The growth of vertebrates is primarily regulated by the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor (GH-IGF) system, but not in isolation. The central question of this dissertation was how do other hormones peripheral to the GH-IGF system interact with the system, including feedbacks by GH and IGF themselves on various tissues in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)? The representative hormones selected were thyroxine, cortisol, and the sex steroids testosterone and estrogen, along with GH and IGF. These hormones were chosen because they are known to affect overall growth and development during specific life events, but exactly what target genes and what mechanisms are involved are only at the early stages of being delineated in fish. Liver and gill tissues were selected as representative tissues to assess the in vitro effects on growth-related genes of the GH-IGF system. A total of more than thirty experiments were conducted, including time- and concentration-response, inhibitory studies, hormone combination studies, and radio-receptor binding assays. Hormones were applied to whole tissue cultures and real-time quantitative-PCR was used to measure hormonal effects on GHR, IGF, and IGFR1 genes. Microsomal preparations were treated with selected hormones and radio-labeled GH or IGF. A gamma counter was used to measure receptor-ligand activity. GH and IGF were found to possess autocrine and/or paracrine actions in self-regulating target growth genes. Thyroxine had no direct effects on targeted growth genes but may interact with other molecules or hormones to elicit its effects on growth and development. Cortisol directly influenced target growth genes in a tissue-specific and isoform-specific manner. Finally, sex steroids differentially regulated the growth genes: estradiol inhibited growth genes while testosterone directly stimulated growth genes. These findings contribute to understanding how hormones peripheral to the GH-IGF system interact with the growth system. / National Science Foundation grant IOS 0920116 to Dr. Mark Sheridan

Sierra Leone had the highest number of cases of Ebola virus disease in history during the 2014 Ebola epidemic. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between sociocultural and behavioral risk factors and Ebola status among women and men ages 15 to 49 years in Sierra Leone. The ecological model served as the theoretical framework. Secondary data were collected from the Sierra Leone Ebola Disease Survey. Results of chi-square tests revealed that attending a funeral (p = .001), touching a dead body at a funeral (p = .023), contact with a sick person (p = .001), touching bodily fluids (p = 0.001), gender (p = .035), traditional healer occupation (p = .001), and housewife/care taker occupation (p = .001) were significantly associated with Ebola infection status among the study population. Age, seeking traditional healer care, and preparation and consumption of primate meat were not associated with Ebola virus infection. Results of stepwise backward elimination logistic regression indicated the only significant predictor of Ebola infection was attending a funeral (adjusted R2 = .013 or 1.3%, p = .031). Findings may be used to promote awareness of funeral-related Ebola infection risk and avoiding traditional and religious practices that elevate infection risk during burial of the dead, which may be used to reduce or prevent future Ebola outbreaks in Sierra Leone.

