Oväder vid horisonten - Upphovsrättsliga problem avseende molnbaserade datatjänster

Den digitala teknikens utveckling har sedan långt tillbaka inneburit ett hot mot upphovsrätten. Under de senaste åren har Cloud Computing, eller molnbaserade datatjänster, framstått som ett allt intressantare forsknings- och tillämpningsområde inom teknikbranschen. Cloud Computing utgör en teknisk infrastruktur där användaren har tillgång till data som är belägen utanför den egna plattformen och kännetecknande för molnbaserade datatjänster är att de levereras i form av en tjänst över ett nätverk, vanligtvis Internet. Denna utveckling har medfört vissa oklarheter vid upphovsrättslig intrångsbedömning, framförallt vad gäller exemplarframställning. I samband med The Pirate Bay-målet uppmärksammades även frågan om mellanhänders ansvar för upphovsrättsliga intrång i digital miljö. Uppsatsen ämnar redogöra för den reglering som är relevant vid en bedömning av exemplarframställning i molnmiljö och mellanhänders ansvar vad gäller främjande till sådant intrång, men också belysa huruvida den nuvarande upphovsrättsliga lagstiftningen är väl anpassad till teknikbranschens utveckling. En av slutsatserna som kan dras utifrån uppsatsen är att det inom EU finns ett starkt intresse för att främja utvecklingen av molnbaserade datatjänster, men också att harmonisera upphovsrätten i sin helhet. Genom en rad direktiv, som har implanterats i den svenska lagstiftningen, har man försökt att uppnå dessa mål. I frågan om exemplarframställning så kan konstateras att det är två inskränkningar i upphovsmannens ensamrätt som är relevanta i molnmiljö: tillfällig exemplarframställning och exemplarframställning för privat bruk. Den förra inskränkningen är en av de tekniskt mest avancerade bestämmelserna i upphovsrättslagstiftningen och bestämmelsens breda formulering medför vissa tolkningsfrågor. I den praxis som finns att tillgå tolkas bestämmelsen restriktivt, men trots detta möjliggör denna inskränkning att molntjänster kan användas i stor utsträckning. Inskränkningen om exemplarframställning för privat bruk är i många avseenden tydligare, men är å andra sidan inte helt välanpassad till exemplarframställning i digital miljö. Vad gäller mellanhänders ansvar så är en av slutsatserna från uppsatsen att deras ansvar generellt sett är långtgående. Denna slutsats kan dras inte minst utifrån TPB-målet, som behandlar frågan om främjande till upphovsrättsintrång i digital miljö. Med anledning av att de enskilda intrångsgörarna ofta är svåra eller omöjliga att identifiera och inte sällan är flera till antalet i denna typ av miljö, så blir frågan om mellanhänders ansvar för intrång central

RASSF4: Regulator of plasma membrane PI(4,5)P2.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) is a negatively charged phospholipid that plays a major role in recruiting and regulating proteins at the plasma membrane-cytosol interface. In this issue, Chen et al. (2017. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201606047) demonstrate that RAS association domain family 4 (RASSF4) positively influences PI(4,5)P2 synthesis through ARF6-dependent regulation of PIP5K

Är digital valuta det nya guldet?

