Development of bioplastics from oil plant by-products

The feasibility of making bioplastics out of oil cake from Crambe Abyssinica, Brassica Carinata and Brassica Napus (Rapeseed) was studied in order to produce added value for these by-products. The materials were hot pressed and extruded at 100 ˚C using glycerol as a plasticizer. Pressing without plasticizer produced brittle materials. Tensile properties, moisture content, water and oil absorption were determined for the hot pressed sheets. Ball milling of the oil cake did not result in improved properties of the pressed sheets. As the three plants all have semi-drying oils, a siccative was added in different concentrations to crosslink the oil and add to the matrix of the bioplastic. Sheets were pressed after preheating the materials 0h, 2 h or 6 h. Sheets were also pressed from granulated extrudate with different concentrations of siccative after pre-heating for 0 h or 2 h. Tensile properties, moisture content, water and oil absorption were determined for the pressed sheets. Pre-heating before pressing had a larger impact than siccative concentration on the properties of crambe and carinata sheets. Siccative concentration had larger influences on the properties of rapeseed cake sheets. Carinata and rapeseed cake were easier to process than crambe as they flowed better. Carinata sheets and extrudates were more flexible than crambe and rapeseed cake sheets and extrudates. A tray could be pressed from a mixture of crambe and rapeseed cake. All three materials show potential to be used as bioplastics for rigid items, perhaps in packaging applications

