Cold-adapted (ca) live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) have been introduced as alternatives to existing inactivated influenza vaccines. The influenza A components of the FDA-approved ca LAIVs (Flumist®; Medimmune) have common internal genes derived from the donor strain A/Ann Arbor/6/60 ca and surface genes derived from current wild-type (wt) epidemic strains. The aim of this thesis was to investigate determinants of immunogenicity for reassortants of A/Ann Arbor/6/60 ca, using a range of immunological assays, including recently developed MHC tetramer techniques. From the study, the extent of viral replication in the respiratory tract of mice, the primary site of inoculation, was a key factor in determining ca vaccine immunogenicity. Replication was shown to be influenced by both viral surface Ags and the host MHC. The H3 ca reassortants CR6, CR18, CR29 and CR6-35* exhibited greater replication efficiency (as determined by their PFU:HAU ratios) than the H1 ca reassortants CR35 and CR6-35. The H3 ca reassortant CR6 caused a 3.79% loss in body weight but no losses were observed for the H1 ca reassortant CR35 and the ca H2N2 donor strain A/Ann Arbor/6/60 ca. Higher HI responses were detected after 3 weeks in groups infected with the H3 ca reassortant CR6 (GMT 80) than with the H1 reassortant CR35 (GMT 10) and the H2 ca donor strain A/Ann Arbor/6/60 ca (GMT 13). Recently developed techniques were used to evaluate specific T-cell response to ca LAIVs. Fluorescent-labelled tetramer is the key reagent for use in tetramer-based flow cytometry assays. The NP366-374 peptide of influenza A viruses comprises an immunodominant epitope that is highly conserved between subtypes. Tetramers developed for A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) were able to detect NP-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by A/Ann Arbor /6/60 ca (H2N2). An attempt to prepare the A/Ann Arbor/6/60 ca-specific-NP-tetramer is described. H-2Db monomers were successfully refolded with the peptide, but only 20% were able to form tetramers through biotin-streptavidin linkage, resulting in a poor capacity to stain. By contrast, an IFN-γ ICC assay developed in parallel demonstrated that peptide NP366-374 was able to restimulate A/Ann Arbor/6/60 NP ca-specific CTLs and secrete IFN-γ when tested in vitro. Specific-B and T cell responses induced in the lungs in response to infection by ca reassortants exhibited great variability that was determined by the growth characteristics of different viruses. Type I (CTL) responses were induced by low yielding ca reassortants, such as CR35 (H1N1). Viruses with enhanced growth characteristics, such as CR6 (H3N2), produced higher Type II (HA-specific Ab) responses. In addition, host factors, such as MHC type, were found to play an important role in responses to the same viruses. Susceptible mouse strains, such as C57BL/6, showed higher CTL but lower serum Ab responses than more resistant strains, such as BALB/c. Throughout this PhD project, a fine balance between the humoral and CMI, local and systemic immune responses induced by ca LAIVs was demonstrated. The need to assess local immune responses, in addition to serum antibody levels, for the evaluation of vaccine efficacy was an important conclusion of the thesis.

