Migration and health – an issue dominated by human rights or security? A discourse analysis of the World Health Organization and Swedish media

The health effects of migration receive increased attention in Sweden and internationally, and involves both the effects on the health of migrants and the society. The field encompasses issues such as how migrants’ health is affected by the hazardous journey, if the health needs differ from the host population and if migration have any consequences for public health in the recipient country. These issues represent two different perspectives on health – health as a human right and health as security issue. This thesis has investigated which of these perspectives dominate the debate regarding migrants’ health in the World Health Organization as well as in Swedish media and what the implications are of the two approaches. The method Critical Discourse Analysis has been used to study official documents from WHO and editorials and debate articles in Swedish media regarding health screening of migrants. The theoretical framework is constituted by human rights, securitization theory and global health security. The findings are that human rights dominate within WHO while the security perspective dominates in Swedish media, which frames migrants as carriers of diseases potentially threatening the host population

Insulin Sensitivity of Heifers on Different Diets

The hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique was used to investigate the effect on insulin sensitivity of 2 different diets used in practical cattle feeding in calves. Ten 4 to 5-month-old heifer calves were allocated to 2 feeding groups, LO or HI, to obtain growth rates of 400 g/day or 900 g/day. The heifers were fed and housed individually for 5 weeks. Growth rates close to calculated rates were obtained with the diets used. Weekly blood samples were collected from the jugular vein for analysis of glucose, insulin, cortisol, total serum protein, urea, cholesterol and nonesterified fatty acids. During week 5, insulin sensitivity was estimated using the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique. Insulin sensitivity did not differ between the groups, but the plasma glucose levels were higher during weeks 3 and 4 for the HI group compared to the LO group. It may be concluded that the amount of concentrate in the diet was too low to induce changes in either the basal plasma insulin levels or the insulin sensitivity in the HI group

Structural Dynamics and Data Analysis

This project consists of two parts, the first will be the post-flight analysis of data from a Delta IV launch vehicle, and the second will be a Finite Element Analysis of a CubeSat. Shock and vibration data was collected on WGS-5 (Wideband Global SATCOM- 5) which was launched on a Delta IV launch vehicle. Using CAM (CAlculation with Matrices) software, the data is to be plotted into Time History, Shock Response Spectrum, and SPL (Sound Pressure Level) curves. In this format the data is to be reviewed and compared to flight instrumentation data from previous flights of the same launch vehicle. This is done to ensure the current mission environments, such as shock, random vibration, and acoustics, are not out of family with existing flight experience. In family means the peaks on the SRS curve for WGS-5 are similar to the peaks from the previous flights and there are no major outliers. The curves from the data will then be compiled into a useful format so that is can be peer reviewed then presented before an engineering review board if required. Also, the reviewed data will be uploaded to the Engineering Review Board Information System (ERBIS) to archive. The second part of this project is conducting Finite Element Analysis of a CubeSat. In 2010, Merritt Island High School partnered with NASA to design, build and launch a CubeSat. The team is now called StangSat in honor of their mascot, the mustang. Over the past few years, the StangSat team has built a satellite and has now been manifested for flight on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in 2014. To prepare for the final launch, a test flight was conducted in Mojave, California. StangSat was launched on a Prospector 18D, a high altitude rocket made by Garvey Spacecraft Corporation, along with their sister satellite CP9 built by California Polytechnic University. However, StangSat was damaged during an off nominal landing and this project will give beneficial insights into what loads the CubeSat experienced during the crash. During the year, the MIHS students generated a SolidWorks (CAD software) geometry model of StangSat. This model will be imported into FEMAP (Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Software) and a finite element model wiiJ be created to predict the loads encountered during the crash of this rocket. This analysis will require learning how to import CAD models into the FEM, mesh and add constraints and concentrated masses to represent components inside the CubeSat frame, such as circuit boards, batteries and accelerometers. During the analysis the loads will be varied, in effort to duplicate the damage to the CubeSat. Results will then be peer reviewed and documented

Parameter Estimation for HVAC System Models from Standard Test Data

Nearly all cooling systems, and an increasing proportion of heating systems, utilize the vapor compression cycle (VCC) to provide and remove heat from conditioned spaces. Even though the application of VCC’s throughout the building environment is ubiquitous, effective and accessible models of the performance of these systems remains elusive. Such models could be important tools for VCC designers, building designers and building energy managers as well as those who are attempting to optimize building energy performance through the use of model-based control systems. Strides have been made in developing lumped parameter models for VCC’s. In spite of these contributions, widespread accessibility and use of VCC performance models has yet to be achieved. This work addresses one of the barriers in applying VCC performance models, the identification of model parameter values required to make performance models useful and accurate. A steady state spreadsheet-based model has been developed which, when combined with standard test data provided by system manufacturers, allows the modeler to identify the salient heat transfer parameters that govern the behavior of the condensers and the evaporators. Performance data provided by the system manufacturer was used to determine model parameter values. Data used from the test conditions for the determination of these parameters include the evaporating and condensing pressures, the input power, the cooling rate and the degrees of superheat and subcool. Most importantly, these data allowed for the computation of the effective heat transfer characteristics within the moving boundaries, as opposed to heat transfer values calculated strictly from the geometry. Using an effective heat transfer value allows for the spreadsheet-based model to use a broad spectrum of VCC models despite their potential differences in heat exchanger design conditions, that is not dependent on the number and spacing of fins or other optimization design criteria. To validate the concept, the approach was used to identify parameter values for three different air conditioning units with three different sets of performance specifications. On average the model predicted a heat absorption rate within 1.5% - 3.7% error of what was measured by the manufacturer during testing. This model requires limited sensor information to provide parameters determined under steady state conditions that can be used in a dynamic model to assist in design, control and operation of traditional VCC systems over a range of operating conditions

Polymorphisms in inflammation associated genes ALOX15 and IL-6 are associated with bone properties in young women and fracture in elderly.

