7 Year Iterative Improvements in Laboratory Work – Constructive Alignment

Peer reviewe

Exercise as treatment for depression

Studies have reported that physical activity can be protective against developing depression and that exercise can be as effective as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy in the treatment of depression. However less is known about the associations of sedentary behavior with depression, the optimal intensity of exercise for treating depression, especially in the long- term and whether prescribing exercise for depression will change the patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior after the intervention is completed. Data for this thesis derive from the Regassa study, a randomized controlled trial, which included three exercise groups at different intensity levels and a group that received Treatment As Usual (TAU). The participants were 18-67 years old with mild to moderate depression at baseline. The aim of Study I was to measure how physically active and sedentary people suffering from depression are and the association of physical activity and sedentary behavior with depression severity. Depression severity was measured using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Accelerometer data was collected at baseline to assess physical activity and sedentary behavior (N=165). The aim of Study II was to determine the post- treatment (12 weeks) effect of three different exercise intensity groups (light, moderate and vigorous) on depression severity (MADRS) and compare with TAU (N=620). Study III used accelerometer data to determine whether the three exercise groups (N=68) had changed their physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns following the completion of the intervention. Study IV compared long-term effects (12 months) of the three exercise groups and TAU (N=620) on depression severity (MADRS). The results showed that in this sample of depressed adults a large proportion of time was spent in sedentary pursuits and depression severity was associated with Light Physical Activity (LIPA) and number of sedentary bouts (Study I). Exercise, whether performed at light, moderate or vigorous intensity, was at least comparable with TAU, both in the short term (Study II) and long-term (Study IV) in reducing depression severity. Light intensity exercise was shown to have lower depression severity than TAU, both in the short (Study II) and long-term (Study IV). All exercise groups reduced sedentary and LIPA time though non- significantly following the conclusion of the intervention, but some detrimental effects were seen on sedentary patterns (fewer breaks and longer bouts) in the moderate group and a reduction of MVPA in the light and moderate groups (Study III). The findings in this thesis show that the treatment potential is high and that exercise can be prescribed for depression at an intensity ranging from light to vigorous. Both short and long- term effects were comparable to TAU. The exercise intervention led to some positive changes in overall physical activity and sedentary behavior. However, some detrimental effects were seen, which could be further explored in future studies including a component for targeting sedentary behavior

Negative effects of low developmental temperatures on aphid predation by Orius majusculus (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae)

Biological control agents (BCA) are often mass reared at conditions very different from those at which they have to provide their service, especially if they are to be used under field conditions. It has been suggested that biocontrol efficiency might be enhanced by acclimating the BCA under near-field conditions for some time before release (beneficial acclimation hypothesis), and some studies (e.g. with ladybirds) have supported this idea. We reared Orius majusculus, a commercially available BCA, at three temperatures (12, 16 and 20 °C) throughout the whole development. The predation capacity for rosy apple aphids (Dysaphis plantaginea) of females from each of these treatments was tested at the same temperatures (12, 16 and 20 °C). Additionally, we tested the effects of low temperature treatment only during the last nymphal instar, to examine if shorter treatments would have the same effects

Structural Systems for Office Buildings.

There are many ways to construct a building. The designing team, structural engineers and architects, works together to find the best possible solution that will fulfill the owner’s whishes. In this process a structural system needs to be chosen. There are many factors that affect the selection of the structural system, but generally the most economical system is chosen. The factors that need to be considered are related to the cost and the requirements for the building, respectively. The objective of this thesis is to study the structural systems for office buildings that are available on the market and how well they fit the factors that need to be considered. Different structural members are combined to form the structural system. Structural systems are divided to sub-systems; vertical force resisting elements, floor systems, horizontal force resisting elements. Structural members vary in many different ways such as material, dimensions, and behavior. In conclusion, the selection of a structural system depends on availability, economics, experience, and tradition. The market is different in many countries and therefore there is a tradition for using a certain type of structural system. However, it is important to be open for trying new solutions and learn from other countries in the field of construction. Concrete, steel and composite systems can all be designed to meet the requirements. The designer needs to know the structural members that are available and make a comparison after studying the layout of the building. Then the structural system can be chosen

Hjúkrunarstýrð heilbrigðisþjónusta

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenHeilbrigðisþjónusta, sem stýrt er af hjúkrunarfræðingum er að ryðja sér til rúms í Bretlandi. Hér verður þessi þróun og gagnsemi þjónustunar skoðuð. Eru íslenskir hjúkrunarfræðingar tilbúnir til þess að takast á við slík viðfangsefni

Bridging the gap in internet treatments for mental health: A fully automated online cognitive behaviour therapy for social anxiety for those who stutter.

