1. |
- Finnveden, Göran, et al.
(author)
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Policy instruments towards a sustainable waste management
- 2013
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In: Sustainability. - Basel : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 5:3, s. 841-881
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to suggest and discuss policy instruments that could lead towards a more sustainable waste management. The paper is based on evaluations from a large scale multi-disciplinary Swedish research program. The evaluations focus on environmental and economic impacts as well as social acceptance. The focus is on the Swedish waste management system but the results should be relevant also for other countries. Through the assessments and lessons learned during the research program we conclude that several policy instruments can be effective and possible to implement. Particularly, we put forward the following policy instruments: “Information”; “Compulsory recycling of recyclable materials”; “Weight-based waste fee in combination with information and developed recycling systems”; “Mandatory labeling of products containing hazardous chemicals”, “Advertisements on request only and other waste minimization measures”; and “Differentiated VAT and subsidies for some services”. Compulsory recycling of recyclable materials is the policy instrument that has the largest potential for decreasing the environmental impacts with the configurations studied here. The effects of the other policy instruments studied may be more limited and they typically need to be implemented in combination in order to have more significant impacts. Furthermore, policy makers need to take into account market and international aspects when implementing new instruments. In the more long term perspective, the above set of policy instruments may also need to be complemented with more transformational policy instruments that can significantly decrease the generation of waste.
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2. |
- Finnveden, Göran, et al.
(author)
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Policy Instruments towards a sustainable waste management
- 2016
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In: Solid waste management: Policy and planning for a sustainable society. - : Apple Academic Press. - 9781771883740 - 9780429091650 ; , s. 185-246, s. 185-246
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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3. |
- Finnveden, Göran, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Regeringen måste satsa på resurseffektivt samhälle
- 2013
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In: Dagens nyheter. - : AB Dagens nyheter. - 1101-2447. ; :2013-04-01
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Regeringen förbereder en avfallspolitisk proposition. Den kommer förhoppningsvis att klargöra vem som ska ha ansvaret att samla in våra förpackningar. Men fokus borde också ligga på hur vi kan gå mot ett samhälle där resurser används så effektivt som möjligt, skriver forskare på miljöområdet.
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4. |
- Wallén-Mackenzie, Åsa, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Spatio-molecular domains identified in the mouse subthalamic nucleus and neighboring glutamatergic and GABAergic brain structures
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is crucial for normal motor, limbic and associative function. STN dysregulation is correlated with several brain disorders, including Parkinsons disease and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), for which high-frequency stimulation of the STN is increasing as therapy. However, clinical progress is hampered by poor knowledge of the anatomical-functional organization of the STN. Today, experimental mouse genetics provides outstanding capacity for functional decoding, provided selective promoters are available. Here, we implemented single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNASeq) of the mouse STN followed through with histological analysis of 16 candidate genes of interest. Our results demonstrate that the mouse STN is composed of at least four spatio-molecularly defined domains, each distinguished by defined sets of promoter activities. Further, molecular profiles dissociate the STN from the adjoining para-STN (PSTN) and neighboring structures of the hypothalamus, mammillary nuclei and zona incerta. Enhanced knowledge of STNs internal organization should prove useful towards genetics-based functional decoding of this clinically relevant brain structure. p id=Par Wallen-Mackenzie et al. investigate anatomical-functional organization of the subthalamic nucleus in mice, using single-nuclei RNA sequencing followed by histological analysis. They identify four domains distinguished by defined sets of promoter activities, providing a valuable resource for functional decoding of the subthalamic nucleus.
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5. |
- Adrian Meredith, Jenny, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Design and Synthesis of BACE-1 Inhibitors Containing a New Hydroxyethylene (HE) Scaffold: Potent activities in a cellular assay
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In a preceding report from our group we disclosed the development of a novel HE transition state isostere with a difluorophenoxymethyl side chain in the P1 position and a methoxy group in the P1’ position furnishing highly potent inhibitors of BACE-1 (i.e. lead compound 1), which moreover exhibit very promising selectivity over cathepsin D. In a continuation of this work with the aim at improving on the cell-based activity and pharmacokinetic properties, we have further developed the SAR for the P1 side chain of inhibitor 1 whereby the P1 side chain oxygen has been substituted for an amine, a carbon or a bond. The chemistry developed for the previous HE inhibitor structure 1 has now been extended to readily accommodate the introduction of new P1 side chains into this new HE scaffold. These modifications have given rise to several highly potent inhibitors where the most potent displayed a BACE-1 Ki value of 0.2 nM and a cell-based Aβ40 IC50 value of 9 nM. Thus, regarding the enzyme inhibition in the cell assay a more than 600-fold improvement compared to compound 1 was achieved via minor structural alterations.
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6. |
- Adrian Meredith, Jenny, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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P2 '-truncated BACE-1 inhibitors with a novel hydroxethylene-like core
- 2010
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In: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0223-5234 .- 1768-3254. ; 45:2, s. 542-554
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly potent BACE-1 protease inhibitors derived from a novel hydroxyethylene-like core structure were recently developed by our group using X-ray crystal structure data and molecular modelling. In a continuation of this work guided by molecular modelling we have explored a truncated core motif where the P2' amide group is replaced by an ether linkage resulting in a set of alkoxy, aryloxy and alkylaryl groups, with the overall aim to reduce molecular weight and the number of amide bonds to increase permeability and bestow the inhibitors with drug-like features. The most potent of these inhibitors displayed a BACE-I IC50 value of 140 nM. The synthesis of these BACE-I inhibitors utilizes readily available starting materials, furnishing the target compounds in good overall yields.
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7. |
- Ahrland, Åsa, et al.
(author)
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Inledning
- 2011
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In: Bebyggelsehistorisk tidskrift. - : Föreningen Bebyggelsehistorisk tidskrift. - 0349-2834 .- 2002-3812. ; :61, s. 6-8
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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8. |
- Alimohammadi, Mohammad, et al.
(author)
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Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Type 1 : NALP5 in Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Type 1
- 2006
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In: The New England Journal of Medicine. ; 358:10, s. 1018-28
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a multiorgan autoimmune disorder caused by mutations in AIRE, the autoimmune regulator gene. Though recent studies concerning AIRE deficiency have begun to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of organ-specific autoimmunity in patients with APS-1, the autoantigen responsible for hypoparathyroidism, a hallmark of APS-1 and its most common autoimmune endocrinopathy, has not yet been identified. Methods We performed immunoscreening of a human parathyroid complementary DNA library, using serum samples from patients with APS-1 and hypoparathyroidism, to identify patients with reactivity to the NACHT leucine-rich-repeat protein 5 (NALP5). Subsequently, serum samples from 87 patients with APS-1 and 293 controls, including patients with other autoimmune disorders, were used to determine the frequency and specificity of autoantibodies against NALP5. In addition, the expression of NALP5 was investigated in various tissues. Results NALP5-specific autoantibodies were detected in 49% of the patients with APS-1 and hypoparathyroidism but were absent in all patients with APS-1 but without hypoparathyroidism, in all patients with other autoimmune endocrine disorders, and in all healthy controls. NALP5 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of parathyroid chief cells. Conclusions NALP5 appears to be a tissue-specific autoantigen involved in hypoparathyroidism in patients with APS-1. Autoantibodies against NALP5 appear to be highly specific and may be diagnostic for this prominent component of APS-1.
