L'originalitat de l'arquitectura d'Antoni Gaudí (Reus 1852- Barcelona 1926) ha sorprès des de la primeria del segle XX diverses generacions de crítics i historiadors. Aquest estudi intenta situar-la ideològicament. Per això partim d'una crítica del concepte de Modernisme, tot analitzant les diverses ideologies que s'integraren en aquest moviment. Això ens portava a recercar les arrels romàntiques de la ideologia de Gaudí, l'idealisme alemany i l'arquitectura neogòtica europea, especialment en les figures de Pugin i Ruskin. De la filosofia alemanya es dedueix el concepte d'arquitectura cristiana identificada amb el gòtic; dels dos teòrics anglesos una sèrie de preceptes morals que havien de caracteritzar aquesta arquitectura. Alhora es justifica com es transmeté el pensament romàntic a Catalunya a través de Piferrer i Rogent.Una anàlisi del Park Güell com a símbol de la dialèctica entre naturalesa i cultura ens condueix al temple de Delfos i als plantejaments de l'Estètica de Hegel i d'El Naixement de la Tragèdia de Nietzsche, A la Sagrada Família, en canvi, ens enfrontem a dos misticismes. D'una banda a l'arquitectura de l'espai concebut com a buit, com a esperit; de l'altra a l'arquitectura simbòlica del material, dos conceptes que procedien de Hegel.Finalment, a la cripta de l'església de la Colònia Güell, Gaudí portarà a terme la síntesi d'aquests dos misticismes, tot recercant l'espiritualitat del material. / The originality of Antoni's Gaudí (1852- 1926) architecture has amazed several generations of critics and historians from the early 20th century onwards. This thesis tries to place it ideologically. This is the reason why we set up from a criticism of the concept of Catalan Modernist Movement, with an analysis of the ideologies that composed this movement. This takes us to the romantic roots of Gaudí's ideology, the German idealism, and European gothic revival, specially focusing on Pugin and Ruskin.From German philosophy we deduce the concept of Christian architecture identified with gothic and from the English thinkers some moral precepts that gave character to this architecture. We also justify how this romantic architectonic thought was transferred to Catalonia along the 19th century by Piferrer and Rogent.The analysis of the Park Güell as a symbol of the dialectic between nature and culture leads us to the temple of Delphi and to the thesis of Hegel's Aesthetics and Nietzsche's The Birth of the Tragedy. Moreover, we find two mysticisms in the Sagrada Família. First, we stand up to the architecture of the space, as vacuum, as spirit. Likewise, we challenge with symbolic architecture of material; two concepts that came from Hegel.Finally, in the crypt of the church of Colònia Güell, Gaudí will achieve the synthesis of these two mysticisms, searching for the spirituality of material.

Herbicides are a common tool in weed control. With the introduction of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of particular herbicides. Herbicides contaminate the environment and food and feed and can come into contact with non-target organisms, especially bacteria. Salmonella enteric serovar Typhimurium, which is a human and animal pathogen, was chosen to investigate if the commercial formulations of three herbicides – Kamba, 2,4-D and Roundup are toxic to bacteria and whether sub-lethal concentrations cause a response to antibiotics. In addition, earlier work demonstrating an effect of salicylic acid on antibiotic response was reconfirmed in this study. The herbicides were toxic to S. typhimurium at concentrations above the manufacturers recommended application rates. A key finding of this study was that when S. typhimurium was grown in sub-lethal concentrations of the herbicides, it demonstrated a change in its susceptibility to various antibiotics. Kamba and 2,4-D caused increased tolerance of chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ampicillin and ciprofloxacin and increased sensitivity to kanamycin. Exposure to Roundup caused increased sensitivity to chloramphenicol and tetracycline and increased tolerance towards kanamycin and ciprofloxacin. Roundup had no measureable affect on ampicillin susceptibility. The minimum concentrations of herbicides that induced an antibiotic response were within the recommended application rates. Furthermore, the minimum 2,4-D concentration that induced tetracycline, chloramphenicol and ampicillin tolerance was at or below the maximum residue limits set for food and feed commodities. Simultaneous exposure to an herbicide and an antibiotic was necessary for the induction of antibiotic tolerance. In addition, the effect of the herbicide on the antibiotic response was faster than the lethal effect of the antibiotics. Kamba induced chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ampicillin and ciprofloxacin tolerance was maintained in the absence of Kamba once tolerance was induced by simultaneous exposure to Kamba and antibiotic. The emergence of antibiotic tolerance is an important health issue that may compromise treatment of serious bacterial infections. The widespread use of herbicides in agricultural, urban and domestic settings increases the number of bacteria that are exposed to herbicides. The tolerance induced by the herbicides may increase the frequency of antibiotic tolerant strains, increase the chance of co-exposure to antibiotics, and increase the potential for failure to treat bacterial infections as a result.

