20 research outputs found
Discovering and Inducing Rules to Categorize Sales Personnel
In sales, it is presumed that the behavior of sales personnel differs depending on what part of sales they are in. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies about conducting a segmentation of sales personnel based on behavioral data from Salesforce, the worldâs largest Customer Relationship Management platform. Previous research describes how to segment different customers based on their behavioral data, but no one has yet attempted to segment sales personnel. In this thesis, we extracted Salesforce behavioral data about sales staff and clustered them into previously unknown segments. Using a mixture of supervised and unsupervised learning we created six profiles that describe how different sales personnel work in Salesforce. Our findings helped the company Brisk to improve their knowledge about sales personnel.Inom sĂ€lj antas sĂ€ljare uppvisa olika beteenden beroende pĂ„ vilken roll de har. Det visar sig dock att de flesta arbetar pĂ„ ett mer enhetligt sĂ€tt Ă€n vad man kan tro
TrÀhÀgn en tÀnkbar metod för viltskydd i Svenskt skogsbruk?
This survey was made to investigate the possibility of using an alternative method of fencing in
Swedish forestry. The most common way of fencing in Sweden today is made by a two meter high
metal net that is attached to turned impregnated poles. The fencing methods that have been
investigated is a fencing system made completely out of wood so called âGerman wood fenceâ.
Browsing of game in forest regeneration areas is often a big problem and some kind of protection of
the plants is often necessary. There is several ways of building fences and the most common way is
to use metal nets and impregnated poles, this leads to a problem when the fence has profiled its
purpose. The net and the poles has to be removed out of the forest which is expensive and donât give
the landowner any income.
In the spring of 2007 we were in Germany on an internship, there we came in contact with âGerman
wood fencingâ. During our visit we also had the opportunity to build one fence with this method. This
became the starting point of this thesis that has been written in the spring of 2010.
In our work with this thesis we also made a fieldtrip back to Germany and the Forstliches Bildungs
Zentrum in MĂŒnchehof. During our trip we did inventory in Forstamt Sessen and Forstamt Saupark
on this wood fencing system, we also revisited to the fence we built in 2007.
We did interviews and had discussions with forest managers, forest workers and others with
expertise. The districts that we visited in Germany have almost stopped fencing with metal net
because the cost to bring the fence down is considered too expensive. They use instead this wood
fencing system.
We have studied the conditions for fencing in Sweden and the literature on the subject. Contacts
have been taken with fencing entrepreneurs to learn what problem they have in their work and what
their cost are. To build steal net fences is expensive and if the ground has to be flattened before the
fence can be built the cost will increase. Manny of the entrepreneurs that we have been in contact
with have built allot of fences and expect a problem in the future that weary few are taken down.
Wood fences have benefits but further investigation is needed to see if the system is adjustable to
Swedish conditions and demands. The biggest benefit is that the landowner donât have to remove
the fence when it have fulfilled its purpose, since the hole construction is built out of wood it will
decay with time.
One problem for alternative fencing systems are the Swedish National board off forestryâs criteria on
how a fence should be constructed so the land owner can apply for subsidies of building the fence.
Today can forest owner not expect to get any financial support from the National Board of Forestry
for protecting their regeneration if they use wood fence. The criteriaâs can be change if it is shown
with studies that the system works.Syftet med detta examensarbete Àr att undersöka möjligheterna att anvÀnda en alternativ metod av
hÀgning i svenskt skogsbruk. I Sverige byggs i princip bara hÀgn av metallnÀt. Vi ska med detta
examensarbete undersöka möjligheterna att hÀgna med sÄ kallade Tyska trÀhÀgn.
Skador av klövvilt i ungskog Àr ofta ett stort problem för skogsbruket och nÄgon form av hÀgn Àr ofta
en nödvÀndighet för att skydda föryngringen. Det finns flera metoder att hÀgna pÄ varav det
vanligaste i Sverige Àr med konventionellt stÄlstÀngsel och tryckimpregnerade stolpar. Problemet
med denna metod Àr att markÀgaren har krav pÄ sig att montera ner hÀgnet nÀr det fyllt sitt syfte.
HÀgnet ska inte lÀmnas kvar som sopor i naturen eller blir dödsfÀllor för det vilda.
Arbetet med examensarbetet infattade en studieresa till Tyskland dÀr vi besökte Forstliches Bildungs
Zentrum i MĂŒnchehof. DĂ€r inventerade vi trĂ€hĂ€gn i Forsamt Sessen och Forstamt Saupark. Vi utförde
en Äterinventering av det hÀgn som vi byggde vÄren 2007 samt vi samlade in data frÄn andra trÀhÀgn
med olika Älder ute i fÀlt. Vi hade diskussioner med olika skogsförvaltare pÄ distrikten och sakkunniga
pÄ omrÄdet. I de distrikt som besöktes i Tyskland har man i stort sett slutat att hÀgna med
konventionellt stÄlstÀngsel. Detta motiveras med att nedmontering av dessa hÀgn blir för
kostsamma.
