Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2005. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Today, brick-and-mortar retailers are facing changes, as we are moving away from a service economy towards an experience economy. These changes reshape customers´ preferences. Reatilers have shown an inability to adapt to these changes, indicating that there is a need for further insights on the subject. To address this lack of knowledge, this thesis aimed at investigating the customer experience in brick-and-mortar fashion retailers in order to obtain knowledge about how experiential offerings create perceived value and customer satisfaction, which ultimately leads to store attractiveness.  This study focused on investigating the customer experience holistically, by using the "Experience Economy 4E construct" together with three dimensions of perceived experiential value as a theoretical framework. The application of this holistic approach to the customer experience has until now been relatively unexplored, which justify the purpose of this thesis.  This qualitative study was conducted by using six semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, the emprical data collection was analysed using a thematic analysis. This generated valuable insights to which aspects were considered to create positive as well as negative feelings, which consequently affect customer satisfaction and store attractiveness.  The result showed that experiential offerings from brick-and-mortar fashion retailers create perceived experiential value, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction and store attractiveness. Furthermore, the result indicated that educational experiences, esthetic experiences and social interactions are the primary value-creating sources.

Mammalian oocyte is a highly differentiated cell which gives rise to an embryo after fertilization. Importantly, fully-grown oocytes become transcriptionally inactive at the end of the growth phase. During following stages of development, i. e. meiotic maturation of the oocyte and early embryonic development, only transcripts previously synthesized and stored are used. The tight correlation between mRNA distribution and subsequent protein localization and function provides a mechanism of spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression used by various cell types. However, not much is known about mRNA localization and translation in the mammalian oocyte and early embryo. The aim of my thesis was to determine the localization of transcripts and components of translational machinery in the mammalian oocyte and embryo and to uncover the mechanisms of spatiotemporal regulation of translation as a prerequisite for correct oocyte and embryo development. We have shown that nuclei of both mouse and human oocytes contain RNA molecules and RNA binding proteins. Following the nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD), translational hot-spots occur in the area surrounding the nuclear region. We suppose that mRNAs previously retained in the nucleus are released to the cytoplasm during NEBD and their subsequent...

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Heat production together with electricity production stands for 31% of the global CO2 emissions. The production is as of today still highly dependent on fossil fuels, with a global district energy mix share of fossil fuels of 90%. To stay in line with the Paris Agreement, district heating must be configured away from fossil fuels by utilizing new emission free heat sources as well as creating higher energy efficient cities by incorporating more waste heat recovery. Helsinki has a District Heating (DH) dominated by fossil fuels and proclaimed goals of becoming carbon-­neutral by 2035, as of 2020 the annual heat demand in the city was 6.4TWh of heat. To do so, there is a need for research to investigate ways to include carbon-­free heat sources into the current heating system. There is currently a limited amount of literature available in this area and from the identified research gap the following main research question was developed. How can Helsinki achieve carbon-­free district heating? To easier answer the main research question, three three sub­questions were developed. (1) How large is the energy potential for non­-carbon based heat sources in Helsinki for district heating? (2) Where are the heat sources located? (3) What are the techno-­economic implications of the heat sources? A high resolution heat source mapping and spatial analysis was conducted for the city of Helsinki where low grade heat sources were to be identified for the purpose of district heating. The work focused on the following heat sources: Grocery Retail, Ice Rinks, Subway Stations, Data Centers, Wastewater, Sea Water Heat Pumps and Geothermal Energy. The developed model consists of five steps: (1) Heat source identification, (2) Technical potential evaluation, (3) DH-network mapping & Spatial analysis, (4) Economic model, and (5) Techno-­Economic evaluation. A total of 363 heat source points was identified and evaluated. The combined results of the heat sources were a total capacity of 1257.56 MW with a resulting total annual heat production of 7008.31 GWh. The majority of the capacity and heat was contributed from seawater heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps. Around 84% of the mapped heat sources were within 100 meters of the current district heating piping