Thermoacoustics is a field of study which includes devices purpose-built to exploit the phenomenal interaction between heat and sound. Thermoacoustics has been demonstrated as an effective technology which can potentially serve a variety of purposes such as cryogenics, cost-effective domestic refrigeration or electricity generation, without adverse environmental impact or commercial drawbacks such as expensive construction or maintenance costs or high part counts. The mechanisms by which thermoacoustic devices operate at low amplitudes have been identified and effective design tools and methods are available, but the precise heat and mass transfer which occurs deep inside the core of thermoacoustic devices at high amplitudes cannot at present be precisely determined experimentally, and to date have been estimated using only relatively simple or one-dimensional computational domains. It is expected that thermoacoustic devices will need to operate at relatively high pressure amplitudes for commercial and practical applications, to achieve power densities similar to competing technologies. Clearly, advancement of these models and the methods used to investigate them will enable a better understanding of the precise heat and mass transfer that occurs within such devices. Previous numerical studies have modelled a ‘thermoacoustic couple’ which consists of a single or several plates (often modelled with zero thickness) and channels within an oscillatory pressure field. In this thesis several improvements to the ‘thermoacoustic couple’ modelspace are introduced and modelled, and compared with published results. Using the commercial CFD software Fluent, a two-dimensional, segregated and second-order implicit numerical model was developed which solves equations for continuity of mass, momentum and energy. These equations were computed using second-order and double-precision discretisation of time, flow variables and energy. A computational domain is presented which is capable of modelling plates of zero or non-zero thickness, is ‘self-resonant’ and able to capture the entrance and exit effects at the stack plate edges. Studies are presented in which the acoustic pressure amplitude, the thickness of the plate (‘blockage ratio’) and the shape of the plate are varied to determine their influence upon the rate of effective heat transfer, flow structure and overall efficiency. The modelling of thermoacoustic couples with finite thickness presented in this thesis demonstrates that the finite thickness produces new results which show significant disturbances to the flow field and changes to the expected rate and distribution of heat flux along the stack plate. Results indicate that the thickness of the plate, t[subscript]s, strongly controls the generation of vortices outside the stack region and perturbs the flow structure and heat flux distribution at the extremities of the plate. Increases in t[subscript]s are also shown to improve the integral of the total heat transfer rate but at the expense of increased entropy generation. Another contribution of this thesis is the study of the effect that leading and trailing edge shapes of stack plates have on the performance of a thermoacoustic couple. In practice, typical parallel or rectangular section stack plates do not have perfectly square edges. The existing literature considers only rectangular or zero-thickness (1-D) plates. Hence a study was performed to evaluate the potential for gains in performance from the use of non-rectangular cross sections, such as rounded, aerofoil or bulbous shaped edges. Consideration of various types of stack plate edges show that performance improvements can be made from certain treatments to the stack plate tips or if possible, stack plate profiles. This thesis also considers the influence of thermophysical properties and phenomena associated with practical thermoacoustic devices to investigate the applicability of the numerical model to experimental outcomes. Comparisons made between results obtained using the numerical model, linear numerical formulations and experimental results suggest that the numerical model allows comparative study of various thermoacoustic systems for design purposes but is not yet of sufficient scope to fully characterise a realistic system and predict absolute levels of performance. However, the presented method of modelling thermoacoustic couples yields increased insight and detail of flow regimes and heat transportation over previous studies. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1316904 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Mechanical Engineering, 2008

This dissertation explored the associations between having experienced a major betrayal, forgiveness, and communication behaviors in married couples. The first aim of the current research was to compare the communication behaviors of couples who have experienced a major betrayal and are in various stages of the forgiveness process as delineated by Gordon, Baucom, and Snyder (2005) to couples who reported never having experienced a betrayal in their current relationship. The second aim of the study was to explore whether injured partners and their spouses behave differently when discussing the betrayal event than when they are conversing about a separate problem area in their relationship. 34 couples were observed having discussions about a problem area in their relationship and/or a betrayal event, and 3 undergraduate research assistants coded these interactions for the following communication behaviors: positive and negative affect, conflict, communication skills, positive and negative escalation, and validating and invalidating behaviors. The couples also reported their levels of forgiveness, marital satisfaction, and basic demographics. Analyses of Variance and Covariance (controlling for marital satisfaction) were used to explore hypotheses. Marital satisfaction was related to how injured partners communicate with their spouses. The injured partner’s level of forgiveness also was found to be related to how both partners communicate with each other regardless of discussion topic. Low levels of forgiveness were associated with less adaptive communication between spouses. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Thesis (M.A.)--Concordia University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-104).

