| 1. |
- Höglund, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Avoidance behavior and brain monoamines in fish
- 2005
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Ingår i: BRAIN RESEARCH. ; 1032:1-2, s. 104-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The crucian carp performs a typical avoidance behavior when exposed to olfactory cues from injured skin of conspecifics. They swim rapidly to the bottom and hide in available material. This work examines the effects of skin extract exposure and availability of hiding material on this behavior, and concomitant changes in brain monoaminergic activity in crucian carp. Individual fish were exposed to skin extract in aquaria with or without hiding material. Exposure to skin extract resulted in the expected avoidance behavior consisting of rapid movement towards the bottom of the aquarium. This lasted for 1-2 min. Activity then decreased below the level observed before exposure, suggesting a "freezing" type of avoidance behavior. This behavior was independent of availability of hiding material.Brain dopaminergic activity increased in telencephalon and decreased in the brain stem following skin extract exposure, again independent of availability of hiding material. However, fish kept in aquaria without hiding material showed an elevation of serotonergic activity in the brain stem and the optic tectum compared to fish with available hiding material. Absence of hiding material increased serotonergic activity also without exposure to skin extract. In aquaria with hiding material, the fish stirred up a cloud of fine sediments and showed a more pronounced decrease in locomotor activity in agreement with this being a more efficient freezing or immobile avoidance behavior. These results show that basic components of avoidance behavior and related brain changes are present in the fish brain, in accordance with the common phylogenetic roots of avoidance behavior in all vertebrates. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Kaltenbaek, Rainer, et al.
(författare)
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Macroscopic Quantum Resonators (MAQRO) : 2015 update
- 2016
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Ingår i: EPJ Quantum Technology. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 2196-0763. ; 3:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Do the laws of quantum physics still hold for macroscopic objects - this is at the heart of Schrodinger's cat paradox - or do gravitation or yet unknown effects set a limit for massive particles? What is the fundamental relation between quantum physics and gravity? Ground-based experiments addressing these questions may soon face limitations due to limited free-fall times and the quality of vacuum and microgravity. The proposed mission Macroscopic Quantum Resonators (MAQRO) may overcome these limitations and allow addressing such fundamental questions. MAQRO harnesses recent developments in quantum optomechanics, high-mass matter-wave interferometry as well as state-of-the-art space technology to push macroscopic quantum experiments towards their ultimate performance limits and to open new horizons for applying quantum technology in space. The main scientific goal is to probe the vastly unexplored 'quantum-classical' transition for increasingly massive objects, testing the predictions of quantum theory for objects in a size and mass regime unachievable in ground-based experiments. The hardware will largely be based on available space technology. Here, we present the MAQRO proposal submitted in response to the 4th Cosmic Vision call for a medium-sized mission (M4) in 2014 of the European Space Agency (ESA) with a possible launch in 2025, and we review the progress with respect to the original MAQRO proposal for the 3rd Cosmic Vision call for a medium-sized mission (M3) in 2010. In particular, the updated proposal overcomes several critical issues of the original proposal by relying on established experimental techniques from high-mass matter-wave interferometry and by introducing novel ideas for particle loading and manipulation. Moreover, the mission design was improved to better fulfill the stringent environmental requirements for macroscopic quantum experiments.
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| 3. |
- Kristenson, Margareta, et al.
(författare)
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The role of saliva cortisol measurements in health and disease : A matter of theory and methodology
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. - : Springer. - 1070-5503 .- 1532-7558. ; , s. S206-S206
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Over the last decade, the technique of using ambulatory salivary sampling has become increasingly popular in field research and clinical studies. The non-invasive method is easy to administer and analyze and allows implmentation in large scale study designs. However, this large interest in the use of salivary cortisol measurement is paralleled with frustrations on opposing results. This presentation is based on a critical evaluation of the existing literature on salivary cortisol, aiming to evaluate the utility of salivary cortisol as a biomarker in various settings and how we can understand cortisol reactivity using evidence of experiences from different study designs. The work is compiled by the Scandinavian Stress and Cortisol Network, a network financed by the Swedish Research Council, and one main question asked was: is it possible that different results of studies involving cortisol assessments are functions of differences in the theoretical assumptions made and methods used. In particular, the symposium will focus on how the many different ways of evaluating levels and dynamics of salivary cortisol (i. e. with regard to time points of assessment and different algorithms based on multiple time points) may have an impact on the interpretation of cortisol measurements in various contexts. Salivary cortisol has been studied in relation to the following topics: demographic variables, psychosocial work environment, psychosocial resources (e.g. mastery) and outcomes (e.g. burnout), sleep quality, biological markers (markers of cardivascular risk, inflammation and metabolism) and somatic outcome.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Odéen, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Expectancies, Socioeconomic Status, and Self-Rated Health : Use of the Simplified TOMCATS Questionnaire
- 2013
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Ingår i: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. - New York : Springer. - 1070-5503 .- 1532-7558. ; 20:2, s. 242-251
