When humor and laughter come before crying

Norsk sammendrag: Bakgrunn: Når kreftsykepleieren møter kreftpasienten i palliativ fase kan livssituasjonen ofte være preget av alvor, fordi sykdommen truer livet. Pasienten kan ha problemer på så vel de fysiske, psykiske, sosiale, åndelige og eksistensielle område. Som kreftsykepleier skal hun bidra til at pasienten får en god livskvalitet i den tiden han har igjen av sitt liv. Gjennom kommunikasjon med pasienten kan vi finne ut hva pasientens behov og utfordringer kan være. Hensikt: Formålet med oppgaven er å undersøke og drøfte om fenomenet humor kan bli brukt for å oppnå en bedre kommunikasjon, mellom kreftsykepleier og kreftpasient hvor pasienten er i palliativ fase. Metode: Vi bruker litteratur som metode, som bygger på kunnskap fra fagbøker og andre skriftlige tekstkilder, søk i databaser, sett i sammenheng med erfaringer fra praksisfeltet. Drøfting/funn: Det fremheves at humor er en viktig del av menneskes hverdag, og humor kan være med å bygge opp relasjonen mellom kreftpasienten og kreftsykepleier, så lenge den ikke krenker andre. Humor er også viktig for pasienten, fordi det kan være en måte å uttrykke seg på. Funnene viser til at man må være følsom i hver enkelte situasjon, og mennesket man står ovenfor, ved bruk av humor. Konklusjon: Humor er et middel som kan brukes i kommunikasjon, men det stiller visse betingelser for når, og hvordan humor bør brukes. Når kreftsykepleier vet med hvem, hvordan, og i hvilken situasjon hun kan bruke humor, så kan det fremme pasientens tillit til henne. For pasienten kan humor bety mestring, og samtidig være hans måte å kommunisere på for å få oppmerksomhet fra kreftsykepleieren, som har ansvar for hans omsorg.English abstract: Background: When the oncology nurse meets the patient with cancer in a palliative stage living conditions can often be severe, because the disease has a great impact on his life. The patient can struggle with problems physically, psychologically, socially, existentially and spiritually. As an oncology nurse she has to help the patient to retain a good quality of life in the remaining time of his life. Through communication with the pasient we can find out what his needs and challenges can be. Aim: The purpose of this study is to do research and discuss whether the phenomenon of humor can be used to improve communication between oncology nurse and patient, in which the patient is in a palliative stage. Method: We use literature as a method, based on the knowledge of textbooks and other written materials, and database searches, in a context with practice. Discussion/findings: It is highlighted that humor is an important part of human life, and humor can help to build relationships between the cancer patient and oncology nurse as long as it not offends the other person. Humor is also important for the patient self, because it may be a way to express himself. The findings show that you have to be careful in every situation, also towards the person you face. Conclusion: Humor can be used as a way of communication, but some conditions are to be set for when and how humor should be used. If the oncology nurse knows who, how and in what situation she can use humor, this may increase the confidence of the patient in her. For the patient humor can mean coping, and can simultaneously be his way to get attention from the nurse, who has the responsibility for his care

Judgements of Solomon: anxieties and defences of social workers involved in care proceedings

Evidence from focus group discussions with social workers in child care and child protection was collected for a research project exploring decision-making in care proceedings and seeking a better understanding of the causes of delay in the process. Here this material is used to examine social workers’ feelings about their work and to explore the anxieties they expressed. Isabel Menzies’s work on containing anxiety in institutions is used to provide a conceptual framework for thinking about the ways in which individuals’ unconscious defences against anxiety may affect the structure, policies and practices of the organization in which they work. It is suggested that this dimension needs to be taken into account in understanding difficulties which arise in putting policy into practice

Developing the Dance Jockey system for musical interaction with the Xsens MVN suit

In this paper we present the Dance Jockey System, a system developed for using a full body inertial motion capture suit (Xsens MVN) in music/dance performances. We present different strategies for extracting relevant postures and actions from the continuous data, and how these postures and actions can be used to control sonic and musical features. The system has been used in several public performances, and we believe it has great potential for further exploration. However, to overcome the current practical and technical challenges when working with the system, it is important to further refine tools and software in order to facilitate making of new performance pieces. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. University of Michigan Press 2012 ISBN 978-0-9855720-1-3

Shear-driven and Static winterization of Algae oil: Impact on crystal morphology and separation efficiency

