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- Tiita, Antero, et al.
(author)
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Enhanced FORK Detector for Partial Defect Verification of BWR Fuel Assemblies
- 2001
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In: Symposium on International Safeguards Verification and Nuclear Material Security. Vienna, Austria, 29 Oct. - 2 Nov. 2001.. - Wien : IAEA.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An extensive study on the feasiblity and the range of validity of the fork detector method for partial defect level verification of spent fuel has been accomplished. The range of validity and the limitations have been studied. It has been shown experimentally together with complementary model calculations that by measuring the neutron yield against the operator-declared burnup a verification on the partial-defect level can be attained, but not for all possible cases of spent fuel assemblies. The additional target of operator-data-independent verification cannot be achieved using only a fork detector. The model calculations support the experimental results and add to the confidence in the correction methods applied to the experimental data.
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| 2. |
- Ahrén, Bo, et al.
(author)
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Inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV improves metabolic control over a 4-week study period in type 2 diabetes.
- 2002
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In: Diabetes Care. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0149-5992 .- 1935-5548. ; 25:5, s. 869-75
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been proposed as a new treatment modality for type 2 diabetes. To circumvent the drawback of the short half-life of GLP-1, inhibitors of the GLP-1-degrading enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) have been examined. Such inhibitors improve glucose tolerance in insulin-resistant rats and mice. In this study, we examined the 4-week effect of 1-[[[2-[(5-cyanopyridin-2-yl)amino]ethyl]amino]acetyl]-2-cyano-(S)-pyrrolidine (NVP DPP728), a selective, orally active inhibitor of DPP IV, in subjects with diet-controlled type 2 diabetes in a placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter study.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 93 patients (61 men and 32 women), aged 64 +/- 9 years (means +/- SD) and with BMI 27.3 +/- 2.7 kg/m(2), entered the study. Fasting blood glucose was 8.5 +/- 1.5 mmol/l, and HbA(1c) was 7.4 +/- 0.7%. Before and after treatment with NVP DPP728 at 100 mg x 3 (n = 31) or 150 mg x 5 (n = 32) or placebo (n = 30), subjects underwent a 24-h study with standardized meals (total 2,000 kcal).RESULTS: Compared with placebo, NVP DPP728 at 100 mg t.i.d. reduced fasting glucose by 1.0 mmol/l (mean), prandial glucose excursions by 1.2 mmol/l, and mean 24-h glucose levels by 1.0 mmol/l (all P < 0.001). Similar reductions were seen in the 150-mg b.i.d. treatment group. Mean 24-h insulin was reduced by 26 pmol/l in both groups (P = 0.017 and P = 0.023). Although not an efficacy parameter foreseen in the study protocol, HbA(1c) was reduced to 6.9 +/- 0.7% in the combined active treatment groups (P < 0.001). Laboratory safety and tolerability was good in all groups.CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that inhibition of DPP IV is a feasible approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the early stage of the disease.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Anders, et al.
(author)
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A transcriptional timetable of autumn senescence
- 2004
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In: Genome Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1465-6906 .- 1474-760X. ; 5:4, s. R24-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background We have developed genomic tools to allow the genus Populus (aspens and cottonwoods) to be exploited as a full-featured model for investigating fundamental aspects of tree biology. We have undertaken large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing programs and created Populus microarrays with significant gene coverage. One of the important aspects of plant biology that cannot be studied in annual plants is the gene activity involved in the induction of autumn leaf senescence. Results On the basis of 36,354 Populus ESTs, obtained from seven cDNA libraries, we have created a DNA microarray consisting of 13,490 clones, spotted in duplicate. Of these clones, 12,376 (92%) were confirmed by resequencing and all sequences were annotated and functionally classified. Here we have used the microarray to study transcript abundance in leaves of a free-growing aspen tree (Populus tremula) in northern Sweden during natural autumn senescence. Of the 13,490 spotted clones, 3,792 represented genes with significant expression in all leaf samples from the seven studied dates. Conclusions We observed a major shift in gene expression, coinciding with massive chlorophyll degradation, that reflected a shift from photosynthetic competence to energy generation by mitochondrial respiration, oxidation of fatty acids and nutrient mobilization. Autumn senescence had much in common with senescence in annual plants; for example many proteases were induced. We also found evidence for increased transcriptional activity before the appearance of visible signs of senescence, presumably preparing the leaf for degradation of its components.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Jenny, et al.
(author)
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Absence of the Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 proteins of the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II - effects on photosynthesis, grana stacking and fitness
- 2003
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In: The Plant Journal. - : Wiley. - 0960-7412 .- 1365-313X. ; 35:3, s. 350-361
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have constructed Arabidopsis thaliana plants that are virtually devoid of the major light-harvesting complex, LHC II. This was accomplished by introducing the Lhcb2.1 coding region in the antisense orientation into the genome by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 were absent, while Lhcb3, a protein present in LHC II associated with photosystem (PS) II, was retained. Plants had a pale green appearance and showed reduced chlorophyll content and an elevated chlorophyll a/b ratio. The content of PS II reaction centres was unchanged on a leaf area basis, but there was evidence for increases in the relative levels of other light harvesting proteins, notably CP26, associated with PS II, and Lhca4, associated with PS I. Electron microscopy showed the presence of grana. Photosynthetic rates at saturating irradiance were the same in wild-type and antisense plants, but there was a 10-15% reduction in quantum yield that reflected the decrease in light absorption by the leaf. The antisense plants were not able to perform state transitions, and their capacity for non-photochemical quenching was reduced. There was no difference in growth between wild-type and antisense plants under controlled climate conditions, but the antisense plants performed worse compared to the wild type in the field, with decreases in seed production of up to 70%.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Jenny, et al.