Statement of Problem: Aboriginal youth are at greater risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) compared to non-Aboriginal youth. Diabetes prevention strategies need to consider cultural factors that are embedded within an ecological perspective. Methods: Photovoice was used to explore the meanings of T2D and the Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Program (AYMP). Also, a non-randomized crossover experimental trial was performed on children. Grade 4 students were offered a 5 month intervention led by high school mentors. The main outcome measures were WC and BMI z score. Results: Results indicate that youth were very hopeful that T2D can be prevented or managed through nutrition and physical activity. They believe that AYMP can help with T2D prevention, through learning positive health behaviors, but also by enhancing social determinants of health related to education, employment and social support networks. After the intervention, the change in WC was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (p <0.05). Conclusion: Findings from this research study show that AYMP may be a successful program in teaching positive lifestyle behaviors while supporting social determinants of health; the combined biological and social outcomes can benefit students in reducing their risk for T2D. / October 2015

With over 1.3 million applications on the Android marketplace, there is increasing competition between mobile applications for customer sales. As usability is a significant factor in an application’s success, many mobile developers refer to the Android design guidelines when designing the user interface (UI). These principles help to provide consistency of navigation and aesthetics, with the rest of the Android platform. However, misinterpretation of the abstract guidelines may mean that patterns and elements selected to organise content of an application do not improve the usability. Therefore, usability tests would be beneficial to ensure that an application meets objectives efficiently and improve on user experience. Usability testing is an important and crucial step in the mobile development process Many freelance developers, however, have limited resources for usability testing, even though the advantages of usability feedback during initial development stages are clear and can save time and money in the long-run. In this thesis, we investigate which method of usability testing is most useful for resource constrained mobile developers. To test the efficacy of Android guidelines, three alternate designs of a unique Android tablet application, Glycano, are developed. High-fidelity paper prototypes were presented to end-users for usability testing and to usability experts for heuristic evaluations. Both usability and heuristic tests demonstrated that following the Android guidelines aids in user familiarity and learnability. Regardless of the different UI designs of the three mockups, Android guidelines provided an initial level of usability by providing familiarity to proficient users and an intuitiveness of certain patterns to new users. However, efficiency in building Glycano schematics was an issue that arose consistently. Testing with end-users and experts, revealed several navigational problems. Usability experts uncovered more general UI problems than the end-user group, who focused more on the content of the application. More refinements and suggestions of additional features to enhance usability and user experience were provided by the experts. Use of usability experts would therefore be most advantageous in initial design stages of an application. Feedback from usability testing is, however, also beneficial and is more valuable than not performing any test at all.

