LC/MS/MS Analysis of N-Terminal Protein Adducts with Improved Sensitivity: A Comparison of Selected Edman Isothiocyanate Reagents

This study provides a basis for a new and straightforward method for LC/MS/MS-based screening of N-terminal protein adducts. This procedure is denoted the “FIRE procedure” as fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) gave superior sensitivity by LC/MS/MS when measuring adducts (R) of electrophilic compounds with a modified Edman procedure. The principles of the FIRE-procedure are that adducts to N-terminal amino acids selectively are detached and measured from of proteins after derivatisation by isothiocyanate Edman reagents. In this study, FITC, 4-N,N-dimethylaminoazobenzene 4′-isothiocyanate (DABITC) and 4-dimethylamino-1-naphthyl isothiocyanate (DNITC) were used to synthesize thiohydantoin analytes from valine and N-methylvaline. The sensitivity by LC/MS/MS was enhanced by up to three orders of magnitude as compared to phenyl isothiocyanate and higher as compared to pentafluorophenyl isothiocyanate. The FITC reagent will enable measurements of low background adduct levels. Synthesized analytes were characterised with, for example, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, LC/MS/MS, and UV

Forskningsdata i öppna arkiv och universitetsarkiv: en förstudie vid Göteborgs universitet, Lunds universitet och Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet

Den framväxande utvecklingen inom e-science innebär att forskarna även förväntas publicera de forskningsdata som är underlag för redovisningen av forskningsresulatet. Gör de det redan? Om inte - vilka invändningar kan forskarna tänkas ha? Arkiverar de forskningsdata på ett betryggande sätt? Vi frågade ett fyrtiotal forskare vid våra respektive lärosäten i en gemensam enkät. Vårt underlag är för litet för att vi ska kunna dra några definitiva slutsatser. Vi vågar ändå påstå att våra forskares svar inte skiljer sig nämnvärt från resultaten från internationella och större enkäter och studier. Forskarna är intresserade men har en milt avvärjande attityd. Det är en lång väg kvar med mycket arbete för alla i publiceringsprocessen. Skillnader i hur lång vägen blir tycks variera både mellan inom vetenskapsdisciplinerna. Det finns tecken som tyder på att forskare inom vissa områden inom de humanistiska och konstnärliga vetenskaperna är på väg att knappa in på det försprång naturvetare hittills haft. Vi har också försökt analysera vilken roll våra öppna arkiv och universitetsarkiv kommer att spela. Är det i dessa arkiv forskarna vill tillgängliggöra forskningsresultaten eller föredrar de stora internationella ämnesarkiv? Är länkning mellan olika digitala arkiv en framkomlig väg? Vi avslutar med några förslag till de första stegen på vägen för att visioner om e-science ska kunna bli verklighet.Publicerad på Kungl. Bibliotekets program för OpenAccess.se "Avslutade projekt" http://www.kb.se/om/projekt/openaccess/Projektrapport till Kungl. biblioteket, Programmet för OpenAccess.se, Augusti 200

Self-Archiving in practice: What do the researchers say and is there any pain alleviation?

The purpose of the study was to increase self-archiving of scientific articles in Swedish open archives and thus contribute to the dissemination and increased visibility of Swedish research and to a greater impact for the individual researcher. We wanted to find out what obstacles may occur in the self-archiving process and how the database SHERPA/RoMEO functions as support for control of the publishers’ conditions. We engaged 40 researchers at 7 Swedish institutes of higher education to self-archive their peer-reviewed journal articles from the last 5 years. The result was that 140 publications were self-archived in the open archives of these universities and university colleges. After the self-archiving was carried out we followed up on the researchers’ experiences and viewpoints in the form of oral interviews. We have found several imperfections and problems in the process of self-archiving. These issues are discussed and then we conclude with suggestions for measures to take, which we believe are crucial to making self-archiving generally accepted in the world of research and therefore increasing the dissemination of research results

Rationalitet i beslutsfattande - En empirisk studie i rationalitet hos aktieinvesterare

