Predicting Dating Violence Victimization among College Women: The Role of Previous Exposure to Violence and Acceptance of Dating Violence

Dating violence is a worldwide problem (Straus, 2004). The majority of empirical studies and conceptual models of dating violence have focused on perpetration, and examined the impact of prior exposure, positing an intergenerational transmission model. More recently, researchers have examined the influence of other moderating and mediating variables and hypothesized that attitudes, such as acceptance of dating violence, are an important variable to examine (Flynn & Graham, 2010; Lichter & McCloskey, 2004). Focusing on victimization, this study attempted to assess the applicability of the intergenerational hypothesis (previous exposure to violence, such as witnessing interparental abuse and childhood abuse) as well as the impact of the attitudinal variable of acceptance of dating violence, to determine if prior exposure or acceptance place women at increased risk for dating violence victimization. A sample of 189 college women was recruited to respond to an online survey. The hypothesized effect that previous exposure to any type of prior violence would predict physical victimization in a dating relationship was not supported. Follow up analyses showed an effect for more specific exposure, such that prior physical violence predicted physical victimization. Similarly, acceptance of any type of dating violence was not a significant predictor of physical victimization, while acceptance of physical violence increased the likelihood of being a victim of physical violence, especially acceptance of female perpetrated physical violence. Acceptance did not mediate the relation between childhood exposure and dating violence victimization. Similar results were found for exposure to sexual and psychological violence, acceptance, and dating violence victimization. Lastly, there was a significant positive correlation between victimization and perpetration indicating that most female victims of dating violence also endorse perpetration. This study is an important extension of existing research models of dating violence, adding to our understanding of the relation between acceptance of dating violence and victimization

Evaluating a Brief Sexual Violence Therapy Group for Incarcerated Women

Incarcerated women report higher rates of sexual victimization and mental illness than the average woman and incarcerated men. Researchers have argued that sexual victimization is a pathway to prison for women, and that there is a lack of trauma-focused treatments in prisons. Some researchers have evaluated trauma-focused group treatments for incarcerated women (Bradley & Follingstad, 2003; Cole et al., 2007; Ford, Chang, Levine, & Zhang, 2013; Kubiak, Kim, Fedock, & Bybee, 2012; Paquin, Kivlighan, & Drogosz, 2013; Roe-Sepowitz, Bedard, Pate, & Hedberg, 2014; Zlotnick, Johnson, & Najavits, 2009), with mixed results and several limitations. Most of these treatments are lengthy and resource intensive (cf. Ford et al., 2013) and they provide few, if any, additional benefits compared to treatment as usual or support groups. They also do not include exposure therapy, despite research supporting exposure\u27s efficacy (Foa, Hembree, & Rothbaum, 2007). Future studies could benefit from evaluating briefer treatments that target specific mechanism known to maintain posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other common trauma outcomes. Although there are empirically-supported treatments (ESTs) for PTSD that would fit these criteria, the prison context might provide several unique contextual factors that are likely to make it difficult to implement and/or may impact the efficacy of these treatments. The current group treatment for incarcerated women was designed to overcome concerns with implementing ESTs in this population as well as limitations with previous studies evaluating trauma treatments among female prisoners. Results from 58 incarcerated women showed significant reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety/worry symptoms as well as trauma-related cognitions from pre-to post-treatment. Approximately 40-50% of participants who were above the clinical cutoff for possible PTSD (n = 30), depression (n = 25), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 26) at pre-treatment were below at post-treatment (PTSD: n = 14; depression: n = 18; GAD: n = 18). Additionally, 40-60% reported a clinically significant improvement (reliable change index \u3e 1.96; Jacobsen & Truax, 1991) in depression (n = 21) and GAD symptom severity (n = 13). Results suggest that it is feasible to implement a brief exposure-based group treatment with incarcerated women

Dynaflow ™ 48, a microfluidic chip solution for increasing throughput and data quality in patch-clamp-based drug screening

