Fluid balance and metabolic response in athletic horses fed forage diets

Concentrate diets are related to health problems in athletic horses and high-energy forage diets could be an alternative. Forage feeding may alter substrate and hindgut fluid availability which could be beneficial during feed deprivation and dehydration. However, it may also increase bodyweight (BW) and crude protein (CP) intake which may reduce performance. The objective of this thesis was to study trained Standardbred horses on a high oats diet (OD) and a high energy forage-only diet (FD) before and during 12 hour feed deprivation (Study I), and on two CP intakes during exercise and rest (Study II). In study I ten horses participated. In study II recommended and high CP intakes (diet RP and HP) from forage-only diets were studied in six geldings. BW and TPP were measured in both studies and plasma NEFA, acetate, glucose and insulin concentrations in study I, nitrogen and fluid balance and response to standardised race like exercise in study II. BW was higher on diet FD than on diet OD (3 kg) but was not affected by CP intake. The weight loss was larger during feed deprivation on diet FD than on diet OD. TPP was lower in diet FD before feed deprivation and the pre-feed deprivation level was maintained for 7 and 11 h on diet OD and FD, respectively. The plasma acetate and NEFA was higher, insulin was lower and urea and glucose unaltered on diet FD compared to diet OD before feed deprivation. During feed deprivation plasma NEFA and urea increased in both diets whereas the acetate decreased on diet FD and plasma insulin on diet OD. Plasma glucose was not affected by feed deprivation. Diet HP caused an increased N excretion, water intake and urine output and a lowered urine pH. CP intake did not affect heart rate, plasma lactate and blood pH during exercise. In conclusion, feeding horses diet FD resulted in a small increase in BW that diminished after feed deprivation. The plasma volume was larger and maintained longer on diet FD compared to diet OD which suggests that the horses were more resistant to dehydration. The effect of the altered metabolic response during feed deprivation to exercise remains to be investigated but a high CP intake did not adversely affect the response to exercise

Procurement and Predation: Dynamic Sourcing from Financially Constrained Suppliers

This paper studies the interaction between financially constrained and financially strong firms on a procurement market. It characterizes and discusses a procurement agency’s optimal response when faced with financially asymmetric firms. By considering a dynamic setting, both present and future consequences and incentives are taken into account

Journal Staff

Bröstcancer drabbar dagligen ungefär 20 kvinnor i Sverige. Det är därför viktigt att se till att processen som dessa kvinnor och deras anhöriga genomgår fungerar väl och att upplevelsen är så bra som den kan vara under dessa omständigheter. Föreliggande projekt har genom ett tjänstedesignperspektiv undersökt hur bröstcancerprocessen upplevs av patienter. Detta med hjälp av intervjuer av både patienter och administratör inom bröstcancerprocessen. Dessa ledde fram till s.k. patientresor som beskriver hur processens olika steg ser ut men även hur patienterna upplevde dessa. Det skapades även patientresor utifrån hur landstinget vill och försöker få processen att se ut i dagens läge. Utifrån dessa patientresor hölls en workshop där fyra deltagare ifrån företaget Usify arbetade mot olika typer av visualiseringar av denna process. Visualiseringarnas fokuspunkter var väntan och känslor, då det hade framkommit under intervjuerna att väntan var det som upplevdes mest frustrerande och som den värsta delen under bröstcancerprocessen.   De idéer som framkom ur workshopen omarbetades sedan i två steg för att filtrera ut de designförslagen som ansågs mest passande. Dessa presenterades sedan för de tidigare intervjuade patienterna för att se om dessa överensstämde med deras upplevelser och ge dem möjligheten att ge sina åsikter. Resultatet visade att visualiseringarna kan kategoriseras i tre olika kategorier: statistik, verktyg och upplevelse. Dessa kategorier uppfyller separata behov och på så vis går alla designförslagen att använda i olika skeenden för olika ändamål. Något som upptäcktes under projektet var just hur väntan för patienterna resulterade i ett fel i tjänsten, de löften som dessa fick hölls inte av vården.   Inom tjänstedesign används ofta olika typer av visualiseringar för att upptäcka fel av den här karaktären. Problemet med väntan i visualiseringar är att dessa ofta är aktivitetsbundna, de vill säga att enbart aktiviteter avbildas. Väntan ses inte som en aktivitet och inkluderas därför sällan. Detta skulle kunna vara det som ligger till grund för att väntan förbises, i och med detta bör väntan inkluderas i visualiseringar. Förståelsen av väntan, som i bröstcancerprocessen upplevs som viktig för patienten, är något som kan leda till empati för patienten och ett resultat av detta projekt är att detta kan väckas med hjälp av visualiseringar av väntan.