Syftet var att undersöka de interna och externa krafter som påverkar privata inve-sterares förmåga att agera rationellt på aktiemarknaden. Uppsatsens empiri är huvudsakligen baserad på en enkätundersökning, vilken syftar till att ge en bild av vilka prioriteringar och preferenser privata investerare har när de agerar på aktiemarknaden. Ett viktigt mål med analysen av enkätsvaren var att undersöka i vilken utsträckning det går att finna irrationella beteenden hos den undersökta gruppen av investerare. Det framkom att en stor del av enkätun-dersökningens respondenter förlitar sig på tumregler när de träder in i sina positio-ner. De har alltså redan när de tar en position på aktiemarknaden bestämt sig för efter hur stor uppgång respektive nedgång de ska gå ur positionen. Enkätunder-sökningen visade även att det finns starka tendenser till flockbeteende. Det verkar som att benägenheten att köpa en aktie ökar ju längre tid aktien gått upp. Detta kan förklara varför nya aktörer såsom småsparare kommer in på marknaden sent i långa uppgångar. Dessutom genomfördes intervjuer med ett antal olika intressenter som har ett intresse i och inverkan på investerarens beslut. De undersökta intressenterna är mäklarhus, massmedia och Sveriges stat. Intressenterna kan påverka inramningen på investerarnas beslutssituation, deras förmåga att göra korrekta bedömningar av risk i förhållande till avkastningspotential. Det största målet med intervjuerna med intressenterna var att skaffa så stor kunskap som möjligt om vilka motiv som ligger bakom deras agerande gentemot investerarna samt i vilka riktningar de tror sig påverka investerarnas riskuppfattning. De före detta aktiemäklare som intervjuats har förklarat att mäklare och analytiker är rena säljare, vilkas intressen ofta inte alls är i linje med kundens. Det finns syften bakom de flesta analyser som distribueras till privata investerare, som gör att analy-serna kan vara vinklade. Mäklarnas råd till kunderna syftar oftast till att berika mäklarhuset så mycket som möjligt, inte till kundens bästa. När investeringsbeslut fattas har massmedia ett mycket stort inflytande som infor-mationskälla. Massmedia, i första hand kvällstidningar, tillhandahåller ofta analyser utförda av analytiker från mäklarhus men som kan framstå som att de är utförda av tidningen själv. Den som på tidningen kallas börsexpert är ofta en vanlig journalist. Massmedia fokuserar dessutom läsarnas intresse mot de stora bolagen och vill i första hand hitta olika former av sensationella nyheter om dessa. Staten ger investerarna ett dåligt skydd då de övervakande organens verksamhet fungerar otillfredsställande och reaktivt. Sammantaget kan fastslås att det finns ett antal både interna och externa element som påverkar investerares förmåga att vara rationella. Tumregler, flockbeteende och externa intressenter som påverkar inramningen på beslutssituationen är viktiga påverkande krafter

Real-Time Transmembrane Translocation of Penetratin Driven by Light-Generated Proton Pumping

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are small peptides that are able to penetrate the plasma membrane of mammalian cells. Because these peptides can also carry large hydrophilic cargos such as proteins, they could potentially be used to transport biologically active drugs across cell membranes to modulate in vivo biology. One characteristic feature of the CPPs is that they typically have a net positive charge. Therefore, a key issue associated with the transport mechanism is the role of the transmembrane electrochemical potential in driving the peptides across the membrane. In this study, we have reconstituted bacteriorhodopsin (bR) in large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) with fluorescein-labeled CPP penetratin enclosed within the LUVs under conditions when the fluorescence is quenched. Illumination of the bacteriorhodopsin-containing LUVs resulted in creation of a transmembrane proton electrochemical gradient (positive on the inside). Upon generation of this gradient, an increase in fluorescence was observed, which shows that the proton gradient drives the translocation of penetratin. The mechanism most likely can be generalized to other CPPs

HealthCloud : Participatory design of user interfaces for senior people's active aging

The aim of the HealthCloud project has been twofold: to develop knowledge of user needs for interface design specifically for an ageing population, and also to develop a user interface design specially designed for senior persons with sensory decline to promote healthy living through five Core Health Projects. A participatory approach was chosen to investigate the aim of the project and data was collected and analysed in three sequential steps. A reference-group with senior citizens recruited from retirement organizations interactively evolved data for the project during three workshops. The continuous interaction with the reference group resulted in a conceptual user interface design aimed for the digital HealthCloud service. In the design of the conceptual user interface, the identified core factors were a strive for simplicity: to reduce, organize, and make it enjoyable to use. Participants in the reference-group found the developed interface easy to use regardless of previous computer skills and they were also motivated and stimulated by the interface to start using the computer for promoting their health om a daily basis. Participants also wanted to display and recommend this interface to other members of retirement organizations.Enabling IC

The impact of visuospatial and executive function on activity performance and outcome after robotic or conventional gait training, long-term after stroke—as part of a randomized controlled trial

