332 research outputs found
Challenges in moving from macro to micro: Population and family structures in ageing societies
Assumptions are often made about how population ageing on the macro level has altered generational structures of families at the micro level. The purpose of this paper is to increase the awareness of challenges and potential pitfalls in bridging the two levels. To highlight these issues, two common claims found in the literature are questioned and discussed: that increased life expectancy leads to more multigenerational family structures and that reduced fertility means fewer children to care for frail parents. To illustrate, we use population statistics and survey data from selected countries.family structure, gender, generation, micro and macro approaches, multigenerational family structures, population aging
Suing the environment? : an analysis of Investor-State Dispute Settlements impact on achieving International Environmental Agreements
In acknowledgement of the dire need for comprehensive global action and societal transformation, states have come together in formulation of several International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) outlining goals and commitments to tackle climate change and ecological collapse. Achieving these goals often entail prematurely downscaling industries and sectors with large ecological footprint, such as the fossil fuel sector. It is however important to recognize that a variety of foreign investments are protected in a majority of todayâs International Investment Agreements (IIAs), through provisions granting access to the so-called Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism. ISDS allows foreign investors to sue states based on policies conflicting with their investments and seek high monetary compensation for potential economic losses. Thus, ISDS is increasingly seen as hindrance to statesâ efforts of environmental policymaking, and it is suggested that it may have a chilling effect discouraging states from adopting environmental policies, due to the risk of having to pay investors millions in compensation. States are already being sued for adopting phase-out policies necessary for achieving IEAs, and similar cases are likely to increase in numbers as stronger environmental policies are paramount. With this backdrop, this thesis examines six ISDS cases with varying status (settled, decided, pending and threat of arbitration), by analyzing what the experiences from these cases may tell us with regards to countriesâ efforts to form national environmental policies, and address the possible impacts ISDS may have on states achieving IEAs. The Environmental Governance Systems (EGS) framework (Vatn, 2015) is applied as to investigate the governance structure of ISDS and used to structure the analysis of power dynamics between the actors and institutions involved. Findings show that through access to ISDS, IIAs contributes to strengthen foreign investorâs relative power over states, and that ISDS may have a chilling effect on states environmental policymaking which also may shrink their regulatory capacities. Furthermore, states may experience a conflict of interests with regards to addressing strong civil society demands, their commitments to provide a healthy environment, and their obligations in the IIAs. Thus, the study suggests that states will continue to introduce environmental policies in the future, but these are likely to be challenged by investors seeking to recoup their financial losses. The risk is reduced effectiveness of such policies and the prospects of achieving IEAs in time will be significantly reduced as long as foreign investors have the right challenge legitimate environmental policies. It may therefore be hypothesized whether the ISDS system is creating structural barriers for the realization of environmental justice.M-IE
Er omsorgsfulle fedre omsorgsfulle sĂžnner? Likestilling hjemme og hjelp til eldre foreldre
