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No description available.

Skeletal muscle adapts differently to specific modes of exercise, where resistance training results in muscle growth and endurance training induces mitochondrial biogenesis. These are results of molecular events that occur after each exercise session, increasing the expression of specific genes and the rate of both synthesis and breakdown of protein. The rate of protein synthesis is controlled by the mTORC1 signaling pathway, which is potently stimulated by resistance exercise and amino acid, and their combined effect is needed for muscle growth. The essential amino acids (EAA) are responsible for the stimulation of protein synthesis and here leucine has been attributed specific attention, but its particular role among the EAA, and the involvement of the other branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) is unclear. Endurance exercise activates the protein AMPK which, in animal models, has been shown to inhibit mTORC1 signaling and protein synthesis.  Suggesting that concurrent endurance and resistance exercise could restrain muscle growth, but it is unknown if this mechanism is relevant in exercising human muscle. Little is known about the regulation of protein breakdown and although much attention has been given the proteins MuRF-1 and MAFbx which target proteins for degradation, their role requires further investigation. The aim of thesis was to address the mentioned uncertainties by examining how different modes of exercise and amino acids affect mTORC1 signaling, protein synthesis and markers of protein breakdown in human muscle. In study I, the influence of high intensity endurance exercise on subsequent resistance exercised induced mTORC1 signaling was examined. Despite robust activation of AMPK by the endurance exercise there was no inhibition of mTORC1 signaling or protein synthesis during recovery from resistance exercise. Study II utilized a similar set up, but with the difference that resistance exercise was performed with the triceps. The cycling exercise reduced the resistance exercise stimulated mTORC1 signaling immediately after the exercise, but during the recovery period mTORC1 signaling and protein synthesis was similar between trials. Concurrent exercise induced the mRNA expression of MuRF-1 and that of PGC-1α, the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, in both studies, despite that the exercise modes in study II were separated between legs and arms. In study III, the effect of an EAA supplement with or without leucine, in the stimulation of mTORC1 signaling in connection with resistance exercise was examined. Intake of EAA robustly stimulated mTORC1 signaling after exercise, but this was only minor when leucine was excluded from the supplement. In study IV, subjects were supplied with leucine, BCAA, EAA or placebo in a randomized fashion during four sessions of resistance exercise. Leucine alone stimulated mTORC1 signaling after the exercise, but both the amplitude and extent of stimulation was substantially greater with EAA, an effect that was largely mediated by the BCAA as a group. In conclusion, endurance exercise prior to resistance exercise using the leg or arm muscles does not affect mTORC1 signaling or protein synthesis during the three hour recovery period from exercise, supporting compatibility between resistance- and endurance exercise induced signaling. Concurrent exercise increases the expression of the proteolytic marker MuRF-1 compared to resistance exercise only, which could indicate both and increased demand of cellular adaptive remodeling or a more direct detrimental proteolytic effect. Leucine is crucial among the EAA in the stimulation of mTORC1 signaling after exercise, its effect is however potentiated by intake of the remaining EAA. As a supplement a mixture of EAA must be regarded preferable, although the effect is largely mediated by the BCAA as a group.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how special education teachers in Elementary school use libraries and how they experience collaboration with the school and public librarians and also how the collaboration might be concretized in the library's activities for the students. To achieve my purpose I conducted interviews with six special education teachers. The result from the interviews showed that the students and the teachers use the library for many different purposes for example book loans and bringing desire to read but also for social training and communication by interacting with the librarians. The result also showed that there were no activities in the library that were just for the special need students. A common thought among the teachers where when the class doesn’t find anything interesting the librarian will because she is the one who knows about the libraries´ materials and has the ability to guide the teachers and students through the information load. Some teachers pointed out that if the librarians had more knowledge about the special need students’ disabilities the library visits could be more effective and collaboration between teacher and the librarian could make the visit better. As a theoretical framework David V. Loertschers teacher taxonomy was used. The teachers in the study most of the time were in the beginning and in the middle of the taxonomy scale, and never reached higher levels. This means that the teachers use and collaborate with the library quite passively.

Biogas is a renewable energy produced through anaerobic digestion, which means that organic matter is degraded by microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. The produced biogas can then be used for cogeneration, electricity, heat or upgraded to vehicle gas. Eskilstuna Energy & Environment AB has four digesters at Ekeby water sewage treatment plant, Eskilstuna. One of the biogas reactor (RK4) is equipped with a jet-mixing system while the remaining digester uses top-mixing. The mixing system is an important parameter to achieve optimum operating conditions for the process regarding gas production and degree of digestion. This study aims to evaluate the two mixing systems, jet-mixing and top- mixing. The design of the reactors is identical and they are assumed to be fed with the same amount of substrate. By collection, analysis and compiling of process- and operational data such as gas production, degree of digestion and energy consumption for the two different systems their performance has been compared to each other. Different operational conditions considering the energy consumption for the jet-mixing system has been done theoretical to try to reduce the energy consumption. The result shows that both rectors operates under stable process conditions, although the result indicates that the gas production for the reactor installed with jet-mixing system is greater than the system with top-mixing system. Hopefully, the result of the study could be used of Ekeby water sewage treatment plant as an indication of how the system could be run. Keywords: Biogas, mixing, mixing system, anaerobic digestion, gas production, energy consumption, degree of digestion, Ekeby water sewage plant. Nyckelord: Biogas, omrörning, omrörningssystem, anaerob rötning, gasproduktion, energiförbrukning, utrörningsgrad, Ekeby reningsverk.

