127 research outputs found
Medical Devices Having MRI Compatible Metal Alloys
An MRI compatible medical device includes a non-magnetic metal alloy portion including a first and at least a second metal. A surface of the metal alloy portion includes an integral MRI heating resistant surface structure having a thickness greater than or equal to 3 nanometers. The MRI heating resistant surface structure includes one or more of (i) a matrix phase including the first and second metal having a plurality of nanometer or micron scale particles, precipitates and/or inclusions constituting a volume fraction greater than or equal to 3%, wherein the particles, precipitates or inclusions differ in chemical composition and physical characteristics of the matrix phase and are discontinuously distributed therein; (ii) a level of crystalinity at least 5% less as compared to a level of crystalinity in the bulk of the metal alloy portion; (iii) one or more metal atoms different from the first and second metal having a concentration profile evidencing diffusion into the metal alloy portion
A retrospective and prospective evaluation of ethics and animal welfare in animal protection legislation in Sweden
For thousands of years, humans have reflected on and debated the exploitation of animals in captivity and the environment provided for them. Animal ethics has been a documented subject since the antiquity and is in present time an important philosophical topic in both scientific and public interest. In the latter half of the 20th century, animal welfare grew as a public and scientific matter. The most prominent ethical theories discussed in philosophy during this time were utilitarism and animal rights. The issues discussed were if and how non-human animals can suffer and if or when the non-human animalâs welfare are more valuable than the human benefits.
Legislation about animal protection was implemented in northern Europe during the 20th century, and made Sweden follow the trend. The first animal protection law of Sweden was implemented 1944 and made requirements such as animals in captivity should have a good environment, be cared for and not suffer exhaustion of work. The animal protection law of Sweden was updated in 1988 due to the growing public awareness of animal testing procedures. The public were especially concerned about animal testing of cosmetic products, since it has no medical purpose. Another reason was that there were worries about the welfare of livestock and that they may suffer for economic profit. In 2011, the official investigations of the Swedish government made a publication to respond to the demand for a new animal protection law in Sweden. They proposed that animals in captivity should not only be protected from unnecessary suffering, they should also be offered a prosperous care, treatment and environment. The proposal for a new law suggested that it is important that legislation have detailed definitions, is based on science and includes all species, but still considers the differences of custom needs. Since 1944, the ethical approach in legislation has changed from not allowing treatment that causes animals unnecessary suffering of the more severe kind, to focus on welfare and not cause them unnecessary suffering if it does not have a defendable motivation, such as medical research.Djuretik Àr ett dokumenterat Àmne Ànda sedan antiken och diskussionerna förs fortfarande om hur mÀnniskan ska behandla andra arter. Faktum Àr att Àmnet aldrig varit större Àn under de senaste decennierna. Under den senaste tiden av 1900-talet stÀlldes framförallt de tvÄ mycket vÀlkÀnda profiler inom djuretiken mot varandra. En av dem var Singer som tillÀmpar en teori om att skapa sÄ stor vinst för sÄ mÄnga som möjligt pÄ liten bekostnad i sina resonemang och den andra var Regan vars filosofi var att inte nyttja djur överhuvudtaget med anledning av varje individs vÀrde. Utöver de hÀr teorierna har det debatterats om diskriminering av individer pÄ grund av tillhörighet till en art. Det finns mycket forskning om vad som Àr vÀlfÀrd för djuren och hur den ska uppfyllas, problemet Àr dock att det kan vara svÄrt att avgöra vad som Àr vÀlfÀrd för djuret pÄ grund av att mÀnniskan tillÀmpar sina egna kÀnslor i situationen. DÀrför Àr det viktigt att ha goda kunskaper om djurens beteende och hur det kan skilja sig mellan arter. Det har visats sig att mÀnniskan lÀr sig redan som barn att skapa en viss relation till andra djur och att det har att göra med vad vuxna ger dem för förutsÀttningar. SÀrskilt viktigt Àr det att barn fÄr ha en viss kontakt med djur regelbundet upp till vuxen Älder för att deras kunskap ska förbli.
