The effect of externally attached archival data loggers on the short-term dispersal behaviour and migration speed of European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.)

Background Externally attached archival data logging tags are increasingly used to unravel migration routes of fish species at sea. Due to the relatively large size of the tags, their application on seaward migrating anguillid eels often forms a challenge in terms of feasibility and impact on the eel's swimming performance. In this study, we investigated the impact of externally attached pop-up data storage tags (PDSTs) on the departure direction, time spent at the release location and ground speed of European eels (Anguilla anguilla). Results We tagged 66 eels with internal acoustic transmitters of which half of the eels were additionally tagged with externally attached PDSTs. A network of acoustic receivers allowed us to analyse if the dispersal behaviour (i.e. residence time and departure direction) from the release site differed between eels tagged with and without the PDSTs. In addition, we tracked the eels for ca. 83 km in the marine environment and determined their migration speed. The results showed no differences between eels tagged with or without external PDSTs in respect of the external tagging effect on residence time (n = 60), departure direction at the release site (n = 60) or on the migration speed (n = 20). Conclusions We conclude that the impact of the PDSTs is minimal on these metrics for at least the first part of the marine migration. While these field-based findings suggest that anguillid eels may be largely unaffected by the applied PDSTs, we recognize that more research is needed in both the field and the laboratory to study the impact of PDSTs and externally attached tags in general on fish swimming performance and energy expenditure. This can help interpret the results from the field, but also aid developing more hydrodynamic tag shapes or improved attachment methods

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Does Implied- or Historical Volatility predict Realized Volatility? : An empirical study conducted to find evidence for which out of historical volatility or implied volatility better forecasts the future volatility.

This study tests if historical volatility- and implied volatility has significant predictive power over future realized volatility and if so which one of the two is the superior predictor. The study is conducted by using historical volatility of the OMXS30 and implied volatility from OMXS30 call options during the period 2012-2023. Three regressions have been made to test the research questions, two simple linear regression and one multiple linear regression. The results of the study showed that both historical- and implied volatility had significant predictive power over future realized volatility with implied being the superior one with a higher correlation coefficient. The multiple regression showed that both the independent variables were important and both of them explained different parts of the data, which means that they have complementary abilities and that both should be used when assessing the forecast of realized volatility.

Does Implied- or Historical Volatility predict Realized Volatility? : An empirical study conducted to find evidence for which out of historical volatility or implied volatility better forecasts the future volatility.

This study tests if historical volatility- and implied volatility has significant predictive power over future realized volatility and if so which one of the two is the superior predictor. The study is conducted by using historical volatility of the OMXS30 and implied volatility from OMXS30 call options during the period 2012-2023. Three regressions have been made to test the research questions, two simple linear regression and one multiple linear regression. The results of the study showed that both historical- and implied volatility had significant predictive power over future realized volatility with implied being the superior one with a higher correlation coefficient. The multiple regression showed that both the independent variables were important and both of them explained different parts of the data, which means that they have complementary abilities and that both should be used when assessing the forecast of realized volatility.

MFA for improved productivity of 3HB in recombinant E.coli

Computer modeling has gained increasin attention as a quick method to investigate the effect of genetic changes on the metabolic networks of well-known organisms. This study has focused on the use of genome scale metabolic modelin of Escherichia coli metabolism to find ways of improving 3-hydroxybutyric acid (3HB) productivity. Standard flyx balance and flux variability analysis has been uswed, as well as thermodynamics-based metabolix flux analysis. The models led to a number of suggestions on how to improve the production.  Knockouts in AF1000 pTrcT3Rx were constructed from these predictions and tested for the effect on 3HB yield. The knockouts did not improve the yield of product but they allowed some insight to the limiting factors of 3HB sythesis. Based on this information, further suggestions were made on how to improve 3HB production. To increase yield and productivity of 3HB, the growth rate of E. coli has to be limited. This can be done either through phosphorous or nitrogen limitation, or through an elevated pH. Since the production pathway is likely NADPH dependent, the glycolysis has to be steered towards the pentose phosphate pathway or the Entner-Doudoroff pathway for supply of the correct redox cofactor. This can be achieved by overexpression or knockouts of the correct genes. The use of lignocellulostic hydrolysates could potentially be a favorable substrate for an organism with modified glycolysis. In addition, such a substrate would open up possibilities for a cheaper and potentially greener process

Engineering short-chain carboxylic-acid metabolism in the model microorganism Escherichia coli