Formålet med denne oppgaven var å undersøke skjærstyrt og statisk vinterisering, og deres respektive påvirkinger på krystallmorfologier og separasjonseffektivitet i algeolje. For å gjøre dette ble algeolje vinterisert ved flere temperaturintervaller, med den flytende fraksjonen som utgangspunkt i hver påfølgende vinterisering. Vinteriseringen ble utført i to parallelle forsøk, hvor den skjærstyrte vinteriseringen ble utsatt for skjærkrefter i form av en magnetisk omrører, mens den statiske vinteriseringen hadde fravær av skjærkrefter. Krystallmorfologiene som ble dannet under krystalliseringen ble undersøkt under et mikroskop og sammenlignet. Separasjonseffektiviteten ble også evaluert for begge metoder og hvert temperaturinterval. I tillegg ble de termodynamiske egenskapene og fettsyresammensetningen av alle fraksjonene analysert. Termodynamiske egenskaper ble undersøkt ved bruk av differensiell skanningskalorimetri (DSC). Fettsyresammensetningen av prøvene ble undersøkt ved bruk av gasskromatografi (GC) og konvertering av triglyserider til fettsyremetylestere. Undersøkelsene viste at vinterisering uten skjærkrefter viste seg å være mer effektiv sammenlignet med påføring av skjærkrefter under vinterisering, og i tillegg ga krystaller med større gjennomsnittlig diameter. Krystallmorfologiene dannet under statisk vinterisering var lettere å separere, og førte generelt til en høyere separasjonseffektivitet. Dette ble også styrket av GC-analyseresultatene, som viste at den statiske vinteriseringen ga en bedre separasjon av fraksjonene som ble dannet, sammenlignet med den skjærstyrte vinteriseringen. Det er imidlertid viktig å merke seg at skjærhastigheten som ble brukt i oppgavenes eksperimenter kan ha overskredet en kritisk skjærhastighetsgrense, og derfor hatt en overordnet negativ innvirkning med hensyn til krystalldannelse. Å bruke en lavere skjærhastighet kunne ha drastisk endret resultatene på en fordelaktig måte. DSC-resultatene som ble oppnådd bekreftet også at vinterisering var en effektiv metode for å separere triglyserider i olje, basert på smeltepunkt. Fra resultatene som ble oppnådd i denne oppgaven, viste vinterisering utført uten skjærkrefter seg å være mer fordelaktig, men dette kan skyldes at skjærhastigheten brukt i den skjærstyrte vinteriseringen kan ha hatt en negativ effekt på separasjon og krystalldannelse. Å bruke en lavere skjærhastighet kunne ha ført til et mer fordelaktig resultat for den skjærstyrte vinteriseringen.The purpose of this thesis was to investigate shear-driven and static winterization, and their respective effects on crystal morphologies and separation efficiency in algae oil. To do this, algae oil was winterized at multiple temperature ranges, with the liquid fraction being the subject for each subsequent winterization. The winterization was performed in two parallels, where the shear-driven winterization was subject to shear-forces by form of a magnetic stirrer, while the static winterization had an absence of shear-forces. The crystal morphologies formed during crystallization was investigated under a microscope and compared. The efficiency of separation was also evaluated for both methods and each temperature range. Additionally, the thermodynamic properties and fatty acid composition of the samples obtained was analyzed. Thermodynamic properties were investigated by use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The fatty acid composition of the samples were investigated by use of gas chromatography (GC) and converting the triacylglycerides to fatty acid methyl esters. The investigations showed that winterization with an absence of shear-force proved to be more efficient compared to applying shear-force during winterization, and additionally yielded crystals with larger average diameters. The crystal morphologies formed during static winterization were easier to separate, and overall led to a higher separation efficiency. This was also strengthened by the GC-analysis results, which showed that the static winterization yielded a better separation of the fractions which were obtained, compared to the shear-driven winterization. It is however important to note that the shear-rate which was utilized in the thesis’ experiments may have exceeded a critical shear-rate limit, and therefore had an overall negative impact in regard to crystal formation. Utilizing a lower shear-rate may have drastically altered the results in a beneficial manner. The DSC results obtained also confirmed that winterization was an effective method of separating triacylglycerides in oils, based on melting points. From the results obtained in this thesis, winterization performed with an absence of shear-forces proved to be more beneficial, though the shear-rate utilized in the shear-driven winterization may have had a negative effect on separation and crystal formation. Utilizing a lower shear-rate may have led to a more beneficial result for the shear-driven winterization

Brassica species as a green alternative to pesticides to reduce the impact of nematodes and fungi in cereals.