As robot technologies develop, many researchers have tried to use robots to support education. Studies have shown that robots can help students develop problem-solving abilities. Robotics technology is being increasingly integrated into the field of education largely due to the appealing image of robot’s young students have. With the rapid development of robotics, it has become feasible to use an educational robot for enhancing learning. This thesis explores the possibility of using robots as an educational tool for being quiz assistant in the class. Here we will be working with the humanoid-like robot and we will teach the robot to be a quiz assistant. The main purpose of this thesis is to have quizzes adapted to an individual knowledge of students in the class. By doing this a teacher can track a student’s performance individually while students will get the performance results as feedback using paper quizzes. When implemented fully, quizzes will be printed, distributed to students, collected from them, corrected, and students will be individually informed by email automatically and rapidly. Conceptually, this is a new approach to learning since frequent, paper-based quizzes become a learning tool in the service of active learning as opposed to their classical use, infrequently used control tool. The thesis scope is limited to contribute to individualization, distribution, and collection of the quizzes, leaving out the automatic correction. This is because for the latter there are already implemented solutions. With individualization, we mean identification of a student taking a certain quiz and conversely, deducing the identity of a student from a collected quiz. For this, we will use face detection and face recognition techniques. To this effect, an algorithm based on the technique Haar cascade by Viola and Jones [1]was used for face detection and Local Binary Pattern Histogram [from now on calledLBPH] method was used for face recognition [2]. This combination is shown to be, precise and maximally avoids illumination problems. The thesis also marks important details missing in the aforementioned paper as well as some drawbacks of the proposed technique. Our results show that RAQUEL system can perform face detection and recognition effectively by identifying and depending on the chosen interfacing strategy, then voicing identification details such as names, individual quiz number and seating row number of the students. Our system can not only be used to identify and bind a student identity to a certain quiz number, but also it can detail class/quiz attendance and keep track of in what order students gave back the quiz papers, helping to assure by biometric identification, that the automatically corrected quiz results are registered for correct student identity.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att utveckla kunskap om och förståelse för ämnet Idrott och hälsa i gymnasiesärskolan. Detta görs genom att beskriva vilka former av kunskap som realiseras i undervisningen och hur detta görs. Det faktiska genomförandet jämförs med lärarnas tolkning av ämnet och diskuteras i ljuset av omgivande normer, lärarnas personliga påverkan, ämnestraditioner och yttre ramar. Materialinsamlingen utfördes på en gymnasiesärskola via 13 lektionsobservationer och fem intervjuer med dem som undervisar i ämnet. Resultaten visar på en verksamhet som domineras av ett integrerat kunskapsideal. Tydligast är detta i lärarnas tal om ämnet, men detta synsätt är det mest framträdande även i undervisningen där individualisering, kontextualisering och integrering betonas. Denna bild av undervisningen analyseras i förhållande till de normer som genomsyrar kurs- och läroplan, lärarnas erfarenheter från bl. a. särskolan och vårdsektorn, de heterogena elevgrupperna och personaltätheten. I studien identifieras ett fokus på ett egenvärde i upplevelsen, vilket förstås som en strategi för att uppnå ämneslegitimitet. Resultaten visar också på förekomsten av tävlingsbetonade inslag, vilket ej harmoniserar med den integrerade kunskapssynen. Dessa förstås, likt den framträdande roll bollaktiviteter har, i ljuset av pedagogernas personliga idrottserfarenheter och den tradition som präglar ämnet Idrott och hälsa. / The purpose of this paper is to develop knowledge and understanding of the subject Physical Education and Health in the upper secondary school for individuals with learning disabilities. The study describes the kind of knowledge that is realised during the lessons and how this is done. The implementation is compared with the teachers' interpretation of the subject and discussed in light of surrounding norms, the teacher's role, subject-specific traditions and outer frames. The empiric material was collected through the observation of 13 lessons and five interviews with teachers. The results indicate an environment dominated by an integrated perception of knowledge. This is most evident in how the teachers’ interpret the subject, but this approach is also prominent in the lessons where individualisation, contextualisation, and integration are emphasized. The material is analysed in relation to the curriculum, the teachers´ experiences from schools for individuals with learning disabilities and the health care sector, and the heterogeneous student groups. The study identifies a focus on the personal value of experience as a strategy to gain legitimacy for the subject. There is also an emphasis on competition in the realisation of Physical Education and Health. Neither of these features harmonise with the concept of an integrated understanding of learning. The stress on competition, like the prominent role of ball sports, are discussed in light of the pedagogues’ personal sporting experience and the tradition of the subject Physical Education and Health.

No description available.

No description available.

