In the following papers I propose to construct economic models that incorporate the disastrous effect of conflict. I model conflict theoretically in a Solow growth model and empirically in a GDP per worker growth model, in a civil war onset model and a model for civil war’s severity. The first chapter theoretically and empirically analyzes economic growth with conflict in the context of the Mankiw et al. (1992) adaptation of the Solow growth model and the natural resource growth model by Sachs and Warner (1995). I incorporate a variable of capital destruction in the physical and human capital accumulation equations and derive coherent theoretical and empirical results. The second chapter considers the onset of civil war across all countries and specific subsamples of countries from 1970 to 2007. The onset of war is modeled using economic and financial variables in addition to grievance variables from the political science literature to ascertain the extent to which financial crises and hyperinflation can bring about civil war. I estimate using panel time-series logistic regression techniques and discover the risk of conflict in Africa, Asia, highly-indebted poor countries, and low income countries. Some civil wars are fought for government control and others are fought over local issues - both types of war are controlled for with their own determinants. The third chapter determines factors that significantly affect the severity of civil wars from year to year. I employ the same IV/GMM estimation techniques from Chapter 1 to discover the role of financial crises, hyperinflation, unemployment, and development assistance and aid in the severity of war.

The work deals with the analysis of some conditions to increase the level of piglets in factory farms. In addition to the genetic material used in crossing the farm, there is really important material support: good nutrition, breeding environment and nursing care. All these requirements were fullfilled in evaulated plant. In the breeding herd, were revealed a significant effect of early estrus and early pregnancy rate in the interval weaning of piglets. The obtained data showed that the percentage is not significantly different farrowing in sows and gilts. The number of live born piglets is no significant difference in sows and gilts. That's why is advantagous to continuously include gilts in basic herd and early replacement of saws according to their health status and number of past litters. Return breeding of sows should be at the annual breeding 23 to 25 piglets per sow.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:33:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2003Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:04:16Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 bentlin_mr_dr_botfm.pdf: 810873 bytes, checksum: 830e8baa1a9b44778883a83210feaf9d (MD5) / A sepse neonatal tardia é importante causa de morbidade e mortalidade em recém-nascidos prematuros. Os sinais e sintomas são inespecíficos, o que dificulta o diagnóstico. As citocinas são potentes mediadores inflamatórios que desempenham importante papel na patogênese da infecção. Níveis séricos aumentados de citocinas são observados durante infecções. A Interleucina 8 (IL-8) tem função de atrair e ativar neutrófilos, mantendo o processo inflamatório. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar os níveis séricos e urinários da IL-8 em recém-nascidos prematuros com sepse tardia confirmada por culturas (sangue, urina ou líquor) ou associada com meningite, e avaliar se os níveis urinários de IL-8 podem ser utilizados como teste diagnóstico da sepse neonatal tardia. Amostras de sangue e urina foram coletadas de 36 RN prematuros com suspeita clínica de sepse tardia e os exames foram repetidos após 48 horas do início do estudo. Os valores séricos e urinários da IL-8 foram determinados pelo método de ELISA e a IL-8 urinária foi ajustada pelo valor da creatinina urinária. Dois grupos foram constituídos: Grupo séptico: 19 RN com sepse confirmada por culturas ou associada a meningite, idade gestacional (IG) de 31 ± 2,5 semanas, peso de nascimento (PN) de 1350 ± 420g, idade pós-natal (IPN) de 9,7 ± 5,3 dias e Grupo não infectado: 17 RN nos quais o diagnóstico de sepse foi excluído, IG 31 ± 2,1 sem, PN 1510 ± 380g, IPN 6,9 ± 4,1 dias. A mediana dos níveis séricos da IL-8 não diferiu estatisticamente entre os grupos séptico e não infectado (929 x 624 pg/ml; p=0,079) mas os níveis urinários (IL-8 ur/cr) foram significativamente maiores no grupo séptico (249 x 41,7; p<0,001). O ponto de corte ótimo da IL-8 sérica foi de 304 pg/ml com sensibilidade de 84% (IC 95%: 60 a 95%) e especificidade de 47% (IC 95%: 23 a 72%)... / Late onset sepsis (LOS) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. However, the diagnosis of LOS is difficult. Elevated serum levels of cytokines have been found during infections and this plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of infections. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) attracts and activates neutrophils which is crucial for the maintenance of the inflamatory process. The aim of this study was to determine serum and urine IL-8 levels in preterm infants with clinical LOS and positive culture (blood, urine ou cerebrospinal fluid) or meningitis and to evaluate if IL-8 levels can be a useful test for the diagnosis of LOS. Blood and urine were obtained from 36 premature babies with clinical signs of LOS and the collection of the samples were repeated after two days. Serum and urine IL-8 levels were determined by ELISA and the urine IL-8 concentration was corrected with the urine creatinine level. Nineteen preterm infants with sepsis (positive cultures or meningitis) - LOS Group: gestational age (GA) 31 ± 2.5wk, Birth Weight (BW) 1.35 ± 0.42 Kg, postnatal age(PNA) 9.7 ± 5.3 days and 17 noninfected - Control Group: GA 31 ± 2.1wk, BW 1.51 ± 0.38, PNA 6.9 ± 4.1 days, were studied. The medium serum IL-8 levels were not statistically different between groups (LOS vs Control, 929 x 624 pg/ml; p=0,079) but urine IL-8 levels were significantly higher in the LOS group when compared with the noninfected (249 x 41,7 p<0,001). The optimal cut-off point was 304pg/ml for serum IL8 with 84% sensitivity (95% CI: 60-95%) and 47% specificity (95% CI: 23-72%). The cut-off point for urine IL-8 was 89 with 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 82-100%) and 100% specificity (95%CI:81-100%). Two days after of clinical signs of LOS, urine IL-8 levels decreased in LOS group (p<0,001). The decrease in serum IL-8 levels in the LOS group was not statistically different (p=0,123)... (Complete abstract, click electronic address below)

