Functional studies on transfected cell microarray analysed by linear regression modelling

Transfected cell microarray is a promising method for accelerating the functional exploration of the genome, giving information about protein function in the living cell. The microarrays consist of clusters of cells (spots) overexpressing or silencing a particular gene product. The subsequent analysis of the phenotypic consequences of such perturbations can then be detected using cell-based assays. The focus in the present study was to establish an experimental design and a robust analysis approach for fluorescence intensity data, and to address the use of replicates for studying regulation of gene expression with varying complexity and effect size. Our analysis pipeline includes measurement of fluorescence intensities, normalization strategies using negative control spots and internal control plasmids, and linear regression (ANOVA) modelling for estimating biological effects and calculating P-values for comparisons of interests. Our results show the potential of transfected cell microarrays in studying complex regulation of gene expression by enabling measurement of biological responses in cells with overexpression and downregulation of specific gene products, combined with the possibility of assaying the effects of external stimuli. Simulation experiments show that transfected cell microarrays can be used to reliably detect even quantitatively minor biological effects by including several technical and experimental replicates

Generic health literacy measurement instruments for children and adolescents:a systematic review of the literature

Background Health literacy is an important health promotion concern and recently children and adolescents have been the focus of increased academic attention. To assess the health literacy of this population, researchers have been focussing on developing instruments to measure their health literacy. Compared to the wider availability of instruments for adults, only a few tools are known for younger age groups. The objective of this study is to systematically review the field of generic child and adolescent health literacy measurement instruments that are currently available. Method A systematic literature search was undertaken in five databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycNET, ERIC, and FIS) on articles published between January 1990 and July 2015, addressing children and adolescents ?18 years old. Eligible articles were analysed, data was extracted, and synthesised according to review objectives. Results Fifteen generic health literacy measurement instruments for children and adolescents were identified. All, except two, are self-administered instruments. Seven are objective measures (performance-based tests), seven are subjective measures (self-reporting), and one uses a mixed-method measurement. Most instruments applied a broad and multidimensional understanding of health literacy. The instruments were developed in eight different countries, with most tools originating in the United States (n =?6). Among the instruments, 31 different components related to health literacy were identified. Accordingly, the studies exhibit a variety of implicit or explicit conceptual and operational definitions, and most instruments have been used in schools and other educational contexts. While the youngest age group studied was 7-year-old children within a parent-child study, there is only one instrument specifically designed for primary school children and none for early years. Conclusions Despite the reported paucity of health literacy research involving children and adolescents, an unexpected number of health literacy measurement studies in children?s populations was found. Most instruments tend to measure their own specific understanding of health literacy and not all provide sufficient conceptual information. To advance health literacy instruments, a much more standardised approach is necessary including improved reporting on the development and validation processes. Further research is required to improve health literacy instruments for children and adolescents and to provide knowledge to inform effective interventionspublishersversionPeer reviewe

Skandinavisk kobber : Lokale forhold og globale sammenhenger i det lange 1700-tallet

Kobber er et forhistorisk produkt som fortsatt produseres. Produksjonsmetodene og bruksområdene har blitt radikalt forandret mange ganger, og metallet stod sentralt i fremveksten av den moderne verdensøkonomien. I tidlig moderne tid var Skandinavia lenge den største produsenten av kobber i Europa, spesielt gjennom kobberanleggene i Falun i Sverige og på Røros i Norge. Likevel har metallet ofte blitt oversett. Denne boken forteller historien. Mengde kobber som ble produsert og solgt undersøkes, arbeidsforhold diskuteres, organiseringen av selskapene avklares, statens aktive rolle vektlegges, og kobberindustriens innflytelse på lokale forhold utforskes. Det vises at den skandinaviske kobberindustrien var en del av et stort europeisk kobbernettverk, som igjen var en del av et globalt produksjons- og handelssystem. Slik knyttes skandinavisk kobber tett til metallets internasjonale og globale historie: til europeisk industriutvikling, kolonialisme, slaveri og vold

Innovation Through Time

Proceedings of the the First Globelics Academy, Ph.D. School on National Systems of Innovation and Economic Development, Lisbon, Portugal 25 May - 4 June 2004.Most analysts of innovation emphasize the importance of a historical approach, with good reason. First, innovation is time consuming, based on conjectures about the future, and its outcomes typically are uncertain for long periods. Analysis of any innovation therefore requires an understanding of its history. Second, innovative capabilities are developed through complex, cumulative processes of learning. Finally, innovation processes are shaped by social contexts, as Lazonick has pointed out: “The social conditions affecting innovation change over time and vary across productive activities; hence theoretical analysis of the innovative enterprise must be integrated with historical study.” Historical patterns of innovation are characterized by complexity, reflecting the heterogeneous nature of economic activity, and diversity of processes of technology creation across sectors and countries. These characteristics make it problematic to construct overarching schemas of historical development. Nevertheless, some historians and analysts of innovation have developed taxonomies of epochs, often based on “critical technologies” that define whole periods of development. One form of this is the wave theory proposed by Schumpeter in Business Cycles, in which steam power drove the first industrial revolution, electricity the second industrial revolution, and so on. Other work that does not rely on wave theories also stresses the role of a small number of technologies in driving broader processes of economic growth. Although valuable, many of these frameworks overemphasize the importance of the allegedly critical technologies while slighting other areas of innovation and economic activity that are no less important. In what follows we challenge some of the historical discussions that stress the transformative effects of ‘critical innovations’. Instead, we emphasize the complex multisectoral character of innovation, and hence the need to take seriously the co-existence of a range of innovation modes, institutional processes, and organizational forms