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9. |
- Alimohammadi, Mohammad, et al.
(author)
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Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 and NALP5, a parathyroid autoantigen
- 2008
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In: New England Journal of Medicine. - 0028-4793 .- 1533-4406. ; 358:10, s. 1018-1028
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a multiorgan autoimmune disorder caused by mutations in AIRE, the autoimmune regulator gene. Though recent studies concerning AIRE deficiency have begun to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of organ-specific autoimmunity in patients with APS-1, the autoantigen responsible for hypoparathyroidism, a hallmark of APS-1 and its most common autoimmune endocrinopathy, has not yet been identified. METHODS: We performed immunoscreening of a human parathyroid complementary DNA library, using serum samples from patients with APS-1 and hypoparathyroidism, to identify patients with reactivity to the NACHT leucine-rich-repeat protein 5 (NALP5). Subsequently, serum samples from 87 patients with APS-1 and 293 controls, including patients with other autoimmune disorders, were used to determine the frequency and specificity of autoantibodies against NALP5. In addition, the expression of NALP5 was investigated in various tissues. RESULTS: NALP5-specific autoantibodies were detected in 49% of the patients with APS-1 and hypoparathyroidism but were absent in all patients with APS-1 but without hypoparathyroidism, in all patients with other autoimmune endocrine disorders, and in all healthy controls. NALP5 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of parathyroid chief cells. CONCLUSIONS: NALP5 appears to be a tissue-specific autoantigen involved in hypoparathyroidism in patients with APS-1. Autoantibodies against NALP5 appear to be highly specific and may be diagnostic for this prominent component of APS-1.
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11. |
- Arushanyan, Yevgeniya
(author)
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Environmental Impacts of ICT: Present and Future
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- ICT is developing rapidly and is playing an increasingly important role in society. High expectations are placed on ICT in relation to sustainable development. In order to provide basis for decision-making and ensure that ICT is used in the best possible way for enabling sustainable development, the sustainability impacts of ICT need to be studied.This thesis aims to provide new knowledge on the environmental impacts related to ICT, to explore the potential of ICT to contribute to sustainability, and discuss ways of assessing environmental impacts of ICT. In order to fulfill the aim a literature review of existing LCA studies of ICT was done, an LCA case study of printed and online media was performed, a methodological framework for sustainability assessment of scenarios was developed and then applied for environmental assessment of future ICT societies.The results show that manufacturing and use phase are the life cycle stages contributing the most to the ICT environmental impacts. For online newspapers online distribution and content production may give significant contribution to the overall impact. User behavior was observed to be crucial for the results of comparisons of ICT solutions with their traditional counterparts.The following key issues were concluded to influence the environmental risks and opportunities in future ICT societies: energy mix, economic conditions, life styles, technology, and environmental ambitions, incentives and regulation. The potential of ICT for sustainability is affected by these key issues.A new methodological framework (SAFS) was developed for the assessment of future scenarios (societal level). Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used for assessment on a product level. Application of both methods, their benefits, drawbacks, and challenges of assessment were discussed. Both types of assessments were concluded to be important to support decision-making.
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12. |
- Arushanyan, Yevgeniya, 1984-
(author)
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LCA of ICT solutions: environmental impacts and challenges of assessment
- 2013
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Information and communication technology (ICT) is playing an important role in modern society, contributing to economic growth and affecting society and people’s lifestyles. There are high expectations on ICT to contribute to sustainable development, e.g. through greenhouse gas emissions reductions. ICT solutions (ICT products and services) are often perceived as having low or no environmental impacts compared with conventional alternatives. In order to determine the potential of ICT to reduce environmental impacts, environmental assessments of ICT solutions compared with other alternatives are needed. A number of studies have already assessed the environmental impacts of individual ICT solutions and the ICT sector. However, more research is needed, covering different types of impacts (primary, secondary, rebound, etc.) in a variety of impact categories (e.g. climate change, ozone depletion, eutrophication, human and ecotoxicity, etc.). The findings then need to be systematised in order to identify hot-spots and draw generic conclusions. As the area is rather new and fast-developing, assessment methods need to be critically appraised in order to identify challenges and developments necessary for high quality assessments.This thesis aims to contribute to the knowledge on the direct life cycle environmental impacts of ICT solutions and to investigate and analyse the challenges of applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool for environmental assessment of ICT solutions. Two research questions: “What life cycle environmental impacts and their causes can be identified for ICT solutions?” and “What are the methodological challenges of assessing the ICT solutions using LCA?” were analysed by reviewing published LCAs on ICT solutions and conducting a case study of online and printed newspapers. The literature review helped identify hotspots in the life cycle of ICT solutions, draw generic conclusions concerning environmental impacts and their causes, and identify major challenges to LCA application. The case study assessed the environmental impacts of traditional and new media solutions and provided information on methodological challenges.The results show that impacts other than climate change potential and energy use are not well-studied in the ICT sector, creating a risk of possible sub-optimisation and problem shifting. Manufacturing and the use phase are concluded to be the most environmentally intense life cycle stages of ICT products in many studies. However, transportation and end-of-life treatment should not be omitted in the assessments, although their impacts appear lower, as uncertainty and lack of data might be a reason for underestimations.As ICT is under constant and rapid development, environmental assessment of ICT solutions faces challenges regarding e.g. data quality and availability; choice of data type; methodological choices (e.g. choice of functional unit, scope definition and allocation); and assumptions on user behaviour. These affect the final results and thus need to be carefully considered by LCA practitioners.The outcomes of this thesis can benefit practitioners and decision-makers, improving knowledge on the environmental impacts of ICT solutions and challenges in applying LCA for assessment of ICT solutions, and providing improved grounds for more informed decision-making. Areas for further research regarding methodology development and filling knowledge gaps are also identified.
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13. |
- Bartoschek, Michael, et al.
(author)
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Spatially and functionally distinct subclasses of breast cancer-associated fibroblasts revealed by single cell RNA sequencing
- 2018
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major constituent of the tumor microenvironment, although their origin and roles in shaping disease initiation, progression and treatment response remain unclear due to significant heterogeneity. Here, following a negative selection strategy combined with single-cell RNA sequencing of 768 transcriptomes of mesenchymal cells from a genetically engineered mouse model of breast cancer, we define three distinct subpopulations of CAFs. Validation at the transcriptional and protein level in several experimental models of cancer and human tumors reveal spatial separation of the CAF subclasses attributable to different origins, including the peri-vascular niche, the mammary fat pad and the transformed epithelium. Gene profiles for each CAF subtype correlate to distinctive functional programs and hold independent prognostic capability in clinical cohorts by association to metastatic disease. In conclusion, the improved resolution of the widely defined CAF population opens the possibility for biomarker-driven development of drugs for precision targeting of CAFs.