Nutrition for weight loss in overweight cats

Övervikt och fetma är ett vanligt problem hos tamkatter. Detta påverkar hälsotillståndet hos djuret och kan leda till en ökad risk att drabbas av följdsjukdomar samt till en försämrad livskvalitet. Det är därför essentiellt att övervikt och fetma behandlas. För att få en säker viktnedgång är det viktigt att använda sig av en lämplig diet. Det finns olika nutritionella principer för viktminskning hos katt. Syftet med denna studie var att gå igenom litteraturen för tre av dem samt undersöka om och hur dessa typer av viktminskningsfoder används kliniskt i Sverige. Denna kandidatuppsats består av en sammanställande litteraturstudie i kombination med en intervjustudie gjord med en viktminskningsansvarig djurhälsopersonal respektive en butiksanställd på två olika djursjukhus i Sverige. De tre viktminskningsfoder som undersöktes i denna studie var traditionellt viktminskningsfoder, metabolt foder samt våtfoder. Dessa fodertyper hade vart och ett vetenskapliga evidens av olika grad för att ge en framgångsrik viktminskning hos överviktiga katter genom olika verkningsmekanismer. Dock är forskningen inom området generellt sparsam och fler studier behövs som behandlar nutrition hos överviktiga katter. Ett traditionellt viktminskningsfoder har fokuserat på att minska mängden kalorier genom ett lågt fettinnehåll och ökat fiber- och/eller proteininnehåll, vilket bidrar till en lägre energidensitet. Studier visade att genom ett högt proteininnehåll i viktminskningsfoder kunde energiutgiften hos överviktiga katter öka om fodret gavs med energirestriktion. Foder med högt proteininnehåll kunde ges med lägre energirestriktion jämfört med foder med lågt proteininnehåll. Det ökade även förlusten av kroppsfett och främjade bevarandet av fettfri massa hos överviktiga katter som gick ner i vikt. Till skillnad från traditionellt viktminskningsfoder innehåller metabolt foder tillsatser av vissa näringsämnen, bland annat L-karnitin, i syfte att öka fettförbränningen. Studier visade på en viktminskning med gott resultat, oavsett om fodret gavs med eller utan energirestriktion, hos överviktiga katter som åt ett metabolt foder innehållande komponenter som ökade fettförbränningen. Vissa av dessa studier kan dock möjligen anses jäviga, respektive var icke publicerade. Våtfoder har ett lågt innehåll av kalorier tack vare den mängd vätska som finns i fodret och kan ges med eller utan energirestriktion. Vatten som ingrediens i ett foder bidrar till att kaloridensiteten minskas och fodret väger mer utan att mer energi har tillsatts. Flera studier visade att en diet bestående av våtfoder eller en kombination av våt- och torrfoder ledde till framgångsrik viktminskning, delvis genom en ökad mättnadskänsla. I intervjustudien genomfördes två intervjuer. I intervjuerna framkom det att dessa tre typer av viktminskningsfoder används på djursjukhus i Sverige och ger en viktminskning med gott resultat. Den ena respondenten upplevde bättre viktminskningsresultat vid användning av traditionellt viktminskningsfoder jämfört med metabolt foder och våtfoder. Den andra respondenten upplevde inte någon skillnad i resultat mellan de tre fodren. Intervjustudien får ses som exempel från klinisk verksamhet och är ej representerbar för alla djursdjukhus i Sverige. För att kunna dra slutsatser om alla djursjukhus i Sverige behövs ett större urval. Det finns för- och nackdelar med de olika fodren, men alla har vetenskapliga evidens och bidrar till viktminskning med gott resultat. Det går ej att konkludera vilken nutritionell viktminskningsprincip som fungerar bäst för alla katter utan val av viktminskningsfoder får ses som individuellt och anpassas efter djurägaren och katten för att få ett lyckat viktminskningsresultat.It is common that pet cats are overweight or obese which may lead to a decreased quality of life and an increased risk of secondary diseases. Therefore, it is essential that overweight and obesity is treated. It is important to use a suitable diet when losing weight to ensure a safe and healthy weight loss. Different nutritional regimens can be used in feline weight-loss management. The aim of this study was to evaluate three different nutritional regimens and investigate how those weight-loss diets were used in clinical environments in Sweden. This bachelor’s thesis is a combined literatureand interview study, where an animal healthcare professional and a store employee at two animal hospitals in Sweden were interviewed. This study reviewed three different weight-loss diets; traditional weight-loss diets, metabolic diets and wet or canned food. The different diets all contributed to successful weight loss through separate mechanisms and withheld scientific evidence in varying degrees for its effectiveness. Research on nutrition for feline weight loss is scarce and additional research is required. A traditional weight-loss diet aims for a lower energy density, by reducing fat content while increasing fiber- or protein content. Studies showed that by increasing proteins in a diet, the energy expenditure increased in overweight cats when the diet was given with an energy restriction. Diets with high protein levels could be given with a lower energy restriction compared to diets low in proteins. Furthermore, a diet with high levels of protein increased the loss of adipose tissue in overweight cats while lean body mass was preserved. In contrast to traditional weight-loss diets, metabolic diets consist of nutritional additives, such as L-carnitine, that aim to increase fat oxidation. Studies showed successful weight loss with those diets, regardless if the diet was given with or without energy restriction. However, some of those studies may be considered biased or were unpublished. Wet or canned food has, due to the amount of added water, a low-calorie content and can be given with or without energy restriction. Water lowers the calorie density and the food increases in weight without increasing in energy content. Several studies showed that both wet-food diets and combined wet- and dry-food diets led to successful weight loss, partly because of an increased satiation. Two interviews were conducted in the interview study. The interviews revealed that these three types of weight loss diets are used in animal hospitals in Sweden and give a weight loss with good results. One respondent experienced better weight loss results when using a traditional weight loss diet compared to metabolic diet and wet food. The second respondent did not experience any difference in results between the three diets. The interview study can be seen as an example from clinical activities and is not representative of all animal hospitals in Sweden. In order to be able to draw conclusions about all animal hospitals in Sweden, a larger selection is needed. The different diets regimens come with both pros and cons but had all scientific evidence and successfully contribute to weight loss. It is not possible to conclude which nutritional weight-loss regimen that is the best for all cats, and the choice of a weight-loss diet should be seen as an individual decision that should be adapted to the owner and the cat to achieve a successful weight loss

Transferring custody from birth parents to foster parents - an ambiguous matter

In this study, we analyse 32 district court decisions regarding custody transfers from the birth parents to the foster parents in Sweden. When a child has been in foster care for three years, in order to enhance stability for child, the local social welfare committee considers a transferral of custody to the foster parents following an application to the district court. Although all but one of the decisions in our study favoured a custody transfer, the courts acknowledge different reasons for this. Specifically, there is vagueness about whether or not functioning contact between the child and birth parents is a hindrance in custody transfer. Our findings stress the need for clarification in the law regarding the criteria for custody transfer in order to reach a more unified judgment. Furthermore, the district courts do not sufficiently acknowledge children’s views, and we suggest that children and young people should be made more visible in the decision-making process

