The Sarco-endoplasmic Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2a) plays a crucial role in sequestering cytosolic calcium into the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) and is an important regulator of muscle contraction and relaxation. Recent findings suggest that a novel CAMKIIα splice variant, αKAP, that plays the role of a CAMKII anchoring protein in the myocardium, also directly interacts with SERCA2a. We examined the effects of αKAP on SERCA2a activity using transfection of HEK-293T cells as well as lentiviral infection of primary neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes (NMCM). Our data showed that αKAP reduced Ca2+ ATPase activity, and downregulated SERCA2a expression in both HEK-293T cells coexpressing αKAP and SERCA2a, as well as NMCM overexpressing αKAP. Interestingly in a rat model of myocardial infarction, αKAP expression was found to be elevated, alongside elevated CaMKIIδ, and depressed SERCA2a expression. These data suggest that αKAP may be a unique regulator of SERCA2a activity and cardiac function.

This research systematically investigates the sleeper effect, a counterintuitive phenomenon in which attitudes toward a persuasive message increase in favourableness over time despite the presence of discounting information. The sleeper effect has rarely been researched since criticisms in the 1970s and 1980s concerning relevance and difficulty in demonstrating the effect. Shifts in the consumer environment, however, merit a re-examination of the effect. The paucity of research leaves major gaps in establishing the conditions for existence of the sleeper effect, understanding the underlying mechanisms of the effect, the context in which the sleeper effect may flourish, and other factors with the potential to influence the effect. Recent research suggests self-associations at encoding impacts information processing and attitude change. The research reported in this thesis builds on the latter to develop hypotheses to test the relationships between self-associations and attitudes toward positive and negative information over time. The study adopts a quantitative approach to test the hypotheses using a series of three experiments, each building on one another. The first experiment seeks to find the absolute sleeper effect, and accomplishes this aim. The second experiment investigates the role of implicit self-anchoring on attitudes toward positive and negative information over time, showing that self-anchoring influences self/product identity overlap rather than the transfer of meaning through elaborative associations. The third experiment compares implicit self-anchoring and explicit self-referencing on attitudes toward positive and negative information, and shows that explicit self-referencing produces the associations and dissociations necessary to find the sleeper effect. This study significantly contributes to understanding the sleeper effect, not only by providing evidence for its existence, but by clarifying the mechanisms at work in the sleeper effect process. It distinguishes implicit self-anchoring and explicit self-referencing, and defines two processes in which the self and object interact in memory to influence attitudes. From a practical perspective, it situates the research in the contemporary consumer context, in which positive and negative information regarding products and services is accessible to consumers online. This study demonstrates that negative information can be leveraged to produce positive attitudes.

Purpose:The purpose of this study is to create a profound knowledge of female primary schoolteachers’ choice to stay or leave Kalmar after completing their education. How do gender factors affect their choice to stay or leave Kalmar and how is this visible in their migration pattern? Method: The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews on a total of 13 former teacher students. The focus of the study was the subjects’ description of migration patterns of elementary teachers and whether gender has a significant role when it comes to choosing to move or stay after completing undergraduate education at Linnaeus University in Kalmar. Findings: Through careful analysis and coding of the material, we found aconnection between our informants' stories. The choice of place of residence was not essentially tied to a specific place, but what surprised us was that most of our informants made their choice based on what their partner decided. Conclusion: The choice of place of residence is not based on any specific place of belonging, the result shows that the decision of our informants is based unconsciously entirely on the emotional relationship with their partner.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第23224号 / 工博第4868号 / 新制||工||1760(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科高分子化学専攻 / (主査)教授 辻井 敬亘, 教授 秋吉 一成, 教授 竹中 幹人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

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What is the individual’s preferred income tax rate? How much income tax progressivity do people want? How do individuals form these preferences? This dissertation answers these questions by leveraging the 1996 International Social Survey Program – Role of Government III survey and the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. When researchers ask individuals for their income tax preferences most respondents construct their preference on the spot using few cognitive resources. Individuals also want their income tax preference to be reasonable (i.e., the state can afford basic goods and services), so individuals anchor their preferences on existing state tax policy, their own income tax rate, and their previous responses when applicable. After individuals establish an anchoring point, they make adjustments based on ideological beliefs, level of trust, and self-interest; however, the effects of these adjustments are mediated by the institutional structure of the state. The results of the ordinary least regression models point to four conclusions. First, individuals behave as reasonable cognitive misers. They anchor their income tax preferences on the status quo, and their previous responses. This result explains cross-state differences in income tax preferences. Second, liberal individuals prefer progressive taxation in individualistic states (i.e., states with means-tested welfare states, majoritarian governments, and pluralist interest group systems), and flat taxes in cooperative regimes (i.e., states with expansive welfare states, consensus regimes, and corporatist interest group systems). Third, trusting individuals prefer flat taxes, and preferences for progressive taxation are a means to ensure tax evaders pay their fair share. Fourth, the effects of self-interest on tax preferences are limited, and only influence tax preferences on those earning one-times and eight-times the wages of a full-time unskilled worker. / Political Science

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine how psychological factors affect shareholders and investors, and see which gender differences there are in their investment decisions. Method: The survey was based on a quantitative method with elements of qualitative aspects in form of a questionnaire. The questionnaire were answered by investors and shareholders at various websites for stock investor. The survey consisted of a total of 13 questions with both open and closed answers. Theory: The survey focused on four elements within behavioral finance. These factors are overconfidence, herd behavior, anchoring and familiarity bias. The efficient market hypothesis suggests full rationality which is the opposite of what behavioral finance advocates. Conclusion: Psychological factors affect investors and shareholders in their investment decisions. More men than women considered themselves to be better than average which indicates that they have a stronger overconfidence. In terms of herd behavior the respondents did not show that they follow the group when they have their own information, however, the opposite appeared when they had imperfect information. Women were affected by herd behavior more than men were. Women were affected more than men regarding familiarity bias. Anchoring also proved that the factor had an influence on the respondents but it was not a major difference between men and women.