Ion channels are transm embrane proteins, found in virtually all cell types throughout the human body. Ion channels underlie neural communication, memory, behavior, every movement and heartbeat, and are as such prone to cause disease if malfunctioning. Therefore ion channels are very important targets in drug discovery. The gold standard technique for obtaining information on ion channel function with high information content and temporal resolution is patch-clamp. The technique measures the minute currents originating from the movement of ions across the cellular membrane, and enables determination of the potency and efficacy of a drug. However, patch-clamp suffers from serious throughput restrictions due to its laborious nature. To address the throughput problems we have developed a microfluidic chip containing 48 microchannels for an extremely rapid, sequential delivery of a large number of completely controlled solution environments to a lifted, patch-clamped cell. In this way, throughput is increased drastically compared to classical patch-clamp perfusion set-ups, with uncompromised data quality. The 48-microchannel chip has been used for the characterization of drugs affecting ligand-gated ion channels including agonists, antagonists and positive modulators with positive effects on both throughput and data quality.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 dofinansowane zostało ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę

The effect of Silene acaulis on soil bacterial communities across elevational and latitudinal gradients in Scandinavia

Microbes are ubiquitous, extremely diverse, and contribute to important ecosystem functions. Soil bacterial communities, in particular, play an important role in carbon and nutrient cycling, through decomposition and carbon sequestration. In addition, soil bacteria establish mutualistic relationships with plants, animals and other microorganism. However, soil microbial communities may change in diversity and composition in response to changes in climate, which may disrupt the interactions between soil microbes and other organisms, such as plants. The impact of climate change in arctic and alpine environments is expected to be disproportionately large, thus it is important to understand how soil microbial communities in these environments respond to changes in temperature, precipitation, and plant communities. The alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis, is a dominant, foundational species known for its facilitative effects in stressful environments. There have been several studies investigating the facilitative effects of cushion plants on other plants. However, less in known about the relationship between cushion plants and their soil microbiome. Here, I investigated the effect of S. acaulis on its soil bacterial community. I also investigated the effect of latitude and elevation on the soil bacterial communities in rhizosphere of S. acaulis, as proxies for climate change. I found that S. acaulis had a significant effect on the soil bacterial community composition. Along the elevational gradient, soil microbial communities under S. acaulis decreased in richness with increases in elevation. There was a significant effect from latitude on the bacterial composition. However, it appears that site specific factors, such as pH, are more influential along the latitudinal gradient. S. acaulis may have a converging effect on the soil bacterial community composition along environmental gradients, and as such, the direct effects of climate change may be weak. Further research is needed to better understand the relative importance of the different factors driving soil bacterial communities in alpine environments.M-ECO

Kvantitativ genetikk for egenskaper relatert til sykdomsresistens og effekter av vaksinering i Atlantisk laks (Salmo salar)

