Supervisor trainees' and their supervisors' perceptions of attainment of knowledge and skills. An empirical evaluation of a psychotherapy supervisor training programme

Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the success of a two-year, part-time training programme for psychotherapy supervisors. A second aim was to examine factors that might contribute to perceived knowledge and skills attainment during the training course. Design. This is a naturalistic, longitudinal study where several measures are used to examine group process and outcome. Methods. Supervisor trainees’ (n=21) and their facilitators’ (n=6) ratings of learning (knowledge and skills), relations to the supervisor and supervision group, usage of the group, and supervisor style were completed at three time points. Results. The findings suggested that both trainees and their supervisors perceived that the trainees attained a substantial amount of knowledge and skills during the course. In accordance with the literature and expectations, the regression analysis suggested a strong negative association between a strong focus on group processes in the initial and middle phases of the training and perceived knowledge and skills attainment in the final phase of the training. The expected, positive role of relations among trainees in the supervision group in the first half of the training and perceived knowledge and skills attainment in the final part of the training was obtained, whilst the hypothesized significance of the relationship between trainee and supervisor did not receive support. Conclusions The supervisory course seemed to provide a training that allowed trainees to attain knowledge and skills that are necessary for psychotherapy supervisors. The results of this pilot study also emphasize the need of more research on learning in the context of group supervision in psychotherapy

Effects of serelaxin in patients with acute heart failure

Background: Serelaxin is a recombinant form of human relaxin-2, a vasodilator hormone that contributes to cardiovascular and renal adaptations during pregnancy. Previous studies have suggested that treatment with serelaxin may result in relief of symptoms and in better outcomes in patients with acute heart failure. Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven trial, we enrolled patients who were hospitalized for acute heart failure and had dyspnea, vascular congestion on chest radiography, increased plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides, mild-to-moderate renal insufficiency, and a systolic blood pressure of at least 125 mm Hg, and we randomly assigned them within 16 hours after presentation to receive either a 48-hour intravenous infusion of serelaxin (30 μg per kilogram of body weight per day) or placebo, in addition to standard care. The two primary end points were death from cardiovascular causes at 180 days and worsening heart failure at 5 days. Results: A total of 6545 patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At day 180, death from cardiovascular causes had occurred in 285 of the 3274 patients (8.7%) in the serelaxin group and in 290 of the 3271 patients (8.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 1.15; P=0.77). At day 5, worsening heart failure had occurred in 227 patients (6.9%) in the serelaxin group and in 252 (7.7%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.75 to 1.07; P=0.19). There were no significant differences between the groups in the incidence of death from any cause at 180 days, the incidence of death from cardiovascular causes or rehospitalization for heart failure or renal failure at 180 days, or the length of the index hospital stay. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: In this trial involving patients who were hospitalized for acute heart failure, an infusion of serelaxin did not result in a lower incidence of death from cardiovascular causes at 180 days or worsening heart failure at 5 days than placebo. (Funded by Novartis Pharma; RELAX-AHF-2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01870778. opens in new tab.

Sorption Kinetics of Hydrophobic Organic Compounds onto Organic Modified Surfaces

The sorption of five chlorinated benzenes and sixteen other organic solutes was investigated by determining the extent of sorption and the sorption rates in a series of 40 batch and 139 column experiments using surface-modified silica of known chemical composition. These surfaces were used to represent important functional groups in soil, and consisted of porous silica with patchy surface coatings of aliphatic chains (C₁, C₈, and C₁₈), and other substituent groups (phenyl, amine, alcoholic, and carboxylic). Three possible rate-limiting steps were examined: diffusion through immobile pore fluid, diffusion through bound organic matter, and the chemical binding and release rate. First-order desorption rate coefficients were observed to be 10⁻¹ to 10⁻² s⁻¹ on unbonded, and C₈, C₁₈, amine, and alcoholic modified surfaces, and 10⁻³ to 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ on C₁ and phenyl-polymer modified surfaces. Diffusion through immobile pore fluid had only a minor effect on the sorption rate, as evidenced by similar rates on organic-bound porous and solid particles. The diffusion rate through the bound organic layer is not rate limiting due to the small organic layer thickness. The observed slow desorption on the phenyl-polymer surface is consistent with the rate limiting step being the chemical binding and release rate. The changes in the rate with temperature and within a series of chlorinated benzenes support this conclusion. The free energies for sorption onto the phenyl-polymer surface ranged from -4.0 kcal mol⁻¹ for chlorobenzene to -6.9 kcal mol⁻¹ for pentachlorobenzene, which are within the range expected for van der Waals interactions. The observed sorption energies are slightly stronger than predicted for hydrophobic surfaces, possibly reflecting strong binding due to multiple pi-pi electron interactions on the phenyl-polymer surface. Hydrophobic solute partitioning onto natural soils, as observed by others, is less than that observed on aliphatic and phenyl hydrophobic surfaces in this study, but greater than on amine or alcoholic modified surfaces. The sorption of di-, tri-, and tetra-chlorobenzenes onto the phenyl-polymer surface is apparently driven by the overall sorption enthalpy (ΔH° = -3.9 to -4.9 kcal mo1⁻¹) and to a lesser extent by the entropy (TΔS° = 0.5 to 1.5 kcal mol⁻¹). As equilibrium of the reactions observed in this study are reached within hours, these reactions are important at small field scales where residence times are hundreds of hours or less.hydrology collectio

