Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Faith Within Therapy : - Christian clients´experience of their own, as well as their therapist´s, approach to faith in God within psychotherapy

Syftet var att undersöka hur troende kristna som gått i psykoterapi, upplevt att de själva och terapeuten förhållit sig till gudstron. Författarna har använt en halvstrukturerad kvalitativ intervjuform för studiens genomförande. Sammanfattningsvis framkom att respondenterna inför en psykoterapi haft farhågor om att bli bemötta och tolkade i ramar som varit oförenliga med det egna seendet, men att farhågorna i de reella psykoterapierna inte besannats. Vidare framkom att respondenterna förhållit sig till sin gudstro genom att anpassa sig till terapeuternas inställning. Det betyder att om terapeuterna visat sig vara villiga att prata om tron, har respondenterna delgivit den. Har däremot terapeuterna verkat obekväma med trossamtal, har respondenterna bytt ämne. Terapeuterna har, enligt respondenterna, varit sparsmakade i att själva initiera trossamtal och haft en avvaktande, men respektfull hållning gentemot respondentens gudstro. Respondenterna uttryckte även att samtal om trons kopplingar till den psykologiska problematiken upplevs som berikande, men ansågs inte nödvändigt för framgångsrika terapier

Market efficiency of the Baltic Stock Market

Bakalaura darba mērķis ir uz Tirgus efektivitātes teorijas un Baltijas akciju tirgus efektivitātes analīzes un novērtējuma pamata, izstrādāt secinājumus par Tirgus efektivitātes teorijas lietderību investējot Baltijas akciju tirgū, kā arī izstrādāt priekšlikumus Baltijas akciju tirgus efektivitātes uzlabošanai. Darba uzdevumos ietilpst kapitāla tirgus nozīmīguma analīze, Baltijas akciju tirgus raksturojums, Tirgus efektivitātes teorijas izpēte un izstrādāto pētījumu analīze, kā arī Baltijas akciju tirgus efektivitātes vājā un vidējā līmeľa novērtēšana, izmantojot autokorelācijas testus un empīriskās analīzes metodes. Darba noslēgumā autors Baltijas akciju tirgu novērtējis kā daļēji efektīvu un izstrādājis secinājumus un priekšlikumus saskaľā ar izvirzīto mērķi.The thesis of the Bachelor paper is „ Market efficiency of the Baltic Stock Market”. The main target is to assess efficiency level of the Baltic stock market and to develop conclusions about usefulness of Market efficiency theory for investments in Baltic stock market, and make suggestions for development of Baltic stock market efficiency. The main tasks are to describe Baltic stock markets and evaluate role of the capital markets, research theory of the Market Efficiency, analyze developed papers on related topic and evaluate efficiency level of the Baltic stock market by using autocorrelation tests and case study analysis. In the end of this paper author evaluates Baltic stock market as partly efficient and develops conclusions and suggestions according to the main target of this paper