Ricoeur and the Girls

Schoolgirls writing short stories have surrendered themselves to some rules of a game, which, according to Ricoeur and Gadamer, delimits a field where everything ’is played’, and thereby, ’shatters the seriousness’ of ’the self-presence of a subject’. This article proposes that this field has a serious side of its own that reveals something true about the everyday reality of being a girl. The proposed worlds in the girls’ short stories are places from which research on women’s lives should begin is a central argument, along with the contention that for the researcher to be able to take the seriousness of this playful writing into account, she also has to assume the position of a playful figure. The article suggests that the empirical data of schoolgirl writing invited the researcher to think Ricoeur and feminist epistemology together. Further, a suggestion is that the roles of reading given by the texts have consequences for a ’new’ process-oriented writing pedagogy and the teacher of writing as well

Den sociala kroppen som känslans boning - ett utkast till en teori om vårt emotionella jeg

The social body as the dwelling place of emotion: an outline of a theory of the emotional self This article discusses a crucial problem for the sociology of the emotions: how to understand the constitution and disposition of emotion. This problem is explored first through three theoretical approaches, positivism, symbolic interactionism and social constructionism. Thereafter an alternative approach is presented, which makes a funda-mental distinction between drive (that is thirst, hunger, sex) as a biological phenomenon and emotion (for instance, shame, pride, happiness, grief) as a social phenomenon. It is argued that the latter has its origin in the social process of role taking’, in the sense suggested by G. H. Mead. In contrast to Mead, however, role taking is not only a cog-nitive (and normative) process, but also an emotional one. Language and an ability to think or reflect are acquired in this process, along with a social body and an ability to feel emotions (among other abilities). Hence, both a cognitive (normative) self and an emotional self have their origins in the social act. Following from this the article develops a critique of the dominant view of the social as something exclusively cognitive, and it is argued that the social per se is a multi-dimensional process

Fra bensinstasjon til energistasjon : en empirisk studie av hurtigladetilbudet på bensinstasjoner

Et landsdekkende ladenettverk er den siste brikken som må på plass for å sikre en sømløs overgang til elektriske kjøretøy og komme nærmere målet om en helelektrifisering av bilparken innen 2025. Bensinstasjonsbransjen kan spille en avgjørende rolle i dette arbeidet, men økonomiske barrierer og manglende insentiver hindrer bensinstasjonene i å investere i hurtiglading. Vi ønsker å bidra med forskning som gir innsikt i hvordan bensinstasjonene kan bli lønnsomme energistasjoner. Formålet med denne utredningen er å undersøke hvordan hurtigladetilbudet påvirker bensinstasjonenes lønnsomhet gjennom fire dimensjoner; salg av kioskvarer, nærheten til bransjenære konkurrenter, stasjonens lokasjon og organiseringen av ladetilbudet. For å besvare forskningsspørsmålet ble det gjennomført en kvantitativ spørreundersøkelse tilsendt til Virkes medlemsbase bestående av stasjonsdrivere med og uten hurtigladetilbud. Et perseptuelt måltall ble konstruert basert på stasjonsdrivernes oppfattelse av lønnsomhet. Til sammen søker vi svar på fire spørsmål angående de ovennevnte dimensjonene ved å utvikle hypoteser som testes med statistisk inferens. De sentrale funnene er at bensinstasjoner med et hurtigladetilbud ikke opplever høyere kiosksalg enn bensinstasjoner uten hurtiglading. I forlengelsen opplever de heller ikke høyere salg innenfor kategorien matservering. Det er kun for varekategoriene bakevarer, drikkevarer og tobakk vi finner en forskjell mellom de to gruppene. Videre finner studien at andelen handlende ladekunder ikke bare påvirker bensinstasjonens omsetning, men også lønnsomhet. Når det gjelder bensinstasjonens nærhet til bransjenære konkurrenter viser våre funn at nærheten til en fast food-kjede eller et kjøpesenter fører til at elbilistene handler mindre i kiosken enn drivstoff-kundene. Generelt fører flere servicetilbud i nærheten til lavere lønnsomhet. Videre er samlet etterspørsel etter hurtiglading funnet å være avhengig av hvorvidt stasjonen er lokalisert i et område med spredt bebyggelse (distrikt), og har betydning for bensinstasjonens lønnsomhet. Som et siste ledd av undersøkelsen kan svarene fra respondentene tyde på at organiseringen av hurtigladetilbudet har en betydning for bensinstasjonens markedsføringsaktiviteter. Funnene leder til anbefalinger for fremtidens bensinstasjon, herunder hvordan de kan øke kiosksalget, møte konkurransen og utbedre sine markedsføringsaktiviteter.A nationwide charging network is the last piece that must be in place to ensure a seamless transition to electric vehicles and get closer to the goal of a complete electrification of the car fleet by 2025. The petrol station industry can play a crucial role in this work, but financial barriers and lack of incentives prevent petrol stations from investing in fast charging solutions. With this thesis, we aim to contribute with research that provides insight into how petrol stations can become profitable energy stations. The purpose is to investigate how a fast charging offer affects the petrol stations' profitability through four dimensions; sales of convenience goods, proximity to competitors, the station's location and the organization of the charging offer. To answer the research question, a quantitative survey was conducted and distributed to the members of Virke Servicehandel. A perceptual assessment of profitability was constructed based on the station retailer’s perception. We seek answers to four questions regarding the above dimensions by developing hypotheses that are tested with statistical inference. The key findings are that petrol stations with a fast charging offer do not experience higher convenience sales than petrol stations without fast charging offers. Furthermore, these stations do not experience higher sales in the food service category. We find a difference between the two station groups’ for the product categories baked goods, beverages and tobacco. Moreover, the proportion of charging customers who spends time in the convenience store not only affects the petrol station's turnover, but also profitability. Our findings also show that the proximity to a fast food chain or a shopping centre implies that EV driving customers shops less at the convenience store than fuel customers. In general, more service offerings in the vicinity lead to lower profitability. Furthermore, the total demand for fast charging has been found to depend on whether the station is located in a district area. This has an impact on the petrol station's profitability. Additionally, the answers from the respondents may indicate that the organization of the fast charging offer matters for the petrol station's marketing activities. Our findings lead to recommendations for the future of petrol stations, including how they can increase convenience sales, meet the competition and improve their marketing activities.nhhma

