Aggregation of gluten proteins - from wheat seed biology to hydrogels : scientific modelling based primarily on Monte-Carlo and HPLC methods

Gluten proteins are intrinsically disordered proteins that form extensive aggregated networks in wheat seeds, where they are stored as a nutrient source for the embryo. A modelling approach involving computational biology with Monte-Carlo algorithms and wet laboratory studies, including HPLC analysis, was applied to unravel the aggregational and hydrogelforming properties of the gluten proteins. Two of the gluten proteins, “αgliadin” and “low molecular weight glutenin subunits” (LMW-GS) were found to have similar size, folding of disordered, rigid and compact structures, elliptical shape and secondary structures of random coils and turns. Both proteins also share an evolutionarily conserved motif resulting in internal disulphide bonds, which were shown to be established through hydrophobic interactions, together with the inherent order of cysteines. In laboratory conditions and simulations, it was found that gliadins formed oligomers by hydrophobic interactions and cross-links by disulphide and lanthionine bonds at peptide sections in the C-terminal part of the protein. At the N-terminal part, the protein formed oligomers by liquid-liquid phase separation, polyproline II structures and β-sheets. Heat and alkaline treatment was shown to favour cross-linking by lanthionine, lysinoalanine and disulphide bonds among gliadins and increase their ability to absorb liquid. Thus the modelling approach successfully characterised the gluten proteins α-gliadin and LMW-GS, the mechanisms by which they form internal and external cross-links, how they merge into oligomers and how to increase their liquid absorption

Engaging in Informal Leadership: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies

Informal Leadership (IL) can be a heavy lift, with varied challenges. Yet in certain organizations, IL may be the only way to gain specific skills, acquire necessary experience, and build crucial relationships. So how do you determine whether this (often undercompensated) labor is right for you? And if it is, how do you identify IL opportunities and develop strategies that can help prepare you for the challenge? In this interactive workshop, participants will learn from each other and discuss their experiences with, or nascent interest in, informal leadership. The presenters will provide definitions of IL, taken from the literature of various disciplines, and talk about how IL has affected, and driven, their respective career trajectories. They will also discuss the challenges of \u27leading from amon\u27 and \u27leading from below,\u27 and the importance of understanding organizational culture prior to taking on an IL role. During a knowledge-share exercise, individuals with varying levels of IL experience will work together in groups to develop questions and provide stories of successes and failures based on specific prompts related to IL opportunities, how to do IL, managing relationships, and difficult lessons learned. They will also work together to identify particular skills and strategies that are important to the success of IL, as well as ideas and strategies on how to avoid potential burnout. Finally, a larger discussion will tackle individual and organizational benefits, challenges, and where to find support. Participants will begin to develop their own proposals of how best to undertake or facilitate IL and how to inspire professional engagement in their own institutions and among their peers

Getting Your Bearings: Understanding Organizational Culture

What do you know about your institution’s organizational culture? How do individuals, collaborative partners, and teams get work done? How are decisions really made? How is change introduced and implemented? How do you know when to go with the flow and when and how to resist or stand your ground? Every workplace is different, but awareness of some common challenges, a set of questions to help librarians interpret what they observe around them and profiles of organizational dynamics in action will support those working to cultivate a professional practice in often complex library environments

Factors influencing the willingness to pay for insurance in Norway : An empirical study of the willingness to pay for small insurance contracts

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the choice of deductible, degree of risk aversion and the level of income influence the willingness to pay for small insurance contracts in Norway. We use data from a survey where individuals were asked to answer on a lifetime income lottery, as well as to answer on how much they were willing to pay for an insurance contract on a mobile phone. An interval regression for panel data is used to handle the survey data. Our results suggest that the willingness to pay for small insurance contracts decreases with both a higher income and a higher deductible. However, we can not draw a reliable conclusion about risk aversion based on our results.nhhma

