Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Work and family are the central and salient domains in an individual's life. Juggling work and family life have always been a challenge for many employees and families (Hammer et al., 2005). However, with the increased interest in the construct of workfamily enrichment, more attention was given to the positive influences across the life domains. Grzywacz and Butler (2005) found that work-family enrichment improved mental and physical well-being. The objective of this study was twofold; (i) to explore and add to existing research done on work-family enrichment and (ii) investigate the relationships between workfamily enrichment, psychological health and subjective wellbeing of employees within a financial services organisation in South Africa. Three hundred and forty seven questionnaires were administered and one hundred and sixty eight completed questionnaires were returned. Purposive sampling was used to select employees to participate in the study. Data was collected by a self-developed biographical questionnaire, Calson, Kacmar, Wayne, and Grzywacz's (2006) Enrichment Scale, General Health Questionnaire developed by Kalliath, O'Driscoll and Brough (2004) and the Personal Wellbeing Index developed by the International Wellbeing Group (2006). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data and to interpret the descriptive and inferential statistics. Specifically the Pearson Moment Correlation analysis and the T-Test was used. The results indicated that a relationship between work-to-family enrichment and psychological health exist. There was a significant relationship for family-to-work enrichment and psychological health. Furthermore, results indicated a significant relationship between work-to-family enrichment and subjective wellbeing. A significant relationship between family-to-work enrichment and subjective wellbeing was also found. However, no significant differences were found for gender for both work-to-family and family-to-work enrichment. Future considerations, theoretical implications and recommendations for organisations are discussed.

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Master of Science / Department of Psychology / Mary E. Cain / Rats reared in an enriched condition (EC) with novel stimuli and social contact with cohorts display less sensitization to nicotine than rats reared under impoverished conditions (IC). However, it is currently unknown what effect differential rearing has on nicotine-induced conditioned hyperactivity. The present study determined whether differential rearing affects conditioning to a nicotine-associated context. In addition, this study also examined the effects of mecamylamine, an antagonist to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, on conditioned hyperactivity and sensitization. This antagonistic drug has been shown to attenuate the locomotor effects of nicotine. In the current study, EC, IC, and social condition (SC) rats were reared from 21 to 51 days of age before training for the acquisition of conditioned hyperactivity and sensitization. Nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) was administered prior to 1-h locomotor sessions. Conditioned hyperactivity testing followed. Rats then received 5 sessions of sensitization training followed by a 16-day drug-free rest period before being tested for sensitization. Mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg) was administered to rats prior to the conditioned hyperactivity test and sensitization test. Nicotine treatment resulted in sensitization and conditioned hyperactivity in all differential rearing groups. EC rats displayed less locomotor activity in response to nicotine than both IC and SC rats. Pretreatment with mecamylamine blocked the expression of conditioned hyperactivity in EC and SC rats and attenuated sensitization in all three rearing groups. These findings suggest that environmental enrichment may alter nAChR binding during development and may be a protective factor in the initiation and relapse of smoking behavior.

published_or_final_version / Industrial Engineering / Master / Master of Science in Engineering

The purpose of this study was to enrich the environment for llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos) in a zoo. The zoo is located in northern Sweden (Umeå, Mickelträsk). The llama herd consists of three individuals of breed qara, two males and one female and the alpaca herd consists of six individuals of breed huacaya, one male, four females and one foal. The species lived in separate enclosures, they lived outside all year round and they had a shelter for wind and rain protection. They feed on pasture and were fed hay and pellet concentrate. A behavioral-study was carried out in April 2014, a five-day study where each of the species were observed 3 h a day, 1,5 h in morning and afternoon. The behavioral of llama and alpaca were observed individually and each behavior was observed in terms of duration and frequency. The study observed if the animals had a possibility to implement their natural behaviors in their enclosures and whether they showed any abnormal- or stereotypical behaviors that can occur in captivity. The questions I wanted to answer were: (1) what behaviors are occurring, (2) Is it possible to indicate from the behaviors if the animals are doing well or not, (3) Is there a difference in behaviors in the morning and afternoon? (4) Is there a difference between the sexes? (5) What actions should be undertaken to enrich and improve the habitat for llamas and alpacas in a zoo? The results from the study show that llamas and alpacas show many normal and natural behaviors, no abnormal-or stereotypical behaviors were visible. Some behaviors were more common in morning and some in afternoon and there were differences in behaviors between the sexes. Example for some environmental enrichment for the llamas and alpacas in the zoo was to add logs, trees, shrubs and sand piles to the enclosure.

Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) is a promising approach that is currently being developed. The principle is that fetal material can be detected in maternal plasma and potentially enable women to pursue reliable and timely prenatal diagnosis, whilst eliminating the risk of miscarriage associated with chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. However NIPD research has been restricted up until now for the diagnosis of Down syndrome due to the low concentration of free fetal DNA (ffDNA) in maternal plasma. Various methods have been developed in an attempt to increase the concentration of ffDNA. This study uses COLD-PCR (co-amplification at lower denaturation temperature PCR) to analyse potential enrichment of ffDNA over maternal DNA through optimization of the critical denaturation temperature (Td), using Real Time-PCR in an attempt to selectively enrich smaller fetal DNA fragments. Fake fetal DNA was created in two different spike experiments to imitate the natural environment of viable ffDNA. One spike experiment used 5% of fake fetal DNA in a 95% maternal background to represent levels of ffDNA during early pregnancy. The other spike experiment utilized 10% of fake fetal DNA in 90% maternal background to denote late pregnancy. Before running COLD-PCR, various adjustments took place to find the critical Td at which one could run the spike experiment by COLD-PCR. Products of spike experiment were analysed on a genetic analyser for fragment analysis. Melt curve analysis was also performed for the spike experiment to identify the specificity of each sample at each denaturation temperatures. A critical Td (80°C) was identified for the D21S1890 region of chromosome 21 by COLD-PCR. This temperature does allow enrichment of fetal DNA, as fake maternal DNA was undetermined by RT-PCR compared to fake fetal DNA. The spike experiments clearly showed amplification of fake fetal DNA from the mixture of fake fetal and fake maternal DNA at the critical Td of 80°C. Running same samples of spike experiment on genetic analyser identified peaks from all samples at a Td of 95°C, while at a critical Td of 80°C the result showed decreased numbers of maternal peaks, regardless of stutter peaks formation. Melt curve analysis results clearly identified heteroduplex formation in the samples at the critical Td of 80°C. The results represent a good indication for using COLD-PCR in enriching ffDNA for detection by RT-PCR. However, as each individual has only two alleles, the observed results of multiple peaks for fragment analysis were not expected. Further research needs to focus on both eliminating heteroduplex formation and stutter peaks. COLD-PCR has the potential to open a new gateway in NIPD for aneuploidy detection. This method could be particularly useful in the detection of genetic abnormalities in the fetus, in particular Down syndrome and other aneuploidies.

The aim of environmental enrichment is to alter the environment of a captive animal in a way that results in improved mental and physical welfare. The technique has been utilised effectively for many years for captive mammals in a variety of settings. However, until now it has never been considered as a way of improving the welfare of aquatic animals such as fish. Fish that are used in regulatory toxicology studies are at present maintained solely in barren tank environments. Little is known about how these types of environments affect the well-being of the animals residing there and whether they impact either physiological heath or behavioural repertoire. This thesis aims to address this gap in the knowledge regarding the potential for environmental enrichment to improve the welfare of fish used in regulatory toxicology. More specifically it looks at two types of enrichment and the effects of these on the commonly used model species, the zebrafish (Danio rerio). The first type of enrichment studied was glass rod structures of varying heights provided to increase tank complexity and provide refuge. The glass structures did not produce any quantifiable benefits in unstressed fish and appeared to delay the formation of stable social hierarchies. When fish were stressed by a period of chasing, the presence of the glass rods appeared to reduce the magnitude of the cortisol response. Whilst this could be viewed as a potential benefit, it was felt that it would not outweigh the costs of this type of enrichment. The second type of enrichment studied was provision of airstones. Again, no clear evidence was found that fish in tanks with airstones experienced an improvement in welfare. The main observation was the vast increase in mortality in tanks containing these airstones, in particular, those of a smaller size. Regardless of the physiological cause underlying this result, this can only be viewed as a negative consequence and one that appears to rule out airstones as an effective form of enrichment for this species and strain of fish. It was also observed that both stress and the presence of enrichment influenced the absolute deviation from the mean in several endpoints. Since changes in endpoint variation will have effects both on the number of animals required to statistically measure environmentally relevant effects this is a factor that should be considered when researching methods of environmental enrichment. Finally, results from these studies suggest the possibility that laboratory zebrafish do not require the addition of environmental enrichment to tanks in order to promote maximum welfare. Furthermore, as considerable costs would be involved in implementing many types of enrichment (relating to manufacture, cleaning, incompatibility of results with previous studies etc.) it is likely that observed benefits would have to be both substantial and well established in order for changes in regulatory guidelines to take place. For a species such as zebrafish that are extremely easy to breed and maintain in the laboratory with minimal amounts of disease, social problems or mortalities, it may be that current conditions are satisfactory.

