Binge Alcohol and Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury

An estimated 275,000 Americans are hospitalized following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, 80,000 of whom develop a long-term disability. The factor that places one at perhaps the greatest risk of suffering a TBI is alcohol intoxication. 30-50% of TBI sufferers have a blood alcohol level above .08 mg/dl at the time of injury, the legal limit in most U.S. states. In fact, the presence of alcohol at the time of TBI more than doubles the risk of a repeat head injury in the two years following the injury. Given the large population of TBI sufferers with alcohol intoxication as a comorbidity, it is important to determine its consequences for recovery and the mechanisms by which alcohol exerts its effects on the CNS post-injury. To this end, we trained adult, male, Sprague Dawley rats on a skilled sensorimotor test, the forelimb reaching task. Following successful learning, animals were administered either a repeated binge regimen of ethanol (2g/kg) for three consecutive days or a single binge dose. One hour after the final ethanol dose, rats were given a traumatic brain injury to the sensorimotor cortex so as to produce a deficit on the skilled forelimb reaching task. Animals were then tested for seven weeks on the forelimb reaching task to assess the profile of recovery. A subset of rats were tested on the open field test 11 days after injury to measure anxiety-like behavior. We found that administration of a repeated binge regimen of ethanol delivered prior to TBI led to a slower recovery with a lower recovery plateau. In contrast, rats given a single dose of binge ethanol prior to TBI recovered faster on average than animals given a vehicle control. However, the estimated group differences in the recovery plateau were not statistically significant. Our injury did not affect behaviors in the open field test. We next investigated whether the poorer recovery displayed by the repeated binge ethanol administered rats was correlated with a reduction in subventricular zone (SVZ) precursor cell proliferation and subsequent neuronal differentiation. We found that ethanol negatively affected SVZ precursor cell proliferation when measured 21 days after TBI. This reduction was statistically significant in both the injured and uninjured hemispheres. However, there was not a statistically significant main effect of the TBI itself, nor was there a statistically significant interaction between ethanol and the TBI on NPC density. Secondly, we found that ethanol decreased the density of immature neurons in the SVZ closest to the TBI lesion. However, we did not find that the TBI itself or the interaction between the TBI and ethanol affected immature neuronal cell density to a statistically significant degre

The vulnerability of shifting towards a greener world:The impact of the EU's green transition on material demand

The green transition from fossil fuels to renewables requires acquisition of rare earth minerals and other materials for construction of renewable energy technologies and may lead to new dependencies through imports potentially causing immense pressure on global supply chains. This study investigates the material vulnerability of sectors and countries in the EU. Vulnerability maps are created for the EU's material demands by combining three analyses: input-output analysis, forward linkage analysis and network analysis. The approach reveals the relative importance of individual sectors and their vulnerability given increasing demand. As such, the analyses help to identify which sectors, based on their current implementation of renewable energy sources, could put a country and the EU at risk of not meeting their mitigation targets by 2050. The analysis concludes that Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Slovakia will experience particularly large material vulnerabilities in several of the materials investigated. Hence, such findings can provide early warnings to sectors and countries about potential implications in their supply chains along with potential mitigation measures such as secondary sourcing, material substitution and material diplomacy

