Bakgrund: Kvinnor i fertil ålder drabbas i olika omfattning av premenstruella besvär i form av fysiska och psykiska symtom under perioden mellan ägglossning och mens. Forskning visar att menstruationsrelaterade frågor är underrepresenterade och det förekommer negativa uppfattningar om den menstruerande och premenstruerande kvinnan som svag och sjuk. ​​Sjuksköterskan har ett ansvar att bedriva en vård som främjar hälsa och lindrar lidande. Ökad kunskap och förståelse för erfarenheter av att leva med premenstruella besvär kan bidra till att sjuksköterskan kan vara ett bättre stöd för dessa kvinnor.  Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva kvinnors erfarenheter av premenstruella besvär​.   Metod: En allmän litteraturöversikt har gjorts med tio vetenskapliga artiklar hämtade från databaserna CINAHL och PubMed. Nio artiklar var kvalitativa och en artikel var mixad metod.  Resultat: ​I resultatet identifierades tre huvudteman: Påverkan på kvinnors vardag och arbetsliv till följd av premenstruella besvär, Hur kvinnor hanterar premenstruella besvär, Kvinnors erfarenheter av bemötande och attityder kring premenstruella besvär varav sista temat har två subteman: Bemötande från vården och Mäns och samhällets attityd.​  Slutsats: Kvinnors erfarenheter av premenstruella besvär påverkade dem såväl fysiskt som psykiskt och hade en inverkan på både vardag- och arbetsliv. Kvinnor upplevde att samhällets syn och mäns attityd kring premenstruella besvär var negativ och att det saknades kunskap och förståelse inom vården. Det framkom olika sätt att hantera sina besvär på och många sökte stöd och förståelse hos andra kvinnor. Erfarenheterna som beskrevs av kvinnorna kan ge sjuksköterskan kunskap och vara en bra grund för hur hon ska ge stöd och bemöta kvinnor med premenstruella besvär. / Background: ​Women in fertile age describe varying degrees of premenstrual discomfort in the form of physical and psychological symptoms during the period between ovulation and menstruation. Research shows that menstruation-related issues are underrepresented in general and there are negative perceptions of the menstruating and premenstruating woman as being weak and sick. The nurse has a responsibility to provide care that promotes health and alleviates suffering. Increased knowledge and understanding the experience of living with premenstrual discomfort can contribute to the nurse being better able to support these women.​  Aim: The aim was to describe women´s experiences of premenstrual discomfort​.  Method: A general literature review has been made with ten scientific articles taken from the databases CINAHL and PubMed. Nine articles were qualitative and one article was mixed method.​  Results: In the result three main themes were identified: Impact on women's private and professional lives as a result of premenstrual discomfort, How women deal with premenstrual discomfort, Women's experiences of treatment and attitudes around premenstrual discomfort, the last theme of which has two subthemes: Treatment from health care and Men's and society's attitude.  Conclusion: Women's experiences of premenstrual discomfort affected them both physically and psychologically and had an impact on both their private and professional lives. Women felt that society's view and men's attitude towards premenstrual discomfort were negative and that there was a lack of knowledge and understanding in healthcare. Different ways of dealing with their premenstrual discomfort emerged and many sought support and understanding from other women. The experiences described by the women can give the nurse knowledge and be a good basis for how the nurse should provide support and respond to women with premenstrual discomfort.

Customers uses both offline and online channels before the final purchase, retailers that are operating and selling their products both online and offline can benefit from aligning the experiences on their channels by using an omni-channel strategy. The smartphone is becoming a natural part of our day-to-day life and keeping us connected, also when visiting abrick and mortar retailers. Mobile technology therefore possesses the opportunity to integrate in-store experience with the online world for creating value for customers. But many retailers are struggling in their integration efforts towards an omni-channel strategy due toall the possible technologies to invest. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the acceptance of mobile technologies in a brick and mortar retail setting, the chosen technologies are beacons and augmented reality.This research investigated the mediating effect of the four technology readiness dimensions:optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity, on the constructs of the technology acceptance model: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The research was carried out with a positivist research philosophy, inductive approach and lastly with an explanatory research design including a quantitative method. The data was collected through a survey, which got answered by 224 participants. The data was further statistically analyzed. The result showed that several of the dimensions of technology readiness had a significant effect on the constructs of technology acceptance model, especially the dimension: optimism. Thus, retailers that wants to introduce mobile technology into their stores should put emphasis on customizing their offerings towards the customers’ different level of technology readiness, especially optimism.