La presente tesis doctoral aborda el estudio de la presencia de la Compañía de Jesús en las islas Filipinas desde su llegada en 1581 hasta su expulsión en 1768. Sin embargo, no pretende ser una historia completa de los jesuitas en el archipiélago, sino que la intención es contraponer la imagen que pretendieron dar de ellos mismos y de su entorno con la realidad misional que desplegaron antes del extrañamiento forzoso de los territorios hispánicos en tiempos de Carlos III. El trabajo se divide en tres partes, precedidas de un preámbulo. En éste se expone de manera resumida una introducción histórica al ámbito filipino desde los primeros contactos europeos hasta mediados del siglo XVIII, señalando los principales acontecimientos políticos y dando algunas pinceladas del sistema político, social y económico de la colonia. La primera parte es un resumen de la trayectoria histórica de la Compañía de Jesús en el archipiélago desde 1581 hasta 1768. En la segunda parte se aportan elementos novedosos para la comprensión de la empresa evangélica jesuita en Filipinas, partiendo de la visión del interior de la Compañía. A partir del análisis de numerosas cartas, se analizan diversas temáticas fundamentales en el proceso de construcción de la imagen de la Compañía y su labor en Filipinas: en primer lugar, los primeros años de precariedad de la misión; en segundo lugar, la cuestión de la organización de las misiones en las diferentes zonas de evangelización que estuvieron a cargo de los jesuitas; finalmente, las difíciles condiciones que los misioneros debían afrontar en su labor. La tercera parte de la tesis, por su parte, aborda el discurso cultural que los miembros de la Compañía construyeron acerca de la naturaleza de su acción misional en Filipinas. En este sentido, en primer lugar se analizan las obras de los cronistas oficiales de la Provincia de Filipinas, además de la obra de otros cronistas “menores”. Además, se aborda la visión que los misioneros tuvieron de sus potenciales evangelizables, especialmente indígenas y chinos. La imagen de los primeros estuvo muy influida por la experiencia previa americana, con los modelos del buen salvaje y del monstruo como referentes. Por su parte, la visión de Oriente y sus habitantes contaba con una tradición centenaria, y fue siempre una utopía para los colonizadores de Filipinas. / This doctoral dissertation studies the presence of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines in the period 1581-1768. But the intention is not to write a complete history of the Jesuits in the archipelago, but to contrast the image that they tried to offer about themselves and their environment with the missionary reality that they carried out before the expulsion from the hispanic territory in the time of Carlos III. The work is divided in three parts, preceded by a preamble. This is a brief historic introduction to the Philippine colony, from the first contacts with Europeans to the half of the eighteenth century, marking the main political events and offering some information about the political, social and economic system of the colony. The first part is a digest of the historical trajectory of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines form 1581 to 1568. In the second part we offer elements for the understanding of the jesuit evangelic enterprise in the archipelago, from an inner view of the Society. From the analysis of a lot of letters, we analyse some fundamental topics in the construction process of the image of the Jesuits and their work in the Philippines. The first topic is about the precarious first years of the mission. The second one is about the organization in the different evangelization areas that were in charge of the Jesuits. Finally, the hard conditions that the missionary defied while working on the ground. The third part of the thesis approaches the cultural discourse that the members of the Society constructed about the nature of their missional action in the Philippines. First, we analyse the works of the official chroniclers of the Province of the Philippines, and the work of other “minor” authors. We also study the vision that the missionary had about the people that they potentially could evangelise, especially Filipino natives and Chinese. The image of the first was very influenced by the previous american experience, with the pattern of the “good savage” and the “monster” as a reference. Meanwhile, the vision of the Far East and their peoples had a centenary tradition, and was always an utopia for the colonisers of the Philippines.

Bakgrund; Diabetes typ 2 är en kronisk sjukdom som kan förebyggas och behandlas med bland annat en förändrad livsstil. Det finns ett starkt vetenskapligt stöd för att komplikationer kan fördröjas eller förhindras. För att minska risken för komplikationer måste livsstilsförändringar beträffande kost och motion genomföras. De preventiva omvårdnadsinsatser ska vara individuellt anpassade utifrån patientens förutsättningar och den tillhandahållna informationen från patienten ska ses som kärnan i omvårdnadsarbetet. Syfte; Syfte är att beskriva diabetessköterskans erfarenheter av att motivera patienter med diabetes typ 2 till att genomföra en livsstilsförändring. Metod; Kvalitativ intervjustudie av åtta diabetessköterskor som arbetar inom primärvården i Blekinge. Intervjuerna analyserades enligt Graneheim och Lundmans beskrivning av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat; Resultatet av diabetessköterskornas upplevelser sammanfattas i tre kategorier: Motivera till livsstilsförändring, Patientens individuella faktorer kan påverka motivationsarbetet, Motiveringsarbetet påverkas av organisatoriska förutsättningar. Slutsats; Resultatet visar att många patienter med diabetes typ 2, lever med en kronisk sjukdom som inte nödvändigtvis innebär att de har insikt om sjukdomen och dess behandling. Därför har diabetessköterskan en viktig roll i att motivera patienter med diabetes typ 2 till att genomföra en livsstilsförändring.