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14. |
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15. |
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16. |
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17. |
- Björklund Boistrup, Lisa, et al.
(author)
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Muntlig kommunikation inom algebra – hur bedömer vi det? : Aktionsforskning om bedömning i matematik i Norrköping HT 2013
- 2014
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Denna rapport handlar ett forskningsprojekt om elevers muntliga kommunikation inom algebra. Den riktar sig till matematiklärare som vill läsa och reflektera om just detta och läsaren kan ha stor nytta av rapporten som täcker såväl det vardagliga arbetet i matematik som mer skarpa bedömningssituationer.Syftet med forskningsprojektet under höstterminen 2013 var att beskriva och analysera hur lärare i matematikundervisningen kan bedöma elevers muntliga kommunikation när undervisningsinnehållet är algebra. För att avgränsa och fokusera arbetet utgick vi ifrån tre frågeställningar:När kan vi bedöma muntlig kommunikation inom algebra?Hur kan vi bedöma muntlig kommunikation inom algebra?Vad kan vi bedöma av elevers muntliga kommunikation inom algebra, vilka kvalitéer kan vi se?
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18. |
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19. |
- Björklund, Catarina, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Design and synthesis of potent and selective BACE-1 inhibitors
- 2010
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In: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society. - 0022-2623 .- 1520-4804. ; 53:4, s. 1458-1464
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Several highly potent BACE-1 protease inhibitors have been developed from an inhibitor series containing a novel hydroxyethylene (HE) core structure displaying aryloxymethyl or benzyloxymethyl P1 side chains and a methoxy P1’ side chain. The target molecules were readily synthesized from chiral carbohydrate starting materials, furnishing the inhibitor compounds in good overall yields. The inhibitors show both high BACE-1 potency and good selectivity against cathepsin D, where the most potent inhibitor furnish a BACE-1 IC50 value of 0.32 nM and displays > 3000 fold selectivity over cathepsin D.
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20. |
- Björklund, Catarina, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Discovery of Potent BACE-1 Inhibitors Containing a New Hydroxyethylene (HE) Scaffold : Exploration of P1’ Alkoxy Residues and an Aminoethylene (AE) Central Core
- 2010
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In: Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. - : Elsevier Ltd.. - 0968-0896 .- 1464-3391. ; 18:4, s. 1711-1723
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a preceding study we have described the development of a new hydroxyethylene (HE) core motif displaying P1 aryloxymethyl and P1’ methoxy substituents delivering potent BACE-1 inhibitors. In a continuation of this work we have now explored the SAR of the S1’ pocket by introducing a set of P1’ alkoxy groups and evaluated them as BACE-1 inhibitors. Previously the P1 and P1’ positions of the classical HE template have been relatively little explored due to the complexity of the chemical routes involved in modifications at these positions. However, the chemistries developed for the current HE template renders substituents in both the P1 and P1’ positions readily available for SAR exploration. The BACE-1 inhibitors prepared displayed IC50 values in the range of 4-45 nM, where the most potent compounds featured small P1’ groups. The cathepsin D selectivity which was high for the smallest P1’ sustituents (P1’=ethoxy, fold selectively >600) dropped for larger groups (P1’=benzyloxy, fold selectivity of 1.6). We have also confirmed the importance of both the hydroxyl group and its stereochemistry preference for this HE transition state isostere by preparing both the deoxygenated analogue and by inverting the configuration of the hydroxyl group to the R-configuration, which as expected resulted in large activity drops. Finally substituting the hydroxyl group by an amino group having the same configuration (S), which previously have been described to deliver potent BACE-1 inhibitors with advantageous properties, surprisingly resulted in a large drop in the inhibitory activity.
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21. |
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22. |
- Björklund, Gunilla, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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Säkerhet och trygghet på pendeltågsstationer
- 2024
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In: Sammanställning av referat från Transportforum 2024. - Linköping : Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut. ; , s. 110-111-
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Obehöriga spårbeträdanden kan leda till allvarliga personskador och är dessutom mycket punktlighetsstörande för järnvägssystemet. En del stationer har omfattande problem med obehöriga i spår. Att rikta åtgärder mot stationsområden är därför viktigt för att minska antalet skadade och omkomna i järnvägssystemet och för att öka punktligheten. Inom det branschövergripande arbetet Tillsammans för Tåg i Tid pekade man ut pendeltågsstationerna Årstaberg, Upplands Väsby och Järna som belastade platser.Syften med den här studien var att:studera säkerheten på de tre stationerna ovan samt att studera resenärers och personals förslag på vad som kan förbättras på dessa stationer. Vi studerade även tryggheten på stationerna.Utvärdera de fysiska åtgärder som Trafikverket genomför på de tre stationerna under projektets tidsram. Även Södra station studerades.I denna presentation kommer endast resultat från det första syftet presenteras. I projektet har följande aktiviteter genomförts:Platsbesök på stationerna, inklusive samtal med personal på plats, för att dokumentera utformning av och brister på stationerna.Analys av data över antal obehöriga spårbeträdanden och påkörningar vid dessa stationer samt förseningar som en följd av dessa händelser.Analys av händelser som inkommit till Trygghetscentralen gällande de tre stationerna.Resenärsenkät kring upplevd trygghet, säkerhet samt information på de tre pendeltågsstationerna.Rekrytering skedde genom anslag på berörda stationer, annons på Facebook samt på Instagram.Personalenkät (med liknande innehåll som i resenärsenkäten) riktad till lokalvårdare, ordningsvakter och stationsvärdar (spärrvakter).Intervjuer med pendeltågsförare, stationschefer och entreprenörer.Omkring 90% av de deltagande resenärerna svarade att de visste att det är olagligt att befinna sig i spårområdet redan innan de deltog i studien. I Årstaberg upplevde resenärerna att stationen var mindre säker (med tanke på risken att ramla ner på spåret) än vad man gjorde i Järna. I övrigt var ingen skillnad i upplevd säkerhet mellan stationerna. När det gäller hur trygga stationerna upplevdes av resenärerna (med avseende på risken för rån och överfall) var det ingen skillnad mellan stationerna på dagtid. På kvällar/nätter upplevdes dock Upplands Väsby som mer otrygg än Årstaberg.
