Comparing Apples & Oranges - A Life Cycle Perspective on Energy Requirements in Swedish & British Columbian Building Codes

“Comparing Apples & Oranges – A Life Cycle Perspective on the Energy Requirements in Swedish and British Columbian Building Codes” The requirements to decrease the energy use in a building vary in the building codes. “British Columbia Building Code” (BCBC) prescribes a nominal thermal resistance of insulation, while “Boverket’s Building Regulations” (BBR) requires an annual specific energy use for the whole building. A type-house of wood-frame construction complying with BCBC proved to have greater momentary heat losses and a greater average heat transfer coefficient than a type-house of wood frame construction complying with BBR. Further, energy simulations showed that the type-house complying with BCBC did not comply with specific energy use requirement in BBR. The life cycle primary energy use takes into account all stages and all upstream losses during a building’s life cycle. The life cycle perspective takes into account site conditions such as climate and infrastructure. The type-house complying with BCBC proved to use 31-38% more primary energy. The occupancy state proved to use 79-91% of the buildings’ total primary energy. The life cycle perspective can also take into account the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caused by a building throughout its life cycle. The GHG emissions proved to be strongly dependent on primary energy use. The type-house complying with BCBC emitted 18-42% more GHG than the type-house complying with BBR. GHG emissions occurred predominantly during the occupancy state. BBR takes into account the functionality of the whole building, while BCBC is prescriptive regarding each building assembly. The comprehensive approach towards the building as a system in BBR is according to us a more effective way to decrease the energy use in a single family house

Infästning av byggnadsmonterat vindkraftverk

In order to better utilize the wind in urban areas, small-scale wind-turbines can be retro-fitted on existing buildings. However, wind-turbines are as structures very prone to oscillate. If the turbines would be mounted with a stiff connection, these vibrations would transmit to the building structure where high-frequency vibrations will transmit as structure-borne noise, and low-frequency vibrations could damage the structure. In this thesis, the vibrations due to the rotor blades’ interaction with the air-stream passing through the rotor’s swept area are simulated. The simulations are conducted on a horizontal axis wind turbine, with three rotor blades with 2.6 m radius, and a variable rotor frequency. The ambient conditions are considered to be normal; during such the wind speeds do not exceed the wind turbines nominal speed. The simulations are conducted in Matlab, with much help of CALFEM. The results show that both high and low frequency oscillations arise, as the tower is excited in its natural frequencies. The powerful oscillations are due to the tower damming effect. In building acoustics, vibrational problems are usually dealt with by creating a mass-spring-system with an eigenfrequency well below 2-3 times the exciting frequency. There is however a great disadvantage with this method; the massspring-system’s ability to isolate low-frequency vibrations is dependent on a existing elastic mounting. The rotations of the foundation that would arise due to a elastic mounting are not desireable, as the wind turbine is subjected to aeroelastic vibrations and a lesser power production. When the turbines are simulated mounted on a foundation that in the static case result in a reasonable rotation, the results show that it is not possible to isolate the joist from the vibrations. If a wind turbine nonetheless should be building mounted, the foundation should be as large as possible

Parenthood and Intellectual Disability: Discourses on Birth Control and Parents with Intellectual Disabilities 1967–2003

In 1975, the sterilization of persons with intellectual disabilities was anned in Sweden. The ban can be regarded as an expression of a changed attitude towards persons with intellectual disabilities and towards their right to equal living conditions during the latter part of the 20th century. The question addressed in this study is whether this shift was paralleled by a changed discourse on intellectual disability and parenthood. I will argue that childbearing and parenthood in relation to individuals with intellectual disabilities have continued to be described as problematic and, therefore, as best avoided. The changed discourse on the rights of intellectually disabled persons, however, made it discursively impossible to suggest a coercive application of birth control methods. Instead, birth control was now introduced as an option and a benefit for the woman

A Proline-Rich Region with a Highly Periodic Sequence in Streptococcal beta Protein Adopts the Polyproline II Structure and Is Exposed on the Bacterial Surface.