Breastfeeding support : From new mother´s point of view

Amning är viktig ur många aspekter. Om amningen inte fungerar kan det få känslomässiga konsekvenser för den nyblivna modern och anknytningen till barnet kan också påverkas negativt. Tiden för nyblivna mödrar att tillgodogöra sig amningskunskaper och -färdigheter på BB har minskat på senare år då vårdtiden har kortats. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att undersöka nyblivna mödrars upplevelse av amningsstöd på BB. Elva vetenskapliga artiklar granskades och bedömdes. Hur nyblivna mödrar upplevde amningsstödet på BB kunde urskiljas i fyra kategorier; Råd och information, Bemötande och praktisk hjälp, Individuell bekräftelse och Stress. När amningsstödet inte motsvarade mödrarnas önskemål, ledde det till känslor av osäkerhet och otillräcklighet. Fortsatt forskning är nödvändig för att ta reda på hur amningsstödet kan förbättras för nyblivna mödrar på BB. Det behövs ett nytt sätt att organisera och arbeta för att vården skall bli mer jämlik, där mödrarna i större utsträckning är delaktiga och ges eget ansvar.Breastfeeding is important in many aspects. If breastfeeding does not work, it may have emotional consequences for the new mother and attachment to the child may also be adversely affected. The time for new mothers to benefit from breastfeeding knowledge and skills in the maternity ward has declined in recent years when the hospital stay has been shortened. The purpose of this study was to examine new mothers' experiences of breastfeeding support in the maternity ward. Eleven scientific papers were surveyed and evaluated. How new mothers experienced breastfeeding support in the maternity ward were evident in four categories: Advice and Information, Treatment and practical help, Independent confirmation and Stress. When breastfeeding support did not meet their mothers' wishes, it led to feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Further research is needed to find out how breastfeeding support can be improved for new mothers in the maternity ward. We need a new way of organizing and working in healthcare to be more equal, where the mothers to a greater extent are involved and given responsibility

Möjliggöra radikala samarbeten i öppna innovationslandskap : En fallstudie i samarbete med IKEA

The increased customer demand for innovative and sustainable solutions implies that companies need to seek knowledge, and insights, beyond their traditional business models. This by opening up barriers and collaborating with other stakeholders. Using this approach is referred to in the literature as practicing open innovation. There is however a lack of research on open innovation concerning radical innovation and collaboration. The purpose of this report is to fill this research gap by investigating how a large incumbent company can set up radical collaboration in an open innovation space. The gap will be filled by conducting a qualitative and explorative cross-case analysis with the hosting company of this study, IKEA, and the research questions presented in this report aims to assist IKEA in the set of radical collaboration. The research question and related results were divided into four parts; Strategy implications, partner selection criteria, challenges and success factors. Regarding the first sub-research question, the strategy of the OIS should be aligned to the long-term goals of the parent firm but the short-term targets should not be controlled. This in order to give the OIS mandate to come up with unexpected and radical solutions. Moreover, in the partner selection process, important criteria to consider for radical collaboration are shared values, culture, and commitment to the project. Concerning challenges with radical collaboration, these are: Clear expectations, Contracts, Identifying focus areas, Implementation of the innovations, Innovation strategy renewal, Introduction of a new concept, NDA’s, Outsourcing and Organizational behavior. Lastly, the findings show that autonomy, self-control, communication, and structure are important success factors. The related recommendation of this thesis is that large established companies, looking to pursue radical collaboration in an open innovation format, should consider these insights to be successful. It should however be made clear that radical innovation practices tend to be more complex and time-consuming. Thus, KPIs for success may need to be revisited in firms traditionally seeking incremental innovations with in-house innovation practices.Med en ökande efterfrågan från kunder på innovativa och hållbara lösningar behöver företag söka kunskap och resurser utanför sina traditionella affärsmodeller. Detta genom att öppna upp sina interna processer och samarbeta med andra. Att använda detta tillvägagångssätt hänvisas till i litteraturen som att utöva “öppen innovation”. Det saknas dock forskning i ämnet som rör radikal innovation och samarbete. Syftet med denna rapport är att fylla detta forskningsgap genom att undersöka hur ett stort etablerat företag kan starta upp radikala samarbeten i ett öppet innovationslandskap. Gapet kommer att fyllas genom att utföra en kvalitativ och explorativ flerfallsstudie med ett värdföretag, IKEA, och forskningsfrågorna som presenteras i denna rapport har som mål att skapa ett ramverk för att hjälpa IKEA introducera radikala samarbeten. Forskningsfrågan och relaterade resultat delades in i fyra delar; Strategi implikationer, partnervalskriterier, utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer. När det gäller den första forskarfrågan bör innovationsstrategin anpassas till moderföretagets långsiktiga mål, men de kortsiktiga målen bör inte kontrolleras. Detta för att ge initiativet mandatet att komma med oväntade och radikala lösningar. Dessutom är viktiga kriterier att ta hänsyn till, för radikala samarbeten i urvalsprocessen av partners, att de samarbetande parterna delar värderingar, kultur och engagemang för projektet. Vad gäller utmaningar för radikalt samarbete är dessa de mest kritiska: Tydliga förväntningar, Kontrakt, Identifiera fokusområden, Implementering av innovationer, Förnyelse av Innovationsstrategi, Introduktion av ett nytt koncept, Sekretessavtal, Outsourcing och Organisatoriskt beteende. Slutligen visar resultaten att autonomi, självkontroll, kommunikation och struktur är viktiga framgångsfaktorer. Den avslutande uppmaningen är att stora etablerade företag, som vill sträva efter radikalt samarbete i ett öppet innovationslandskap, bör ha dessa insikter i beaktning för att initiativet ska bli framgångsrikt. Det bör dock klargöras att radikala innovationsmetoder tenderar att vara mer komplexa och tidskrävande. Därför kan KPI:er för framgång behöva ses över hos företag som traditionellt söker inkrementell innovation med interna innovationsmetoder

