Vi beskriver i denna rapport hur vi, som två studenter vidÖrebro universitet, utvecklade ett nätverksbaserat action-spel för datorer i Windows-miljösomsedanvarmed ochtävladei nordens största spelutvecklar-tävling, Swedish Game Awards. I spelet,som vi döpt till Battle of Life, tar sig spelaren an en farlig och oförlåtande värld och måste slåss mot andra spelareför att överleva.  Vi förklarar i denna rapport hur vi, under tio veckors tid,utvecklar ett spel från grundenoch vilka verktyg och metoder vi använde oss av för att genomföra uppgiften. Vi beskriver projektets mot-och framgångar samt hur vi löste de problem vi komi kontakt med under utveklingens gång.Vi går in djupare på varför vi gjordevissa designbeslut och hur de påverkade vårt slutliga resultat.Avslutningsvis diskuterarviom utveklingsprocessen och spelets eventuella framtid, både från vårt eget perspektivsom utvecklaremen även från ett samhällsenligt perspektiv. / In this report we describe how we, as two students at ÖrebroUniversity, developed a network based action-game for computers in windows-environment that later competed in Scandinavia’slargestgame developer competition, Swedish Game Awards. In the game, that we named Battle of Life, the player take on a dangerous and unforgiving world and have to fight against other players to survive.  We explain in this report how we, during ten weeks, develop a game from the beginning and what tools and methods we used to complete the task. We describe the projectssetbacks and successes and how we solved the problems we encountered during the development. We describe deeper why we made some of ourdesign decisions and how it affected the end result. Finally we discuss the development process and the games potential future, both from our own perspective as developers but also from the society’s point of view.

In the Czech Republic is born to 5 % of SGA / IUGR children, about 5, 000 children a year, and their incidence is increasing. In 10 - 15 % does not occur postnatal compensation growth acceleration and growth retardation is then further deepens. Since 2003, these children can be treated by recombinant growth hormone in supraphysiological doses. Master thesis brings informations about SGA / IUGR children and their growth parameters during the first 2 years from the beginning of treatment when the monitoring was carried out at three - month intervals. The results are compared with the group of patients treated with growth hormone for growth hormone deficiency. Growth data was processed by a group of 57 SGA / IUGR children, which was compared with data of 34 children with growth hormone deficiency treated between 2003-2015 with growth hormone. Treatment of both groups of patients was carried out by a suitable therapeutic protocol, with the dose of GH by the respective diagnosis. These parameters were monitored: body height and weight, growth rate, BMI and weight - height ratio of patients. SGA / IUGR and GHD patients showed different growth profile in the initial phase of treatment when GHD patients had higher acceleration peak after 3 months of starting treatment and steeper increase in growth rate....

Background: Preeclampsia, small for gestational age (SGA), placental abruption, and fetal death are pregnancy complications linked to the utero-placental vasculature with serious consequences for maternal and infant well-being. Elevated homocysteine, a marker of cardiovascular disease risk, is postulated to play a role in placenta-mediated complications, but epidemiologic studies have reported inconsistent findings. The two primary objectives of this thesis were to 1: comprehensively investigate the association of homocysteine with placenta-mediated complications and examine modifying effects of pre-specified factors on this association, and 2: comprehensively investigate determinants of maternal homocysteine during pregnancy. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies was conducted to address thesis objective 1. The Ottawa and Kingston (OaK) Birth Cohort, a prospective cohort study that recruited pregnant women between 2002 and 2009, was used to address thesis objectives 1 and 2. Homocysteine concentration was measured between 12 and 20 weeks gestation. Analyses based on the OaK Birth Cohort consisted of multivariable regressions using restricted cubic splines to model associations with continuously distributed variables. Results: Objective 1: In an analysis of 7587 participants, a significant association between homocysteine concentration and a composite outcome of any placenta-mediated complication was observed (odds ratio (OR) for a 5 µmol/L increase: 1.63, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.23-2.16) and SGA (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.25-2.46), with potential modifying effects of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C>T variant (SGA) and high-risk pregnancy (preeclampsia). In the systematic review identifying 30 prospective cohort or nested case-control studies, a random effects meta-analysis of pooled mean differences in homocysteine between cases and controls in 28 studies revealed significantly higher means for SGA: 0.35 µmol/L (95% CI 0.19 to 0.51, I2=33%); and preeclampsia: 0.87 µmol/L (95% CI 0.52 to 1.21, I2=92%). Significant sources of heterogeneity were study region (SGA and preeclampsia), adjusting for covariates (preeclampsia), folate status (preeclampsia), and severity (preeclampsia). Objective 2: In 7587 OaK participants, factors related to favourable health status were associated with lower maternal homocysteine concentrations. Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy of >1 mg/day did not substantially increase serum folate concentration. Conclusion: This thesis suggests an independent effect of slightly higher homocysteine concentration in the early to mid-second trimester on the risk of any placenta-mediated complication, SGA, and preeclampsia. Modifying effects explain some of the variability in previous studies. Favourable preconception health status was associated with lower maternal homocysteine.