Thermal comfort in an indoor environment is largely dependent on the four environmental and two personal parameters which is most commonly measured by the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) model developed by Fanger. It has been studied that variations in these parameters beyond a range could lead to discomfort complaints. However, little research has been done on the effect of mean radiant temperature variations and its influence on predicted mean vote and thermal comfort specially in an actual building environment. This study aims to investigate the relationship between mean radiant temperature and predicted mean vote in indoor environment. Using the methods of on-site measurement of indoor environmental parameters and subjective votes on thermal sensation in an educational building; it was found that rise in mean radiant temperature lead to rise in PMV value and discomfort vote amongst occupants seated near glazed façade. A very strong positive correlation was found between mean radiant temperature and PMV near the window side of the room under warm and sunny weather conditions. Analysis of indoor environmental data from the several measurement sessions concluded that rise in mean radiant temperature and PMV was not noticed until there was a direct solar transmission through the window. It is advisable to use solar shading on windows, but special consideration should be given to the trade-offs between energy consumption (heating or cooling) and lighting energy consumption. No conclusions could be made in terms of ankle draft discomfort due to experimental limitations and more research would be required to investigate this phenomenon. / Termisk komfort inomhusmiljö är till stor del beroende av de fyra miljö och två personlig parametrar som oftast mäts av Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) modell som utvecklats av Fanger. Det har studerats att variationer i dessa parametrar utanför en limit kan leda till missnöjeklagomål. Däremot har lite forskning gjorts på effekten av mean radiant tempratur och dess inverkan på predicted mean vote och termisk komfort speciellt i en verklig byggnadsmiljö. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka sambandet mellan mean radiant tempratur och predicted mean vote i inomhusmiljö. Användning mätmetoderna av inomhusmiljöparametrar och subjektiva röster av termisk komfort uppfattning i en byggnad för utbildning; det konstaterades att stiga i medel leda mean radiant tempratur att stiga i predicted mean vote värde och missnöje rösta bland byggnad brukarna sitter nära glasfasaden. En väldigt positiv korrelation mellan men radiant tempratur och predicted mean vote nära en fönstersida under varma och soliga väder var noterat. Genom att analysera data av inomhusmiljön från de multipla mätningssessionerna konkluderat att ökningen i mean radiant tempratur och predicted mean vote inte märktes tills det fanns en direkt soltransmission genom fönstret. Det är rekommenderar att använda solskydd på fönster, men med tanke på kompromisser mellan energiförbrukning (värme eller kyla) och ljussättning konsumtion.   Inga slutsatser kan göras om luftdrag på fotled grund av experimentella begränsningar och mer forskning skulle krävas för att undersöka detta fenomen.