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Coping has traditionally been measured with inventories containing many items meant to identify specific coping strategies. An alternative is to develop a shorter inventory that focusses on coping expectancies which may determine the extent to which an individual attempts to cope actively.Purpose: This paper explores the usefulness and validity of a simplified seven-item questionnaire (Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress, TOMCATS) for response outcome expectancies defined either as positive ("coping"), negative ("hopelessness"), or none ("helplessness"). The definitions are based on the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS; Ursin and Eriksen, Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29(5):567-92, 2004). The questionnaire was tested in two different samples. First, the questionnaire was compared with a traditional test of coping and then tested for validity in relation to socioeconomic differences in self-reported health.Methods: The first study was a comparison of the brief TOMCATS with a short version of the Utrecht Coping List (UCL; Eriksen et al., Scand J Psychol, 38(3):175-82, 1997). Both questionnaires were tested in a population of 1,704 Norwegian municipality workers. The second study was a cross-sectional analysis of TOMCATS, subjective and objective socioeconomic status, and health in a representative sample of the Swedish working population in 2003-2005 (N = 11,441).Results: In the first study, the coping item in the TOMCATS questionnaire showed an expected significant positive correlation with the UCL factors of instrumental mastery-oriented coping and negative correlations with passive and depressive scores. There were also the expected correlations for the helplessness and hopelessness scores, but there was no clear distinction between helplessness and hopelessness in the way they correlated with the UCL. In the second study, the coping item in TOMCATS and the three-item helplessness scores showed clear and monotonous gradients over a subjective socioeconomic status (SES) ladder. Positive response outcome expectancy ("coping") was related to high subjective SES and no expectancy ("helplessness") to low subjective SES. In a model including age and sex, TOMCATS scores explained more variance (r (2) = 0.16) in self-reported health than both subjective (r (2) = 0.08) and objective SES (r (2) = 0.02).Conclusion: The brief TOMCATS questionnaire showed acceptable and significant correlations with a traditional coping questionnaire and is sensitive enough to register systematic differences in response outcome expectancies across the socioeconomic ladder. The results furthermore confirm that psychological and learning factors contribute to the socioeconomic gradient in health.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Persson, Roger, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of the implementation of an 84-hour workweek on neurobehavioral test performance and cortisol responsiveness during testing.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - : Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140 .- 1795-990X. ; 29:4, s. 261-269
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether long workhours in combination with an extended workweek (12 hours/7 days), as requested by the workers, impaired attention and cognitive performance and whether the degree of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation was related to the response to the performance tasks. METHODS: A group of 41 male construction workers between 21 and 60 (mean 39) years of age who worked 84 hours a week, with alternate weeks off, was compared with a group of 23 male construction workers between 24 and 65 (mean 43) years of age who had a traditional 40-hour work schedule. Neurobehavioral test performance, self-ratings of fatigue and sleepiness, and salivary cortisol levels were evaluated in a counterbalanced repeated-measures design. RESULTS: The 84-hour group did not show any signs of reduced test performance or elevated fatigue and sleepiness. The 84-hour group had faster reaction times on day 7 than on days 1 and 5. Although the expected activation of the HPA axis was only found in the total study sample when workdays 1 and 5 were collapsed, the HPA activation can be considered normal. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that an 84-hour work regimen in response to requests from workers does not induce more performance deficits than an ordinary 40-hour workweek. An extended work schedule of 84 hours cannot in the short-term be considered to affect basic mental capabilities negatively.
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| 8. |
- Svensen, Erling, et al.
(författare)
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Health complaints and satisfied with the job? : A cross-sectional study on work environment, job satisfaction, and subjective health complaints
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 49:5, s. 568-573
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of subjective health complaints (SHCs) among satisfied and dissatisfied workers. The second aim was to evaluate whether any SHC differences were attributable directly to the work environment or mediated by the individual perception of the environment (satisfactory or not). METHOD: In a cross-sectional study of 458 employees (56% women) in 5 different organizations, work environment, job satisfaction, and SHC were measured. RESULTS: Satisfied workers reported an average of five to six subjective health complaints that correspond to the prevalence found in a Norwegian general population. Work environment explained 43% of the variance for job satisfaction and 9% of the variance in SHCs. CONCLUSION: SHCs are common among satisfied workers. Work environment has only a limited influence on this validated health indicator.
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| 9. |
- Waage, Siri, et al.
(författare)
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Shift work disorder among oil rig workers in the North Sea.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Sleep. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0161-8105 .- 1550-9109. ; 32:4, s. 558-65
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- STUDY OBJECTIVES: Shift work disorder (SWD) is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder caused by work hours during the usual sleep period. The main symptoms are excessive sleepiness and insomnia temporally associated with the working schedule. The aim of the present study was to examine SWD among shift workers in the North Sea. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 103 shift workers (2 weeks on 7 nights/7days, 12-h shifts, 4 weeks off), mean age 39.8 years, working at an oil rig in the North Sea responded to a questionnaire about SWD. They also completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Bergen Insomnia Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Composite Morningness Questionnaire, Subjective Health Complaint Inventory, Demand/Control, and Instrumental Mastery Oriented Coping (based on the Utrecht Coping list). Most of these instruments were administered during the first day of the 2-week working period, thus reflecting symptoms and complaints during the 4-week non-work period. The shift workers were also compared to day workers at the oil rig. RESULTS: Twenty-four individuals were classified as suffering from SWD, yielding a prevalence for SWD of 23.3%. During the 4-week non-work period, individuals with SWD reported significantly poorer sleep quality, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and more subjective health complaints than individuals not having SWD. There were no differences between the 2 groups in sleepiness, insomnia, circadian preference, psychological demands, or control. Individuals with SWD reported significantly lower scores on coping. The reports of shift workers without SWD were similar to those of day workers regarding sleep, sleepiness, subjective health complaints, and coping. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of SWD was relatively high among these shift workers. Individuals with SWD reported poorer sleep quality and more subjective health complaints in the non-work period than shift workers not having SWD.
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