How well do capability assessments reflect actual capability? – An experimental study of capability assessments with multi-actor dependencies

In order to cater for the increasingly complex society several countries have adopted a capabilities-based planning approach, including capability assessments, as part of their preparedness for disasters. Since the number of actors who are dependent on each other is increasing, capability assessments are made based on assumptions of other actors’ capabilities. It is therefore crucial to understand how multi-actor dependencies affect capability assessments. This experimental study aims at investigating how well capability assessments correspond to actual capability, taking multi-actor dependencies into account. A total of 48 participants, randomly assigned into 24 pairs, assessed their individual capability and capability as a group to accomplish a given task. The results show that the participants in general underestimated their capability, both individually and in groups

Cardiac expression of the microsomal triglyceride transport protein protects the heart function during ischemia

Aims: The microsomal triglyceride transport protein (MTTP) is critical for assembly and secretion of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins and is most abundant in the liver and intestine. Surprisingly, MTTP is also expressed in the heart. Here we tested the functional relevance of cardiac MTTP expression. Materials and methods: We combined clinical studies, advanced expression analysis of human heart biopsies and analyses in genetically modified mice lacking cardiac expression of the MTTP-A isoform of MTTP. Results: Our results indicate that lower cardiac MTTP expression in humans is associated with structural and perfusion abnormalities in patients with ischemic heart disease. MTTP-A deficiency in mice heart does not affect total MTTP expression, activity or lipid concentration in the heart. Despite this, MTTP-A deficient mice displayed impaired cardiac function after a myocardial infarction. Expression analysis of MTTP indicates that MTTP expression is linked to cardiac function and responses in the heart. Conclusions: Our results indicate that MTTP may play an important role for the heart function in conjunction to ischemic events

Glucosylceramide synthase deficiency in the heart compromises β1-adrenergic receptor trafficking

Aims: Cardiac injury and remodelling are associated with the rearrangement of cardiac lipids. Glycosphingolipids are membrane lipids that are important for cellular structure and function, and cardiac dysfunction is a characteristic of rare monogenic diseases with defects in glycosphingolipid synthesis and turnover. However, it is not known how cardiac glycosphingolipids regulate cellular processes in the heart. The aim of this study is to determine the role of cardiac glycosphingolipids in heart function.Methods and results: Using human myocardial biopsies, we showed that the glycosphingolipids glucosylceramide and lactosylceramide are present at very low levels in non-ischaemic human heart with normal function and are elevated during remodelling. Similar results were observed in mouse models of cardiac remodelling. We also generated mice with cardiomyocyte-specific deficiency in Ugcg, the gene encoding glucosylceramide synthase (hUgcg-/- mice). In 9- to 10-week-old hUgcg-/- mice, contractile capacity in response to dobutamine stress was reduced. Older hUgcg-/- mice developed severe heart failure and left ventricular dilatation even under baseline conditions and died prematurely. Using RNA-seq and cell culture models, we showed defective endolysosomal retrograde trafficking and autophagy in Ugcg-deficient cardiomyocytes. We also showed that responsiveness to β-adrenergic stimulation was reduced in cardiomyocytes from hUgcg-/- mice and that Ugcg knockdown suppressed the internalization and trafficking of β1-adrenergic receptors.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cardiac glycosphingolipids are required to maintain β-adrenergic signalling and contractile capacity in cardiomyocytes and to preserve normal heart function.</p

Podcasts, hot or not? : - A research regarding listener’s attitudes towards sponsorship within podcasts