Plant defensive mechanisms against insect pests

This study has focused on testing the following two hypotheses: • Pest resistant plants have higher levels and/or several different kinds of secondary metabolites. • Induced defensive systems in resistant plants are activated more rapidly than those of susceptible plants. As a background for the test of the hypotheses a short literature study was performed concerning plant defensive mechanisms in Arabidopsis thaliana. This survey describes basic defenses like trichomes, constitutive defenses like the glucosinolate-myrosinase system, which can create toxins, and inducible defenses like the JA-, ET- and SA- defenses, which result in different chemical responses. Feeding experiments with the plant A. thaliana, the generalist insect pest Spodoptera littoralis and the specialist insect pest Plutella xylostella have been conducted. The results showed that the Spodoptera generalist is greatly affected by the plant`s defensive system, while the Plutella insect is not. A qPCR analysis of LOX 2 gene expression was conducted to examine the defensive strategy of plants against attacks by Plutella, which showed that all plants except one activated their inducible defenses. A feeding experiment with primed (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) Arabidopsis plants and Spodoptera larvae was conducted and showed that primed plants, which trigger their defenses faster, not necessarily counteract pests better than non-primed plants.Denna studie har fokuserat på att testa två hypoteser: • Insektsresistenta växter har högre halter och/eller har flera olika sorters sekundära metaboliter. • Inducerbara försvar aktiveras snabbare i resistenta växter än i mottagliga växter. Som bakgrund till hypotesprövningen gjordes en mindre litteraturstudie om försvarsmekanismer i växten Arabidopsis thaliana, vilken beskriver grundläggande försvar som trikomer, konstitutivt försvar som glukosinolat-myrosinassystemet som kan bilda gifter och inducerbara försvar som JA-, ET- och SA- systemen som kan stimulera flera olika typer av kemiska reaktioner. Flera matningsförsök har gjorts med växten A. thaliana, generalistinsekten Spodoptera littoralis och specialistinsekten Plutella xylostella. Resultaten visade att Spodoptera påverkades starkt av växtens försvarssystem medan Plutella inte gjorde det. För att undersöka närmare hur plantorna försvarade sig mot angrepp av Plutella genomfördes en qPCR- analys för att analysera LOX 2-genens uttryck, vilket visade att alla plantor, utom en, aktiverade sina inducerbara försvar. Ett matningsförsök utfördes med primade (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) Arabidopsis plantor och Spodoptera larver, vilket visade att primade plantor (som aktiverar sitt inducerbara försvar snabbare) inte nödvändigtvis försvarar sig bättre än icke primade plantor

Deoxynivalenol prediction in oats

In recent years there have been problems with unacceptable high levels of the mycotoxin contam-inant Deoxynivalenol (DON) in oats in Sweden and Norway. This is due to infections of the fun-gal pathogens Fusamium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum. The question which this thesis attempts to answer is: “Is it possible to predict these elevated levels of DON?” in order to time and conduct suitable countermeasures. A prediction model was created to answer this question. The model calculates a DON contamination risk index based on the likelihood of present germi-nated spores, plants susceptible for infection, infection event and production of DON. The model needs hour based weather data input for relative humidity and global radiation. Also, the model uses a leaf wetness model and a temperature driven phenology model to predict input data for leaf wetness, leaf surface temperature and plant growth stages. The model indices were compared towards DON measurements in oats in Norway and a regression analysis was conducted. The model did in a few cases show a strong correlation towards the measurements, but in most cases there was no correlation or a negative correlation. Therefore, it is considered that the model is not capable to predict DON contamination. Alternative model applications were conducted to predict DON in oats. Among the alternative applications, the prediction model ENV also known as GIBSIM for Fusarium graminearum infections in Brazil was included. However, only two in-stances with the ENV applications of all the alternative model applications showed strong posi-tive correlation. Once again the models used failed to predict DON contamination. There is a risk that the models generated incorrect predictions due to calculation errors since no sensitivity anal-ysis was conducted. The models might be capable to predict DON in oats if the study better com-pensates for environmental variance and if the models take into account factors like recovery and spore density

Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations

Gluten protein crosslinking is a predetermined process where specific intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds differ depending on the protein and cysteine motif. In this article, all-atom Monte Carlo simulations were used to understand the formation of disulfide bonds in gliadins and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). The two intrinsically disordered proteins appeared to contain mostly turns and loops and showed "self-avoiding walk" behavior in water. Cysteine residues involved in intramolecular disulfide bonds were located next to hydrophobic peptide sections in the primary sequence. Hydrophobicity of neighboring peptide sections, synthesis chronology, and amino acid chain flexibility were identified as important factors in securing the specificity of intramolecular disulfide bonds formed directly after synthesis. The two LMW-GS cysteine residues that form intermolecular disulfide bonds were positioned next to peptide sections of lower hydrophobicity, and these cysteine residues are more exposed to the cytosolic conditions, which influence the crosslinking behavior. In addition, coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the protein folding is independent of ionic strength. The potential molecular behavior associated with disulfide bonds, as reported here, increases the biological understanding of seed storage protein function and provides opportunities to tailor their functional properties for different applications

Sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda individer med emotionellt instabil personlighetsstörning

Inom vården förekommer det negativa attityder mot individer med psykiatriska diagnoser. Särskilt utsatta är individer med emotionellt instabil personlighetsstörning (EIPS). Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att med en integrerad analys granska tidigare genomförda studier angående sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda individer med emotionellt instabil personlighetsstörning. Resultatet visar att det ofta förekommer negativa attityder, uppfattningar och känslor från sjuksköterskor i deras vårdande av individer med EIPS. Många sjuksköterskor har i studierna ansett att individer med EIPS är en svår grupp att vårda. Det framkommer att utbildning angående diagnosen EIPS förebygger de negativa aspekterna hos sjuksköterskorna och att sjuksköterskorna är positivt inställda till utbildning. Vidare läggs det fram trots att sjuksköterskor har negativa attityder i att vårda individer med EIPS så har många sjuksköterskor hopp och vilja att kunna ge bra vård till individer med EIPS

Gathering and Lending Support: Relationships

What roles can professional relationships play across a career? How do overlapping and networked relationships help an individual develop professionally, succeed, get ahead, and provide satisfaction and meaning? And what can a librarian do to foster these connections in their own practice? In this chapter, we consider the why, what, who, and how of networking and relationships