Rökning är ett utbrett samhällsproblem världen över och sjukdomar relaterade till rökning leder till mer än åtta miljoner dödsfall årligen. Effektiva rökavvänjningsmetoder spelar därför en viktig roll i samhället då de besparar samhället sjukvårdskostnader och främjar folkhälsan. I detta arbete genomförs en hälsoekonomisk utvärdering av ett SMS-baserat stöd för rökavvänjning. Syftet med arbetet är att fylla en kunskapslucka vad det gäller kostnadseffektivitet av digitala rökavvänjningsinsatser och samtidigt ge ett underlag tillbeslutsfattare som ansvarar för att prioritera folkhälsofrämjande insatser. Den hälsoekonomiska utvärderingen använder sig av kostnadseffektivitetsanalys som metod och baseras på en klinisk studie, där långsiktiga kostnader och hälsoeffekter skattas med hjälpav en beslutsanalytisk modell primärt baserad på en Markovmodell. De tre vanligaste följdsjukdomarna av rökning; KOL (kronisk obstruktiv lungsjukdom), lungcancer och hjärt- och kärlsjukdom modelleras mot bakgrund av hur många som slutar röka med hjälp av SMS-stödet. Data från olika källor används i modellen och i de fall data saknas görs antaganden baserade på tidigare studier för att kunna skatta kostnader och hälsoeffekter. Arbetet påvisar att en implementering av ett SMS-baserat stöd skulle generera ökade hälsoeffekter till lägre kostnader i jämförelse med att inte implementera ett sådant stöd. Resultatet från grundscenariot visar att interventionen skulle leda till kostnadsbesparingar på 63 539 kr per individ som tar del av interventionen och 0,30 vunna år i perfekt hälsa, sett över ett livstidsperspektiv. Resultaten bör tolkas med viss försiktighet då de är förknippade med osäkerheter, men kan användas som en del av det underlag beslutsfattare behöver för att fattabeslut om hur hälso- och sjukvårdens resurser ska prioriteras. Trots osäkerheterna i underlagetförefaller ett SMS-baserat stöd för rökavvänjning ha positiva hälsoeffekter och samtidigt spara resurser och därmed framstår metoden som en potentiellt viktig insats i framtida folkhälsoarbete. / Smoking is a globally widespread societal problem and diseases related to smoking account for more than eight million deaths annually. Effective smoking cessation methods therefore play an important role in society as they save society´s healthcare resources and promote public health. In this work, a health economic evaluation of an SMS-based smoking cessation is performed. The purpose of the work is to fill a knowledge gap in terms of cost-effectiveness of digital smoking cessation initiatives and at the same time provide a basis for decision-makers who are responsible for prioritizing public health promotion initiatives. The health economic evaluation uses cost-effectiveness analysis as a method and is based on a clinical study, where long-term costs and health effects are estimated using a decision-analytical model with a Markov structure. The three most common sequelae of smoking; COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), lung cancer and cardiovascular disease are modeled based on how many people stop smoking with the help of the SMS support. Data from different sources are used in the model and required assumptions based on previous studies are used to be able to estimate costs and health effects. The work shows that the implementation of an SMS-based support would generate increased health effects at lower costs in comparison with not implementing such support. The results from the basic scenario show that the intervention would lead to cost savings of SEK 63,539 per individual who takes part in the intervention and a gain in 0.30 years in full health, seen over a lifetime perspective. The results should be interpreted with some caution as they are associated with uncertainties but can be used as part of the basis on which decision-makers need to make decisions about how health care resources should be prioritized. Despite these uncertainties the SMS-based support for smoking cessation appears to save resources and lead to positive health effects and the method should be considered a potentially important addition in future public health policy.

Published Article / A company in South Africa is a three-phase induction motor protection relay manufacturer. The function of the protection relay is to capture running data, to provide protection against possible damage, to control an electric motor and to communicate this data to the System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in a control room. In the case of remote sites e.g. a pump station, the protection relays are used as standalone units. The protection relays are equipped with communication facilities to be used in an instrumentation environment. If a trip occurs or settings need to be changed a technician has to visit the remote site and address the problem. The ideal cost and time effective solution is to perform these tasks remotely via a reliable wireless network. A study was conducted to ascertain the viability of using the standard GSM cellular networks in South Africa to effectively control electric motors and to communicate with the Motor Protection Relays (MPRs) controlling the electric motors in order to determine the status of a motor, settings of the motor, trips that occurred and time of occurrence. It was shown that a node controller could be used to store all the data from various electric motors at a single location. It was also shown that the data from the different electric motors could be analysed at the node controller and that communication can then be initiated from the controller to a responsible person via the GSM network. It was further illustrated that, by making use of the GSM networks in South Africa together with the short message service (SMS), communication and control can be effectively established. SMSs proved to be a reliable means of communication between cellular phones, an embedded network and MPRs. It was shown that software protocols, although slower in communication speed, proved to be reliable and effective for the purpose of transferring information between the node controller and the motor protection relays connected to the electric motors.