Background: The prevalence of opioid use disorder has increased across the United States, but the rural population of Appalachia has been disproportionately impacted. Concurrently, the slow, but steady progress in the legalization of marijuana may be affecting perception of marijuana use in pregnancy. However, marijuana use in pregnancy has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. Concomitant use of opioids and marijuana in pregnancy has not been evaluated. Objective: The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the association between confirmed marijuana use in late pregnancy and preterm birth in opioid-exposed pregnancies. Methodology: A retrospective chart review was conducted that included all births from July 2011 to June 2016 from 6 delivery hospitals in South-Central Appalachia. Out of 18,732 births, 2368 singleton pregnancies indicated opioid use and met remaining inclusion criteria, with 108 of these mothers testing positive for marijuana at delivery. Independent sample t-test and Chi-Square analyses compared marijuana and non-marijuana exposed groups on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Regression analyses controlled for confounding variables in predicting neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), NICU admission, preterm birth, small for gestational age, and low birth weight outcomes as shown in Table 1. Results: Neonates born to marijuana-positive women in opioid-exposed pregnancy were more likely to be born preterm, small for gestational age, have low birth weight, and be admitted to NICU. After statistically controlling for parity, marital status, tobacco and benzodiazepine use, preterm birth and low birth weight remained statistically significant with aOR of 2.35 (1.30–4.24) and 2.01 (1.18–3.44), respectively. Conclusions: Maternal use of marijuana in any opioid-exposed pregnancy may increase risk of preterm birth and low-birth weight infants. Prospective studies need to examine the dose and timing of marijuana and opioid use in pregnancy to better delineate perinatal effects. Nonetheless, pregnant women using opioids, including recommended medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, should be educated about the risks of concurrent marijuana use during pregnancy and may need to be counseled to abstain from marijuana use during pregnancy for an optimal outcome.

This report describes my degree project. For my degree project I made a demo for a game idea that I've developed, and implemented for use with Xbox 360. The idea was about converting the feeling and gameplay of old 2D side-scrolling platform games into 3D, viewed from a first-person perspective. The Xbox 360 version of the demo was also submitted for the game competition Swedish Game Awards.  In the report, I explain this idea more extensive, what software I used to implement it, and how I implemented it. Finally, at the end I clarify the results and discuss fulfilled tasks and future improvements. I'm very pleased with my progress so far and I will continue to work on this on my own until it feels like a finished product that can be distributed. / Den här rapporten beskriver mitt examensarbete. För mitt examensarbete så gjorde jag en demoversion av en spelidé som jag utvecklat, och som implementerades för användning på Xbox 360. Idén bestod av att överföra känslan och spelmekaniken från gamla tvådimensionella sidoskrollande plattformsspel till 3D, sett ur ett förstapersonsperspektiv. Demoversionen för Xbox 360 skickades också in som ett bidrag till speltävlingen Swedish Game Awards.  I rapporten så förklarar jag idén mer utförligt, vad för mjukvara jag använde för att implementera den, och hur jag implementerade den. I slutet av rapporten så klargör jag resultaten och diskuterar mål som har uppfyllts samt idéer för att vidareutveckla spelet. Jag är nöjd med det jag åstadkommit hitintills och jag kommer att fortsätta arbeta på spelet själv tills det känns som en färdig produkt som kan distribueras.

