Förekomsten av högt blodtryck, högt BMI och förhöjda blodfetter är mycket vanlig både på global nivå och i Sverige och bidrar årligen till en stor del av sjukdomsbördan. Dessa metabola riskfaktorer är orsaken till flera allvarliga sjukdomar och förtidig död. Livsstilsförändringar i form av kostomläggning och fysisk aktivitet har visats vara effektiva i att minska dessa riskfaktorer och därmed reducera risken för sjukdom. Syftet med studien var att undersöka förändringar i metabola riskfaktorer hos deltagare i en sju dagar lång livsstilsintervention i form av steps4life hälsoveckor. Data från sammanlagt 136 deltagare från nio hälsoveckor utförda mellan år 2013–2017 analyserades. Antropometriska variabler, blodprov och blodtryck insamlades vid baslinjen, efter sju dagar samt vid uppföljning efter fem månader. Resultaten visade att deltagarna i hälsoveckan efter sju dagar hade signifikant lägre nivåer av total kolesterol, LDL kolesterol och triglycerider, utan att HDL kolesterol påverkades. Störst förändring kunde ses hos dem som vid baslinjen hade nivåer av LDL kolesterol och triglycerider som låg över gällande riktvärden. I studien framkom även att en signifikant minskning både i systoliskt och diastoliskt blodtryck kunde ses hos personer som vid baslinjen hade förhöjda blodtrycksnivåer. Vid uppföljning fem månader efter hälsoveckan sågs signifikant lägre nivåer av total kolesterol och LDL kolesterol än vid baslinjen. Minskning i triglycerider vid uppföljningen sågs för dem som hade förhöjda nivåer vid baslinjen. Inga signifikanta skillnader i vikt eller BMI kunde ses mellan baslinjen och efter fem månader. Trots att inga orsakssamband kan dras så är resultaten i linje med tidigare studier där liknande förändringar har kunnat påvisas under samma tidsperiod. Programmet vid steps4life hälsoveckor kan därför vara ett bra sätt att minska flera metabola riskfaktorer och därmed förebygga sjukdom. Fler och längre studier med större studiegrupper och en starkare studiedesign behövs för att utvärdera kort och långsiktiga effekter av programmet. / The prevalence of high blood pressure, high BMI and elevated blood lipids is very common both at a global level and in Sweden. A large part of the disease burden annually can be attributed to these risk factors. Several serious diseases and premature death is caused by these metabolic risk factors. Lifestyle changes in terms of dietary change and physical activity have been shown to be effective in lowering metabolic these specific risk factors and thus reducing the risk of disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in metabolic risk factors among participants in a seven-day lifestyle intervention in the form of the steps4life health program. Data from a total of 136 participants from nine health programs arranged between 2013-2017 were analyzed. Anthropometric variables, blood samples and blood pressure were collected at baseline after seven days as well as at a follow-up after five months. The results showed that after seven days, participants in the health program had significantly lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides without affecting HDL cholesterol. The biggest change was seen in those who at baseline had levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides that were above current recommendations. The study also found that a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure could be seen in subjects that had elevated blood pressure levels at baseline. At follow-up five months after the health program, significantly lower mean levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were observed. Reduction in triglycerides at follow-up was observed for those who had elevated levels at baseline. No significant differences in weight or BMI could be seen between baseline and after five months. Although no causational relationships can be concluded, the results are in line with previous studies where a similar change has been demonstrated in the same timeframe. The steps4life health program can therefore be a good way to reduce multiple metabolic risk factors and thus prevent disease. More and longer studies with larger study groups and a stronger study design are needed to evaluate short and long term effects of the program.

The purpose of this study was to describe the possibility of implementing a lacto-ovo-vegetarian and organic diet in Eskilstuna municipality’s public preschool. Furthermore the purpose was to identify and describe the most important components involved in the implementation and their influence in the process.  The methods used were a survey based on a literature study. This study includes general information about meat production and consumption and also the use of pesticides in farming. It also brings up the environmental and health effects caused by the previously mentioned areas. The effects caused by meat production and consumption are, among others, greenhouse gas emissions and increased risk of some forms of cancer. The effects of pesticides are not fully stated but present studies indicate that the effects, especially regarding the environment, are negative. The study then narrows and describes the situation and organization in Eskilstuna municipality and finally describes the possible implementation process. The conclusion of the study was that an implementation is possible and a needed step towards a reduction of negative environmental and health impact. Learned habits that are created in an early age can act as a base for present and future challenges. Children will become the consumers of the future. An organic and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet reduces the amount of antropogenic distributed compounds and greenhouse gases to the environment and can function as an instrument towards the achievement of the Swedish Environmental Objectives. Goals that are set by Eskilstuna municipality can also be favored by an implementation of the suggested diet in the public preschool.