network. The economical findings show that a majority of the heat sources yield a positive net present value and a discounted payback period of below 11 years. The levelized cost of heat was within reasonable expectations when compared to existing data where Data centers showed the most promising result. The study can conclude that Helsinki can potentially achieve a non-­carbon­ based district heating system with a sufficient heat production management strategy. / Värme­- och elproduktionen står tillsammans för 31% av de globala koldioxidutsläppen. Produktionen är idag fortfarande starkt beroende av fossila bränslen med en global andel fossila bränslen i fjärrvärmeblandningen på 90%. För att hålla sig i linje med Parisavtalet måste fjärrvärmen konfigureras bort från fossila bränslen genom att utnyttja nya utsläppsfria värmekällor samt skapa mer energieffektiva städer genom att utnyttja mer återvinning av spillvärme. Helsingfors har en fjärrvärme som domineras av fossila bränslen och har utsatt mål om att bli koldioxidneutralt senast 2035, vid 2020 hade staden en årlig värmekonsumption på 6.4 TWh. För att uppnå detta behövs forskning för att undersöka hur man kan inkludera koldioxidfria värmekällor i det nuvarande värmesystemet. Det finns för närvarande bristfällig mängd litteratur på detta område och utifrån den identifierade forskningsluckan utvecklades följande huvudsakliga forskningsfråga. Hur kan Helsingfors uppnå koldioxidfri fjärrvärme? För att lättare kunna besvara huvudfrågan utvecklades tre underfrågor. (1) Hur stor är energipotentialen för icke kolbaserade värmekällori Helsingfors för fjärrvärme? (2) Var finns värmekällorna? (3) Vilka är de tekno-­ekonomiska konsekvenserna av värmekällorna? En högupplöst kartläggning av värmekällor och en rumslig analys genomfördes för Helsingfors stad där lågkvalitativa värmekällor skulle identifieras för fjärrvärme. Arbetet fokuserade på följande värmekällor: Livsmedelsbutiker, isbanor, tunnelbanestationer, datacenter, avloppsvatten, värmepumpar för havsvatten och geotermisk energi. Den utvecklade modellen består av fem steg: (1) Identifiering av värmekällor, (2) Utvärdering av teknisk potential, (3) Kartläggning av DH­-nätverk och rumslig analys, (4) Ekonomisk modell och (5) Teknisk-ekonomisk utvärdering. Totalt 363 värmekällor identifierades och utvärderades. De kombinerade resultaten av värmekällorna var en total kapacitet på 1,257.56 MW med en total årlig värmeproduktion på 7,088.31 GWh. Merparten av kapaciteten och värmen kom från havsvattenvärmepumpar och geotermisk värme. Cirka 84% av de kartlagda värmekällorna låg inom 100 meter från det nuvarande fjärrvärmerörnätet. De ekonomiska resultaten visar att majoriteten av värmekällorna gav ett positivt nettonuvärde och en diskonterad återbetalningstid på mindre än 11 år. Den standardiserade kostnaden för värme låg inom rimliga gränser när den jämförs med befintliga data, där datacenter visade det mest lovande resultatet. Givet studiens resultat kan slutsatsen erhållas att Helsingfors potentiellt kan uppnå ett fossilfritt fjärrvärmesystem med en tillräcklig produktions-­ och värmehanteringsstrategi för fjärrvärme.

Une comorbidité élevée existe entre les troubles de la personnalité (TPs) et les troubles liés à une substance. Certains chercheurs croient que les TPs pourraient survenir aussi de façon concomitante chez les joueurs pathologiques. Les études rapportent un taux élevé de comorbidité entre ces problématiques. Toutefois, une seule a évalué ces troubles en se basant sur les critères diagnostiques du DSM -IV et ces chercheurs n 'ont évalué que des joueurs pathologiques masculins jouant aux machines à sous et n 'ayant aucun autre diagnostic à l'axe I, ce qui limite la généralisation des résultats. Bien que les traitements psychologiques actuels pour le jeu pathologique soient efficaces, environ une personne sur deux n' arrive pas à les compléter. Certains chercheurs croient que la présence d'un TP comorbide pourrait expliquer en partie ces abandons, puisque les TPs comorbides s'avèrent prédicteurs de l'abandon du traitement chez les patients souffrant de divers troubles mentaux. Aucune étude n'a encore évalué cette question chez les joueurs pathologiques. La présente étude vise à identifier la présence et le type de TPs chez les joueurs pathologiques qui amorcent un traitement psychologique en clinique externe d'après les critères du DSM-IV. Elle vise aussi à déterminer si la présence d'un TP comorbide s'avère une variable prédictive de l'abandon du traitement chez cette clientèle. Cent (N= 100) joueurs ont été recrutés dans les différents milieux cliniques au Québec. Ils ont été évalués à l'aide de l'Entrevue diagnostique sur le jeu pathologique-révisée (EDJP-R), l'Entrevue diagnostique du jeu pathologique du DSM-IV, de l'Entrevue diagnostique et clinique semistructurée pour les Troubles de l'axe II (SCID-II) et d'un questionnaire sociodémographique avant le début du traitement. Les intervenants ont rempli le Questionnaire d'arrêt de la démarche thérapeutique (QADT), afin de classifier les participants comme ayant abandonné le traitement ou ayant complété ce dernier. Les données recueillies indiquent que 64% des joueurs présentent un TP comorbide à leur entrée en traitement. Les TPs les plus fréquents seraient ceux provenant du groupe B selon le DSM-IV. La présence d'au moins un TP comorbide du groupe B serait un prédicteur statistiquement significatif de l'abandon du traitement chez cette clientèle.

