Purification and molecular cloning of the APO-1 cell surface antigen, a member of the tumor necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor superfamily. Sequence identity with the Fas antigen

in Journal of Biological Chemistry (1992), 267(15), 10709-15

The APO-1 antigen as defined by the mouse monoclonal antibody anti-APO-1 was previously found to be expressed on the cell surface of activated human T and B lymphocytes and a variety of malignant human ... [more ▼]

The APO-1 antigen as defined by the mouse monoclonal antibody anti-APO-1 was previously found to be expressed on the cell surface of activated human T and B lymphocytes and a variety of malignant human lymphoid cell lines. Cross-linking of the APO-1 antigen by anti-APO-1 induced programmed cell death, apoptosis, of APO-1 positive cells. To characterize the APO-1 cell surface molecule and to better understand its role in induction of apoptosis, the APO-1 protein was purified to homogeneity from membranes of SKW6.4 B lymphoblastoid cells by solubilization with sodium deoxycholate, affinity chromatography with anti-APO-1 antibody, and reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Each purification step was followed by an APO-1-specific solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the monoclonal antibody anti-APO-1. In sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the APO-1 antigen was found to be a membrane glycoprotein of 48-kDa. Endoproteinase-cleaved peptides of the APO-1 protein were subjected to amino acid sequencing, and corresponding oligonucleotides were used to identify a full-length APO-1 cDNA clone from an SKW6.4 cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence of APO-1 showed sequence identity with the Fas antigen, a cysteine-rich transmembrane protein of 335 amino acids with significant similarity to the members of the tumor necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor superfamily. The APO-1 antigen was expressed upon transfection of APO-1 cDNA into BL60-P7 Burkitt's lymphoma cells and conferred sensitivity towards anti-APO-1-induced apoptosis to the transfectants. [less ▲]

PuRSUE -from specification of robotic environments to synthesis of controllers

in Formal Aspects of Computing (2020)

Push-out tests on demountable shear connectors of steel concrete composite structures

in Structures (2019), 21

Circular Economy refers to a move from linear business models, in which products are manufactured from raw materials, used and then discarded, to circular business models where products or parts are re ... [more ▼]

Circular Economy refers to a move from linear business models, in which products are manufactured from raw materials, used and then discarded, to circular business models where products or parts are re-used, remanufactured or recycled. Structural steel is highly compatible with this concept; however, when steel-concrete composite structures are used, recycling becomes difficult and the potential for reuse is lost. In order to make steel-concrete composite structures reusable, bolted connections should replace the commonly used welded headed studs. Furthermore, the reusable parts should be designed to withstand repeated use. This paper presents a desktop study and the corresponding laboratory experiments on demountable shear connectors that facilitate recyclability and even provide the potential for reusing complete structural elements. In the Laboratory of Steel and Composite Structures of the University of Luxembourg 15 push-out tests have been carried out using different bolted connection systems suitable for multiple use. The shear connectors have been evaluated based on their shear strength, stiffness, slip capacity, ductility and ability of demounting. The investigated systems included pre-stressed and epoxy resin injection bolts, solid slabs and solid slabs in combination with profiled steel sheeting. The results showed that the tested demountable shear connections could provide higher shear resistance than conventional shear connections. The critical failure mode was the shear failure of the bolts, which is a brittle failure. There was no visible damage observed on the connected members. The application of epoxy resin in the hole clearance resulted in lower slip capacity. The outcome provides an important basis for the justification of the forthcoming enhancement and validation of numerical models of the demountable shear connections. The failure behaviour, the observed damages and the resulting ability of the elements for re-use are discussed in detail. [less ▲]

Push-out tests with modern deck sheeting and realistic transverse loading

in 12th International Conference on Steel, Space & Composite Structures (2014, May)

The push-out test as proposed in EN 1994-1-1 originally was developed for solid slabs and not for composite slabs with additional steel sheeting. It leads to a load-slip behaviour of headed shear stud ... [more ▼]

The push-out test as proposed in EN 1994-1-1 originally was developed for solid slabs and not for composite slabs with additional steel sheeting. It leads to a load-slip behaviour of headed shear stud connectors which differs from the behaviour in the real beam. In particular, the vertical forces and negative bending moments of the composite slab at its support are ignored by this setup. Within the European research project “Development of improved shear connection rules in composite beams (DISCCO)” a total of 70 push-out tests was performed to investigate a more realistic push-out test setup. The influence of the transverse loading was investigated to develop a standard push-out test when additional steel sheeting is used. The test regime used to apply transverse loads in this investigation is described and the results of 10 push-out tests with 80 mm deep steel sheeting with pairs of 19 mm diameter headed shear stud connectors are presented. The observed bearing capacities of the shear connectors were over-predicted by the empirical reduction factor given in EN 1994-1-1 and the 6 mm criterion was not always satisfied, especially when no or only low transverse loads were applied. The application of transverse loads improved the ductility of headed shear stud connectors and the bearing capacity increased by up to 41%. [less ▲]

Pushed out prematurely? Comparing objectively forced exits and subjective assessments of involuntary retirement across Europe

in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility (2015), (41), 113-128

Given the efforts in raising the statutory pension age in an aging Europe, this cross-national analysis investigates constrained retirement from a comparative perspective. Based on a conceptualization of ... [more ▼]

