UBVRI Light Curves of 44 Type Ia Supernovae

We present UBVRI photometry of 44 type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia) observed from 1997 to 2001 as part of a continuing monitoring campaign at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The data set comprises 2190 observations and is the largest homogeneously observed and reduced sample of SN Ia to date, nearly doubling the number of well-observed, nearby SN Ia with published multicolor CCD light curves. The large sample of U-band photometry is a unique addition, with important connections to SN Ia observed at high redshift. The decline rate of SN Ia U-band light curves correlates well with the decline rate in other bands, as does the U-B color at maximum light. However, the U-band peak magnitudes show an increased dispersion relative to other bands even after accounting for extinction and decline rate, amounting to an additional ~40% intrinsic scatter compared to B-band.Comment: 84 authors, 71 pages, 51 tables, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Version with high-res figures and electronic data at http://astron.berkeley.edu/~saurabh/cfa2snIa

Behavioural signs of pain in cats: an expert consensus

To identify where a consensus can be reached between veterinary experts in feline medicine on the core signs sufficient for pain (sufficient to indicate pain when they occur, but not necessarily present in all painful conditions) and necessary for pain (necessary in the presence of pain, but not always indicative of pain). Methods A modified Delphi technique was used, consisting of four rounds of questions and evaluation using nineteen participants during the period December 2014 and May 2015. Agreement was considered to be established when 80% of the experts concurred with the same opinion. Results Twenty-five signs were considered sufficient to indicate pain, but no single sign was considered necessary for it. Discussion Further studies are needed to evaluate the validity of these 25 behavioural signs if a specific pain assessment tool is to be developed that is capable of assessing pain in cats based on observational methods alone. The signs reported here may nonetheless help both vets and owners form an initial evaluation of the pain status of cats in their care

Location of studies and evidence of effects of herbivory on Arctic vegetation: a systematic map

Herbivores modify the structure and function of tundra ecosystems. Understanding their impacts is necessary to assess the responses of these ecosystems to ongoing environmental changes. However, the effects of herbivores on plants and ecosystem structure and function vary across the Arctic. Strong spatial variation in herbivore effects implies that the results of individual studies on herbivory depend on local conditions, i.e., their ecological context. An important first step in assessing whether generalizable conclusions can be produced is to identify the existing studies and assess how well they cover the underlying environmental conditions across the Arctic. This systematic map aims to identify the ecological contexts in which herbivore impacts on vegetation have been studied in the Arctic. Specifically, the primary question of the systematic map was: “What evidence exists on the effects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation?”

Cardiorespiratory fitness, physical workload, and lifestyle-related factors in occupational groups : associations with sickness absence and cardiovascular disease

The main aim of this thesis was to study cardiorespiratory fitness, physical workload, and lifestyle-related factors, with a special emphasis on cardiorespiratory fitness in an occupational context and the associations with cardiovascular disease and sickness absence across a wide range of occupations. A secondary aim was to study trends in cardiorespiratory fitness in different occupational groups over the last decades. The thesis is based on data from health profile assessments performed in the Swedish working population over the last decades and consists of four studies. Paper I examines health risk factors across a diverse range of occupational groups and finds that high-skilled occupations have a more favorable health risk profile than low-skilled occupations, with some sub-major categories displaying a more unfavorable health risk profile than others. Paper III demonstrates that individuals in low-skilled and blue-collar occupations have a significantly higher risk of incident cardiovascular disease than high-skilled white-collar workers. Cardiorespiratory fitness, smoking, and body mass index partially explain this association. Paper IV shows that occupational physical workload is associated with sickness absence, where a higher physical workload is related with a higher risk of total sickness absence due to musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory causes but a lower risk of sickness absence due to psychiatric causes. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with reduced predicted days of sickness absence, mainly for cardiorespiratory diagnoses and musculoskeletal diagnoses, with some variations between occupational groups. Paper II finds a consistent decline in cardiorespiratory fitness from 2001 to 2020. This decline is more pronounced in low-skilled occupations, regardless of their classification as white-collar or blue-collar. Forecast analyses revealed a continuing downward trend in cardiorespiratory fitness, particularly in low-skilled occupations. In conclusion, promoting smoking cessation, reduced obesity, and physical activities to improve cardiorespiratory fitness may reduce the disparity in cardiovascular disease incidence observed across occupational groups. The decline in cardiorespiratory fitness, particularly in low-skilled occupations, is concerning and calls for targeted interventions that can reach out to those who need it most. This could be achieved through structural and individual-level changes at the workplace and in society at large