This master's work was focused on the assessment of sexual dimorphism of external and internal morphology of frontal bone. Sexual diagnosis based on external surface of frontal bones and volume and surface of frontal sinuses was carried out using geometric morphometrics methods. Our approach used anonimized CT scans of 103 skulls from recent Czech population, from which 3D models of frontal bones and frontal sinuses were created. At first the analysis was aimed at studying form and shape of external surface of frontal bone. Our methodology is based on the work of Musilová et al. (2016) that estimates sex using exocranial surface of the entire skull. We analyzed variability and tested differences in males and females frontal bones. The main target of this work was sex classification. The highest success rate acquired 86,41 % with the first 20 main components of form. The following part of this study was focused on sex estimation using the methodology developed by Bulut et al. (2016), which was applied in Turkish population. This method classified Czech males and females with accuracy 70,87 %. In order to complete sex determination based on the frontal bone we also used classification of the radius of the frontal bone curvature with success rate of 77,66 %. The attention was also paid to studying...

The main goal of this project was to familiarize readers with the techniques used in real-time animation of 3D characters. This work is focused on two types of animation: keyframe animation and skeletal animation. There are described algorithms for software and hardware accelerated model deformations, keyframe interpolations, animation blending, inverse kinematics and ragdoll. The result of this project is a framework, which consists of an animation library, examples demonstrating library functions and tools for export animations from 3D Studio Max and MilkShape 3D.

Bakgrund: Tidigare studier visar på att en hälsosam kost kan kopplas till kognitiv funktion, såsom minne och andra mentala funktioner i hjärnan. Människan behöver regelbundet intag av näringsämnen och vid ett balanserat intag av kolhydrater, fett och protein kan hjärnan och kroppen uppnå optimal funktion. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka kostens samt olika livsmedels effekt på hjärnhälsa hos friska vuxna individer i åldern 50 år och uppåt. Metod: Litteraturöversikten baserad på åtta vetenskapliga artiklar som hittades i databaserna Medline och PubMed. Analysen utfördes enligt systematisk översikt med hjälp av ramverket PICO. Resultat: Sammanställningen av tidigare forskning lyfter fram kunskapen om sambandet mellan kost och hjärnhälsa samt betonar speciella framgångsfaktorer inom ämnet.  Samtliga artiklar uppnådde statistisk signifikans och syftet kunde besvaras. Slutsats: Fortsatt forskning bör studeras med bredare perspektiv för att tillgodose alla kriterier för främjande av hjärnhälsa. Aktuella studien har ringat in viktiga faktorer för att utveckla en god hjärnhälsa via kosten. Att studera kostens påverkan på hjärnhälsa kan vara nyckeln till att förbättra hälsan globalt. / Background: Previous studies show that a healthy diet can be linked to cognitive function, such as memory and other mental functions of the brain. Humans need a regular intake of nutrients, and with a balanced intake of carbohydrates, fat and proteins, can the brain and body achieve optimal function. Objective: The aim is to research the effect of nutrition and different food on brain health on healthy adults aged 50 and over. Method: The literature review was based on eight scientific articles found in the databases Medline and PubMed. The analysis was performed according to a systematic review using the PICO framework. Results: The compilation of previous research highlights the knowledge of the connection between diet and brain health and emphasizes special success factors within the subject. All articles achieved statistical significance and the purpose could be answered. Conclusion: Continued research should be studied with broader perspectives to satisfy all criteria for promoting brain health. The current study has identified important factors for developing good brain health through nutrition. Studying the impact of diet on brain health may be the key to improving health globally.

