Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical NutritionAbstractTitle: Can probiotics prevent atopic dermatitis in children with high risk?Author: Laura Pienihäkkinen and Max OlinSupervisor: Heléne Bertéus ForslundExaminer: Anna WinkvistProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: May 22, 2012Background Allergic disease is today common, this including atopic dermatitis, which is the most common inflammatory skin disease in the world. Heredity has been shown to play a major role in the development of this disease. It is therefore of high interest for both the individual and society to find effective methods for preventing atopic dermatitis in individuals with high risk profile. Probiotics are beneficial for the bacterial profile in the intestine and it is therefore of interest to study if they through their anti-inflammatory effect could prevent atopic dermatitis.Objective The aim was to study whether administration of probiotics to the mother and the child (directly or via breast milk) could prevent atopic dermatitis in children with high risk profile (at least one first degree relative with a diagnosed allergic disease).Search strategy A systematic literature search was done in databases PubMed and Scopus with search terms maternal, prenatal, probiotics, allergy, atopic dermatitis, prevention, and children.Selection criteria Randomized, controlled human studies and original articles in English were included.

The thesis is an examination of the methods that are appropriate and long-term choice to obtain clamping force and secure screw joints in production. The employer, Scania CV AB, transmission manufactures axle gears to all trucks produced in Södertälje. One of the most common assembly elements is screw joints, where the clamping force is essential to achieve a secure joint. Current methods to secure the joint is due much of the friction effect and is an indirect method to measure the clamping force. The clampforce accuracy becomes more widely with torque angle control.

Variation in tuber quality within a single field was one of the motives for a pilot study in Halland, in south-western Sweden conducted during 2002. Quality problems in potatoes have been increasing due to the aggregation of several small fields with different land use history into larger farm units, which are heterogeneous in soil properties and fertility. The study in Halland indicated that both the uniformity and the mean size of tubers may increase from site-specific K fertilization, whereas total yields may be unaffected. The results from this pilot-study with site-specific fertilization showed that tubers reached a more uniform quality and gave a more uniform mean size, while the total yield wasn't affected at all. Site-specific K-fertilization has been applied for some years in Halland with good results. The aim of this study was to test this technique in another potato growing area.

The government regulations for energy use in buildings will be tightened in the future. At the same time the interest in environmental classifications and certifications of buildings is increasing. This has meant a new situation for solar energy. The designs of solar heating systems are often based on experience and/or rules of thumb, rather than calculations and simulations. This thesis examines whether simulation tools, in this case Polysun, are useful in this work.

In the 1980?s the moose population in Sweden grew explosively due to big changes in the silviculture with clear cuttings instead of single-tree selection. Clear cuttings brought big areas of young forest and therefore a lot of fodder in one place. Since this change, the discussion about how to manage the moose population has grown into a very big problem. Forest owners think that the population needs to be strongly reduced because of all the damage that is done to the young forest when the moose seeks its food, and the economic losses because of that.

Uganda is one country with fastest growing populations in the world and with more than 25% of the population living in poverty. There is a rapid rural urban migration with increasing demands for food for low income earners especially in these areas. One way to mitigate food insecurity is to increase milk and meat production efficiency, and thus reproductive performance of cows is crucial for good production. A well-documented strategy for improving dairy cow productivity through faster genetic improvement is to breed dairy cows using proven semen via artificial insemination (AI). AI has been used in Uganda for over 60 years but only less than 10 %, a small population of the country?s herd has been bred that way. The aims were to study knowledge, attitude and practices factors influencing cow fertility results on dairy farms around Kampala using AI and to propose ways of promoting increased use of AI in Uganda.

Chinas government has a multifunctional program for a more sustainable forestry since 2000. This six key forest programs goal is to develop a more sustainable forest sector but also take environment consideration. The state forest administration in China has decided to create 5.8 million hectare of fast growing and high yield forest. Eucalyptus has showed to have good properties for pulp and timber production and therefore Eucalyptus plantations are under development in costal areas in southern China. By adding extra nutrients, growth can be enhanced in Eucalyptus plantations.

The government regulations for energy use in buildings will be tightened in the future. At the same time the interest in environmental classifications and certifications of buildings is increasing. This has meant a new situation for solar energy. The designs of solar heating systems are often based on experience and/or rules of thumb, rather than calculations and simulations. This thesis examines whether simulation tools, in this case Polysun, are useful in this work.

