Mer ekologisk mat

Authorities, municipalities and county councils have great opportunities to pave the way to a sustainable society. In the public sector, the tax revenue is used and therefore it is important that both employees and societal stakeholders feel that they participate in the sector's decisions and fields of application. Municipalities and county councils are primarily service organisations. The employees' commitment is necessary to be able to reach set goals, to develop procedures and policies that support the overall political goals, in other words, to be successful in the environmental work. There are a lot of areas in the public sector that have a high priority, like educational systems and healthcare. The combination of environmental work and the priority of the core activities are not easy, but both areas must be a part of the work for public sector. The purpose of the thesis is to help the management in an organisation within the public sector to motivate their employees to work toward a jointly environmental goal. The study is a comparative case study, in which two county councils serve as the empirical base. The primary focus is the procurement process, how they manage purchases of ecological food-stuffs. The theories in the study frame the phenomena in terms of organisational change in order to understand how the change is managed, what motives the change is driven by and how communication is used to understand the dilemma. The study has the starting-point in the county council of Jämtland who is trying to achieve the governmental goal of 25 % ecological foodstuffs in public sector by year 2010. The study shows that an economic compensation has an important role when it comes to motivation in the county council of Uppsala. Working towards a joint goal which is perceived as possible to achieve has lead to impressive results and an expressed joy by staff "…it is fun to work with ecological food-stuffs". Positive comments expressed by staff in the county council of Uppsala has got is also working as a positive motivational factor. The general perception is that if the county council of Uppsala would not have used a financial incentive structure that rewarded environmental policies to be put in action, they would not have reached this far in such a short period of time. The economical compensation has served as insurance for the head chef. Since the economical compensation has been significant for the county council of Uppsala to reach 25 % in such a short time period. This experience would be possible to transfer to the county council of Jämtland – the need for a financial reward system that serves as an important part of incentives for promoting a changed behaviour. The communication in the county councils is mainly executed through intranet and internal papers. A forum can be created to stimulate discussion about the county council's goals. It is important to discuss about the goals and to educate the employees. It is also important to work towards a jointly goal and that everybody involved has a clear picture of what is happening within the county council. Recurrent in the theories are the importance of giving feedback. The analysis of the county council of Jämtland shows that their efforts to reach environmental goals is not tied to the goals themselves but rather to the process of conducting business in a responsible manor. Their efforts reflect ambitions to construct an incentive structure in which each and every individual participates actively in their daily activities.Myndigheter, kommuner och landsting har stor möjlighet att agera som samhällsföreträdare och därmed visa vägen för ett hållbart samhälle. I och med att det är skattepengar som används i offentlig sektor är det av stor vikt att både anställda och användare känner sig delaktiga i sektorns beslut och användningsområden. Kommuner och landsting är tjänsteproducerande organisationer. För att få personalen inom dessa organisationer att arbeta mot uppsatta mål och lyckas med ett omfattande miljöarbete behövs personalens engagemang. Den offentliga sektorn har många områden som har hög prioritet såsom sjukvård och skola. Att kombinera ett miljöarbete och samtidigt ha kvar prioriteten på kärnverksamheten är inte helt lätt. Syftet med examensarbetet är att hjälpa ledningen i en organisation inom den offentliga sektorn att motivera sina anställda till att arbeta mot ett gemensamt miljömål. Det görs en jämförelse mellan två landsting för att kunna dra slutsatser av hur de ekologiska inköpen sker i de båda landstingen. Att ändra en upphandlings- och inköpsprocess i en organisation kräver många delar för att lyckas och att få med sig personalen. Genom att använda teorier som försöker täcka in ett lyckat förändringsbeteende tillsammans med motivation och kommunikation läggs den teoretiska grunden för att förstå problematiken. Studien har sin utgångspunkt i Jämtlands läns landsting som arbetar för att nå regeringens mål om 25 % ekologiska livsmedel i den offentliga sektorn till år 2010. Efter litteraturstudier och intervjuer med Jämtlands läns landsting och landstinget i Uppsala län har vi kommit fram till att den ekonomiska ersättningen har spelat en betydande roll när det gäller motivationen i landstinget i Uppsala län. Det tillsammans med att gemensamt jobba mot ett mål som de snart har nått, har gjort att de tycker att det är kul att arbeta med ekologiska livsmedel. De har också blivit peppade av att höra positiva kommentarer om att de ligger bra till. Om landstinget i Uppsala län inte haft den ekonomiska ersättningen hade de inte kommit lika långt på så kort tid. Den har också skapat en säkerhet för kökschefen. I och med att den ekonomiska ersättningen har haft stor betydelse för landstinget i Uppsala län att nå upp till 25 % på så kort tid kan slutsatsen dras att det är av vikt också för Jämtlands läns landsting för att klara måluppfyllelsen till år 2010. Den kommunikation som landstingen har sker till stor del genom intranätet och interna tidningar. Där kan ett forum skapas som diskuterar kring landstingets mål. Att en diskussion förs och någon slags utbildning där personalen informeras är betydelsefullt. Det är viktigt att alla strävar mot samma mål och att de inblandade har en klar bild av vad som sker inom landstinget. Återkommande i teorin är att det är av vikt att ge feedback. Det kan ske med sammanställande statistik över hur landstinget ligger till när det gäller målen med ekologiska livsmedel. Efter analys av empirin ses en tydlig bild av Jämtlands läns landsting som ett landsting som vill nå målet för att det är bra och inte bara för målets skull. Jämtlands läns landsting vill ha ett helhetstänk och att alla ska vara med på en förändring innan beslutet tas. Detta har inte varit av lika stor vikt för landstinget i Uppsala län som ser måluppfyllelsen som viktigare