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23. |
- Björklund, Gunilla, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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Utvärdering av åtgärder för säkerhet och trygghet på pendeltågsstationer
- 2024
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Obehöriga spårbeträdanden är olagliga, vållar stora förseningar på järnvägen och innebär ett allvarligt arbetsmiljöproblem för tågförarna. En del obehöriga spårbeträdanden leder dessutom till personpåkörningar, vilket står för den största andelen dödsfall inom järnvägen. Vissa stationer har omfattande problem med obehöriga spårbeträdanden och personpåkörningar och därför är riktade åtgärder mot stationsområden viktiga.Syftet med projektet var att:• studera tryggheten och säkerheten på de tre pendeltågsstationerna Järna, Upplands Väsby och Årstaberg innan någon åtgärd genomförts och studera resenärers och personals förslag på vad som kan förbättras,• utvärdera de fysiska åtgärder som Trafikverket genomförde på dessa stationer, under förutsättning att åtgärderna implementerades under projektets tidsram (endast Järna station uppfyllde detta kriterium),• utvärdera de implementerade åtgärderna på Stockholms södra station.I projektet genomfördes strukturerade observationer, enkätstudier med resenärer och personal, intervjuer med personal, analys av händelser som inkommit till SL:s trygghetscentral, databasanalys över antal obehöriga spårbeträdanden och personpåkörningar samt videoanalys över antal obehöriga i spår.Resultaten visar att det skett en signifikant minskning av antal obehöriga spårbeträdanden/personpåkörningar på Järna station efter att de fysiska åtgärderna med staket, nya hajtänder, varningsskyltar och klistermärken implementerades. Vid Upplands Väsby och Årstaberg skedde ingen minskning av antal händelser under samma tidsperiod, vilket tyder på att minskningen i Järna beror på något annat än en allmän trend.Vi fann även en stor och signifikant minskning av antal obehöriga spårbeträdanden på Stockholms södra station, samt en signifikant minskning av antalet personpåkörningar på stationen och förseningar på grund av obehöriga i spår, personpåkörningar och suicidhändelser. Detta indikerar att åtgärden med längsgående staket i plattformsände (inklusive pyramidmattor, hajtänder och skyltar) har haft en effekt.De implementerade åtgärderna på Järna station och Stockholms södra station har varit enkla och relativt billiga samtidigt som resultaten tyder på att de haft effekt. Denna typ av åtgärder, som dessutom kan användas i kombination med varandra, är en viktig strategi för att skyndsamt minska antalet obehöriga spårbeträdanden och personpåkörningar.
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25. |
- Björklund, Martin, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Cervico-thoracic and cranio-cervical strength differences between women with and without neck pain and the diagnostic performance of neck-strength tests
- 2019
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In: World Confederation for physical Therapy Congress 2019, Geneva 10-13 May.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Cervical strength and stability is often addressed in rehabilitation of people with neck pain. These functions may be associated with emergence and retention of neck pain in cases where the neck strength does not meet daily demands. However, clear empiric support for these notions are lacking, partly due to a scarcity of well controlled dynamometry studies with large samples. First, clarification is needed whether neck strength is in fact reduced in people with neck pain and to resolve the diagnostic performance of neck strength tests.Purpose: To compare neck muscle strength of women with non-specific long-term neck pain and healthy controls. Also, to assess the diagnostic performance of neck strength tests by assessing their discriminative ability to discern women with and without neck pain.Methods: The study had a cross-sectional design with data on cervical strength derived from the baseline measurement of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). 80 women with long-term non-specific neck pain (NP) were compared with 40 healthy women (CON). The NP group was a subsample from the RCT selected so that there were no group differences (NP-CON) for body weight and physical activity. Cervical strength assessment included dynamometry of cervico-thoracic extension (CTE) and flexion (CTF) in sitting and cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) in standing, all performed with isometric maximum voluntary contraction (iMVC). Independent samples Mann-Whitney U test and T-test were used to assess group differences for iMVC of the tests. Diagnostic accuracy was further assessed with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve by plotting the true positive rate (sensitivity) as a function of the false positive rate (1 - specificity). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) with 95% confidence interval was used to determine discriminative ability of the tests. The optimal cut-off value to discern NP from CON with corresponding sensitivity and specificity was also determined.Results: Women with neck pain produced significant lower iMVC in CTE (28%), CTF (26%) and CCF (33%) (all p< 0.001). The ability of CTE, CTF and CCF to discriminate between NP and CON showed moderate accuracy (AUC 0.83, 0.78 and 0.73, respectively). The cut-off value of 165.7 N in CTE had a sensitivity of 0.725 and a specificity of 0.8. The corresponding values for CTF and CCF were 85.8 N (sensitivity 0.8; specificity 0.692) and 4.2 Nm (sensitivity 0.575; specificity 0.9).Conclusion(s): The neck pain group had less neck muscle strength than controls in all tests. The diagnostic performance of the neck strength tests, judged as discriminative ability to discern neck pain from control participants, were moderate. These results support earlier findings of reduced neck strength in people with neck pain. Also, neck strength tests may have a complementary value in the assessment of neck pain persons.Implications: The results highlights that impaired neck strength, both in global cervico-thoracic and deep cranio-cervical muscles, is most likely a characteristic of people with long-term neck pain. The study also shows that strength tests could be used with fairly good discriminative precision and may thereby be valuable assessment tools.
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26. |
- Björklund, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Effects of tailored neck-shoulder pain treatment based on a decision model guided by clinical assessments and standardized functional tests : a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
- 2012
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In: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2474. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A major problem with rehabilitation interventions for neck pain is that the condition may have multiple causes, thus a single treatment approach is seldom efficient. The present study protocol outlines a single blinded randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of tailored treatment for neck-shoulder pain. The treatment is based on a decision model guided by standardized clinical assessment and functional tests with cut-off values. Our main hypothesis is that the tailored treatment has better short, intermediate and long-term effects than either non-tailored treatment or treatment-as-usual (TAU) on pain and function. We sub-sequentially hypothesize that tailored and non-tailored treatment both have better effect than TAU.METHODS: 120 working women with minimum six weeks of nonspecific neck-shoulder pain aged 20-65, are allocated by minimisation with the factors age, duration of pain, pain intensity and disability in to the groups tailored treatment (T), non-tailored treatment (NT) or treatment-as-usual (TAU). Treatment is given to the groups T and NT for 11 weeks (27 sessions evenly distributed). An extensive presentation of the tests and treatment decision model is provided. The main treatment components are manual therapy, cranio-cervical flexion exercise and strength training, EMG-biofeedback training, treatment for cervicogenic headache, neck motor control training. A decision algorithm based on the baseline assessment determines the treatment components given to the each participant of T- and NT-groups. Primary outcome measures are physical functioning (Neck Disability Index) and average pain intensity last week (Numeric Rating Scale). Secondary outcomes are general improvement (Patient Global Impression of Change scale), symptoms (Profile Fitness Mapping neck questionnaire), capacity to work in the last 6 weeks (quality and quantity) and pressure pain threshold of m. trapezius. Primary and secondary outcomes will be reported for each group with effect size and its precision.DISCUSSION: We have chosen not to include women with psychological ill-health and focus on biomedical aspects of neck pain. Future studies should aim at including psychosocial aspects in a widened treatment decision model. No important adverse events or side-effects are expected.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials registration ISRCTN49348025.
