Finspångsåarnas vattenråd

Ett av vattendirektivets mål är att engagera allmänheten i vattenplaneringsprocesser. I Sverige försöker man på många platser uppnå detta genom att bilda vattenråd för de lokala vattenförekomsterna. Det finns en osäkerhet kring hur exakt dessa ska fungera och frågan är om de verkligen är lösningen på medborgarengagemanget. Med hjälp av en enkät som skickats ut till ett vattenråd önskar den här studien ge underlag för att diskutera och om möjligt ge svar på om vattenråd är lösningen på hur allmänheten ska engageras. Utöver den stora frågan diskuteras även hur kommunikationen fungerar inom vattenrådet och mellan vattenrådet och några olika aktörer samt vilken roll vattenrådets samordnare har. Återkommande ord i analysen är deliberation, legitimitet och inflytande då dessa är betydelsefulla inom deliberativ demokrati. Utifrån resultaten är det svårt att dra några tydliga slutsatser kring om vattenrådet är ett lämpligt forum för medborgarengagemang, dels eftersom studien utgår från endast ett vattenråd och dels eftersom svarsunderlaget var lågt (ca 45 %). Men det konstateras att även om det inte är det bästa forumet så är det i alla fall ett användbart forum även om en del brister diskuteras. Deltagarna är överlag nöjda med samtalsklimatet inom vattenrådet och även mellan vattenrådet och vissa aktörer, till exempel länsstyrelse. Det råder dock delade meningar kring om vattenrådet är ett bra medel för medborgare, kommun och länsstyrelsen att kommunisera kring vattenplaneringsprocesser. Ett problem är att det både inom vattenrådet och kring vattenrådet som helhet finns en uppfattning om att alla inte har lika stort inflytande vilket påverkar legitimiteten. Även om vattenrådet är tänkt att uttrycka en deliberativ demokrati finns indikationer på att det inte fungerar så bra som man skulle önska. En av de kommentarer som en deltagare skrev i enkäten kan i stora drag sammanfatta vattenrådets status i dagsläget: ”Det känns inte som vi har hittat former för arbetet i vattenrådet ännu…”One of the objectives of the water framework directive is to engage the general public in processes related to water planning. One method used to achieve this in Sweden involves creating water councils. There is a degree of uncertainty regarding exactly how these councils are to work and if they really are the best solution to the issue of citizen participation. With the help of a survey sent to a water council, this study aims to provide the foundation for a discussion, and give answers where possible, about the question of whether or not water councils is the solution to how the general public is to be involved. The study also discusses the role of the coordinator of the water council and how the participants experience the communication both within the council and between the council and authorities, such as a county administrative board. The words deliberation, legitimacy and influence recur in the analysis since they are important when talking about deliberative democracy. It is difficult to draw any clear conclusions concerning the question of whether or not water councils are a good forum for citizen participation, partly since the study looks solely at one water council and partly because only 45 % of the people answered the survey. However, it is established that, in spite of its flaws, a water council is a useful forum for the general public. On the whole, the participants are satisfied with the communication within the council as well as the communication between the water council and the county administrative board. But, there is a difference of opinion about whether or not the water council is a good forum for citizens, the municipality and the county administrative board to discuss the processes of water planning. One problem concerning the water council is that some feel that not all participants have equal influence, which affects the legitimacy of the council. Even though the water council is meant to express deliberative democracy there are indications suggesting that this does not work as well as wanted. One comment that a participant wrote in the survey can summarize the current status of the water council: “It doesn’t feel like we have found the proper structure for the work in the council yet…