Bakgrund och problem: Under de senaste decennierna har andelen immateriella tillgångar i företagens balansräkningar ökat markant. Det har dock inte skett någon väsentlig förändring i den internationella standarden IAS 38, som fastställer principer för redovisning av immateriella tillgångar. Detta har skapat osäkerhet och utmaningar i tillämpningen av standarden och har blivit kärnan i det som nu kallas "2000-talets redovisningsutmaning". Tidigare studier har funnit att företag med en hög andel immateriella tillgångar också betalar högre revisionsarvoden, vilket kan hänföras till att revisorer upplever obehag vid revision av dessa tillgångar på grund av olika risker förknippade med dem. Det är dock relativt outforskat vilket eller vilka specifika obehag som svenska revisorer upplever och hur de eliminerar dem för att uppnå ett tillstånd av komfort. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra till fördjupad kunskap om revisorns bedömning av immateriella tillgångar. Ur detta syfte kommer det att ligga fokuspå hur komfort skapas och uppnås samt vad som eventuellt skapar en känsla av obehag och hur detta kan elimineras. Metod: Denna studie har genomförts med kvalitativ metod och innefattar en deduktiv forskningsansats där empirin har samlats in genom semi strukturerade intervjuer med åtta auktoriserade revisorer på svenska revisionsbyråer. Slutsats: Studien påvisar att en revisors erfarenhet och längden på karriären inte är tillräckligt för att eliminera de obehag som finns vid bedömningen av immateriella tillgångar. Resultaten tyder på att revisorer upplever olika typer av obehag i varje fas av revisionsprocessen och är beroende av andra aktörer för att kunna eliminera obehagen och uppnå ett stadie av komfort. Det är framför allt tre aktörer som är av stor vikt för att bidra till skapandet av komfort och dessa är en överordnad person inom revisionsbyrån, ekonomichefen på det reviderade företaget och specialister. / Background and problem: During the past decades, the proportion of intangible assets has significantly increased on companies' balance sheets. At the same time, there hasn't been any significant change in the international standard IAS 38, which establishes principles for the accounting of intangible assets. This has created uncertainty and challenges in the application of the standard and has become the core of what is known as the '21st-century accounting challenge.' Previous studies have found that companies with a high proportion of intangible assets also pay higher audit fees, which can be explained by auditors experiencing discomfort in auditing these assets due to various risks associated with them. However, it is relatively unexplored what specific discomfort Swedish auditors experience and how they eliminate them to achieve a state of comfort. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the auditor's assessment of intangible assets. Within this purpose, the focus will be on how comfort is created and achieved, as well as what potentially creates asense of discomfort and how it can be eliminated. Method: This study has been conducted using a qualitative method and involves a deductive research approach, where data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with eight certified auditors from Swedish auditing firms. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that an auditor's experience and length of career are not sufficient to eliminate the discomfort associated with the assessment of intangible assets. The results suggest that auditors experience different types of discomfort in each phase of the audit process and rely on other actors to eliminate the discomfort and achieve a state of comfort. Three actors, in particular, are crucial in contributing to the creation of comfort, namely a superior within the auditing firm, the chief financial officer of the audited company and specialists.

Smart metering and precise measurement of energy consumption levels have brought more detailed information and interest on the actual load profile of a house which continues to improve consumer-retailer relationships. Participation in demand response (DR) programs is one of these relationships but studies have shown that there are considerable impacts resulting to some level of discomfort on consumers as they aim to follow a suggested load profile. This research therefore investigates the impact on consumers while participating in DR programs by evaluating various perspectives that includes:  Modelling the causes discomfort during participation in DR programs;  Evaluation of user participation capabilities in DR programs;  Identification of schedulable and non-schedulable loads and opportunities;  Application of load scheduling mechanism which caters for specific user concerns.  