Can an intake of resistant starch type 2 improve blood lipids in adults? – A systematic review article

Title: Can an intake of resistant starch type 2 improve blood lipids in adults? – A systematic review article. Authors: Lydia Nilsson and Sanne Persdotter Supervisor: Heléne Bertéus Forslund Examiner: Frode Slinde Programme: Programme in dietetics, 180/240 ECTS Type of paper: Bachelor’s thesis in clinical nutrition, 15 hp Date: May 25, 2016 Background: Dyslipidemia is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Several studies conducted on rats show a clear lipid improving effect of resistant starch (RS). The question is if RS has the same effect in humans. Objective: To investigate whether there is scientific evidence that a higher intake of RS2 could have positive effects on blood lipids. Search strategy: Searches were conducted using the databases PubMed and Scopus. Selection criteria: The inclusion criteria were RCT, human studies, adult study participants and studies published in English. Exclusion criteria were study participants with diabetes or prediabetes, studies with several interventions, postprandial studies, and studies where the amount of RS was not specified in grams. Data collection and analysis: We conducted four searches in the databases Pubmed and Scopus. Then “snowballing” was performed as a complement. This resulted in three articles. The quality of these were examined using SBUs’ review template for randomized trials. Finally the results were combined according to Gothenburg university’s template -”Underlag för sammanvägd bedömning enligt GRADE” and a final conclusion was drawn. Results: One of the studies showed a significant (p<0.05) lowering of total cholesterol and LDL associated with intake of RS2. The other two studies showed no significant results. Conclusion: Resistant starch type two does not seem to affect blood lipids in adults compared to a similar intake of starch or glucose. The evidence for this conclusion is assessed to be moderate (+++). Key words: Resistant starch, RS, RS2, blood lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL.Titel: Kan intag av resistent stärkelse typ 2 förbättra blodlipiderna hos vuxna individer? – En systematisk översiktsartikel Författare: Lydia Nilsson och Sanne Persdotter Handledare: Heléne Bertéus Forslund Examinator: Frode Slinde Linje: Dietistprogrammet, 180/240 hp Typ av arbete: Självständigt arbete i klinisk nutrition, 15 hp Datum: 2016-05-25 Bakgrund: Dyslipidemi är en av de största riskfaktorerna för att insjukna i hjärt-kärlsjukdom. Flera studier gjorda på råttor har visat en klart lipidförbättrande effekt av resistent stärkelse (RS). Frågan är om RS kan ha samma effekt hos människor. Syfte: Att undersöka det vetenskapliga underlaget för att ett ökat intag av RS2 kan ha positiv effekt på blodlipiderna. Sökväg: Sökningar gjordes i databaserna PubMed och Scopus. Urvalskriterier: Inklusionskriterierna var RCT, humanstudier, vuxna studiedeltagare samt engelska som publikationsspråk. Exklusionskriterierna var studiedeltagare med diabetes eller prediabetes, studier med flera interventioner, postprandiella studier samt studier där mängden RS ej specificerades i gram. Datainsamling och analys: Det genomfördes fyra sökningar i databaserna Pubmed och Scopus samt “snowballing” som ett komplement. Detta resulterade i tre artiklar som kvalitetsgranskades enligt SBU:s granskningsmall för randomiserade studier. Slutligen sammanvägdes resultaten med hjälp av Göteborgs Universitets mall -”Underlag för sammanvägd bedömning enligt GRADE” till en slutsats. Resultat: En av studierna visade på en signifikant sänkning (p<0.05) av total kolesterol och LDL vid ökat intag av RS2. De två andra studierna visade inga signifikanta resultat. Slutsats: Resistent stärkelse typ 2 tycks inte ha effekt på blodlipider hos vuxna individer jämfört med motsvarande intag av stärkelse eller glukos. Evidensstyrkan för denna slutsats bedöms vara måttlig (+++). Nyckelord: Resistent stärkelse, RS, RS2, blodlipider, triglycerider, kolesterol, HDL, LDL

Beyond Breakaway Corrosion: Investigating the Secondary corrosion protection of Iron-based alloys