Introduction: CBTpsych.com is a fully functional intervention that aims at bridging the gap between Eliza (Weizenbaum, 1966) and modern internet treatments for anxiety disorders (Helgadottir, Menzies, Onslow, Packman & O‟Brien, 2009a). A Phase I trial demonstrated that two participants no longer met the diagnosis of social phobia on the DSM-IV and ICD-10 after being treated by CBTpsych.com. The quality of the interaction appeared to be similar to face-to-face therapy. The automated techniques were successful in engaging the participants and in encouraging them to log on regularly and complete the treatment (Helgadottir, Menzies, Onslow, Packman & O‟Brien, 2009b). The current study is a phase II trial targeting social anxiety in stuttering. Method: File audit data were gathered from 10 years of experience in the psychological management of social anxiety and stuttering (St Clare et al., 2008). This data was used to create a fully automated human-like intervention using algorithms alone. CBTpsych.com creates cognitive restructuring exercises, behavioural experiments, and negative thoughts checklists for the automated treatment program. Furthermore, other features such as imagery rescripting were incorporated to adhere to the Clark D. M. and Wells (1995) model of social anxiety treatment. 18 participants presenting for treatment of stuttering with social anxiety at the Australian Stuttering Research Centre (ASRC) were offered 5 months access to the “computer psychologist”. 16 participants started using the computer program. The treatment did not involve any contact with clinical psychologists at the ASRC. Results: Post-treatment analysis revealed that of the 16 participants who started using the program, 78% no longer met the criteria for social phobia. Furthermore, none of the 10 participants who completed all 7 sections of the computer program within 5 months had social phobia diagnosis at post-treatment. Consequently, in this study the “computer psychologist” was able to identify the specific problem areas participants reported and to design individualized formulations and tailored treatment components with corrective feedback. Furthermore, participants were able to engage in highly specific cognitive restructuring exercises, and with the help of the computer psychologist managed to build behavioural experiments to test out unhelpful cognitions. Data from this Phase II trial suggest that the computerised treatment protocol can lead to substantial reductions in anxiety and avoidance, and improve mood and quality of life as measured by the FNE, SPAI, BDI-II, UTBAS, SASS and OASES. Conclusions: The computer psychologist motivated people both to log on regularly (with use of an automated email process) and to complete the program. It engaged clients in detailed cognitive restructuring work, creating successful behavioural experiments for exposure, and producing promising preliminary results. However, these results need to be tested in a randomized controlled trial to establish efficacy. A RCT is currently under way. The preliminary findings presented here suggest that it would be viable to develop this type of treatment intervention for other anxiety disorders. Limitations of this approach and suggestions for future research are discussed

Search for same-sign dilepton signatures with the ATLAS detector

This thesis presents the work I did for the inclusive search for anomalous production of same charge lepton-pairs, originating from the collision point, at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using the 2012 data. I optimized the selection criteria for isolated electrons and muons, calculated the so-called "fake factors" and "fake factor" systematic uncertainties for the muon selection. The fake-factor is used to estimate the contribution in the region of interest due to muons coming from secondary vertices, i.e. background muons. Furthermore I extracted limits of the cross-section of new sources of isolated, same-sign leptons originating from the collision point. The isolation criteria and the limits are used in the paper on the search for anomalous production of same-sign lepton-pairs originating from the collision point, which will be published soon. I found that for this analysis the best background rejection while still achieving a good signal efficiency is accomplished by using isolation criteria based on both calorimeter and tracking information. The muon fake factors are calculated in a data-driven way using muon pairs having the same charge. The fake factors obtained using the new selection criteria for isolated muon tracks are higher than when the isolation criteria from the previous analysis is used, but the new criteria also accepts substantially more true same-sign muons originating from the collision point, resulting in a lower ratio of muons originating from secondary vertices to muons originating from the collision point in the region of interest. As we are working on publishing the results it was not possible to analyse the region of interest because of internal ATLAS restrictions. Hence it is not known whether the data agrees with the predictions from known physics processes. If no excess is found in the number of lepton pairs I will put limits on the cross section of new resonances. At the moment I am only allowed to calculate the expected limits

The contribution of grass and clover root turnover to N leaching

Sources of inorganic and organic N leaching from grass-clover mixtures at field sites in Denmark, Germany and Iceland were investigated. Grass or clover was labelled with 15N-urea four times (autumn 2007, spring, summer and autumn 2008) prior to the leaching season in autumn and winter 2008. Soil water was sampled at 30 cm depth and analyzed for 15N-enrichment of dissolved inorganic N (DIN) and dissolved organic N (DON). Most 15N was recovered in DON for both labelled grass and clover at all sites. At the Danish site, grass and clover contributed more to the DON pool than the DIN whereas the opposite was observed at the German and Icelandic sites. The results show that both clover and grass contribute directly to N leaching from the root zone in mixtures, and that clover contribution is higher than grass. Furthermore, the present study indicates that roots active in the growth season prior to the drainage period contribute more to N leaching than roots active in the growth season the previous year, which is consistent with estimates of root longevity at the three sites