Diskusjoner om likestilling i familien dreier seg i hovedsak om par med smĂ„ barn, og debatter om nye mannsroller handler for det meste om menn som fedre. I denne artikkelen tar vi et tre-generasjonsperspektiv og belyser arbeidsdeling hjemme og jevnlig hjelp til eldre foreldre, med sĂŠrlig fokus pĂ„ menns rolle som sĂžnner. Dersom innsatsen deres hjemme i omsorg for barn og husarbeid bidrar til Ă„ skape en ny type mann, antar vi at dette ikke bare kommer barn og partner til gode, men ogsĂ„ foreldre. Analysene, som er basert pĂ„ data fra den norske undersĂžkelsen om livslĂžp, generasjon og kjĂžnn, gir ikke stĂžtte til denne antakelsen. Menn som praktiserer likedeling av husarbeid er mindre tilbĂžyelige til Ă„ hjelpe foreldre enn menn med en mer tradisjonell arbeidsdeling der kvinnen gjĂžr mest. Deling av barneomsorg har ingen betydning for hjelpemĂžnsteret. For kvinner er det fĂžrst og fremst innsats i yrkesarbeid som stĂ„r i sammenheng med hjelp til foreldre. Deltidsarbeidende kvinner stiller i stĂžrre grad opp enn det kvinner som jobber fulltid gjĂžr. Resultatene tyder pĂ„ at tilgjengelighet i form av tid har betydning ved at hjelp til foreldre er knyttet til lavere innsats pĂ„ andre omrĂ„der â arbeid ute for kvinner, arbeid hjemme for menn. SĂ„ledes ser innsats i omsorg for foreldre ut til Ă„ gĂ„ sammen med tradisjonelle kjĂžnnsroller i familien
The Use of Thermography in Evaluation of Surgical Wounds in Small Animal Practice
The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of thermal imaging in a clinical
setting as a part of wound healing evaluation after surgical procedures. Forty-one
client owned dogs and cats (thirty nine dogs and two cats) were included in the study
which was a part of another study investigating the effects of local anaesthetics on
wound healing. Thermal imaging and clinical assessment of the wound area was
performed approximately fourteen days after surgical intervention. Clinical
assessment was focused on evaluating wounds for signs of inflammation and
thermal interpretation investigated if there was a significant difference in temperature
between wound area and control area. The skin temperature in the wound area had
a significantly lower temperature than control areas. Comparison of results from
thermal image interpretation for correlation with clinical assessment of wound area
had no statistical significance. The controversial finding of a malignant tumour being
depicted as colder than surrounding tissue instead of warmer, which is described in
the literature, illustrates the need for further research to improve thermal imaging
diagnostic outcome in the oncology field. A potentially useful area for thermal
imaging in every day clinical practice may lie in monitoring the healing of bone
fractures but further studies are needed. The conclusion from this study was that
subjective clinical evaluations of surgical wounds two weeks post surgery provides
enough information for clinical decision making and thermal imaging is superfluous in
this context. The method should be evaluated within the timeframe of the
inflammatory phase to further explore its potentials in wound healing evaluation
Effekter av flushing och dess potentiella anvÀndning för hund
Flushing Àr samlingsnamnet för tillskottsutfodring med fodermedel med högt energiinnehÄll i syfte att förbÀttra den reproduktiva förmÄgan hos djur.
Metoden anvÀnds aktivt pÄ flera av lantbrukets djur men fokus för det hÀr arbetet Àr frÀmst fÄr och nötkreatur dÄ de allra flesta studier gjorts pÄ dessa djurslag. DÀrefter diskuteras den eventuella anvÀndbarheten av metoden för hund, dÀr det vetenskapliga underlaget Àr begrÀnsat.
I försök pÄ fÄr och nötkreatur anvÀnds vanligen kolhydrater, fetter eller proteiner som flushingdiet och dÄ ofta i form av glukos, palmitinsyra eller linolsyra samt lupiner.
TillvÀgagÄngssÀttet Àr ofta, i försökssammanhang, att erbjuda djuren extra foder utöver det som tÀcker det basala nÀringsbehovet en eller tvÄ östralcykler före planerad betÀckning. Fodergivan ökas olika mycket beroende pÄ försöksutformning men en ökning med ca 1,5 % av kroppsvikten Äterkommer i flera försök.
Det man avser att pÄverka Àr östrusbeteende samt duration och intervall av detsamma, oocytmognad, blastocystutveckling, prenatal överlevnad, antal och livsduglighet hos avkomman samt Àven lÄngsiktig pÄverkan pÄ ett genetiskt plan.
