L’Etat et la profession universitaire en France et en Allemagne

Cet article repose sur une analyse des relations entre la profession universitaire et l'administration de tutelle en France et en Allemagne et de l'autonomie respective des disciplines et des gestionnaires de l'enseignement supérieur. En France, les relations sont fortes et fréquentes entre la tutelle parisienne et certains représentants de la profession universitaire qui influencent les décisions prises à travers de multiples mécanismes (consultations, expertises, groupes de réflexion,...) Dans les trois ministères de Land étudiés en Allemagne, en revanche, les relations avec la profession académique sont rares. Les ajustements entre les disciplines obéissent à des mécanismes plus locaux (sans régulation fédérale) qui contribuent à modifier leur poids relatif au sein de chaque Land. Cette comparaison nous permettra de conclure sur la nature des relations entre la profession universitaire et l'Etat dans les deux pays

Structural Basis for Dityrosine-Mediated Inhibition of α-Synuclein Fibrillization

[Image: see text] α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is an intrinsically disordered protein which self-assembles into highly organized β-sheet structures that accumulate in plaques in brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. Oxidative stress influences α-Syn structure and self-assembly; however, the basis for this remains unclear. Here we characterize the chemical and physical effects of mild oxidation on monomeric α-Syn and its aggregation. Using a combination of biophysical methods, small-angle X-ray scattering, and native ion mobility mass spectrometry, we find that oxidation leads to formation of intramolecular dityrosine cross-linkages and a compaction of the α-Syn monomer by a factor of √2. Oxidation-induced compaction is shown to inhibit ordered self-assembly and amyloid formation by steric hindrance, suggesting an important role of mild oxidation in preventing amyloid formation

Role of Fibronectin in the Adhesion of Acinetobacter baumannii to Host Cells

Adhesion to host cells is an initial and important step in Acinetobacter baumannii pathogenesis. However, there is relatively little information on the mechanisms by which A. baumannii binds to and interacts with host cells. Adherence to extracellular matrix proteins, such as fibronectin, affords pathogens with a mechanism to invade epithelial cells. Here, we found that A. baumannii adheres more avidly to immobilized fibronectin than to control protein. Free fibronectin used as a competitor resulted in dose-dependent decreased binding of A. baumannii to fibronectin. Three outer membrane preparations (OMPs) were identified as fibronectin binding proteins (FBPs): OMPA, TonB-dependent copper receptor, and 34 kDa OMP. Moreover, we demonstrated that fibronectin inhibition and neutralization by specific antibody prevented significantly the adhesion of A. baumannii to human lung epithelial cells (A549 cells). Similarly, A. baumannii OMPA neutralization by specific antibody decreased significantly the adhesion of A. baumannii to A549 cells. These data indicate that FBPs are key adhesins that mediate binding of A. baumannii to human lung epithelial cells through interaction with fibronectin on the surface of these host cells

Evaluation of implementing e-Procurement in the Swedish construction industry

Background Supply chain integration is a prevailing issue of current research and influences the competitive advantage of companies significantly. However, construction industries are argued to be the least integrated supply chains of all due to their complexity. e-Procurement is one way to improve integration in a supply chain and has currently been implemented by some actors in the Swedish construction industry. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate outcomes achieved and challenges encountered when implementing e-Procurement in the Swedish construction industry in order to generate contributions to literature considering the detected research gaps. Method This study has been carried out according to an abductive approach given its flexibility to simultaneously review existing theory when analyzing the empirical findings. However, outcomes achieved and challenges encountered when implementing e-Procurement in the construction industry, in particular in Sweden, lacks considerably in scientific literature. Thus, an exploratory and qualitative study has been conducted in order to assess the phenomenon in a new light and generate knowledge. The empirical findings have been collected in a single holistic case study of a supply chain in the Swedish construction industry which recently has implemented e-Procurement. The empirical data emanates from semi-structured face-to-face interviews which have been conducted with nine respondents from five different organizations operating in the Swedish construction industry. The data has been analyzed using summarizing, categorizing and pattern matching. Conclusions The Swedish construction industry, at least the investigated supply chain, was and still is rather underdeveloped when it comes to electronic purchasing processes. However, the results of this study show that quite many outcomes and challenges with regard to e-Procurement are similar to other industries. Overall, 15 outcomes and five challenges have been detected for this supply chain. The implementation of e-Procurement in the Swedish construction industry faces positive conditions to be successful and has the potential to change routine working methods

PROJECTILE MOTION IN REAL LIFE

Projectile motion is a fundamental concept in basic physics courses. The often used simplified calculations, where air resistance is neglected, are obviously not relevant for many real life events. Using a video camera and computer software, students can investigate the influence of air resistance on for instance the trajectory of a football. The video sequences are digitised and the x- and y-positions of the ball in every frame are registered together with the actual time. Comparisons are made with theoretical calculations performed using both an ordinary spreadsheet program and software specially designed for dynamic simulations

Students’ approaches to learning from other students’ oral presentations

A phenomenographic study has been performed in order to investigate students’ approaches to learning from other students’ oral presentations in the context of a compulsory seminar on nuclear accidents in the third year of the nuclear engineering programme at Uppsala University