<p><strong>PROBLEM: </strong>Miljöfrågor innefattar ofta komplexa samband som är svåra att analysera och presentera på ett enkelt sätt utan att göra grova förenklingar. Därför finns det ett behov av verktyg som är lättanvända utan att för den skull gör avkall på transparens och nyansering av resultat. Med fortskridande urbanisering blir hållbar stadsutveckling en avgörande faktor i arbetet för en hållbar utveckling.</p><p><strong>SYFTE: </strong>Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka två verktygs lämplighet för att fram­ställa indikatorer för hållbar stadsutveckling. Dessa indikatorer används sedan för att utvärdera miljöpåverkan från uppvärmning i fyra bostadsprojekt med tydlig miljöprofil.</p><p><strong>METOD: </strong>Tillvägagångssättet är en induktiv metod där vi har samlat in empiriska data för att analysera dessa och komma fram till ett resultat.</p><p><strong>RESULTAT: </strong>EFFem är ett transparent och lättanvänt verktyg att använda för att skapa indi­katorer som visar på undersökta projekts hållbarhet. Resultaten är nyanserade men inte alltid entydiga. SGA kan användas för att analysera enstaka aspekter av hållbarhetsprojekt såsom vi gjort i denna uppsats. I sitt nuvarande tillstånd är SGA emellertid inte lämplig att använda för mer omfattande analyser av projekts hållbarhet då den inte uppfyller kraven gällande källor och trans­parens. Slutligen har de mindre bostadsprojekten, framförallt Jöns Ols, en lägre miljöpåverkan per lägenhet och person jämfört med de större projekten.</p> / <p><strong>PROBLEM:</strong> Environmental issues often contain complex connections which are hard to analyse and explain in a simple way, without using far-reaching or rough simplifications. With ongoing urbanisation, cities become a key role in reaching sustainable development.</p><p><strong>AIM: </strong>The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the usefulness of two tools to create environmental indicators. The indicators are then used to evaluate four housing projects which all have a sustainable approach. </p><p><strong>METHOD: </strong>The method used is inductive, where empirical data is collected and analysed to create a result.</p><p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>EFFem is easy to use and when dealing with transparency and nuance, the tool is satisfying in creating sustainability indicators. The results, however, are not always unambiguous. SGA is suitable for analysing certain aspects of sustainability projects as done in this thesis. In its current state it is not eligible for extensive analysis of project sustainability because it does not meet the demands for transparency and sources.  Finally, smaller building projects, especially the Jöns Ols project, seem to have lesser environmental impact than larger scale projects.</p>

Background: Adverse birth outcomes present a difficult and chronic challenge in Ontario, in Canada and in developed countries in general. Increasing proportions of preterm births, significant regional disparities and the high cost of treating all adverse birth outcomes have focused attention on explaining them and developing effective treatments. Methods: Birth outcomes and maternal characteristics for approximately 626,000 births, about 90% of births in 2005–2009, were linked to small geographic areas throughout Ontario. For each of four adverse outcomes: late preterm, moderate to very preterm, small for gestation age and still births, proportions of total births were calculated for the full province and for each small geographic area. Geographic hotspots of elevated rates were identified for each of the different adverse birth outcomes using the local Moran’s I statistic. Data for nine known ecologic and individual risk factors were then linked to the areas. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to model each of the outcomes for the full province and for dispersed local areas. The resulting models for the different outcomes were contrasted. Results: Significant geographic hotspots exist for each of the four outcomes. Hotspots for the different outcomes were found to be largely spatially exclusive. For like outcomes, predictive models differed markedly between local areas (i.e. local groups of hotspots) as well as between full-province and local areas. Ecologic level variables played a strong role in all models; the influence of individual level risk factors was consistently modified by ecologic risk factors except for small for gestational births. Conclusions: The finding of significant hotspots for different adverse birth outcomes indicates that certain geographic areas have aetiologies or patterns of predictors sufficient to create significantly elevated levels of particular outcomes. The finding that hotspots for the different adverse outcomes are largely exclusive implies that the aetiologies are specific; i.e., those that are sufficient to create significantly higher levels for one outcome do not also create significantly higher levels of others. The consistently strong role of ecologic level risk factors in modifying individual level risk factors implies that contextual characteristics are an important part of the aetiology of adverse birth outcomes. Differences in local area models suggest the existence of location-specific (rather than universal) aetiologies. The findings support the need for more careful attention to local context when explaining birth outcomes.