Disease resistance is of major importance to the fish farming industry as disease outbreaks have negative effects on the industry’s economy, its reputation and on fish welfare. Today, almost all fish in the Norwegian salmon industry are vaccinated against a number of diseases, while selection for increased resistance to specific diseases is based on survival of unvaccinated fish in challenge tests. The main aim of this doctorial thesis was to obtain a better understanding of how to select for increased resistance to furunculosis in Atlantic salmon and how this relates to side effects of vaccination, taking into account that most fish in the industry are currently vaccinated. Resistance to furunculosis (survival) was recorded by challenge testing fish from 150 families (unvaccinated and vaccinated fish). Vaccine-induced side effects (adhesions of internal organs and melanin deposits) were recorded on samples of the 150 families at three points in time: after three months in freshwater (high temperature), and six and 12 months after sea transfer. The first objective was to estimate the magnitude of the genetic (co)variation in survival of unvaccinated and vaccinated Atlantic salmon challenged with A. salmonicida, the bacteria causing furunculosis. The results showed a low genetic correlation between resistance to furunculosis in unvaccinated and vaccinated fish. The second objective was to estimate the magnitude of genetic variation of the negative side effects of vaccination. Intermediate heritabilities were obtained for adhesions and melanin deposits. However, the results also showed that an alternative vaccine reduced the side effects compared to the standard vaccine. The third objective was to estimate the magnitude of the genetic correlation between disease resistance, side effects of vaccination, and harvest body weight. These traits were not genetically correlated; though a possible exception is harvest body weight and survival of vaccinated fish, where a weak and unfavorable correlation was reported. Today’s breeding strategy of testing unvaccinated fish is optimal if the long term goal is a reduced need for vaccination. Selection based on vaccinated fish is likely to be the most effective short term strategy, as all fish in the industry today are vaccinated. However, this strategy is not very relevant for furunculosis as the vaccine is highly effective. Vaccine-induced side effects (adhesions and melanin deposits) could be reduced through selective breeding, but it is likely to be more appropriate to focus on other measures such as vaccine development. Selection for increased disease resistance, vaccine-induced side effects, or harvest body weight are not expected to lead to unfavorable correlated responses in any of these traits, with the possible exception of survival of vaccinated fish and harvest body weight.Forbedret sykdomsresistens hos Atlantisk laks er viktig for oppdrettsnæringen ettersom sykdomsutbrudd har negativ påvirking på næringens økonomi og omdømme, og på fiskens velferd. I dag vaksineres det aller meste av fisken mot en rekke sykdommer. Samtidig pågår det et avlsarbeid for økt sykdomsresistens basert på resultater fra smittetester med uvaksinert fisk. Hovedmålet med dette doktorgradsarbeidet var å få bedre forståelse for hvordan man bør selektere for økt resistens mot bakteriesykdommen furunkulose (forårsaket av bakterien A. salmonicida), og hvordan dette er relatert til bivirkninger av vaksinering. Resistens ble målt som overleving i smittetester hos fisk fra 150 familier. Vaksinebivirkninger, sammenvoksinger av organ i bukhulen og melaninflekker på organ og bukvegg, ble målt på et tilfeldig utvalg av fisk fra de 150 familiene på tre ulike tidspunkt: Etter tre måneder i ferskvann (høy temperatur) og seks og tolv måneder etter sjøutsett. I smittetest med furunkulose ble det funne høyere genetisk variasjon for uvaksinert enn vaksinert fisk og en relativ lav genetisk korrelasjon mellom furunkuloseresistens i uvaksinert og vaksinert fisk. For sammenvoksinger og melaninflekker ble det funnet middels store arvegrader. En alternativ vaksine gav reduserte vaksinebivirkninger sammenlignet med standardvaksinen. Egenskapene sykdomsresistens, vaksinebivirkninger og slaktevekt ble funnet å ikke være genetisk korrelert, med et mulig unntak mellom slaktevekt og overlevelse av vaksinert fisk i smittetest hvor det ble funnet en svak, ugunstig korrelasjon. Dagens avlsstrategi basert på smittetester med uvaksinert fisk er optimal hvis det langsiktige avlsmålet er å redusere bruken av vaksinering. Seleksjon basert på vaksinert fisk er likevel den optimale strategien på kort sikt ettersom all fisk i næringen vaksineres, men en liten aktuell strategi for furunkulose ettersom dagens vaksine mot furunkulose er svært effektiv. Vaksinebivirkninger (sammenvoksninger og melaninflekker) kan reduseres gjennom alvsarbeid, men det er mest sannsynlig mer hensiktsmessig å fokusere på andre tiltak som for eksempel vaksineutvikling. Seleksjon for økt sykdomsresistens og slaktevekt og reduserte vaksinebivirkninger forventes ikke å gi ugunstige korrelerte responser i noen av de andre egenskapene, men overlevelse av vaksinert fisk og slaktevekt kan være et unntak.PHARMAQ AS ; The Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fun