Cellular life is highly complex. In order to expand our understanding of the workings of human cells, in particular in the context of health and disease, detailed knowledge about the underlying molecular systems is needed. The unifying theme of this thesis concerns the use of data derived from sequencing of RNA, both within the field of transcriptomics itself and as a guide for further studies at the level of protein expression. In paper I, we showed that publicly available RNA-seq datasets are consistent across different studies, requiring only light processing for the data to cluster according to biological, rather than technical characteristics. This suggests that RNA-seq has developed into a reliable and highly reproducible technology, and that the increasing amount of publicly available RNA-seq data constitutes a valuable resource for meta-analyses. In paper II, we explored the ability to extrapolate protein concentrations by the use of RNA expression levels. We showed that mRNA and corresponding steady-state protein concentrations correlate well by introducing a gene-specific RNA-to-protein conversion factor that is stable across various cell types and tissues. The results from this study indicate the utility of RNA-seq also within the field of proteomics. The second part of the thesis starts with a paper in which we used transcriptomics to guide subsequent protein studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying malignant transformation. In paper III, we applied a transcriptomics approach to a cell model for defined steps of malignant transformation, and identified several genes with interesting expression patterns whose corresponding proteins were further analyzed with subcellular spatial resolution. Several of these proteins were further studied in clinical tumor samples, confirming that this cell model provides a relevant system for studying cancer mechanisms. In paper IV, we continued to explore the transcriptional landscape in the same cell model under moderate hypoxic conditions. To conclude, this thesis demonstrates the usefulness of RNA-seq data, from a transcriptomics perspective and beyond; to guide in analyses of protein expression, with the ultimate goal to unravel the complexity of the human cell, from a holistic point of view. / <p>QC 20161121</p>

A Muslim should be encouraged to comprehend the benefit and value behind every aspect of Islamic practice and wisdom, and not just practice their religion because they were told to do so. The products proposed in this thesis aim to achieve this by inviting and encouraging a Muslim to practice The Five Pillars of Islam while comprehending their value through the use of modern means such as Arduino technology, 3D printing and visual computing programing. I am provoked by the fact that the circle of Gulf-region Muslims I’m surrounded by, and have been exposed to since childhood, belong to one of two stereotypes: those against or afraid of change who force adherence to religious chapter and verse, or those straying further and further away from our religion’s rituals and traditions. Can the practice of religion, and the values that it teaches us, be made more accessible and engaging by incorporating the very technology that is often accused of distracting us from its practice?

In my diploma thesis I describe problems of the job enrichment considering the impact of job enrichment and its factors on the work motivation of workers depending on the level of their education. I present attitudes to job enrichment and I explain the psychological background of the job enrichment. I introduce the basics motivation theories, which impact the job enrichment attitudes. Based on the research survey madden, I analyze and compare the impact of job enrichment and its factors on the work motivation of workers depending on the level of their education. The objective of this work is to supplement existing knowledge of the relation between the job enrichment and the work motivation of workers depending on the level of their education. The thesis has a form of the empirical study. Key words: Job enrichment, work motivation