Oilseed and oilseed meal extracted from members of <i>Brassicaceae</i> release broadspectrum biocidal isothiocyanate when ground and exposed to moisture. The compounds are released when the seed enzyme myrosinase catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosinolates producing glucose, sulfate, and pesticidal isothiocyanates. Allylisothiocyanate (AITC), the predominant isothiocyanate of <i>Brassica juncea</i>, has broad-spectrum biological activities against plants, animals and fungi. Knowledge of the concentration of AITC arising from a treatment with mustard and AITC toxicity to many target and non-target species is not known. Therefore, factors affecting AITC release and assays of mustard toxicity were conducted. The rate of AITC release from mustard meal was affected by temperature and pH. Current isothiocyanate extraction and quantification methods measure a change in the concentration of glucose (a predominant product of myrosinase-catalysed glucosinolate hydrolysis) to determine myrosinase activity. The objectives of this work were to study: 1) factors affecting myrosinase activity in mustard (<i>Brassica juncea</i>), 2) the effects of AITC on seed germination and 3) the toxicity of AITC and mustard meal.<p> Attempts were made to improve the Herb and Spice Method, the only available industrial method to measure total isothiocyanate production in mustard meal. The effects of a wide range of reaction temperatures (7 to 97°C) and incubation times (0 min to 2 h) on myrosinase-catalyzed conversion of sinigrin (a glucosinolate) to allyl isothiocynate (AITC) were studied. Significant inhibition of enzyme activity was observed at all temperatures over 57°C, and at 97°C no myrosinase activity was found. It was concluded that myrosinase-catalyzed conversion of sinigrin to AITC was a rapid process and detectable amounts of AITC could be found in samples in two min, and that higher temperatures inhibited myrosinase activity. The pH of the reaction mixture significantly affected myrosinase-catalyzed conversion of sinigrin to AITC. A change in pH did not affect the substrate, but severely affected the activity of myrosinase. Furthermore, other compounds viz., boric acid (H3BO3), succinic acid (C2H4(COOH)2),calcium chloride (CaCl2) and ethanol (C2H5OH), were explored for their ability to inhibit myrosinase activity. Calcium chloride and ethanol were particularly effective.<p> It was hypothesized that AITC might act as a plant growth promoter/regulator based on the fact that AITC and ethylene, a plant growth regulator, exhibit structural similarity (R-CH=CH2, where R is -CH2SCN and -H in AITC and ethylene, respectively). Therefore, AITC might act as an ethylene analogue. Ethylene is known to promote seed germination and overcome seed dormancy in a dose- and species-dependent manner.Flax and tomato seeds were used as model systems to test the germination enhancing properties of AITC. It was concluded that AITC promoted flax and tomato seed germination and thus might be used for this application in agricultural practice.<p> An assay was developed for testing AITC toxicity in ground seed by exploring HSP70 expression in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a marker of toxicity. <i>C.elegans</i> strain N2 was exposed to different concentrations (0 to 10 ìM) of AITC for 2 h at room temperature. Western blotting with anti-<i>HSP70</i> antibody showed a marked increase in the expression of <i>HSP70</i> protein in a dose-dependent manner. Assays of the expression of <i>HSP70A</i> mRNA by quantitative real time reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR revealed no significant change in the expression of <i>HSP70A</i> mRNA at low concentrations of AITC (< 0.1 ìM). However, treatment with higher concentrations (>1ìM) resulted in four- to five - fold increase in expression of <i>HSP70A</i> mRNA over the control. To understand if mustard toxicity was due to AITC alone, or if other compounds in mustard ground seed affected <i>HSP70</i> transcript production, <i>C. elegans</i> was exposed to AITC or <i>Brassica juncea</i> cv. Arrid ground seed (Arrid is a mustard variety with a lower level of sinigrin (<3 ìM per gram of seed), or both. ELISA revealed increased expression of HSP70 protein in C. elegans treated with AITC + ground seed, but the level of protein was less than that observed with AITC alone. These results indicated that mustard ground seed toxicity was contributed primarily by AITC, and that some ground seed components antagonized AITC toxicity in <i>C. elegans</i>.

