Flexibility within the middle ears of vertebrates

Introduction and aims: Tympanic middle ears have evolved multiple times independently among vertebrates, and share common features. We review flexibility within tympanic middle ears and consider its physiological and clinical implications. Comparative anatomy: The chain of conducting elements is flexible: even the ‘single ossicle’ ears of most non-mammalian tetrapods are functionally ‘double ossicle’ ears due to mobile articulations between the stapes and extrastapes; there may also be bending within individual elements. Simple models: Simple models suggest that flexibility will generally reduce the transmission of sound energy through the middle ear, although in certain theoretical situations flexibility within or between conducting elements might improve transmission. The most obvious role of middle-ear flexibility is to protect the inner ear from high-amplitude displacements. Clinical implications: Inter-ossicular joint dysfunction is associated with a number of pathologies in humans. We examine attempts to improve prosthesis design by incorporating flexible components

A newly developed tool for intra-tracheal temperature and humidity assessment in laryngectomized individuals: the Airway Climate Explorer (ACE)

The aim of this study is to develop a postlaryngectomy airway climate explorer (ACE) for assessment of intratracheal temperature and humidity and of influence of heat and moisture exchangers (HMEs). Engineering goals were within-device condensation prevention and fast response time characteristics. The ACE consists of a small diameter, heated air-sampling catheter connected to a heated sensor house, containing a humidity sensor. Air is sucked through the catheter by a controlled-flow pump. Validation was performed in a climate chamber using a calibrated reference sensor and in a two-flow system. Additionally, the analyser was tested in vivo. Over the clinically relevant range of humidity values (5–42 mg H2O/l air) the sensor output highly correlates with the reference sensor readings (R2 > 0.99). The 1–1/e response times are all <0.5 s. A first in vivo pilot measurement was successful. The newly developed, verified, fast-responding ACE is suitable for postlaryngectomy airway climate assessment

The effect of a Heat and Moisture Exchanger (Provox® HME) on pulmonary protection after total laryngectomy: a randomized controlled study

The goal of this randomized controlled study was to investigate the effect of Heat and Moisture Exchanger use on pulmonary symptoms and quality of life aspects in laryngectomized patients. Eighty laryngectomized patients were included and randomized into an HME and Control group. The effect of the HME was evaluated by means of Tally Sheets and Structured Questionnaires. The results showed a significant decrease in the frequency of coughing, forced expectoration, and stoma cleaning in the HME group. There were trends for the prosthetic speakers to report more fluent speech with the HME and for the HME group to report fewer sleeping problems. In conclusion, this study, performed in Poland, confirms the results of previous studies performed in other countries, showing that pulmonary symptoms decrease significantly with HME use and that related aspects such as speech and sleeping tend to improve, regardless of country or climate

A novel modelling approach to energy transport in a respiratory system

In this paper, energy transport in a respiratory tract is modelled using the finite element method for the first time. The upper and lower respiratory tracts are approximated as a one-dimensional domain with varying cross sectional and surface areas and the radial heat conduction in the tissue is approximated using the one dimensional cylindrical coordinate system. The governing equations are solved using one-dimensional linear finite elements with convective and evaporative boundary conditions on the wall. The results obtained for the exhalation temperature of the respiratory system have been compared with the available animal experiments. The study of a full breathing cycle indicates that evaporation is the main mode of heat transfer and convection plays almost negligible role in the energy transport. This is inline with the results obtained from animal experiments

Advertorials; an effective or destructive marketing practice? : The effect of advertorial deception on irritation, credibility, and attitude, both for the advertiser and the advertising medium