Syftet var att undersöka uppfattningar om växtbaserad kost hos vuxna i Sverige. En växtbaserad kost främjar hälsa, miljö och djurens välfärd. Semistrukturerade intervjuer baserade på teorin om planerat beteende hölls med elva individer mellan åldrarna 18 och 57 som är bosatta i Sverige. Deltagarna hade olika kostvanor. De genomförda intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades med innehållsanalys, för att sedan presenteras i två kategorier med fem underkategorier. Den första var en hållbar framtid med underkategorierna hälsorelaterade upplevelser samt miljö, klimat och djur. Den andra var samhällets roll med underkategorierna egna och andras åsikter, tillgänglighet, utbud och pengar samt omgivning och omvärld. Resultatet av studien visade att alla aspekter inom hållbarhet var viktigt för deltagarna. Uppfattningen var att växtbaserad kost är hälsosamt men kan också innebära näringsbrister. Deltagarna tyckte att intresse är en viktig faktor. Även samhällets inverkan diskuterades på olika vis, exempelvis åsikter, utbud och hur det skiljer sig mellan olika länder. / The aim of this study was to investigate adults' perceptions of a plant-based diet in Sweden. A plant-based diet promotes health, the environment and animal welfare. Semi-structured interviews based on the theory of planned behavior were held with eleven individuals between the ages of 18 and 57 who live in Sweden. The participants were following different diets. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with content analysis, then they were presented in two categories with five subcategories. The first one was a sustainable future with the subcategories health-related experiences together with environment, climate and animals. The second one was the role of society with the subcategories own and others' opinions, accessibility, supply and money together with the surrounding and the world around. The result of the study showed that all aspects of sustainability were important to the participants. The perception was that a plant-based diet is healthy but can also lead to nutritional deficiencies. The participants thought that interest plays an important role. The impact of society was also discussed in different ways, such as opinions, supply and how it differs between countries.

Introduktion: Obesitas och övervikt har blivit en global epidemi. Det är fler som dör till följd av obesitas än av undervikt. Det är viktigt med tidig prevention för att förebygga övervikt och obesitas eftersom övervikt i tidig ålder ger större risk för övervikt och obesitas i vuxen ålder. Det finns cirka 370 000 hälsoappar för nedladdning, men lite forskning har gjorts om digitala hälsotjänster har effekt. Syfte: Att undersöka om digitala hälsotjänster kan stödja barn, upp till 18 år, att nå en hälsosam livsstil gällande kost och fysisk aktivitet samt hälsosam vikt. Metod: En strukturerad litteraturstudie där artiklarna analyserades tematisk. Resultat: Efter sökningar i CINAHL och Pubmed inkluderades 21 vetenskapliga originalartiklar. Artiklarna beskrev studier med barn upp till 18 år från 16 olika länder och med olika digitala hälsotjänster. Fyra teman identifierades: “Kostvanor”, “Fysisk aktivitet”, “BMI och BMI z-score”, samt “Tilltro till egen förmåga och engagemang hos barn och föräldrar”. Studien visade både signifikant och icke signifikant förändringar gällande kostförändring, fysisk aktivitet samt BMI eller BMI z-score. Vissa interventioner hade bestående effekt, andra inte. Familjerna hade en övergripande känsla av tillfredställelse att använda digitala hälsotjänster för att främja hälsosamma levnadsvanor och viktutveckling. Slutsats: Levnadsvanor gällande kost och fysisk aktivitet kan förändras med hjälp av digitala hälsotjänster. Med förändrade kostvanor och ändring av fysisk aktivitet kan det bidra till minskad förekomst av övervikt och obesitas. Förändringarna av levnadsvanor var dock inte alltid signifikanta eller bestående över tid. Mer forskning behövs. / Introduction: Obesity and overweight have become a global epidemic. More people die from obesity than from underweight. Early prevention is important to prevent overweight and obesity because overweight at an early age increase the risk of overweight and obesity in adulthood. There are about 370.000 health apps for download, but little research has been done on the effectiveness of digital health services. Aim: To investigate whether digital health service can support children up to 18 years of age to achieve a healthier lifestyle regarding eating habits and physical activity, and healthy weight. Methods: A structured literature review where the articles were analysed thematically. Results: After searches in CINAHL and PubMed, 21 scientific original articles were included. The articles described studies involving children up to 18 years from 16 different countries and with various digital health services. Four themes were identified: “Eating habits”, “Physical activities”, “BMI and BMI z-score”, and “Self-efficacy and engagement in children and parents”. The results showed both significant and non-significant changes regarding eating habits, physical activity, and BMI or BMI z-score. Some interventions had lasting effects, others did not. The families had an overall sense of satisfaction using digital health services to promote healthy lifestyle and weight development. Conclusion: Lifestyle habits related to eating habits and physical activity can be changed with the help of digital health services. These changes can contribute to reduced prevalence of overweight and obesity. However, the changes in lifestyle were not always significant or lasting over time. More research is required.

