Mine Action and the Reintegration of Former Combatants: Expanding the Debate

In the last decades, humanitarian mine action (HMA) and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR)2 processes have increasingly been recognized as essential to paving the way for sustainable development thanks to their contributions towards human security, livelihood, and access to services. The integration between the two processes, however, has not yet been fully addressed in the literature or practice. This paper seeks to identify areas where DDR and HMA intersect and, supported by anecdotal evidence, suggest a conceptual framework for future research and implementation. Most importantly, we hope to widen the debate on the potentially synergic relationship between HMA and DDR, flag possible fallacies or oversimplifications, and challenge solely “top-down” approaches

Främjas kreativitet av ljudet i caféer? - det irrelevanta bakgrundsljudets effekt på kreativitet hos studenter

The main focus of the study was to investigate the relationship between irrelevant background sound and creativity. A creativity test which intends to measure creativity in a gestalt-oriented and broad way, “TCT-DP”, was used. The participants, 83 students, were tested under two different conditions, one with and one without bakground sound. The results from using a t-test for independent samples showed no significant difference between the groups. This was possibly due to the nature of the creativity test. Furthermore a Mann Whitney U-test was used to investigate a possible difference between distraction for the groups. However, results showed no significant difference here either.Huvudsyftet med studien var att undersöka om kreativitet påverkas av en vanlig miljöaspekt, irrelevant bakgrundsljud. Kreativitetstestet, “TCT-DP”, användes för att betrakta kreativitet från ett brett och gestaltorienterat perspektiv. Deltagarna var 83 studenter som testades under två olika förhållanden, med och utan bakgrundsljud. Resultatet från ett t-test för oberoende grupper visade att experimentgruppen inte fick signifikant bättre resultat än kontrollgruppen. Vidare undersöktes om skillnader fanns i distraktion hos grupperna. Dock hittades inga signifikanta skillnader här heller

Организация научно-исследовательской работы студентов на кафедре акушерства и гинекологии

ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЬСКИЙ СОСТАВ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ УЧЕБНЫХ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЙнаучно-исследовательская работаАКУШЕРСТВО /обучГИНЕКОЛОГИЯ /обучСТУДЕНТЫ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ УЧЕБНЫХ ЗАВЕДЕНИ

Protein kinase N2 regulates AMP kinase signaling and insulin responsiveness of glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle

Insulin resistance is central to the development of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders. Because skeletal muscle is responsible for the majority of whole body insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, regulation of glucose metabolism in this tissue is of particular importance. Although Rho GTPases and many of their affecters influence skeletal muscle metabolism, there is a paucity of information on the protein kinase N (PKN) family of serine/threonine protein kinases. We investigated the impact of PKN2 on insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in primary human skeletal muscle cells in vitro and mouse tibialis anterior muscle in vivo. PKN2 knockdown in vitro decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, incorporation into glycogen, and oxidation. PKN2 siRNA increased 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling while stimulating fatty acid oxidation and incorporation into triglycerides and decreasing protein synthesis. At the transcriptional level, PKN2 knockdown increased expression of PGC-1α and SREBP-1c and their target genes. In mature skeletal muscle, in vivo PKN2 knockdown decreased glucose uptake and increased AMPK phosphorylation. Thus, PKN2 alters key signaling pathways and transcriptional networks to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Identification of PKN2 as a novel regulator of insulin and AMPK signaling may provide an avenue for manipulation of skeletal muscle metabolism

Altered tryptophan and alanine transport in fibroblasts from boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): an in vitro study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The catecholaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems are implicated in the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The amino acid tyrosine is the precursor for synthesis of the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine, while tryptophan is the precursor of serotonin. A disturbed transport of tyrosine, as well as other amino acids, has been found in a number of other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism, when using the fibroblast cell model. Hence, the aim of this study was to explore whether children with ADHD may have disturbed amino acid transport.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fibroblast cells were cultured from skin biopsies obtained from 14 boys diagnosed with ADHD and from 13 matching boys without a diagnosis of a developmental disorder. Transport of the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan and alanine across the cell membrane was measured by the cluster tray method. The kinetic parameters, maximal transport capacity (<it>V_max</it>) and affinity constant (<it>K_m</it>) were determined. Any difference between the two groups was analyzed by Student's unpaired <it>t</it>-test or the Mann Whitney U test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The ADHD group had significantly decreased <it>V_max</it>(p = 0.039) and <it>K_m</it>(increased affinity) (p = 0.010) of tryptophan transport in comparison to controls. They also had a significantly higher <it>V_max</it>of alanine transport (p = 0.031), but the <it>Km </it>of alanine transport did not differ significantly. There were no significant differences in any of the kinetic parameters regarding tyrosine transport in fibroblasts for the ADHD group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Tryptophan uses the same transport systems in both fibroblasts and at the blood brain barrier (BBB). Hence, a decreased transport capacity of tryptophan implies that less tryptophan is being transported across the BBB in the ADHD group. This could lead to deficient serotonin access in the brain that might cause disturbances in both the serotonergic and the catecholaminergic neurotransmitter systems, since these systems are highly interconnected. The physiological importance of an elevated transport capacity of alanine to the brain is not known to date.</p

A study of how personas can create a common ground and become a communication artefact in development projects : The development of an industrial company using XLPM as the base for their development process