This study sought to investigate whether the popularity of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) would impact the behavioral intention (BI) to use of these technologies to aid in interpersonal task completion. Out of the ICTs available today, the most popular is textmessaging, especially among a sizable percentage of the college population. Approximately 600 students at a small, private junior college in eastern North Carolina were invited to participate in this study with a target of 248 responses needed to comprise an adequate sample. A total of 259 usable surveys (n = 259) were received and analyzed. Qualitative data collection instruments consisted of an openended questionnaire and other openended responses that were solicited throughout the data collection phase. Quantitative data collection instruments consisted of a 22item Likertscale survey and a forcedchoice ordinal scale instrument that measured computer user selfefficacy (CUSE) and experience using technology (EUT). Situated in the context of academic helpseeking (AHS), vignettes were developed, validated and administered to offer AHS scenarios where a problem was presented and the participants were then asked to reveal which type of ICT he or she would utilize to seek academic help (AH) in that particular situation.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 21, 2002 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / For faster acquisition in bursted environments for SMS (Short Messaging Service) and other lower-bit rate applications, non-coherent detection techniques are proposed. Non-Coherent detection demodulators are proposed because faster acquisition capability in bursted environments can result in a reduced amount of preamble bits in the messaging frame, i.e. less overhead, resulting in an effective increase in spectral efficiency. Reducing the preamble can also provide performance enhancement opportunities for Feher Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (FQPSK) [1] and for other systems. The preamble can also be varied to provide for better Bit Error Rate (BER) performance. The lower bit rate environment also gives the opportunity to employ simpler architectures in lieu of preamble modification. Several non-coherent detection alternatives are described.

<p><p>Denna uppsats har till syfte att utifrån ett konsumentperspektiv undersöka vad som gör mobilmarknadsföring effektiv/ineffektiv som marknadsföringskanal. Författarna besvarar syftet genom att bygga vidare på tidigare forskning som identifierat specifika framgångsfaktorer angående mobilmarknadsföring. Vidare utförs detta genom en enkätundersökning som har till syfte att undersöka om konsumenten uppfattar att dagens sms och mms mobilmarknadsföring uppfyller dessa framgångsfaktorer. Resultatet visar på att den övervägande majoriteten av framgångsfaktorerna inte anses var uppfyllda på ett tillfredställande vis enligt konsumenten. Detta påverkar i sin tur konsumentattityden gentemot mobilmarknadsföring negativt. Trots den allmänt negativa konsumentattityden gentemot mobilmarknadsföring förmår den ändå att skapa stor konsumentuppmärksamhet. Slutligen visar resultatet att mobilmarknadsföring misslyckas med att skapa köpintentioner och wordof-mouth intentioner hos konsumenten. Då skapandet av dessa intentioner är en fundamental del i all marknadsföring anser författarna att mobilmarknadsföring i dagens format inte bör anses vara en effektiv kommunikationskanal.</p></p>

The thesis studies the literacy practices of a group of young people in Närpes in southern Ostrobothnia, Finland with focus on SMS (Short Message Service), both in Standard Swedish and in dialect, but for the most part written in dialect. The aim of the investigation is to describe this writing as a social marker (young people against adults) and its function as an identity act. In addition the study investigates the orthographic norms and conventions that the young people use in their writing. The material consists of 520 SMS and such material as was collected through inquiries and interviews. In Närpes, as in many other Finland Swedish dialect areas, the dialect has got widened areas of usage and is well established and accepted in more domains than before. It is used in the new media and is thereby also gaining larger scope in public space. This also applies to writing SMS in dialect. The theoretical points of departure are taken from sociolinguistics and literacy research. A central concept is the new writing, i.e. writing in electronic media such as e.g. SMS and e-mail, which are somewhere between speech and writing. This has given speech and writing new forms with new preconditions, forms that the new media have “triggered” forth and that the language is adapting itself to. In the first investigative chapter (Ch. 3) eleven literacy practices divided into five groups are analysed: I electronic literacy practices (SMS, e-mail, chat), II hand-written slips of paper (reminder slips, purchase lists, slips to parents and friends respectively), III picture postcards and letters, IV diaries and V school assignments. The informants participate with one exception, group V, in all literacy practices in dialect to a greater or lesser extent. The second investigative chapter (Ch. 4) accounts for the dialect features, diphthongs and consonant combinations that were concretely investigated in the SMS material. The young people’s writing in dialect is functional and shows that the dialect is an important identity marker. The lack of shared conventions for spelling is not conceived of as a problem but allows everyone to create their own conventions, which in its turn has resulted in the tolerance level for variations in orthography being high. One group think that they write as it sounds, while another think that they do not follow any rules. The dialect is reserved for everyday matters, while Standard Swedish is used in more formal writing situations. The literacy practice may be the same, but the choice of language variety varies with the aim, content and length.