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a complex multifactorial disorder, which would lead to disability. Environmental and genetic factors are involved in MDD etiology. The aim of this project was to identify loci modifying age at onset (AAO) of MDD using survival models after adjusting for Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA). To achieve this aim, a dataset was made available by the China Oxford and VCU Experimental Research on Genetic Epidemiology (CONVERGE) consortium. The study population had 5,220 controls and 5,282 cases with MDD. We performed two univariate association analyses using Cox Proportional Hazard (Cox PH) models. These two are Full Sample (FS), cases and controls, and only the Case Cohort (CC). No genome-wide significant associations were found in univariate analyses. Subsequent gene set enrichment analysis showed that there were significant enrichments in neurological Gene Ontology terms and some novel non-neural pathways. These findings may allow us to better understand MDD pathology.

Context. EMG (Electromyographic) signal is a response of a neuromuscular system for an electrical stimulus generated either by brain or by spinal cord. This thesis concerns the subject of onset detection in the context of a muscle activity. Estimation is based on an EMG signal observed during a muscle activity. Objectives. The aim of this research is to propose new onset estimation algorithms and compare them with solutions currently existing in the academia. Two benchmarks are being considered to evaluate the algorithms’ results- a muscle torque signal synchronized with  an EMG signal and a specialist’s assessment. Bias, absolute value of a mean error and standard deviation are the criteria taken into account. Methods. The research is based on EMG data collected in the physiological laboratory at Wroclaw University of Physical Education. Empty samples were cut off the dataset. Proposed estimation algorithms were constructed basing on the EMG signal analysis and review on state of the art solutions. In order to collate them with existing solutions a simple comparison have been conducted. Results. Two new onset detection methods are proposed. They are compared to two estimators taken from the literature review (sAGLR &amp; Komi). One of presented solutions seems to give promising results. Conclusions. One of presented solutions- Sign Changes algorithm can be widely applied in the area of EMG signal processing. It is more accurate and less parameter-sensitive than three other methods. This estimator can be recommended as a part of ensembled algorithms solution in further development. / <p>This is a Master Thesis completed in Double Diploma Programme. Dr. Jarosław Drapała was a supervisor from my maternal university. </p>