The ever-increasing concern about carbon dioxide emissions has created an urgent need to develop alternative methods to cheaply and renewably produce materials, chemicals and fuels. The biorefinery is uniquely suited to deliver these products from sustainable biomass. However, cheaply and efficiently converting the dispersed, heterogenous and recalcitrant biomass to useful products requires further technical development. To address some of these challenges, the aim of this thesis was to investigate methods to improve the economic viability of the microbial biorefinery by evaluating short chain carboxylic acids as substrates (volatile fatty acids) and products ((R)-3-hydroxybutyrate, 3HB). Initially, two renewable and cheap sources of carbon were investigated as substrates for E. coli. It was determined that E. coli is a suitable microorganism for valorization of volatile fatty acids derived from food waste. Also, it was shown that lignocellulosic sugars with a composition based on a hydrolysate of wheat straw can be converted to 3HB in E. coli with similar yields and productivities as from pure glucose. To improve the yield of the model product 3HB, and thereby the potential gross profit, substrate depletion was used as a strategy throughout the thesis to control bioprocesses. Specifically, nutrient depletion was shown to decouple growth from 3HB production in nitrogen and phosphorous depleted batches, increasing the yield of 3HB. To further improve 3HB production, metabolic engineering was used to improve the availability of NADPH. Additionally, the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) was investigated as a robust single-copy vector for metabolic engineering in E. coli. The expression of a large operon from the BAC was shown to be comparable to chromosomal expression. Then, the specific growth rate, productivity and yield of 3HB producing strains was increased by expression of the 3HB production pathway from the BAC instead of a multi-copy plasmid. Finally, the BAC was shown to be a useful tool for the optimization of enzyme expression levels in metabolic pathways. While directly beneficial for 3HB production, the methods and strategies employed in this thesis are broadly applicable to increase the economic viability of microbial biorefineries.Koldioxidutsläppens påverkan på klimatet utgör en av vår tids största utmaningar och det finns ett omedelbart behov av att utveckla kostnadseffektiva produktionsmetoder för framställning av förnyelsebara material, kemikalier och bränslen från biomassa. Här spelar bioraffinaderier en unikt viktig roll. Biomassan är dock geografiskt utspridd med heterogena egenskaper och svår att bryta ned. Det krävs tekniska framsteg för att utveckla en konkurrenskraftig produktion. Syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka metoder för att öka det mikrobiella bioraffinaderiets ekonomiska bärkraft, med fokus på korta karboxylsyror som substrat (volatila fettsyror) och produkter ((R)-3- hydroxybutyrate, 3HB). Initialt undersöktes två prismässigt konkurrenskraftiga och förnyelsebara kolkällor som substrat för E. coli. Det slogs fast att E. coli är lämpad för valorisering av volatila fettsyror framställda från matavfall. Dessutom bevisades det att lignocellulosabaserade sockerarter, med en sammansättning motsvarande ett vetestråhydrolysat, kan konverteras till 3HB i E. coli med utbyte och produktivitet motsvarande de från ren glukos. För att öka utbytet av modellprodukten 3HB, och den potentiella bruttovinsten, användes substratbegränsning för att styra bioprocesser genomgående i avhandlingen. Det kunde uttryckligen påvisas att det var det möjligt att koppla loss 3HB-produktion från tillväxt i kväve- och fosforbegränsade batch-odlingar, och därmed öka 3HB-utbytet. För att ytterligare öka 3HB-produktionen användes metabolic engineering för att öka tillgången på NADPH. Dessutom undersöktes den bakteriella artificiella kromosomen (BAC) för användning i metabolic engineering av E. coli, då det är en robust vektor som replikerar med kopietal 1–2. Genom att överföra ett stort operon från kromosomen till BAC gick det att bevisa att genuttrycket motsvarar kromosomalt integrerade gener. Därefter visades det att den specifika tillväxthastigheten, produktiviteten och utbytet av en 3HB-producerande stam kunde ökas genom uttryck av 3HB-gener från BAC istället för en plasmid med medelhögt kopietal. Slutligen kunde det fastställas att BAC är ett användbart verktyg för att optimera nivåer av enzymuttryck i metabola reaktionsvägar. Metoderna och strategierna som användes i avhandlingen bidrog till förbättrad 3HB produktion, men de kan också tillämpas i ett bredare sammanhang och därmed öka möjligheten för mikrobiella bioraffinaderier att förbättra den ekonomiska bärkraften.QC 2020-05-07</p

Engineering short-chain carboxylic-acid metabolism in the model microorganism Escherichia coli