Future-proofing in healthcare building design

Objective - The objective of the study is to explore how future-proofing (FP) in healthcare building design is approached by Swedish architects. Background - Buildings are changing due to physical, economical, functional, technological, social and legal drivers. These changing circumstances results in new requirements on the buildings and drive change in healthcare building design projects. This results in a need to consider future-proofing (FP) approaches to manage this situation. Previous research on FP approaches has mostly focused on the importance of FP as such. There has been little attention on how the architectural practice actually worked with healthcare buildings related to FP, or their interpretations of related concepts to FP, such as flexibility. Research question - How do Swedish architects approach and address FP and what design strategies have they applied in healthcare projects? Methods - The paper is an explorative, qualitative, multi-case study of planned and/or built Swedish healthcare buildings. Data has been collected from presentations of healthcare building design projects encompassing FP approaches and through semi-structured interviews with architects designing healthcare buildings. The interviews were transcribed and analysed through content analysis focussing on the architects view and interpretation of FP in their projects. Results - Sixteen different types of building design strategies addressing future changes were identified in the projects that were studied. The differences in the design strategies related to dissimilar contexts, budgets, stakeholders and design processes. Conclusion - The view among the architects, that were included in the study, on FP approaches is found to be based on a narrow scope and include a vague terminology. While it is difficult, even impossible, to predict all future changes in a healthcare building design project, there is a need to develop design strategies that can address FP. However, and herein lies the challenge, an FP approach needs to be broad enough to allow for variations and defined enough to be justifiable from a project cost and delivery perspective as well as enabling a design supporting the healthcare activities.publishedVersio

Gynnande av pollinatörer på bostadsgårdar

Ekosystemtjänster utgör de processer i naturen som är till nytta för människor (Persson 2012, s. 2). Pollinering är livsavgörande för vår matproduktion då insekter står för en stor del av pollineringen av våra grödor. Pollinering har tidigare endast förknippats med jordbruksbygden men staden kan erbjuda både större variation av miljöer och mindre insektsgifter i jämförelse till dagens monokulturella jordbruksområden. I stadsnära odling producerar bina större skördar, mer honung och stadsborna får mer blomsterprakt (Keane et al 2014, s. 16). Syftet är att undersöka hur man kan utrusta en bostadsgård för att gynna pollinerande insekter för att få in fler pollinatörer i staden. Målet är att göra skissförslag för att förbättra miljön för pollinatörer på bostadsgårdar. Arbetet begränsas till 12 bostadsgårdar i Stockholm, Göteborg och Malmö. Bostadsgårdarna valdes i samarbete med Riksbyggen. De pollinerande insekterna som behandlas i arbetet begränsas till de viktigaste pollinatörerna vilket är solitära bin, humlor och fjärilar. Hänsyn tas till deras behov av boplatser, vatten, vindskydd, värdväxter samt pollen och nektarbehov. För att förstå hur humlor, solitära bin och fjärilar lever och vilka förutsättningar dem vill ha gjordes en inledande litteraturstudie. Där efter gjordes besöken på bostadsgårdarna som observerades och inventerades. Resultatet blev enkla skisser där jag föreslår förändringar på bostadsgårdarna med stöd från litteraturstudien. Till sist jämförde jag skisserna för att se vilka likheter och skillnader som fanns mellan bostadsgårdarna. Studierna visar att de bostadsgårdar som ligger i ett naturskönt område med skogsdungar runt husen har större möjlighet att rymma både växter som gynnar pollinatörerna och boplatser för dem medan dem mindre bostadsgårdarna som till exempel i Malmö får vara en pollen - och nektarkälla.Ecosystem services represent the processes in nature that are beneficial to humans (Persson, 2012, p. 2). Pollination is vital to our food production as insects account for a large part of the pollination of our crops. Pollination has previously only been associated with agricultural district, but the city can offer a greater variety of environments and less insecticides in comparison to today's monoculture farming areas. In peri-urban farming bees produce higher yields, more honey and townspeople get more floral (Keane et al 2014, p. 16). The aim is to explore how to equip a hosing estate for the benefit of pollinating insects to attract more pollinators in the city. The objective is to outline proposals to improve the environment for pollinators on housing estates. Work is limited to 12 housing estates in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Living farms were selected in cooperation with Riksbyggen. The pollinating insects are treated at work are limited to the most important pollinators which are solitary bees, bumblebees and butterflies. Consideration is given to their needs for settlements, water, shelter, host plants and pollen and nectar needs. To understand how bumblebees, solitary bees and butterflies live and what conditions they want, I made an introductory literaturestudy. There, after the visits made on housing estates that were observed and inventoried. The result was simple sketches where I proposed changes in housing estates with the support from the literature. Finally, I compared the sketches to see what similarities and differences that existed between home farms. The studies show that the housing estates located in a scenic area with woods surrounding the buildings are more able to accommodate both plants that benefit pollinators and nesting sites for them while those smaller housing estates such as in Malmö will be a pollen - and nectar source