Valutakursrisk har historiskt hanterats med negativt korrelerad eller okorrelerade instrument för att minska den totala risken i en portfölj. Som ett resultat av en integrerad värld har sådana instrument blivit allt mer sällsynta. Råvaror såsom guld har påvisat ett negativt samband och mycket av den bakomliggande teorin i uppsatsen är därför starkt relaterad till guldet. Digitala valutor är ett nyuppkommet fenomen och ett mycket begränsat område inom finansiell forskning. Dessa delas vanligtvis in i olika kategorier, däribland kryptovalutor, till vilken valuta Bitcoin hör. Då kryptovalutornas tekniska konstruktion och marknad liknar varandra är Bitcoin representativ för de nyare digitala valutor som har fått allt större utrymme i politiska och mediala sammanhang under senare år. Det finns uttalade liknelser mellan kryptovalutornas framställningsprocess och guldets utvinningsprocess, men även andra likheter. Bitcoin har trots sin korta existens relativt guldet påvisat ett negativt samband med växelkurser uttryckta i dollar och kan därmed sägas vara en fungerande hedge mot valutakursrisk i dollarn, även om uthålligheten i detta samband kan ifrågasättas. Valutan är extremt volatil och har ännu inte nått stabilitet, vilket kan förklaras av bland annat svävande legal status och avsaknaden av institutionell anknytning. Kryptovalutorna har blivit föremål för kraftig spekulation och därmed har valutornas värdebevarande funktion komprimerats. Ur detta perspektiv är de nya digitala valutorna att betrakta som tillgång snarare än valuta.Exchange rate risk has historically been dealt with through negatively correlated or uncorrelated instruments in order to reduce the overall risk in a portfolio. As a result of an integrated world, such instruments have become increasingly rare. Commodities such as gold have demonstrated a negative relationship, therefore much of the underlying theory in this thesis is strongly related to gold. Digital currencies are a new phenomenon and a very limited area within financial research. These currencies are usually divided into different categories, with cryptocurrencies being one of them, to which the currency Bitcoin belongs. Since the technical construction and market of cryptocurrencies are similar to one another, Bitcoin is considered to be representative of these newer digital currencies, which have frequently appeared in political contexts and media as of late. There is an evident likeness between the process of cryptocurrency creation and gold extraction, amongst other similiarities between these two. The Bitcoin has, in spite of is short existence relative to gold, demonstrated a negative relationship with exchange rates expressed in dollars, and can through this be said to be an effective hedge against the dollar, although the dependability of this relationship is questionable. The currency is extremely volatile and has not yet reached stability, which can partly be explained by its floating legal status and the lack of institutional connection. Cryptocurrencies have been subjected to much speculation and thus the value conservative feature of these currencies has been reduced. From this perspective, new digital currencies should be regarded as assets rather than currencies

The mouse genetics toolkit: revealing function and mechanism

Large-scale projects are providing rapid global access to a wealth of mouse genetic resources to help discover disease genes and to manipulate their function

Agreement of Air Bike and Treadmill Protocols To Assess Maximal Oxygen Uptake: An Exploratory Study

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(4): 633-647, 2024. Maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) is an important measure of aerobic fitness, with applications in evaluating fitness, designing training programs, and assessing overall health. While treadmill assessments are considered the gold standard, airbikes (ABs) are increasingly popular exercise machines. However, limited research exists on AB-based V̇O2max assessments, particularly regarding agreement with treadmill graded exercise tests. To address this gap, a randomized crossover study was conducted, involving 15 healthy adults (9M, 6F, 7 familiar with AB) aged 30.1 ± 8.6 years. Paired t-tests, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Bland-Altman and Principal component (PC) analyses were used to assess agreement between protocols. The results demonstrated good to excellent agreement in V̇O2max, maximum heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (ICC range: 0.89-0.92). However, significant differences were observed in several measures, including V̇O2max and maximum HR (p \u3c 0.01). Overall a systematic bias 3.31 mL/kg/min (treadmill \u3e AB, 95%CI[1.67,4.94]) was observed, no proportional bias was present; however, regular AB users (systematic bias: 1.27 (95%CI[0.20,2.34]) mL/kg/min) exhibited higher agreement in V̇O2max measures compared to non-regular users (systematic bias: 5.09 (95%CI[3.69,6.49]) mL/kg/min). There were no significant differences in cardiorespiratory coordination, between the AB and the treadmill. These findings suggest that for individuals familiar with the AB, it can be a suitable alternative for assessing V̇O2max compared to the treadmill. Future research with larger samples should focus on developing prediction equations for field AB tests to predict V̇O2max. Practitioners should consider using the AB to assess V̇O2max in individuals who prefer it over running

Widespread metastasis of a spermatocytic seminoma with concomitant hepatic peliosis in a Southern African hedgehog (Atelerixfrontalis)