How men shop fashion : A survey about mens shopping behaviour

Shopping har tidigare varit en aktivitet som främst kvinnor har ägnat sig åt, men de senaste decennierna har fler och fler män börjat visa intresse för mode och shopping. I denna uppsats har vi valt att undersöka hur män beter sig när de handlar modekläder och hur de vill bli bemötta av personal i butik. För att undersöka detta har intervjuer med konsumenter och personal från butiker som erbjuder herrmode genomförts. Idag finns det många aktörer inom modebranschen vilket ger konsumenter flera alternativ att välja mellan när de ska handla kläder. Detta har lett till att modeföretag behöver anstränga sig för att kunna konkurrera med varandra på marknaden. Ett sätt att kunna differentiera sig på marknaden är att erbjuda en hög servicekvalitet. Butiksanställda har möjlighet att påverka kunder genom hela köpprocessen och därför är själva kundbemötandet ett verktyg företag kan använda sig av för att vinna konkurrensfördelar. Uppsatsens författare vill undersöka huruvida företag som erbjuder herrmode är medvetna om vilken typ av kundservice deras konsumenter förväntar sig och vill ha. Mellan den service som kunder förväntar sig och den service som sedan levereras av butiker skapas ett gap mellan förväntad och upplevd service, vilket kan påverka huruvida kunder är nöjda eller inte med sina köp. Utifrån insamlat material kan vi konstatera att intresset för mode och shopping bland män var större hos deltagande respondenter än vi förväntat oss. Konsumenterna var överens i fråga kring bemötande och har höga krav på personalens beteende. Vi anser därför att män borde ses som aktörer på modemarknaden i en högre grad då de verkar besitta ett högre intresse för mode och kläder än vad uppsatsens författare väntat sig.Shopping was previously an activity that mostly women engaged in, but the last few decades, more and more men has begun to show interest in fashion and shopping. In this paper we have chosen to examine how men behave when they shop fashion clothes and how they want to be treated by staff in fashion stores. To examine this, interviews with consumers and staff from fashion stores that offer men's fashion have been conducted. This essay is written is Swedish. Today there are many actors in the fashion industry, giving consumers more options to choose from when they go shopping for clothes. This has led to that fashion companies need to make an effort to compete with each other on the market. One way to differentiate themselves in the market is to offer a high service quality. Store employees have the opportunity to influence customers throughout the buying process and therefore the customer service is a tool, which companies can use in order to gain competitive advantages. The essay writers want to examine whether companies offering menswear are aware of the nature of the customer service their consumers expect and want. Between the service that customers expect and the service that are then delivered in stores creates a gap between expected and perceived service, which can affect whether customers are satisfied or not with their purchase. Based on collected data, we can establish that the interest in fashion and shopping, among men was greater among participating respondents than we expected. Consumers were slightly concerned about the service and have high standards for personnel behaviour. We therefore believe that men should be seen as actors in the fashion market to a greater extent since they seem to inherit a bigger interest for fashion and clothing than expected by the essay writers