The ever-increasing concern about carbon dioxide emissions has created an urgent need to develop alternative methods to cheaply and renewably produce materials, chemicals and fuels. The biorefinery is uniquely suited to deliver these products from sustainable biomass. However, cheaply and efficiently converting the dispersed, heterogenous and recalcitrant biomass to useful products requires further technical development. To address some of these challenges, the aim of this thesis was to investigate methods to improve the economic viability of the microbial biorefinery by evaluating short chain carboxylic acids as substrates (volatile fatty acids) and products ((R)-3-hydroxybutyrate, 3HB). Initially, two renewable and cheap sources of carbon were investigated as substrates for E. coli. It was determined that E. coli is a suitable microorganism for valorization of volatile fatty acids derived from food waste. Also, it was shown that lignocellulosic sugars with a composition based on a hydrolysate of wheat straw can be converted to 3HB in E. coli with similar yields and productivities as from pure glucose. To improve the yield of the model product 3HB, and thereby the potential gross profit, substrate depletion was used as a strategy throughout the thesis to control bioprocesses. Specifically, nutrient depletion was shown to decouple growth from 3HB production in nitrogen and phosphorous depleted batches, increasing the yield of 3HB. To further improve 3HB production, metabolic engineering was used to improve the availability of NADPH. Additionally, the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) was investigated as a robust single-copy vector for metabolic engineering in E. coli. The expression of a large operon from the BAC was shown to be comparable to chromosomal expression. Then, the specific growth rate, productivity and yield of 3HB producing strains was increased by expression of the 3HB production pathway from the BAC instead of a multi-copy plasmid. Finally, the BAC was shown to be a useful tool for the optimization of enzyme expression levels in metabolic pathways. While directly beneficial for 3HB production, the methods and strategies employed in this thesis are broadly applicable to increase the economic viability of microbial biorefineries.Koldioxidutsläppens påverkan på klimatet utgör en av vår tids största utmaningar och det finns ett omedelbart behov av att utveckla kostnadseffektiva produktionsmetoder för framställning av förnyelsebara material, kemikalier och bränslen från biomassa. Här spelar bioraffinaderier en unikt viktig roll. Biomassan är dock geografiskt utspridd med heterogena egenskaper och svår att bryta ned. Det krävs tekniska framsteg för att utveckla en konkurrenskraftig produktion. Syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka metoder för att öka det mikrobiella bioraffinaderiets ekonomiska bärkraft, med fokus på korta karboxylsyror som substrat (volatila fettsyror) och produkter ((R)-3- hydroxybutyrate, 3HB). Initialt undersöktes två prismässigt konkurrenskraftiga och förnyelsebara kolkällor som substrat för E. coli. Det slogs fast att E. coli är lämpad för valorisering av volatila fettsyror framställda från matavfall. Dessutom bevisades det att lignocellulosabaserade sockerarter, med en sammansättning motsvarande ett vetestråhydrolysat, kan konverteras till 3HB i E. coli med utbyte och produktivitet motsvarande de från ren glukos. För att öka utbytet av modellprodukten 3HB, och den potentiella bruttovinsten, användes substratbegränsning för att styra bioprocesser genomgående i avhandlingen. Det kunde uttryckligen påvisas att det var det möjligt att koppla loss 3HB-produktion från tillväxt i kväve- och fosforbegränsade batch-odlingar, och därmed öka 3HB-utbytet. För att ytterligare öka 3HB-produktionen användes metabolic engineering för att öka tillgången på NADPH. Dessutom undersöktes den bakteriella artificiella kromosomen (BAC) för användning i metabolic engineering av E. coli, då det är en robust vektor som replikerar med kopietal 1–2. Genom att överföra ett stort operon från kromosomen till BAC gick det att bevisa att genuttrycket motsvarar kromosomalt integrerade gener. Därefter visades det att den specifika tillväxthastigheten, produktiviteten och utbytet av en 3HB-producerande stam kunde ökas genom uttryck av 3HB-gener från BAC istället för en plasmid med medelhögt kopietal. Slutligen kunde det fastställas att BAC är ett användbart verktyg för att optimera nivåer av enzymuttryck i metabola reaktionsvägar. Metoderna och strategierna som användes i avhandlingen bidrog till förbättrad 3HB produktion, men de kan också tillämpas i ett bredare sammanhang och därmed öka möjligheten för mikrobiella bioraffinaderier att förbättra den ekonomiska bärkraften.QC 2020-05-07</p

Engineering short-chain carboxylic-acid metabolism in the model microorganism Escherichia coli