Green tea powder and Lactobacillus plantarum affect gut microbiota, lipid metabolism and inflammation in high-fat fed C57BL/6J mice

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity, ectopic lipid accumulation and low-grade inflammation. A dysfunctional gut microbiota has been suggested to participate in the pathogenesis of the disease. Green tea is rich in polyphenols and has previously been shown to exert beneficial metabolic effects. Lactobacillus plantarum has the ability to metabolize phenolic acids. The health promoting effect of whole green tea powder as a prebiotic compound has not been thoroughly investigated previously. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without a supplement of 4% green tea powder (GT), and offered drinking water supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 15313 (Lp) or the combination of both (Lp + GT) for 22 weeks. Parameters related to obesity, glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, hepatic steatosis and inflammation were examined. Small intestinal tissue and caecal content were collected for bacterial analysis. RESULTS: Mice in the Lp + GT group had significantly more Lactobacillus and higher diversity of bacteria in the intestine compared to both mice in the control and the GT group. Green tea strongly reduced the body fat content and hepatic triacylglycerol and cholesterol accumulation. The reduction was negatively correlated to the amount of Akkermansia and/or the total amount of bacteria in the small intestine. Markers of inflammation were reduced in the Lp + GT group compared to control. PLS analysis of correlations between the microbiota and the metabolic variables of the individual mice showed that relatively few components of the microbiota had high impact on the correlation model. CONCLUSIONS: Green tea powder in combination with a single strain of Lactobacillus plantarum was able to promote growth of Lactobacillus in the intestine and to attenuate high fat diet-induced inflammation. In addition, a component of the microbiota, Akkermansia, correlated negatively with several metabolic parameters known to be risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes

Aspirin intake and breast cancer survival – a nation-wide study using prospectively recorded data in Sweden

Background: Aspirin (ASA) use has been associated with improved breast cancer survival in several prospective studies. Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study of ASA use after a breast cancer diagnosis among women using Swedish National Registries. We assessed prospectively recorded ASA exposure during several different time windows following cancer diagnosis using conditional logistic regression with breast cancer death as the main outcome. Within each six-month period of follow-up, we categorized dispensed ASA doses into three groups: 0, less than 1, and 1 or more daily doses. Results: We included 27,426 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2009; 1,661 died of breast cancer when followed until Dec 31, 2010. There was no association between ASA use and breast cancer death when exposure was assessed either shortly after diagnosis, or 3–12 months before the end of follow-up. Only during the period 0–6 months before the end of follow-up was ASA use at least daily compared with non-use associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer death: HR (95% CI) = 0.69 (0.56-0.86). However, in the same time-frame, those using ASA less than daily had an increased risk of breast cancer death: HR (95% CI) = 1.43 (1.09-1.87). Conclusions: Contrary to other studies, we did not find that ASA use was associated with a lower risk of death from breast cancer, except when assessed short term with no delay to death/end of follow-up, which may reflect discontinuation of ASA during terminal illness

Ser649 and Ser650 Are the Major Determinants of Protein Kinase A-Mediated Activation of Human Hormone-Sensitive Lipase against Lipid Substrates