Abstract Using three different schizophrenic populations from Northern Finland, gender differences in some sociodemographic variables, age at onset, incidence, treatment, outcome and deinstitutionalization of schizophrenia were examined. The first study population comprises the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, which is an unselected, general population birth cohort. We followed prospectively 11017 subjects from 16 to 28 years of age by means of the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. From this study population gender differences at the age of onset and incidence of schizophrenia were calculated. The second study population was formed of 1525 patients who had their first treatment episodes at the closed therapeutic community ward situated at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu during 1977 - 1993. Gender differences were assessed in relation to age at first admission, some sociodemographic variables, degree of active participation of the patients in individual, group, and milieu therapy and institutional outcome of the patients with schizophrenia. The third study population consisted of all the 253 long-stay psychiatric inpatients treated for at least six months without a break during 1992 in the Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital. From this study population gender differences at the age of onset and in relation to some sociodemographic and clinical variables were studied. The placements after the last discharge and at the end of the follow-up and factors predicting hospitalization after the follow-up were also monitored. There were no statistically significant gender differences regarding age at onset in any of these three different study populations. The time lag between the first psychotic symptoms and the first psychiatric hospitalization was minimal. In the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort study the annual incidence rate of DSM-III-R schizophrenia was relatively high, 7.9 per 10 000 in men and 4.4 in women by the age of 28. In men it was highest in the age group of the 20-24 year-olds while in women the peak occurred earlier in the age group of the 16-19 year-olds. In the Therapeutic community study there were no statistically significant gender differences in the sociodemographic variables, in the length of stay and in the number of treatment episodes in this ward in any of the diagnostic groups. Differences with regard to male and female participation in individual, group and milieu therapy and the institutional outcome were minimal, some trends, however, favoring females. In the long-stay patients study almost two-thirds of these patients were men. Very few gender differences were found in relation to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics or regarding the utilization of psychiatric hospital care. About 70% of the long-stay patients were discharged during the four year follow-up period and only 15% were able to live without continuous support. Marital status (being not married), dwelling place (living in city), absence of negative symptoms and severity of the illness were associated with hospitalization at the end of the follow-up. Gender did not predict hospitalization at the end of the follow-up period. The results of this study indicate that there are probably different subgroups of schizophrenia in which there are no gender differences regarding age at onset and in the clinical picture of the disturbance or there are regional differences in the manifestation of the illness. In Finland patients are hospitalized earlier after the onset of the first psychotic symptoms than in many other countries. According to the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort study the incidence of schizophrenia is higher among young men than women and the total life-time incidence of schizophrenia may be smaller in women. The results from the Therapeutic community study suggest that therapeutic community treatment may level out the gender differences in the treatment process and outcome. The long-stay patient study showed that long-term patients are dependent on considerable support and that the most seriously ill patients are in fact in hospital. Alternative residential facilities have been a presupposition to the deinstitutionalization of the long-stay patients.

Background: Psoriasis is a complex disease with a genetic component contributing to disease pathogenesis. Chronic plaque psoriasis can be dichotomised into two subtypes according to age of onset; type 1 (early-onset; <40 years) and type 2 (late-onset; ≥40 years). Despite clinical and biological differences between the two subtypes, the genetics underpinning late-onset psoriasis remains poorly characterised compared to early-onset psoriasis. Aims: The aim of this project was to identify genetic loci associated with late-onset psoriasis, to assess the overlap of loci with early-onset psoriasis and to elucidate the functional role of the identified variants. Methods: The study had three parts; the first was a candidate-gene association study of the IL1B gene. A total of 16 SNPs from the region were genotyped in 595 late-onset and 1,137 early-onset psoriasis samples and compared to 4,770 controls from the European population. The second was a large-scale study conducted in 543 late-onset psoriasis and 4,373 controls using the Immunochip array. The third was a functional study using bioinformatics data mining, chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assay techniques to analyse the role of a disease-associated variant at the biological level. Results: The candidate-gene study replicated a previously reported association at a promoter polymorphism, rs16944 (P<0.05), within the IL1B gene and discovered a novel association at a second variant, rs11687624 (P<3.12x10-3), in late-onset psoriasis. None of the variants analysed were significantly associated with early-onset psoriasis. Bioinformatic eQTL data suggests the two variants and their proxies are associated with the expression of IL1A, IL1B, IL38 and PAX8. The Immunochip study identified 6 non-HLA loci (P<2.3x10-5) previously associated with early-onset psoriasis to also be associated with late-onset psoriasis (IFIH1, IL12B, IL23A, IL23R, TRAF3IP2 and ZNF313). Conditional analysis of the MHC region also identified two loci (HLA-C and HLA-A). A novel locus, IL1R1, was associated with late-onset psoriasis, but not early-onset psoriasis. Bioinformatic data mining found no role for the IL1R1 variants as eQTLs and prioritised the IL1B variant rs2708914 for functional analysis. The transcription factor STAT3 was found to be enriched at rs2708914 in keratinocyte and CD8+ T-lymphocyte cell lines. Allele-specific binding could not be established. Conclusions: This project is the largest genetic study of late-onset psoriasis to date and provides evidence that it shares susceptibility loci with early-onset psoriasis as well as having specific susceptibility loci. These findings provide further evidence for the dichotomisation of chronic plaque psoriasis, firstly to facilitate better understanding of the pathogenesis of the two subtypes and secondly to enable tailored therapy to be developed. Both have potential benefits for patients in the future. The genetic and functional studies conducted have provided a platform from which further studies can be carried out.

