Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical NutritionAbstractTitle: Alpha-linolenic acid from flaxseed oil and effects on blood pressure ? A systematic reviewAuthor: Christine Hårdfelt och Liduina van SitterenSupervisor: Helen LindqvistExaminer: Anna WinkvistProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: April 9th, 2014Background: High blood pressure is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke. ALA-fatty acids have previously been associated with decreased blood pressure. Flaxseed oil is very rich in these fatty acids and has also been highlighted as an affordable and sustainable source.Objective: To investigate whether ALA-fatty acids from flaxseed oil may affect blood pressure in people with high risk for cardiovascular disease.Search strategy: Two searches in PubMed and Scopus were performed. The sample was specified by using specific keywords.Selection criteria: The criteria for inclusion of studies required that flaxseed oil was compared with a control and that blood pressure was measured as an endpoint.

The investigation aims to clarify to what extent non-conscious thought has efficacy in for instance decision making,and also examine some aspects of the question whether decisions are caused by free will. This is done by an analysisof new research in neuroscience, economics, the combination of the two within neuroeconomics, evolutionarytheory and especially the new theory of Unconscious thought (Nordgren & Dijksterhuis 2006), which will enjoyspecial scrutiny due to its recentness in the scientific field. A decision strategy ought to put high-level consciouscognition to use where it is most effective, and this is on a different level than the canonized one. Meta decisionmaking is decision making concerning which decisions ought to be made consciously. It is the area where the largestamount of freedom can be obtained wherein the largest amount of thought effort ought to be invested.

Sahlgrenska Academyat University of GothenburgDepartment of internal medicine and clinical nutritionAbstractTitle: Can supplementation with vitamin E improve cognitive function in Alzheimer?s disease?Author: Malin Andersson and Elin LöfqvistSupervisor: Elisabet RothenbergExaminer: Anna WinkvistProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: 2012-04-11Background: Alzheimer?s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. As the average life expectancy rises the prevalence increases. The disease leads to gradual deterioration of cognitive functions. A recent Cochrane review describes how several studies demonstrate an increased oxidative damage in the brain in those with AD.

Sahlgrenska Academyat University of GothenburgDepartment of Internal Medicine and Clinical NutritionAbstractTitle: Coconut fat?s effect on blood lipids - A systematic overviewAuthor: Linnéa Hult and Sandra WestlingSupervisor: Fredrik BertzExaminer: Ingrid LarssonProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: 2013-04-11Background: Coconut fat has recently been praised in the media. Amongst other things,coconut oil has been said to lower cholesterol (1, 2). This despite the fact that coconut oilcontains of 92 % saturated fat, which strong scientific evidence support raises the blood lipidsand thus increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (3).Objective: To examine the scientific evidence for how blood lipids in adults are affected byan intake of coconut fat compared to an intake of other kind of fats.Search strategy: PubMed and Scopus have been used in the literary search. Keywords usedwere "coconut fat", "coconut oil", "plasma lipids" and cholesterol [MeSH].Selection criteria: Human studies of RCT or cohort type, published since 1983.

This paper tests the information signalling hypothesis on a sample of firms making open market stock repurchases. Using an earnings-based valuation model, we find that a majority of repurchasing firms are undervalued relative to their economic value. This result is consistent with previous academic studies, which claim that undervaluation is the prevalent factor explaining the observed abnormal return following the announcement of a repurchase program. We do not, however, find any evidence that the repurchase is consciously made by management to provide the market with new information. .

Previous studies have pointed out the potential risks involved with targeting homosexual consumers by using ads with homosexual imagery in mainstream media. Many of these studies have indicated that there may be drawbacks with exposing heterosexuals to these kinds of advertisements. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether this is true for all groups of heterosexual consumers. An experimental study was carried out to examine the effects of explicit homosexual imagery on a heterosexual group with a generally positive attitude towards homosexuality. Empirical evidence suggests that homosexual imagery does not elicit any negative reactions among these heterosexual consumers.

There is strong evidence that cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is effective. The aim of this study was to compare 7 group-sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for insomnia (MBCT-I) with 3 group-sessions of CBT-I, on sleep measures and sleep related psychological processes, such as pre-sleep arousal, thought control strategies and mindfulness. Participants (N = 44; age 18-66) with long term insomnia were stratified and randomized into waiting list, MBCT-I and CBT-I. Significant improvements were seen in both groups, compared to waiting list, for instance on insomnia severity, sleep latency and restorative sleep. Small improvements on psychological processes were also found in both groups.