Effekten av 10 veckors styrketräning på markörer för hypertrofi, translation och proteolys

Det har forskats mycket på olika signalvägar i det mänskliga genomet, trotts detta finns det många frågetecken som kvarstår. Denna uppsats undersöker några av dem. Syfte: Undersöka förändringar i genuttryck och mRNA-nivåer för hypertrofi- (MRF4) translations- (5.8S & 18S) och proteolysreglerande gener (MuRF1 & GDF-8) efter en 10 veckor lång styrketräningsperiod hos kvinnor och män. Frågeställningar: (1) Finns det en förändring i total mängd RNA före och efter en 10 veckors styrketräningsintervention. (2) Finns det en förändring i uttryck av MRF4, 5.8S, 18S, MuRF1 samt GDF-8 efter en 10 veckors styrketräningsintervention. (3) Finns det en könsskillnad i förändringen av total mängd RNA samt aktivering av MRF4, 5.8S, 18S, MuRF1 och GDF-8 efter en 10 veckors styrketräningsintervention. Metod: Urvalet för analysen bestod av 16 otränade försökspersoner varav 8 var män och 8 var kvinnor. Försökspersonerna utförde unilateral styrketräning av nedre extremiteten under 10 veckor, under 2 av dessa veckor utfördes ocklusionsträning.  Träningsperiodiseringen var vågformig (70-90% av 1RM, 5-12 rep, 3 ggr/vecka). Muskelbiopsier togs i det arbetande benet före träningsperiodens start samt 3-7 dagar efter träningsperiodens avslut. Genuttryck analyserades med qPCR. Resultat: Det fanns ingen signifikant skillnad i förändring mellan män och kvinnors totala RNA eller genuttryck. Total RNA ökade signifikant (p<0,01) med 19,2 %. Kvinnorna hade en signifikant ökning (P<0,05) av RNA på 27,6 % medan männen hade en signifikant ökning (p<0,05) på 14 %. MRF4 hade en signifikant (P>0,05) procentuell ökning i genuttryck med 55,7 % och kvinnor för sig hade en signifikant (P>0,05) ökning på 64 %. GDF-8 ökade signifikant (P>0,05) med 55,5 % medan GAPDH ökade signifikant (P>0,05) för båda könen tillsammans med 70,6 % och för män med 87,8 %. MuRF1 och 5.8S hade inga signifikanta förändringar i genuttryck. Slutsats: Det verkar som att både män och kvinnor får en liknande procentuell förändring av total RNA och mRNA genuttryck 3-7 dagar efter en 10 veckors hypertrofistyrd styrketräningsperiod. För att mäta genuttryck av translationsgenen MRF4 verkar 3-7 dagar efter en 10 veckors styrketräningsperiod vara en tidpunkt då det fortfarande pågår hypertrofi av skelettmuskulaturen.  Av de proteolysreglerande generna GDF-8 och MuRF1 sågs en uppreglering av GDF-8 vilket skulle kunna vara ett tecken på att hypertrofin börjar hämmas. Ett oväntat fynd var att GAPDH visade sig vara olämplig som kontrollgen vid en styrketräningsintervention på 10 veckor och att 18S var väldigt stabil. Detta kan betyda att GAPDH inte skall användas vid längre styrketräningsinterventioner.There have been much research on signaling pathways in the human genome, but there still remain many questions. This paper examines some of them. Aim: Investigate changes in gene expression and mRNA levels of hypertrophy (MRF4), translation (5.8S & 18S) and proteolysis regulating genes (GDF-8) after a 10-week strength training period in men and women. Research questions: (1) Is there a change in the total amount of RNA before and after a 10-week strength training intervention. (2) Is there a change in the expression of MRF4, 5.8S, 18S, Murf1 and GDF-8 after 10 weeks of strength training. (3) Is there a gender difference in the change of total RNA and the expression of MRF4, 5.8S, Murf1 and GDF-8 after a 10-week long strength training intervention. Method: The sample for analysis consisted of 16 untrained subjects, of whom 8 were men and 8 were women. The subjects performed unilateral resistance training of lower extremities for 10 weeks, during two of these weeks blood flow restriction training were performed. The training was undulating (70-90% of 1RM, 5-12 cord, 3 times / week). Muscle biopsies were taken from the working leg before the start and 3-7 days after the training period. Gene expression was analyzed by qPCR. Results: There was no significant gender difference in total RNA or gene expression. Total RNA was significantly increased (p <0.01) with 19.2 %. The women had a significant increase (P <0.05) of RNA at 27.6 %, while the men had a significant increase (p <0.05) at 14 %. MRF4 had a significant (P> 0.05) percentage increase in gene expression by 55.7 %, and women had a significant (P> 0.05) increase of 64 %. GDF-8 increased significantly (P> 0.05) with 55.5 %, while GAPDH increased significantly (P> 0.05) for both sexes with 70.6 % and for men with 87.8 %. Murf1 and 5.8S had no significant changes in gene expression. Conclusions: It seems that both men and women experience a similar percentage difference of total RNA and mRNA gene expression 3-7 days after a 10 weeks long strength training period. To measure the gene expression of MRF4 3-7 days after a 10-week weight-training period seems to be a time when there still is a anabolic responses in the skeletal muscle. Of the proteolysis regulating genes GDF-8 and Murf1 there was an upregulation of GDF-8, which could be a sign that the inhibition of hypertrophy started. An unexpected finding is that GAPDH was found to be unsuitable as a control gene at a strength training intervention at 10 weeks and rRNA 18S was very stable, which could mean that GAPDH should not be used as control gene in longer strength training studies