High temperature corrosion of metallic materials remains a major challenge for many in-dustrial applications. The challenges of high temperature corrosion are often addressed by using highly alloyed materials such as stainless steels or FeCrAl alloys. The corrosion protection of these alloys rely on the formation of a protective Cr- and/or Al-rich corundum-type oxide. However, under corrosive conditions, these oxides tend to break down, resulting in the formation of a less protective, multi-layered Fe-rich oxide scale, a process known as breakaway corrosion. The oxide scales formed after breakaway are often considered to be non-protective. There-fore, previous studies on breakaway corrosion have mainly focused on how to delay, or prevent, the breakdown of the Cr/Al-rich oxide. Nevertheless, in many industrial appli-cations the breakaway event occurs in an early stage of operation and may be difficult to prevent. Thus, the corrosion propagation and lifetime of metallic components are often determined by the protection of the Fe-rich oxide scale formed after breakaway. This thesis systematically investigates the protective properties of the Fe-rich oxides formed after breakaway at intermediate temperatures (400-600 \ub0C). This is done through well-controlled breakdown of the Cr/Al-rich oxide, on a broad range of Fe-based model alloys that contain varying amounts of Cr, Ni, Al, and Si. The formed multi-layered Fe-rich oxide scales are subjected to detailed microstructural investigations, to elucidate how the properties and microstructures of the multi-layered Fe-rich oxide change as a result of altered alloy composition, and/or the presence of certain corrosive species. The results clearly demonstrate the possibilities to improve the protection of the Fe-rich oxide by an altered alloy composition. The influences that alloying elements exhibit on the Fe-rich oxide scales are different from the previously demonstrated effects of the slow-growing Cr/Al-rich corundum-type oxides. Thus, the positive effects of certain alloy-ing elements in Fe-based alloys are not necessarily the same for the corrosion protection exhibited before and after breakaway. Therefore, this thesis introduces the concept of primary and secondary corrosion protection for the oxide scales formed before (Cr/Al-rich corundum-type oxides) and after (multi-layered Fe-rich oxide scales) breakaway. The terminology is considered to be important for future material research and development, as well as for the selection of materials to be used in applications in which breakaway corrosion cannot be prevented

Beyond Breakaway Corrosion: Secondary Corrosion Protection of Iron-based Alloys

Metallic materials intended for high temperature applications must resist both mechanical and environmental degradation. The ability to withstand corrosion is an important aspect of high temperature materials and is of major concern in, for example, heat and power production. Nevertheless, corrosion is often a limiting factor in the lifetime of boiler components and it reduces the electrical efficiency and hinders the development of more economical and environmentally sustainable processes. The challenge of high temperature corrosion is often addressed by the use of high-alloyed steels, such as stainless steels and FeCrAl alloys. The corrosion resistance of stainless steels and FeCrAl alloys rely on the formation of a slow-growing, chromium- and/or aluminium-rich, corundum type oxide. However, in harsh corrosive environments these oxides are known to break down (i.e. \u27breakaway corrosion\u27) and a less protective, multi-layered, Fe-rich oxide is formed. One such example is in biomass- and waste-fired boilers, where the combustion process produces a corrosive environment, often resulting in breakaway corrosion in an early stage of operation. Thus, the corrosion propagation and lifetime of many key parts of the boilers, depend on the oxide scale formed after breakaway. This oxide scale is often considered non-protective and studies on the oxidation mechanisms controlling the corrosion propagation after breakaway are scarce. \ua0In order to address, and systematically investigate the corrosion behaviour after breakaway, this thesis introduces the concept of primary and secondary corrosion protection for the oxide scales formed before and after breakaway, respectively. The concept is considered to be important for the development and selection of materials to be used in applications where the breakaway event cannot be prevented, e.g. in biomass- and waste-fired boilers, as well as for the development of lifetime predictive modelling tools for corrosion. A systematic study of the secondary corrosion regime is performed by well-controlled breakdown of the primary corrosion protection of Fe-based model alloys. The resulting oxide scales are subjected to detailed microstructural investigation to study the general aspects of the secondary corrosion protection and how its properties and microstructure changes e.g. by altered alloy composition.\ua0 \ua0The results show that the oxide scales formed after breakaway exhibit similar microstructural features on all the exposed FeCr(Ni/Al) model alloys and that the growth of the secondary corrosion protection is mainly diffusion-controlled. Thus, lifetime predictive tools using diffusion-based simulations, such as DICTRA, could be developed to predict corrosion both before and after breakaway. However, it is also shown that corrosive species (e.g. KCl) may affect the mechanical integrity of the oxide scale, resulting in growth processes that requires other types of models. Furthermore, the results show that the growth rate in the secondary corrosion regime may be influenced by the alloy composition, for example by adding Ni or a combination of Al/Cr. This behaviour is not directly connected to how well the primary corrosion protection withstands the exposure environment (i.e. the incubation time to breakaway). Thus, these findings indicate that research on the secondary corrosion protection has a large potential to improve the selection and development of alloys for use in corrosive environments, such as biomass- and waste-fired boilers

