Hvordan kan mulig petroleumsaktivitet på Nordland VI og VII få konsekvenser for reiselivsnæringen i Lofoten og Vesterålen?

Masteroppgave i bedriftsledelse (MBA) - Høgskolen i Bodø, 201

Arabidopsis Phyllotaxis Is Controlled by the Methyl-Esterification Status of Cell-Wall Pectins

SummaryPlant organs are produced from meristems in a characteristic pattern. This pattern, referred to as phyllotaxis, is thought to be generated by local gradients of an information molecule, auxin [1–6]. Some studies propose a key role for the mechanical properties of the cell walls in the control of organ outgrowth [7–12]. A major cell-wall component is the linear α-1-4-linked D-GalAp pectic polysaccharide homogalacturonan (HG), which plays a key role in cell-to-cell cohesion [13, 14]. HG is deposited in the cell wall in a highly (70%–80%) methyl-esterified form and is subsequently de-methyl-esterified by pectin methyl-esterases (PME, EC 3.1.1.11). PME activity is itself regulated by endogenous PME inhibitor (PMEI) proteins [15]. PME action modulates cell-wall-matrix properties and plays a role in the control of cell growth [16–18]. Here, we show that the formation of flower primordia in the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem is accompanied by the de-methyl-esterification of pectic polysaccharides in the cell walls. In addition, experimental perturbation of the methyl-esterification status of pectins within the meristem dramatically alters the phyllotactic pattern. These results demonstrate that regulated de-methyl-esterification of pectins is a key event in the outgrowth of primordia and possibly also in phyllotactic patterning

A Practical Approach to T-Cell Receptor Cloning and Expression

Although cloning and expression of T-cell Receptors (TcRs) has been performed for almost two decades, these procedures are still challenging. For example, the use of T-cell clones that have undergone limited expansion as starting material to limit the loss of interesting TcRs, must be weighed against the introduction of mutations by excess PCR cycles. The recent interest in using specific TcRs for cancer immunotherapy has, however, increased the demand for practical and robust methods to rapidly clone and express TcRs. Two main technologies for TcR cloning have emerged; the use of a set of primers specifically annealing to all known TcR variable domains, and 5′-RACE amplification. We here present an improved 5′-RACE protocol that represents a fast and reliable way to identify a TcR from 105 cells only, making TcR cloning feasible without a priori knowledge of the variable domain sequence. We further present a detailed procedure for the subcloning of TcRα and β chains into an expression system. We show that a recombination-based cloning protocol facilitates simple and rapid transfer of the TcR transgene into different expression systems. The presented comprehensive method can be performed in any laboratory with standard equipment and with a limited amount of starting material. We finally exemplify the straightforwardness and reliability of our procedure by cloning and expressing several MART-1-specific TcRs and demonstrating their functionality

A Salutogenic Approach for Collaboration in Health and Technology

Through collaboration, health services and health-promoting environments can be influenced by patients, health professionals, and stakeholders. Antonovsky’s concept of salutogenesis includes the promotion of a sense of coherence, where the feeling of meaningfulness and people’s ability to influence their own situation is central. These concepts were the units of analysis in this embedded case study, including an educational project analyzed in relation to relevant research projects. The educational project was the development of a new master course, “Interaction in health and technology,” for students with different background in health-related education, including radiography, occupational therapy, biomedicine, biomedical laboratory science, artificial intelligence, and design. Through a qualitative content analysis, pitfalls and success criteria for collaboration in health and technology within a salutogenic theoretical framework were identified. These included user understanding of diagnostic value by artificial intelligence through visualization, user journeys for better health services, patient opinions about assistive technology, and developing understandable AI models. An interdisciplinary understanding of a sense of coherence as described in this study can strengthen collaboration in health and technology. The results of the current case study show also the potential for replication of the approach in different sites in various countries

The isolation and characterisation of the Arabidopsis thaliana RabH1.b and RabH1.c GTPases

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Bør hvorfor påvirke hvordan? : En normativ analyse av forholdet mellom ius ad bellum og ius in bello

Denne oppgaven søker å diskutere det teoretiske rammeverket som gjør det mulig å vurdere krigshendelser. Problemstillingen er: bør ius ad bellum påvirke ius in bello? Dersom man opptrer med humanitære motiver, bør det ha noe å si for utøvelsen av væpnet makt? Ius ad bellum omhandler spørsmålet om når er det riktig å gå til krig, ius in bello tar opp hvordan krigen bør bli utkjempet. Ansvaret for ius ad bellum sies å ligge hos den politiske ledelsen i en stat. Som kontrast ligger ansvaret for ius in bello hos de væpnede styrkene, hos de militære lederne, offiserene og soldatene som leder og utøver makten gitt til dem fra det politiske hierarkiet. Det er denne koblingen, mellom målsetting og implementering, og ansvarsfordelingen som nå møter nye utfordringer

