Multiple factors affecting occurrence of soft scald and fungal decay in apple during storage

Some apple cultivars are highly susceptible to soft scald, a physiological disorder that can lead to large losses. The effect of harvest time, gradual cooling regimes and storage conditions on soft scald and fungal decay was investigated in two common apple cultivars, 'Aroma' and 'Frida' in a three year trial 2018-2020. Further, possible relationships between weather conditions during the growing season and 28 d before harvest and soft scald incidence along with fungal decay after storage were studied. The year with the highest rainfall had the highest incidence of soft scald and fungal decay. Our results suggest that the relative humidity during a period of 28 d before harvest was important for later development of soft scald in 'Frida', and together the results from 'Frida' and 'Aroma' showed a moderate correlation between relative humidity and soft scald. Gradual cooling showed conflicting results, and no treatment consistently lowered soft scald incidence. Gradual cooling led to inconclusive results, and storage in ambient air led to higher incidence of soft scald as compared to some investigated ULO storage conditions. Advanced maturity was associated with soft scald development and more fungal decay in one out of three years in 'Aroma', but did not affect incidence in 'Frida'. The etiology of soft scald seems to be dependent of multiple factors

Human herpesvirus 6A and axonal injury before the clinical onset of multiple sclerosis

Recent research indicates that multiple sclerosis is preceded by a prodromal phase with elevated levels of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), a marker of axonal injury. The effect of environmental risk factors on the extent of axonal injury during this prodrome is unknown. Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis. The objective of this study was to determine if HHV-6A serostatus is associated with the level of sNfL in the multiple sclerosis prodrome, which would support a causative role of HHV-6A. A nested case-control study was performed by crosslinking multiple sclerosis registries with Swedish biobanks. Individuals with biobank samples collected before the clinical onset of multiple sclerosis were included as cases. Controls without multiple sclerosis were randomly selected, matched for biobank, sex, sampling date and age. Serostatus of HHV-6A and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was analysed with a bead-based multiplex assay. The concentration of sNfL was analysed with Single molecule array technology. The association between HHV-6A serology and sNfL was assessed by stratified t-tests and linear regressions, adjusted for EBV serostatus and sampling age. Within-pair ratios of HHV-6A seroreactivity and sNfL were calculated for each case and its matched control. To assess the temporal relationship between HHV-6A antibodies and sNfL, these ratios were plotted against the time to the clinical onset of multiple sclerosis and compared using locally estimated scatterplot smoothing regressions with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Samples from 519 matched case-control pairs were included. In cases, seropositivity of HHV-6A was significantly associated with the level of sNfL (+11%, 95% CI 0.2-24%, P = 0.045), and most pronounced in the younger half of the cases (+24%, 95% CI 6-45%, P = 0.007). No such associations were observed among the controls. Increasing seroreactivity against HHV-6A was detectable before the rise of sNfL (significant within-pair ratios from 13.6 years vs 6.6 years before the clinical onset of multiple sclerosis). In this study, we describe the association between HHV-6A antibodies and the degree of axonal injury in the multiple sclerosis prodrome. The findings indicate that elevated HHV-6A antibodies both precede and are associated with a higher degree of axonal injury, supporting the hypothesis that HHV-6A infection may contribute to multiple sclerosis development in a proportion of cases

Maternal Use of Antibiotics, Hospitalisation for Infection during Pregnancy, and Risk of Childhood Epilepsy: A Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Maternal infection during pregnancy may be a risk factor for epilepsy in offspring. Use of antibiotics is a valid marker of infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To examine the relationship between maternal infection during pregnancy and risk of childhood epilepsy we conducted a historical cohort study of singletons born in northern Denmark from 1998 through 2008 who survived ≥29 days. We used population-based medical databases to ascertain maternal use of antibiotics or hospital contacts with infection during pregnancy, as well as first-time hospital contacts with a diagnosis of epilepsy among offspring. We compared incidence rates (IR) of epilepsy among children of mothers with and without infection during pregnancy. We examined the outcome according to trimester of exposure, type of antibiotic, and total number of prescriptions, using Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) while adjusting for covariates. Among 191,383 children in the cohort, 948 (0.5%) were hospitalised or had an outpatient visit for epilepsy during follow-up, yielding an IR of 91 per 100 000 person-years (PY). The five-year cumulative incidence of epilepsy was 4.5 per 1000 children. Among children exposed prenatally to maternal infection, the IR was 117 per 100,000 PY, with an adjusted IRR of 1.40 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22-1.61), compared with unexposed children. The association was unaffected by trimester of exposure, antibiotic type, or prescription count. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Prenatal exposure to maternal infection is associated with an increased risk of epilepsy in childhood. The similarity of estimates across types of antibiotics suggests that processes common to all infections underlie this outcome, rather than specific pathogens or drugs