Cardiorespiratory fitness, physical workload, and lifestyle-related factors in occupational groups : associations with sickness absence and cardiovascular disease

The main aim of this thesis was to study cardiorespiratory fitness, physical workload, and lifestyle-related factors, with a special emphasis on cardiorespiratory fitness in an occupational context and the associations with cardiovascular disease and sickness absence across a wide range of occupations. A secondary aim was to study trends in cardiorespiratory fitness in different occupational groups over the last decades. The thesis is based on data from health profile assessments performed in the Swedish working population over the last decades and consists of four studies. Paper I examines health risk factors across a diverse range of occupational groups and finds that high-skilled occupations have a more favorable health risk profile than low-skilled occupations, with some sub-major categories displaying a more unfavorable health risk profile than others. Paper III demonstrates that individuals in low-skilled and blue-collar occupations have a significantly higher risk of incident cardiovascular disease than high-skilled white-collar workers. Cardiorespiratory fitness, smoking, and body mass index partially explain this association. Paper IV shows that occupational physical workload is associated with sickness absence, where a higher physical workload is related with a higher risk of total sickness absence due to musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory causes but a lower risk of sickness absence due to psychiatric causes. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with reduced predicted days of sickness absence, mainly for cardiorespiratory diagnoses and musculoskeletal diagnoses, with some variations between occupational groups. Paper II finds a consistent decline in cardiorespiratory fitness from 2001 to 2020. This decline is more pronounced in low-skilled occupations, regardless of their classification as white-collar or blue-collar. Forecast analyses revealed a continuing downward trend in cardiorespiratory fitness, particularly in low-skilled occupations. In conclusion, promoting smoking cessation, reduced obesity, and physical activities to improve cardiorespiratory fitness may reduce the disparity in cardiovascular disease incidence observed across occupational groups. The decline in cardiorespiratory fitness, particularly in low-skilled occupations, is concerning and calls for targeted interventions that can reach out to those who need it most. This could be achieved through structural and individual-level changes at the workplace and in society at large

Uppvärmningens effekt på 1RM : En utvärdering av fyra olika uppvärmningar på maxprestation vid knäböj