Beteendemodifierande läkemedel till hund och katt

Veterinär beteendemedicin är ett relativt nytt område. Internationellt sker en ökad diagnosticering av psykiska sjukdomar och syndrom hos sällskapsdjur med efterföljande medicinering. Studien syftade dels till att öka kunskapen om hur beteendeproblem hos hund och katt behandlas farmakologiskt i Sverige och hur veterinärer och djurpsykologer ser på sin egen kompetens inom området. Dessutom till att undersöka vad veterinärer och djurpsykologer har för inställning till beteendemodifierande läkemedel och produkter. Samt slutligen att få en uppfattning om hur mycket beteendemodifierande läkemedel och produkter som används till hund och katt. Material samlades in via enkäter som sändes ut till veterinärer samt till hundpsykologer och kattbeteendevetare. Statistik över försäljningen av antidepressiva, orosdämpande och lugnande läkemedel erhölls från Apotekens service AB. Klomipramin är den enda substans som är registrerad som veterinärmedicinskt antidepressivt läkemedel i Sverige och det läkemedel som förskrevs mest. År 2009 såldes totalt 1964 förpackningar av antidepressiva läkemedel till hund och katt, varav 96 % bestod av tricykliska antidepressiva (TCA). En viss andel av förskrivningen av beteendemodifierande läkemedel är off-label med avseende på indikation och/eller djurslag. Av tillfrågade djurpsykologer och veterinärer hade 92 % rekommenderat receptfria beteendemodifierande produkter. En majoritet av tillfrågade veterinärer och djurpsykologer ansåg att de har kompetensen att kunna bedöma när det finns ett behov av receptbelagda beteendemodifierande läkemedel till hund och katt med beteendeproblem. Majoriteten av veterinärer och djurpsykologer värderade träning och miljöförändringar högre än bruk av läkemedel. Slutsatsen är att det är vanligare att veterinärer rekommenderar receptfria produkter än förskriver psykofarmaka till djur med beteendestörningar. TCA är de vanligaste antidepressiva läkemedlen som förskrivs. Alternativmedicin i form av feromoner och kosttillskott till hund och katt är mycket vanliga även om det finns tveksamheter kring dess effekter. En majoritet av veterinärer och djurpsykologer har ett aktivt samarbete med någon ur den motsatta yrkesgruppen. Djur med beteendeproblem behandlas i första hand med endast beteendeterapi och mer sällan i kombination med läkemedel

