<p>I uppsatsen undersöks hur Svenska Kommunalarbetarförbundets strejk våren år 2003 påverkade uttaget av tillfällig föräldrapenning för vård av barn (VAB). Min hypotes är att denna strejk leder till ett överutnyttjande av förmånen. Uttaget av VAB jämförs mellan de kommuner där dagbarnvårdare och barnskötare gick ut i strejk och de kommuner där detta inte hände. Genom att använda en difference-in-difference metod som kontrollerar för kommunspecifika och tidsspecifika faktorer finner jag att det totala uttaget av VAB signifikant minskar i de strejkdrabbade kommunerna. Under vissa antaganden kan man dock visa på en signifikant ökning i överutnyttjandet av VAB-förmånen.</p>

I uppsatsen undersöks hur Svenska Kommunalarbetarförbundets strejk våren år 2003 påverkade uttaget av tillfällig föräldrapenning för vård av barn (VAB). Min hypotes är att denna strejk leder till ett överutnyttjande av förmånen. Uttaget av VAB jämförs mellan de kommuner där dagbarnvårdare och barnskötare gick ut i strejk och de kommuner där detta inte hände. Genom att använda en difference-in-difference metod som kontrollerar för kommunspecifika och tidsspecifika faktorer finner jag att det totala uttaget av VAB signifikant minskar i de strejkdrabbade kommunerna. Under vissa antaganden kan man dock visa på en signifikant ökning i överutnyttjandet av VAB-förmånen.

The Caenorhabditis elegans Eph RTK, VAB-1, has known roles in neuronal and epidermal morphogenesis as well as oocyte maturation through interaction with its ephrin ligands. In humans, Eph receptors are involved in nervous and vascular system development and have been implicated in cancer formation and progression. DAF-18, a C. elegans ortholog of the human tumour suppressor gene, PTEN, has been identified as an interacting partner with the Eph RTK, VAB-1. Mutations in human PTEN have been associated with numerous cancers and in the worm, DAF-18 is a well studied member of the DAF-2/Insulin receptor-like signaling pathway which has roles in dauer formation, thermotolerance and adult longevity. Our lab has previously shown that VAB-1/EphR binds DAF-18. To further investigate the significance of this interaction as well as offer additional function to the proteins involved, I have shown that VAB-1/EphR is a negative regulator of DAF-18/PTEN at the protein level. Western blotting reveals that endogenous expression of DAF-18/PTEN is low in wild-type animals and expression is increased in a vab-1/ephR mutant. Additionally, VAB-1/EphR and DAF-18/PTEN are expressed in head neurons, oocytes and the germline precursor cells, Z2/Z3. vab-1/ephR mutants show increases longevity and sensitivity to dauer conditions which is consistent with increased DAF-18/PTEN activity. Lastly, daf-18(ok480) is able to suppress the oocyte maturation phenotype and increased MAPK expression displayed by vab-1(dx31) animals, providing genetic evidence of an interaction. By identifying the tissues where these proteins are co-expressed and substantiating the interaction with multiple analyses, novel roles may be proposed for each: VAB-1/EphR in DAF-2/Insulin signaling and DAF-18/PTEN in oocyte maturation downstream of VAB-1/EphR signaling. This work provides further understanding of how an organism coordinates complex developmental processes and reiterates the notion that cellular signaling is a complex network of interacting players. As many signaling pathways are evolutionarily conserved, my research in C. elegans may provide a mechanism on how Eph RTKs and PTEN are regulated in more complex organisms, including humans. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-02-27 17:09:10.582

The generation of a functional nervous system requires that neuronal cells and axons navigate precisely to their appropriate targets. The Eph Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) and their ephrin ligands have emerged as one of the important guidance cues for neuronal and axon navigation. However, the molecular mechanisms of how Eph RTKs regulate these processes are still incomplete. The purpose of this work was to contribute to the understanding of how Eph receptors regulate axon guidance by identifying and characterizing components of the Caenorhabditis elegans Eph RTK (VAB-1) signaling pathway. To achieve this objective I utilized a hyper active form of the VAB-1 Eph RTK (MYR-VAB-1) that caused penetrant axon guidance defects in the PLM mechanosensory neurons, and screened for suppressors of the MYR-VAB-1 phenotype. Through a candidate gene approach, I identified the adaptor NCK-1 as a downstream effector of VAB-1. Molecular and genetic analysis revealed that the nck-1 gene encodes for two isoforms (NCK-1A and NCK-1B) that share similar expression patterns in parts of the nervous system, but also have independent expression patterns in other tissues. Genetic rescue experiments showed that both NCK-1 isoforms can function in axon guidance, but each isoform also has specific functions. In vitro binding assays showed that NCK-1 binds to VAB-1 in a kinase dependent manner. In addition to NCK-1, WSP-1/N-WASP was also identified as an effector of VAB-1 signaling. Phenotypic analysis showed that nck-1 and wsp-1 mutants had PLM axon over extension defects similar to vab-1 animals. Furthermore, VAB-1, NCK-1 and WSP-1 formed a complex in vitro. Intriguingly, protein binding assays showed that NCK-1 can also bind to the actin regulator UNC-34/Ena, but genetic experiments suggest that unc-34 is an inhibitor of nck-1 function. Through various genetic and biochemical experiments, I provide evidence that VAB-1 can disrupt the NCK-1/UNC-34 complex, and negatively regulate UNC-34. Taken together, my work provides a model of how VAB-1 RTK signaling can inhibit axon extension. I propose that activated VAB-1 can prevent axon extension by inhibiting growth cone filopodia formation. This is accomplished by inhibiting UNC-34/Ena activity, and simultaneously activating Arp2/3 through a VAB-1/NCK-1/WSP-1 complex. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-07-28 16:20:31.957

