The thesis has been focused on testing of micromethod of DNA isolation from leaves, fruits and fruit products. Jams were selected for the analysis of plant DNA in technologically processed foods. Plant leaves, fruits, and jams were homogenized using plastic copist in a lysis buffer containing 2% cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with 2.5M sodium chloride (NaCl). Microisolation of plant DNA was performed using poly(hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-glycidylmethacrylate) – P(HEMA-co-GMA)microparticles. Isolated the DNA concentration and purity were assessed by UV light aborbance using a spectrophotometer. After that, amplification of the DNA was tested in PCR. Primers specific for plant ribosomal DNA: 18S_for a 5,8S_rev (PCR product - 700bp), 26S_for a 26S_rev (PCR product - 220 bp), 18S_for a 18¬S_rev (PCR product - 263 bp) were used. The PCR conditions were optimized and the effect of the amplicon length on its detection was followed. PCR products were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. It was shown that DNA isolated from almost all of leaves using magnetic particles was in PCR-ready quality in contrary to the fruits. DNA amplified in PCR with primers giving short PCR products was isolated from almost all tested jams. The method must be optimalised, yet.

This thesis studies the role of the third sector organisation [TSO] in highly skilled refugees' employment integration in Sweden. It attempts to contribute to the migration studies literature and nonprofit sector studies by focusing on the underresearched highly skilled refugees and several TSOs in Sweden, one of the major receiving countries in Europe during the refugee crisis. It discovers the challenges faced by the highly skilled refugees and the TSOs' solution to help them overcome the obstacles using Bourdieusian capital theory. In doing so, the TSOs are also shaping the integration concept of the nation, which is proven to be ambiguous. On the one hand, they preserve the construction of refugees as needing care and their difference from Sweden as weakness. On the other hand, they challenge the idea that integration is primarily refugees' responsibility and attempt to change employers' unwillingness to hire with the concept of diversity as a strength. Despite that, the TSOs do not significantly challenge the dominant integration concept in Sweden and the state. This thesis argues that it may be explained by the strong trust between the government and civil society stemmed from the nation's historical development as an egalitarian welfare state.

Educational quality is a way to influence the future of the American economy (Hanushek, 1986). Large-scale assessments are designed to determine quality in education by measuring student achievement. A connection exists between the standards, teachers, and assessments that form a system of accountability within education. State and national accountability policies place value in certain educational fields, thereby preferring some while excluding others. As a result, accountability systems influence the field of social studies in several unanticipated ways. Consequential validity suggests that assessments should include value implications and relevance (Messick, 1989). While assessment research examines the disciplines of mathematics, science, and language arts in a more holistic manner, the few social studies assessments are often divided among the field’s various disciplines. The purpose of social studies, and its development of standards, is firmly linked to the current state of disunity within the social studies field. These issues are reflected in teacher preparation policies as well as state assessment policies. Social studies advocates have proven that, in other subjects, teachers and instructional methods are influenced by assessment. Fortunately, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides an opportunity to determine whether the exclusion of social studies within the state/national accountability system is impacting student achievement in social studies. The current systems make social studies uniquely positioned for studying the effects of large-scale assessment upon the field. Uses and interpretations of assessment data by researchers have been limited in social studies because the subject is not incorporated into most accountability policies. State policy governs educational standards, teacher licensure, and the extent of assessments upon students. For this study, the social studies NAEP assessment is divided into three separate tests (U.S. History, Geography, and Civics). By looking at data from the fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade 2010 social studies NAEP tests, this study will investigate some of the unintended consequences of educational assessment culture. I will examine social studies through different lenses and apply the concept of consequential validity to social studies in order to understand the value of social studies within education.

Objective: The objective of this retrospective cohort study is to assess whether demographic and anthropometric parameters, laboratory tests, co-morbidity, co-infection, treatment regimen, IRIS and adherence predict response to HAART as measured by CD4 count, weight gain and functional status in a cohort of patients in Roma, the Kingdom of Lesotho. Method: Data were collected from a computerised database of the Antiretroviral Centre of the hospital. A cohort of 300 subjects was identified from hospital records from January 2007. Each of these subjects was followed up over a period of 12 months with data obtained for at least two visits within the 12-month span. Data were obtained on weight and CD4 at baseline, three months and also at six and 12 months, and data for haemoglobin were obtained only at 12 months. Variables that may be potential confounders were identified and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to establish differences independent of confounding factors for the combined endpoints, as well as for each endpoint separately. Results: Three-hundred patient records were analysed. Approximately 70% of the patients had a CD4 increase of at least 150 cells over baseline values at the end of the review period and in 52.3% of the patients an increase in weight of 10% over baseline measurements was seen. Seventy-nine patients (26.3%) had a haemoglobin level of at least 14g/dL at 12 months, regardless of baseline values or gender. The inclusion of Zidovudine (AZT) in treatment regimens was found in 73% of the patients and in multivariate analysis AZT was associated with not having anaemia at the end of the review period. However there was a slight reduction in haemoglobin level in the first two to three months of therapy in comparison with both Stavudine (d4T) and Tenofovir (TDF) but not significant enough to result in clinical anaemia. Baseline CD4 values were similar for all treatments options but dissimilar in other outcome variables and continued to vary significantly throughout the review period. The outcomes of multivariate analyses suggest that the male gender appears to have better response to HAART as seen in each of the multivariate models. The most important determinant of haemoglobin response was baseline haemoglobin values. In the haemoglobin-associated multivariate model, HAART is associated with an increase in haemoglobin over baseline values. A history of TB prior to HAART was a major factor in weight response and it is thought to be as a result of IRIS, which is the unmasking of latent infections as the immune system reconstitutes. CD4 values have no direct influence on weight however, but an increase in weight was observed in all therapy groups. Conclusion: Clinical and immunological parameters can be used to monitor response to HAART and predict treatment outcomes. These parameters can be organised into monitoring tools that will be useful in resource-limited areas. This study suggests that AZT-containing regimens appear not to result in anaemia and that symptomatic anaemia might need additional investigation. Treatment with TDF appeared to have shown the best possible response pattern more but patients on TDF therapy will have to be included in the study to justify this observation. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Clinical Epidemiology / unrestricted