Bakgrund: Förekomsten av diabetes typ 2 ökar kraftigt i Sverige liksom i världen. Diabetesbehandlingens övergripande syfte är att hjälpa patienten att bibehålla en god livskvalitet alternativt att förbättra nedsatt livskvalitet. Den största delen i diabetesbehandlingen utgörs av egenvård. Behandlingens syfte är att patienten ska kunna ta större kontroll över sjukdomen och på så vis förbättra hälsan. Syfte: Att undersöka vilken typ av kost och kostutbildning som kan ha hälsofrämjande effekt och gynna egenvården hos patienter med diabetes typ 2. Metod: Litteraturstudie baserad på 18 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvantitativ ansats vilka analyserats och sammanställts. Resultat: Medelhavskost, fettsnål kost, låg kolhydratskost, fettsnål vegankost samt kostfiber har hälsofrämjande effekt vid diabetes typ 2. Låg fettkost och låg kolhydratkost kan ha gynnsam effekt på patienters egenvård vid diabetes typ 2. Intensiv kostutbildning, enskild alternativt inom ramen för en livsstilsutbildning, påverkar egenvården positivt hos patienter med diabetes typ 2. Slutsats: Egenvård är centralt vid behandlingen av diabetes typ 2. Hälsofrämjande kost och kostutbildning kan gynna patienters egenvård och hälsa. För att ytterligare kunna förbättra diabetesbehandlingen samt förebygga komplikationer och följdsjukdomar hos patienterna krävs ytterligare forskning och utveckling knutet till kost, kostutbildning och livsstilsutbildning.

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Master of Philosophy

Durant l'època montserratina el monestir de Sant Benet experimentà una transformació del seu conjunt d'edificis i entorn més immediat. Es repararen i modernitzaren els edificis vells (l'església, el claustre, el campanar, els cellers, el refectori i la cuina, entre d'altres) i se'n construïren de nous: el palau abacial barroc, durant la primera meitat del segle XVII, i les cel·les monacals de migdia, durant els segles XVIII i XIX. Els monjos benedictins del monestir de Sant Benet eren tots monjos professos de Montserrat. Pel que fa a la seva composició social procedien majoritàriament de classes benestants, però pel que fa a la seva naturalesa geogràfica eren monjos procedents dels territoris amb presència de monestirs de la Congregació de San Benito de Valladolid, de la qual formaven part Sant Benet de Bages i Montserrat. Prop de la meitat dels monjos montserratins eren naturals de Catalunya, mentre que l'altra meitat no ho eren, procedien de territoris del nord peninsular: Galícia, Astúries, Castella, La Rioja i Aragó, entre d'altres.Més enllà de la dedicació benedictina a la litúrgia de les hores, l'espiritualitat del monestir de Sant Benet tenia una particularitat devocional: el culte a Sant Valentí màrtir. Des dels primers temps d'existència del monestir es veneraven en la seva església les relíquies i el cristall d'un Sant Valentí màrtir de procedència desconeguda. A més de la veneració per la mateixa comunitat, els vilatans dels termes de les rodalies del monestir també veneraven el cos de Sant Valentí, que era considerat el patró de tot el Pla de Bages. El monestir de Sant Benet fou també durant la seva etapa montserratina un col·legi benedictí. Els monjos montserratins tingueren a Sant Benet de Bages un col·legi de Filosofia i Arts regit per un mestre de júniors, un lector i un passant. Fou aquest un dels molts col·legis de la Congregació que es dedicaven a formar culturalment i acadèmicament els monjos.Pel que fa a les possessions territorials del monestir de Sant Benet de Bages, cal dir que a l'època montserratina posseïa importants dominis territorials a la comarca del Bages, en molts casos a les rodalies del mateix monestir, que incloïen els termes de Navarcles, Vall dels Horts, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Rocafort, Sant Martí de Torroella, Santpedor, Sant Martí de Serraïma i Maians, entre d'altres; a la Garrotxa, on posseïa els alous de les Preses, el Corb i Santa Margarida de Bianya; a l'Anoia, on posseïa el priorat de Santa Maria de Castellfollit de Riubregós i les seves possessions de Castellfollit, Malacara, Ferran i Calonge de Segarra; al Vallès, on posseïa alous a Gallifa i a Terrassa; i a d'altres punts de Catalunya.A més de posseir dominis territorials sobre nombrosos llocs de la Catalunya central i d'arreu del