Det flexibla arbetet ses som ett familjevänligt upplägg som kan underlätta för föräldrar att få ihop vardagen. Men relationen mellan flexibelt arbete och balansen mellan arbete och privatliv är tvetydig likaväl vilka konsekvenser det har för föräldrar som ska få ihop en vardag med arbete och barn. Trots att forskning indikerar att flexibelt arbete är alltmer vanligt förekommande och att det möjliggör för anställda att integrera arbete och familjeliv i allt större utsträckning, inte minst genom möjligheten att vobba, saknas idag forskning om fenomenet vobb. Vobb, som är vanligast bland kvinnor, kan vara en möjlighet för att få ihop vardagen, men det kan också tänkas bidra till otillräcklighet där ansvaret för familjen kombineras med ett alltmer gränslöst arbete. Att skapa goda förutsättningar för att balansera arbete och privatliv är inte bara viktigt för individen utan även för arbetsgivaren, för att undvika att individer lämnar arbetslivet i förtid. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka och beskriva hur kvinnor med flexibla arbeten upplever situationen vobb. Fem kvinnor har deltagit i denna studie där en kvalitativ metod har använts. Studien har utgått från en induktiv ansats och datainsamlingen har skett via semistrukturerade intervjuer med en intervjuguide. Materialet analyserades enligt Graneheims och Lundmans kvalitativa innehållsanalys.  Denna studie visar att vobb upplevs som en möjlighet i arbetslivet för att kunna hantera krav från båda domänerna och att hålla sig konkurrenskraftig. Däremot indikerar studien att vobb kan ha negativa konsekvenser på vår hälsa i form av ökad stress. Det upplevs även ha en negativ inverkan på barnen som påverkas av föräldrarnas frånvaro. Detta visar att det behövs en dialog mellan arbetsgivare och medarbetare i vad som förväntas och vilka förutsättningar och gränser som bör finnas på plats innan flexibilitet och vobb kan nyttjas i arbetet. / Flexible work is perceived as a family-friendly approach that can facilitate parents' daily life. However, the relationship between flexible work and the balance between work and private life is ambiguous. Flexible working enables us to integrate work and family life, particularly through the possibility of working while caring for sick children (vobb), there is currently a lack of research on the phenomenon. Vobb is most common among women and could be a means of managing life, but it could also contribute to feelings of inadequacy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how women with flexible jobs experience vobb. Five women participated in this study, for which a qualitative method was used. The data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews and the material was analyzed according to qualitative content analysis.  This study shows that vobb is experienced as an opportunity in work, to be able to handle demands and to remain competitive. However, the study indicates that vobb can have negative health consequences in the form of stress and have a negative impact on children. This suggests a dialogue between employers and employees regarding expectations, conditions and boundaries before vobb can be utilized in work.

The purpose of this paper is to create an understanding of the negotiation process behind the decision of who will stay at home with a sick child and to develop the knowledge of the mechanisms considered to affect the negotiation process, in particular, the mechanisms likely to contribute to an uneven use of care leave. In the study six interviews were conducted with three sets of parents. These interviews were then analysed with Janet Finch’s (1989) definition of negotiation of family responsibilities. The study finds that the negotiation on care leave is a result of the negotiation of the shared view of reality. This image is in turn influenced by a number of institutional aspects such as job design, relative resources, and the couple's ideological points. Previous studies that found that relative resources, converted to salary, affects the distribution greatest. Instead the results of this study points out that the nature of work is most important for how parents divide their care leave. If one parent have work that easier can be pushed forward or to be away from, the latter tend to be the one who stays at home. This arrangement, however, is affected by a number of other factors. For example, the ideas of a fair distribution of care leave counteract this tendency.