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27. |
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28. |
- Björklund, Martin, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Effects of tailored versus non-tailored treatment on pain and pressure pain threshold in women with nonspecific neck pain : a randomized controlled trial
- 2014
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim of the investigation: The evidence for physiotherapy treatments of nonspecific neck pain is modest despite a large increase of intervention studies the last decade. One reason could be different underlying causes for pain in individuals with nonspecific neck pain, and that identification of sub-groups or individual needs is seldom accounted for in studies. In the absence of causal treatment options, a tailored treatment approach based on an explicit clinical decision model guided by assessment of function, clinical signs and symptoms, should be considered. Our aim was to evaluate tailored treatment based on such a decision model, targeting women with nonspecific neck pain. Our main hypothesis was that the tailored treatment (T) would have better short, intermediate and long-term effects on pain intensity and pressure pain threshold for the trapezius muscles than either non-tailored treatment (NT) (same treatment components but applied quasi-randomly) or treatment-as-usual (TAU) (no treatment from the study, no restrictions). We further hypothesized that T or NT has better effect than TAU. For details, cf. Current Controlled Trials registration ISRCTN49348025 and published study protocol.Methods: 120 working women with minimum six weeks duration of neck pain were randomized to the T, NT or TAU groups. All participants had more than “no disability” but less than “complete disability” according to the Neck Disability Index, and reported impaired capacity on the quality or quantity to work the preceding month. Main exclusion criteria were trauma-related neck pain, specific diagnoses and generalized pain or concomitant low back pain. The decision model for tailored treatment was based on tests and symptoms with defined cut-off levels comprising the following main categories: reduced cervical mobility, impaired neck-shoulder strength and motor control, trapezius myalgia, cervicogenic headache and impaired eye-head-neck control (cf. published study protocol). Assessment was performed one week before and after the 11-weeks intervention, with follow-ups 6-months (intermediate-term) and 12-months (long-term) after the intervention. Outcome variables were pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale, NRS, 0 – 10) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) of the upper trapezius muscles (kPa). PPT was not measured at long-term follow-up. Preliminary statistical analyses for the predefined hypotheses were performed with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with baseline outcome values as covariates. This was supplemented with pairwise Bonferroni-compensated comparisons in case of significance of factor group.Results: 86% of the participants completed the intervention, and the attrition was similar across groups. Preliminary results for the short term evaluation showed a reduction in NRS from an average of 4.4 and 4.5 to 2.5 in the T and NT groups, respectively, which was significantly greater compared to the TAU group (p=0.024 and p=0.014 for T and NT). For the PPT, there was no difference between T and NT groups at the short term evaluation, but close to a significantly increased threshold for the T compared to the TAU group (p=0,058). No differences were found between treatment groups on the intermediate and long-term evaluations for neither of the two outcome variables.Conclusions: The results indicate that tailored treatment for women with nonspecific neck pain may not be more effective, with respect to pain reduction, compared to non-tailored treatment. The hypothesis of superiority of tailored or non-tailored treatment over treatment-as-usual was partly supported for the short-term evaluation. However, the short-term results should be interpreted with caution since the impact of higher attention given to the participants in T and NT groups is not known. Reference:1. Björklund M, Djupsjöbacka M, Svedmark Å, Häger C. (2012) Effects of tailored neck-shoulder pain treatment based on a decision model guided by clinical assessments and standardized functional tests. A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. May 20;13(1):75
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29. |
- Björklund, Åsa, 1976-
(author)
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Creation of new proteins - domain rearrangements and tandem duplications
- 2010
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Proteins are modular entities with domains as their building blocks. The domains are recurrent protein fragments with a distinct structure, function and evolutionary history. During evolution, proteins with new functions have been invented through rearrangements as well as differentiation of domains. The focus of this thesis is to gain better understanding of the processes that govern domain rearrangements. In particular, the rearrangements that create long protein domain repeats have been investigated in detail.We estimate that about 65% of the eukaryotic and 40% of the prokaryotic proteins are of the multidomain type. Further, we find that the eukaryotic multidomain proteins are mainly created through insertion of a single domain at the N- or C-terminus. However, domain repeats differ from other domain rearrangements in the aspect that they are created from internal tandem duplications. We show that such duplications often involve several domains simultaneously, and that different repeated domain families show distinct evolutionary patterns. Finally, we have investigated how large repeat regions are created using a specific example; the Actin binding nebulin domain. The analysis reveals several tandem duplications of both single nebulin domains and super repeats of seven nebulins in a number of vertebrates. We see that the duplication breakpoints vary between the species and that multiple duplications of the same region are common.
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30. |
- Björklund, Åsa K., et al.
(author)
-
Domain Rearrangements in Protein Evolution
- 2005
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In: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 353:4, s. 911-923
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Most eukaryotic proteins are multi-domain proteins that are created from fusions of genes, deletions and internal repetitions. An investigation of such evolutionary events requires a method to find the domain architecture from which each protein originates. Therefore, we defined a novel measure, domain distance, which is calculated as the number of domains that differ between two domain architectures. Using this measure the evolutionary events that distinguish a protein from its closest ancestor have been studied and it was found that indels are more common than internal repetition and that the exchange of a domain is rare. Indels and repetitions are common at both the N and C-terminals while they are rare between domains. The evolution of the majority of multi-domain proteins can be explained by the stepwise insertions of single domains, with the exception of repeats that sometimes are duplicated several domains in tandem. We show that domain distances agree with sequence similarity and semantic similarity based on gene ontology annotations. In addition, we demonstrate the use of the domain distance measure to build evolutionary trees. Finally, the evolution of multi-domain proteins is exemplified by a closer study of the evolution of two protein families, non-receptor tyrosine kinases and RhoGEFs.
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31. |
- Björklund, Åsa K., et al.
(author)
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Expansion of Protein Domain Repeats
- 2006
-
In: PloS Computational Biology. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-734X .- 1553-7358. ; 2:8, s. 959-970
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many proteins, especially in eukaryotes, contain tandem repeats of several domains from the same family. These repeats have a variety of binding properties and are involved in protein-protein interactions as well as binding to other ligands such as DNA and RNA. The rapid expansion of protein domain repeats is assumed to have evolved through internal tandem duplications. However, the exact mechanisms behind these tandem duplications are not well-understood. Here, we have studied the evolution, function, protein structure, gene structure, and phylogenetic distribution of domain repeats. For this purpose we have assigned Pfam-A domain families to 24 proteomes with more sensitive domain assignments in the repeat regions. These assignments confirmed previous findings that eukaryotes, and in particular vertebrates, contain a much higher fraction of proteins with repeats compared with prokaryotes. The internal sequence similarity in each protein revealed that the domain repeats are often expanded through duplications of several domains at a time, while the duplication of one domain is less common. Many of the repeats appear to have been duplicated in the middle of the repeat region. This is in strong contrast to the evolution of other proteins that mainly works through additions of single domains at either terminus. Further, we found that some domain families show distinct duplication patterns, e. g., nebulin domains have mainly been expanded with a unit of seven domains at a time, while duplications of other domain families involve varying numbers of domains. Finally, no common mechanism for the expansion of all repeats could be detected. We found that the duplication patterns show no dependence on the size of the domains. Further, repeat expansion in some families can possibly be explained by shuffling of exons. However, exon shuffling could not have created all repeats.