BACKGROUND: Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is a key enzyme in the mobilization of fatty acids from stored triacylglycerols. Its activity is regulated by reversible protein phosphorylation. In rat HSL Ser563, Ser659 and Ser660 have been shown to be phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA) in vitro as well as in vivo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study we employed site-directed mutagenesis, in vitro phosphorylation and mass spectrometry to show that in vitro phosphorylation of human HSL by PKA occurs primarily on Ser649 and Ser650 (Ser659 and Ser660 in rat HSL). The wild type enzyme and four mutants were expressed in C-terminally His-tagged form in Sf9 insect cells and purified to homogeneity. HSL variants in which Ser552 and/or Ser554 were mutated to Ala or Glu retained both lipolytic and non-lipolytic activity and were phosphorylated by PKA and activated to a similar extent as the wild type enzyme. (32)P-labeling studies revealed that the bulk of the phosphorylation was on the Ser649/Ser650 site, with only a minor phosphorylation of Ser552 and Ser554. MS/MS analysis demonstrated that the peptide containing Ser649 and Ser650 was primarily phosphorylated on Ser650. The mutant lacking all four serines had severely reduced lipolytic activity, but a lesser reduction in non-lipolytic activity, had S(0.5) values for p-nitrophenol butyrate and triolein comparable to those of wild type HSL and was not phosphorylated by PKA. PKA phosphorylation of the wild type enzyme resulted in an increase in both the maximum turnover and S(0,5) using the TO substrate. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that PKA activates human HSL against lipid substrates in vitro primarily through phosphorylation of Ser649 and Ser650. In addition the results suggest that Ser649 and Ser650 are located in the vicinity of a lipid binding region and that PKA phosphorylation controls the accessibility of this region

Вирусный маркетинг в туристской индустрии: проблемы и перспективы

Материалы XII Междунар. науч.-техн. конф. (науч. чтения, посвящ. П. О. Сухому), Гомель, 22–23 нояб. 2018 г

Attainment of Brown Adipocyte Features in White Adipocytes of Hormone-Sensitive Lipase Null Mice

BACKGROUND: Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is expressed predominantly in adipose tissue, where it plays an important role in catecholamine-stimulated hydrolysis of stored tri- and diglycerides, thus mobilizing fatty acids. HSL exhibits broad substrate specificity and besides acylglycerides it hydrolyzes cholesteryl esters, retinyl esters and lipoidal esters. Despite its role in fatty acid mobilization, HSL null mice have been shown to be resistant to diet-induced obesity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Following a high-fat diet (HFD) regimen, energy expenditure, measured using indirect calorimetry, was increased in HSL null mice. White adipose tissue of HSL null mice was characterized by reduced mass and reduced protein expression of PPARgamma, a key transcription factor in adipogenesis, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, the expression of which is known to be positively correlated to the differentiation state of the adipocyte. The protein expression of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), the highly specific marker of brown adipocytes, was increased 7-fold in white adipose tissue of HSL null mice compared to wildtype littermates. Transmission electron microscopy revealed an increase in the size of mitochondria of white adipocytes of HSL null mice. The mRNA expression of pRb and RIP140 was decreased in isolated white adipocytes, while the expression of UCP-1 and CPT1 was increased in HSL null mice compared to wildtype littermates. Basal oxygen consumption was increased almost 3-fold in white adipose tissue of HSL null mice and was accompanied by increased uncoupling activity. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that HSL is involved in the determination of white versus brown adipocytes during adipocyte differentiation The exact mechanism(s) underlying this novel role of HSL remains to be elucidated, but it seems clear that HSL is required to sustain normal expression levels of pRb and RIP140, which both promote differentiation into the white, rather than the brown, adipocyte lineage

Altered Desaturation and Elongation of Fatty Acids in Hormone-Sensitive Lipase Null Mice

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is expressed predominantly in adipose tissue, where it plays an important role in catecholamine-stimulated hydrolysis of stored lipids, thus mobilizing fatty acids. HSL exhibits broad substrate specificity and besides acylglycerides it hydrolyzes cholesteryl esters, retinyl esters and lipoidal esters. Despite its role in fatty acid mobilization, HSL null mice have been shown to be resistant to diet-induced obesity. The aim of this study was to define lipid profiles in plasma, white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver of HSL null mice, in order to better understand the role of this multifunctional enzyme

Using a psychosocial subgroup assignment to predict sickness absence in a working population with neck and back pain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The overall objective was to evaluate the predictive validity of a subgroup classification based on the Swedish version of the MPI, the MPI-S, among gainfully employed workers with neck pain (NP) and/or low back pain (LBP) during a follow-up period of 18 and 36 months.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a prospective cohort study that is part of a larger longitudinal multi-centre study entitled Work and Health in the Process and Engineering Industries (AHA). The attempt was to classify individuals at risk for developing chronic disabling NP and LBP. This is the first study using the MPI-questionnaire in a working population with NP and LBP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dysfunctional individuals (DYS) demonstrated more statistically significant sickness absence compared to adaptive copers (AC) after 36 months. DYS also had a threefold increase in the risk ratio of long-term sickness absence at 18 months. Interpersonally distressed (ID) subgroup showed overall more sickness absence compared to the AC subgroup at the 36-month follow-up and had a twofold increase in the risk ratio of long-term sickness absence at 18 months. There was a significant difference in bodily pain, mental and physical health for ID and DYS subgroups compared to the AC group at both follow-ups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study shows that this multidimensional approach to the classification of individuals based on psychological and psychosocial characteristics can distinguish different groups in gainfully employed working population with NP/LBP. The results in this study confirm the predictive validity of the MPI-S subgroup classification system.</p