone nurse triage: an evaluation of medical quality and costs.
- 2007
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In: Journal of nursing management. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0966-0429 .- 1365-2834. ; 15:2, s. 180-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AIM: To evaluate a telephone nurse triage model in terms of appropriateness of referrals to the appropriate level of care, patient's compliance with given advice and costs. BACKGROUND: A key concern in each telephonic consultation is to evaluate if appropriate. METHOD: An evaluative design in primary health care with consecutive patients (N = 362) calling telephone nurse triage between November 2002 and February 2003. RESULTS: The advice was considered adequate in 325 (97.6%) cases. The patients' compliance with self-care was 81.3%, to primary health care 91.1% and to Accident and Emergency department 100%. The nurses referred self-care cases (64.7%) and Accident and Emergency cases (29.6%) from a less adequate to an appropriate level of care. The cost saving per call leading to a recommendation of self-care was euro 70.3, to primary health care euro 24.3 and to Accident and Emergency department euro 22.2. CONCLUSIONS: The telephone nurse triage model showed adequate guidance for the patients concerning level of care and released resources for the benefit of both patients and the health care system.
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