Yes / Purpose: To demonstrate that silent substitution stimuli can be used to generate electroretinograms (ERGs) that effectively isolate rod photoreceptor function in humans without the need for dark adaptation, and that this approach constitutes a viable alternative to current clinical standard testing protocols. Methods: Rod-isolating and non-isolating sinusoidal flicker stimuli were generated on a 4 primary light-emitting diode (LED) Ganzfeld stimulator to elicit ERGs from participants with normal and compromised rod function who had not undergone dark-adaptation. Responses were subjected to Fourier analysis, and the amplitude and phase of the fundamental were used to examine temporal frequency and retinal illuminance response characteristics. Results: Electroretinograms elicited by rod-isolating silent substitution stimuli exhibit low-pass temporal frequency response characteristics with an upper response limit of 30 Hz. Responses are optimal between 5 and 8 Hz and between 10 and 100 photopic trolands (Td). There is a significant correlation between the response amplitudes obtained with the silent substitution method and current standard clinical protocols. Analysis of signal-to-noise ratios reveals significant differences between subjects with normal and compromised rod function. Conclusions: Silent substitution provides an effective method for the isolation of human rod photoreceptor function in subjects with normal as well as compromised rod function when stimuli are used within appropriate parameter ranges. Translational Relevance: This method of generating rod-mediated ERGs can be achieved without time-consuming periods of dark adaptation, provides improved isolation of rod- from cone-based activity, and will lead to the development of faster clinical electrophysiologic testing protocols with improved selectivity.

Yes / Background: Experience-based co-design (EBCD) brings patients and staff together to co-design services. It is normally conducted in one organization which initiates and implements the process. We used the traditional EBCD method with a number of adaptations as part of a larger research study in the British National Health Service.Methods: The primary aim was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of conduct-ing research-initiated EBCD, to enhance intervention development prior to testing. As well as embedding the method in a research study, there were 3 further key adap-tations: (a) working across primary and secondary care sectors, (b) working on multi-ple sites and (c) incorporating theory-informed analysis.Results: We recruited four sites (covering both primary and secondary care) and, on each site, conducted the initial traditional EBCD meetings, with separate staff and patient groups—followed by a single joint patient-staff event, where four priority areas for co-design were agreed. This event was driven by theory-informed analysis, as well as the traditional trigger film of patient experiences. Each site worked on one priority area, and the four co-design groups met over 2-3 months to design prototype tools. A second joint event was held (not usually undertaken in single-site EBCD) where they shared and compared outputs. The research team combined elements of these outputs to create an intervention, now being tested in a cluster randomized controlled trial.Conclusions: EBCD can be successfully adapted for use across an entire patient pathway with multiple organizations and as part of a research process to identify an intervention for subsequent testing in a randomized trial. Our pragmatic approach used the patient experience to identify areas for improvement and co-designed an intervention which directly reflected patient priorities. / National Institute for Health Research programme ‘Improving the safety and continuity of medicines management at care transitions (ISCOMAT)’ RP‐PG‐0514‐2009.