Understanding the functional impact of physical interactions between proteins and DNA on gene expression is important for developing approaches to correct disease-associated gene dysregulation. I conducted a systematic, functional genetic analysis of protein-DNA interactions in the promoter region of the yeast ribonucleotide reductase subunit gene RNR3. I measured the transcriptional impact of systematically perturbing the major transcriptional regulator, Crt1, and three X-box sites on the DNA known to physically bind Crt1. This analysis revealed interactions between two of the three X-boxes in the presence of Crt1, and unexpectedly, a significant functional role of the X-boxes in the absence of Crt1. Further analysis revealed Crt1- independent regulators of RNR3 that were impacted by X-box perturbation. Taken together, these results support the notion that higher-order X-box-mediated interactions are important for RNR3 transcription, and that the X-boxes have unexpected roles in the regulation of RNR3 transcription that extend beyond their interaction with Crt1.

PROBLEM: Miljöfrågor innefattar ofta komplexa samband som är svåra att analysera och presentera på ett enkelt sätt utan att göra grova förenklingar. Därför finns det ett behov av verktyg som är lättanvända utan att för den skull gör avkall på transparens och nyansering av resultat. Med fortskridande urbanisering blir hållbar stadsutveckling en avgörande faktor i arbetet för en hållbar utveckling. SYFTE: Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka två verktygs lämplighet för att fram­ställa indikatorer för hållbar stadsutveckling. Dessa indikatorer används sedan för att utvärdera miljöpåverkan från uppvärmning i fyra bostadsprojekt med tydlig miljöprofil. METOD: Tillvägagångssättet är en induktiv metod där vi har samlat in empiriska data för att analysera dessa och komma fram till ett resultat. RESULTAT: EFFem är ett transparent och lättanvänt verktyg att använda för att skapa indi­katorer som visar på undersökta projekts hållbarhet. Resultaten är nyanserade men inte alltid entydiga. SGA kan användas för att analysera enstaka aspekter av hållbarhetsprojekt såsom vi gjort i denna uppsats. I sitt nuvarande tillstånd är SGA emellertid inte lämplig att använda för mer omfattande analyser av projekts hållbarhet då den inte uppfyller kraven gällande källor och trans­parens. Slutligen har de mindre bostadsprojekten, framförallt Jöns Ols, en lägre miljöpåverkan per lägenhet och person jämfört med de större projekten. / PROBLEM: Environmental issues often contain complex connections which are hard to analyse and explain in a simple way, without using far-reaching or rough simplifications. With ongoing urbanisation, cities become a key role in reaching sustainable development. AIM: The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the usefulness of two tools to create environmental indicators. The indicators are then used to evaluate four housing projects which all have a sustainable approach.  METHOD: The method used is inductive, where empirical data is collected and analysed to create a result. RESULTS: EFFem is easy to use and when dealing with transparency and nuance, the tool is satisfying in creating sustainability indicators. The results, however, are not always unambiguous. SGA is suitable for analysing certain aspects of sustainability projects as done in this thesis. In its current state it is not eligible for extensive analysis of project sustainability because it does not meet the demands for transparency and sources.  Finally, smaller building projects, especially the Jöns Ols project, seem to have lesser environmental impact than larger scale projects.

Understanding the functional impact of physical interactions between proteins and DNA on gene expression is important for developing approaches to correct disease-associated gene dysregulation. I conducted a systematic, functional genetic analysis of protein-DNA interactions in the promoter region of the yeast ribonucleotide reductase subunit gene RNR3. I measured the transcriptional impact of systematically perturbing the major transcriptional regulator, Crt1, and three X-box sites on the DNA known to physically bind Crt1. This analysis revealed interactions between two of the three X-boxes in the presence of Crt1, and unexpectedly, a significant functional role of the X-boxes in the absence of Crt1. Further analysis revealed Crt1- independent regulators of RNR3 that were impacted by X-box perturbation. Taken together, these results support the notion that higher-order X-box-mediated interactions are important for RNR3 transcription, and that the X-boxes have unexpected roles in the regulation of RNR3 transcription that extend beyond their interaction with Crt1.