One Conclusion (one + conclusion)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The optimization of protein secondary structure determination with infrared and circular dichroism spectra

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 14 2004
Keith A. Oberg
We have used the circular dichroism and infrared spectra of a specially designed 50 protein database [Oberg, K.A., Ruysschaert, J.M. & Goormaghtigh, E. (2003) Protein Sci. 12, 2015,2031] in order to optimize the accuracy of spectroscopic protein secondary structure determination using multivariate statistical analysis methods. The results demonstrate that when the proteins are carefully selected for the diversity in their structure, no smaller subset of the database contains the necessary information to describe the entire set. One conclusion of the paper is therefore that large protein databases, observing stringent selection criteria, are necessary for the prediction of unknown proteins. A second important conclusion is that only the comparison of analyses run on circular dichroism and infrared spectra independently is able to identify failed solutions in the absence of known structure. Interestingly, it was also found in the course of this study that the amide II band has high information content and could be used alone for secondary structure prediction in place of amide I. [source]


The Swedish Welfare State and the Emergence of Female Welfare State Occupations

GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2000
Lars Evertsson
The Swedish welfare state has, during the twentieth century, developed into the primary guarantor of health and social services as well as economic security. As the welfare state has developed, a new group of professions has emerged which can be described as welfare state professions. In this paper I will point out a few central aspects of how female-dominated welfare state professions have emerged and developed within the framework of the Swedish welfare state's expansion. These ideas will then be demonstrated on two female-dominated occupations, nurses and occupational therapists, which have developed in close association with the expansion of the welfare state. The results indicate that the emergence of a centrally planned welfare state and the occupational groups' organizational resources have been of crucial importance for the professional development of female-dominated health and care occupations in Sweden. The welfare state has opened up new professional fields and created a stable labour market, which has provided good conditions for professional organizing. The state has also been quick to establish relationships with occupational groups whose professional competence has been deemed to be suited to the welfare political context. However, the state's interests in professional matters have often been in conflict with those of the professions themselves, regarding, for example, education, sub-specialization and certification. One conclusion that can be drawn is that the Swedish welfare state has acted both as an engine and a brake regarding professional development and status. [source]


Environmental Impacts of Consumption in the European Union:High-Resolution Input-Output Tables with Detailed Environmental Extensions

JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
Gjalt Huppes
Summary For developing product policy, insight into the environmental effects of products is required. But available life-cycle assessment studies (LCAs) are hardly comparable between different products and do not cover total consumption. Input-output analysis with environmental extensions (EEIOA) of full consumption is not available for the European Union. Available country studies have a low sector resolution and a limited number of environmental extensions. This study fills the gap between detailed LCA and low-resolution EEIOA, specifying the environmental effects of household consumption in the European Union, discerning nearly 500 sectors, while specifying a large number of environmental extensions. Added to the production sectors are a number of consumption activities with direct emissions, such as automobile driving, cooking and heating, and a number of postconsumer waste management sectors. The data for Europe have been constructed by using the sparse available and coarse economic and environmental data on European countries and adding technological detail mainly based on data from the United States. A small number of products score high on environmental impact per Euro and also have a substantial share of overall consumer expenditure. Several meat and dairy products, household heating, and car driving thus have a large share of the total environmental impact. Due to their sales volume, however, products with a medium or low environmental score per Euro may also have a substantial impact. This is the case with bars and restaurants, clothing, residential construction, and even a service such as telecommunications. The limitations in real European data made heroic assumptions necessary to operationalize the model. One conclusion, therefore, is that provision of data in Europe urgently needs to be improved, at least to the level of sector detail currently available for the United States and Japan. [source]


Quantifying instrument errors in macromolecular X-ray data sets

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 6 2010
Kay Diederichs
An indicator which is calculated after the data reduction of a test data set may be used to estimate the (systematic) instrument error at a macromolecular X-ray source. The numerical value of the indicator is the highest signal-to-noise [I/,(I)] value that the experimental setup can produce and its reciprocal is related to the lower limit of the merging R factor. In the context of this study, the stability of the experimental setup is influenced and characterized by the properties of the X-ray beam, shutter, goniometer, cryostream and detector, and also by the exposure time and spindle speed. Typical values of the indicator are given for data sets from the JCSG archive. Some sources of error are explored with the help of test calculations using SIM_MX [Diederichs (2009), Acta Cryst. D65, 535,542]. One conclusion is that the accuracy of data at low resolution is usually limited by the experimental setup rather than by the crystal. It is also shown that the influence of vibrations and fluctuations may be mitigated by a reduction in spindle speed accompanied by stronger attenuation. [source]


Helping families when child sexual abuse is suspected but not proven

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 4 2006
Odd Arne Tjersland
ABSTRACT This paper reports from a project investigating reactions within families when intra-familial child sexual abuse was suspected, and family members' responses to a therapeutic approach. Data were obtained from therapeutic sessions and follow-up interviews with mothers, children and alleged perpetrators. Before treatment the mothers felt uncertain as to how to interpret the children's unclear signs. The children had severe symptoms, but had seldom disclosed abuse. The alleged perpetrators were often not informed about the suspicions. The families were in a state of crisis and shock, and communication within the family was characterized by uncertainty about what to talk about and whether the suspicions should be shared. In most cases after treatment the conflicts had been reduced, the children had few symptoms, supervised contact had been established, and the clients were satisfied with the treatment. One conclusion is that therapeutic sessions, where family members share information about concerns and take part in the decisions of how to protect children, seem relevant and helpful to the clients in unclear abuse cases. [source]