Klimatförändringar gör att vi kommer se en ökad medeltemperatur. Nederbörden kommer att variera mera där större mängder kommer falla under höst och vinter, medan vår och sommar blir desto torrare. Skador på skogen kommer troligtvis öka i form av torka, patogener och storm. För att skogen ska klara av dessa extremer behöver dagens skogsbruk ställa om till ett klimatanpassat skogsbruk. Eftersom stora delar av Sveriges skogar ägs privat är syftet med studien att undersöka vilka typer av klimatanpassade skötselåtgärder dagens privatägda skogar utfört eller planerat i södra Sverige. Undersökning gjordes genom intervjuer samt utskick av skriftliga frågor till olika typer av rådgivare i skogsbranschen. Öka tall-, lövandel och ståndortsanpassa var det tre högst prioriterade skötselåtgärderna. Kunskapsbrist var den största anledning till att skogsägare var osäkra på att ställa om till ett klimatanpassat skogsbruk.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Food Science and Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2015. / Listeria monocytogenes have been implicated as a public health concern worldwide. The study explored the survival of non-adapted, heat adapted and chlorine adapted L. monocytogenes on tomatoes; as well as the survival of non-adapted, heat adapted and chlorine adapted biofilms after exposure to sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), levulinc acid, sodium hypochlorite solution. Contact time of 1, 3 and 5 minutes was used. The survival of L. monocytogenes was monitored at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours. The sanitizers were used individually or combined as follows; 1% sodium dodecyl sulphate individually; 0.5% levulinic acid individually; 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution individually and 0.5% levulinic acid/0.05% sodium dodecyl sulphate in combination (mixture). The samples were kept at 4 °C throughout the period of assessment. The effect of these sanitizers on pH, total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) was also determined. Furthermore, the attachment of L. monocytogenes on tomatoes was investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Highest log reduction of non-adapted L. monocytogenes were observed on tomatoes treated with 1% SDS and least log reduction was achieved when tomatoes were treated with sodium hypochlorite solution. Though the log reduction achieved by 0.5% levulinic acid was higher that sodium hypochlorite solution, it was lower than log reduction achieved when 0.05% SDS / 0.5% levulinic acid mixture was used for all contact times. Using non-adapted L. monocytogenes, SDS was able to destroy all L. monocytogenes at 1, 3 and 5 minutes contact time. The trend was the same when heat adapted and chlorine adapted L. monocytogenes were used. There was no significant log reduction observed with biofilms. More favourable results were observed as contact time was increased from 1 to 5 minutes. Though there was a decrease in surviving bacteria from 1 to 3 minutes contact time, this decrease was not significant. The study investigated if exposure to sanitizer has an effect on pH, titratable acidity (TA) and total soluble solids (TSS) of the tomatoes. It was revealed that levulinic acid and mixture can have detrimental effect on pH, TA and TSS of tomatoes. The TA and TSS of samples treated with levulinic acid and mixture varied significantly (P ≤ 0.05) compared to the control sample. Although the TA and TSS of samples treated with SDS and sodium hypochlorite solution were different from the control, the differences were not significant. As much as sanitizers have the potential to reduce the bacterial population in fresh produce they may not completely destroy pathogens. Chlorine based sanitizers such as sodium hypochlorite though frequently used in the fresh produce industry, are not the best sanitizer to be used against food borne pathogens. Other sanitizers such as SDS used alone or in combination with another sanitizer can achieve better results than the widely used sodium hypochlorite solution as observed in this study. Stress adapted pathogens become less responsive to sanitizers during subsequent treatments. Through this research, it was established that biofilms are resistant to sanitizers. Though application of sanitizers in fresh produce is cheaper and simpler to apply, there is need to monitor varying concentrations of sanitizers, contact time and minimise contact with sub-surfaces as this could lead to sensory quality losses.

This thesis discusses colouring, circular list colouring and adapted game colouring of graphs. For colouring, this thesis obtains a sufficient condition for a planar graph to be 3-colourable. Suppose G is a planar graph. Let H_G be the graph with vertex set V (H_G) = {C : C is a cycle of G with |C| ∈ {4, 6, 7}} and edge set E(H_G) = {CiCj : Ci and Cj have edges in common}. We prove that if any 3-cycles and 5-cycles are not adjacent to i-cycles for 3 ≤ i ≤ 7, and H_G is a forest, then G is 3-colourable. For circular consecutive choosability, this thesis obtains a basic relation among chcc(G), X(G) and Xc(G) for any finite graph G. We show that for any finite graph G, X(G) − 1 ≤ chcc(G) < 2 Xc(G). We also determine the value of chcc(G) for complete graphs, trees, cycles, balanced complete bipartite graphs and some complete multi-partite graphs. Upper and lower bounds for chcc(G) are given for some other classes of graphs. For adapted game chromatic number, this thesis studies the adapted game chromatic number of various classes of graphs. We prove that the maximum adapted game chromatic number of trees is 3; the maximum adapted game chromatic number of outerplanar graphs is 5; the maximum adapted game chromatic number of partial k-trees is between k + 2 and 2k + 1; and the maximum adapted game chromatic number of planar graphs is between 6 and 11. We also give upper bounds for the Cartesian product of special classes of graphs, such as the Cartesian product of partial k-trees and outerplanar graphs, or planar graphs.