Marknaden för så kallade ?High Yield Bonds? ? högavkastande obligationer ? har under det senaste årtiondet genomgått en remarkabel utveckling, särskilt i Europa. Ett ökat antal ?non-investment grade?-företag söker strategiskt att emittera dessa obligationer för att finansiera sina verksamheter, vare sig detrör sig om upprätthållandet av betalningsströmmar till leverantörer, anställda eller andra intressenter; kapitalanskaffning; företagsförvärv; refinansiering av lån; eller andra företagsrelaterade aktiviteter. Trots denna utveckling är marknaden för högavkastande obligationer i Sverige jämförelsevis liten.

The codling moth, Cydia pomonella is a common pest in apple orchards and can be found worldwide. Feeding by codling moth larvae can cause a substantial decrease in apple yield. Control methods comprise for example the use of pesticides, viruses and pheromones. As a sustainable control method, pheromones have been successfully applied to disrupt moth mating behaviour. Other behaviours like foraging, search for mating sites or host finding could be potential targets for additional odour-mediated behavioural manipulation but need further investigations of the underlying odour stimuli and behavioural plasticity. Many insects are attracted to the smell of fermenting fruit and associated microorganisms.

Different methods for shelterwood cutting have been used in differ-ent parts of Europe since the middle ages. The use of shelter wood cutting in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forests in Sweden met a revival in the early 1990s as an alternative for the dominating clear-cutting system when silvicultural costs increased dramatically for the latter. Shelterwood cutting systems involve some possible problems but also a lot of positive effects. Among the problems are increased risk of wind throw and damage of the remaining shelter trees caused by the cutting operation. Positive effects are for example a valuable growth in the remaining trees and increased biological di-versity. This study is based on a total of 79 trees from 4 different treatments in a spruce shelterwood, cut in 1994, in the middle of Sweden (62,4º N).

The intention of this thesis is, from a basic statistical viewpoint, to capture the relationship between the price of electricity and a sample of factors influencing the price. The thesis also aims at investigating whether knowledge about the relationship is useful when investing on Nord Pool. Tested factors are temperature, import, price of emission rights as well as a number of hydrological factors. The investigated period stretches from year 2000 until week 32 year 2007. The relevance of each factor was also evaluated yearly as well as for shorter periods in order to get a more comprehensive view of the relationship.

The Swedish Cellulosa Companiy, SCA, has today 280 000 ha planted with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) (?C?) which is equivalent to 14 % of its total forest area. Exotic lodgepole pine has in previous experimental stands shown a superior growth than the native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) (?S?).But also the comparison could be questioned because stand histories were was unknown and also differences in age between C and S existed.

The governing set of regulations for structural engineering in Sweden used to be Boverket, BKR. However in the beginning of the 21st century a changeover to new regulations, the Eurocodes, started.The transition was completed in year 2011 when the Eurocodes became the mandatory design work policy for all countries within the European Union. The Eurocodes were implemented to simplify and remove potential barriers to trade that may exist when countries have different design rules.  Since the changeover it has been important for all construction companies to update their knowledge base and their design software.When comparing the two calculation processes they seem similar, but there are a couple of differences worth noting.  With the new regulations, engineers will find that the process when designing joints in timber structures has changed.  What used to be a fairly easy and straight forward calculation procedure has now become tedious and time consuming.The objective of this degree project is to present a product, a dimensioning tool that will help structural engineers when computing lateral load carrying joints in timber structures.The degree project is made up of two parts where the first part is the written report describing the background and theory behind load carrying computations. The second part of the project is the actual dimensioning tool which includes several worksheets in Microsoft Excel. The program treats single and double shear connections of the following:Nail jointsScrew jointsSteel plates (thick and thin types) The user can edit the following parameters:Type of plate/ number of shearsStrength class of timber membersMember and plate sizeType of fastenerDiameter of fastenerLength of fastenerYield moment of fastenerkmod and partial factors for design load carrying capacityThe dimensioning tool was created and developed in collaboration with structural engineers at the company Byggteknik AB.

This technical report describes the master thesis in material engineering called ?Testing of surfaced hardened materials conceivable for gears and shafts?. The work extents 20 academic points. Land systems Hägglunds manufactures and sells different kinds of combat vehicles and terrain vehicles. Since the demands for bigger and stronger vehicles increases all the time, so are the demands on shafts, gears and other transmission details.