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32. |
- Björklund, Åsa K., et al.
(author)
-
Nebulin : A Study of Protein Repeat Evolution
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 402:1, s. 38-51
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Protein domain repeats are common in proteins that are central to the organization of a cell, in particular in eukaryotes. They are known to evolve through internal tandem duplications. However, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms is incomplete. To shed light on repeat expansion mechanisms, we have studied the evolution of the muscle protein Nebulin, a protein that contains a large number of actin-binding nebulin domains. Nebulin proteins have evolved from an invertebrate precursor containing two nebulin domains. Repeat regions have expanded through duplications of single domains, as well as duplications of a super repeat (SR) consisting of seven nebulins. We show that the SR has evolved independently into large regions in at least three instances: twice in the invertebrate Branchiostoma floridae and once in vertebrates. In-depth analysis reveals several recent tandem duplications in the Nebulin gene. The events involve both single-domain and multidomain SR units or several SR units. There are single events, but frequently the same unit is duplicated multiple times. For instance, an ancestor of human and chimpanzee underwent two tandem duplications. The duplication junction coincides with an Alu transposon, thus suggesting duplication through Alu-mediated homologous recombination. Duplications in the SR region consistently involve multiples of seven domains. However, the exact unit that is duplicated varies both between species and within species. Thus, multiple tandem duplications of the same motif did not create the large Nebulin protein. Finally, analysis of segmental duplications in the human genome reveals that duplications are more common in genes containing domain repeats than in those coding for nonrepeated proteins. In fact, segmental duplications are found three to six times more often in long repeated genes than expected by chance.
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33. |
- Björklund, Åsa K., et al.
(author)
-
The heterogeneity of human CD127(+) innate lymphoid cells revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing
- 2016
-
In: Nature Immunology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1529-2908 .- 1529-2916. ; 17:4, s. 451-460
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are increasingly appreciated as important participants in homeostasis and inflammation. Substantial plasticity and heterogeneity among ILC populations have been reported. Here we have delineated the heterogeneity of human ILCs through single-cell RNA sequencing of several hundreds of individual tonsil CD127(+) ILCs and natural killer (NK) cells. Unbiased transcriptional clustering revealed four distinct populations, corresponding to ILC1 cells, ILC2 cells, ILC3 cells and NK cells, with their respective transcriptomes recapitulating known as well as unknown transcriptional profiles. The single-cell resolution additionally divulged three transcriptionally and functionally diverse subpopulations of ILC3 cells. Our systematic comparison of single-cell transcriptional variation within and between ILC populations provides new insight into ILC biology during homeostasis, with additional implications for dysregulation of the immune system.
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34. |
- Blomberg, Jeanette, et al.
(author)
-
Pseudomonas syringae infectivity correlates to altered transcript and metabolite levels of Arabidopsis mediator mutants
- 2024
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 14:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rapid metabolic responses to pathogens are essential for plant survival and depend on numerous transcription factors. Mediator is the major transcriptional co-regulator for integration and transmission of signals from transcriptional regulators to RNA polymerase II. Using four Arabidopsis Mediator mutants, med16, med18, med25 and cdk8, we studied how differences in regulation of their transcript and metabolite levels correlate to their responses to Pseudomonas syringae infection. We found that med16 and cdk8 were susceptible, while med25 showed increased resistance. Glucosinolate, phytoalexin and carbohydrate levels were reduced already before infection in med16 and cdk8, but increased in med25, which also displayed increased benzenoids levels. Early after infection, wild type plants showed reduced glucosinolate and nucleoside levels, but increases in amino acids, benzenoids, oxylipins and the phytoalexin camalexin. The Mediator mutants showed altered levels of these metabolites and in regulation of genes encoding key enzymes for their metabolism. At later stage, mutants displayed defective levels of specific amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and jasmonates which correlated to their infection response phenotypes. Our results reveal that MED16, MED25 and CDK8 are required for a proper, coordinated transcriptional response of genes which encode enzymes involved in important metabolic pathways for Arabidopsis responses to Pseudomonas syringae infections.
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35. |
- Crawford, Tim, et al.
(author)
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Specific functions for Mediator complex subunits from different modules in the transcriptional response of Arabidopsis thaliana to abiotic stress
- 2020
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Adverse environmental conditions are detrimental to plant growth and development. Acclimation to abiotic stress conditions involves activation of signaling pathways which often results in changes in gene expression via networks of transcription factors (TFs). Mediator is a highly conserved co-regulator complex and an essential component of the transcriptional machinery in eukaryotes. Some Mediator subunits have been implicated in stress-responsive signaling pathways; however, much remains unknown regarding the role of plant Mediator in abiotic stress responses. Here, we use RNA-seq to analyze the transcriptional response of Arabidopsis thaliana to heat, cold and salt stress conditions. We identify a set of common abiotic stress regulons and describe the sequential and combinatorial nature of TFs involved in their transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, we identify stress-specific roles for the Mediator subunits MED9, MED16, MED18 and CDK8, and putative TFs connecting them to different stress signaling pathways. Our data also indicate different modes of action for subunits or modules of Mediator at the same gene loci, including a co-repressor function for MED16 prior to stress. These results illuminate a poorly understood but important player in the transcriptional response of plants to abiotic stress and identify target genes and mechanisms as a prelude to further biochemical characterization.
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36. |
- Daremo, Åsa, 1961-
(author)
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Participation in occupational therapy in psychiatric care
- 2010
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- One of the most important challenges of health and medical care is to strength the role of the patient in the treatment. In psychiatric care the patient must be seen as a resource and should be given the opportunity to participate in his treatment. The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate and describe how patients in psychiatric care perceive participation, and how existing assessments support participation.Study I describes how patients in psychiatric institutional care perceived their opportunities to be active and to participate in their own treatment. The ICF (International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health) inspired the study. By means of a questionnaire, 61 patients reported their opinions of the value of received care, highlighting concepts such as activity and participation. Ten of those patients were then selected for a semi-structured interview. The study showed that patients who were treated according to compulsory care (LPT) were generally more dissatisfied with their opportunities to be active and participate in their own care than patients treated according to the law of health and medical care (HSL). Younger patients in particular were more dissatisfied. Some important factors in the environment were continuity and reception from the staff. Facilitating factors for activity and participation were agreement between patient and staff about the treatment plan, discussions about expectations, and creating conditions for engagement in activities and or responsibility.Study II investigates if there is harmony between the CPRS-S-A (Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale-Self-Assessment), the OCAIRS–S (Occupational Circumstances Interview and Rating Scale) and the OSA (Occupational Self Assessment), and if they can replace each other when the occupational therapist collects information about the patient. Another aim was to investigate how occupational therapist uses the collected information in the treatment plan process. Fourteen patients with depression disorders took part in the study. The study showed that even if the symptoms of the disease were improved at the end of the treatment period the patients still had problems with occupational performance, reduced self-confidence and the structure of their day. Consequently the assessments cannot replace each other. The study emphasized the importance of using both interview and self-assessments when collecting information about the patient, since these methods complement each other in identifying the needs and goals of the treatment. Many problems were related to the patient’s social environment but this was not reflected in the treatment plan; few goals were identified in this area.In conclusion, occupational therapists should use self-assessments and interviews in order to support the patient’s participation in psychiatric care. Furthermore, it is important to use assessments for both occupational performance and medical symptoms when identifying the patient’s needs and goals of treatment since there is a discrepancy between the two areas; symptoms are reduced earlier than perceived problems in occupational performance. Regardless of what kind of law the patient is treated under, all patients have the right to participate in their own treatment. This thesis also shows that the social environment is important in enabling the participation of patients in their psychiatric care.