Elektrokemisk karakterisering av LiFePO4-belagda kolfibrer: en jämförande elektrokemisk analys av tre beläggningsmetoder

Kolfiber CF kan användas som positiv elektrod i strukturella batterier om de beläggs med ett aktivt material, såsom litiumjärnfosfat LFP. Fördelen med att använda kolfibrer som elektroder är att de samtidigt kan bära mekanisk belastning och lagra elektrisk energi. Det finns flera tekniker för att belägga kolfibrerna. I denna rapport kommer en jämförelse att göras av fibrer som belagts med elektroforetisk deponering, sprutbeläggning och pulverimpregnering. Elektrokemisk karakterisering kommer att avgöra och utvärdera prestandan hos dessa tre tekniker. Cellerna som monterades med sprutbeläggda och pulverimpregnerade prover visade de högsta kapaciteterna, 141 mAh/g vid C/10 respektive 139 mAh/g vid C/14. Vidare testning utfördes på de pulverimpregnerade proverna för att studera elektriska egenskaper och beteende, såsom elektrokemisk impedansspektroskopi EIS, cyklisk voltammetri CV och långtids-cykling. Svepelektronmikroskop SEM analys genomfördes för att observera ytmorfologin och förstå hur de elektrokemiska testerna kan påverka fibrernas yta. Carbon Fibres (CF) can be used as the positive electrode in structural batteries if they are coated with an active material such as Lithium Iron Phosphate Oxide (LFP). The advantage of using carbon fibres as electrodes is that they simultaneously can carry the mechanical load and store electrical energy. There are several techniques to coat the carbon fibres. In this report, a comparison will be made on fibres coated using electrophoretic deposition, spray coating and powder impregnation. Electrochemical characterisation will determine and evaluate the performance of these three techniques. Cells assembled with spray-coated and powder-impregnated samples delivered the highest capacities, 141 mAh/g at C/10 and 139 mAh/g at C/14, respectively. Further testing was conducted on the powder-impregnated samples to study the electrical properties and behaviour, such as Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and long-term cycling. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to see the surface morphology and understand how electrochemical testing can affect the surface of the fibres

Elektrokemisk karakterisering av LiFePO4-belagda kolfibrer: en jämförande elektrokemisk analys av tre beläggningsmetoder

Kolfiber CF kan användas som positiv elektrod i strukturella batterier om de beläggs med ett aktivt material, såsom litiumjärnfosfat LFP. Fördelen med att använda kolfibrer som elektroder är att de samtidigt kan bära mekanisk belastning och lagra elektrisk energi. Det finns flera tekniker för att belägga kolfibrerna. I denna rapport kommer en jämförelse att göras av fibrer som belagts med elektroforetisk deponering, sprutbeläggning och pulverimpregnering. Elektrokemisk karakterisering kommer att avgöra och utvärdera prestandan hos dessa tre tekniker. Cellerna som monterades med sprutbeläggda och pulverimpregnerade prover visade de högsta kapaciteterna, 141 mAh/g vid C/10 respektive 139 mAh/g vid C/14. Vidare testning utfördes på de pulverimpregnerade proverna för att studera elektriska egenskaper och beteende, såsom elektrokemisk impedansspektroskopi EIS, cyklisk voltammetri CV och långtids-cykling. Svepelektronmikroskop SEM analys genomfördes för att observera ytmorfologin och förstå hur de elektrokemiska testerna kan påverka fibrernas yta. Carbon Fibres (CF) can be used as the positive electrode in structural batteries if they are coated with an active material such as Lithium Iron Phosphate Oxide (LFP). The advantage of using carbon fibres as electrodes is that they simultaneously can carry the mechanical load and store electrical energy. There are several techniques to coat the carbon fibres. In this report, a comparison will be made on fibres coated using electrophoretic deposition, spray coating and powder impregnation. Electrochemical characterisation will determine and evaluate the performance of these three techniques. Cells assembled with spray-coated and powder-impregnated samples delivered the highest capacities, 141 mAh/g at C/10 and 139 mAh/g at C/14, respectively. Further testing was conducted on the powder-impregnated samples to study the electrical properties and behaviour, such as Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and long-term cycling. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to see the surface morphology and understand how electrochemical testing can affect the surface of the fibres