Psykologiske motiver for elektronisk vareprat

Stadig flere søker gjennom internett før de kjøper et produkt eller de ønsker andres erfaringer om en tjeneste de vurderer å bruke. Forum, blogger eller andre lignende nettsider kan være plattformer man bruker for å finne denne typen informasjon (Cheung & Lee, 2012). Fenomenet ”elektronisk vareprat” har sammen med internett vokst mye de siste årene, og vi kan se fra tidligere forskning (Hennig- Thurau et al. 2004; Sun et al. 2006; de Matos & Rossi, 2008; Alexandrov et al. 2013) at en av grunnene er at forbrukerne i større grad deler personlige erfaringer og meninger om produkter og tjenester på internett. Denne delingen gir andre tilgang til brukerinformasjon og erfaringer som kan hjelpe vedkommende med å fatte en kjøpsbeslutning eller danne seg en mening om et produkt eller en merkevare (Sun et al. 2006). Vi har i denne oppgaven undersøkt psykologiske aspekter som motivasjon for elektronisk vareprat med utgangspunkt i en studie av Alexandrov, Lilly & Babakus (2013). Dette studiet ser på effekten av flere psykologiske motiver som drivere til elektronisk vareprat og kommer, i likhet med denne undersøkelsen, frem til at motivene har en påvirkning på elektronisk vareprat. Ønsket om å hjelpe andre er den motivasjonen som viser seg å ha størst påvirkning, noe som kan tyde på at forbrukerne er opptatt å advare andre mot dårlige merkevarer eller oppfordre til å kjøpe gode produkter. Samtidig som forbrukeren er opptatt av å hjelpe andre, brukes varepraten som et verktøy for å kunne sammenligne seg med andre. Et sterkt og grunnleggende behov for mange mennesker (Bukimham & Alicke, 2002). Våre resultater er nyttig for bedrifter og personer med markedsføringsansvar da våre funn, sammen med tidligere forskning, gir et grunnlag for å forstå hvorfor forbrukeren engasjerer seg i elektronisk vareprat. Dette kan videre brukes for å tilrettelegge for bedre kommunikasjon fra bedrifter, som kan engasjere forbrukeren ytterligere