The ever-increasing concern about carbon dioxide emissions has created an urgent need to develop alternative methods to cheaply and renewably produce materials, chemicals and fuels. The biorefinery is uniquely suited to deliver these products from sustainable biomass. However, cheaply and efficiently converting the dispersed, heterogenous and recalcitrant biomass to useful products requires further technical development. To address some of these challenges, the aim of this thesis was to investigate methods to improve the economic viability of the microbial biorefinery by evaluating short chain carboxylic acids as substrates (volatile fatty acids) and products ((R)-3-hydroxybutyrate, 3HB). Initially, two renewable and cheap sources of carbon were investigated as substrates for E. coli. It was determined that E. coli is a suitable microorganism for valorization of volatile fatty acids derived from food waste. Also, it was shown that lignocellulosic sugars with a composition based on a hydrolysate of wheat straw can be converted to 3HB in E. coli with similar yields and productivities as from pure glucose. To improve the yield of the model product 3HB, and thereby the potential gross profit, substrate depletion was used as a strategy throughout the thesis to control bioprocesses. Specifically, nutrient depletion was shown to decouple growth from 3HB production in nitrogen and phosphorous depleted batches, increasing the yield of 3HB. To further improve 3HB production, metabolic engineering was used to improve the availability of NADPH. Additionally, the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) was investigated as a robust single-copy vector for metabolic engineering in E. coli. The expression of a large operon from the BAC was shown to be comparable to chromosomal expression. Then, the specific growth rate, productivity and yield of 3HB producing strains was increased by expression of the 3HB production pathway from the BAC instead of a multi-copy plasmid. Finally, the BAC was shown to be a useful tool for the optimization of enzyme expression levels in metabolic pathways. While directly beneficial for 3HB production, the methods and strategies employed in this thesis are broadly applicable to increase the economic viability of microbial biorefineries.Koldioxidutsläppens påverkan på klimatet utgör en av vår tids största utmaningar och det finns ett omedelbart behov av att utveckla kostnadseffektiva produktionsmetoder för framställning av förnyelsebara material, kemikalier och bränslen från biomassa. Här spelar bioraffinaderier en unikt viktig roll. Biomassan är dock geografiskt utspridd med heterogena egenskaper och svår att bryta ned. Det krävs tekniska framsteg för att utveckla en konkurrenskraftig produktion. Syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka metoder för att öka det mikrobiella bioraffinaderiets ekonomiska bärkraft, med fokus på korta karboxylsyror som substrat (volatila fettsyror) och produkter ((R)-3- hydroxybutyrate, 3HB). Initialt undersöktes två prismässigt konkurrenskraftiga och förnyelsebara kolkällor som substrat för E. coli. Det slogs fast att E. coli är lämpad för valorisering av volatila fettsyror framställda från matavfall. Dessutom bevisades det att lignocellulosabaserade sockerarter, med en sammansättning motsvarande ett vetestråhydrolysat, kan konverteras till 3HB i E. coli med utbyte och produktivitet motsvarande de från ren glukos. För att öka utbytet av modellprodukten 3HB, och den potentiella bruttovinsten, användes substratbegränsning för att styra bioprocesser genomgående i avhandlingen. Det kunde uttryckligen påvisas att det var det möjligt att koppla loss 3HB-produktion från tillväxt i kväve- och fosforbegränsade batch-odlingar, och därmed öka 3HB-utbytet. För att ytterligare öka 3HB-produktionen användes metabolic engineering för att öka tillgången på NADPH. Dessutom undersöktes den bakteriella artificiella kromosomen (BAC) för användning i metabolic engineering av E. coli, då det är en robust vektor som replikerar med kopietal 1–2. Genom att överföra ett stort operon från kromosomen till BAC gick det att bevisa att genuttrycket motsvarar kromosomalt integrerade gener. Därefter visades det att den specifika tillväxthastigheten, produktiviteten och utbytet av en 3HB-producerande stam kunde ökas genom uttryck av 3HB-gener från BAC istället för en plasmid med medelhögt kopietal. Slutligen kunde det fastställas att BAC är ett användbart verktyg för att optimera nivåer av enzymuttryck i metabola reaktionsvägar. Metoderna och strategierna som användes i avhandlingen bidrog till förbättrad 3HB produktion, men de kan också tillämpas i ett bredare sammanhang och därmed öka möjligheten för mikrobiella bioraffinaderier att förbättra den ekonomiska bärkraften.QC 2020-05-07</p