Vi har Àven studerat rÄdande förutsÀttningarna för hur hÀgning gÄr till i Sverige och studerat den
litteratur som finns pÄ omrÄdet. Kontakt har tagits med stÀngselentreprenörer för att se vilka
problem man har och hur kostnaderna ser ut i Sverige. Att hÀgna Àr dyrt och arbetskrÀvande,
kostnaden med totalentreprenad Àr runt 80kr/m. Med detta förutsÀtter att inga förberedande
markarbeten behövs. Nedmontering av nÀthÀgn ser flera entreprenörer som ett vÀxande problem,
mycket hÀgn har byggts men vÀldigt lite har plockats ner.
TrÀhÀgn har sina fördelar men det bör vidare undersökas om det gÄr att anpassa metoden för
Svenskt skogsbruk och hur bra trÀkonstruktionen klarar vÄra krav och förhÄllanden. TrÀhÀgn har sin
största styrka i att det Àr byggt i obehandlat virke och dÀrför inte behöver monteras ned och forslas
ut ur skogen. Utan man lÀmnar hÀgnet nÀr det fyllt sitt syfte och lÄter det förmultna.
Ett problem för alternativa hÀgningsmetoder, sÄ som tyska trÀhÀgn Àr skogsstyrelsens kriterier pÄ hur
ett hÀgn ska vara utformat för att markÀgaren ska kunna erhÄlla bidrag. I dag betalas det inte ut
nÄgra bidrag för trÀhÀgn eftersom stödbestÀmmelserna inte uppfylls. Men kriterierna kan komma att
omarbetas om det pÄvisas genom forskning eller dokumenterade erfarenheter att hÀngmetoden
fungerar tillfredstÀllande.
Denna studie har till stor del byggts pÄ personliga kontakter med sakkunniga inom hÀgning i Sverige
och Tyskland. I Sverige har information om konventionella hÀgn samlats in för att kunna jÀmföra
kostnader och för och nackdelar med de bÄda metoderna.
VÄr ekonomiska analys visar pÄ att kostnaderna för material och uppsÀttning inte skiljer sig sÀrskilt
mycket Ät mellan konventionella nÀthÀgn och Tyska trÀhÀgn. Men för Konventionella nÀthÀgn krÀvs
ofta mer omfattande markarbeten med grÀvmaskin samt kostnader för nedmontering
Conformational Dynamics of Phytoglobin BvPgb1.2 from <i>Beta vulgaris</i> ssp. <i>vulgaris</i>
Plant hemoglobins, often referred to as phytoglobins, play important roles in abiotic stress tolerance. Several essential small physiological metabolites can be bound to these heme proteins. In addition, phytoglobins can catalyze a range of different oxidative reactions in vivo. These proteins are often oligomeric, but the degree and relevance of subunit interactions are largely unknown. In this study, we delineate which residues are involved in dimer formation of a sugar beet phytoglobin type 1.2 (BvPgb1.2) using NMR relaxation experiments. E. coli cells harboring a phytoglobin expression vector were cultivated in isotope-labeled (2H, 13C and 15N) M9 medium. The triple-labeled protein was purified to homogeneity using two chromatographic steps. Two forms of BvPgb1.2 were examined, the oxy-form and the more stable cyanide-form. Using three-dimensional triple-resonance NMR experiments, sequence-specific assignments for CN-bound BvPgb1.2 were achieved for 137 backbone amide cross-peaks in the 1H-15N TROSY spectrum, which amounts to 83% of the total number of 165 expected cross-peaks. A large proportion of the non-assigned residues are located in α-helixes G and H, which are proposed to be involved in protein dimerization. Such knowledge around dimer formation will be instrumental for developing a better understanding of phytoglobinsâ roles in planta
Variability analysis of pathogen and indicator loads from urban sewer systems along a river
The pathogen loads within surface waters originating from urban wastewater sources needs to be assessed to support drinking water risk estimations and optimal selection of risk reduction measures. Locally reported discharges from sewer systems (>100,000 persons connected) were used to simulate the potential microbial loads into the Gota alv river, Sweden. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the median and 95% percentile (i.e. worst case) of total microbial load from wastewater treatment plants, sewer network overflows and emergency discharges were assessed and presented for dry and wet weather conditions. Wastewater treatment plants with secondary treatment represented a major source of E. coli, norovirus, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. During wet weather, comparably high microbial loads were found for sewer overflows due to heavy rains. Substantial loads were also associated with an incident of the emergency discharge of untreated wastewater. Simulated river water concentrations of faecal indicators (E. coli, sulfite reducing clostridia, somatic coliphages) and pathogens (norovirus, Giardia, Cryptosporidium) were confirmed by river sampling data, suggesting that urban wastewater is the major microbial source for this river
Mapping the energy landscape of protein-ligand binding : Via linear free energy relationships determined by protein NMR relaxation dispersion