(author)
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Antisense inhibition of the photosynthetic antenna proteins CP29 and CP26 : implications for the mechanism of protective energy dissipation
- 2001
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In: The Plant Cell. - : American Society of Plant Biologists. - 1040-4651 .- 1532-298X. ; 13:5, s. 1193-1204
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The specific roles of the chlorophyll a/b binding proteins CP29 and CP26 in light harvesting and energy dissipation within the photosynthetic apparatus have been investigated. Arabidopsis was transformed with antisense constructs against the genes encoding the CP29 or CP26 apoprotein, which gave rise to several transgenic lines with remarkably low amounts of the antisense target proteins. The decrease in the level of CP24 protein in the CP29 antisense lines indicates a physical interaction between these complexes. Analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence showed that removal of the proteins affected photosystem II function, probably as a result of changes in the organization of the light-harvesting antenna. However, whole plant measurements showed that overall photosynthetic rates were similar to those in the wild type. Both antisense lines were capable of the qE type of nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching, although there were minor changes in the capacity for quenching and in its induction kinetics. High-light-induced violaxanthin deepoxidation to zeaxanthin was not affected, although the pool size of these pigments was decreased slightly. We conclude that CP29 and CP26 are unlikely to be sites for nonphotochemical quenching.
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| 8. |
- Bergström, Ann-Kristin, et al.
(author)
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Occurrence of mixotrophic flagellates in relation to bacterioplankton production, light regime and availability of inorganic nutrients in unproductive lakes with differing humic contents
- 2003
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In: Freshwater Biology. - : Wiley. - 0046-5070 .- 1365-2427. ; 48:5, s. 868-877
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 1. Field data from five unproductive Swedish lakes were used to investigate the occurrence of mixotrophic flagellates in relation to bacterioplankton, autotrophic phytoplankton, heterotrophic flagellates and abiotic environmental factors. Three different sources of data were used: (i) a 3-year study (1995-97) of the humic Lake Örträsket, (ii) seasonal measurements from five lakes with widely varying dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, and (iii) whole lake enrichment experiments with inorganic nutrients and organic carbon. 2. Mixotrophic flagellates usually dominated over autotrophic phytoplankton in Lake Örträsket in early summer, when both bacterial production and light levels were high. Comparative data from the five lakes demonstrated that the ratio between the biomasses of mixotrophic flagellates and autotrophic phytoplankton (the M/A-ratio) was positively correlated to bacterioplankton production, but not to the light regime. Whole lake carbon addition (white sugar) increased bacterial biomass, and production, reduced the biomass of autotrophs by a factor of 16, and increased the M/A-ratio from 0.03 to 3.4. Collectively, the results indicate that the dominance of mixotrophs among phytoplankton was positively related to bacterioplankton production. 3. Whole lake fertilisation with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) demonstrated that the obligate autotrophic phytoplankton was limited by N. N-addition increased the biomass of the autotrophic phytoplankton but had no effect on mixotrophic flagellates or bacteria, and the M/A-ratio decreased from 1.2 to 0.6 after N-enrichment. Therefore, we suggest that bacteria under natural conditions, by utilising allochthonous DOC as an energy and carbon source, are able to outcompete autotrophs for available inorganic nutrients. Consequently, mixotrophic flagellates can become the dominant phytoplankters when phagotrophy permits them to use nutrients stored in bacterial biomass. 4. In Lake Ortrasket, the biomass of mixotrophs was usually higher than the biomass of heterotrophs during the summer. This dominance could not be explained by higher grazing rates among the mixotrophs. Instead, ratios between mixotrophic and heterotrophic biomass (the M/H-ratio) were positively related to light availability. Therefore, we suggest that photosynthesis can enable mixotrophic flagellates to outcompete heterotrophic flagellates.
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| 10. |
- Blomqvist, Peter, et al.
(author)
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Effects of additions of DOC on pelagic biota in a clearwater system : results from a whole lake experiment in northern Sweden
- 2001
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In: Microbial Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0095-3628 .- 1432-184X. ; 42:3, s. 383-394
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An oligotrophic clearwater lake, initially characterized by a pronounced dominance of autotrophic phytoplankton and mostly by one species, the green alga Botryococcus, was subject to additions of dissolved organic carbon in the form of white sugar (sucrose) during two consecutive years. The hypothesis tested was that it is organic carbon per se, and not other possible effects of humic substances, that determines the differences in structure of the planktonic ecosystem between humic and clearwater lakes. The additions of DOC resulted in a significant increase in bacterial biomass and a decrease in the biomass of autotrophic phytoplankton. The biomass of mixotrophic and heterotrophic flagellates instead increased significantly, whereas no effects were found to propagate to higher trophic levels. As a result of the changes among biota, total planktonic biomass also decreased to a level typical of nearby humic lakes. We suggest that it is the carbon component of humic material and its utilization by bacterioplankton that determines the structure and function of the pelagic food web in humic lakes.
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