Given the efforts in raising the statutory pension age in an aging Europe, this cross-national analysis investigates constrained retirement from a comparative perspective. Based on a conceptualization of retirement transitions as a multi-faceted phenomenon, the study distinguishes objective (external) constraints and the subjective self-assessment of involuntary retirement. Exploiting two survey items from the fifth round of the European Social Survey (ESS Round 5, 2010/2011), we examine which workers were objectively forced to retire due to economic or health reasons as well as which workers subjectively evaluate their retirement as involuntary as they would have wished to work longer. Using multilevel modeling, the study investigates the impact of national context conditions on both the individual risk to be objectively forced to terminate work and the subjective perception of retirement as occurring too early. We analyze institutional factors such as statutory pension ages and pension generosity, but also explore the role of structural factors such as unemployment and health. At the individual level, the empirical analysis reveals that objectively forced exits and subjective involuntariness do not always overlap. Ojectively forced exits are more readily explained by socio-economic characteristics like social class and unemployment experience. At the macro level, there are considerable cross-national variations that cannot be explained by compositional factors only. Relevant predictors of international differences in constrained retriement include early retirement options, statutory pension conditions, unemployment rates, labor market regulation and life expectancy. [less ▲]

Pushing the Boundaries. New Research on the Activism of EU Supranational Institutions

in Journal of Contemporary European Research (2017), 13(2), 1007-1024

This contribution introduces the concept of ‘activism’ to the study of EU supranational institutions and their role in EU policy making and European integration. While long present in studies of the Court ... [more ▼]

This contribution introduces the concept of ‘activism’ to the study of EU supranational institutions and their role in EU policy making and European integration. While long present in studies of the Court of Justice of the EU, ‘activism’ has rarely been examined systematically in the context of analyses of other supranational institutions. This contribution offers a definition of ‘supranational institutional activism’, examines its analytical usefulness in relation to other concepts such as ‘entrepreneurship’ and through the lens of a number of political science and EU integration theories and analytical approaches. The specific analytical insights derived from the disciplines of political science, history and legal scholarship of the twelve articles of this special edition on ‘supranational institutional activism’ are also considered. While the powers and roles of EU supranational institutions have been examined in numerous studies, this article presents a concept that can contribute to a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of the contribution of these entities to EU policy making and European integration. [less ▲]

Pushing the limits of gravity field recovery from high-low satellite-to-satellite tracking –a combination of 10 years of data of the satellite pseudo-constellation CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE

Scientific Conference (2014, April)

“Put it back”. Issues and challenges of historicising online virality

Presentation (2022, April 21)

From the Hampster Dance, All your Base are belong to us and the Dancing Baby in the second half of the 1990s to Bernie’s mittens at the US presidential inauguration and the image macros of the Evergreen ... [more ▼]

From the Hampster Dance, All your Base are belong to us and the Dancing Baby in the second half of the 1990s to Bernie’s mittens at the US presidential inauguration and the image macros of the Evergreen blocked in the Suez Canal, through Disaster Girl or Distracted Boyfriend to name but a few, memes and Internet phenomena have become in the last twenty years an important part of our digital cultures (Shifman, 2014). After presenting why historicising virality matters (which is the purpose of our Hivi research project supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund and conducted at the University of Luxembourg, https://hivi.uni.lu), this talk will focus on the challenges related to sources. Historicising online virality requires to first acknowledge how difficult it is to build corpora and develop chronological views in the vast and heterogeneous amount of data lakes and sources available on the live web and in web archives. All these repositories preserve viral content in a very different manner, covering different frames and periods, while the actors who come into play have different size and motivations, from giant platforms (Twitter, YouTube - see Burgess and Green 2018, etc.) to small communities, through heritagisation platform (i.e. Know Your Meme - see Pettis, 2021) and web archives. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the many levels of politics, curation and agencies at stake when studying the history and heritagisation of memes and Internet phenomena and their impact. Finally, temporalities and scales are also challenging, and scalability is key for studying the spreadability of digital contents, notably in a long-term perspective. There is a constant need for balancing between several scales to study circulation and flow (Jenkins, 2009), processes, participation (Milner, 2018) and appropriation, while recontextualizing memes and Internet phenomena in their complex and changing environments (changes of platforms, of participation, of audience, of meaning...). [less ▲]

Putting Male and Female Bodies in Their Places: Arenas and Theatres of Educational Reform

in Burke, Catherine; Grosvenor, Ian; Haenggeli-Jenni, Béatrice (Eds.) et al Education across Europe: A Visual Conversation (2014)

Putting the UK’s referendum in context: lessons from the past to shape the future?

Scientific Conference (2016, March 11)

This interdisciplinary contribution aims to look back at the past and provide some insights from historical sources which may be used today as key comparative tools for the interpretation and analysis of ... [more ▼]

This interdisciplinary contribution aims to look back at the past and provide some insights from historical sources which may be used today as key comparative tools for the interpretation and analysis of the current situation in the light of the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union. This relationship is a recurring issue in the European integration process, one which has never been satisfactorily resolved. After a short historical overview of British accession to the European Communities, the presentation focuses on the 1975 referendum in order to provide some food for thought ahead of the 2016 referendum on the UK’s EU membership. It argues that, although the 1975 referendum was a product of its time and its circumstances, there is an essential common thread that links the past to the present. The forthcoming referendum is not going to change the ‘British–European pattern’ that has taken shape over the past decades. [less ▲]