Generation of a statistical model of the anatomy of human pelvises

Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are two medical conditions involving the hip which affect the life quality of many people worldwide. These two diseases are diagnosed with 2D imaging by analysis of radiological measures, bone mineral density and joint space. Computed Tomography (CT) can provide 3D images of the hip, but has higher cost and imposes a higher radiation dose to the patient. Another option (which the Biomechanics group in Lund is working on) is to utilize statistical models to construct a 3D model from a 2D image. The Biomechanics group has developed a statistical model of the anatomical variability of the human femur. Adding an equivalent model for the pelvis would then allow to fully represent the hip joint. In this study, CT scans from 26 male and 21 female patients scheduled for hip replacement surgery were used to create a Statistical Shape Model (SSM) to describe the shape of pelvis. To be able to generate the SSM, the shapes of all bones were defined by identical meshes. A template mesh was created based on one of the available anatomies and it was then registered to each hip bone. The registered bones were then used to create the SSM. The registration method was evaluated by a point-to-surface distance difference. For the SSM, the shape variation and the reconstruction of the hip bones were evaluated for the whole group and for the male and female patient cohorts within the group. The SSM created during the study was able to represent the shape variation of both male and female bones. Visually, the gender variance was associated to the width and thickness of the bone, corresponding with the known differences of the pelvic bone between the genders. The results indicate that the model can represent the shape of the bone accurately, independent of gender. Combined with a statistical model for the femur, the SSM created in this study can be used to provide a 2D to 3D reconstruction of the hip from clinical diagnostic images.3D-modell av höftbenet kan hjälpa till att förutspå artros Det är viktigt att förebygga sjukdomar innan de bryter ut. Vanliga 2D-röntgenbilder är inte alltid tillräckligt noggranna men med 3D-modeller kan tidiga tecken på artros lättare identifieras. Vi strävar för att få fram 3D-bilder av höften från vanliga röntgenbilder

”Allt man säger ska gå genom en tredje person” - En kvalitativ studie om kuratorers erfarenheter av att samtala genom en språktolk

The aim of this study was to examine counselors experience of using an interpreter when the patient and the counselor do not share a common language. I have conducted qualitative interviews with five counselors who work within Region Skåne in various fields. I have used themes during the interviews to finally be able to answer the questions of the study. I have applied four different communication models of a communication theory perspective to analyze and achieve a result, the barrier model, the transmitter-receiver model, filtering-noise model and the process model. The counselors were consistent that the interpreter's primary task was to only translate what was said in the room. At the same time, they were all aware of the difficulties that arose when it comes to language habits and cultural differences which affected the translation and thereby the conversation. The main result of the study were that all the counselors felt that the conversational dynamics were changed, it was difficult to achieve a contact directly with the patient and it was even more difficult to talk about feelings through a third person

Five tree species from Georgia : the opportunities for use in city environments in southern of Sweden