Index

Allt fler blir allt äldre i Sverige och äldreomsorgen står inför en stor utmaning när resurser i form av ekonomiska medel och rätt personal blir allt svårare att konkurrera om. I eHälsans tidsålder utvecklas det på många håll smarta tekniska lösningar för att effektivisera och kvalitetshöja omsorgsinsatser, något som allt fler aktörer får upp ögonen för. Denna uppsats utreder behovsbilden för att kunna skapa en ny kontaktyta mellan omsorgstagare, närstående och utförare inom äldreomsorg. Uppsatsens resultat är en del av det Vinnova-finansierade projektet BoNUS VO som undersöker förutsättningarna för en sådan kontaktyta. IKT-stödet ska underlätta delaktighet i den egna omsorgen såväl som stödja yrkesutövare i arbetsuppgifter. Data samlades in genom en observationsstudie av hemtjänstarbete, deltagande i gruppsamtal med närstående till omsorgstagare samt kvalitativa intervjuer med 13 informanter som hade erfarenhet av äldreomsorg. Resultatet av dataanalysen visar på att det i dagsläget finns problem som skulle kunna undvikas genom att underlätta kommunikation och informationsdelning mellan användargrupperna. Resultaten visar också på att det finns många diskussionspunkter vad gäller nytta, motsättningar i behov och avvägningen mellan ett översiktligt eller komplext system. Studien konstaterar att det finns utrymme för vidare forskning inom området.Sweden’s population is steadily growing older and while the demand for care of senior citizens is increasing, care givers are forced to cope with diminishing resources in terms of money and qualified staff. Many put hope in new eHealth technology, as a means of raising efficiency and quality in the every day working situation. This thesis aims to study needs regarding communication, information and interaction between care takers, dependants and caregivers in geriatric care, in order to create a foundation upon which an ICT system may be built to fulfill those needs. The results presented are part of a research project focusing on future ICT systems in healthcare. Data was collected through an observational study, group discussions with informants related to care takers, and qualitative interviews with 13 informants who have extensive experience of geriatric care. The results imply there are existing problems that may be avoided by facilitating information sharing between the aforementioned groups. The study also presents some important points of discussion regarding usefulness, clashing needs of different users, and the balance between simplicity of use and system size

The future of shale

Master's Project (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016This project examines the various drivers that led to the U.S. shale oil revolution in order to predict its place in the energy industry going forward and to analyze its effects on Alaska. The shale boom flooded the market with oil causing a dramatic decrease in crude oil prices in late 2014. With this price drop threatening to send Alaska into an economic recession, the future of shale should be of primary concern to all Alaskans as well as other entities that rely heavily on oil revenue. The primary driver leading to the shale revolution is technology. Advances in hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and 3D seismic mapping made producing shale oil and gas possible for the first time. New technologies like rotary steerable systems and measurements while drilling continue to make shale production more efficient, and technology will likely continue to improve. Infrastructure helps to explain why the shale revolution was mostly an American phenomenon. Many countries with shale formations have political infrastructure too unstable to risk shale investment. Capital infrastructure is a primary strength of the U.S. and also helps to explain why shale development didn't find its way up to Alaska despite having political stability. Financial infrastructure allowed oil companies to receive the funding necessary to quickly bring shale to the market. The final driver explored is crude oil prices. High oil prices helped spark the shale revolution, but with the recent price crash, there is uncertainty about its future. With production costs continually falling due to technology improvements and analysts predicting crude oil prices to stabilize above most project breakeven points, the future of shale looks bright.Introduction -- Shale & Alaska North Slope Crude Oil Prices -- Seeds of its own destruction? Technology -- Hydraulic Fracturing -- History of fracking -- Directional drilling -- History of drilling -- Benefits of directional drilling -- 3D seismic mapping -- Creating a shockwave -- Recording the data -- Interpreting the results -- The birth of a revolution -- Current/future developments -- Rotary steerable system -- Measurements while drilling -- Future developments. Infrastructure -- Political risk -- Financial markets -- Over investment -- Capital infrastructure. Crude prices -- The price crash -- Breakeven prices -- Future prices -- Alaska -- Conclusion -- Bibliography

Manual of typical low temperature mechanical properties of several materials

Manual contains information resulting from tests regarding low temperature properties of a number of materials commonly used in aerospace. The mechanical properties data are presented for 54 commonly used materials. The data is taken from many sources and is averaged and adjusted to represent the properties of typical material

Controlled ferrite content improves weldability of corrosion-resistant steel

Corrosion-resistant steel that adds restrictions on chemical composition to ensure sufficient ferrite content decreases the tendency of CRES to develop cracks during welding. The equations restricting composition are based on the Schaeffler constitution diagram