An assessment of the impact of herb-drug combinations used by cancer patients

Background Herb/Dietary Supplements (HDS) are the most popular Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modality used by cancer patients and the only type which involves the ingestion of substances which may interfere with the efficacy and safety of conventional medicines. This study aimed to assess the level of use of HDS in cancer patients undergoing treatment in the UK, and their perceptions of their effects, using 127 case histories of patients who were taking HDS. Previous studies have evaluated the risks of interactions between HDS and conventional drugs on the basis on numbers of patient using HDSs, so our study aimed to further this exploration by examining the actual drug combinations taken by individual patients and their potential safety. Method Three hundred seventy-five cancer patients attending oncology departments and centres of palliative care at the Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUH), Duchess of Kent House, Sobell House, and Nettlebed Hospice participated in a self-administered questionnaire survey about their HDS use with their prescribed medicines. The classification system of Stockley’s Herbal Medicine’s Interactions was adopted to assess the potential risk of herb-drug interactions for these patients. Results 127/375 (34 %; 95 % CI 29, 39) consumed HDS, amounting to 101 different products. Most combinations were assessed as ‘no interaction’, 22 combinations were categorised as ‘doubt about outcomes of use’, 6 combinations as ‘Potentially hazardous outcome’, one combination as an interaction with ‘Significant hazard’, and one combination as an interaction of “Life-threatening outcome”. Most patients did not report any adverse events. Conclusion Most of the patients sampled were not exposed to any significant risk of harm from interactions with conventional medicines, but it is not possible as yet to conclude that risks in general are over-estimated. The incidence of HDS use was also less than anticipated, and significantly less than reported in other areas, illustrating the problems when extrapolating results from one region (the UK), in one setting (NHS oncology) in where patterns of supplement use may be very different to those elsewhere

The use of plants in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria: Pharmacological and toxicological considerations

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The prevalence of diabetes is on a steady increase worldwide and it is now identified as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. In Nigeria, the use of herbal medicine alone or alongside prescription drugs for its management is quite common. We hereby carry out a review of medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes management in Nigeria. Based on the available evidence on the species׳ pharmacology and safety, we highlight ways in which their therapeutic potential can be properly harnessed for possible integration into the country׳s healthcare system. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical information was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scopus up to 2013 for publications on medicinal plants used in diabetes management, in which the place of use and/or sample collection was identified as Nigeria. ‘Diabetes’ and ‘Nigeria’ were used as keywords for the primary searches; and then ‘Plant name – accepted or synonyms’, ‘Constituents’, ‘Drug interaction’ and/or ‘Toxicity’ for the secondary searches. Results: The hypoglycemic effect of over a hundred out of the 115 plants reviewed in this paper is backed by preclinical experimental evidence, either in vivo or in vitro. One-third of the plants have been studied for their mechanism of action, while isolation of the bioactive constituent(s) has been accomplished for twenty three plants. Some plants showed specific organ toxicity, mostly nephrotoxic or hepatotoxic, with direct effects on the levels of some liver function enzymes. Twenty eight plants have been identified as in vitro modulators of P-glycoprotein and/or one or more of the cytochrome P450 enzymes, while eleven plants altered the levels of phase 2 metabolic enzymes, chiefly glutathione, with the potential to alter the pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs. Conclusion: This review, therefore, provides a useful resource to enable a thorough assessment of the profile of plants used in diabetes management so as to ensure a more rational use. By anticipating potential toxicities or possible herb–drug interactions, significant risks which would otherwise represent a burden on the country׳s healthcare system can be avoided

Mobilise-D insights to estimate real-world walking speed in multiple conditions with a wearable device

This study aimed to validate a wearable device’s walking speed estimation pipeline, considering complexity, speed, and walking bout duration. The goal was to provide recommendations on the use of wearable devices for real-world mobility analysis. Participants with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Proximal Femoral Fracture, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, and healthy older adults (n = 97) were monitored in the laboratory and the real-world (2.5 h), using a lower back wearable device. Two walking speed estimation pipelines were validated across 4408/1298 (2.5 h/laboratory) detected walking bouts, compared to 4620/1365 bouts detected by a multi-sensor reference system. In the laboratory, the mean absolute error (MAE) and mean relative error (MRE) for walking speed estimation ranged from 0.06 to 0.12 m/s and − 2.1 to 14.4%, with ICCs (Intraclass correlation coefficients) between good (0.79) and excellent (0.91). Real-world MAE ranged from 0.09 to 0.13, MARE from 1.3 to 22.7%, with ICCs indicating moderate (0.57) to good (0.88) agreement. Lower errors were observed for cohorts without major gait impairments, less complex tasks, and longer walking bouts. The analytical pipelines demonstrated moderate to good accuracy in estimating walking speed. Accuracy depended on confounding factors, emphasizing the need for robust technical validation before clinical application. Trial registration: ISRCTN – 12246987