Högkänslighet (HSP) är ett för vår tid relativt nytt begrepp som flera människor kommit att identifiera sig med. Intresseområdet för den här studien har varit högkänsliga mödrar och med hjälp av grundad teori som metodansats ämnade vi upptäcka högkänsliga mödrars huvudangelägenhet. Ämnet är aktuellt och knyter an till samhällets ökade behov av självkännedom och självförverkligande. Vår grundade teori belyser ett tidigare outforskat område inom vetenskapen vilket bidrar till en ökad förståelse och kunskap kring det högkänsliga moderskapet och vad det innebär för mödrarna själva. Tio intervjuer genomfördes med mödrar som identifierade sig själva som högkänsliga. Under studien formades en forskningsfråga som löd: hur gör högkänsliga mödrar för att orka vara närvarande i sina barns liv? Forskningsfrågan belyser mödrarnas huvudangelägenhet Att inte alltid orka. Studien resulterade i en grundad teori som beskriver hur mödrarna hanterar Att inte alltid orka genom kärnkategorin Anpassning och underkategorierna Avläsningsförmåga, Samhällelig kunskapslucka, Ökad självkännedom, Egentid och Ett annorlunda moderskap. Den grundade teori som genererats i den här studien har placerats inom ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av narrativ teori för att ge en djupare förståelse inför de berättelser som mödrarna har delgett oss.

In dieser Arbeit wird die Erzeugung permanenter Nanostrukturen durch den Beschuss mit langsamen (v < 5x105m/s) hochgeladenen (q < 40) Ionen auf den Oberflächen der Ionenkristalle CaF2 sowie KBr untersucht. Die systematische Analyse der Probenoberfläche mittels Raster-Kraft-Mikroskopie liefert detaillierte Informationen über den Einfluss von potentieller und kinetischer Projektilenergie auf den Prozess der Strukturerzeugung. Der individuelle Einfall hochgeladener Ionen auf der KBr(001)-Oberfläche kann die Erzeugung monoatomar tiefer, lochartiger Strukturen -Nanopits- mit einer lateralen Ausdehnung von wenigen 10nm initiieren. Das Volumen dieser Löcher und damit die Anzahl gesputterter Sekundärteilchen zeigt eine lineare Abhängigkeit von der potentiellen Energie der Projektile. Für das Einsetzen der Locherzeugung konnte ein von der Projektilgeschwindigkeit abhängiger Grenzwert der potentiellen Energie E_grenz^pot (Ekin) gefunden werden. Auf der Basis der defekt-induzierten Desorption durch Elektronen wurde unter Einbeziehung von Effekten der Defektagglomeration ein konsistentes mikroskopisches Modell für den Prozess der Locherzeugung konzipiert. Für die CaF2(111)-Oberfläche kann die aus jüngsten Studien bekannte, individuelle Erzeugung hügelartiger Nanostrukturen -Nanohillocks- durch hochgeladene Ionen in dieser Arbeit auch für kleinste kinetische Energien (E_kin < 150eVxq) verifiziert werden. Die potentielle Energie der einfallenden Ionen wird damit erstmalig zweifelsfrei als alleinige Ursache der Nanostrukturerzeugung identifiziert. Zudem zeigt sich bei geringer Projektilgeschwindigkeit eine Verschiebung der potentiellen Grenzenergie zur Hillock-Erzeugung. Im Rahmen einer Kooperation an der Technischen Universität Wien durchgeführte Simulationsrechnungen auf der Grundlage des inelastischen thermal spike-Modells zeigen, dass die individuelle Hillock-Erzeugung durch hochgeladene Ionen mit einer lokalen Schmelze des Ionenkristalls verknüpft werden kann. Dem essentiellen Einfluss der Elektronenemission während der Wechselwirkung des hochgeladenen Ions mit der Oberfläche auf den Prozess der Nanostrukturerzeugung wird in komplementären Untersuchungen zur Sekundärelektronenstatistik Rechnung getragen. Erstmalig werden dabei Gesamtelektronenausbeuten für Isolatoroberflächen bei kleinsten Projektilgeschwindigkeiten (v < 1x10^5 m/s) bestimmt. Für Geschwindigkeiten v < 5x10^4 m/s findet sich für die Isolatoroberfläche in starkem Kontrast zu Metallen ein signifikanter Abfall der Elektronenausbeute mit sinkender kinetischer Energie. Mögliche Ursachen dieses Effektes werden auf der Grundlage unterschiedlicher Modelle diskutiert.