Den första lagen om djurskydd i Sverige trÀdde i kraft 1944 efter att man i flera Är bedömt att det behövdes ett skydd för djuren. Det berodde delvis pÄ att flera av Sveriges grannlÀnder antagit en djurskyddslag och allmÀnheten hade visat opinion för viljan att ha en i landet. Förslaget som lagts fram av Statens offentliga utredningar omarbetades dock till viss del för att göra lagen mer övergripande. PÄ 80-talet var man bekymrad över att den ekonomiska vinsten i djurproduktion pÄverkade djurens miljö negativt samt att befolkningen blivit medvetna och Àven missnöjda över hur försöksdjur kunde behandlas. Lagen frÄn 1944 gjordes dÀrför om till den djurskyddslag vi har idag.
Eftersom lagstiftningen baseras pÄ allmÀnhetens moraliska intressen Àr det viktigt att de etiska diskussionerna kombineras med forskning. En ny utredning för att göra om hela djurskyddslagen lades fram 2011. Statens offentliga utredning var mycket omfattande och ville nu lÀgga mer fokus pÄ att lagen ska vara vetenskapligt grundad. Den största förnyelsen skulle bli att flytta fokus frÄn att undvika smÀrta och lidande, till att satsa pÄ vÀlfÀrden och en gynnande djurmiljö samt att tydliggöra att mÀnniskan mÄste ta ansvar för sin djurhÄllning, dÄ det Àr nödvÀndigt med en bra omvÄrdnad eftersom de hÄlls i fÄngenskap. En ny brottsrubricering finns med i utredningens förslag som ska kunna anvÀndas för att döma mot grövre slag av brott mot djurskyddslagen, pÄföljden för den brottstypen skulle dÄ vara upp till fyra Ärs fÀngelse, vilket Àr en stor skillnad mot det maxstraff pÄ tvÄ Är som finns i Sverige idag
Integrerad rapportering i svenska organisationer : motiv till implementering, fördelar och utmaningar
Sustainability reporting has increased over the years due to stakeholder demands. Traditional sustainability reports have an isolated approach to sustainability and disclose information regarding social and environmental issues separate from the financial report. Critics mean that isolated sustainability reports are too long and complex for numerous stakeholders, not provided in a way that facilitates stakeholdersâ understanding of the business and the entire organization. Critics also claim that the reports fail to connect the different dimensions of sustainability, and thus does not create a comprehensive picture of a companyâs sustainability impact. Integrated reporting has been praised as a solution to the issues, compared to traditional sustainability reporting. Integrated reporting combines social- and environmental information with financial information. Integrated reporting should also result in integrated thinking within the organization. However, the research field of integrated reporting is relatively novel and contains limited knowledge about how integrated reporting is applied and perceived in organizations, which is important for assessing its potential outcome. The aim of this project is to explain how integrated reporting is perceived by organizations applying it, and to clarify what enables and limits its development. This is done by placing integrated reporting in the context of corporate communication, stakeholder theory and the institutional context that shape organizational behavior. This project applies a qualitative, flexible, multiple case-study approach in which integrated reporting in Swedish organizations is the unit of analysis. To collect data, 13 in-depth interviews were conducted with representatives from seven Swedish organizations using integrated reporting, and two consultants serving as integrated reportingexperts. The findings suggest that integrated reporting is applied as annual reports instead of as separate reports, and that many reports are combined even though being referred to as integrated. According to the findings, the motive for implementing integrated reporting is either for the organizations to use it as a communication tool for signaling legitimacy towards stakeholders, or as a management tool. Furthermore, the most prominent perceived benefits of integrated reporting are integrated thinking, organizational changes, integration of sustainability throughout the