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med denna studie var att utvärdera om det finns en skillnad mellan specifika uppvärmningar (samma övning som ska utföras fast med mindre belastning) jämfört med kombinerad generell (aerob) och specifik uppvärmning på maxprestation vid 1RM i knäböj i Smithmaskin. Studiens frågeställningar var: (1) Finns det en skillnad i prestation på 1RM vid knäböj i Smithmaskin vid kombinerad generell och kort- respektive lång specifik uppvärmning jämfört med en längre specifik uppvärmning? (2) Påverkar inlärningseffekten prestationen vid 1RM i knäböj i Smithmaskin?   Metod Detta är en experimentell randomiserad crossoverstudie med ett urval på åtta män med medelåldern 24,5 ± 2,96 år och med minst 24 månaders styrketräningsvana samt vana med styrkeövningen knäböj. Studien hade sammanlagt 4 testtillfällen för varje testperson (tp) som utvärderade en längre specifik uppvärmning i jämförelse med kombinerad generell och kort specifik uppvärmning, generell och längre specifik uppvärmning samt en kortare specifik uppvärmning. Testordningen för tp var randomiserad och effekten av de olika uppvärmningsprotokollen utvärderas med 1RM vid knäböj i Smithmaskin.   Resultat I studiens resultat visades ingen signifikant skillnad (p>0,05) då de olika uppvärmningsprotokollen jämfördes med varandra inför 1 RM vid knäböj i Smithmaskin. Vid den kronologiska testordningen syntes en signifikant skillnad (p<0,05) på prestation vid 1RM i knäböj då samtliga uppvärmningsprotokoll jämfördes med varandra.   Slutsats I denna studie hittades inga signifikanta skillnader mellan olika uppvärmningars effekt på 1RM i knäböj vilket kan betyda att det inte finns några skillnader i prestationsökning på 1RM vid knäböj beroende på uppvärmningstyp eller att det är andra faktorer som inverkar. Resultaten av den kronologiska testordningen bekräftar relevansen av en inlärningsperiod för att minimera inlärningseffekten av 1 RM vid knäböj i Smithmaskin hos styrketräningsvana män i åldern 20-26 år.  Resultatet tyder på att det behövs minst fem inlärningstillfällen för att uppnå ett stabilt utgångsvärde för 1RM vid knäböj i Smithmaskin hos styrketräningsvana män

P08-10 Clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors in occupational groups in the Swedish workforce

BACKGROUND: The physical activity pattern of the population, as well as the tasks of different occupational groups, have changed over the past decades. Hence, studies within and between different occupational groups, and not just between white and blue collar workers, are central for current risk group analyses. The aim was to study clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors in different occupational groups in a large sample of men and women from the Swedish working population. METHODS: 72,855 individuals aged 18-75 years (41% women) from the Swedish working population who participated in a nationwide occupational health service screening between 2014-2019 were included in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Nine different occupational groups were identified based on the International Standard Classification of Occupation 2008. Exercise, diet, smoking habits and perceived health were self-reported. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated using a submaximal cycle test. Blood pressure and BMI was assessed through physical examination. Logistic regression modelling assessed OR (95%CI) for clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors, defined as ‘3 of the following; low exercise, poor diet, daily smoking, poor perceived health, low fitness, high blood pressure and high BMI in the different occupational groups. RESULTS: The OR (95% CI) for clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors were, compared to managers that served as reference, 1.00 (0.89-1.11) for professionals, 1.25 (1.11-1.39) for associate professionals, 1.93 (1.71-2.18) for clerical support workers, 2.40 (2.14-2.70) for service and sales workers, 1.63 (1.29-2.05) for agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, 2.23 (1.99-2.49) for craft and related trades workers, 2.52 (2.25-2.83) for plant and machine operators, and assemblers, and 2.62 (2.26-3.05) for elementary occupations. Comparing occupational groups within ‘service and sales workers’ and ‘plant and machine operators, and assemblers’, revealed significantly higher OR for professionals in care workers (OR2.92 (2.55-3.34)) and in drivers (OR 3.32(2.86-3.87)) compared to each of the main occupational groups. CONCLUSION: There were large variations in clustering of unhealthy lifestyle-related factors between as well as within different white and blue collar occupations. This study suggest that targeted measures of health promotion are foremost needed in blue collar occupations, however with some white collar sub-occupations being at similar need as blue collar occupations