In their bioenergetic metabolism mammalian cells are primarily dependent on ATP production through the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS). Defects of OXPHOS function can lead to occurrence of mitochondrial disorders with different severity and diverse symptoms. Most severely affected are usually tissues with high energy demand which are also difficult to access for biochemical and other examinations. The aim of this thesis was mainly to characterize the effects of mutations in seven different genes (OPA1, DARS2, NDUFS8, NR2F1, HTRA2, MGME1, POLG) on bioenergetic metabolism and mitochondrial network structure of skin fibroblasts from eight different patients diagnosed with mitochondrial disorders. The main method used was measurement of oxygen uptake by permeabilized cells using highly sensitive polarography. Significant changes in fibroblast respiration of four patients were found. Changes in mitochondrial network morphology were found in two of those and two other patient cell lines compared to controls using fluorescent microscopy and different cultivating conditions. Skin fibroblasts are relatively easy to obtain and offer a number of benefits for both diagnostic and study purposes. The results of this work illustrate the possibilities of their use for validation of potential causal...

Studien har undersökt vad pedagoger vet om högkänsliga barn. Högkänslighet är ett personlighetsdrag som finns hos ungefär 20 % av världens befolkning. Att vara högkänslig innebär att man föds med ett nervsystem som är mer känsligt än hos genomsnittet. Högkänsliga människor uppfattar information och känslor som möjligtvis inte andra lägger märke till, som högkänslig reflekterar man alltså över allting på en djupare nivå. Syftet var att ta reda på hur mycket pedagoger på förskolan vet om högkänslighet och hur de jobbar eller stödjer högkänsliga barn. De här två frågeställningarna användes; hur mycket vet pedagoger på förskolor om högkänslighet och hur bemöter pedagoger högkänsliga barn? Dessa frågeställningar användes för att besvara vårt syfte. För att kunna besvara våra frågeställningar användes fyra perspektiv som Elaine Aron (2014) skriver om i sin bok om högkänsliga barn, hon kallar dem de fyra nycklarna. Studien består av en enkät som är formad kring högkänsliga barn som lades ut i ett forum på internet för förskolans pedagoger. Resultatet visar att högkänslighet är ganska känt bland personalen i förskolan. Många av pedagogernas tankar stämde överens med forskningsresultatet om högkänslighet.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the intensity of menopausal symptoms and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence in middle-aged women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 313 Peruvian women with HIV infection (age 40-59 years) were surveyed and classified as adherent or non-adherent to HAART based on the Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Evaluation Questionnaire. The intensity of menopausal symptoms was assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale, and categorized as none, mild, moderate, and/or severe. Age, sexual orientation, used HAART scheme, time since HIV diagnosis, menopausal status, risk of depression, and presence of comorbidities were also assessed. Poisson generalized linear models with robust variance were performed in order to estimate crude prevalence ratios (PRs) and adjusted PRs using statistical (a1PR) and epidemiological criteria (a2PR). Results: A total of 19.9%, 32.6%, and 15.0% of all women presented mild, moderate, and severe menopausal symptoms, respectively. Overall, 70.6% women were non-adherent to HAART. The probability of non-adherence was higher in women with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms as compared to asymptomatic women in the non-adjusted model (PR: 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–2.29; PR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.38–2.23; and PR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.64–2.61, respectively) and the adjusted model. Conclusion: The severity of menopausal symptoms was associated with HAART non-adherence in HIV-infected middle-aged women. / Revisión por pares

Small satellites, especially Cube Satellites (CubeSats), have become important vehicles for space exploration. One of the challenges CubeSats face is limited surface area. This limitation poses a question for antenna design–where to mount the antenna? This thesis presents a study where the antennas are directly integrated on top of solar cells. In order to achieve such integration, the antennas have to be highly transparent to light. This thesis aims at the transparency of 95%. Methods to effectively generate transparent antenna by using inkjet printing are discussed in detail and interaction between solar cells and antennas have been assessed and presented. It is found that the presence of solar cells cast a degree of gain reduction of the antenna, but such a loss may be improved with a more precise integration and by increasing the operational frequency. The effect of the antenna on solar cell performance is concluded to be less than 3%, promising a feasibility of implementing highly transparent antennas on CubeSats.