In cereal production plant pathogens cause yield losses, and management strategies for controlling them are important. Cover crops as a part of the cereal production have beneficial properties for the soil health, can increase the biological diversity in the fields, and the soil structure can be improved, additionally cover crops can reduce soil erosion. Therefore, this thesis argues that implementing cruciferous plants as part of the cover crops have the potential to reduce plant pathogens. Cruciferous plants used as cover crops have shown to reduce plant pathogens survival both in laboratory and field plots. The suppression is due to the volatile glucosinolate (GLS) and isothiocyanate (ITC) content cruciferous plants. As a part of a project at NIBIO Ås, an in vitro experiment with allyl ITC were done to look at the effect on survival of Heterodera avenae, Fusarium graminearum and Microdochium nivale, with increasing allyl ITC concentration. Also, a closed jar experiment was conducted to look at the effects of cruciferous plants on suppression of survival of Heterodera avenae and Fusarium graminearum. The aim of the in vitro experiment was to see at which concentrations of allyl ITC that suppressed fungal growth of F. graminearum and M. nivale and hatching of the cereal cyst nematode H. avenae. The EC50-values of the F. graminearum isolates 200 630, 201 196 and 202 058, were 6.36, 9.50 and 7.62 mg/L respectively. EC50-values of M. nivale isolates 200 136, 200 231 and 202 786, were 8.60, 10.83 and 10.27 mg/L respectively. For H. avenae, the EC50-value was at 5.66 mg/L. This demonstrates a differentiation of EC50-values between nematodes and fungi, but also between fungal species and fungal isolates. A closed jar experiment was conducted to see if incorporation of cruciferous plants in soil may affect the survival of H. avenae and F. graminearum. Two different time exposures in jars with either two or eight weeks of exposure in jars, were performed. After treatments in jars, the cysts were given either a diapause or no diapause treatment. The total number of eggs and J2 were significantly lower for cysts exposed for eight weeks in jars compared to two weeks, but the total number of eggs and J2 were almost equal for diapause and no diapause. The number of hatched J2 (15°C) for cysts with diapause treatment had significantly higher number of J2 than no diapause treatment. Also, the number of hatched J2 were significantly higher for two weeks exposure in jars compared to eight weeks. The mycelial growth from F. graminearum on oat spikelet incorporated in soil with plant material was not different from untreated

Optimization of Energy Storage in Buildings Based on Self-optimizing Control

A steadily increasing fraction of Europe's electricity is generated by renewable and less reliable energy sources. It is therefore necessary to find smart ways to store excess energy until it is demanded. This could be achieved by using the energy storage potential in the hot water tank. The heating of hot water tanks can be improved by using a cost minimization strategy to make hot water tanks heat when electricity price is low and conserve energy when price is high. This would both provide economic benefits to the owner of the tank and, provided widespread use, a more stable energy market. This thesis considers the optimal operation of energy storage in buildings with focus on the hot water tank. The objective has been to minimize operational cost while still meeting the hot water demands of the end user. To achieve this, a hot water tank system has been modeled using Simulink and Matlab, and a feedback control structure implemented to stabilize the system. By using ideas from self-optimizing control the cost function has been simplified to a form that makes it solvable even with limited computation resources. The simplified problem has then been solved using an MPC-solver. The resulting optimized case (Case II) has been compared with a simple policy of heating for a set amount of hours at night (Case III) and holding a constant temperature in the tank (Case I). Based on the findings in this thesis, using optimization to find optimal energy levels in the tank does not give any significant benefit over using a simple policy of heating the tank at night. Though both cases are economically better than using a constant temperature set point, the difference is not huge. Compared to holding a constant temperature in the tank, Case II and Case III gave savings of 8.61% and 9.12% respectively. Actual implementation of the system could still be beneficial in areas with more pronounced price variation. Further work should be focused on improving the solver and verifying the closeness to optimality of the simplifications that have been made

Mysis segerstralei, an unexpected but important prey for resident Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in a Svalbard lake