Investigou-se os efeitos da L-glutamina (1g/kg de massa corpórea) em camundongos jejuados por 24 horas. A L-glutamina atenuou a perda de massa muscular e a diminuição da área das fibras musculares esqueléticas causadas pelo jejum via Akt-mTOR. No sóleo, a L-glutamina estimulou a Akt (início da via), e no EDL ativou a S6 (final da via). Investigou-se também os efeitos da L-glutamina em miotubos (C2C12) cultivados por 48 horas. A diminuição de L-glutamina no meio (de 2 para zero mM) causou balanço proteico negativo e aumento do conteúdo dos aminoácidos livres, exceto dos produtos da glutaminólise, indicando estimulação de proteólise. O aumento de L-glutamina no meio (de 2 para 8 e 16 mM) não alterou o conteúdo intracelular de proteínas e dos aminoácidos livres. Na presença de 2 mM de glutamina no meio, a insulina teve efeito positivo no balanço proteico via Akt/mTOR/S6K, estimulando a S6K. Na ausência de glutamina, houve maior fosforilação de eIF2α estimulada por dexametasona e portanto menor síntese proteica. / We investigated the effects of L-glutamine (1g/kg of body mass) on 24 h fasted mice. L-Glutamine attenuated the loss of muscle mass and the reduction of the skeletal muscle fibers area caused by fasting. This attenuation occurred via Akt-mTOR, however, glutamine stimulated Akt (upstream) in the soleus, whereas it activated S6 (dowstream) in EDL. The effects of L-glutamine on myotubes (C2C12) cultured for 48 hours were also examined. The reduction of L-glutamine in the medium (from 2 to zero mM) decreased protein content and increased contents of all amino acids, except products of glutaminolysis, indicating stimulation of proteolysis. The increased L-glutamine levels in the medium (from 2 to 8 and 16 mM) did not change the intracellular contents of protein and free amino acids. In the presence of 2 mM glutamine, insulin had a positive effect on total protein content through Akt/mTOR/S6K pathway, stimulating S6K. In turn, in the absence of L-glutamine, there was increased eIF2α phosphorylation stimulated by dexamethasone and thus less protein synthesis.

Les partisans de l’approche énactive soutiennent que la cognition se constitue à travers l’histoire des différentes formes d'interaction (biologique, sensorimotrice, intercorporelle, linguistique, etc.) entre un vivant et son environnement. Ces interactions ne sont pas aléatoires, mais des activités obéissant à certaines normes que les énactivistes appellent sense-making. La cognition est, de ce point de vue, une forme de sense-making. Malgré les avantages indéniables que confère une telle perspective pour étudier la cognition, la présente thèse développe un point de vue critique par rapport à l’approche énactive et soutient qu'il est nécessaire d'approfondir notre compréhension de la dimension écologique du sense-making. Le but principal de la thèse est en conséquence de montrer que l'environnement joue un rôle encore plus important que l’approche énactive ne lui attribue habituellement. En m'engageant de manière critique dans le répertoire conceptuel de la cognition énactive, de la phénoménologie et des approches écologiques de la cognition, l’objectif de cette thèse consiste à poser les bases conceptuelles d'une approche énactive-écologique de la cognition. Pour ce faire, la thèse s’attèle à mettre de l’avant trois idées principales. La première consiste à redéfinir le concept du sense-making : contrairement à la conception qui s’est traditionnellement imposée dans le mouvement énactif, nous allons démontrer qu’il s’agit d’un phénomène de développement (et non de création) de normes. La rencontre du corps et du monde est toujours ancrée dans un champ normatif prédéfini, de sorte que nous devons réévaluer le rôle que joue l'environnement dans les processus de sense-making. En effet, si les agents se retrouvent toujours-déjà plongés dans un champ normatif (et non dans un environnement purement causal et physique), il faut alors reconnaître que l'environnement joue un rôle actif dans la constitution et l'auto-transformation des normes de sense-making. La deuxième idée poursuit dans cette veine et porte sur cette nouvelle conception de l'environnement, qui est ici défini comme un champ normatif actif, incarnant une tension entre le passé habituel du système agent-environnement et les contingences incessantes des événements du monde qui poussent le système vers leur auto-transformation et développement. La troisième idée principale de cette thèse consiste en une description holistique du champ d'action des agents (un lieu énactif) et des normes édictées (enacted) par des processus de sense-making sur le terrain (normes de lieu). Une esquisse générale du lieu énactif montre que les activités de sense-making sont liées à des processus écologiques qui enchevêtrent de multiples agents et localités matérielles dans un réseau écologique local. Ces réseaux écologiques forment une unité systémique et résiliente qui se déploie dans le temps avec les habitants du lieu, et fonctionne comme un champ normatif qui contraint et motive l'auto-transformation de chaque système agent-environnement / Supporters of autonomist