The thesis explores advertorials, advertising made to look like editorial content, from a consumer behaviour perspective. Introduction                 Consumers are exposed to a staggering amount of advertisements each day. This so-called advertising clutter makes it difficult for marketers to reach the consumer. Therefore, in the late 1980’s marketers started to use unconventional ways of advertising. One of these was the use of advertorials, a form of advertising that borrows the appearance and other features from editorial material. Problem discussion       Since advertorials are made to look like editorial material, but is in reality an advertisement, it is of interest for researchers and practicing marketers alike to know what effects using them has on the brand. Previous research differ in the view on advertorials; some claim that it is a good way to advertise as it is seen as less intrusive and irritating, while others say that the deceptiveness makes people irritated. Purpose                        Through a quantitative case study of Aftonbladet.se, a Swedish news website, from a consumer perspective analyze the effects the level of deception of online advertorials have on 1) brand credibility, and 2) the irritation level, on both the medium and the advertiser. Also, 3) to thereafter examine if possible alterations in irritation and brand credibility trigger changes in brand attitudes towards medium and advertiser. Background                  Newspapers have long been dependent on the revenue from advertisement sales, even more so since the emergence of free newspapers and news web sites. With this in mind, the importance of advertorials stands clear. In the on-line world, where readers jump from article to article and from site to site, the advertorials play an important role in “catching” the reader and make him/her stay on the site. Moreover, advertorials is one of the formats of on-line advertising which commands the highest revenues. Frame of reference        The on-line context provides additional ways of deceiving a consumer, in comparison with print media. Therefore, the frame of reference focuses on previous research on the effects the deception can have with a consumer and the perception of the brands included; irritation, brand credibility, brand attitude, likeliness to return to site, and advertising avoidance. For later testing, 11 hypotheses were defined. Method                        The study uses a mixed method approach, with both quantitative and qualitative data. An experiment, with one control group and two different manipulations formed the basis for the data collection. 19 out of the 103 participants in the quantitative study were asked to participate in the qualitative study as well. Analysis                        As the distribution of the data was found not to be normal, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test the hypotheses. All hypotheses but one were accepted. Further, to explore the relationship between variables, hierarchical multiple regression analysis was also performed. Conclusion                   It was not possible to prove that a higher level of blend-in decreased credibility of any of the two brands, neither does induce more irritation. It was also not possible to discern a statistically significant effect on the attitude towards the brands, likeliness to return to Aftonbladet.se, or future avoidance of adverts by Volvo. However, several of the participants of the interviews expressed concern over the long-term effects the use of advertorials may have on the brand of Volvo. Further, advertorials are definitely highly deceptive, and almost half of the respondents did not realize they were reading an advert even at the lowest level of blend-in, which is currently used by Aftonbladet.se and