Biochemical signaling is mediated by complexes between macromolecular receptors and their ligands, with the duration of the signal being directly related to the lifetime of the ligand-receptor complex. In the field of drug design, the recognition that drug efficacy in vivo depends on the lifetime of the drug-protein complex has spawned the concept of designing drugs with particular binding kinetics. To advance this field it is critical to investigate how the molecular details of designed ligands might affect the binding kinetics, as well as the equilibrium binding constant. Here we use protein NMR relaxation dispersion to determine linear free energy relationships involving the on- and off-rates and the affinity for a series of congeneric ligands targeting the carbohydrate recognition domain of galectin-3. Using this approach we determine the energy landscape and the position of the transition state along the reaction coordinate of protein-ligand binding. The results show that ligands exhibiting reduced off-rates achieve this by primarily stabilizing the bound state, but do not affect the transition state to any greater extent. The transition state forms early, that is, it is located significantly closer to the free state than to the bound state, suggesting a critical role of desolvation. Furthermore, the data suggest that different subclasses of ligands show different behavior with respect to these characteristics. This journal i
How does it really move? Recent progress in the investigation of protein nanosecond dynamics by NMR and simulation
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin relaxation experi-ments currently probe molecular motions on timescales from picoseconds to nanoseconds. The detailed interpretation of these motions in atomic detail benefits from complementarity with the results from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In this mini-review, we describe the recent developments in experimental techniques to study the backbone dynamics from 15N relaxation and side-chain dynamics from 13C relaxation, discuss the different analysis approaches from model-free to dynamics detectors, and highlight the many ways that NMR relaxation experiments and MD simulations can be used together to improve the interpretation and gain insights into protein dynamics
A de Novo Designed Coiled-Coil Peptide with a Reversible pH-Induced Oligomerization Switch
Protein conformational switches have many useful applications but are difficult to design rationally. Here we demonstrate how the isoenergetic energy landscape of higher-order coiled coils can enable the formation of an oligomerization switch by insertion of a single destabilizing element into an otherwise stable computationally designed scaffold. We describe a de novo designed peptide that was discovered to switch between a parallel symmetric pentamer at pH 8 and a trimer of antiparallel dimers at pH 6. The transition between pentamer and hexamer is caused by changes in the protonation states of glutamatic acid residues with highly upshifted pKa values in both oligomer forms. The drastic conformational change coupled with the narrow pH range makes the peptide sequence an attractive candidate for introduction of pH sensing into other proteins. The results highlight the remarkable ability of simple-α helices to self-assemble into a vast range of structural states
Flexibility and Function of Distal Substrate-Binding Tryptophans in the Blue Mussel ÎČ-Mannanase <i>Me</i>Man5A and Their Role in Hydrolysis and Transglycosylation
ÎČ-Mannanases hydrolyze ÎČ-mannans, important components of plant and microalgae cell walls. Retaining ÎČ-mannanases can also catalyze transglycosylation, forming new ÎČ-mannosidic bonds that are applicable for synthesis. This study focused on the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) GH5_10 ÎČ-mannanase MeMan5A, which contains two semi-conserved tryptophans (W240 and W281) in the distal subsite +2 of its active site cleft. Variants of MeMan5A were generated by replacing one or both tryptophans with alanines. The substitutions reduced the enzymeâs catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km using galactomannan) by three-fold (W281A), five-fold (W240A), or 20-fold (W240A/W281A). Productive binding modes were analyzed by 18O labeling of hydrolysis products and mass spectrometry. Results show that the substitution of both tryptophans was required to shift away from the dominant binding mode of mannopentaose (spanning subsites â3 to +2), suggesting that both tryptophans contribute to glycan binding. NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to analyze protein flexibility and glycan binding. We suggest that W240 is rigid and contributes to +2 subsite mannosyl specificity, while W281 is flexible, which enables stacking interactions in the +2 subsite by loop movement to facilitate binding. The substitutions significantly reduced or eliminated transglycosylation with saccharides as glycosyl acceptors but had no significant effect on reactions with alcohols