Oilseed and oilseed meal extracted from members of <i>Brassicaceae</i> release broadspectrum biocidal isothiocyanate when ground and exposed to moisture. The compounds are released when the seed enzyme myrosinase catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosinolates producing glucose, sulfate, and pesticidal isothiocyanates. Allylisothiocyanate (AITC), the predominant isothiocyanate of <i>Brassica juncea</i>, has broad-spectrum biological activities against plants, animals and fungi. Knowledge of the concentration of AITC arising from a treatment with mustard and AITC toxicity to many target and non-target species is not known. Therefore, factors affecting AITC release and assays of mustard toxicity were conducted. The rate of AITC release from mustard meal was affected by temperature and pH. Current isothiocyanate extraction and quantification methods measure a change in the concentration of glucose (a predominant product of myrosinase-catalysed glucosinolate hydrolysis) to determine myrosinase activity. The objectives of this work were to study: 1) factors affecting myrosinase activity in mustard (<i>Brassica juncea</i>), 2) the effects of AITC on seed germination and 3) the toxicity of AITC and mustard meal.<p> Attempts were made to improve the Herb and Spice Method, the only available industrial method to measure total isothiocyanate production in mustard meal. The effects of a wide range of reaction temperatures (7 to 97°C) and incubation times (0 min to 2 h) on myrosinase-catalyzed conversion of sinigrin (a glucosinolate) to allyl isothiocynate (AITC) were studied. Significant inhibition of enzyme activity was observed at all temperatures over 57°C, and at 97°C no myrosinase activity was found. It was concluded that myrosinase-catalyzed conversion of sinigrin to AITC was a rapid process and detectable amounts of AITC could be found in samples in two min, and that higher temperatures inhibited myrosinase activity. The pH of the reaction mixture significantly affected myrosinase-catalyzed conversion of sinigrin to AITC. A change in pH did not affect the substrate, but severely affected the activity of myrosinase. Furthermore, other compounds viz., boric acid (H3BO3), succinic acid (C2H4(COOH)2),calcium chloride (CaCl2) and ethanol (C2H5OH), were explored for their ability to inhibit myrosinase activity. Calcium chloride and ethanol were particularly effective.<p> It was hypothesized that AITC might act as a plant growth promoter/regulator based on the fact that AITC and ethylene, a plant growth regulator, exhibit structural similarity (R-CH=CH2, where R is -CH2SCN and -H in AITC and ethylene, respectively). Therefore, AITC might act as an ethylene analogue. Ethylene is known to promote seed germination and overcome seed dormancy in a dose- and species-dependent manner.Flax and tomato seeds were used as model systems to test the germination enhancing properties of AITC. It was concluded that AITC promoted flax and tomato seed germination and thus might be used for this application in agricultural practice.<p> An assay was developed for testing AITC toxicity in ground seed by exploring HSP70 expression in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a marker of toxicity. <i>C.elegans</i> strain N2 was exposed to different concentrations (0 to 10 ìM) of AITC for 2 h at room temperature. Western blotting with anti-<i>HSP70</i> antibody showed a marked increase in the expression of <i>HSP70</i> protein in a dose-dependent manner. Assays of the expression of <i>HSP70A</i> mRNA by quantitative real time reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR revealed no significant change in the expression of <i>HSP70A</i> mRNA at low concentrations of AITC (< 0.1 ìM). However, treatment with higher concentrations (>1ìM) resulted in four- to five - fold increase in expression of <i>HSP70A</i> mRNA over the control. To understand if mustard toxicity was due to AITC alone, or if other compounds in mustard ground seed affected <i>HSP70</i> transcript production, <i>C. elegans</i> was exposed to AITC or <i>Brassica juncea</i> cv. Arrid ground seed (Arrid is a mustard variety with a lower level of sinigrin (<3 ìM per gram of seed), or both. ELISA revealed increased expression of HSP70 protein in C. elegans treated with AITC + ground seed, but the level of protein was less than that observed with AITC alone. These results indicated that mustard ground seed toxicity was contributed primarily by AITC, and that some ground seed components antagonized AITC toxicity in <i>C. elegans</i>.