I januari 2017 kom Boverket ut med nya förslag om regleringar gällande Sveriges realisering av primärenergifaktorer för uppvärmning i byggnader. Det innebär att de tidigare kraven om specifik energianvändning ersätts med en energiprestandaindikator som uttrycker en byggnads primärenergianvändning. Användningen av primärenergifaktorer för reglering av uppvärmning i byggnader härstammar ifrån EU:s direktiv om energieffektiva byggnader (EPBD), där syftet är att styra nybyggnationer mot nära-nollenergibyggnader (NNE). Boverket föreslår att el bör tilldelas primärenergifaktorn 1,6 fram till 2021 och uppvärmning med fjärrvärme, olja, naturgas och biobränsle ska inledningsvis tilldelas faktorn 1,0. Förslaget har fått mycket kritik ifrån bland annat svenska energibolag, som menar att den svenska fjärrvärmen missgynnas, då den likställs med annan uppvärmning som exempelvis olja. Det framgår även i EPBD att medlemsländer får ta fram egna primärenergifaktorer som motsvarar lokala förutsättningar. Sammantaget har examensarbetet syftat till att beräkna och analysera primärenergifaktorer för svensk fjärrvärme. Inom arbetet genomfördes en litteraturstudie där rapporter, vetenskapliga artiklar och konsultrapporter inom ämnet primärenergifaktorer studerades. Dessutom undersöktes huruvida övriga länder inom EU beräknat nationella primärenergifaktorer för fjärrvärme och hur de gått tillväga. Det har konstaterats av författarna att det finns ett stort antal metoder, värderingar och synsätt att beakta vid framtagandet av primärenergifaktorer. Två olika beräkningsperspektiv har identifierats, bokförings- och konsekvensperspektivet. Utöver dessa perspektiv återfanns ett antal metoder för allokering mellan el och värme; I rapporten har energimetoden, alternativproduktionsmetoden samt exergimetoden studerats inom bokföringsperspektivet. För konsekvensperspektivet har systemutvidgning använts genom power bonus method, i vilken producerad el i kraftvärmeverk antas ersätta motsvarande mängd elproduktion på marknaden. Totalt studeras 10 olika kombinationer med varierande perspektiv, allokeringsmetoder och indata för beräkning av primärenergifaktorer. Författarna föreslår att bokföringsperspektivet och alternativproduktionsmetoden bör användas som ett första steg vid framtagandet av svenska primärenergifaktorer för fjärrvärme. Detta eftersom metoden är lätthanterlig och stödjs av flertalet aktörer, såsom Värmemarknadskommittén (VMK) och Swedish Standards Institute (SIS). De beräknade primärenergifaktorerna har delats upp i de 8 kategorierna nät med och utan avfall, med och utan elproduktion efter storlek samt ett nationellt värde. Primärenergifaktorer för ingående bränslen i fjärrvärmeproduktion har inhämtats från VMK och SIS. Författarna har valt att inte förespråka någon uppdelning framför en annan, utan anser snarare att en tydlig motivering bör ligga bakom de beslut som ska tas och att de beräknade faktorerna utgör beslutsunderlag i frågan. En viktig slutsats är dock att de beräknade faktorerna är betydligt mindre än den som presenterats av Boverket. Vidare anser författarna att tydligare riktlinjer behöver implementeras på EU-nivå för hur nationella och lokala primärenergifaktorer får tas fram och beräknas. / In January 2017, Boverket issued new proposals for regulations concerning Sweden's realization of primary energy factors for heating in buildings. The new proposal replaces the previous requirements for specific energy use with an energy performance indicator that expresses a building's primary energy use. The use of primary energy factors for the regulation of heating in buildings is derived from the EU's Energy Efficient Buildings Directive (EPBD), which aims guiding new buildings towards Near-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). Boverket proposes that electricity should be set to the primary energy factor 1.6 (until 2021) and heating by either district heating, oil, natural gas or biofuel should initially be assigned the factor 1.0. The proposal has received a lot of criticism from, among other players, Swedish energy companies, which argue that the Swedish district heating is given a disadvantage, as it valued the same as energy carriers such as oil. It is also apparent from the EPBD that member countries may develop their own primary energy factors that correspond to local conditions if they want to. All in all, above mentioned issues have led to this thesis’ aim, which is calculating and analyzing primary energy factors specifically for Swedish district heating. Within the thesis boundaries, a literature study was conducted in which reports, scientific articles and consultancy reports on the subject of primary energy factors were studied. In addition, it was investigated if other EU countries have calculated national primary energy factors for district heating and how they were implemented. It has been concluded by the authors that there are a large number of methods, values and approaches to be taken into account in the development of primary energy factors. Two different calculation perspectives have been identified, the accounting and consequence perspective. In addition to these perspectives, a number of methods were found for the allocation of electricity and heat; In the thesis, the energy method, the alternative production method and the exergy method have been studied in the accounting perspective. For the consequence perspective, system expansion has been utilized through the power bonus method, in which electricity produced in CHP plants is assumed to replace the corresponding electricity generation in the market. In total, 10 different combinations are studied with varying perspectives, allocation methods and input data for the calculation of primary energy factors. The authors suggest that the accounting perspective and alternative production method should be used as a first step in the development of Swedish factors for district heating. The method is easy to handle and supported by many actors, such as Värmemarknadskommittén (VMK) and the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS). The calculated primary energy factors have been divided into the following categories: waste in the fuel mix, a national factor, electricity generation and grid size. The authors have chosen not to advocate any calculated factor in front of another, but rather thinks that the upcoming decisions to be taken regarding primary energy factors should be well motivated. An important conclusion, however, is that the calculated factors are considerably smaller than those presented by Boverket. Furthermore, the authors argue that clearer guidelines need to be implemented at an EU level for how national and local primary energy factors can be developed and calculated.