Gröna Byggnader - Juridiska och ekonomiska möjligheter och begränsningar för att öka det gröna beståndet

Buildings account for about thirty percent of the total emissions of greenhouse gases annually in the world. Forty percent of the world´s energy is consumed by buildings. Buildings are a large part of the world´s environmental problems and it´s hard to ignore this fact. The last decade, awareness of the negative environmental impact we humans have on our planet has increased, and many different environmental commitments flourish in the world today. One way for the construction and real estate sector to reduce its environmental footprint is through green buildings. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the economic and legal possibilities and limitations in order to increase the stock of green buildings. The thesis will be based on four questions: What are the incentives for green buildings, Does the law differ for green buildings compared to conventional buildings? Are other markets using green incentives?, What does property management companies think of green buildings? The study is based on literature studies and interviews with industry professionals. The results of the study show that green buildings mean many economic opportunities, such as lower operating and maintenance costs, higher property value, better indoor environment a stronger brand. One economic limitation is that many people mistakenly believe that green buildings means a higher investment cost, but it doesn’t have to be. The lack of knowledge regarding green buildings could mean that some choose not to build them, which is an indirect economic limitation. The Swedish car market and the real estate market in the US use tax reliefs and various forms of green bonuses to push environmental commitments, which is proved to work as environmental cars and green buildings increased in use and in stock. In Sweden there is no specific legislation for green buildings. Swedish buildings comply under the same laws, whether they are green or not. The laws to apply are the planning and building act, the environmental code and the law of energy declaration. In addition to these laws, there are also government regulations from Boverket in boverkets building regulations that has to be followed. These laws, rules and regulations demands certain building performances and are relatively tough. A green building has tougher demand on a building’s technical features than a conventional building has. In 2015 a new legislation was formed that prohibited municipalities to set higher demands on a buildings technical features, than what is in the law. The law is to be followed by the municipality when they operate as an administrative authority and when they enter into land allocation agreements. This means that municipalities themselves in these two cases can’t require a building with higher demands. But in those cases when the developer requires stricter requirements in partnership with municipalities, there is still a possibility to get a green building, as the law doesn’t mention this exception. By offering economic incentives, such as the US housing market and the Swedish car market does to push environmental commitments, it can be used on the Swedish housing market to increase the want to build green buildings. To increase the opportunities for municipalities to build green the law needs to change. Both these methods are expensive and time consuming. Since it within a few years probably will be a requirement for building companies and other companies to build, manage and offer green buildings in order to be able to compete on the market, the conclusion of the thesis is that it is more efficient to let the development of society take its time. The development will mean that the demand for green buildings will increase and in the future will make green building market position even stronger.Byggnader står för ungefär trettio procent av de totala utsläppen av växthusgaser årligen i världen. Fyrtio procent av all världens energi förbrukas av byggnader. Det senaste decenniet har medvetenheten kring den negativa miljöpåverkan vi människor har på vår jord ökat och många olika miljöengagemang florerar i världen. Ett sätt för bygg- och fastighetssektorn att minska dess miljöavtryck är genom gröna byggnader. Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka vilka ekonomiska och juridiska möjligheter och begränsningar som finns för att öka beståndet av gröna byggnader. Arbetet kommer utgå från fyra frågeställningar: Vilka är incitamenten för gröna byggnader?, Skiljer sig lagen åt för gröna byggnader jämfört med konventionella byggnader?, Använder andra marknader sig utav gröna incitament?, Hur ställer sig fastighetsförvaltningsbolag sig till gröna byggnader? Undersökningen baseras på litteraturstudier och intervjuer med branschfolk. Resultatet av undersökningen visar på att gröna byggnader innebär många ekonomiska möjligheter, som lägre drift- och underhållskostnader, högre fastighetsvärde, bättre inomhusmiljö och ett starkare varumärke. En ekonomisk begränsning som finns är att många felaktigt tror att gröna byggnader innebär högre investeringskostnader, vilket det inte behöver göra. Okunskapen kring gröna byggnader kan göra att många väljer att inte bygga dessa vilket innebär en indirekt ekonomisk begränsning. Bilmarknaden i Sverige och fastighetsmarknaden i USA använder sig utav skattelättnader och olika former av gröna bonusar för att driva på miljöengagemang, vilket visat sig fungera då miljöbilar och gröna byggnader ökat i användning respektive bestånd. I svensk lag finns det ingen särlagstiftning för gröna byggnader. Svenska byggnader lyder alla under samma lag, oavsett grön eller inte. De lagar som gäller är plan- och bygglagstiftningen, miljöbalken och lagen om energideklaration. Utöver dessa lagar finns det även myndighetsföreskrifter från Boverket i boverkets byggregler som ska följas. Dessa lagar, regler och föreskrifter ställer alla krav på byggnaders prestanda och är relativt hårda. För att få till en grön byggnad kräver det att kraven på byggnadens tekniska egenskaper skärps, men inget i lagen begränsar en byggherre att sätta högre krav. 2015 blev det dock förbjudet för kommuner att ställa högre krav på en byggnads tekniska egenskaper än vad som står i lag. Lagen ska tillämpas då kommuner agerar myndighet och vid markanvisningar. Detta medför att kommuner i dessa fall inte själva kan kräva en byggnad som möter hårdare krav. Men i de fall byggherren själv kräver hårdare krav vid samarbeten med kommuner finns fortfarande en möjlighet att få till en grön byggnad, eftersom att lagen inte nämner detta undantag. Genom att erbjuda ekonomiska incitament så som fastighetsmarknaden i USA och bilmarknaden i Sverige gör för att driva på miljöengagemang kan man få fler att vilja bygga grönt även på fastighetsmarknaden i Sverige. För att öka möjligheterna för kommuner att bygga grönt måste man ändra lagen. Båda dessa metoder är kostsamma och tar lång tid. Eftersom det inom några få år förmodligen kommer vara ett måste för byggaktörer och andra företag att bygga, förvalta eller erbjuda gröna byggnader för att kunna konkurrera på marknaden är slutsatsen med arbetet att det är effektivare att följa med i den samhällsutveckling som idag sker. Utvecklingen kommer innebära att efterfrågan på gröna byggnader ökar och i framtiden kommer göra gröna byggnaders position på marknaden vara ännu starkare