Volvo.Avhandlingen utforskar advertorials, reklam kommer att se ut som redaktionellt innehåll, från en konsument beteende perspektiv. Introduktion                Konsumenter exponeras dagligen för oerhörda mängder reklam. Detta gör det svårt för marknadsförare att nå konsumenten. Sedan slutet av 1980-talet har vissa marknadsförare därmed börjat använda okonventionella metoder för reklam. En av dessa är användandet av ”dolda annonser”, en form av reklam som lånar utseende och andra funktioner för att smälta in med redaktionellt material i tidningar, på webbsidor och så vidare. Problemdiskussion       Eftersom ”dolda annonser” är gjorda för att likna redaktionellt material, men i själva verket är en annonser är det av intresse för både forskare och praktiserande marknadsförare att veta effekterna användandet har på deltagande företags varumärken. Tidigare forskning skiljer sig i synen på dessa ”dolda annonser”, vissa hävdar att det är ett bra sätt att göra reklam, eftersom det ses som mindre påträngande och irriterande, medan andra säger att dess vilseledande natur faktiskt gör människor uppretade. Syfte                            Genom en kvantitativ fallstudie av Aftonbladet.se, en svensk nyhets-site, från ett konsumentperspektiv analysera effekterna på 1) varumärket trovärdighet, och 2) irritationsnivån, både på annonsorganet och annonsören, när ”dolda annonser” smälter in mer med redaktionellt innehåll. Dessutom, 3) att därefter undersöka om eventuella ändringar i irritation och varumärkestrovärdighet leder till förändringar i attityd mot annonsorganet och annonsören. Bakgrund                     Tidningar har länge varit beroende av intäkterna från annonsförsäljning. I takt med att framväxten av gratistidningar och nyhets-siter har försvårat marknaden har ”dolda annonser” blivit en allt viktigare inkomstkälla. I den elektroniska världen, där läsare kan hoppa från artikel till artikel och från plats till plats, spelar ”dolda annonser” en viktig roll i att fånga läsaren. Referensram                 Online-kontextet ger större möjligheter att vilseleda konsumenten i jämförelse med tryckta medier. Därför är den teoretiska tungdpunkten lagd på tidigare forskning om effekterna vilseledande marknadsföring kan ha på en konsuments  uppfattning av deltagande varumärken vad gäller irritationsnivå, varumärkestrovärdighet, attityd, sannolikhet att återvända till webbplats, samt reklamundvikande. Ur tidigare forskning konstruerades 11 hypoteser för senare prövning. Metod                          Studien använder en blandad metodstrategi, med både kvantitativa och kvalitativa data. Ett experiment med en kontrollgrupp och två olika manipulationer låg till grund för insamlingen av uppgifter. 19 av de 103 deltagarna i den kvantitativa delen ombads att delta i den kvalitativa studien med. Analys                          Eftersom fördelningen inte var helt normalt distribuerad användes Kruskal-Wallis test för att testa hypoteserna. Resultatet var att alla hypoteser utom en godkändes. Relationen mellan variabler undersöktes också genom hierarkisk multipel regressionsanalys. Slutsats                         Det var inte möjligt att bevisa att annonser som smälter in mer leder till minskad trovärdighet för någon av de båda varumärkena, och inte heller lockar fram mer irritation. Det var inte heller möjligt att urskilja en statistiskt signifikant effekt på attityd gentemot varumärken, sannolikheten att återvända till Aftonbladet.se, eller framtida undvikande av annonser av Volvo. Dock uttryckte flera av deltagarna i intervjuerna oro över de långsiktiga effekterna användning av ”dolda annonser” kan ha på varumärket Volvo. Vidare är definitivt annonserna mycket vilseledande, och nära hälften insåg inte de läste en annons även på nivån som används av Aftonbladet.se och Volvo idag