Klimatförändringar och förtätningar gör stadsmiljöer till allt mer utmanande platser för växter. Det används få trädarter i dagens städer vilket ger en ökad utsatthet vid ett eventuellt utbrott av sjukdomar och skadegörare. Ett bredare urval av arter att välja mellan ger möjligheter för en ökad anpassning till de allt mer komplexa stadsmiljöerna, samtidigt som fler arter kan klara sig vid eventuella angrepp av sjukdomar eller skadegörare. Georgien har ett komplext landskap och klimat med stora variationer inom landet. Området har bland annat på grund av ovan nämnda faktorer flest arter av samtliga tempererade områden i världen. Genom den stora variationen som finns i landet ger det avsevärda möjligheter till att kunna finna lämpliga arter och provenienser som kan fungera i ett sydsvenskt klimat. Jag har i det här arbetet valt att göra en litteraturstudie och titta närmare på fem arter från Georgien som har potential till att kunna bli framtida stadsträd i södra Sverige. Arterna som behandlas i arbetet är: Carpinus orientalis, Celtis caucasica, Pyrus caucasica, Quercus macranthera och Zelkova carpinifolia. Resultatet av studien visar att arterna har olika förutsättningar och möjligheter för att kunna växa och trivas i olika stadsmiljöer. Flera av arterna klarar av utmanande miljöer, torka och värme. En av arterna klarar av ett svalare klimat. En del har frukt och bär för ökad biodiversitet. Några arter tillför nya utseenden att kunna välja mellan. Arterna förefaller ha en liten användning i Sverige idag. Det kan bero på att flera av arterna vill ha det varmt och därmed inte tidigare varit aktuella att använda i ett svenskt klimat. De blir dock troligen mer och mer lämpade för ett framtida stadsklimat med en allt högre temperatur. Arterna är i nuläget svåra att få tag på i handeln. En bra förutsättning för en ökad användning av fler arter är mer kunskap och erfarenhet kring hur de fungerar och kan användas och en ökad tillgänglighet i handeln. Det ger oss möjligheter till att skapa en hållbar miljö med levande och välmående träd anpassade för just sina unika platser

Eculizumab treatment for rescue of renal function in IgA nephropathy.

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is a chronic glomerulonephritis with excessive glomerular deposition of IgA1, C3 and C5b-9, which may lead to renal failure

Kompetensutveckling i hotellbranschen - En enkätundersökning med frontlinjepersonal

Syftet med vår magisteruppsats är att undersöka vilken vikt ledning inom hotellbranschen lägger vid att utveckla personalens kompetens. Detta kommer vi att göra genom att kartlägga frontlinjepersonalens upplevelser kring sin kompetensutveckling. Vi valde att tillämpa ett kvantiativt mätinstrument, enkätundersökning, som vi delade ut till samtliga hotell i Helsingborg. Uppsatsens teoretiska förankring sammanställde vi i en modell som innefattade följande element; kunskapsskapande, kompetens, lärande och utveckling samt slutprodukt: utvecklad kompetens. Vår slutsats var att ledning inom hotellbranschen lägger vikt vid utveckling av personalens kompetens, främst genom utvecklingsaktiviteter som utförs på plats i anknytning till det dagliga arbetet

Individual tree properties from ALS data as input to habitat analysis in boreal forest

This study shows examples of detailed analysis of forest canopy from ALS data with potential use as input to habitat analysis in forests. This includes delineation of individual tree crowns and analysis of the distribution of tree heights and the tree species composition

A pooled analysis of karyotypic patterns, breakpoints and imbalances in 783 cytogenetically abnormal multiple myelomas reveals frequently involved chromosome segments as well as significant age- and sex-related differences.

The cytogenetic features (ploidy, complexity, breakpoints, imbalances) were ascertained in 783 abnormal multiple myeloma (MM) cases to identify frequently involved chromosomal regions as well as a possible impact of age/sex. The series included MM patients from the Mitelman Database of Chromosome Aberrations in Cancer and from our own laboratory. Hyperdiploidy was most common, followed by hypodiploidy, pseudodiploidy and tri-/tetraploidy. Most cases were complex, with a median of eight changes per patient. The distribution of modal numbers differed between younger and older patients, but was not related to sex. No sex- or age-related differences regarding the number of anomalies were found. The most frequent genomic breakpoints were 14q32, 11q13, 1q10, 8q24, 1p11, 1q21, 22q11, 1p13, 1q11, 19q13, 1p22, 6q21 and 17p11. Breaks in 1p13, 6q21 and 11q13 were more common in the younger age group. The most frequent imbalances were + 9, - 13, + 15, + 19, + 11 and - Y. Trisomy 11 and monosomy 16 were more common among men, while -X was more frequent among women. Loss of Y as the sole change and + 5 were more common in elderly patients, and - 14 was more frequent in the younger age group. The present findings strongly suggest that some karyotypic features of MM are influenced by endogenous and/or exogenous factors