The Swedish electricity market was historically based on predictable and controllable power plants. The introduction variable renewable energy (VRE) sources in the market have led to less predictability and larger short-term variations in the generation profiles. These effects are compounded as the market share of VRE sources are increasing, and in Sweden’s case as the nuclear power plants are being phased out. Different metrics of value are calculated to shed light on the economic potential of new power sources. A not yet commonly used metric is the value factor of a technology, which represents the net increase or net decrease in revenue due to if the generation coincides with a high or low spot price of electricity. The thesis seeks to calculate the value factors and analyse their place within the northern European electricity market. In order to calculate the value factors and analysing them, the acquisition of datasets for varying market variables was required. The three sources of these datasets was for this thesis the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, Nord Pool and Svenska kraftnät. These sources combined could supply datasets for market variables dating back to 2015 for Sweden and each country with an international connection with Sweden. This limits the scope of this analysis to 2015 - 2019 for Sweden and six other countries. The value factors were calculated for each Swedish electric price region divided into five categorical technologies, wind-, solar-, hydro-, nuclear- and heat power. The results from this only gave concrete results for two technologies. Wind power are shown to generally have a value factor below one and hydro power in the two northern regions have a value factor above one. This indicates that the market is saturated for wind power while in demand for hydro power from northern Sweden. Every other pair of technology and region vary as to not indicate whether the market is in demand of it or not. Analysing the association of variables was accomplished using a correlation study. Variables that consistently have a critical correlation factor, either linear or monotonic, are identified as associated variables. Out of these pairs of associated variables, the ones with a shared trend in either correlation or normalized regression with the trend of the appropriate value factor are identified as associated with the same value factor. This resulted in several associated variables for each value factor. Neither of these associations can by this methodology be identified as having a causal relation, it only displays correlations which could be incidental.

No description available.

MSc (Med), Molecular Medicine and Haematology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Factor X deficiency is a rare bleeding disorder with an incidence of one in a million in the general population. Patients with the severe form of factor X deficiency suffer from serious bleeds occurring mainly into the joints and the muscle. In the two factor X deficient families currently looked after at the Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centre, there are definite differences in the bleeding tendencies between and within family members. We hypothesize the differences in genetic mutations and the influence of cytokines to be responsible for these bleeding variabilities. These factors were explored in our study. The study population included a total of fourteen members of the two families with factor X deficiency. Blood for factor X measurement, cytokine studies and genetic studies was collected in the Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centre of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Each blood was processed according to the test to be performed. Factor X activity levels were measured using the factor X assay, and the information on each patient’s bleeding episodes was obtained from the Haemophiliac Clinic database. Cytokines were analyzed in all patients using the ELISA kits from Biosource. Factor X gene was amplified using PCR and sequenced with Spectrumedix SCE 2410. iv For cytokine studies, high levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were observed in frequent bleeding patients compared to infrequent bleeders. These cytokines are known to be involved in acute inflammatory process leading to cellular infiltrate and joint swelling. This results in synovitis and the creation of massive joint bleeding. The low levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha detected in infrequent bleeding patients appear to be related to the high levels of IL-1Ra and IL-10. These anti-inflammatory cytokines are known to inhibit the inflammatory synovitis and lessen the severity of joint bleeding. For genetic studies, differences were observed between the amino acid sequence of the three frequent bleeding patients and the consensus. In addition, a novel mutation Cys350Phe was detected in two of these patients. This mutation is characterized by very low factor X levels which sometimes are not detectable in circulation. The substituted cystine is known to cause defect in the substrate binding, leading to the lost of enzyme activity. From these findings we have concluded that the origin of the heterogeneity of bleeding in factor X deficiency is multifactorial, cytokines and genetic mutations seems to have a role in determining the clinical manifestations of the factor X deficient patients.