Improved logistics structure in Otis spare part handling

Detta examensarbete utfördes på Otis AB, en global tillverkare och underhållare av hissar, rulltrappor och rullband. Arbetet behandlar företagets reservdelshantering och de processer och rutiner som följer av denna. Otis genomförde under hösten 2010 en storskalig kundundersökning som visade att företaget inte lever upp till uppsatta mål rörande kundtillfredsställelse. Företaget har i sin strävan att öka kundernas tillfredställelse insett att en ökning av leveransservicen, den service ett företag kan erbjuda sina kunder vid leverans av varor och tjänster, är nödvändig. Detta är något som företaget tror kan uppnås genom en förändring av den nuvarande reservdelshanteringen. Examensarbetets huvudmål är således att genom att utforma en ny kostnadseffektiv reservdelshantering uppnå en ökning av den leveransservice som Otis kan erbjuda sina kunder. Det underlag som krävdes för utvecklandet av denna rapport har till viss del inhämtats från intervjuer och möten med personer anställda vid Otis Stockholmskontor i Solna. Ett annat viktigt underlag för studien är den statistiska information som gått att inhämta från Otis samt dess huvudsakliga underleverantörer rörande företagets verksamhet. Vidare har utförliga empiriska studier utförts kring de aktiviteter som ingår i företagets nuvarande reservdelshantering. Som ett komplement till dessa studier har passande litteratur använts, litteratur som ligger till grund för både de praktiska och teoretiska studierna. Analysen resulterade i två alternativa logistiska strukturer för företaget. Dessa alternativa logistikstrukturer utvärderades utifrån leveransservice samt kostnadskonsekvenser för att i slutändan kunna jämföras med varandra samt med det nuvarande logistiksystemet. Det ena alternativet består av en intern lagerföring av reservdelar i företagets lagerlokaler i Solna samt Älvsjö medan det andra består av en intern lagerföring av reservdelar i hissmontörernas servicebilar. Av dessa alternativ rekommenderar vi Otis att implementera lagerföring av reservdelar i hissmontörernas servicebilar. Båda de framarbetade logistikalternativen resulterar i en ökning av Otis leveransservicenivå samt i reducerade logistikkostnader jämfört med dagens situation. Båda alternativen har potential att uppnå en liknande leveransservicenivå men där en lägre totalkostnad kan uppnås vid lagerföring i hissmontörernas servicebilar. Detta i kombination med att den övergripande strategin inom organisationen underlättar för en implementering av alternativet med lagerföring av reservdelar i hissmontörernas servicebilar har legat till grund för vår rekommendation.This thesis was conducted at Otis AB, a global manufacturer and service provider of elevators, escalators and travelators. The thesis deals with the company's spare part handling and the processes and procedures resulting from this. Otis conducted in the autumn of 2010 a large-scale customer survey which showed that the company did not live up to set targets concerning customer satisfaction. The company has in its struggle to increase customer satisfaction realized that an increase in delivery service, the service a company can offer its customers upon delivery of goods and services, is necessary. This is something that the company believes can be achieved by a change in the present spare part handling. The thesis main objective is therefore to design a new cost-effective spare part handling to achieve an increase in the delivery service that Otis can offer its customers. The material required for the development of this report has partially been collected from interviews and meetings with employees at Otis office in Stockholm. Another important basis for the study is the statistical information that has been obtained from the company and its main subcontractors. Moreover, detailed empirical studies have been conducted around the activities involved in the present spare part handling. To complement these studies suitable literature has been used as the basis for both the practical and theoretical studies. The analysis resulted in two alternative logistics structures for the company. These logistics structures were evaluated based on delivery service and cost implications to ultimately be compared with each other and with the existing logistic system. The first alternative consists of internal holding of spare parts in the company's warehouses in Solna and Älvsjö while the second consists of internal holding of spare parts in the elevator mechanics’ service cars. Of these alternatives, we recommend Otis to hold spare parts in the service cars. Both logistics alternatives result in an increase of Otis delivery service and in reduced logistics costs compared to today's situation. The alternatives have the potential to achieve similar delivery service but a lower total cost can be achieved by holding spare parts in the mechanics’ service cars. This fact, combined with an overall strategy of the organization that facilitates an implementation of the alternative consisting of holding spare parts in the mechanics’ service cars have been the basis for our recommendation

Intrapreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship - Attractive concepts for Generation Y?

Purpose: This thesis uses a case study approach. The purpose is to conduct a critical review of the potentiality of intrapreneurship/corporate entrepreneurship to create an attractive workplace that 1) draws Generation Y as potential employees, and 2) retains them by satisfying their demands, unlocking their full potential through motivation. Background: It is now time for Generation Y to enter the workforce and their values and expectations on the workplace is different from the generations before them. This causes difficulties for organisations to attract and retain Generation Y but it is necessary in order to become a competitive performer in the future. In order to attract and retain Generation Y companies need to motivate their employees, foster and encourage creativity, and create an exciting work environment. This can be done through corporate entrepreneurship/ intrapreneurship and it is therefore interesting to see how Generation Y responds to this concept as well as if it contributes in creating an attractive workplace. Method: The authors made use of a mixed method concurrent triangulation strategy within an explorative sequential design. Where qualitative data was gathered through an explorative pre-study and then through case studies with two companies, simultaneously quantitative data was collected through surveys and the study ended with a qualitative confirmatory study where the results of the analysis was tested against a third company. Conclusion: The result of the study indicated that the companies investigated all had a high level of corporate entrepreneurship, it was also confirmed that Generation Y are suited to become intrapreneurs and that they would feel attracted and more likely to retain in an organisation that promotes intrapreneurship. It was furthermore concluded that corporate entrepreneurship contributes in creating an attractive workplace also for non-intrapreneurs