país, el monestir també posseïa la jurisdicció territorial sobre els termes de la Baronia de Bages. Aquests, a mitjan segle XVIII eren Navarcles, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Les Preses, Rocafort, Sant Martí de Torroella, Maians i Vall dels Horts. El monestir posseïa la jurisdicció civil plena i la criminal baixa en tot aquest territori, és a dir, n'administrava el mixt imperi, amb la qual cosa no podia aplicar ni penes de mort ni mutilacions de membres, que pertocaven a la jurisdicció del mer imperi, que la posseïen els veguers com a representants del Rei. Per tal d'administrar la justícia senyorial, el monestir es dotava de presons i costells als diferents termes de la Baronia. L'abat del monestir nomenava batlles i regidors en cadascun d'aquests termes, els quals es feien càrrec del govern i l'administració directa de la justícia.A més de la jurisdicció baronial, el monestir de Sant Benet posseïa també la jurisdicció eclesiàstica sobre algunes parròquies de les seves rodalies. L'abat o vicari general del monestir tenia el dret de presentació de rectors en aquestes parròquies, sovint compartit amb els bisbes de les diòcesis corresponents, i feia visites pastorals per controlar que aquestes parròquies funcionessin correctament.Durant els primers decennis del segle XIX i fins a 1835, Sant Benet de Bages visqué la seva etapa final com a monestir. La vida comunitària s'anà afeblint i els seus darrers estats de comptes eren negatius. El 29 de juliol de 1835 la comunitat benedictina abandonà definitivament el monestir de Sant Benet de Bages i el monestir quedava exclaustrat i les seves possessions passaven a ser desamortitzades. L'exclaustració i la desamortització marcaven la fi de l'època montserratina a Sant Benet de Bages, però també representaven la fi definitiva de la vida monàstica. / The PhD thesis at hand seeks a diachronic reconstruction of the life pursued by the community of Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Sant Benet de Bages, starting off from the Montserratin Period till the last hours of its life.During the Montserratin Period (1593-1835), the Abbey of Sant Benet de Bages underwent a brach-and-root transformation of itself. On the one hand, the ancient buildings -including the church, the cloister, the bell tower, the wine cellar, the dining-room and the kitchen were refurbished and modernised. On the other hand, a number of new facilities were added to the extant ones: the Barroc Abbot Palace during the first half of the seventeenth century, and the dormitories of the monks during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are the two cases in point. The Benedictine community at the Abbey of Sant Benet de Bages was made up of monks who had been previously ordained, in their entirety, by the Abbey of Monsterrat. From a socioeconomic angle, the Abbey of Sant Benet de Bages exhibited sheer uniformity in that the entire pool of monks was of upper-class ascendancy. Geographically, contrastingly, the composition of the Benedictine community appeared to be of a more fractured nature, with monks coming from a number of different territories, including the San Benito of Valladolid congregation to which the Abbeys of both Sant Benet de Bages and Montserrat pertained. Approximately half of the Montserratin monks were of Catalan origin, whilst the other half came from various regions of North Spain.The spirituality practiced at the Abbey of Sant Benet revolved around the cult of Sant Valentine martyr. From the outset the elements of worship at the church of Sant Benet of Bages were two: the relicts and the crystal of Sant Valentine martyr of unknown origin. The neighbouring villages too organized their worshipping practices around the body of Saint Valentine -the patron saint of the Bages Plain. The Abbey of Sant Benet de Bages exerted functions as a Benedictine School during the Benedictine school during the Montserratin period. The Montserratin monks had set up a School of Philosophy and Arts in Sant Benet de Bages -one of the most prominent schools of San Benito de Valladolid congregation dedicated to the teaching and schooling of the monks. During the Montserratin Period, the Abbey of Sant Benet de Bages owned extensive domains in the county of Bages, most of them located next to the Abbey -including