Näringsbelastning på en anlagd våtmark från åker, skog och enskilda avlopp

This work is a part of the project "Våtmarker i odlingslandskapet – uppföljning av miljömålen" (Wetlands in arable land – following-up of the environmental goals). The main objective with this project is to study nitrogen and phosphorus retention in a constructed wetland by using mass balance calculations. Continuous measurements of nutrients and water flow through the inlet and the outlet of the wetland are made. However, substantial amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus were assumed to reach the wetland with a drain-pipe transporting wastewater from nearby houses (10 persons). This drain-pipe is located after the inlet and in order to make reliable mass balance calculations it was important to quantify this flow of nutrients through measurements, which was the main objective with this thesis. Another objective was to quantify nitrogen and phosphorus load from forest and arable land by using literature and a nitrogen leaching model. The aim was also to describe how water moves through the catchment toward the wetland. The catchment area is 98 hectares of which 82 % is drained through the inlet of the wetland. This 82 % represented 77 % of the total nitrogen load (per year) and 60 % of the total phosphorus load to the wetland respectively. The total nitrogen load to the wetland was estimated to be 730 kg /year. The arable land, which constitutes only about one third of the catchment contributed with 89 % of the total nitrogen load. From the forest land was 8 % estimated to origin and only 3 % from wastewater. The total phosphorus load was 19 kg/year, of which 63 % originated from arable land, 13 % from forest and 24 % from wastewater. An important conclusion from this work is that wastewater has a large impact on the phosphorus supply to this particular wetland, especially during periods when drainage flow from the surrounding land is low. Another conclusion is that arable land was an important source of both nitrogen and phosphorus

Cytokinuttryck vid vaccination med olika vaccinkoncept mot FIP

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a feline viral disease with high mortality. There is no cure or any effective vaccine available today. Many questions are yet to be answered about this disease and the immune response in affected cats. The aim of the study is to evaluate two different techniques for the study of cytokine profiles in cats vaccinated with a vaccine concept against FIPV. More information about the immune response in these cats could give valuable information to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and the development of an effective vaccine. With quantitative real-time PCR and antigen ELISA has the levels of the cytokines IFN-γ and IL-10 been studied in blood from SPF cats immunised with an ISCOM vaccine against FIPV and then challenged. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 were too low in the serum samples to be able to analyze with the ELISA used. With real-time PCR, which is a very sensitive method, all the cats in the trial expressed IFN-γ and IL-10 at one or more samplings. No apparent difference was seen between the vaccinated and control cats. Commercial ELISA can have a too high lowest detection level than what's useful when analyzing cytokines in samples from cats that have not developed FIP. For further analyzes of cytokines in very low concentrations a more sensitive method is needed, where proximity ligation assay is one possible alternative.Felin infektiös peritonit (FIP) är en virussjukdom hos katt med hög dödlighet som det varken finns behandling eller effektivt vaccin mot. Många frågor är obesvarade när det gäller den här sjukdomen och immunsvaret hos drabbade katter. Syftet med arbetet är att utvärdera två olika tekniker för att studera cytokinuttryck hos katter vaccinerade med vaccinkoncept mot FIPV. Mer information om immunsvaret hos dessa katter skulle kunna vara till hjälp vid förståelsen för sjukdomens patogenes och framställningen av ett effektivt vaccin. Med hjälp av kvantitativ realtids-PCR och antigen ELISA har nivåerna av cytokinerna IFN-� och IL-10 i blod studerats hos SPF-katter immuniserade med ett ISCOM-vaccin mot FIPV och därefter experimentellt infekterade. Nivåerna av IFN-� och IL-10 i serum var för låga att kunna analyserad med den testade ELISA:n. Med realtids-PCR, som är en mycket känslig metod, sågs genuttryck för IFN-� och IL-10 hos alla katterna i försöket vid ett eller flera provtagningstillfällen. Inga påtagliga skillnader sågs mellan vaccinerade katter jämfört med kontroller. Kommersiella ELISA kan ha för hög lägsta detektionsnivå än vad som är användbart vid analys av cytokiner hos katter som inte utvecklat FIP. För vidare analys av cytokiner i mycket låga koncentrationer i serum krävs en känsligare metod där proximitetsligerings assay är ett tänkbart alternativ