Bakgrund: Podcasten är ett färskt tillskott till nuvarande marknadsföringsmedier och har påkort tid visat stor potential inom marknadsföringskommunikation. Den lågaproduktionskostnaden och enkelheten attraherar annonsörer som vill skapa riktad reklam tillsina kunder. De flesta marknadsförare är överens om att det bästa sättet att göra reklam i enpodcast är genom sponsring. Hur konsumenter uppfattar denna typ av reklam är dock oklartdå tidigare studier har adresserat mer traditionella medium. Syfte: Vi vill skapa en förståelse för hur konsumenter uppfattar sponsormeddelanden i enpodcast samt vilket presentationssätt de tycker är bäst. Genomförande: För att uppnå syftet med studien har en kvalitativ undersökning genomförts.Vi har valt att intervjua åtta personer i åldrarna 21-29 år som finns i våra bekantkretsar. Dehar alla lyssnat på en podcast vid mer än ett tillfälle och några är regelbundna lyssnare. Resultat: Vår undersökning visar blandade känslor angående attityd till reklam i podcasts. De två viktigaste komponenterna har visats vara sättet sponsormeddelandet presenteras påoch lyssnarens relation till talaren. Respondenterna är överens om att den typ av sponsringsom inte uppfattas som reklam och skiljer sig mest från traditionell reklam är bäst. De menarockså att deras intresse för talaren har stor påverkan på hur trovärdig och intressant reklamenär. Majoriteten av våra respondenter påpekar att de ogillar reklam, men att reklamen i podcastär att föredra framför reklam i andra medium. En intressant upptäckt med undersökningen äratt sponsormeddelanden som anses vara störande fastnar bäst på minnet.Background: The podcast is a recent addition to existing marketing mediums and has showngreat potential in the area of marketing communications. Its low production cost andsimplicity attracts advertisers who wish to create targeted advertising for their customers.Most marketers agree that sponsoring is the best way to distribute advertising trough apodcast. How consumers perceive this kind of advertising is not well-known since formerstudies have focused more traditional mediums. Purpose: We wish to create an understanding of customer perception concerning advertisingin podcasts and what they believe is the best way to present a sponsor message. Implementation: To fulfil our purpose we have chosen to use a qualitative approach. We have decided to interview eight people aged 21-29 from our known circuits. They have alllisten to a podcast more than once and some are regular listeners. Result: Our survey shows mixed feelings concerning the attitude towards advertising inpodcasts. The two most important components have shown to be the way the message ispresented and the listeners´ relation to the speaker. The respondents agree that the kind ofsponsoring they prefer is the one they don’t perceive as advertising and differs most fromtraditional advertising. They also mean that their interest for the speaker has great effect onthe levels of credibility and interest of the advert. The majority of our respondents say theydon’t like advertising, but that the advertising in podcasts is preferable compared toadvertising in other mediums. An interesting discovery with our survey is the fact thatsponsor messages that are perceived as annoying are most memorabl

Vem ska göra gruppindelningen och hur?

Grupparbeten utmålas som pedagogiskt fördelaktiga och av Högskoleförordningen följer, att sådana är ett viktigt inslag i civilingenjörsutbildningen. Artikeln presenterar fallgropar och svårigheter som kan aktualiseras liksom ett antal faktorer som är väsentliga vid gruppsammansättning och examination för att optimera det aktiva lärande som ett grupparbete kan bidra till

Individuals with occupational allergy to detergent enzymes display a differential transcriptional regulation and cellular immune response

Background In spite of significant safety measures, allergy to industrial enzymes remains a major concern. The increasing prevalence of occupational allergy emphasizes the need to investigate the functional properties of enzyme-exposed dendritic cells (DCs), as DCs possess a potent ability to activate allergen-specific T cells. Objective This study aims at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying allergic immune responses to lipase, an industrial enzyme. For this purpose, we studied the effect of both hypoallergenic and wild-type lipase on the transcriptional regulation in DCs and their stimulatory effect on memory CD4(+) T cells. Methods Five individuals with documented lipase allergy were tested for specific serum IgE. DCs from these individuals, stimulated with lipases, were assayed for their ability to affect proliferation and polarization of memory T cells. The effect of lipases on transcriptional activity in DCs was evaluated using global expression analysis. Results Lipase-specific IgE levels varied considerably between donors, with donor 4 exhibiting highest levels, and a potent specific CD4(+) T cell recall response was demonstrated only for donor 4. No difference was detected in cytokine profile when T cells from donor 4 were co-cultured with DCs pulsed with either hypoallergenic or wild-type lipase, as demonstrated by high IL-4 and IL-13, and low IFN-gamma production. However, the lipases induced different genetic signatures in DCs from donor 4, as compared with the non-responders. Conclusions DCs from individuals with clinically diagnosed allergy to lipase displayed a differential response to stimulation with hypoallergenic and wild-type lipase in vitro. Only allergen-pulsed DCs from donor 4 were able to induce CD4(+) T cell proliferation. The lipase-specific T cells displayed a T-helper type 2 phenotype, which was not altered by hypoallergenic lipase-pulsed DCs. Furthermore, DCs derived from donor 4 and stimulated with either of the lipases displayed different transcriptional profiles, as compared with the other donors. These signatures represent genes of potential importance for an immunoregulatory role of DC in an ongoing allergic response