För att utvÀrdera resultaten av metoden anvÀnder man sig av olika mÀtbara parametrar med vissa generellt Äterkommande i de flesta försök. Vanligt Àr att man uppskattar djurets nÀringsstatus vid början av försöket med utgÄngspunkt frÄn Body Condition Score-skalan som gÄr frÄn 1-5 (frÄn kraftigt undernÀrt till kraftigt överviktigt). Vikt anvÀnds antingen istÀllet för BCS eller som kompletterande information för att rÀkna ut en exakt fodergiva. Ytterligare bedömningspunkter Àr tidig embryoöverlevenad, antalet fullgÄngna drÀktigheter och antalet avkommor. Mer specifika mÀtningar görs av ovulationshastigheten dÀr man tittar pÄ medelantalet gulkroppar per djur samt oocytkvaliteten, vilken avgör embryots förmÄga att nÄ blastocyststadiet. Hög oocytkvalitet leder till ett ökat antal befruktade Àgg som nÄr blastocyststadiet hos djur som har fler Àn en avkomma Ät gÄngen. Oftast tittar man pÄ flushingdietens pÄverkan pÄ follikelstorleken. Det finns en generell tendens till att de stora, preovulatoriska folliklarna hamnar i fokus dÄ de förvÀntas bilda större gulkroppar med högre progesteronproduktion, vilket i sin tur ger drÀktighetsbevarande effekter. En annan parameter som studeras Àr embryokvaliteten. StrÀvan Àr att embryots form ska vara jÀmn och sfÀrisk med inbördes likvÀrdiga celler med avseende pÄ storlek, fÀrg och densitet.
Vid försök syns bÀst effekt av tillskottsutfodringen pÄ individer med underhull som göds till bÀttre hull. BÀst resultat ses pÄ djur som göds frÄn ett sÀmre BCS till ett pÄ ca 3-3,5.
Slutsatsen Àr att flushing generellt Àr överflödigt pÄ djur som hÄlls i jÀmngott hull men effektivt pÄ djur som sÀsongsvis har reducerad tillgÄng till föda och dÀrför Àr i underhull.
DÄ effekten Àr minimal pÄ djur i gott hull Àr metoden inte direkt tillÀmpbar för att öka den reproduktiva förmÄgan hos hundar dÄ vi generellt snarare hÄller dem i överhull.Flushing is the name for additional feeding with high energy feed with the purpose of improving the reproductive ability in animals.
The method is commonly used on several species of production animals, especially sheep and cattle often appear in studies and they will be the main focus in this work. Thereafter the potential use of this method on dogs is discussed, which is a topic where limited scientific evidence is available.
In studies on sheep and cattle the most frequently used flushing supplements are carbohydrates, fatty acids or proteins and they are typically given as glucose, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and lupin.
The experimental set-up is often to offer additional feed on top of the rations necessary to meet the animalsâ basic nutritional requirements, for about one-two estrous cycles before mating. The exact dose of additional feed differs between studies, but an addition of 1.5% of the animalâs original bodyweight is often reoccurring.
Expected effects are on the duration of estrus behavior, the length of the estrus interval, maturation of oocytes, blastocyst development, prenatal survival, number and viability of the offspring and also a more long term effect on a genetic level.
To evaluate the results of flushing several measurable parameters are used and some are common in most studies. It is typical to estimate the animals nutritional status at the beginning of the study using the Body Condition Score index, ranging from 1-5 (severely undernourished - severely overweight). Weight is used either instead of BCS or as additional information to calculate the exact amount of extra feed. Apart from this, also early embryo survival, number of completed pregnancies and number of offspring are recorded. As specific measurements, ovulation rate (average number of corpora lutea per animal) is noted and also oocyte quality (determines the ability of the embryo to reach the blastocyst stage) is studied. High oocyte quality will lead to an increase in the number of fertilized eggs in pluriparous species. One of the most frequently studied features is the effect of the flushing diet on follicular size. There is an overall tendency to focus mainly on the large sized, pre-ovulatory follicles since they are expected to generate larger corpora lutea with a higher capacity of progesterone production, which in turn helps sustaining pregnancy. Another common feature is the quality of the embryo. Optimal is to have an evenly shaped, spherical embryo with uniform cells concerning size, color and density.
The best results from nutritional flushing are seen on undernourished individuals with their nutritional status being improved. The optimal response is seen in animals with lower BCS fed to a BCS of about 3-3.5.
The conclusion is that nutritional flushing is generally unnecessary for animals kept in a constant, good nutritional status but effective on animals with seasonally reduced access to good, nutritional feed and therefore undernourished.