<p> Fearlessness is often discussed in relation to clinical and personality research (e.g., Davies & Craske, 2018; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). However, there is a paucity of research focusing on its empirical structure, in particular with from self-report measures. The present study examined the hierarchical structure of self-reported fearlessness and compared this structure to external criterion measures. Using a pre-registered analytical approach, we found evidence for the multidimensionality of fearlessness, and that a six-factor model fit the data best. Criterion variables measuring boldness, fear, anxiety, psychopathy, personality, and impulsivity, were correlated with the factor scores at each factor level of the model. The six-factor solution emerged as comprehensive and labeled Boldness, Anxiety, Surgency, Recklessness, Adventurousness, and Daring. The findings from this study elucidate how trait fearlessness unfolds at varying levels and how these factors relate to and diverge from various outcomes.</p> <p><br></p>

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of PAF treatment of rabbit spermatozoa on in vitro fertilization and subsequent blastocyst formation. Rabbit spermatozoa were exposed to PAF (10-7 M ), lyso-PAF (10-7 M ), or HIS (385 mOsm/kg) for 15 min prior to insemination of ovulated oocytes. Fertilized oocytes were cultured to the hatched blastocyst stage.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to study the environmental and competitive factors in the service organizations and second, to investigate the extent of effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives in different operational settings. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper factor analysis is used to determine the underlying factors associated with the changes in the competitive environment. Proportional measures are used to study the implementation of quality improvement initiatives. Findings - The paper finds that quality improvement initiatives are not implemented uniformly by all the service industries. Organizations implementing quality improvement initiatives face varying degrees of effectiveness. Positive operational and strategic outcomes have been observed by organizations implementing the quality improvement initiatives. Practical implications - The results of this paper show that implementation of different types of quality improvement initiatives has a positive impact on operational and strategic aspects of service organizations. Originality/value - The empirical investigation in this paper shows the practical and theoretical value of issues related to the performance of service organizations.

In the present study, we examined whether NF-κB activation is required for cardiac hypertrophy in vivo. Cardiac hypertrophy in rats was induced by aortic banding for 1, 3, and 5 days and 1-6 wk, and age-matched sham-operated rats served as controls. In a separate group of rats, an IκB-α dominant negative mutant (IκB-αM), a superrepressor of NF-κB activation, or pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC), an antioxidant that can inhibit NF-κB activation, was administered to aortic-banded rats for 3 wk. The heart weight-to-body weight ratio was significantly increased at 5 days after aortic banding, peaked at 4 wk, and remained elevated at 6 wk compared with age-matched sham controls. Atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide mRNA expressions were significantly increased after 1 wk of aortic banding, reached a maximum between 2 and 3 wk, and remained increased at 6 wk compared with age-matched sham controls. NF-κB activity was significantly increased at 1 day, reached a peak at 3 wk, and remained elevated at 6 wk, and IKK-β activity was significantly increased at 1 day, peaked at 5 days, and then decreased but remained elevated at 6 wk after aortic banding compared with age-matched sham controls. Inhibiting NF-κB activation in vivo by cardiac transfection of IκB-αM or by PDTC treatment significantly attenuated the development of cardiac hypertrophy in vivo with a concomitant decrease in NF-κB activity. Our results suggest that NF-κB activation is required for the development of cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and that NF-κB could be an important target for inhibiting the development of cardiac hypertrophy in vivo.