enactivism or the enactive approach claim that cognition is a phenomenon constituted by the historical development of different forms of interaction (biological, sensorimotor, intercorporeal, and linguistic) between living bodies and their environments. For autonomist enactivists, the nature of these interactions is not entirely predetermined by general laws of causation but by norms enacted in the historical path of the agent-environment system, and thanks to processes of sense-making. Cognition is, from the enactivist standpoint, a form of sense-making. While there are multiple advantages in holding such perspective to study mind and cognition, this thesis develops a critical point of view and argues that it is necessary to deepen our understanding of the ecological dimension of sense-making. Specifically, the thesis aims to show that the environment plays a more critical role than autonomist enactivism usually attributes to it. By drawing on and critically engaging with the conceptual repertoire of enactive cognition, phenomenology, and ecological approaches to cognition, my objective is to set the conceptual foundations for an enactive-ecological approach to cognition. For this task, I propose three interrelated ideas. The first redefines sense-making as a phenomenon of norm development. The most common descriptions of sense-making involve the emergence of meaning from raw physical matter thanks to the activity of living organisms. As norm development, by contrast, sense-making refers to a constant enactment and re-enactment of norms of interaction from other pregiven norms, previously enacted in the past of the agent-environment system. I argue that the encounter of the body and the world is permanently embedded in a pregiven normative field and never in an abstract void where raw physical interactions occur. From this standpoint, we need, however, to re-evaluate the role that the environment plays in sense-making processes. If agents find themselves immersed in normative fields and not in raw physical landscapes, then the environment has a more active role for the constitution and self-transformation of sense-making norms than autonomist enactivists have acknowledged. In this vein, the second main idea of this thesis concerns the environment as an active normative field that incarnates a tension between the habitual past of the agent-environment system and the ongoing contingencies of worldly events that push the system to their self-transformation and development. The third main idea of this thesis consists of a holistic description of the field of action of agents (enactive place) and the norms enacted by processes of sense-making in the field (place-norms). A general sketch of enactive place shows that sense-making is tied to processes that entangle multiple agents and material localities into a local ecological web. An enactive place constitutes a systemic and resilient unity that unfolds in time altogether with its inhabitants, working as a normative field that constrains and motivates the self-transformation of each agent-environment system. Bodies are therefore part of wider unities of historical development: places.

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The purpose of this project is to argue that we possess a minimal self. It will demonstrate that minimal selfhood arrives early in our development and continues to remain and influence us throughout our entire life. There are two areas of research which shape my understanding of the minimal self: phenomenology and enactivism. Phenomenology emphasizes the sense of givenness, ownership, or mineness that accompanies all of our experiences. Enactivism says there is a sensorimotor coupling that occurs between us and the environment in a way which modulates the dynamic patterns of our self development; the laying down of these basic patterns helps make us who we are and gives rise to the phenomenological, experiential mineness. Drawing on these two core ideas, I will be arguing for a Phenomenological-Enactive Minimal Self (abbreviated PEMS). I will be emphasizing the role of the body and the role of affects (moods, feelings, and emotions) as the most important components relevant to understanding minimal selfhood. Put more concretely, the set of conditions which constitute the PEMS view are: (i) The minimal self is the experiential subject; the minimal sense of self is present whenever there is awareness. It is the subjectivity of experience, the sense of mineness, or givenness which our experiences contain. (ii) The phenomenological part of the PEMS view turns on the idea of a bodily and dynamic integration of sensorimotor coupling and affective experience. It is, ontologically speaking, the lived body in enactive engagement with the environment. It is this embodied subject which anchors and forms the foundation for the later ‘narrative' self, which emerges from it and which is continually influenced by it. It is the subject enactively engaged with others, dependent on sensorimotor processes and affects. We have an identity, but it emerges from relational and dynamic processes.