Investigation towards ensuring a secure and robust system design. The key source of information that enhances this work is obtained from data on historical user behavior which can be stored within a smart controller installed in the home and optimised using genetic algorithm implemented on MATLAB. Results show that user participation in DR programs can be improved and effectively managed if the challenges facing home owners are adequately understood. This is the key contribution of this work whereby load schedules created are specifically tailored to meet the need of the users hence minimizing the impact of discomfort experienced due to participation in DR programs. Finally as part of the test for robustness of the system design in order to prevent or minimize the impact of any event of a successful cyber-attack on the load or price profiles, this work includes means to managing any such attacks thereby mitigating the impact of such attacks on users who participate in demand response programs. Solutions to these attacks are also proffered with the aim of increasing robustness of the grid by being sufficiently proactive.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to overexertion and consequently the low back pain (LBP) are one of the most prevalent sources of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in all over the world. In the past several years, the industrial exoskeletons especially the passive ones have been proposed as alternative intervention and assistive devices, which are capable of reducing the risk of WMSDs and LBP. However, more research is warranted to validate the applicability of these exoskeletons. In addition, because the majority of previous studies have been limited to specific lifting tasks using only one type of lift assistive exoskeleton, more research is needed to examine the effect of alteration of different lift-assistive exoskeletons on reducing the activity of back muscles and metabolic reduction. The main objective of this dissertation is to render an overview of three studies that attempt to improve the literature by providing comprehensive biomechanical evaluations and metabolic assessments of three passive lift-assistive exoskeletons (VT-Lowe's Exoskeleton (developed in ARLab at VT), Laevo and SuitX). This dissertation has been composed of three related studies. The first study aimed to investigate and examine the capability of a novel lift assistive exoskeleton, VT-Lowe's exoskeleton, in reducing the peak and mean activity of back and leg muscles. Findings revealed that the exoskeleton significantly decreased the peak and mean activity of back muscles (IL(iliocostalis lumborum) and LT(longissimus thoracis)) by 31.5% and 29.3% respectively for symmetric lifts, and by 28.2% and 29.5% respectively for asymmetric lifts. Furthermore, the peak and mean EMG of leg muscles were significantly reduced by 19.1% and 14.1% during symmetric lifts, and 17.4% and 14.6% during asymmetric lifts. Interestingly, the VT-Lowe's exoskeleton showed higher reduction in activity of back and leg muscles compared to other passive lift-assistive exoskeletons available in the literatures. In the second study, the metabolic cost reduction associated with the use of VT-Lowe's exoskeleton during freestyle lifting was theoretically modelled, validated and corresponding metabolic savings were reported. The metabolic cost and the oxygen consumption results supported the hypothesis that the VT-Lowe's exoskeleton could significantly reduce the metabolic demands (~7.9% on average) and oxygen uptake (~8.7% on average) during freestyle lifting. Additionally, we presented a prediction model for the metabolic cost of exoskeleton during repetitive freestyle lifting tasks. The prediction models were very accurate as the absolute prediction errors were small for both 0% (< 1.4%) and 20% (< 0.7%) of body weight. In the third study, the biomechanical evaluation, energy expenditure and subjective assessments of two passive back-support exoskeletons (Laevo and SuitX) were examined in the context of repetitive lifting tasks. The experimental lifting tasks in this study were simulated in a laboratory environment for two different levels of lifting symmetry (symmetric vs. asymmetric) and lifting posture (standing vs. kneeling). Results of this study demonstrated that using both exoskeletons during dynamic lifting tasks could significantly lower the peak activity of trunk extensor muscles by ~10-28%. In addition, using both exoskeletons could save the energy expenditure by ~4-13% in all conditions tested by partially offsetting the weight of the torso. Such reductions were, though, task-dependent and differed between the two tested exoskeletons. Overall, the results of all three studies in this dissertation showed the capability of passive lift-assistive exoskeletons in reducing the activity of back and leg muscles and providing metabolic savings during repetitive lifting tasks. / Doctor of Philosophy / Low back pain (LBP) due to overexertion is known as one of the most important sources of nonfatal occupational injuries especially for the workers or manual material handlers who are involved in frequent or repetitive lifting tasks. Every year, many workers are temporarily or permanently disabled due to overuse injuries at workplace. In the past several years, industrial exoskeletons have gained growing interest among biomechanist, roboticist, and other human factor researchers as potential assistive devices to reduce the risk of LBP. In general, the industrial exoskeletons are either “passive or “active”; Active exoskeletons are powered by mechanical/electrical motors and actuators, however, the passive exoskeletons often work using cheaper devices such as gas or metal springs, elastic elements, etc. The exoskeletons discussed in this dissertation are categorized as passive