Bakgrund: Finansiellt beslutsfattande är en central del i den finansiella rådgivningen gentemot privatpersoner och det gemensamma branschorganet SwedSec har uppmärksammat psykologiska fallgropars roll i den finansiella rådgivningen. Den finansiella rådgivarens roll är att, bland annat, hjälpa sina kunder hantera de psykologiska fallgropar de kan råka ut för vid investeringar. Därför finns incitament att undersöka hur rådgivare i rådgivningsprocessen hanterar den eventuella förekomsten av anchoring och framing, samt hur väl de känner till dem. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka finansiella rådgivares kännedom kring anchoring och framing, samt hur de upplever och hanterar fenomenen som en del av rådgivningsprocessen gentemot privatpersoner med ett placerbart kapital under 2 miljoner kronor. Vidare syftar studien till att analysera hur dessa psykologiska fallgropar kan tydas i den finansiella rådgivningsprocessen. Metod: Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ metod för att uppfylla studiens syfte. Datainsamlingen har bestått av nio semi-strukturerade djupintervjuer med SwedSeclicensierade finansiella rådgivare. Vidare har en abduktiv ansats antagits, för att kunna bidra med en intressant analys kring det studerade ämnet samt nå en slutsats. Slutsats: Studien finner att rådgivarnas kännedom är låg kring behavioral finance i allmänhet och anchoring och framing i synnerhet, även om förekomsten av de psykologiska fallgroparna uppmärksammats i studien. Trots låg kännedom har ungefär hälften av respondenterna utvecklat medvetna strategier för att hantera anchoring och framing. Hos de rådgivare som inte utvecklat medvetna strategier finner studien stöd för en omedveten hantering. Vidare kan studien inte ge stöd för att anchoring och framing utgör ett problem i rådgivningsprocessen gentemot privatpersoner med ett placerbart kapital under 2 miljoner kronor. / Background: Financial decision making is a central part of the financial advisory process for individuals, and the organization SwedSec has acknowledged the role of biases in the advisory process. The role of the financial advisor is, amongst other things, to protect their customers from biases in investments. Therefore, it is of interest to examine how well the advisors manage any presence of anchoring and framing, and the advisor's knowledge of them. Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the financial advisor's knowledge regarding anchoring as well as framing, and how they handle these factors as part of the advisory process towards clients with funds of no more than 2 million SEK. Furthermore, the thesis aims to analyze how these biases can take shape in the advisory process. Method: The thesis has, to fulfill its purpose, used a qualitative method. Empirical data has been gathered through nine semi-structured interviews with SwedSec-licensed financial advisors. Furthermore, the thesis has taken on an abductive approach, to contribute with an interesting analysis of the subject and to reach a conclusion. Conclusion: The thesis finds that the financial advisor's knowledge about behavioral finance in general, along with anchoring and framing in particular, is low. The thesis, however, supports these biases existence in the advisory process. Regardless of the lack of knowledge, about half of the respondents have developed aware methods to handle the biases. The thesis shows that the advisors without aware methods handle the biases unconsciously. Furthermore, the thesis cannot support that anchoring and framing constitutes a problem in the advisory process towards clients with funds under 2 million SEK.

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The Pi-cell is known to have the fastest response time amongst commercialised nematic LCD applications due to the bend configuration. The Bend configuration can be obtained when a high voltage is applied to a Pi-cell initially treated to have a splay configuration, but transition is complex because the splay and the bend states are topologically not identical. Although two possible mechanisms (anchoring breaking and order reconstruction) can explain the bend transition, it is still difficult to be certain of the mechanism in some cases. In this thesis, therefore, the bend transition mechanism in the Pi-cell is investigated. Whichever mechanism is present, the bend transition speed is expected to increase when a high voltage is applied to the cell. However, in some cases, the application of a higher voltage reduces the bend transition speed. These phenomena are discussed based on various experimental results, and the reasons are also discussed. Four different regimes are suggested depending on the bend transition speed change. From these results, it is possible to understand the best way to obtain the bend state quickly in a TFT-LCD in the Pi-cell mode. During the experiments, unexpected light leakage was observed in the extinction position. It was proved that the light leakage came from the residual twist angle caused by the manufacturing process. In addition, two new methods were suggested for measuring the residual twist angle from the light leakage. One of the methods, the analytic method, was extended to the TN-cell. Allowing for the residual twist angle in the Pi-cell, the reason for lower CR compared to other LCD modes is discussed, and methods are suggested in this thesis to improve the CR of Pi-cell devices.