The topic of this thesis is the sharing of resources in families. Equal sharing has often been taken for granted by policy makers as well as researchers. However, a considerable body of research has now shown that unequal sharing can and does occur in families. The aim of this thesis has been to study sharing in Swedish couples and the degree to which equality can be said to exist in these. The outcomes of sharing, i e partners’ access to money and consumption have been a major focus, as has the negotiations that take place regarding sharing. The processes and mechanisms that are at play in discussions and negotiations about sharing have also been a major focus. Money and consumption are in focus, however other resources such as leisure time and housework are also addressed. The studies are based on an in-depth interview study with ten Swedish couples where each spouse was interviewed separately; in addition, a survey study of Swedish couples is also utilized. The results of all of the four studies support earlier studies that show that unequal sharing in couples does in fact exist; women seem to experience less access to money and consumption more often than their partners. Several mechanisms were found to be at work shaping patterns of sharing. Pooling money was a common way of regarding the family economy, however it seemed this was not necessarily accompanied by an organization of money that facilitated pooling. Pooling was not necessarily a reflection of equal sharing as it is often assumed to be; instead, it could conceal inequality in that negotiations about sharing were kept off of the agenda. The gendered division of labor that still exists in Swedish society as well as in Swedish families means that women seem to have more knowledge of the needs of the family. This knowledge, which is often lacked by their spouses, also seems to mean that women take on the responsibility of seeing to it that ends are met. This could result in women sacrificing their own personal spending and using money meant for themselves as an economic buffer for the benefit of the family, something that was not found regarding men. In addition, details of the system of financial management used can sometimes act as an obstacle for women’s job of making ends meet and for their personal spending. Another important aspect of sharing in families is how money is defined. Different money can be defined differently and its definition will influence how it is shared and used. The continuous re-defining of money that takes place in families means that money’s meaning can change over time. Money was found to be relational; how it is understood and defined is influenced by its social context; how it is used can also give meaning to actions and influence the balance of power in couples. Several of the studies found support for the resource theory of marital power, however this alone could not explain women’s poorer access to money and consumption. Cultural aspects such as notions about gender and family must also be considered.

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate recovery in the relationshipbetween couples following an acute myocardial infarction [AMI]. An additionalaim was to compare differences over time regarding hope and health‐relatedquality of life [HRQoL] for both patient and partner. The thesis is based on fourempirical studies (I‐IV), and has a longitudinal design employing both qualitativeand quantitative methods. A purposive sample was recruited comprising 15couples in which one partner had been diagnosed with an AMI. Study I wascarried out as individual tape‐recorded interviews aimed at describing thepatient´s and their partner´s experiences after hospital discharge. Study II alsoused individual tape‐recorded interviews, this time with the aim of describing andinterpreting the couple´s thoughts and expectations about their future life after thepatients’ discharge. Study III used the HHI‐S and SF‐36 measures to comparechanges over time in self‐rated hope and health‐related quality of life, anddifferences between patients’ ratings and their partner´s. Study IV used repeatedindividual tape‐recorded interviews with the aim of interpreting the couples´narratives about their relationship and daily life. The data were analysed andinterpreted using a number of qualitative content analysis