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37. |
- Ekman, Diana, et al.
(author)
-
Multi-domain Proteins in the Three Kingdoms of Life : Orphan Domains and Other Unassigned Regions
- 2005
-
In: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 348:1, s. 241-243
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Comparative studies of the proteomes from different organisms have provided valuable information about protein domain distribution in the kingdoms of life. Earlier studies have been limited by the fact that only about 50% of the proteomes could be matched to a domain. Here, we have extended these studies by including less well-defined domain definitions, Pfam-B and clustered domains, MAS, in addition to Pfam-A and SCOP domains. It was found that a significant fraction of these domain families are homologous to Pfam-A or SCOP domains. Further, we show that all regions that do not match a Pfam-A or SCOP domain contain a significantly higher fraction of disordered structure. These unstructured regions may be contained within orphan domains or function as linkers between structured domains. Using several different definitions we have re-estimated the number of multi-domain proteins in different organisms and found that several methods all predict that eukaryotes have approximately 65% multi-domain proteins, while the prokaryotes consist of approximately 40% multi-domain proteins. However, these numbers are strongly dependent on the exact choice of cut-off for domains in unassigned regions. In conclusion, all eukaryotes have similar fractions of multidomain proteins and disorder, whereas a high fraction of repeating domain is distinguished only in multicellular eukaryotes. This implies a role for repeats in cell-cell contacts while the other two features are important for intracellular functions.
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38. |
- Ekman, Diana, et al.
(author)
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Quantification of the Elevated Rate of Domain Rearrangements in Metazoa
- 2007
-
In: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 372:5, s. 1337-1348
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Most eukaryotic proteins consist of multiple domains created through gene fusions or internal duplications. The most frequent change of a domain architecture (DA) is insertion or deletion of a domain at the N or C terminus. Still, the mechanisms underlying the evolution of multidomain proteins are not very well studied. Here, we have studied the evolution of multidomain architectures (MDA), guided by evolutionary information in the form of a phylogenetic tree. Our results show that Pfam domain families and MDAs have been created with comparable rates (0.1–1 per million years (My)). The major changes in DA evolution have occurred in the process of multicellularization and within the metazoan lineage. In contrast, creation of domains seems to have been frequent already in the early evolution. Furthermore, most of the architectures have been created from older domains or architectures, whereas novel domains are mainly found in single-domain proteins. However, a particular group of exon-bordering domains may have contributed to the rapid evolution of novel multidomain proteins in metazoan organisms. Finally, MDAs have evolved predominantly through insertions of domains, whereas domain deletions are less common. In conclusion, the rate of creation of multidomain proteins has accelerated in the metazoan lineage, which may partly be explained by the frequent insertion of exon-bordering domains into new architectures. However, our results indicate that other factors have contributed as well.
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39. |
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40. |
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41. |
- Finnveden, Göran, et al.
(author)
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Environmental and economic assessment methods for waste management decision-support : possibilities and limitations
- 2007
-
In: Waste Management & Research. - 0734-242X .- 1096-3669. ; 25:3, s. 263-269
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A large number of methods and approaches that can be used for supporting waste management decisions at different levels in society have been developed. In this paper an overview of methods is provided and preliminary guidelines for the choice of methods are presented. The methods introduced include: Environmental Impact Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Cost-effectiveness Analysis, Life-cycle Costing, Risk Assessment, Material Flow Accounting, Substance Flow Analysis, Energy Analysis, Exergy Analysis, Entropy Analysis, Environmental Management Systems, and Environmental Auditing, The characteristics used are the types of impacts included, the objects under study and whether the method is procedural or analytical The different methods can be described as systems analysis methods. Waste management systems thinking is receiving increasing attention. This is, for example, evidenced by the suggested thematic strategy on waste by the European Commission where life-cycle analysis and life-cycle thinking get prominent positions. Indeed, life-cycle analyses have been shown to provide policy-relevant and consistent results. However, it is also clear that the studies will always be open to criticism since they are simplifications of reality and include uncertainties. This is something all systems analysis methods have in common. Assumptions can be challenged and it may be difficult to generalize from case studies to policies. This suggests that if decisions are going to be made, they are likely to be made on a less than perfect basis.
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42. |
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43. |
- Forsman, Åsa, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Effektutvärdering av stängsling på järnväg : Pilotprojekt i Region Öst
- 2020
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Trafikverket har under 2010-talet arbetat med en åtgärdsstrategi inom järnvägen som bland annat inneburit att nya stängsel har satts upp längs spåren på utpekade sträckor. Syftet med dessa åtgärder har varit att minska antal personpåkörningar i enlighet med halveringsmålet som innebär högst 55 omkomma i järnvägstransportsystemet år 2020. Det har dock inte genomförts någon mer omfattande utvärdering av stängslingens effekt, delvis på grund av de svårigheter detta innebär. Syftet med den här studien var att analysera stängslingens effekter i Trafikverkets region Öst och, baserat på dessa erfarenheter, bedöma om metoden kan användas nationellt. En viktig del i projektet var att bedöma om de dataunderlag som finns är av tillräckligt bra kvalitet för att en nationell utvärdering ska vara rimlig att genomföra.
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44. |
- Glaros, Vassilis, et al.
(author)
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Limited access to antigen drives generation of early B cell memory while restraining the plasmablast response
- 2021
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In: Immunity. - : Elsevier. - 1074-7613 .- 1097-4180. ; 54:9, s. 2005-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cell fate decisions during early B cell activation determine the outcome of responses to pathogens and vaccines. We examined the early B cell response to T-dependent antigen in mice by single-cell RNA sequencing. Early after immunization, a homogeneous population of activated precursors (APs) gave rise to a transient wave of plasmablasts (PBs), followed a day later by the emergence of germinal center B cells (GCBCs). Most APs rapidly exited the cell cycle, giving rise to non-GC-derived early memory B cells (eMBCs) that retained an AP-like transcriptional profile. Rapid decline of antigen availability controlled these events; provision of excess antigen precluded cell cycle exit and induced a new wave of PBs. Fate mapping revealed a prominent contribution of eMBCs to the MBC pool. Quiescent cells with an MBC phenotype dominated the early response to immunization in primates. A reservoir of APs/eMBCs may enable rapid readjustment of the immune response when failure to contain a threat is manifested by increased antigen availability.