Neuroprotective exendin-4 enhances hypothermia therapy in a model of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy remains a global health burden. Despite medical advances and treatment with therapeutic hypothermia, over 50% of cooled infants are not protected and still develop lifelong neurodisabilities, including cerebral palsy. Furthermore, hypothermia is not used in preterm cases or low resource settings. Alternatives or adjunct therapies are urgently needed. Exendin-4 is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus that has also demonstrated neuroprotective properties, and is currently being tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized a neuroprotective effect for exendin-4 in neonatal neurodisorders, particularly in the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. Initially, we confirmed that the glucagon like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) was expressed in the human neonatal brain and in murine neurons at postnatal Day 7 (human equivalent late preterm) and postnatal Day 10 (term). Using a well characterized mouse model of neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, we investigated the potential neuroprotective effect of exendin-4 in both postnatal Day 7 and 10 mice. An optimal exendin-4 treatment dosing regimen was identified, where four high doses (0.5 µg/g) starting at 0 h, then at 12 h, 24 h and 36 h after postnatal Day 7 hypoxic-ischaemic insult resulted in significant brain neuroprotection. Furthermore, neuroprotection was sustained even when treatment using exendin-4 was delayed by 2 h post hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. This protective effect was observed in various histopathological markers: tissue infarction, cell death, astrogliosis, microglial and endothelial activation. Blood glucose levels were not altered by high dose exendin-4 administration when compared to controls. Exendin-4 administration did not result in adverse organ histopathology (haematoxylin and eosin) or inflammation (CD68). Despite initial reduced weight gain, animals restored weight gain following end of treatment. Overall high dose exendin-4 administration was well tolerated. To mimic the clinical scenario, postnatal Day 10 mice underwent exendin-4 and therapeutic hypothermia treatment, either alone or in combination, and brain tissue loss was assessed after 1 week. Exendin-4 treatment resulted in significant neuroprotection alone, and enhanced the cerebroprotective effect of therapeutic hypothermia. In summary, the safety and tolerance of high dose exendin-4 administrations, combined with its neuroprotective effect alone or in conjunction with clinically relevant hypothermia make the repurposing of exendin-4 for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy particularly promising

Deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals and genetic causes of recessive lethality

Genotypes causing pregnancy loss and perinatal mortality are depleted among living individuals and are therefore difficult to find. To explore genetic causes of recessive lethality, we searched for sequence variants with deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals from six European populations. In this study, we identified 25 genes harboring protein-altering sequence variants with a strong deficit of homozygosity (10% or less of predicted homozygotes). Sequence variants in 12 of the genes cause Mendelian disease under a recessive mode of inheritance, two under a dominant mode, but variants in the remaining 11 have not been reported to cause disease. Sequence variants with a strong deficit of homozygosity are over-represented among genes essential for growth of human cell lines and genes orthologous to mouse genes known to affect viability. The function of these genes gives insight into the genetics of intrauterine lethality. We also identified 1077 genes with homozygous predicted loss-of-function genotypes not previously described, bringing the total set of genes completely knocked out in humans to 4785.publishedVersio

Low-Frequency and Rare-Coding Variation Contributes to Multiple Sclerosis Risk

Multiple sclerosis is a complex neurological disease, with 3c20% of risk heritability attributable to common genetic variants, including >230 identified by genome-wide association studies. Multiple strands of evidence suggest that much of the remaining heritability is also due to additive effects of common variants rather than epistasis between these variants or mutations exclusive to individual families. Here, we show in 68,379 cases and controls that up to 5% of this heritability is explained by low-frequency variation in gene coding sequence. We identify four novel genes driving MS risk independently of common-variant signals, highlighting key pathogenic roles for regulatory T cell homeostasis and regulation, IFN\u3b3 biology, and NF\u3baB signaling. As low-frequency variants do not show substantial linkage disequilibrium with other variants, and as coding variants are more interpretable and experimentally tractable than non-coding variation, our discoveries constitute a rich resource for dissecting the pathobiology of MS. In a large multi-cohort study, unexplained heritability for multiple sclerosis is detected in low-frequency coding variants that are missed by GWAS analyses, further underscoring the role of immune genes in MS pathology

Ett världskrig utifrån ett eurocentriskt perspektiv : En kvalitativ analys av historieläroböckers skildringar av andra världskriget