In recent years there has been a growing interest directed towards focusing on the importance of clear evidence for interventions in social work. To enable the measurement it?s necessary to develop concrete models with manuals on how social work should be designed. Evaluation of the benefits is made in relation to how well the method can detect evidence of clear measurable results. When measuring the result it?s of importance to emphasis on pre and post the situation, not the situation where social work takes place.

A new phenomenon on the Internet is the online audience response. Mentimeter is a web-based tool where you can create online polls. The users can then cast a vote and the result is shown in real time. We want to test the information visualization in Mentimeter and we base our hypothesis, that a better graph design is possible, on the work of Edward Tufte and Stephen Few. Edward Tufte is an emeritus at Yale University, where he held courses in statistical evidence and information design and has created theories about how visual information should be designed.

The investigation aims to clarify to what extent non-conscious thought has efficacy in e.g. decision making and also examine some aspects of the question whether decisions are caused by free will. This will be conducted through an analysis of new research pertaining to neuroscience, economics, the combination of the two within neuroeconomics; evolutionary theory and especially the new theory of Unconscious thought (Nordgren & Dijksterhuis 2006) which will enjoy special scrutiny due to its recentness in the scientific field. A decision strategy ought to put high-level conscious cognition to use where it's most effective and this is on a different level than the canonized one. Meta decision making is decision making pertaining to which decisions ought to be made consciously.

Sahlgrenska Academyat University of GothenburgDepartment of Internal Medicine and Clinical NutritionAbstractTitle: A vegetarian diet, a possible treatment complement for relief of symptoms ofrheumatoid arthritis? A systematic review.Author: Alexandra Ahlsén and Caroline ForsbergSupervisor: Mette AxelsenExaminer: Anna WinkvistProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: May 22, 2012Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic remitting polyarthritis that is relapsing.Symptoms are inflammation of the joints with pain, stiffness and degradation of joint tissue.In some cases, also other parts of the body are involved. The treatment consists ofmedications to reduce pain, inflammation and degradation of joint tissue. Today, the offerednutritional treatment is primarily focused on meeting energy requirements and nutrient needs.The diet has also been discussed as symptomatic treatment, and one of the factors believed toinfluence the symptoms is meat.Objective: To assess the evidence as to whether a vegetarian diet affects the symptoms ofrheumatoid arthritis, and if so, to suggest how it can be implemented in practical dieteticswork.Search strategy The databases used in the literature search was PubMed, Scopus, and AMED.The search words used were: "rheumatiod arthritis", "vegetarian", "vegan", "diet", "meat" and"animal protein".Selection criteria: Studies investigating a vegetarian diet on the symptoms of RA wereincluded. Only RCT, clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, human studies and original articlesin English or Swedish were included.

 The aim and scope of this study is to describe the coordination of joint efforts concerning chemicals and hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region, between the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) and the land-based pollution group of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM LAND). Based on the description of the coordination, the second aim is to discuss the consequences for the Swedish Chemicals Agency in its policy shaping work towards a nontoxic environment. A qualitative and descriptive case study method is used for this purpose. Theories of coordination and achievement-inducing criteria for environmental goals are applied to the case. Components and related processes of coordination are applied to the descriptive part of the study, whilst the achievement-inducing criteria are applied in the discussion.

AIM The aim of this paper was to clarify some of the factors that motivates pet owners to follow advice and instructions from veterinary nurses, so called compliance. METHOD An empirical study with an inductive approach was conducted, and a qualitative content analysis was performed. Content analysis is a scientific method of achieving qualitative results. The analysis is based on interviews with five pet owners, completed in February 2012. The interviews were transcribed and the results are made up of abstracted quotations. RESULTS The result in the study indicate that pet owners are motivated by information, respect, trustworthiness and treatment in meeting.

International studies show that literacy skills have deteriorated among Swedish students. Empirical evidence states that before being able to learn to read it is important to have phonological awareness. From this perspective, an intervention study was launched to examine whether pupils´ phonological awareness could be enhanced through the work of a special model during a limited time. The aim of the study is to investigate whether six pupils in preschool develop phonological awareness based on Bornholmsmodellen during a limited period of time. The control group was made up of the remaining pupils in the preschool class.

The aim of this study is to find out if there is any difference between how a state-owned company and a publicly listed private company communicate its sustainability performance in its sustainability report. It also aims to find out if the communication regarding sustainability has changed over time. The poll was conducted in two Swedish companies, Sveaskog AB and AB SCA, operating in the forestry industry and through a quantitative content analysis, the companies' sustainability reports from 2005 and 2010 were examined. To get a result, the reports has been examined by the GRI framework (Global Reporting Initiative) and an assessment of the communication was made based on a scale of 0-3. The results has been evaluated based on stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and the growing interest in CSR. The analyses found evidence that there is a link between the form of ownership of the company and how it communicates regarding sustainability.