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-06-06T13:09:41Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) [LUIZ BRAÚNA] DISSERTAÇÃO - FESTA NO GUETO (DEPÓSITO).pdf: 2962757 bytes, checksum: 5788b3b82d8990a8cf8e488235cadc6f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-06T13:09:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) [LUIZ BRAÚNA] DISSERTAÇÃO - FESTA NO GUETO (DEPÓSITO).pdf: 2962757 bytes, checksum: 5788b3b82d8990a8cf8e488235cadc6f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-25 / FACEPE / O presente trabalho tem o objetivo geral de analisar os sentidos produzidos acerca dos acordos e tensões entre o mercado e sociabilidade voltados a lésbicas, gays, bissexuais, travestis e transexuais (LGBT), tendo como referência as trajetórias de conformação recente dos espaços de consumo, lazer e sociabilidade, que se definem como GLS (Gays, Lésbicas e Simpatizantes), localizados no centro da cidade do Recife/Pernambuco. Para tanto, buscamos, a partir de diálogos com interlocutoras privilegiadas: 1) construir as narrativas das histórias de conformação dos atuais espaços de consumo, lazer e sociabilidade GLS do Recife; 2) problematizar os acordos e tensões entre mercado, sociabilidade e agenciamentos políticos voltadas à população LGBT. Esta pesquisa partiu de uma abordagem psicossocial, na interface com estudos em gênero e sexualidade, à luz da perspectiva crítica feminista. Definimos como estratégia teórico-metodológica para produção de informações, a entrevista semiestruturada, compreendendo-a como práticas discursivas, em consonância com a perspectiva construcionista de produção do conhecimento. Portanto, realizamos as entrevistas com as interlocutoras privilegiadas dos espaços de sociabilidade estudados, definidas a partir dos critérios de tempo, convívio e responsabilidade em relação a esses lugares. Como resultados, construímos as narrativas de como surgiram os espaços de consumo, lazer e sociabilidade destinados à população LGBT que atualmente compõem o circuito GLS da cidade do Recife (Boate MKB, Clube Metrópole, Nosso Jeito Music, Castelo Marron, Confraria Ursos de Pernambuco, Conchittas Bar e Mix Pub). Em nossas análises, também abordamos os acordos e tensões entre mercado e sociabilidade, a partir de três eixos temáticos e seus respectivos tópicos analíticos, com a finalidade de compreender os sentidos coproduzidos sobre essas temáticas: Lazer e Sociabilidade (Motivação, Público e Práticas Sexuais), Mercado (Resistências, Localização, Concorrência, Aspectos Positivos e Negativos, e Legislação) e Agenciamentos políticos (Movimento LGBT e Parada da Diversidade). / The general objective of this study is to analyze the meanings produced about the agreements and disagreements between the market and sociability focused on at lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT), taking as reference the recent forming trajectories of consumption, leisure and sociability spaces, wich are defined by the term GLS (gays, lesbian and sympathizers), located in Recife's downtown, Pernambuco. To this end, we seek to, in a dialogue with privileged interlocutors: 1) build the narrative of forming trajectories of current of consumption, leisure and sociability spaces of the GLS market; 2) discuss the agreements and disagreements between market, sociability and political agencies focused on LGBT people. This research is based on a psychosocial approach in dialogue with gender and sexuality studies in the light of critical feminist perspective. The semi-structured intervier was defined as the theoretical and methodological strategy for the production of information, understanding it as a discursive practice, in line with the constructionist perspective of knowledge production. Therefore, we conducted interviews with privileged interlocutors from sociability spaces where the study take place, chosen by the criterion of time, familiarity and responsability concerning these places. As a result, we construct narratives about how arose the consumption, leisure and sociability spaces for the LGBT people that currently make up the GLS market of Recife (Boate MKB, Clube Metrópole, Nosso Jeito Music, Castelo Marron, Confraria Ursos de Pernambuco, Conchittas Bar and Mix Pub). In our analysis, in order to understand the co-produced meanings about these issues, we discuss the agreements and disagreements between market and sociability based on three main themes and their analytical topics: Leisure and Sociability (Motivation, Public and Sexual Practices), Market (Resistences, Location, Competition, Positives and negatives aspects, and law) and Political Agencies (LGBT Movement, Diversity Pride Parade).