organization and the breakdown of silos. Perceived challenges of integrated reporting are diffuse guidelines, lack of knowledge and resistance among auditors, a difficulty to combine integrated reporting with GRI-standards for sustainability reporting and, a misunderstanding about what integrated reporting is and how it should be applied.PĂ„ grund av nya lagar och krav frĂ„n intressenter har hĂ„llbarhetsrapportering ökat under de senaste Ă„ren. Traditionell hĂ„llbarhetsrapportering presenterar hĂ„llbarhetsinformation separerat frĂ„n finansiell information. Kritiker menar att traditionella hĂ„llbarhetsrapporter Ă€r för lĂ„nga och komplicerade och inte heller ger en tydlig bild av företaget och dess hĂ„llbarhetspĂ„verkan. Integrerad rapportering har blivit lovordat som en ny lösning till dessa problem, eftersom en integrerad rapport integrerar hĂ„llbarhets- och finansiell information. Integrerad rapportering Ă€r dock ett nytt fenomen och det finns inte mycket forskning inom Ă€mnet, framförallt inte gĂ€llande hur integrerad rapportering uppfattas av de organisationer som tillĂ€mpar det, samt dess fördelar och utmaningar. Syftet med denna studie Ă€r att förklara hur integrerad rapportering upplevs av dess anvĂ€ndare, samt att klargöra vad som möjliggör och begrĂ€nsar dess utveckling. Detta har gjorts, i det hĂ€r projektet, genom att analysera integrerad rapportering som en typ av företagskommunikation. Vidare har legitimitetsteori, institutionell teori och intressentteori anvĂ€nts som det konceptuella ramverket för att analysera fenomenet integrerad rapportering. Projektet tillĂ€mpar en kvalitativ och flexibel metodik dĂ€r integrerad rapportering bland svenska organisationer utgör analysenheten. Data har samlats in genom 13 djupintervjuer med representanter frĂ„n sju organisationer som anvĂ€nder sig av integrerad rapportering, samt tvĂ„ experter inom integrerad rapportering. Enligt resultaten tillĂ€mpas integrerad rapportering som en typ av Ă„rsredovisning, snarare Ă€n som en separat rapport. MĂ„nga Ă€r Ă€ven âkombineradeâ trots att de kallas integrerade. Enligt resultaten implementeras integrerad rapportering dels som ett kommunikationsverktyg, men ocksĂ„ som ett verktyg för ledningen för att integrera hĂ„llbarhet inom organisationen. Upplevda fördelar med integrerad rapportering Ă€r integrerat tĂ€nkande, organisationsförĂ€ndringar, integrering av hĂ„llbarhet bland organisationens avdelningar samt minskade siloeffekter. Upplevda utmaningar Ă€r otydliga riktlinjer, kunskapsbrist och motstĂ„nd bland revisorer, en upplevd svĂ„righet att kombinera integrerad rapportering och GRI, samt ett missförstĂ„nd om vad integrerad rapportering Ă€r och hur det bör tillĂ€mpas
LysoPC acyltransferase/PC transacylase activities in plant plasma membrane and plasma membrane-associated endoplasmic reticulum
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The phospholipids of the plant plasma membrane are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The majority of these lipids reach the plasma membrane independently of the secretory vesicular pathway. Phospholipid delivery to the mitochondria and chloroplasts of plant cells also bypasses the secretory pathway and here it has been proposed that lysophospholipids are transported at contact sites between specific regions of the ER and the respective organelle, followed by lysophospholipid acylation in the target organelle. To test the hypothesis that a corresponding mechanism operates to transport phospholipids to the plasma membrane outside the secretory pathway, we investigated whether lysolipid acylation occurs also in the plant plasma membrane and whether this membrane, like the chloroplasts and mitochondria, is in close contact with the ER.