The project examines the possibilities to develop a local and sustainable model for food production in Uppsala with focus on diet, farming methods and different types of greenhouse installations. With the simulation software VIP energy 3.1.1 the energy balance and temperature development of greenhouses of different materials were calculated for different operating cases. The results were also compared when the greenhouse was installed stand-alone or integrated to the wall of a small standard or passive house. With a starch based diet and biological farming methods research suggests it is possible to produce food efficiently without compromising the environment or our health. The yearly food needs for a family of four that follows the suggested diet was estimated to 4362 kg and the outdoor land required to produce it was calculated to 4676 m2 through organic yield statistics. The area could however be reduced to 2813 m2 if the only starch staple in production was potatoes. The tender growing season in a greenhouse constructed with a covering of 5 mm glass or 5-16Ar-5 mm was calculated to 85 and 148 days respectively. The energy use required for year round production of mushrooms in the respective greenhouses was calculated to 53 or 16 kWh/m2,year. Half hardy plants required 399 or 173 kWh/m2,year and tender plants 953 or 358 kWh/m2,year. When the greenhouses were connected to the wall of a small house the heating demand could be reduced by up to 22 % depending on the operating case.

Background Obesity, in particular abdominal adiposity, is associated with elevated fatty acids and pro-inflammatory adipokines, which are linked to ectopic fat storage and insulin resistance. During menopause, there is a redistribution of fat from the peripheral to abdominal depots. This transition is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that a Paleolithic diet, with high proportions of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and oils, but devoid of dairy products and cereals, might have long-term beneficial effects on inflammation, fat metabolism, and circulating fatty acids. These effects might potentially reduce the risk of metabolic complications in postmenopausal women that are obese.  Methods Postmenopausal women with obesity were studied before, after six months, and after 24 months of one of two specified ad libitum diets. One diet was a Paleolithic diet, in which approximately 30% of the total energy (E%) was protein, 30 E% was fat, and 40 E% was carbohydrate. The other diet was a prudent control diet, consistent with Nordic Nutrition recommendations of 15 E% protein, 25 E% fat, and 55 E% carbohydrate. Dietary intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids and protein were validated objectively by measuring circulating and urinary biomarkers. Anthropometrics and diet reports were analyzed, and abdominal subcutaneous fat samples were evaluated for the expression of proteins key in inflammation and fat metabolism and for lipoprotein lipase mass and activity. In addition, blood samples were analyzed to determine concentrations of specific serum proteins, serum lipids, and the fatty acids carried in cholesterol esters. Results The Paleolithic diet group reported reduced intakes of saturated fatty acids and carbohydrates and elevated intakes of protein and unsaturated fatty acids, compared to baseline. The elevated intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids and protein were objectively verified for this group. After 24 months, both diets were found to have beneficial effects on the expression of inflammation-related genes in adipose tissue and pro-inflammatory factors in the circulation. Compared to the control group, the Paleolithic diet group exhibited more pronounced reductions of circulating cardiometabolic risk factors, including the ratio of triglycerides to high density lipoprotein, lipogenic index, specific fatty acids, and indices of desaturase activities. After six months, the Paleolithic group also exhibited more pronounced reductions in lipogenesis-promoting factors, including the expression of key proteins in fat synthesis, the activity of lipoprotein lipase, and the activity of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, compared to the control group. Conclusion Long-term weight loss in postmenopausal obese women was accompanied by reductions in low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue and in the circulation. In addition, a Paleolithic diet, with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids and a low content of refined carbohydrates, appeared to provide greater reductions in cardiometabolic risk factors associated with insulin resistance and lipogenesis, compared to a prudent control diet. / Bakgrund De senaste decennierna har förekomsten av övervikt och fetma ökat kraftigt i stora delar av världen. Detta beror på en kombination av olika faktorer såsom specifika gener vilka främjar fettinlagring, men kanske främst ett överintag av energirik mat i kombination med minskad fysisk aktivitet. Fetma och specifikt bukfetma, vilket tilltar hos kvinnor efter klimakteriet (postmenopausala), ökar risken för höjda blodfettsnivåer och låggradig inflammation, vilket kan leda till utveckling av typ 2-diabetes samt hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar. Kost och viktnedgång är avgörande för bibehållen hälsa och av stort intresse är att urbefolkningar runt om i världen har låg förekomst av fetma, diabetes, hjärt- och kärlsjukdom, troligtvis kopplat till olika livsstilsfaktorer som högre fysisk aktivitet samt kostfaktorer.  