methods (I, II, IV) anddescriptive and comparative statistics (III).Overall, the couples´ recovery from an AMI in the two years after an AMI consisted of a striving to reach some kind of balance and stability in their currentlife situation. The period after discharge from the hospital involved understandingthe importance of the home as a place in which one feels at home and which bringsa feeling of safety, experiencing the phenomenon of security and being at homewithin oneself, and seeking normalisation in returning to an ordinary life (I). Thecouples´ thoughts about their future lives were either optimistic, taking an activeapproach, or pessimistic, taking a wait‐and‐see approach. The couples could bedivided into four positions in terms of their visions of the future: life companions,who were in concordance regarding their future; tightrope walkers, who had incommon a need to reprioritise what they considered important in their future;pathfinders, who had in common an undefined vision of their future and observers, who saw their future including both physical as well as sociallimitations (II). Self‐rated hope and HRQoL both improved over time, but few ofthese improvements were statistically significant, and I found no statistically groupeffects. Estimation of the MDC index revealed that neither HHI‐S nor SF‐36measures stable traits (III). Finally, the repeated interviews revealed how thecouples viewed their daily life, mutual relationships and roles in their relationshipVIIover time. There was an abundant variation in a number of the couples´ storiesabout their relationship and daily life during the recovery period (IV).In conclusion, it is clear that what happen to one party in a relationship influencesthe other party. The couples in the studies showed improvements in both hope andhealth‐related quality of life over time. The HHI‐S and SF‐36 measures seemed tobe sensitive to and affected by the current situation. Going through an AMI is alife‐changing event that makes it necessary for the couple to make adjustments andadapt to their new situation. Different couples have different approaches tohandling this situation; no two couples are the same, and every couple willperceive and deal with the AMI differently. An AMI starts a process of transition,and over time a couple affected by AMI will undergo external as well as internal changes. / Avhandlingens övergripande syfte var att undersöka återhämtning i parrelation efter hjärtinfarkt. Ett ytterligare syfte var att jämföra skillnader avseende hopp och hälsorelaterad livskvalitet över tid men också emellan patienter och deras partners.Avhandlingen baseras på fyra delstudier (I‐IV), och har en longitudinal designmed både kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder. Ett ändamålsenligt urval av 15 par rekryterades där en i parrelationen diagnostiserats med akut hjärtinfarkt. DelstudieI genomfördes med individuella bandinspelade intervjuer med syfte att beskrivapatienter och deras partners erfarenheter efter utskrivning från sjukhus eftergenomgången hjärtinfarkt. Delstudie II använde också individuella bandinspelade intervjuer, den här gången med syfte att beskriva och tolka parens tankar ochförväntningar kring deras framtid efter att patienten skrivits ut från sjukhus.Delstudie III använde instrumenten HHI‐S och SF‐36 för att jämföra skillnader av självskattat hopp och hälsorelaterad livskvalitet över tid och emellan patienter och deras partners. Delstudie IV använde upprepade bandinspelade intervjuer medsyfte att tolka parens berättelser kring deras relation och det dagliga livet. Data haranalyserats och tolkats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys på olika sätt (I,II,IV) ochmed såväl deskriptiv som jämförande statistik (III).Avhandlingen visar att parens återhämtning efter hjärtinfarkt under en period avtvå år omfattar en strävan efter att uppnå någon form av balans och stabilitet i denrådande livssituationen. Perioden efter utskrivning från sjukhus innebar enförståelse för hur viktigt hemmet är som plats för att känna sig hemma eller för att skapa en känsla av trygghet samt erfarenheter av fenomenet trygghet och attkänna sig hemma i sig själv. Slutligen sökte paren efter normalisering för att återkomma till det vanliga livet (I). Parens tankar kring deras framtid var antingenoptimistisk, en aktiv