The effects of air pollutants CO, NO₂, O₃, PM₁₀ and SO₂ on congenital heart anomalies are represented by the odds ratio of each disease per unit increase in the concentration of each pollutant. In this study, the effects of air pollutants are summarized using multivariate GLS approach with correlation between outcomes being taken into account, where the correlations are sampled from uniform [-1,1]. Meta-analysis conducted here found no statistically significant increase in odds ratio of any disease. This result is different from what Vrijheid et al. 2011 suggested when correlation is not considered using the same set of data. The difference in conclusions from the two meta-analysis indicate that correlation between outcomes may play an important role when synthesizing effect sizes. Thus, before conduct meta-analysis, a thorough consideration about whether to incorporate the correlation in synthesizing should be given. / text

Submitted by Divisão de Documentação/BC null (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-05-14T18:51:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO versao PDF.pdf: 3713890 bytes, checksum: 105685343397f688b21cfaa1edd9f4f5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC null (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-05-14T19:40:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO versao PDF.pdf: 3713890 bytes, checksum: 105685343397f688b21cfaa1edd9f4f5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC null (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-05-14T19:40:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO versao PDF.pdf: 3713890 bytes, checksum: 105685343397f688b21cfaa1edd9f4f5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T19:40:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO versao PDF.pdf: 3713890 bytes, checksum: 105685343397f688b21cfaa1edd9f4f5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-14 / CNPQ - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Le présent document se tourne vers l'analyse des processus de construction et d'appropriation de GLS discothèques espace dans le centre de Manaus. En ce sens, soulève des questions sur les différentes représentations des différents acteurs sociaux sur ces domaines et en même temps, réfléchit sur les différentes significations qui passent par une GLS discothèque. La coupure était le territoire et de représentation, où nous pensons que la relation entre l'espace, la stigmatisation et la résistance symbolique, notant que pour la dimension politique de la sociabilité. / O presente trabalho volta-se para a análise sobre os processos de construção e apropriação do espaço em boates GLS do centro de Manaus. Neste sentido, busca problematizar acerca das diferentes representações que os vários agentes sociais possuem sobre estes espaços e ao mesmo tempo busca refletir sobre os diferentes significados que perpassam uma boate GLS. O recorte utilizado foi o de território e representação, onde buscamos pensar a relação entre espaço, estigmatização e resistência simbólica, destacando para isso a dimensão política e a de sociabilidade.

Ekokardiografi är en mycket användbar teknik som bland annat kan bedöma vänsterkammarensfunktion hos hjärtat med hjälp av ejektionsfraktion (EF) och global longitudinell strain (GLS). EF är idag den metoden som används mest vid bedömning av vänsterkammarfunktionen och beräknas enligt Simpsons biplanmetod. GLS är en ny metod som mäter myokardiets deformation och har i tidigare studier visat sig vara en känslig metod och kan upptäcka förändringar i myokardiet tidigare än EF. Vid behandling av bröstcancer kan hjärtat påverkas toxiskt och därmed genomgår denna patientgrupp regelbundna kontroller med ekokardiografi.   Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra två ekokardiografiska metoder hos 20 stycken kvinnliga bröstcancerpatienter. Jämförelser har gjorts mellan EF beräknat med Simpsons biplanmetod (EFbi) och GLS samt mellan EFbi och EF beräknat från GLS (EFGLS). Detta är en kvantitativ retrospektiv studie där data insamlats mellan oktober-december 2014 på avdelningen klinisk fysiologi vid Länssjukhuset Ryhov i Jönköping. Den analysmetod som använts är McNemar´s test samt kappavärde. Resultatet av studien visar att EFbi och GLS gav en dålig överenstämmelse mellan metoderna och en rimlig överenstämmelse sågs mellan EFbi och EFGLS. Slutsatsen har dragits utifrån kappavärdet. / Echocardiography is a useful technique which can value the function of the left chamber of the heart by using ejection fraction (EF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS). Today EF is the most common method in assessments of the left chamber function and is calculated by Simpson´s biplanemethod. GLS is a new method that measures the myocardial deformation. It has been proved to be a sensitive method and can detect changes in the myocardium earlier than EF.   