Proline-rich regions have been identified in many surface proteins of pathogenic streptococci and staphylococci. These regions have been suggested to be located in cell wall-spanning domains and/or to be required for surface expression of the protein. Because little is known about these regions, which are found in extensively studied and biologically important surface proteins, we characterized the proline-rich region in one such protein, the beta protein of group B streptococci. The proline-rich region in beta, designated the XPZ region, has a proline at every third position, and the sequence is highly periodic in other respects. Immunochemical analysis showed that the XPZ region was not associated with the cell wall but was exposed on the bacterial surface. Moreover, characterization of a beta mutant lacking the XPZ region demonstrated that this region was not required for surface expression of the beta protein. Comparison of the XPZ region in different beta proteins showed that it varied in size but always retained the typical sequence periodicity. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated that the XPZ region had the structure of a polyproline II helix, an extended and solvent-exposed structure with exactly three residues per turn. Because of the three-residue sequence periodicity in the XPZ region, it is expected to be amphipathic and to have distinct nonpolar and polar surfaces. This study identified a proline-rich structure with unique properties that is exposed on the surface of an important human pathogen

Group B Streptococcus suppression of phagocyte functions by protein-mediated engagement of human Siglec-5

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of invasive bacterial infections in human newborns. A key GBS virulence factor is its capsular polysaccharide (CPS), displaying terminal sialic acid (Sia) residues which block deposition and activation of complement on the bacterial surface. We recently demonstrated that GBS Sia can bind human CD33-related Sia-recognizing immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily lectins (hCD33rSiglecs), a family of inhibitory receptors expressed on the surface of leukocytes. We report the unexpected discovery that certain GBS strains may bind one such receptor, hSiglec-5, in a Sia-independent manner, via the cell wall–anchored β protein, resulting in recruitment of SHP protein tyrosine phosphatases. Using a panel of WT and mutant GBS strains together with Siglec-expressing cells and soluble Siglec-Fc chimeras, we show that GBS β protein binding to Siglec-5 functions to impair human leukocyte phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and extracellular trap production, promoting bacterial survival. We conclude that protein-mediated functional engagement of an inhibitory host lectin receptor promotes bacterial innate immune evasion

Emergence and Global Dissemination of Host-Specific Streptococcus agalactiae Clones

To examine the global diversity of Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococci [GBS]) and to elucidate the evolutionary processes that determine its population genetics structure and the reported changes in host tropism and infection epidemiology, we examined a collection of 238 bovine and human isolates from nine countries on five continents. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of 15 housekeeping genes combined with patterns of virulence-associated traits identified a genetically heterogeneous core population from which virulent lineages occasionally emerge as a result of recombination affecting major segments of the genome. Such lineages, like clonal complex 17 (CC17) and two distinct clusters of CC23, are exclusively adapted to either humans or cattle and successfully spread globally. The recent emergence and expansion of the human-associated and highly virulent sequence type 17 (ST17) could conceivably account, in part, for the increased prevalence of neonatal GBS infections after 1960. The composite structure of the S. agalactiae genome invalidates phylogenetic inferences exclusively based on multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data and thereby the previously reported conclusion that the human-associated CC17 emerged from the bovine-associated CC67

Key Role of the Scavenger Receptor MARCO in Mediating Adenovirus Infection and Subsequent Innate Responses of Macrophages

