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Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has been genetically engineered to ferment the pentose sugar xylose present in lignocellulose biomass. One of the reactions controlling the rate of xylose utilization is catalyzed by xylose reductase (XR). In particular, the cofactor specificity of XR is not optimized with respect to the downstream pathway, and the reaction rate is insufficient for high xyl
Research and PhDs are relatively rare in family medicine and primary care. To promote research, regular one-year research courses for primary care professionals with a focus on clinical epidemiology were started. This study explores the academic outcomes of the first four cohorts of research courses and surveys the participants' perspectives on the research course. An electronic survey was sent to
The most frequently used, and effective, treatment for morbid obesity is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB), which results in rapid remission of T2D in most cases. To what extent this is accounted for by weight loss or other factors remains elusive. To gain insight into these mechanisms, we investigated the effects of RYGB on ß-cell function and ß-cell mass in the pig, a species highly remini
This article describes the exposure of mild steel plates for one year in a marine harbor environment on the Swedish west coast. Single steel plates where mounted on ropes and exposed to both the splash zone and the submerged zone in three different exposure sites in the harbor. The maximum depth of submersion was approximately 7 m below the mean water level. Salinity, dissolved oxygen content, pH
Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human bacterial pathogen responsible for severe and invasive disease associated with high mortality rates. The bacterium interacts with several human blood plasma proteins and clarifying these interactions and their biological consequences will help to explain the progression from mild to severe infections. In this study, we used a combination of mass spectrometry
Isothermal calorimetry is a powerful technique for the study of kinetics of physical, chemical, and biological processes, for example, of their temperature dependence. A new heat conduction calorimeter that simultaneously makes measurements on four samples at four different temperatures is presented in this article. Results from tests with four biological systems (milk fermentation, carrot juice s
Previous fire accidents have shown that fires in underground transportation systems, e.g., tunnels and underground stations, can cause many fatalities. It is therefore important in fire safety design to give adequate consideration to all aspects related to evacuation. The main purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to engineers involved in the design of underground transportation systems, an
Stanley Micklavzina, a US physics educator on sabbatical, teams up with a Swedish national research laboratory, a synchrotron radiation experimental group and a university science centre to develop and create educational and public outreach projects. Descriptions of the physics, science centre displays and public demonstrations covering the physics principles involved in using photons and neutrons
Due to its transient nature, high atomization process, and rapid generation of fine evaporating droplets, diesel sprays have been, and still remain, one of the most challenging sprays to be fully analyzed and understood by means of non-intrusive diagnostics. The main limitation of laser techniques for quantitative measurements of diesel sprays concerns the detection of the multiple light scatterin
For the last years, automation is widely used to relieve humans from repetitive tasks, primarily and firstly within manufacturing. However, for products with less ideal (or hard to model) properties, and when forces depends on human interaction, automated testing has not been explored until now. This work presents the analysis of the (human-dependent) motions/forces based on a fully implemented te
The stratum corneum (SC) is an effective permeability barrier. One strategy to increase drug delivery across skin is to increase the hydration. A detailed description of how hydration affects skin permeability requires characterization of both macroscopic and molecular properties and how they respond to hydration. We explore this issue by performing impedance experiments on excised skin membranes
Background The leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) harbours highly penetrant mutations that are linked to familial parkinsonism. However, the extent of its polymorphic variability in relation to risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been assessed systematically. We therefore assessed the frequency of LRRK2 exonic variants in individuals with and without PD, to investigate the role of the
A wide range of complementary techniques are used to build up a detailed picture of the microstructural zones found in friction stir welds (FSW) in an advanced AA2199 Al-Li alloy. Neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, small angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and hard
Our objective was to examine the association between neighborhood linking social capital (a concept describing the amount of trust between individuals and societal institutions) and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the elderly.
There have been few attempts to synthesise the growing body of literature on phenotypic plasticity to reveal patterns and generalities about the extent and magnitude of plastic responses. Here, we conduct a review and meta-analysis of published literature on phenotypic plasticity in aquatic (marine and freshwater) gastropods, a common system for studying plasticity. We identified 96 studies, using
This study uses US survey data and Swedish register data to estimate and compare the relationship between returns to schooling and ability. A significant and positive relationship is found for Sweden, but not for the USA. Based on the predictions of the optimal schooling model it is argues that measured differences in the relationship between returns to schooling and ability could depend upon on d
The phylogeny of the subfamily Xanthorioideae (Teloschistaceae) is re-analysed based on ITS, LSU and mtSSU sequences, including a new set of specimens representing 31 genera, of which five are proposed as new: Golubkovia, Igneoplaca, Langeottia, Scythioria and Verrucoplaca. Two new species, Ovealmbornia volkmarwirthii from South Africa and Gondwania sejongensis from Antarctica are described, illus
‘Compensated dating’’ (CD) indicates the exchange of sexual intimacy for material compensation. This article investigates CD as receiving gifts for sex, such as luxuries, rent, travel, or monetary gifts. It proceeds by describing who engages in the practice and why, while comparing Russia with its cultural and linguistic neighbors, Ukraine and Belarus. A survey, which was answered by a representat