The purpose of this study is to compare two echocardiographic methods among 20 female breast cancer patients. Comparisons have been made between EF calculated with Simpson´s biplanemethod (EFbi) and GLS, and between EFbi and EF calculated by GLS (EFGLS). This is a quantitative retrospective study. The data used in this study was collected between October – December 2014 at the Department of Clinical Physiology at the Hospital Ryhov in Jönköping. The method used to analyse the results was McNemar´s test and Kappa value. The results of the study showed that EFbi and GLS gave a modest correspondence between the methods. A reasonable correspondence were observed between EFbi and EFGLS. The conclusion has been drawn from the kappa value.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:30:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo3385_1.pdf: 1272480 bytes, checksum: 1dc737f58d783a41aa13993285fdb18d (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Este trabalho procura mapear as condições históricas que viabilizaram a invenção da literatura gls, estabelecendo uma relação entre política e texto, por entender que a produção da Edições GLS está inserida no contexto relacional entre o movimento político de afirmação homossexual e a produção de novos códigos culturais de representação identitária. Para tanto, se faz necessário cartografar a irrupção, no presente, de uma política positiva da visibilidade - como nomeada pelos grupos de ativismo gay e divulgada pela Edições GLS - , que postula a publicização, a confissão e a proliferação de discursos para a formulação de uma identidade cultural, demarcada pela orientação sexual, ao problematizar as estratégias políticas utilizadas pelos militantes gays e as imbricações com a promoção de uma literatura confessional, que solicita, através de práticas editoriais e literárias, o direito de ser/estar na história e o direito de produzir suas próprias referências culturais. Nesse intuito, desenvolvemos um campo de reflexão epistemológica do ofício historiográfico relativo à historicidade do tempo presente, problematizando como a história da leitura e a emergência de novas culturas do escrito estão implicadas num debate contemporâneo sobre a promoção de novos modos de leitura e de leitores, assim como na invenção da literatura gls

Maize is the staple food for the majority of Tanzanians. However, maize production in the Southern highlands of Tanzania (SHT) is highly reduced by gray leaf spot disease (GLS) caused by the fungus Cercospora zea maydis. GLS reduces grain yield, kernel and silage quality. The most common GLS control methods in Tanzania include amongst others; fungicides, crop rotation, field sanitation, host resistance. These methods except host resistance are, however, either expensive or less effective or unsafe to the environment. Furthermore, conventional breeding strategies are not very effective for traits, which are lowly inherited such as GLS resistance. Lastly, to date there are few GLS resistant commercial hybrids in SHT. Thus, this study aimed to produce more commercial GLS resistant hybrids, increase farmers’ hybrid choices of growing genetically different GLS insensitive hybrids, which will also provide a constant supply of GLS resistant maize cultivars in case of GLS resistance breakdown due to new GLS pathotypes. This research combined conventional breeding with molecular technologies to increase the efficacy of selecting GLS resistant hybrids and assist breeders in predicting best inbred combinations for commercial hybrid production. Studies conducted to meet the main aims were on; the prediction of best line combiners and heterosis in Tanzanian maize breeding lines through the use of amplified fragment length polymorphism, (AFLP), an association of AFLPs and the performance of phenotypic traits in maize, evaluation of maize hybrids for gray leaf spot resistance in multienvironments and finally a preliminary study on gray leaf spot PCR-based marker development with the long term objective of implementing cleaved amplified polymorphic markers (CAPS) in a marker assisted selection (MAS) strategy in the SHT maize breeding programme. Results from the study revealed that pairwise GD (genetic distance) of the lines varied from a GD of 0.13 to 0.5. High coancentry coefficients were exhibited by these lines. Joint data analyses showed that there were tighter associations between line GD and F1 traits or MPH in the intergroup than in the intragroup crosses. Combined analyses revealed that hybrids 48, 90 and 45 recorded higher stable yields and consistently low GLS scores in multienvironments. Fifteen CAPS marker bands were identified that are putatively linked to the GLS resistant genes. In summary, it was noted that strong selection during inbreeding programs should be avoided as it reduces germplasm variability. Local landraces/varieties can be improved by introgressing desirable genes into them. AFLP marker system could be effectively used for inbred genetic diversity studies in Tanzania. Intergroup crosses with high GD-MPH should be the main target for commercial hybrid production but field testing of them is inevitable to confirm their yielding potentials. Intergroups and intragroup crosses with low GD-MPH should be discarded to avoid field costs. Better F1 hybrid performance predictions can be achieved by integrating inbred GD and F1 phenotypic data. Hybrids with low GLS/high GLS resistance could be used to produce other breeding populations. Hybrids 45, 48 and 90 can be commercially preleased. Lastly a study to characterize the GLS fungus in the SHT is imperative since information on virulence of isolates is needed for long term breeding strategies against the fungus. Finally, the SHT maize germplasm has potential GLS resistant inbred lines which could be used in the deployment of genes to susceptible lines and in the development of commercial GLS resistant hybrids/open pollinated varieties/doubled haploid hybrids. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Genetics / unrestricted