Introduction Visuospatial and executive impairments have been associated with poor activity performance sub-acute after stroke. Potential associations long-term and in relation to outcome of rehabilitation interventions need further exploration. Aims To explore associations between visuospatial and executive function and 1) activity performance (mobility, self-care and domestic life) and 2) outcome after 6 weeks of conventional gait training and/or robotic gait training, long term (1–10 years) after stroke. Methods Participants (n = 45), living with stroke affecting walking ability and who could perform the items assessing visuospatial/executive function included in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Vis/Ex) were included as part of a randomized controlled trial. Executive function was evaluated using ratings by significant others according to the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX); activity performance using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), Berg balance scale, Functional Ambulation Categories, Barthel Index and Stroke Impact Scale. Results MoCA Vis/Ex was significantly associated with baseline activity performance, long-term after stroke (r = .34-.69, p Conclusion Visuospatial/executive function may significantly affect activity performance and the outcome of rehabilitation interventions for impaired mobility long-term after stroke and should be considered in the planning of such interventions. Patients with severely impaired visuospatial/executive function may benefit from robotic gait training since improvement was seen irrespective of visuospatial/executive function. These results may guide future larger studies on interventions targeting long-term walking ability and activity performance. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02545088) August 24, 2015

HealthCloud : promoting healthy living through co-design of user experiences in a digital service

The aim of the interdisciplinary HealthCloud pre-study project was twofold: to further knowledge of user experiences of inclusive interface design specifically for an ageing population, and to develop a digital service for senior persons with sensory decline to promote healthy living and active ageing. A co-design approach was chosen to investigate the project aim and knowledge and user experiences was jointly developed and evaluated in three sequential steps in a participant-group of senior persons. In the design of the conceptual user interface, the identified core aspect involved a strive for utility: quality of appropriateness in use, and significance: how designs assume meaning in the ways they are used, as well as simplicity: to reduce, organize, and making it enjoyable to use. The digital service outcome consists of validation of previous research themes: keeping the family together; enjoying life at home; being close to nature; self-development; and promoting conditions for healthy ageing. The pre-study project outcomes are prototypes of digital health service content and interfaces, aimed for a future digital HealthCloud service. Participants in the reference-group found the developed interface easy to use regardless of previous computer skills and they were also motivated and stimulated by the developed prototypes for promoting active ageing on a daily basis. Participants also expressed a desire to display and recommend such digita

HealthCloud : Participatory design of user interfaces for senior people's active aging

The aim of the HealthCloud project has been twofold: to develop knowledge of user needs for interface design specifically for an ageing population, and also to develop a user interface design specially designed for senior persons with sensory decline to promote healthy living through five Core Health Projects. A participatory approach was chosen to investigate the aim of the project and data was collected and analysed in three sequential steps. A reference-group with senior citizens recruited from retirement organizations interactively evolved data for the project during three workshops. The continuous interaction with the reference group resulted in a conceptual user interface design aimed for the digital HealthCloud service. In the design of the conceptual user interface, the identified core factors were a strive for simplicity: to reduce, organize, and make it enjoyable to use. Participants in the reference-group found the developed interface easy to use regardless of previous computer skills and they were also motivated and stimulated by the interface to start using the computer for promoting their health om a daily basis. Participants also wanted to display and recommend this interface to other members of retirement organizations.Enabling IC

The impact of visuospatial and executive function on activity performance and outcome after robotic or conventional gait training, long-term after stroke-as part of a randomized controlled trial.

IntroductionVisuospatial and executive impairments have been associated with poor activity performance sub-acute after stroke. Potential associations long-term and in relation to outcome of rehabilitation interventions need further exploration.AimsTo explore associations between visuospatial and executive function and 1) activity performance (mobility, self-care and domestic life) and 2) outcome after 6 weeks of conventional gait training and/or robotic gait training, long term (1-10 years) after stroke.MethodsParticipants (n = 45), living with stroke affecting walking ability and who could perform the items assessing visuospatial/executive function included in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Vis/Ex) were included as part of a randomized controlled trial. Executive function was evaluated using ratings by significant others according to the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX); activity performance using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), Berg balance scale, Functional Ambulation Categories, Barthel Index and Stroke Impact Scale.ResultsMoCA Vis/Ex was significantly associated with baseline activity performance, long-term after stroke (r = .34-.69, p ConclusionVisuospatial/executive function may significantly affect activity performance and the outcome of rehabilitation interventions for impaired mobility long-term after stroke and should be considered in the planning of such interventions. Patients with severely impaired visuospatial/executive function may benefit from robotic gait training since improvement was seen irrespective of visuospatial/executive function. These results may guide future larger studies on interventions targeting long-term walking ability and activity performance.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov (NCT02545088) August 24, 2015