The purpose of this study was to identify the way in which history textbooks from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s used for grades 7-9 depicts World War II from a eurocentric perspective. A qualitative textual analysis was used to achieve the purpose. Three history textbooks from each decade was included in the study, also comparisons have been made to see any changes over time. The study used John M. Hobson matrix describing how the Occident and the Orient are defined from a eurocentric perspective. In the matrix, there are two different sides for the eurocentric discourse to reveal itself. One is "The dynamic west" that includes values ​​such as "civilized", "democratic" and "restrained". The second part is "The unchanging east" where values ​​such as "wild/savage," "corrupt" and "chaotic" are included. One result from the study, among other things, is that the books from the 1980s depict Germany as an actor affecting values ​​in "The dynamic west". This is not the case in the books from the other studied decades. USA is the most clearly depicted country from a dynamical west perspective during all studied decades. The former colonial empires France and Britain are depicted either neutral or so concerns the countries values ​​for "The dynamic west". There is no book that places France and Britain on the other side of the matrix. Japan is the country that is mostly depicted in a way that can be linked to "The unchanging east" comparing to the other countries in the study. This is the case for all studied decades. The study also concluded that there are larger differences between the individual books the way in which stories about the Second World War are eurocentric than it is between decades. The conclusion from the study is that teachers should be alert concerning of the pupils development of history perspective and identity, given that the books that the study has analyzed depicts the Second World War from a eurocentric perspective.   Keywords: World War II, Eurocentrism, The dynamic west, The unchanging east, Textual analysi

Ett världskrig utifrån ett eurocentriskt perspektiv : En kvalitativ analys av historieläroböckers skildringar av andra världskriget

The purpose of this study was to identify the way in which history textbooks from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s used for grades 7-9 depicts World War II from a eurocentric perspective. A qualitative textual analysis was used to achieve the purpose. Three history textbooks from each decade was included in the study, also comparisons have been made to see any changes over time. The study used John M. Hobson matrix describing how the Occident and the Orient are defined from a eurocentric perspective. In the matrix, there are two different sides for the eurocentric discourse to reveal itself. One is "The dynamic west" that includes values ​​such as "civilized", "democratic" and "restrained". The second part is "The unchanging east" where values ​​such as "wild/savage," "corrupt" and "chaotic" are included. One result from the study, among other things, is that the books from the 1980s depict Germany as an actor affecting values ​​in "The dynamic west". This is not the case in the books from the other studied decades. USA is the most clearly depicted country from a dynamical west perspective during all studied decades. The former colonial empires France and Britain are depicted either neutral or so concerns the countries values ​​for "The dynamic west". There is no book that places France and Britain on the other side of the matrix. Japan is the country that is mostly depicted in a way that can be linked to "The unchanging east" comparing to the other countries in the study. This is the case for all studied decades. The study also concluded that there are larger differences between the individual books the way in which stories about the Second World War are eurocentric than it is between decades. The conclusion from the study is that teachers should be alert concerning of the pupils development of history perspective and identity, given that the books that the study has analyzed depicts the Second World War from a eurocentric perspective.   Keywords: World War II, Eurocentrism, The dynamic west, The unchanging east, Textual analysi

"Digi"-war - En uppsats om att utveckla en digital handledare för ett komplext tärningsspel

This rapport aims to examine the difficulties in presenting a complex game in a way that will invite new players by making the game more accessible. We discuss and present our process on how to create an application named “Digi”-war that is easy and fast to, both, learn and use. Our solution to this issue includes RFID-tags and readers together with four buttons, as input devices. This simple input device, placed in a gun-type control unit, aims to provide an intuitive interaction

Varför inte idrott? : En undersökning kring elevers och lärares syn på motivation och icke-deltagande i ämnet idrott och hälsa

Syftet med denna studie är att öka kunskapen och förståelsen om varför vissa elever väljer att inte delta i ämnet idrott och hälsa och vilka metoder lärare kan vidta för att öka deltagandet. Studien koncentreras utifrån elevernas perspektiv men tar även upp lärarnas perspektiv kring icke-deltagande och motivation. Studien utgår från Deci & Ryans Självbestämmandeteori angående inre och yttre motivation och Aaron Antonovskys KASAM, känsla av sammanhang och kommer även att behandla Johan Faskungers transteoretiska beteendeförändringsmodell. Tio elever blev intervjuade från fem olika skolor och elva lärare svarade på enkäter. Enkätundersökningen fungerar som ett komplement till elevintervjuerna. Enkäterna delades ut till lärare som undervisar i ämnet idrott och hälsa som var på plats under besöken. Resultatet visade att eleverna hade synpunkter på lektionsinnehållet där hälften av eleverna ansåg att lektionerna var tråkiga som deras största orsak till icke-deltagande. De flesta elever ville att undervisningen skulle vara mer fokuserad kring individen och inte till gruppaktiviteter. Dessa elever ville utföra lektionsinnehållet mer självständigt. Lärarna uppskattade att den största orsaken till att icke-deltagande elever ej deltar är för att de känner sig dåliga på idrott. Resultatet visar också på en klyfta mellan elev och lärare där de verkar missuppfatta varandra och där i alla fall eleverna ser till den andre som det stora problemet.  Vår slutsats är att kommunikationen mellan lärare och elev är oerhört viktig för att anpassa lektionerna efter den individuella eleven och därmed minska klyftan mellan elev och lärare för att öka deltagandet och motivationen