Projektkommunikation, det vill säga hur personerna inom projektgrupper kommunicerar med varandra, kan vara svårt och ineffektivt inom utvecklingsprojekt. Brister finns ofta vad det gäller den gemensamma grunden för kommunikationen samt kunskapen mellan medlemmarna i stora projektgrupper. Detta examensarbete undersöker explorativt hur personor kan användas, inom en version av XLPM, för att förbättra och effektivisera kommunikationen mellan personerna inom tekniska utvecklingsprojekt. Teorierna bakom forskningsfältet fokuserar på personor, gemensam grund, gränsföremål, medvetenhet uppmärksamhet och XLPM. I studien utfördes nio informella/intressent intervjuer med nio utvecklare, två semistrukturerade med en projektledare och 29 intervjuer med 29 användare av uppdragsgivarens produkter samt analys av en befintlig utvecklingsmetod hos uppdragsgivaren. Resultatet för denna undersökning är en utökad projektmodell som integrerar persona-metodiken i en version av XLPM. Modellen förväntas förbättra kommunikationen och besluten inom utvecklingsprojekten. Undersökningens resultat indikerar att det går att integrera persona-metodiken i en version av XLPM. Project communication can be difficult and ineffective in development projects. Moreover, there are often a lack of a common ground for the communication and the knowledge among members in large project groups. This thesis is an explorative study how personas can be used in a XLPM version to improve and make the communication more effective between the individuals in technical development projects. The theories behind field of research are focused on personas, common ground, boundary object, awareness, attention and XLPM. In the study nine informal interviews were made with nine different developers, two semi- structured interviews was performed with a project leader and 29 interviews were made with the end users of the product that the outsourcer for this thesis manufacture. Finally, an analyse of existing development method at the outsourcer were made. The result of this study is an expanded project model that integrates a persona method in a version of XLPM. The model is expected to improve the communication and the solutions in development projects. The result indicates that it is possible to integrate a persona method in a XLPM version.

Functional Role of Immune Complexes in Rheumatic and Parasitic Diseases

Immune complexes (IC) have key pathological roles in both autoimmune and infectious diseases. In this thesis functional mechanisms behind IC-driven inflammation in rheumatic diseases and tropical infections have been studied, with special focus on the contribution of autoantibodies and cytokine-inducing properties of IC. In the autoimmune disease SLE, increased levels of IC-induced cytokines were associated with both increased classical complement activation and the occurrence of the autoantibodies anti-SSA and anti-SSB, both directed against RNA-associated antigens. In addition, complement activation and anti-SSA synergistically predisposed to higher levels of IC in sera. In the following study it was demonstrated that also other autoantibodies against RNA-associated autoantigens were more enriched than anti-dsDNA in SLE IC. Sudanese Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) patients had elevated IC levels, and precipitated IC induced higher levels of GM-CSF, IL10, IL6 and IL1RA than control IC. Levels of IC were especially prominent in severely ill patients receiving antimony treatment, and a parallel association with IC induction of GM-CSF was demonstrated. Leishmania-infected patients were often rheumatoid factor (RF) positive and a substantial number displayed reactivity towards cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antigens. Contrary to what was seen in Sudanese RA sera, the CCP reactivity was not restricted to citrulline but reacted equally well with arginine-containing control peptides. Levels of anti-CCP among VL patients were not due to cross-reactions with, or CCP-reactivity bound to IC. I have demonstrated that IC are associated with the presence of autoantibodies in both SLE and in Leishmania infection. In SLE, autoantibodies against RNA-associated antigens were more prone to form circulating IC than anti-dsDNA. In Leishmania infection false reactivity against the CCP-autoantigen correlated to IC levels although the IC themselves did not contain such reactivity. In both diseases higher IC levels were associated with a more active disease, and purified IC induced key cytokines in disease pathogeneses

Mapping the binding site of the Hof1p SH3 domain in the Bnr1p FH1 domain

The unusual syndrome Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome has been found to be linked to a mutation in a gene expressing the Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASp). Due to the conservation of certain mechanisms and the homologous proteins from lower to higher eukaryotes, yeast has been used to study the molecular mechanisms that underlie diseases in humans. The yeast WASp homologue, Las17p (Local Anaexthetic Sentivie 17) and the yeast homologye Vrpp of its (i.e. human WASp) partner protein known as WIP (WASp-interacting protein), have been studied with the intention to investigate the phenotypes that arise in cells deficient in Vrp1p. A protein-protein interaction is believed to occur in the absence of Vrp1p, the interaction between the SH3 domain of the yeast F-Bar protein Hof1p and the FH1 domain of the yeast formin protein Bnr1p. This interaction is thought to have pathological effects, such as inhibition of cell proliferation and other phenotypes. This study has been conducted in an attempt to map the binding site of Hof1p SH3 domain in the Bnr1p FH1 domain more specifically, based on previous studies suggesting that Fragment 1(755-905) of Bnr1p Full Interacting Fragment(755-1375), including the proline- rich FH1 domain, interacts with Hof1p SH3 domain in cells deficient in Vrp1p. Both Hof1p and Bnr1p are involved in the cytokinesis stagemof the yeast cell cycle. The hypothesis implies that the excessive interaction of Hof1p SH3 domain and Bnr1p FH1 domain may interrupt the cytokinesis, which thereby can lead to the growth of defects. There was no finding of binding site within the Bnr1p FH1 domain for the Hof1p SH3 domain during this study. This can be due to various reason as explained later. Even though, this study has cast some doubts on previously conducted studies