Feeling Small: Exploring the Tactile Perception Limits

The human finger is exquisitely sensitive in perceiving different materials, but the question remains as to what length scales are capable of being distinguished in active touch. We combine material science with psychophysics to manufacture and haptically explore a series of topographically patterned surfaces of controlled wavelength, but identical chemistry. Strain-induced surface wrinkling and subsequent templating produced 16 surfaces with wrinkle wavelengths ranging from 300 nm to 90 μm and amplitudes between 7 nm and 4.5 μm. Perceived similarities of these surfaces (and two blanks) were pairwise scaled by participants, and interdistances among all stimuli were determined by individual differences scaling (INDSCAL). The tactile space thus generated and its two perceptual dimensions were directly linked to surface physical properties – the finger friction coefficient and the wrinkle wavelength. Finally, the lowest amplitude of the wrinkles so distinguished was approximately 10 nm, demonstrating that human tactile discrimination extends to the nanoscale

Mixed-species RNAseq analysis of human lymphoma cells adhering to mouse stromal cells identifies a core gene set that is also differentially expressed in the lymph node microenvironment of mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients

A subset of hematologic cancer patients is refractory to treatment or suffers relapse, due in part to minimal residual disease, whereby some cancer cells survive treatment. Cell-adhesion-mediated drug resistance is an important mechanism, whereby cancer cells receive survival signals via interaction with e.g. stromal cells. No genome-wide studies of in vitro systems have yet been performed to compare gene expression in different cell subsets within a co-culture and cells grown separately. Using RNA sequencing and species-specific read mapping, we compared transcript levels in human Jeko-1 mantle cell lymphoma cells stably adhered to mouse MS-5 stromal cells or in suspension within a co-culture or cultured separately as well as in stromal cells in co-culture or in separate culture. From 1050 differentially expressed transcripts in adherent mantle cell lymphoma cells, we identified 24 functional categories that together represent four main functional themes, anti-apoptosis, B-cell signaling, cell adhesion/migration and early mitosis. A comparison with previous mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia studies, of gene expression differences between lymph node and blood, identified 116 genes that are differentially expressed in all three studies. From these genes, we suggest a core set of genes (CCL3, CCL4, DUSP4, ETV5, ICAM1, IL15RA, IL21R, IL4I1, MFSD2A, NFKB1, NFKBIE, SEMA7A, TMEM2) characteristic of cells undergoing cell-adhesion-mediated microenvironment signaling in mantle cell lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The model system developed and characterized here together with the core gene set will be useful for future studies of pathways that mediate increased cancer cell survival and drug resistance mechanisms

Friska kalvar vid förmedling av tvåveckors tjurkalvar

Det har i dag blivit allt vanligare att mjölkproducenter genom gårdsavtal levererar sina tjurkalvar vid 2–4 veckors ålder till gårdar som föder upp dem till slakt. Kalvarna har vid den här låga åldern inte helt hunnit utveckla sitt eget immunförsvar utan är beroende av det skydd som de får från kon via råmjölken. När man för samman många unga individer från olika gårdar på en ny plats uppstår lätt ”dagiseffekten”. Kalvarna som kommer från olika besättningar kan bära med sig olika smittämnen och smitta varandra. De vanligaste sjukdomarna som drabbar den unga kalven är diarré och lunginflammation. Det är vanligast att kalvarna får diarré under den första levnadsmånaden. Olika smittämnen kan orsaka diarrén t.ex. bakterien E. coli, Rotavirus eller Cryptosporidier. Om kalven har fått för liten mängd råmjölk eller råmjölk av dålig kvalitet finns en ökad risk för att kalven får diarré. Kalvar som har drabbats av diarré och därmed blivit nedsatta kan lättare insjukna i andra sjukdomar som t.ex. lunginflammation. Lunginflammation är ett vanligt förekommande hälsoproblem i besättningar som föder upp ungnöt. Kalvar som insjuknar i lunginflammation får feber, hosta och påverkat allmäntillstånd med slöhet och försämrad eller upphörd aptit. Kalvar som har lunginflammation behöver ofta få behandling med antibiotika för att de ska tillfriskna. Kalvar som har haft lunginflammation kan få en sämre tillväxt. En ökad sjuklighet bland kalvarna leder till en ökad antibiotikaförbrukning samt ekonomiska förluster för lantbrukaren, i form av veterinärkostnader, merarbete med sjuka djur, nedsatt tillväxt och ökad dödlighet. Det är därför viktigt att hitta faktorer både i besättningen där kalven föds och i den mottagande besättningen, som har en positiv effekt på kalvarnas hälsa och överlevnad. Genom att hitta de faktorerna och omsätta dem i praktiken kan det leda till en minskad antibiotikaförbrukning, ökad djurvälfärd och positiv ekonomisk effekt för djurägaren. Den här broschyren tar upp ett antal faktorer som har betydelse för att kalven ska få en bra start i livet och hur man som djurägare kan arbeta förebyggande med kalvhälsan i sin besättning