<p>Narratives about UFO:s and extraterrestrials can be regarded as part of an everyday religiosity, yet the issue has been poorly studied outside an American context, within the discipline of Religious Studies. In this paper, I therefore seek knowledge about the further development of these narratives within the Swedish UFO-movement from the 1960’s until today. Influenced by social anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss´ discussion about mythems as the smallest components of a myth, I argue that the stories which emerge within the Swedish context differ from the American ones. This difference consists of both loss of certain mythemes and the addition of others to this mythic complex. These changes are further to be found on three diverse levels. Sweden is on the first level given a role in the cosmic drama, and also a history of UFO-observations. On a thematic level, so called abduction stories lose their sexual overtones, while indigenous conspiracy theories are being created around the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOA. On a third and ideological level, some narratives are strongly influenced by indigenous socialistic ideology. The changes which occur within the narrative complex are further analysed against the background of the Swedish political and ideological situation during the time of development of these narratives. Finally the differences between legend, myth and common tales are discussed. I conclude that the relevant way of referring to these stories is as to mythic narratives.</p>

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During the last decades, Swedish policy makers have implemented various marketization reforms into the public welfare sector in order to make it more cost-efficient and to improve its quality. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate what implications this marketization trend has had for the organization of Swedish eldercare. In particular, the research question addressed is how marketization reforms such as privatized provision, increased competition, and user choice have transformed the relationship between the service users, the professionals, and the state. To answer the research question, four articles are presented in the dissertation, each corresponding to a separate empirical investigation. Together, the articles demonstrate that the increased reliance on marketization in Swedish eldercare has made it more difficult for the local authorities to directly control the quality of the services, since it reduces their ability to allocate public resources and expects them to govern the provision of eldercare through the entering of contracts. This development has also implied that service users themselves become increasingly responsible for ensuring that the quality of their care is high. Moreover, the articles show that the increased reliance on audit by the national government and its agencies has tended to undermine the professionalization of eldercare staff, thereby limiting their autonomy and ability to ensure service quality. As a whole, the dissertation contributes with a more comprehensive understanding of how marketization has altered the organization of Swedish eldercare and under what conditions it might undermine the goals of social equality and ensuring that all citizens have equal access to good quality care.

This research examines faith-based mediators and their usage of mediation strategies, in relation to durability of peace agreements and it is guided by the following research question; Why do some faith-based mediators succeed to aid the creation of durable peace, while others do not? In order to find an answer to this question a hypothesis, suggesting that faith-based mediators applying the fostering, rather than the forcing, strategy will be more successful, is tested. This hypothesis mirrors the causal logic, suggesting that faith-based mediators have the potential to contribute to the creation of durable peace agreements, through the usage of facilitative and formulative techniques. The methodological design makes use of tools provided by Mills Method of Difference and Structured Focused Comparison. These tools aid the analysis of faith-based mediation in Uganda and Sierra Leone. The findings indicate that the application of the fostering strategy has a positive effect in relation to the process of creating durable peace agreements. However, this positive effect comes with one condition, the faith-based mediators have to be influential in relation to the peace process.

Bakgrunden till studien är att fondsparandet i Sverige växt mycket som sparform. Detta har även gjort att utbudet av fonder ökat samtidigt som frågeställningen kring vilket fondalternativ som ger bäst avkastning kvarstår. Är det så att det finns ett samband mellan kostnaden att spara i fonder, den så kallade förvaltningsavgiften, och den avkastningen som fonderna genererar? Denna studie är avgränsad till att se om det finns ett samband mellan så kallade Sverigefonders förvaltningsavgifter och den avkastning fondförvaltare presterat.   Undersökningen är kvantitativ studie av 57 Sverigefonders prestation mellan 2012-01-01 och 2016-03-31. För att en fond ska klassas som Sverigefond krävs det att fondens kapital huvudsakligen är investerat i svenska bolag noterade på Stockholmsbörsen. Studiens syfte är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan fondförvaltarnas förvaltningsavgifter och den avkastningen som de presterat. För att undersöka prestationen har studien använt Single-indexmodellen och Jensen Alpha. För att se om samband fanns har det utförts regressioner i programmet Stata. Regressionen har använt fyra variabler för att förklara värdet på Jensen Alpha. De fyra variablerna som användes vid regressionen var förvaltningsavgift, fondförmögenhet samt två binära variabler för indexfond och småbolagsfond.   Resultatet av undersökningen visade inget signifikant samband mellan förvaltningsavgiften och värdet på Jensen Alpha som använts för att mäta fondförvaltarens prestation. I undersökningen visade regressionen att det fanns ett signifikant positivt samband mellan om fonden varit en småbolagsfond eller inte och värdet på Jensen Alpha. Detta tolkas som att inriktningen hos Sverigefonden har påverkat avkastningen som fondförvaltaren presterat. Resultatet som presenteras i studien liknar resultat som publicerats i tidigare studier på området. Det som skiljer denna studie från tidigare studier på området är tidsramen som undersöks samt de avgränsningar som gjorts i undersökningen.