Konkurrenskraftiga kollektiva kommunikationer

With less than 15 000 inhabitants, Åstorp is a small municipality in the north west of Skåne. In the county there are two train stations and twenty-three bus stops. Despite the good opportunities for public transport, the municipality has high emissions of greenhouse gases from passenger transports if compared with other municipalities in Skåne. By means of a focus group, this paper employs a qualitative method to investigate people’s attitudes towards public transport and what actions they believe may motivate more people to use public transport. In addition, a small literature study on attitudes towards public transport and travel patterns is carried out. The literature study shows that more than 70 percent of the trips that residents of the municipality of Åstorp take are done by car. This is well above average for Skåne. The study shows that many of the arguments for travelling with both public transports and cars are egocentric, which means that they promote the individual's self-interest. Not all attitudes can be changed but by promoting the benefits of public transport the chance of getting people to utilize it is increased. To make public transport more competitive against the car, the journey must become more time-efficient. Public transport also has to improve in a more general sense. One way of making the public transport more attractive is by making the station area safer and more enjoyable. The municipality can also try to conduct information campaigns with the purpose of helping more people to discover the benefits of public transport. This study is important since it will hopefully be used as a basis for municipal actions and political decisions. The results of those actions may make public transport more attractive and competitive against the car, which will lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from passenger transport.Genom att framhäva de personliga fördelarna med att åka tåg och buss kan människor som vanligtvis åker bil få upp ögonen för dessa kollektiva transportmedel, vilket leder till minskade utsläpp av växthusgaser. Med mindre än 15 000 invånare är Åstorp en mindre kommun i nordvästra Skåne. I kommunen, som består av fyra tätorter, finns det två tågstationer och tjugotre busshållplatser. Trots de relativt goda möjligheterna till pendling med kollektivtrafik, har kommunen höga utsläpp av växthusgaser från persontransporter vid jämförelse med andra skånska kommuner. En litteraturstudie om resvanor och vilka faktorer som påverkar kollektivtrafikens konkurrenskraft visar att vid mer än 70 procent av de resor som invånarna i Åstorps kommun gör, används bil. Det är långt över genomsnittet för Skåne. Andelen resor som sker med kollektivtrafik ligger dock strax under det skånska genomsnittet. Med hjälp av fokusgrupper (gruppintervjuer där olika teman behandlas, i detta fall kollektiv- och biltrafik) har även undersökts vilka attityder pendlare har till kollektivtrafik och vilka åtgärder de anser kan motivera fler människor till att använda kollektivtrafiken. Som resultat av studierna kan nämnas att många av argumenten för att resa med både kollektivtrafik och bil är egocentriska, vilket innebär att de gynnar den enskilda personens egenintresse. Detta medför att ett val som baseras på egocentriska argument kommer vara fördelaktig för personen som gör valet, till exempel att personen sparar pengar genom att åka med kollektivtrafik. Det är inte möjligt att förändra alla attityder men genom att lyfta fram fördelarna med kollektivtrafik ökar chansen att fler människor börjar åka kollektivt. Exempel på fördelar är möjligheten att arbeta på tåget, sova på bussen eller röra sig under resan. För att göra kollektivtrafiken mer konkurrenskraftigt gentemot bilen måste resan blir mer tidseffektiv och kollektivtrafiken som helhet förbättras. Ett sätt att göra kollektivtrafiken mer attraktiv är att fräscha upp stationsområden så att de upplevs som mer trygga och trevliga. Åstorps kommun bör också genomföra informationskampanjer i syfte att få fler människor att upptäcka fördelarna med kollektivtrafik. Studien är viktig eftersom den förhoppningsvis kommer att användas som underlag för kommunala åtgärder och politiska beslut i Åstorps kommun men även andra liknande kommuner. Resultatet av dessa åtgärder kan göra kollektivtrafiken mer attraktiv och konkurrenskraftig mot bilen, vilket leder till minskade utsläpp av växthusgaser från persontransporter

CENP-A and topoisomerase-II antagonistically affect chromosome length

The size of mitotic chromosomes is coordinated with cell size in a manner dependent on nuclear trafficking. In this study, we conducted an RNA interference screen of the Caenorhabditis elegans nucleome in a strain carrying an exceptionally long chromosome and identified the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A and the DNA decatenizing enzyme topoisomerase-II (topo-II) as candidate modulators of chromosome size. In the holocentric organism C. elegans , CENP-A is positioned periodically along the entire length of chromosomes, and in mitosis, these genomic regions come together linearly to form the base of kinetochores. We show that CENP-A protein levels decreased through development coinciding with chromosome-size scaling. Partial loss of CENP-A protein resulted in shorter mitotic chromosomes, consistent with a role in setting chromosome length. Conversely, topo-II levels were unchanged through early development, and partial topo-II depletion led to longer chromosomes. Topo-II localized to the perimeter of mitotic chromosomes, excluded from the centromere regions, and depletion of topo-II did not change CENP-A levels. We propose that self-assembly of centromeric chromatin into an extended linear array promotes elongation of the chromosome, whereas topo-II promotes chromosome-length shortening

Analysis of motoneuron responses to composite synaptic volleys (computer simulation study)

This paper deals with the analysis of changes in motoneuron (MN) firing evoked by repetitively applied stimuli aimed toward extracting information about the underlying synaptic volleys. Spike trains were obtained from computer simulations based on a threshold-crossing model of tonically firing MN, subjected to stimulation producing postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) of various parameters. These trains were analyzed as experimental results, using the output measures that were previously shown to be most effective for this purpose: peristimulus time histogram, raster plot and peristimulus time intervalgram. The analysis started from the effects of single excitatory and inhibitory PSPs (EPSPs and IPSPs). The conclusions drawn from this analysis allowed the explanation of the results of more complex synaptic volleys, i.e., combinations of EPSPs and IPSPs, and the formulation of directions for decoding the results of human neurophysiological experiments in which the responses of tonically firing MNs to nerve stimulation are analyzed