This thesis investigates the effect of individual countries' cultural character- istics on macroeconomic stability. Macroeconomic stability is a general con- cept that comprises the stable development of several economic parameters - inflation, government budget, external debt, gross domestic product, and oth- ers. The mainstream economics investigates these indicators usually as being shaped only by wealth, political stability and institutions. However recently, the economic literature reveals the relationship between some of the individ- ual cultural characteristics - mainly trust - and macroeconomic (in)stability. This thesis is the first attempt to analyze the effect of complex set of cultural characteristics on macroeconomic stability. Through the lens of panel data re- gression it is shown that the macroeconomic stability is significantly affected by cultural characteristics. In particular, more individualistic countries tend to have lower macroeconomic stability. Furthermore, in countries where people feel stronger fear about uncertainty the macroeconomic stability is also weaker. On the contrary from the previous studies, the positive effect of higher trust on macroeconomic stability is not confirmed. JEL Classification C33, E03, Z10, Z19 Keywords Macroeconomic stability, Cultural economics,...

Under de senaste decennierna har Venture Capital marknaden genomgått flera faser av tillväxt och tillbakagång. Fenomenet har uppmärksammats av tidigare forskning som konstaterat att externa drivkrafter är en av de bakomliggande faktorerna till volatiliteten, men där det råder en oenighet kring effekten. Denna studie undersöker hur externa drivkrafter påverkar svenska Venture Capital investeringar under perioden 2007–2021. Syftet är att analysera och förklara hur externa drivkrafter påverkar Venture Capital bolagens investeringsbeteende. Genom regressionsanalyser undersöktes hur IPO, aktiemarknaden, BNP och styrräntan påverkar totala investeringar men även investeringar i de olika faserna (sådd-, uppstart- och senare fasen). Resultaten visar att IPO är den mest betydelsefulla drivkraften som påverkar Venture Capital investeringar positivt i alla faser. Effekten blir allt större ju mognare bolaget är, eftersom eventuell exit ligger närmre i tiden. Vidare indikerar resultaten på att en positiv aktiemarknad påverkar investeringar negativt, men där signifikans endast påvisades i såddfasen. Förvånande är att både BNP och styrräntan har en icke signifikant negativ inverkan på Venture Capital investeringar. Utifrån studien går det att dra slutsatsen att externa drivkrafter har varit en bakomliggande orsak till de stora fluktuationerna i VC-investeringarna. IPO-marknaden har störst inverkan eftersom drivkraften är direkt hänförbar till investeringsprocessen. Studien är viktig för att förstå vad som driver Venture Capital investeringar och resultaten kan vara till nytta för såväl entreprenörer i behov av finansiering och politiska beslutsfattare som strävar efter att bibehålla en gynnsam investeringsmiljö. / Over the past decades, the Venture Capital market has undergone several phases of growth and decline. This phenomenon has been acknowledged by previous researchers who have identified external drivers as an underlying factor of volatility, although the results differ. This study examines how external determinants influence the Swedish Venture Capital investments during the period 2007-2021. The aim is to analyze and explain how external determinants drive Venture Capital investments. Regression models were conducted to investigate how IPO, Stock market, GDP, and Interest rate affect both total investments and investments in different stages (seed, startup, and later stages). The results show that IPO is the strongest driver, positively affecting Venture Capital investments in all stages. The impact becomes greater as the company matures, since a potential exit is closer in time. Furthermore, the results indicate that a positive stock market has a negative impact on investments, although significance was only observed in the seed stage. Surprisingly, GDP and interest rate have a non-significant negative impact on Venture Capital investments. It can be concluded from this study that external determinants have been an underlaying cause of the fluctuations in Venture Capital investments. The IPO market has the greatest impact since it is directly related to the investment process. This study is important for understanding the drivers of Venture Capital investment, where the results can be useful for both entrepreneurs in need of financing and policymakers aiming to maintain a favorable investment environment.