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The plant plasma membrane readily incorporated the acyl chain of acyl-CoA into phospholipids. Oleic acid was preferred over palmitic acid as substrate and acyl incorporation occurred predominantly into phosphatidylcholine (PC). Phospholipase A<sub>2 </sub>stimulated the reaction, as did exogenous lysoPC when administered in above critical micellar concentrations. AgNO<sub>3 </sub>was inhibitory. The lysophospholipid acylation reaction was higher in a membrane fraction that could be washed off the isolated plasma membranes after repeated freezing and thawing cycles in a medium with lowered pH. This fraction exhibited several ER-like characteristics. When plasma membranes isolated from transgenic <it>Arabidopsis </it>expressing green fluorescent protein in the ER lumen were observed by confocal microscopy, membranes of ER origin were associated with the isolated plasma membranes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that a lysoPC acylation activity is associated with plant plasma membranes and cannot exclude a PC transacylase activity. It is highly plausible that the enzyme(s) resides in a fraction of the ER, closely associated with the plasma membrane, or in both. We suggest that this fraction might be the equivalent of the mitochondria associated membrane of ER origin that delivers phospholipids to the mitochondria, and to the recently isolated ER-derived membrane fraction that is in close contact with chloroplasts. The <it>in situ </it>function of the lysoPC acylation/PC transacylase activity is unknown, but involvement in lipid delivery from the ER to the plasma membrane is suggested.</p
Horizontal transfer of an adaptive chimeric photoreceptor from bryophytes to ferns
Ferns are well known for their shade-dwelling habits. Their ability to thrive under low-light conditions has been linked to the evolution of a novel chimeric photoreceptor-neochrome-that fuses red-sensing phytochrome and blue-sensing phototropin modules into a single gene, thereby optimizing phototropic responses. Despite being implicated in facilitating the diversification of modern ferns, the origin of neochrome has remained a mystery. We present evidence for neochrome in hornworts (a bryophyte lineage) and demonstrate that ferns acquired neochrome from hornworts via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Fern neochromes are nested within hornwort neochromes in our large-scale phylogenetic reconstructions of phototropin and phytochrome gene families. Divergence date estimates further support the HGT hypothesis, with fern and hornwort neochromes diverging 179 Mya, long after the split between the two plant lineages (at least 400 Mya). By analyzing the draft genome of the hornwort Anthoceros punctatus, we also discovered a previously unidentified phototropin gene that likely represents the ancestral lineage of the neochrome phototropin module. Thus, a neochrome originating in hornworts was transferred horizontally to ferns, where it may have played a significant role in the diversification of modern ferns
Sjuksköterskans uppfattningar om missbrukaren. Aspekter av omvÄrdnaden
Den totala alkoholkonsumtionen i Sverige berÀknades Är 2006 vara nÀstan 10 liter ren alkohol
per individ över 15 Är. Detta Àr historiskt sett en mycket hög siffra. Var tionde svensk har nÄgon
form av alkoholproblem. Under 1990-talet ökade det tunga narkotikamissbruket i Sverige,
ökningarna fortsatte efter 1998, men sedan 2001 verkar viss stabilisering och förbÀttring
ha skett i narkotikastatistiken. Forskning har visa att vÄrdpersonalens attityder och kunskap
om missbruk och missbrukare kan pÄverka villigheten att vÄrda missbrukaren. Syftet med
litteraturstudien var att undersöka vilka uppfatttningar sjuksköterskan har om den missbrukande
patienten och visa pÄ aspekter av omvÄrdanden av denna patientgrupp. Studien grundar
sig pÄ 10 vetenskapliga artiklar som analyserats med induktiv metod. Analysen ledde till att
tvÄ kategorier kunde urskiljas. Den första beskriver sjuksköterskans uppfattningar om den
missbrukande patienten. Dessa var: stereotypa, moraliserande och dömande attityder. Den
andra kategorien beskriver aspekter av omvÄrdnaden och kunde beskrivas med följande fyra
subkategorier; Att vÄrda missbrukaren som andra patienter, Att tro pÄ behandling, Att veta hur
och Att veta sitt ansvar. Uppsatsens resultat diskuterades utifrÄn Barbara Carpers fyra kunskapsmönster
och sjuksköterskan Christopher Johns dÀrtill utvecklade kommentarer och frÄgestÀllningar.