Gröna tak, vad är grejen? : En studie om varför fastighetsägare borde investera i gröna tak samt vilka fördelar gröna tak ger hyresgäster

The building sector has for a longer period of time been responsible for a considerable part of the negative environmental imprint. The increased interest for the environment and sustainability in the industry has led to technological developments which has reduced the negative environmental impact from buildings. This, combined with the fact that buildings take up more space in cities reducing green spaces, has increased the use of green roofs. This research paper includes a study on the competitive advantages green roofs can offer property owners and what the driving forces behind the use of green roofs are. The study also includes a research on what benefits tenant’s experience from having offices in properties that have green roofs. Lastly, the study attempts to present why buildings should have green roofsand what motivates property owners to use them more often. The literature review reveals that green roofs have become popular due to their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, cool down cities, manage urban runoff and increase biodiversity. The literature review describes both the practical aspects of constructing a green roof and the management of green roofs. It also examines the cost of green roofs compared to conventional roofs. The main challenges with green roofs are said to be the increased risk of leakage, increased weight on roofs and the steep slopes of Swedish roofs. Green roofs are said to have a longer lifespan compared to regular roofs. The literature review also discusses market value and the parameters which affect the market value of a property. The research results demonstrate that it is difficult to link green roofs to an increased market value. Due to the regulation against particular, structural requirements the municipality cannot require property owners to implement green roofs. However, the municipality of Stockholm have requirements stating that each property owner is responsible for the management of urban runoff within the property lines. One way of solving this management is by using green roofs. The municipality may also require the GYF factor to be fulfilled during new construction, which means that a certain amount of green space is required. This is something green roofs can help property owners achieve as well. The LEED and BREEAM green building certification programs also require a certain amount of green spaces in order to generate a higher rating. Here, too, green roofs could be used for this aspect. The study also examines if LEED and BREEAM have any economic benefits. Interviews were conducted with property owners, tenants, architects and employees at the municipality of Stockholm. The results were relatively similar to that of the results of the literature review. Among the most important factors when considering building a green roof according to the property owners, were green certifications, the factor of green areas (GYF),stormwater management and biodiversity. The study revealed that the most important benefit for tenants was the ability of green roofs to help companies with their environmental profiling. The conclusion of the study is that the main driving factor for utilizing green roofs above all is that it helps the property owner to achieve a higher certification rating. For property owners this is important as they want to profile themselves in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, which attracts tenants and investors. Certification programs are also leading to economic benefits for the property owners. Other driving forces for property owners to use green roofs are to meet the requirements of the municipality regarding urban runoff management and to reach the level of GYF required. As tenants often have strict sustainability policies, green roofs provide an added value as they are sustainable. In terms of cost, green roof is said to have initial costs of 300-600 kr/m2 which is higher than for conventional roofs. The short-term risk of leakage is refuted by this study, but the longtermrisk is still unknown. Even though higher initial cost and unknown long-term risk of leakage the study believes that implementing a green roof is justifiable; the positive environmental and social aspects outweighs the higher costs. Green roofs can provide a financial profit for the property owner when it’s combined with a green building certification;green roofs are a factor to implement in order to reach higher levels of green building certification systems LEED and BREEAM, which, in turn, can lead to a higher market value.The study also reveals that accessible green roofs can result in an increased revenue for the property owner