ABSTRACT The scavenger receptor MARCO is expressed in several subsets of naive tissue-resident macrophages and has been shown to participate in the recognition of various bacterial pathogens. However, the role of MARCO in antiviral defense is largely unexplored. Here, we investigated whether MARCO might be involved in the innate sensing of infection with adenovirus and recombinant adenoviral vectors by macrophages, which elicit vigorous immune responses in vivo. Using cells derived from mice, we show that adenovirus infection is significantly more efficient in MARCO-positive alveolar macrophages (AMs) and in AM-like primary macrophage lines (Max Planck Institute cells) than in MARCO-negative bone marrow-derived macrophages. Using antibodies blocking ligand binding to MARCO, as well as gene-deficient and MARCO-transfected cells, we show that MARCO mediates the rapid adenovirus transduction of macrophages. By enhancing adenovirus infection, MARCO contributes to efficient innate virus recognition through the cytoplasmic DNA sensor cGAS. This leads to strong proinflammatory responses, including the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), alpha/beta interferon, and mature IL-1α. These findings contribute to the understanding of viral pathogenesis in macrophages and may open new possibilities for the development of tools to influence the outcome of infection with adenovirus or adenovirus vectors. IMPORTANCE Macrophages play crucial roles in inflammation and defense against infection. Several macrophage subtypes have been identified with differing abilities to respond to infection with both natural adenoviruses and recombinant adenoviral vectors. Adenoviruses are important respiratory pathogens that elicit vigorous innate responses in vitro and in vivo. The cell surface receptors mediating macrophage type-specific adenovirus sensing are largely unknown. The scavenger receptor MARCO is expressed on some subsets of naive tissue-resident macrophages, including lung alveolar macrophages. Its role in antiviral macrophage responses is largely unexplored. Here, we studied whether the differential expression of MARCO might contribute to the various susceptibilities of macrophage subtypes to adenovirus. We demonstrate that MARCO significantly enhances adenovirus infection and innate responses in macrophages. These results help to understand adenoviral pathogenesis and may open new possibilities to influence the outcome of infection with adenoviruses or adenovirus vectors. IMPORTANCE Macrophages play crucial roles in inflammation and defense against infection. Several macrophage subtypes have been identified with differing abilities to respond to infection with both natural adenoviruses and recombinant adenoviral vectors. Adenoviruses are important respiratory pathogens that elicit vigorous innate responses in vitro and in vivo. The cell surface receptors mediating macrophage type-specific adenovirus sensing are largely unknown. The scavenger receptor MARCO is expressed on some subsets of naive tissue-resident macrophages, including lung alveolar macrophages. Its role in antiviral macrophage responses is largely unexplored. Here, we studied whether the differential expression of MARCO might contribute to the various susceptibilities of macrophage subtypes to adenovirus. We demonstrate that MARCO significantly enhances adenovirus infection and innate responses in macrophages. These results help to understand adenoviral pathogenesis and may open new possibilities to influence the outcome of infection with adenoviruses or adenovirus vectors.</jats:p

Porphyrostromium Trevisan (1848) Vs. Erythrotrichopeltis Kornmann (1984) (Rhodophyta)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149702/1/tax02529.pd

Siglec-5 and Siglec-14 are polymorphic paired receptors that modulate neutrophil and amnion signaling responses to group B Streptococcus

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) causes invasive infections in human newborns. We recently showed that the GBS beta-protein attenuates innate immune responses by binding to sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 5 (Siglec-5), an inhibitory receptor on phagocytes. Interestingly, neutrophils and monocytes also express Siglec-14, which has a ligand-binding domain almost identical to Siglec-5 but signals via an activating motif, raising the possibility that these are paired Siglec receptors that balance immune responses to pathogens. Here we show that beta-protein-expressing GBS binds to both Siglec-5 and Siglec-14 on neutrophils and that the latter engagement counteracts pathogen-induced host immune suppression by activating p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and AKT signaling pathways. Siglec-14 is absent from some humans because of a SIGLEC14-null polymorphism, and homozygous SIGLEC14-null neutrophils are more susceptible to GBS immune subversion. Finally, we report an unexpected human-specific expression of Siglec-5 and Siglec-14 on amniotic epithelium, the site of initial contact of invading GBS with the fetus. GBS amnion immune activation was likewise influenced by the SIGLEC14-null polymorphism. We provide initial evidence that the polymorphism could influence the risk of prematurity among human fetuses of mothers colonized with GBS. This first functionally proven example of a paired receptor system in the Siglec family has multiple implications for regulation of host immunity