ALOX12 and ALOX15 encode arachidonate lipoxygenases which produce lipid metabolites involved in inflammatory processes. Metabolites generated by ALOX12 and ALOX15 can activate the expression of the potent pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, and produce endogenous ligands for PPARG. In this study, polymorphisms in ALOX12, ALOX15, IL6 and PPARG were investigated for association with bone properties in young and elderly Swedish women

Development and validation of a questionnaire on experiences with computer games: examination of transfer effects between virtual and real world

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Entwicklung und Validierung eines Fragebogens vorgestellt, der auf den Überlegungen von Fritz (1997) zu einem Wirkungsmodell virtueller Welten basiert. Dieses Selbstbeurteilungsinstrument erfasst mit 40 Items Transferprozesse im Zusammenhang mit dem Spielen von Computer- und Videospielen. Die fünf Skalen des Fragebogens zum Erleben von Computerspielen (FEC) wurden durch faktorenanalytische Untersuchungen an einer repräsentativen Stichprobe von insgesamt 597 Spielern gewonnen und auf ihre psychometrische Qualität überprüft. Die Fragebogenskalen erweisen sich als reliabel. Weiterführende Analysen weisen Zusammenhänge der Skalen mit dem Spielkonsum, soziodemografischen Merkmalen der Spieler, Genrepräferenzen und Persönlichkeitseigenschaften nach. Eine abschließende Validierungsstudie an 574 Spielern von Call of Duty und Grand Theft Auto belegt die Konstruktvalidität der FEC-Skalen.This work presents the construction and validation of a questionnaire on the effects of virtual worlds, based on the model of Fritz (1997). The questionnaire, Fragebogen zum Erleben von Computerspielen (FEC), constitutes a self-assessment tool of 40 items that allows transfer processes experienced by gamers to be measured, whilst and after playing computer games. The five scales of FEC were extracted from the results of factorial analyses on a representative sample of 597 gamers. Psychometric tests reveal that the scales are reliable. Further analyses of the scales show interrelations with the players’ game consumption, sociodemographic characteristics, genre preferences, and personality traits. Finally, a validation study comprising 574 players of Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto proves that the questionnaire scales have construct validity

Behaviour of high Mach number boundary layers with sudden pressure gradient changes

Hypersonic airbreathing propulsion has been under research since the mid 1960s and will continue to be of interest as the imperative for cheaper, safer and more reliable access to space grows. As such, the compression of high Mach number boundary layers in scramjet intakes is an ongoing field of interest. Even at high Mach numbers, laminar boundary layers under constant conditions are well understood and well represented theoretically. Abrupt changes in pressure gradient, whether from geometry or incident shock waves, cause significant deviation from these theories. This thesis sets out to explore this modification. The chosen, computational investigation used the change between zero and adverse linear constant pressure gradient flows with the computational geometry consisting of a flat plate section and a compression curve. The computations covered a range of adverse pressure gradients [Mathematical equation appears here. To view, please open pdf attachment], Reynolds numbers (Re[Cartesian streamwise distance (m)]0 = 87500 to 90000000) and Mach numbers (4 to 8). The effect of pressure gradient, Reynolds number and Mach number on the equilibrium or non-equilibrium change between pressure gradients was investigated. It was observed that flows of this type can be divided into three sections: a fully developed zero pressure gradient flow, a fully developed adverse pressure gradient flow and an interaction region between the two. The stronger the pressure gradient, the more non-equilibrium the response of the boundary layer to the change in pressure became. Inertial forces came to dominate in the interaction region and viscous effects only reasserted themselves further downstream. This was illustrated by the significant transverse variations in pressure occurring in this interaction region. The investigation is extended to turbulent boundary layers modelled using the Baldwin- Lomax turbulence model

Investigating Mound Activities at Mississippian Sites in the Southeast: A Spatial Analysis of Lithic Debitage at the Pevey Site (22LW510) in Mississippi

The Pevey site on the Pearl River in Mississippi is a large, multi-mound site from the Mississippi Period (1200-1600 A.D.). Relatively unstudied compared to other large mound sites in the Southeast, Pevey’s distinctive U-shaped configuration of mounds of various sizes has led some to question whether its layout could have been a reflection of the social organization of the people who constructed and lived on these mounds. Previous ceramic analyses (Livingood 2006) have determined that there might be differences in the activities on each mound, and an additional lithic analysis here will further illuminate how these mounds might have been used during the Winstead Phase (approximately 1100-1350 A.D.). Comparisons are made to previous research on mound use at other sites in the Southeast, including Moundville to the east and Plaquemine multi-mound sites to the west, to determine the significance of the U-shaped configuration, and how we might see a difference in lithic materials at the largest mounds which may have been used for elite activities. Upon examination, the lithic assemblage densities on the northern row of mounds were significantly less than the southern row densities. While this could be a factor of proximity to the Citronelle gravel cobbles in Mill Creek, it could also suggest the site was used by two corporate groups, each occupying its own row of mounds. Although there were also similarities between some of the smaller mounds, clusters do not suggest an alternative pattern of pairs across the open plaza. Finally, the largest mounds of the Pevey site do indeed show lithics that are slightly different than assemblages from other excavation units. These site asymmetries are similar to models created for Archaic shell mound sites in the Southeast, and could suggest that pre-contact people from many different time periods physically elevated their leaders in similar ways