Bacterial plasmids are extensively involved in the rapid global spread of antibiotic resistance. We here present an assay, based on optical DNA mapping of single plasmids in nanofluidic channels, which provides detailed information about the plasmids present in a bacterial isolate. In a single experiment, we obtain the number of different plasmids in the sample, the size of each plasmid, an optica

Context: The androgen receptor (AR) gene exon 1 CAG repeat length has been proposed to be a determinant of between-individual variations in androgen action in target tissues, which might regulate phenotypic differences of human ageing. However, findings on its phenotypic effects are inconclusive. Objective: To assess whether the AR CAG repeat length is associated with longitudinal changes in endpo

Background: The contribution of smoking to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is hypothesized to be mediated through formation of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). In RA, however, autoantibodies such as ACPA, rheumatoid factor (RF), and anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarP) often occur together, and it is thus unclear whether smoking is specifically associated with some autoantibodie

Flowing fluid electrical conductivity (FFEC) logging is a hydrogeologic testing method that is usually conducted in an existing borehole. However, for the 2,500-m deep COSC-1 borehole, drilled at Åre, central Sweden, it was done within the drilling period during a scheduled 1-day break, thus having a negligible impact on the drilling schedule, yet providing important information on depths of hydra

Background: Recent evidence suggests a link between autoimmunity and the intestinal microbial composition in several rheumatic diseases including systemic sclerosis (SSc). The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of intestinal dysbiosis in SSc and to characterise patients suffering from this potentially immunomodulatory deviation. Methods: This study consisted of 98 consecutiv

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have placed great emphasis on the need for much greater social inclusion, and on making deliberate efforts to reach marginalized groups. People with disabilities are often marginalized through their lack of access to a range of services and opportunities. Assistive products can help people overcome impairments and barriers enabling them to be active, partic

Background: Whether high cardiovascular fitness is associated with reduced risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is unknown. The present study aims to determine whether high cardiovascular fitness reduces the risk of VTE. Methods: A Swedish cohort of male conscripts (n = 773,925) born in 1954–1970 with no history of previous VTE were followed from enlistment (1972–1990) until 2010. Data on cardiova

To investigate the systematics of mixed-symmetry states in N=52 isotones, a relativistic Coulomb excitation experiment was performed during the PreSPEC campaign at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung to determine E2 transition strengths to 2+ states of the radioactive nucleus 88Kr. Absolute transition rates could be measured towards the first and third 2+ states. For the latter a mix

The structure of neutron-rich Sr96,98 nuclei was investigated by low-energy safe Coulomb excitation of radioactive beams at the REX-ISOLDE facility, CERN, with the MINIBALL spectrometer. A rich set of transitional and diagonal E2 matrix elements, including those for non-yrast structures, has been extracted from the differential Coulomb-excitation cross sections. The results support the scenario of

The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) has substantially increased over the past decade, suggesting a role for non-genetic factors such as epigenetic mechanisms in disease development. Here we present an epigenome-wide association study across 406,365 CpGs in 52 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for T1D in three immune effector cell types. We observe a substantial enrichment of differentially vari

The Fe54 nucleus was populated from a 56Fe beam impinging on a Be target with an energy of E/A=500 MeV. The internal decay via γ-ray emission of the 10+ metastable state was observed. As the structure of this isomeric state has to involve at least four unpaired nucleons, it cannot be populated in a simple two-neutron removal reaction from the 56Fe ground state. The isomeric state was produced in t

In Sweden, migrants have poorer sexual and reproductive health compared to the general population. Health literacy, in the form of the cognitive and social skills enabling access to health promoting activities, is often poorer among migrants, partly due to language and cultural barriers. Culturally sensitive health education provides a strategy for enhancing health literacy. Since 2012, specially

Background: COPD is defined as partly irreversible airflow obstruction. The response pattern of bronchodilators has not been followed in advanced lung function parameters. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate bronchodilator response pattern in advanced lung function parameters in a continuous fashion along forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) percent predicted (%p) in COPD pati

Background: Breathlessness is a cardinal symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is given to improve survival time in people with COPD and severe chronic hypoxaemia at rest. The efficacy of oxygen therapy for breathlessness and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people with COPD and mild or no hypoxaemia who do not meet the criteria for LTOT

An analytical derivation of the probability density function (PDF) tail describing the strongly correlated interface growth governed by the nonlinear Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation is provided. The PDF tail exactly coincides with a Tracy-Widom distribution i.e. a PDF tail proportional to exp (cw2 3/2), Where w 2 is the the width of the interface. The PDF tail is computed by the instanton method in t

The aim of this study was to determine how self-presentation is formulated in victim supporters’ narratives of their interactions with crime victims, and identify the function of the presentation of the crime victim in this self-presentation. This was done through a narrative analysis of material from 12 focus groups in which representatives of Victim Support Sweden discussed their work. A master

This multiple case study focuses on phonetic-phonological development of L2 French in early Swedish-speaking learners. More specifically it describes the development of Voice Onset Time (VOT) and liaison in early L2 learners as compared to simultaneous Swedish-French bilinguals and monolingual French children. The results indicate that although the L2 learners present initial similarities with adu

Nonheme iron enzymes play an important role in the aerobic degradation of aromatic ring systems. Most enzymes can only cleave substrates with electron-rich substituents, e.g., with two hydroxyl groups. However, salicylate 1,2-dioxygenase (SDO) can cleave rings with only a single hydroxyl group. We investigated the oxygen-activation mechanism of the ring fission of salicylate by SDO by computationa

French is characterized by major differences between phonology and orthography. Consequently, learning the deep orthography of written French is a challenge to both first (L1) and second (L2) language learners. This empirical study focuses on the production of silent number morphology in written French and illustrates that a group of L2 learners, exposed to limited amounts of spoken French in a ty