COVID-19: How has the pandemic influenced consumers' sustainable attitudes and behaviors? Navn:

Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Strategic Marketing Management - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2021The COVID-19 pandemic has been a great strain on the whole world. Millions of people have died worldwide, and Norway has also been affected. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to fear among people all over the world, and individuals have developed health concerns in relation to the virus. Thus, governments all over the world have introduced lockdowns, which has had a positive effect on the environment. The lockdowns and COVID-19 related restrictions from the government in Norway have changed consumers’ attitudes and behaviors towards more sustainable choices and increased consumers’ environmental awareness. Thus, the purpose of this research was to uncover if and how concerns for COVID- 19 influences consumers’ sustainable attitudes and behaviors. As a result, the following research question was formulated: How has concerns for COVID-19 influenced sustainable attitudes and affected sustainable behavior during the pandemic? A quantitative research design was used to investigate possible changes in consumers' sustainable attitudes and behavior due to COVID-19. The results indicate that consumers are concerned about the consequences of the virus, both on their own health but also on their local communities. In addition, several consumers want to support vulnerable businesses, as a desire to help the society. Consequently, the concerns for COVID-19 have positively affected consumers’ environmental awareness, practice of environmental conservation, willingness to practice social responsibility and local shopping behavior. Our findings suggest that the changes in sustainable attitudes and sustainable behavior we have witnessed as a result of COVID-19 could contribute to several positive impacts on the environment in the future. However, it is therefore important for companies to continuously adapt sustainable ideas from the field, in order to adapt their practices to market trends and meet consumers' expectations. Thus, the study provides future directions for how businesses can cope with future crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the thesis contributes to an understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced sustainable attitudes and affected sustainable behavior

Arbetsintegrerande sociala företag – ett uttryck för behovet av en ny välfärdsmodell. En idéanalys

Since the 1980’s, political debate in Sweden has questioned whether the nation’s welfare state has moved from a universal welfare model toward a selective welfare model. In connection with the debate, a third sector, the social economy sector, has evolved. The social economy demonstrates new ways to deliver welfare services with the primary goal of generating social benefit and public welfare instead of profit. Within the social economy, the nation has seen the development of social enterprises for work integration. The aim of these enterprises is to reduce unemployment and to promote the inclusion of citizens who have been outside of the labour market for an extended period of their working life. This thesis aims to examine which ideas relating to the optimal organisation of the welfare state have been introduced through these new enterprises. The study is carried out through a theoretical framework for welfare models. I study the ideas brought forward through an analysis of documents connected to the enterprises in question. The study shows that the social enterprises for work integration are hybrids in various ways. The study also confirms that old welfare models can no longer explain the changes that have occurred in Swedish society. Instead, a new welfare model needs to be developed in order to understand the changes of the welfare state seen in Sweden today

