Coming dissertations at Uppsala university
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When extra support is needed
Link: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-540487
Newborn infants exhibit a profound dependency on their primary caregivers to meet their essential needs, which is critical for both development and survival. The World Health Organization’s guideline Early Childhood Development underscores the necessity of responsive care during the early years. When individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) become parents, unique challenges may arise, resulting in precarious situations. Thus, both parents and children must receive adequate support from healthcare systems and society.
The primary objective of this thesis was to improve perinatal support for both parents and children, particularly for those with ID.
In Paper I, a population-based cohort study involving over 600,000 children revealed that those born to mothers with ID face a significantly higher risk of mental illness, injuries, and violence compared to peers born to mothers without ID.
Paper II employed focus groups in a qualitative study, highlighting that staff working with individuals with ID find discussions about reproductive health and childbirth particularly challenging. They expressed a need for additional support in addressing issues related to sexual and reproductive health rights.
Paper III conducted a psychometric analysis of the Baby Care Questionnaire in Swedish, indicating that the instrument required revision for optimal fit before use.
Paper IV explored whether an educational programme for healthcare professionals, coupled with comprehensive parental education, could enhance the duration of skin-to-skin contact (SSC). The results demonstrated that the quasi-experimental intervention effectively increased the SSC provided by parents.
The thesis highlights that children of mothers with ID and individuals with ID require additional support and resources. Also, the thesis illustrates that healthcare professionals can influence the behaviour of new parents and thereby increase the frequency of SSC, which offers significant benefits.
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Advancing in-situ studies using low-energy ions : Growth and modification of transition metal compounds
Link: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-540635
Transition metal compounds are highly relevant materials with applications ranging from mechanical tools over catalysis to thin film electronics. Continued miniaturization in the field of integrated circuits and effects of high temperatures and reactive gasses manifesting in the near-surface region of mechanical tools call for techniques able to quantitatively resolve composition and structure of transition metal compounds at a sub-nm scale. In this thesis, a range of transition metal-based systems is studied with a particular focus on depth resolved analysis of structure and composition using Time-of-Flight Low-Energy Ion Scattering (ToF-LEIS). This work improves the accuracy in ToF-LEIS quantification by studying model systems of transition metals and critically assessing its capabilities in in-situ studies of near-surface processes caused by exposure to oxygen or high temperatures in technologically relevant transition metal compounds.
The analytical power of in-situ ToF-LEIS in the quantitative study of composition and structure in transition metal compounds is demonstrated on the example of Ti-based thin films and transition metal silicides. Oxide layers with nm thicknesses on Ti layers exposed to oxygen and the formation of an Al-rich surface layer on (Ti,Al)N above 750 °C are detected with a sub-nm depth resolution. Furthermore, the silicidation processes for Ti and Ni are investigated using ToF-LEIS to in-situ study structure and composition in a depth-resolved manner. For ultrathin Ni silicide, commonly used as contact layers in integrated circuits, an unprecedented phase transition sequence with a direct phase transition from orthorhombic δ-Ni2Si to epitaxial NiSi2‑x, skipping the NiSi phase present in thicker films is observed at 290°C.
To improve quantitative analysis using ToF-LEIS as well as our understanding of the underlying physics, two aspects of the interaction between slow ions and solids are studied. The electronic stopping cross section of Ti for light ions is investigated. The obtained comprehensive dataset offers valuable experimental data for a highly relevant transition metal, allowing substantially improved range and depth quantification in ToF-LEIS experiments. Furthermore, the interatomic potential is studied for W and Fe in combination with He and D, relevant atom pairings for future fusion reactors. This study offers critical experimental data for the prediction of plasma-wall interactions like sputter yields that will affect the operation, durability, and safety of fusion devices. Additionally, these results yield a better understanding of the quality of common interatomic potential models applied in ToF-LEIS, enhancing quantification of depth and composition.
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Discovery and characterisation of nemertides, and evaluation of their potential use for agricultural and pharmaceutical purposes
Link: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-539975
The overall aims of the projects included in this thesis were to discover, functionally characterise, explore biological safety and evaluate potential utility of cysteine-rich peptides, named alpha-nemertides, from marine worms (Nemertea sp.).
One of the main outcomes of this thesis is the discovery of a new subfamily of nemertean peptide toxins, from the epidermal mucus of an unexplored marine worm (Paper I). Structure-activity relationships of alpha-nemertides was investigated via alanine scanning on the archetype nemertide alpha-1 (Paper II). Finally, a preliminary investigation of nemertide alpha-1 feeding repellence and acute toxicity was perform in vivo on pest insects (Paper III-IV) alongside with the analysis of its human and biological safety (Paper III).
In Manuscript I, the discovery and initial characterisation of a new subfamily of nemertean peptide toxins from Lineus viridis is presented. The new subfamily was named delta-nemertide and the archetype, nemertide delta-1, was successfully isolated and described. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis led to the addition of seven delta-nemertide putative sequences. Nemertide delta-1 share many similarities with the previously described nemertide alpha-1 except for a 30-fold higher potency on measured insect voltage-gated sodium channels.
In Manuscript II, the study focused on determining the importance for selectivity and acute toxicity of each amino acid from nemertide alpha-1 sequence. The mutants’ toxicity was assessed in vitro on a selection of voltage-gated sodium channels and in vivo on Artemia salina. Five positions crucial for overall selectivity were highlighted and one mutant named S12A demonstrated specific selectivity to insect voltage-gated sodium channels.
In Manuscript III, nemertide alpha-1 displayed feeding deterrence and feeding behaviour changes at the low molecular level on green peach aphids (Myzus persicae), a known pest insect. In parallel, the peptide demonstrated attractive environmental features by having very low lytic activity on liposomes and low antimicrobial effect on gram positive and negative bacteria. It also showed very low cytotoxicity on human cell lines and high temperature stability on a short period of time.
In Manuscript IV, oral toxicity of nemertide alpha-1 was investigated on two mosquito’s species responsible of being diseases vectors: Anopheles coluzzii and Aedes aegypti. The peptide did not display significant feeding repellence on mosquitos. It also generated fast paralysis symptoms within 10-15 min post ingestion and eventually led to death after 24h. Additional physiological effects were observed via the presence of a swollen abdomen and air bubbles in the crop.