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45. |
- Hallman, David, 1979-, et al.
(author)
-
Symposium: Arbete, individ och nacksmärta : Forskning vid Forte-centret “Kroppen i arbete – från problem till potential”
- 2018
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In: FALF KONFERENS 2018 Arbetet - problem eller potential för en hållbar livsmiljö? 10-12 juni 2018 i Gävle. - Gävle : Gävle University Press. - 9789188145284 ; , s. 102-
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Besvär ifrån kroppens muskler och leder såsom nack- och ryggbesvär är fortfarande ett stort problem inom arbetslivet. Muskuloskeletal diagnos är den vanligaste orsaken till lång sjukfrånvaro inom privat sektor och näst vanligast inom kommuner och landsting. Orsakerna till dessa besvär kan vara relaterade till exponering både under arbete och på fritid, men även till individfaktorer. Vår forskargrupp har en bred ansats för att fylla kunskapsluckor inom detta område och kommer att presentera resultat från flera forskningsprojekt i symposiet Arbete, individ och nacksmärta.Långvarigt sittande har blivit alltmer vanligt förekommande i många yrkesgrupper. Långvarigt sittande och låg fysisk aktivitet har också uppmärksammats som ett betydande hälsoproblem i dagens arbetsliv och även som en möjlig riskfaktor för smärta i nacke-skuldra. Men forskningen om betydelsen av långvarigt sittande för smärta i nacke-skuldra är fortfarande begränsad. Likaså är det oklart om huvudets hållning vid sittandet och nackens funktion, exempelvis nackens rörelsefunktion och styrka, har betydelse för besvärsutveckling. Statiskt arbete med nacken i vridna och böjda positioner misstänks vara en riskfaktor för nack-skuldersmärta i yrken såsom tandläkare, men det är oklart varför vissa exponerade individer drabbas medan andra inte får ont. För de med långvarig smärta krävs ofta rehabiliterande åtgärder, och hur väl dessa åtgärder lyckas kan även det vara beroende av individens fysiska och psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Individens arbetsmiljö påverkar således inte bara risken för om man får besvär utan kan också ha betydelse för hur rehabiliteringen av besvären lyckas.Syftet med detta symposium är att presentera studier från Centrum för belastningsskadeforskning som handlar om nacksmärta i arbetslivet, sammanfatta kunskapsläget inom området och diskutera hur arbetet kan utformas för att bli hållbart och inkluderande. De forskningsexempel som presenteras berör stillasittande och hållning i arbetslivet och dess tänkbara konsekvenser för nacksmärta och hälsa, riskfaktorer för nacksmärta i tandläkaryrket och arbetsmiljöns betydelse för resultatet av rehabilitering vid nacksmärta. Symposiet avslutas med en frågestund och gemensam diskussion.
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46. |
- Hard, Joanna, et al.
(author)
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Conbase : a software for unsupervised discovery of clonal somatic mutations in single cells through read phasing
- 2019
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In: Genome Biology. - : BMC. - 1465-6906 .- 1474-760X. ; 20
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Accurate variant calling and genotyping represent major limiting factors for downstream applications of single-cell genomics. Here, we report Conbase for the identification of somatic mutations in single-cell DNA sequencing data. Conbase leverages phased read data from multiple samples in a dataset to achieve increased confidence in somatic variant calls and genotype predictions. Comparing the performance of Conbase to three other methods, we find that Conbase performs best in terms of false discovery rate and specificity and provides superior robustness on simulated data, in vitro expanded fibroblasts and clonal lymphocyte populations isolated directly from a healthy human donor.
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47. |
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48. |
- He, Hongxing, 1987, et al.
(author)
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Forests on drained agricultural peatland are potentially large sources of greenhouse gases – insights from a full rotation period simulation
- 2015
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In: Biogeosciences Discussions. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1810-6277. ; 12, s. 19673-19710
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CoupModel was used to simulate a Norway Spruce forest on fertile drained peat over 60 years, from planting in 1951 until 2011, describing abiotic, biotic and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2 and N2O). By calibrating the model against tree ring data we obtained a "reference" model by which we were able to describe the fluxes and controlling factors over the 60 years. We discuss some conceptual issues relevant to improving the model in order to better understand peat soil simulations. However, the present model was able to describe the most important ecosystem dynamics such as the plant biomass development and GHG emissions. The GHG fluxes are composed of two important quantities, the forest carbon (C) uptake, 405 g C m−2 yr−1 and the decomposition of peat soil, 396 g C m−2 yr−1. N2O emissions contribute to the GHG emissions by 0.5 g N m−2 yr−1, corresponding to 56.8 g C m−2 yr−1. The 60-year-old Spruce forest has an accumulated biomass of 164 Mg C ha−1. However, over this period 208 Mg C ha−1 GHG has been added to the atmosphere, which means a net addition of GHG emissions. The main losses are from the peat soil and, indirectly, from forest thinning products, which we assume have a short lifetime. We conclude that after harvest at an age of 80 years, most of the stored biomass carbon is liable to be released, the system having captured C only temporarily and with a cost of disappeared peat, adding CO2 to the atmosphere.
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49. |
- He, Hongxing, 1987, et al.
(author)
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Forests on drained agricultural peatland are potentially large sources of greenhouse gases – insights from a full rotation period simulation
- 2016
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In: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 13, s. 2305-2318
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CoupModel was used to simulate a Norway spruce forest on fertile drained peat over 60 years, from planting in 1951 until 2011, describing abiotic, biotic and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2 and N2O). By calibrating the model against tree ring data a “vegetation fitted” model was obtained by which we were able to describe the fluxes and controlling factors over the 60 years. We discuss some conceptual issues relevant to improving the model in order to better understand peat soil simulations. However, the present model was able to describe the most important ecosystem dynamics such as the plant biomass development and GHG emissions. The GHG fluxes are composed of two important quantities, the spruce forest carbon (C) uptake, 413 g C m-2 yr-1 and the decomposition of peat soil, 399 gCm-2 yr-1. N2O emissions contribute to the GHG emissions by up to 0.7 gNm-2 yr-1, corresponding to 76 g Cm-2 yr-1. The 60-year old spruce forest has an accumulated biomass of 16.0 kg Cm-2 (corresponding to 60 kgCO2 m-2). However, over this period, 26.4 kg m-2 (97 kgCO2eqm-2) has been added to the atmosphere, as both CO2 and N2O originating from the peat soil and, indirectly, from forest thinning products, which we assume have a short lifetime. We conclude that after harvest at an age of 80 years, most of the stored biomass carbon is liable to be released, the system having captured C only temporarily and with a cost of disappeared peat, adding CO2 to the atmosphere.
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50. |
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