De fyra kunskapsmönstren kan vara till hjÀlp för sjuksköterskan dÄ han/hon
alltid ska strÀva efter att ge en holistisk vÄrd.Sjuksköterskeprogrammet, 180 p
OmvĂ„rdnad â Eget arbete VT 200
âCanât you read Iâm frustrated?â A study in human-chatbot interaction
För att en serviceorienterad chatbot ska kunna bidra till kognitiv avlastning för en anvÀndare
Àr det viktigt att relationen mellan de tvÄ prÀglas av en viss nivÄ av tillit. Ett sÀtt att
Ästadkomma detta Àr genom emotionsdetektering i den text anvÀndaren lÀmnar ifrÄn sig vid
interaktion. En passande respons pÄ anvÀndarens emotionella tillstÄnd har visat sig förbÀttra
relationen mellan anvÀndare och grÀnssnitt, sÀrskilt i situationer dÄ interaktionen inte Àr
framgÄngsrik. Denna uppsats inleder med att redogöra för vad som orsakar negativa
emotioner, dels generellt och dels specifikt inom mÀnniska-datorinteraktion. Genom att utföra
sentiment- och ansiktsuttrycksanalys vid interaktion mellan anvÀndare och en prototyp av en
chatbot undersöks dÀrefter om negativa emotionella tillstÄnd Àr möjliga att utröna. Resultaten
tyder pÄ att negativa emotioner gÄr att detektera, samt att det med fördel sker via
sentimentanalys snarare Àn ansiktsuttrycksanalys.In order for a service-oriented chatbot to contribute to cognitive relief for a user, it is
important that the relationship between the two is characterized by a certain level of trust. One
way of achieving this is through emotion detection in the text the user delivers during
interaction. An appropriate response to the user's emotional state has been shown to enhance
the relationship between user and interface, especially in situations where the interaction is
not successful. This essay begins with explaining what causes negative emotions, both
generally and specifically in human-computer interaction. By performing sentiment analysis
and facial expression analysis on user interaction with a prototype of a chatbot, it is then
investigated whether negative emotional states are possible to detect. The results indicate that
negative emotions can be detected, and that this is preferably done via sentiment analysis
rather than facial expression analysis
Sexuell hÀlsa under och efter klimakteriet
Bakgrund: Fysiologiska förĂ€ndringar som uppstĂ„r till följd av menopaus kan ha en stor inverkan pĂ„ kvinnor, bĂ„de sexuellt och pĂ„ andra plan i livet. Den sexuella hĂ€lsan Ă€r en stor del av mĂ€nniskors identitet och pĂ„verkar upplevelsen av vĂ€lbefinnande. Tidigare forskning visar att sjuksköterskor undviker att samtala om sexualitet och sexuell hĂ€lsa, och att speciellt kvinnor under och efter klimakteriet Ă€r en patientgrupp vars sexualitet ofta förbises. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att utifrĂ„n aktuell forskningslitteratur sammanstĂ€lla kunskap om hur kvinnor upplever sin sexualitet och sexuella hĂ€lsa under och efter klimakteriet. Metod: Genom strukturerade databassökningar i PubMed, CINAHL och PsycINFO identifierades 15 artiklar med kvalitativ ansats relevanta för studiens syfte. InnehĂ„llsanalys genomfördes för att identifiera mönster i de olika artiklarna. Resultat: InnehĂ„llsanalysen resulterade i tre huvudteman: Klimakteriets pĂ„verkan pĂ„ sexualitet och sexuell hĂ€lsa, Kontextens betydelse för klimakteriet och den sexuella hĂ€lsan samt FörestĂ€llningar kring klimakteriet, kön och sexualitet.Av resultatet framkom att kvinnorna upplevde positiva och negativa effekter av menopaus i relation till sexualitet och sexuell hĂ€lsa. Emotionella aspekter av sexualitet sĂ„som nĂ€rhet och intimitet var viktiga för mĂ„nga av kvinnorna. Vidare visade litteraturstudien att normer och diskurser hade en negativ inverkan pĂ„ kvinnornas instĂ€llning till klimakteriet samt att den kontext de befann sig i pĂ„verkade deras upplevelser av sexuell hĂ€lsa. Konklusion: För alla kvinnor Ă€r upplevelserna av klimakteriet och den sexuella hĂ€lsan unika, varför vĂ„rdpersonal alltid mĂ„ste utgĂ„ frĂ„n den