An autologous dendritic cell vaccine polarizes a Th-1 response which is tumoricidal to patient-derived breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-associated death worldwide. Conventional treatment is associated with substantial toxicity and suboptimal efficacy. We, therefore, developed and evaluated the in vitro efficacy of an autologous dendritic cell (DC) vaccine to treat breast cancer. We recruited 12 female patients with stage 1, 2, or 3 breast cancer and matured their DCs with autologous tumour-specific lysate, a toll-like receptor (TLR)-3 and 7/8 agonist, and an interferon-containing cocktail. The efficacy of the vaccine was evaluated by its ability to elicit a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response to autologous breast cancer cells in vitro. Matured DCs (≥ 60% upregulation of CD80, CD86, CD83, and CCR7) produced high levels of the Th1 effector cytokine, IL12-p70 (1.2 ng/ml; p < 0.0001), compared to DCs pulsed with tumour lysate, or matured with an interferon-containing cocktail alone. We further showed that matured DCs enhance antigen-specific CD8 + T-cell responses to HER-2 (4.5%; p < 0.005) and MUC-1 (19%; p < 0.05) tetramers. The mature DCs could elicit a robust and dose-dependent antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response (65%) which was tumoricidal to autologous breast cancer cells in vitro compared to T-lymphocytes that were primed with autologous lysate loaded-DCs (p < 0.005). Lastly, we showed that the mature DCs post-cryopreservation maintained high viability, maintained their mature phenotype, and remained free of endotoxins or mycoplasma. We have developed a DC vaccine that is cytotoxic to autologous breast cancer cells in vitro. The tools and technology generated here will now be applied to a phase I/IIa clinical trial

Projected loss of brown macroalgae and seagrasses with global environmental change

Abstract Although many studies predict extensive future biodiversity loss and redistribution in the terrestrial realm, future changes in marine biodiversity remain relatively unexplored. In this work, we model global shifts in one of the most important marine functional groups—ecosystem-structuring macrophytes—and predict substantial end-of-century change. By modelling the future distribution of 207 brown macroalgae and seagrass species at high temporal and spatial resolution under different climate-change projections, we estimate that by 2100, local macrophyte diversity will decline by 3–4% on average, with 17 to 22% of localities losing at least 10% of their macrophyte species. The current range of macrophytes will be eroded by 5–6%, and highly suitable macrophyte habitat will be substantially reduced globally (78–96%). Global macrophyte habitat will shift among marine regions, with a high potential for expansion in polar regions

Spectral Imaging and Applications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important mediators of intercellular communication in a diverse range of biological processes. For future therapeutic applications and for EV biology research in general, understanding the in vivo fate of EVs is of utmost importance. Here we studied biodistribution of EVs in mice after systemic delivery. EVs were isolated from 3 different mouse cell sources, including dendritic cells (DCs) derived from bone marrow, and labelled with a near-infrared lipophilic dye. Xenotransplantation of EVs was further carried out for cross-species comparison. The reliability of the labelling technique was confirmed by sucrose gradient fractionation, organ perfusion and further supported by immunohistochemical staining using CD63-EGFP probed vesicles. While vesicles accumulated mainly in liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract and lungs, differences related to EV cell origin were detected. EVs accumulated in the tumour tissue of tumour-bearing mice and, after introduction of the rabies virus glycoprotein-targeting moiety, they were found more readily in acetylcholine-receptor-rich organs. In addition, the route of administration and the dose of injected EVs influenced the biodistribution pattern. This is the first extensive biodistribution investigation of EVs comparing the impact of several different variables, the results of which have implications for the design and feasibility of therapeutic studies using EVs

Extracellular vesicle in vivo biodistribution is determined by cell source, route of administration and targeting

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important mediators of intercellular communication in a diverse range of biological processes. For future therapeutic applications and for EV biology research in general, understanding the in vivo fate of EVs is of utmost importance. Here we studied biodistribution of EVs in mice after systemic delivery. EVs were isolated from 3 different mouse cell sources, including dendritic cells (DCs) derived from bone marrow, and labelled with a near-infrared lipophilic dye. Xenotransplantation of EVs was further carried out for cross-species comparison. The reliability of the labelling technique was confirmed by sucrose gradient fractionation, organ perfusion and further supported by immunohistochemical staining using CD63-EGFP probed vesicles. While vesicles accumulated mainly in liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract and lungs, differences related to EV cell origin were detected. EVs accumulated in the tumour tissue of tumour-bearing mice and, after introduction of the rabies virus glycoprotein-targeting moiety, they were found more readily in acetylcholine-receptor-rich organs. In addition, the route of administration and the dose of injected EVs influenced the biodistribution pattern. This is the first extensive biodistribution investigation of EVs comparing the impact of several different variables, the results of which have implications for the design and feasibility of therapeutic studies using EVs