Leys from a Nordic perspective

The project involved creating a popular scientific review of the cultivation and use of leys for livestock. Target groups are the agricultural sector and industry. The project had four work packages (WP): crop production, harvest and conservation, feed value for different animals, and economy. Within each work package, search strings were developed and inclusion criteria defined, and a database for each WP developed through searching in online databases. Each selected article was assessed first on the title (include or exclude), second based on reading the abstract, and third based on reading the article. The review provides an extensive list of literature related to ley production and use, a description of the most important findings, and suggestions for future research

The female dominance in Swedish public libraries during the 20th century

This essay is about possible causes to the female dominance in public libraries. We have focusedon the 20th century in Sweden and the development of public libraries during this time. Forthis purpose we have done a survey of three different cities, Uppsala, Jönköping and Skara,during three different years, 1938, 1958 and 1978. We have studied salaries, gender and titlesfor the employed at the head library in each city and then made comparisons between them.In conjunction, we have also studied how women were looked upon by the rest of society,regarding their education and work opportunities.To achieve a comprehension of the society's view of women we have, in the essay, put threedifferent theories of the so called "female nature" in center. The genderization in the labourmarket has also been set to discussion.A comparison between librarians, teachers at different levels, and postoffice employees, hasalso been made regarding their salaries during the years (1938, 1958 and 1978)

Views of Swedish commissioning parents relating to the exploitation discourse in using transnational surrogacy

Transnational surrogacy, when people travel abroad for reproduction with the help of a surrogate mother, is a heavily debated phenomenon. One of the most salient discourses on surrogacy is the one affirming that Westerners, in their quest for having a child, exploit poor women in countries such as India. As surrogacy within the Swedish health care system is not permitted, Swedish commissioning parents have used transnational surrogacy, and the majority has turned to India. This interview study aimed to explore how commissioning parents negotiate the present discourses on surrogacy. Findings from the study suggest that the commissioning parents' views on using surrogacy are influenced by competing discourses on surrogacy represented by media and surrogacy agencies. The use of this reproductive method resulted, then, in some ambiguity. Although commissioning parents defy the exploitation discourse by referring to what they have learnt about the surrogate mother's life situation and by pointing at the significant benefits for her, they still had a request for regulation of surrogacy in Sweden, to better protect all parties involved. This study, then, gives a complex view on surrogacy, where the commissioning parents simultaneously argue against the exploitation discourse but at the same time are uncertain if the surrogate mothers are well protected in the surrogacy arrangements. Their responses to the situation endorse the need for regulation both in Sweden and India

Omvärldsanalys FoI inom transportområdet : 2013

I denna rapport har Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut (VTI) på uppdrag av Trafikverket belyst internationella trender inom transportforskningen. Dels har en övergripande analys gjorts i syfte att identifiera ”heta” områden och dels har en fördjupning skett inom områdena ”långväga transporter” och ”policyforskning”