Syfte Vårt syfte var att undersöka metabola förändringar i fettväv och cirkulation hos postmenopausala kvinnor med fetma kopplat till en 24 månaders paleolitisk kostintervention. Den paleolitiska kosten, som ingick i studien består av en hög andel magert kött, fisk, grönsaker, frukt, nötter, oliv- och rapsolja och där mjölkprodukter och spannmål är uteslutna. Vår hypotes var att en paleolitisk kost med hög andel protein och omättade fettsyror har fördelaktiga långtidseffekter på inflammation, fettmetabolism och cirkulerande fettsyror jämfört med en kost baserad på Nordiska näringsrekommendationer med ett högt intag av kolhydrater. Metoder Postmenopausala kvinnor med fetma studerades före, vid sex månader och efter 24 månaders intag, utan energirestriktioner, av antingen en paleolitisk kost eller en kost enligt Nordiska näringsrekommendationer. Kroppsmätningar, kostregistreringar, genuttryck av nyckelproteiner i inflammation och fettmetabolism i fettväv samt koncentrationer av blodfetter, specifika proteiner och fettsyror bestämdes i plasma. Resultat I linje med rekommendationerna så rapporterade gruppen som åt den paleolitiska kosten ett minskat intag av mättat fett och kolhydrater samt ett ökat intag av protein och omättat fett jämfört med baslinjenivåerna. Det ökade intaget av fleromättade fettsyror och protein bekräftades med objektiva mätmetoder. Efter 24 månaders intervention uppvisade båda grupperna en jämförbar viktnedgång och en minskning av flertalet proinflammatoriska faktorer i såväl fettväv som i cirkulation. Den grupp som åt paleolitisk kost uppvisade en kraftigare reduktion av cirkulerande kardiometabola riskfaktorer som index för fettsyntes och desaturaser, specifika fettsyror samt kvoten triglycerider till HDL (high density lipoprotein). Efter sex månader bidrog den paleolitiska kosten också till en mer påtaglig minskning av faktorer involverade i fettinlagring, som uttryck av specifika nyckelproteiner i fettsyntes, aktivitet för lipoprotein lipas och stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 index jämfört med kontrollkosten. Slutsatser En långvarig viktminskning hos postmenopausala kvinnor med fetma åtföljs av en minskad låggradig inflammation i fettväv och i cirkulation. En paleolitisk kost med hög andel omättade fettsyror och låga halt kolhydrater är kopplat till en kraftigare minskning av riskparametrar för insulinresistens och nyckelfaktorer för fettinlagring jämfört med en kontrollkost enligt Nordiska näringsrekommendationer.

The dissertation deals with the image processing in digital holographic microscopy and X-ray computed tomography. The focus of the work lies in the proposal of data processing techniques to meet the needs of the biological experiments. Transmitted light holographic microscopy is particularly used for quantitative phase imaging of transparent microscopic objects such as living cells. The phase images are affected by the phase aberrations that make the analysis particularly difficult. Here, we present a novel algorithm for dynamical processing of living cells phase images in a time-lapse sequence. The algorithm compensates for the deformation of a phase image using weighted least squares surface fitting. Moreover, it identifies and segments the individual cells in the phase image. This property of the algorithm is important for real-time cell quantitative phase imaging and instantaneous control of the course of the experiment. The efficiency of the propounded algorithm is demonstrated on images of rat fibrosarcoma cells using an off-axis holographic microscope. High resolution X-ray computed tomography is increasingly used technique for the study of the small rodent bones micro-structure. In this part of the work, the trabecular and cortical bone morphology is assessed in the distal half of rat femur. We developed new method for mapping the cortical position and dimensions from a central longitudinal axis with one degree angular resolution. This method was used to examine differences between experimental groups. The bone position in tomographic slices is aligned before the mapping using the propound standardization procedure. The activity of remodelling process of the long bone is studied on the system of cortical canals.