Aerosol chemistry over remote oceanic regions

NOTE: Text or symbols not renderable in plain ASCII are indicated by [...]. Abstract is included in .pdf document. Atmospheric sampling of aerosol was carried out from ships during four separate month-long research cruises over remote oceanic regions. Three cruises took place in the Arabian Sea, during the inter-, SW- and NE-monsoons. An additional cruise was focused on the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Identical sampling techniques were employed for all cruises. One high volume dichotomous virtual impactor and two low volume collectors were used to collect aerosol particles for the quantification of trace metals, anions and major cations. Ferrous iron concentrations were determined immediately after sample collection on board the ship using a ferrozine extraction technique. Data were analyzed by principal component, enrichment factor and weighted multiple linear regression analyses. The mineralogical composition of aerosol collected over the Arabian Sea reflected that of an average of the earth's crust, while over the Atlantic Ocean, shale appeared to best represent the sampled mineral dust. With exception of the SW-monsoon samples, which were characterized by weak continental influences, the aerosol samples contained excess water-soluble non-sea-salt calcium that appeared to be of crustal origin, in the form of CaCO[...] or CaSO[...]. Ferrous iron concentrations accounted for 0.3, 1.3, and 0.5% of the total observed Fe during the inter- and NE-monsoons over the Arabian Sea, and over the Atlantic Ocean, respectively. Absolute Fe(II) concentrations were determined at 5.2, 9.8, and 3.1 [...]g [...] for the corresponding seasons, with most of the Fe(II) (> 80%) present in the fine fraction. Fe(II) did not exhibit a simple relationship with any of the sources indicating the complexity of iron redox reactions is this system. Non-sea-salt sulfate (NSS-SO[...]) sources were identified and quantified with the use of multiple linear regression analyses. Biogenically-derived [...] contributed significant amounts of NSS-SO42-, especially during the SW-monsoon, when anthropogenic sources were small. Biogenic SO[...]/methansulfonic acid (MSA) weight ratios were determined and found to be in agreement with reported literature values from pristine oceanic regions, varying from 6.8 at 24°C to 17.7 at 28.9°C

Culturally Diverse Students in Higher Education: Challenges and Possibilities within Academic Literacy Practices

With growing diversity in the population, higher education faces a new situation with increasing student diversity. In our paper, we will explore questions concerning the consequences student diversity has for higher - education institutions. Based on our experience from three different R&D projects, the differences in culture and academic literacy practices give culturally diverse students challenges that have often been ignored in acade mia. Some other studies also document that this group of students has a much higher risk of dropping out and underachieving than majority students (Andersen & Skaarer - Kreutz, 2007; Støren, 2009). In our paper, we are going to discuss the students’ challeng es and discourse of remediation that is often associated with their challenges and suggest how higher - education institutions can adjust their practices to be more oriented to intercultural communication. Intercultural communication as a dialogic approach m ay create dynamics in academic tutoring and lead to mutual change/transformation instead of a one - way adaptation of existing academic literacy norms. We argue that all teachers should be aware of cultural differences in literacy practices in the education systems and strive to adjust their teaching practices to the diversity in the classroom. This approach, we believe, can contribute to a better learning environment for all students, independently of their background

CpG DNA Induces Protective Antiviral Immune Responses in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing unmethylated CpG dinucleotides within specific sequence contexts (CpG motifs) are detected, like bacterial or viral DNA, as a danger signal by the vertebrate immune system. CpG ODN show promise as vaccine adjuvants and immunoprotective agents in animal models. Here we report that pretreatment with CpG ODN in animals induces nonspecific protection against viral infection. A panel of different synthetic CpG ODN was tested for the in vitro effects in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) leukocytes. The ODN were tested for their capacity to stimulate proliferation of peripheral blood leukocytes and to induce production of interferon-like factors in head kidney leukocytes. These studies revealed that the sequence and number of the CpG motifs as well as the lengths of the ODN contribute to their stimulatory activity. ODN with the 6-mer CpG motif (5′-GTCGTT-3′) showed the highest stimulatory activity and were shown to induce protection against infectious pancreatic necrosis virus when injected in Atlantic salmon. Expression of the Mx transcript, as an indicator of alpha/beta interferon induction, was induced in the CpG-injected fish. These results suggest that CpG DNA in fish induces early, nonspecific antiviral protection