individuella patientens behov och önskemĂ„l. DĂ„ kvinnor upplever att de inte fĂ„r tillrĂ€ckligt med information om klimakteriet i relation till sexualitet har hĂ€lso- och sjukvĂ„rden en stor möjlighet till förbĂ€ttringsarbete. Sjuksköterskor behöver bland annat bĂ€ttre verktyg för att samtala med patienter om sexualitet och sexuell hĂ€lsa. Det Ă€r Ă€ven viktigt att belysa de strukturer och diskurser som finns i samhĂ€llet rörande kön och Ă„lder dĂ„ de pĂ„verkar bĂ„de patienter och vĂ„rdpersonal.Background: Physiological changes appearing due to menopause may have a great impact on women, both sexually, physically and emotionally. Sexual health is a big part of a personâs identity and effects the feeling of well-being. Previous research show that nurses avoid talking about sexuality and sexual health, and that especially women during and after menopause is a patient group whose sexuality is often overlooked. Aim: The purpose of this study was to compile, based on current research literature, knowledge about how women experience their sexuality and sexual health during and after menopause. Method: Through structural database searches in PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO 15 qualitative articles relevant for the studyâs aim were identified. Content analysis was used to identify patterns in the different articles. Results: The content analysis resulted in three main themes: The effects of menopause on sexuality and sexual health, Contexts effecting menopause and sexual health and Stereotypes regarding menopause, gender and sexuality. The results show that women experienced positive and negative changes on sexuality and sexual health due to menopause. Emotional aspects of sexuality such as affection and intimacy were for many women important. It also showed that norms and discourses had a negative impact on womenâs attitude towards reaching menopause and that the context the women were in had an effect on their experiences of sexual health. Conclusion: The experiences of menopause and sexual health are unique for all women, establishing that health care professionals always must base their care on every patientâs individual needs and requests. Since women feel that they do not get enough information regarding menopause and sexuality, health care has a great opportunity to undertake improvement. Nurses need better tools to discuss sexuality and sexual health with their patients. It is also important to bring the structures and discourses existing in society regarding gender and age into light, since they affect both patients and health care professionals
The Sea Peoples : The Creators of History: a Study of Influence
The approaches used in recent research regarding the âSea Peoplesâ of the late Bronze Age in the Eastern Mediterranean have been evaluated in this thesis. Different influences exist on all planes and effect all things in different ways. Researchers have the power of creating the history we know and all too often is the biased influence of the researcher forgotten and their words are taken as facts. Different researchers approach, the studies using different schools of thought such as e.g. âprocessualismâ and post-processualism. Some scholars firmly stay by one approach side, but the approaches should be viewed as complementing each other. Raising awareness of some of the major questions within the research, and scholars different ways of approaching them is a main point in this thesis. The different scholars' approaches to research concerning the âSea Peoplesâ etnichity, their migration and impact brought up in the different texts have been analyzed.Concluding remarks focus on that the term âSea Peoplesâ is a creation of the modern day scholars and that researchers should refrain from using the term and focus on the different clans instead. A strong vote for interdisciplinary and complementary studies is presented regarding the future of this study and others
- âŠ