Since the effects on animals kept in good body condition are minimal, the applicability on dogs to enhance their reproductive capacity is limited since they are generally more often overfed
Evaluation of primary wound healing and potential complications after perioperative infiltration with lidocaine without adrenaline in surgical incisions in dogs and cats
BackgroundPre-emptive local analgesia with the use of lidocaine is practised increasingly in veterinary medicine as part of applied multimodal analgesia, despite its controversial impact on wound healing. The purpose of this prospective, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study was to evaluate if preoperative subcutaneous infiltration of lidocaine has a negative impact on primary wound healing of surgical incisions. Fifty-two companion animals (3 cats and 49 dogs) were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) score I or II, a minimum body weight of 5 kg, and a planned incisional length of at least 4 cm. Surgical incisions were infiltrated subcutaneously with lidocaine without adrenaline or NaCl (placebo). Follow-up questionnaires for owners and veterinarians and thermography of the surgical wound were used to assess wound healing. Antimicrobial use was documented.ResultsThere was no significant difference in either the total score or the individual assessment points between the treatment and the placebo group on the owner or the veterinary questionnaires in regard to primary wound healing (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). No significant difference was found between the thermography results of the treatment and placebo group (P = 0.78), and there was no significant correlation between the total score from the veterinary protocol and thermography results (Spearman's correlation coefficient - 0.10, P = 0.51). Surgical site infections developed in 5/53 (9.4%) surgeries and its occurrence varied significantly between the treatment and the placebo group as all cases of infection were in the placebo group (P = 0.05).ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that lidocaine used as a local anaesthetic did not affect wound healing in patients with ASA scores I-II. The results suggest that lidocaine infiltration in surgical incisions can be safely used to reduce pain
Older Workers and Work Exit Preferences in a Digitalized Working Life
With working life being in the middle of both a demographic and a digital transition, a key question is whether digitalization may counteract the policy goal of delaying work exit. Here, we use survey data from the Norwegian Senior Policy Barometer to investigate the association between how digital tools are experienced and the preference for timing of work exit. We find that, even after controlling for various potential confounders, experiencing digital difficulties at the workplace is correlated with preferring to leave work early. A relevant follow-up question is then which factors increase the likelihood among older workers of experiencing such difficulties. The analyses show that workplace conditions are more important than individual characteristics, suggesting that efforts taken to reduce experiences of digital difficulties at the workplace could be effective in preventing early exits
Luksuskosmetikk: identitet, plikt og sosial klasse
Bakgrunnen for denne oppgaven er basert pÄ vÄr interesse rundt luksuskosmetikk, og vi var
nysgjerrige pÄ kvinners oppfattelse av eget forbruk. Vi Þnsket Ä synliggjÞre kvinnenes
meningsdannelser, og oppnÄ en dypere forstÄelse av dette fenomenet i trÄd med teori fra
fagfeltet, sosialantropologi. Ved utarbeidelsen av primÊr og sekundÊrdata Þnsket vi Ä fÄ svar
pÄ fÞlgende problemstilling;
Hvordan bruker og oppfatter kvinner i 50-Ärsalderen pÄ Oslo vest luksuskosmetikk?
Gjennom en fenomenologisk virkelighetsoppfatning samt en induktiv tilnĂŠrming, ville vi
forklare virkeligheten slik informantene oppfatter den. Vi benyttet oss av kvalitative
dybdeintervjuer og en minigruppe, bestÄende av ni informanter. Intervjuguiden ble konstruert
pÄ bakgrunn av et teoretisk rammeverk knyttet til de aspekter som omfatter det sosiale og
psykologiske perspektivet rundt forbruket, som omfatter forbruk, pris, kvalitet, luksus og
identitet.
Slik vi forstÄr det, er det et funn som viser seg Ä vÊre dominerende gjennom hele analysen,
som representerer kvinnenes konstante forsÞk pÄ Ä redusere gapet mellom det reelle- og Þnskede selvbilde. Det viser seg at luksuskosmetikken fremstÄr som et hjelpemiddel i skapelsen av seg selv og identitetsdannelsen. Funnene belyser en underliggende plikt i
samfunnet, som krever at kvinnene skal vÊre presentable i det sosiale rom. Her forstÄr vi kosmetikken som et essensielt verktÞy
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