Mysis segerstralei is distributed over a wide geographic area and in habitats with a variety of salinity conditions, including marine and brackish waters around Svalbard. The species has seldom been found in freshwater lakes, and the discovery of M. segerstralei in Lake Pulmankijärvi at the border between Northeastern Norway and Finland, may represent the single known freshwater occurrences in western Europe. Svalbard lake systems are characterized by very low water temperatures, long-term ice cover, and low levels of nutrients. Food is thus limited, and chironomids generally dominate the stomach contents in Arctic charr, the only freshwater fish species on Svalbard. Based on several surveys in more than 30 of Svalbard lakes over many decades, M. segerstralei has only been found as food for Arctic charr in Lake Vårfluesjøen. In a later fishery survey, we studied the diet of Arctic charr in this lake. The stomach contents from Arctic charr sampled in the profundal habitats were dominated by M. segerstralei, but the species was also among the most frequent prey items in the littoral and pelagic habitats. This unexpected occurrence of M. segerstralei demonstrates the high importance of mysids even in a low-productive, High Arctic lake. Glacial relicts · Mysis segerstralei · Arctic charr · Salvelinus alpinus · Svalbard freshwater lakes · High ArcticMysis segerstralei, an unexpected but important prey for resident Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in a Svalbard lakepublishedVersio

Brain Activity in Response to Trauma-specific, Negative, and Neutral Stimuli. A fMRI Study of Recent Road Traffic Accident Survivors

Most studies of neuro-functional patterns in trauma-exposed individuals have been conducted considerable time after the traumatic event. Hence little is known about neuro-functional processing shortly after trauma-exposure. We investigated brain activity patterns in response to trauma reminders as well as neutral and negative stimuli in individuals who had recently (within 3 weeks) been involved in a road traffic accident (RTA). Twenty-three RTA survivors and 17 non-trauma-exposed healthy controls (HCs) underwent functional MRI while viewing Trauma-specific, Negative, and Neutral pictures. Data were analyzed from four a priori regions of interest, including bilateral amygdala, subcallosal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex. In addition, we performed a whole brain analysis and functional connectivity analysis during stimulus presentation. For both groups, Negative stimuli elicited more activity in the amygdala bilaterally than did Neutral and Trauma-specific stimuli. The whole brain analysis revealed higher activation in sensory processing related areas (bilateral occipital and temporal cortices and thalamus) as well as frontal and superior parietal areas, for the RTA group compared to HC, for Trauma-specific stimuli contrasted with Neutral stimuli. We also observed higher functional connectivity for Trauma-specific stimuli, between bilateral amygdala and somatosensory areas, for the RTA group compared to controls, when contrasted with Neutral stimuli. We argue that these results might indicate an attentional sensory processing bias toward Trauma-specific stimuli for trauma exposed individuals, a result in line with findings from the post-traumatic stress disorder literature

Effects of strength training for prostate cancer patients during androgen deprivation therapy

Avhandling (doktorgrad) - Norges idrettshøgskole, 2015Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) increases survival rates among prostate cancer (PCa) patients with locally advanced disease, but is associated with side effects that may impair daily function through negative effects on muscle tissue. Although strength training may counteract several side effects induced by ADT, additional randomized controlled trials are needed to expand this knowledge. So far no studies have investigated the effects of strength training during long-­‐term ADT on the muscle cellular level.Paper I: Thorsen L., Nilsen T.S., Raastad T., Courneya K.S., Skovlund E,. Fosså S.D.: A randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of strength training on clinical and muscle cellular outcomes in patients with prostate cancer during androgen deprivation therapy: rationale and design. BMC Cancer 2012, 12(1):123Paper II: Nilsen T.S., Raastad T., Skovlund E., Courneya K.S., Langberg C.W., Lilleby W., Fosså S.D., Thorsen L.: Effects of strength training on body composition, physical functioning and quality of life in prostate cancer patients during androgen deprivation therapy. Accepted by ACTA Oncologica.Paper III: Nilsen T.S., Thorsen L., Fosså S.D., Wiig M., Kirkegaard C., Skovlund E., Benestad H.B., Raastad T.: Effect of strength training on muscle cellular variables during androgen deprivation for prostate cancer: a randomised trial. Accepted by Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in sports.Paper IV: Tatt ut av filen i Brage p.g.a. copyright-restriksjoner. / Not in the file in Brage because of copyright issues.Seksjon for fysisk prestasjonsevne / Department of Physical Performanc