the villages of Navarcles, Valls dels Horts, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Rocafort, Sant Martí de Torroella, Santpedor, Sant Martí de Serraïma de Maians. Scattered throughout Catalonia the Abbey also possessed domains in the villages de Les Preses, El Corb, Santa Margarida de Bianya, Castellfollit de Riubregós. Malacara, Ferran, Calonge de Segarra, Gallifa and Terrassa. The Abbey was further in possession of the territorial jurisdiction of some villages within the county of Bages. In the eighteenth century the specific villages under their jurisdiction were Navarcles, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Les Preses, Rocafort, Sant Martí de Torroella, Maians and Vall dels Horts. To be sure, the Abbey was in possession of the civil jurisdiction of these territories. Penitentiary facilities included prisons and a number of torture techniques and technologies. The abbot would appoint mayors and councillors in each village who would, in turn, take charge of the penitentiary facilities at hand and impart justice. The monastery was also in possession of the ecclesiastic jurisdiction of a number of churches in the neighbouring area. The abbot would appoint the priests and would pay visits to the churches for the surveillance of the correct practice. The beginning of the nineteenth century represented the start of the end for the Abbey of Sant Benet, when the daily life conditions worsened as a result of the poverty into which the institution fell. All in all, the monks left the Abbey in summer 1835. The government confiscated their possessions, which were sold to rise revenue. This was the end of the monastic life in Sant Benet de Bages.

Neutrophil recruitment to the site of acute inflammation is a multistep process regulated by specific signaling molecules. The signaling mechanisms that regulate neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions remain incompletely understood. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling was shown to regulate different steps of neutrophil migration in response to inflammatory stimuli. The mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase-1 (MSK1) can be activated by either extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 or p38 MAPK. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of pharmacological suppression of MSK1 by its specific inhibitor, SB747651A, on various steps of neutrophil recruitment. In vivo studies were conducted using real-time and time-lapsed intravital video microscopy of the cremaster microcirculation to determine the dynamic leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions. Intrascrotal injection of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2, 0.2 μg/mouse) decreased leukocyte rolling velocity which was significantly reversed by pre-treatment with SB747651A (intrascrotal injection of 3 mg/kg). SB747651A pre-treatment enhanced MIP-2-induced increase in neutrophil adhesion and emigration. To better understand the effect of SB747651A on different steps of neutrophil recruitment, we placed a small piece of MIP-2-containing agarose gel on the exposed cremaster muscle and studied directed migration of neutrophils in the postcapillary venule and in the tissue. Superfusion of SB747651A (5 μM) on cremaster muscle subjected to MIP-2 gradient significantly increased rolling velocity and adhesion, but decreased emigration of neutrophils in comparison to superfusion of normal saline III without SB747651A. SB747651A treatment significantly affected transmigration time, detachment time, intravascular crawling and the velocity of migration, but not the directionality of migrating neutrophils in tissue. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in cultured endothelial cells was up-regulated by co-treatment with SB747651A and MIP-2 but not by MIP-2 alone. Flow cytometry analysis showed that co-treatment of bone marrow neutrophils with SB747651A and MIP-2 significantly decreased macrophage antigen-1 (Mac-1) but not lymphocyte function associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) expression as compared with MIP-2 treatment alone. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that pharmacological suppression of MSK1 by SB747651A affects multiple steps of MIP-2-induced neutrophil recruitment in vivo.