inställning, eller pessimistisk, en vänta ‐ och ‐ se inställning.Paren kunde också grupperas i fyra positioner som beskrev deras visioner omframtiden. De som kallades livskamrater syntes vara i samklang vad gällde återhämtning, balanskonstnärerna hade gemensamt ett behov av att omprioriter a vad som var viktigt för framtiden, de som var gemensamt för de som kallades stigfinnare var deras odefinierade/oklara bild av framtiden och slutligenobservatörerna såg sin framtid omfatta såväl fysiska som sociala begränsningar(II). Både självrapporterat hopp och hälsorelaterad livskvalitet förbättrades övertid, men få av dem var statistiskt signifikanta och inga statistiska gruppeffekterhittades. Beräkning av MDC index visade att varken HHI‐S eller SF‐36 mäterstabila dimensioner (III). Slutligen visade de upprepade intervjuerna hur paren sågpå dagligt liv, den inbördes relationen och roller i relationen över tid. Det fanns enIXrikedom av variationer i parens berättelser om deras relation och det dagliga livetunder återhämtningsprocessen (IV).Till sist framträder det klart att det som händer den ene i relationen fårkonsekvenser för den andre. Paren i studierna visade på att det skeddeförbättringar vad gäller både hopp och hälsorelaterad livskvalitet över tid. BådeHHI‐S och SF‐36 är instrument som synes vara känsliga för och påverkade av denrådande situationen. Att gå igenom en hjärtinfarkt är en livsavgörande händelsesom fodrar att paren ställer in sig på och gör anpassningar till en ny situation.Paren har dock olika sätt att handskas med den nya situationen och det finns intetvå par som är lika, och inte heller uppfattar och hanterar de hjärtinfarkten i vardagen och i relationen på samma sätt. En hjärtinfarkt startar en transitionsprocess och över tid genomgår paren såväl yttre som inre förändringar.

An estimated 5.4 million individuals in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease, and the number is expected to rise exponentially over the next 50 years. Content analysis was used to examine the availability and content of online resources accessible through the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) that addressed emotional and physical intimacy for a marital unit. The analysis resulted in ten documents from the Alzheimer’s Association’s website, seven from the NIA’s website, and four additional documents produced from external links that met these criteria. Five major themes emerged from these documents regarding the subject of emotional and physical intimacy. These categories included: (a) defining sexuality and intimacy, (b) changes that occur in the relationship due to a dementia diagnosis, (c) reasons for the change in the relationship, (d) responses to a dementia diagnosis, and (e) strategies for managing the changes due to a dementia diagnosis.

This qualitative study was conducted to investigate how subordination and superiority emerges in the interaction between heterosexual couples between 20 to 30 years old, without children. Eight semi-structured interviews with four couples have been conducted to provide insight into how subordination and superiority is made in the interaction between the cohabiting couples. All interviews were transcribed and then manually categorized along specific main themes and sub themes. The empirical data were then assayed by a hermeneutic interpretation.   Three previous studies have formed the basis for this study, Det kallas kärlek by Carin Holmberg, the anthology, Jämställdhetens pris and Familjer i tiden by Christine Roman and Helen Peterson. The theoretical framework consists symbolic interactionism, and especially the concept of asymmetrical role-taking and also doing gender. By using these theories, we can gain knowledge about the interaction between the pairs. We have also enlisted the aid of the theory doing gender to gain an understanding of how household distribution of the pairs look like.   The analysis of the empirical material showed that the majority of the women were the initiator in the relationship, with regard to housework and leisure. It was also in the female and male informants' statements that the primary responsibility for the division in terms of housework was on the women. In this way, one can, using the theory of asymmetric role- taking, identify the subordination of the woman in the relationship.