A six-year-old intact male Southern African hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) presented with a history of chronic mild to moderate weight loss, and sub-acute hind limb ataxia that progressed to complete paralysis, at which point the hedgehog was euthanised. At autopsy, a large multinodular pale mass had completely replaced the left testicle and transcoelomically metastasised to the diaphragm and the peri-renal area, from where it then invaded the vertebral column and spinal cord. Multifocal, irregular to round, well-demarcated, blood-filled, proliferative lesions were also present in the hepatic parenchyma. Histological analysis of both the testis and metastatic lesions revealed diffuse sheets of neoplastic cells with moderate pale cytoplasm, large irregular to round nuclei and mostly one prominent magenta nucleolus, consistent with metastatic seminoma. The neoplastic cells were negative for periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) stain and positive for CD117 by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Taken together with the morphology of the neoplastic cells and the advanced age of the animal, this is suggestive of a spermatocytic seminoma. Histological analysis of the liver revealed multifocal lesions consisting of large anastomosing blood-filled spaces bordered by compressed hepatocytes, consistent with hepatic peliosis. This is the first report of a neoplasm in the Southern African hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis), the first report of a metastatic seminoma in a hedgehog, together with diagnosis of spermatocytic subtype, and the first report of a hedgehog with concomitant hepatic peliosis.The Wellcome Trust.http://www.jsava.co.zaam2023Centre for Veterinary Wildlife StudiesParaclinical SciencesProduction Animal Studie

Ectodomains of the LDL receptor-related proteins LRP1b and LRP4 have anchorage independent functions in vivo.

BACKGROUND: The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene family is a highly conserved group of membrane receptors with diverse functions in developmental processes, lipoprotein trafficking, and cell signaling. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein 1b (LRP1B) was reported to be deleted in several types of human malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer. Our group has previously reported that a distal extracellular truncation of murine Lrp1b that is predicted to secrete the entire intact extracellular domain (ECD) is fully viable with no apparent phenotype. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we have used a gene targeting approach to create two mouse lines carrying internally rearranged exons of Lrp1b that are predicted to truncate the protein closer to the N-terminus and to prevent normal trafficking through the secretary pathway. Both mutations result in early embryonic lethality, but, as expected from the restricted expression pattern of LRP1b in vivo, loss of Lrp1b does not cause cellular lethality as homozygous Lrp1b-deficient blastocysts can be propagated normally in culture. This is similar to findings for another LDL receptor family member, Lrp4. We provide in vitro evidence that Lrp4 undergoes regulated intramembraneous processing through metalloproteases and gamma-secretase cleavage. We further demonstrate negative regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway by the soluble extracellular domain. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Our results underline a crucial role for Lrp1b in development. The expression in mice of truncated alleles of Lrp1b and Lrp4 with deletions of the transmembrane and intracellular domains leads to release of the extracellular domain into the extracellular space, which is sufficient to confer viability. In contrast, null mutations are embryonically (Lrp1b) or perinatally (Lrp4) lethal. These findings suggest that the extracellular domains of both proteins may function as a scavenger for signaling ligands or signal modulators in the extracellular space, thereby preserving signaling thresholds that are critical for embryonic development, as well as for the clear, but poorly understood role of LRP1b in cancer

ZNF265—a novel spliceosomal protein able to induce alternative splicing

The formation of the active spliceosome, its recruitment to active areas of transcription, and its role in pre-mRNA splicing depends on the association of a number of multifunctional serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins. ZNF265 is an arginine/serine-rich (RS) domain containing zinc finger protein with conserved pre-mRNA splicing protein motifs. Here we show that ZNF265 immunoprecipitates from splicing extracts in association with mRNA, and that it is able to alter splicing patterns of Tra2-β1 transcripts in a dose-dependent manner in HEK 293 cells. Yeast two-hybrid analysis and immunoprecipitation indicated interaction of ZNF265 with the essential splicing factor proteins U1-70K and U2AF35. Confocal microscopy demonstrated colocalization of ZNF265 with the motor neuron gene product SMN, the snRNP protein U1-70K, the SR protein SC35, and with the transcriptosomal components p300 and YY1. Transfection of HT-1080 cells with ZNF265–EGFP fusion constructs showed that nuclear localization of ZNF265 required the RS domain. Alignment with other RS domain–containing proteins revealed a high degree of SR dipeptide conservation. These data show that ZNF265 functions as a novel component of the mRNA processing machinery