Piglet mortality in commercial piglet production herds

Dödfödda grisar och smågrisdödlighet under diperioden leder till både produktionsförlust och innebär dessutom försämrad djurvälfärd. Förluster orsakade av dödfödslar, smågrisar som kläms ihjäl av suggan och som svälter ihjäl kan förebyggas genom god skötsel, bra djurstallar och avelsurval. För att lyckas med detta krävs att riskfaktorer för smågrisdödlighet kan identifieras. Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka variationen i förekomsten av dödfödda smågrisar och dödligheten under digivningsperioden beroende på kullnummer, kullstorlek, säsong och besättning. Ett andra syfte är att fastställa om det finns någon upprepbarhet för suggor vad gäller förekomst av dödfödda smågrisar. Data erhölls från fyra kommersiella grisbesättningar, belägna i centrala Sverige, som använder sig av besättningsövervakningsprogrammet ‘PigWin Sugg’. Data analyserades med hjälp av programvaran SAS (2010). Analysen begränsades till information om grisningar under perioden juli 2006 och juni 2009, vilket gav ett underlag på 24289 grisningar. Antalet dödfödda smågrisar i en kull ökade med kullstorleken och med högre kullnummer men var oberoende av årstid. Ökningen av dödfödda smågrisar i högre kullnummer kan bero på ökad kullstorlek hos äldre suggor. Dödligheten under digivningsperioden visade inget signifikant samband till antalet dödfödda smågrisar men till antalet levandefödda smågrisar i kullen. Detta tyder på att kullar med många dödfödda kultingar inte per automatik medför hög dödlighet under digivningsperioden på grund av lägre kvalitet på de smågrisar som föds levande. Smågrisdödligheten under diperioden påvisade även en negativ korrelation mellan totala antalet födda smågrisar i en kull. Detta kan förklaras av att den individuella vikten vid födseln är lägre i större kullar och att smågrisarna på grund av det är känsligare än smågrisar med högre vikt vid födseln. Upprepbarheten för att en sugga får dödfödda smågrisar var låg och den påvisade upprepbarheten i studien beror sannolikt på miljöfaktorer

KOMMUNIKATIONSSUPPORTEN En analys av användarupplevelse och intern tjänstekvalitet

Koncernkontoret vid Västra Götalandsregionen startade våren 2016 intern-tjänsten kommunikationssupporten i syfte att stödja medarbetare med kommunikationsrelaterade arbetsuppgifter. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur användarna upplever tjänstekvaliteten, samt föreslå hur tjänsten skulle kunna förbättras. Användarnas upplevelse av tjänsten analyseras genom fem dimensioner i tjänsteupplevelse från modellen SERVQUAL; tillförlitlighet, försäkran/ säkerhet, det materiella, empati och lyhördhet. Vidare utförs analysen utifrån två olika perspektiv på kommunikation; det klassiska perspektivet, där kommunikation ses på som överföring av ett budskap, samt det tolkande perspektivet, där kommunikation snarare betraktas som delning av ett budskap. För att studera tjänstekvaliteten utifrån användarnas upplevelse utformades en enkät som skickades till samtliga medarbetare som använt tjänsten sedan projektets uppstart. Vidare utfördes fem intervjuer med användare från olika enheter i organisationen som använt tjänsten. En kombination av dessa två metoder gav både en helhetsbild av tjänsteupplevelsen, samt en djupare förståelse av enskilda upplevelser. Studien visade på en positiv upplevelse av tjänsten från flera användare. Dock framkom en del problemområden kopplade till brist på personlig kontakt vilket sänkte vissa användares upplevelse av tjänstekvaliteten. Dessa brister kan troligtvis till viss del mötas genom att marknadsföra tjänsten till målgruppen mer än den hittills gjort

Beyond breakaway corrosion – Influence of chromium, nickel and aluminum on corrosion of iron-based alloys at 600 \ub0C

Breakaway corrosion remains a challenge for many high temperature applications. The oxide formed after breakaway is commonly considered non-protective. This study investigates the protective properties after breakaway on a wide set of (Fe,Cr,Al/Ni)-model alloys by thermogravimertric analysis, ion/electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy. The results show that the oxide scales formed after breakaway exhibit similar microstructural features on all FeCr(Ni/Al)-alloys, and that the growth rate is greatly influenced by alloy composition for some alloys while is has little influence on others. This observation may be of great help in the selection and development of materials for use in harshly corrosive environments