Introduction: Cancer survivors continue to experience psychological distress and challenges in their daily lives long after the completion of treatment. Caregivers play a pivotal role in the lives of cancer survivors by providing support in various domains of their lives. The cancer experience between support persons and cancer survivors is intertwined. The interdependence theory will serve as a theoretical framework to guide the purposes of this study. Objective:The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of unmet needs of caregivers supporting long-term cancer survivors and explore how fulfilling the needs of caregivers influenced the psychological well-being of cancer survivors. Specifically, an emphasis was placed on exploring the level of dependence present in marital relationships, and how this impacted the relationship between caregiver unmet needs and the psychological outcomes of cancer survivors. Method: Data was drawn from The Cancer Support Persons’ Unmet Needs Survey (SPUNS) (Campbell et al., 2009) and The Cancer Survivors’ Unmet Needs Survey (SUNS) (Campbell et al., 2009). Regression models tested for significant interactions between caregiver unmet needs and factors influencing survivor dependence with psychological distress in cancer survivors. Results: Findings revealed main effects between caregivers’ depression, anxiety, and stress with the respective psychological outcomes in cancer survivors. Caregivers’ concerns about the future predicted elevated depression in cancer survivors. Caregivers with needs pertaining to information or emotions predicted higher anxiety in cancer survivors. Information needs, future concerns, and health care access and continuity needs of caregivers predicted higher survivor stress. Conversely, work and financial needs of caregivers predicted lower depression, anxiety and stress in cancer survivors. Significant interactions were found for caregivers’ concerns about the future by recurrence of diagnosis with decreased survivor anxiety, health care needs of support persons by recurrence of illness with increased survivor anxiety, caregivers’ personal needs by severity of illness with higher survivor anxiety, support persons’ emotional needs by severity of illness with lower survivor anxiety, caregivers’ emotional needs by severity of illness and decreased survivor stress, and finally, support persons’ health care needs by severity of illness with higher survivor stress. Conclusion: Findings did not fully support the hypotheses of this present study. Nonetheless, the significant results revealed in the findings would be useful to generate alternative hypotheses in future studies regarding interdependence, unmet needs and psychological well-being. The findings for the present study will also provide direction towards improvement in treating caregivers and cancer patients as a conglomerate, and inform programs, services and policies in cancer care.

Texte remanié de: Thèse de doctorat--Faculté de droit--Université de Fribourg, 2005.

This thesis used attachment theory and the common sense model of illness as theoretical backgrounds to examine the mechanisms that contribute to the quality of the support seeking behaviour and social interactions between patients with type 2 diabetes and their partners. Specifically, this thesis examined actor and spouse effects of working models of attachment on health outcomes, and illness perceptions on health outcomes for both patients and partners. Furthermore, it determined if support seeking, supportive interactions, and negative interactions mediated between the attachment and health outcomes and illness perception and health outcomes. At study entry, 70 patients with type 2 diabetes and their partners completed measures on attachment, illness perceptions, support seeking, receipt of supportive interactions and of negative interactions, satisfaction with support received, and health outcomes. Health outcomes included psychological distress and physical health for patients and partners, and diabetes well-being for patients only. Six months later, participants again completed measures on supportive and negative interactions, satisfaction with support received, and health outcomes. The data were examined both cross-sectionally (including mediational analyses) and longitudinally. The cross-sectional analyses revealed a number of actor and spouse effects in the relationships between attachment and health outcomes, and illness perceptions and health outcomes. Patients who scored higher on attachment-anxiety experienced higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of diabetes well-being. Also, the partners of these patients experienced higher levels of psychological well-being. Furthermore, covert support seeking behaviour and negative interactions were found to be significant mediators between patient attachment-anxiety and patient psychological distress and diabetes well-being. In addition, support satisfaction mediated the relationship between patient attachment-anxiety and patient psychological distress. Illness perceptions, specifically timeline cyclical perceptions, were also shown to be related to health outcomes, and receipt of negative interactions. Patients and partners who scored higher on timeline cyclical experienced higher levels of psychological distress. Also receipt of negative interactions mediated the relationship between timeline cyclical and psychological distress. Some significant changes over time found when the data were examined longitudinally. For example, patients who scored higher on attachment-anxiety at study entry experienced higher levels of psychological distress over time, and had a partner who also experienced higher levels of psychological distress over time. In addition, partners who scored higher on personal control and who had a spouse (patient) who scored higher on timeline cyclical at study entry experienced higher levels of psychological distress overt time. Taken together, both the cross-sectional and longitudinal findings emphasize the contribution of the partner and his or her interactions with the patient to patient well-being. In the same manner, the results also highlight the effect of the patient’s illness on the partner’s well-being. These findings have important practical implications, especially for practitioners who aim to design intervention to help patients and their partners better adapt to the patient’s illness.