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) [OMIM, #182290] is a congenital anomaly and mental retardation (MCA/MR) syndrome associated with deletion of chromosome17p11.2 [1]. The clinical phenotype has been well described and includes minor craniofacial anomalies, self-injurious behaviors as well as sleep disturbances, speech delays, and obesity [1,2,3]. The incidence of SMS is estimated to be ~ 1:15,000 - 25,000 births [2,6]. Among SMS patients, ~90% are comprised of 17p11.2 deletions, while ~10% have RAI1 mutations [8]. All 17p11.2 deletions associated with SMS include RAI1 deletion [10]. RAI1 is thought to function as a transcriptional factor although its cellular role is still unclear. First, in order to better understand the role of RAI1 as a transcriptional factor and its relation to SMS, we confirmed that RAI1 regulates BDNF within an intronic region. This sequence was further narrowed down by utilizing the luciferase reporter assay. This test confirmed what was previously found using ChIP-chip assay and microarray analysis of Rai1+/- mice hypothalami. Next, in order to evaluate the role of Bdnf, an ampakine drug was administered to the Rai1+/- mouse model. A mouse model is a powerful tool for studying a specific gene. Rai1+/- mice exhibit the SMS phenotypes of obesity, craniofacial abnormalities, reduced pain sensitivities, seizures and others. Many physical, neurological, and behavioral tests were performed on the mice to see if any of the phenotypes can be rescued. Interestingly, twice-daily injections of ampakine CX1837 restored the pain sensitivities in Rai1+/- mice. The hot plate data suggest that BDNF potentially has a role in regulating the SMS phenotype of decreased pain sensitivity. In order to evaluate other genes that are altered as a result of the CX1837 ampakine drug, the whole brain's global gene expression was evaluated via microarray analysis. Two potential pain-related genes were identified to be upregulated due to drug administration, which could account for the pain phenotypes observed. One of the genes upregulated in treated mice was Osm, which is interesting because Osm is responsible for pain sensitivity. Further analysis is needed to confirm that an ampakine drug can potentially be used to treat SMS patients.

Smith Magenis Syndrome (SMS) is a multiple congenital anomalies/ mental retardation disorder caused by deletion or mutation of the RAI1 gene on chromosome 17p11.2. The majority of patients with SMS phenotypes have a deletion or mutation of RAI1. However, some patients have been observed with SMS-like phenotypes and yet have no deletions or mutations in the RAI1 gene. One possible explanation could be aberrant methylation of RAI1 since RAI1 is present and yet may be silenced. In order to study this possibility, patient cell lines were treated with 5-Aza-2’-deoxycytidine. RNA was extracted and real-time PCR was used to check the RAI1 expression status on the cells. RAI1 is thought to be a transcription factor, but the DNA binding sequence is still unknown. Sequences from ChIP-chip data were compared to identify a consensus sequence. One gene which contained this consensus sequence was the chemokine-like receptor-1 gene (CMKLR1), which was investigated by luciferase assay. CMKLR1 showed upregulation when co-transfected with RAI1.

Obesity ascending rates are still a public health priority. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of tailored text messages on body weight change in overweight and obese adults in a community based weight management program. A secondary aim was to detect behavioral changes in the same population. The study design was quasi-experimental with pre and posttest analysis, conducted over 12 weeks. A total of 28 participants were included in the analysis. Body weight, eating behaviors, exercise and nutrition self-efficacy, attitude toward mobile technology, social support and physical activity were assessed at baseline and at 12 weeks. Text messages were sent biweekly to the intervention but not to the control group. At 12 weeks, the intervention group had lost significant weight as compared to the control group. There was a trend toward an improvement in eating behaviors, exercise and nutrition self-efficacy in the intervention group, with no significant difference between groups. A total of 79% of participants stated that text messages helped in adopting healthy behaviors. Tailored text messages appear to enhance weight loss in a weight management program at a community setting. Large scale and long term intervention studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.