Drought is conventionally known as a slow-developing natural hazard. In recent years, a subset of drought events characterized by rapid onset has been identified and deemed “flash” droughts. These flash droughts can result in rapid soil drying and rapid vegetation degradation making them damaging to agriculture and the economy, so it is essential to develop reliable early warning systems for flash drought events. This study aims to compare the climatology between flash and non-flash droughts across the Contiguous United States (CONUS) and regionally to identify key differences in the drought types to improve early warning. Flash drought is defined as a two- or more category degradation in the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) in 4 weeks or less. Potential evapotranspiration (PET), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin) from the Gridded Surface Meteorological Dataset (gridMET) were also analyzed for flash and non-flash drought. It was found that using this definition of flash drought, flash droughts are up to 70% more likely to occur than non-flash droughts over all of the CONUS except the west coast. The South and Southwest regions are more likely to have more frequent and longer flash drought events than the Northwest and Plains regions. This study concludes that PET and VPD are the most reliable variables for differentiating between a flash and non-flash drought event. Furthermore, flash drought is most prevalent and will be the most difficult to predict in the South and Southwest regions and easier to predict in the Northwest and Plains. Also, using a flash drought definition of a drop in two or more categories in the USDM may be too lenient. A narrower flash drought definition, such as a drop in two categories over a two- or three-week period, may be more reflective of the more damaging nature of flash drought events.

Sexual experiences of 1255 adolescents admitted to a juvenile detention facility were assessed through their responses to a health history questionnaire. More than 80% reported sexual experience. Age at first intercourse acknowledged by females was early (mean 13 years) but rarely prepubertal and was similar for blacks and non-blacks. Males commonly reported beginning sexual experience before age 10 years (40% in blacks and 20% in nonblacks). Sexual activity continued in most, with 73% of the sexually experienced teens reporting intercourse in the month prior to admission. Reports of recent sexual activity increased with age in all race/gender groups. For females, 26% reported sexual misuse compared to 2% of the males. Willingness to answer questions about sexual experiences varied with the question and increased with age. Prepubertal sexual activity is a more common phenomenon than is generally acknowledged. To what extent the experiences reported in our study represent the norm for behavior among individuals of similar back-ground requires further study.

Summary: Objectives/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal-acoustic differences between trained singers and nonsingers during speech and singing tasks. Methods: Thirty male participants were separated into two groups of 15 according to level of vocal training (ie, trained or untrained). The participants spoke and sang carrier phrases containing English voiced and voiceless bilabial stops, and voice onset time (VOT) was measured for the stop consonant productions. Results: Mixed analyses of variance revealed a significant main effect between speech and singing for /p/ and /b/, with VOT durations longer during speech than singing for /p/, and the opposite true for /b/. Furthermore, a significant phonatory task by vocal training interaction was observed for /p/ productions. Conclusions: The results indicated that the type of phonatory task influences VOT and that these influences are most obvious in trained singers secondary to the articulatory and phonatory adjustments learned during vocal training.