rigid lower-back exoskeletons and they function by storing energy in a spring when the wearer bends and returning the stored energy when the wearer lifts. This dissertation consists of three studies that attempt to provide comprehensive biomechanical evaluations and metabolic assessments of three passive lift-assistive exoskeletons (i.e., VT-Lowe’s Exoskeleton, Laevo and SuitX). The first study examined the efficacy of a novel lift-assistive exoskeleton, VT-Lowe’s exoskeleton, in reducing the peak and mean activity of back and leg muscles. The results of this study demonstrated that the exoskeleton reduced the peak and mean activity of back and leg muscles for symmetric and asymmetric lifting tasks. VT-Lowe’s exoskeleton also showed higher reduction in activity of back muscles compared to other passive lift-assistive exoskeletons available in the literature. In the second study, the metabolic cost reduction with VT-Lowe’s exoskeleton was theoretically modeled and the modeling outcomes were compared to metabolic costs measurements when the exoskeleton was worn. The experimental findings of this study supported the applicability of the exoskeleton by significantly reducing the metabolic cost and oxygen uptake during the freestyle repetitive lifting tasks. Moreover, the prediction metabolic cost model of the exoskeleton showed high accuracy as the absolute prediction errors were within 1.5%. In the third study, the biomechanical evaluation, energy expenditure and subjective assessments of two passive back-support exoskeletons (Laevo and SuitX) were examined in repetitive lifting tasks. The lifting tasks of this study were simulated in a laboratory environment for two different levels of lifting symmetry (symmetric vs. asymmetric) and lifting posture (standing vs. kneeling). Findings of this study showed that both exoskeleton significantly lowered the peak activity of back muscles during the dynamic lifting tasks. Moreover, using both exoskeletons provided metabolic cost savings in all of the studies conditions. Overall, results obtained from the three studies in this dissertation verified the capability of these passive lift- vi assistive exoskeleton in reducing the activity of back and leg muscles and providing the metabolic savings during repetitive lifting tasks.

Abstrakt Bakgrund: Idag är bröstcancer en av de vanligaste cancerorsakerna för kvinnor i västvärlden. Diagnostisering för att upptäcka patologi i bröstvävnad sker vanligtvis genom röntgenbildtagning av brösten, antingen genom ett nationellt screeningprogram eller genom att patienten själv väljer att besöka en mammografisk mottagning. Proceduren för att ta bröstbilder kan upplevas smärtsam eller obehaglig och flertalet tekniker för att minska dessa obehagskänslor har genom åren framkommit, däribland patientassisterad bröstkompression. Erfarenheter från praktik och arbete vid mammografiska enheter lyfte intresset av metoder som kunde minska patientens obehag, vilket föranledde denna litteraturstudie. Syfte: Att undersöka effekten av patientassisterad bröstkompression vid mammografiska undersökningar på upplevelsen av smärta, obehag och nöjdhet jämfört med traditionell bröstkompression. Metod: Kvantitativ litteraturstudie med bas i åtta studier framtagna från databaserna PubMed och Cinahl.Resultat: Obetydlig effekt på smärtupplevelsen men fördelaktigt resultat på lindring av obehagskänslor och större patientnöjdhet jämfört med vanlig mammografisk bröstkompression. Konklusion: Resultatet tyder på att patientassisterad bröstkompression i mammografisk miljö kan minska upplevelsen av obehag som är associerat med mammografiska undersökningar och bidra till större patientnöjdhet och patientautonomi i enlighet med svensk vårddoktrin.  Nyckelord: PAC, radiografi, smärta, mammografi, obehag, nöjdhet, bröstkompression, patientassisterad, litteraturöversikt / Abstract Background: Today, breast cancer is one of the leading forms of cancer for women in the western world. Mammograms, x-ray pictures of the breast, are usually taken to diagnose pathologies in breast tissue either through a national screening programme, or by remittance from a physician due to patient symptoms. The experience of taking mammographic images are often viewed as painful or uncomfortable and methods to alleviate such feelings have been developed, such as patient-assisted compression. Experiences from work and internship at mammography units gave rise to an interest in methods to decrease patient discomfort, which prompted this particular literature study. Objective: To examine the effect of patient-assisted compression on the patient experience of pain, discomfort and satisfaction compared to traditional breast compression in mammography. Method: Quantitative literature study with basis in eight articles from the PubMed and Cinahl databases. Results: The results show no definitive effect of patient-assisted compression on the patients experience of pain, although there is a favorable result on the experience of discomfort and patient satisfaction compared to traditional breast compression. Conclusion: The result points towards positive effects on lowering patient discomfort and improving patient satisfaction during mammographic breast compressions, and has potential to enhance patient autonomy in accordance with Swedish healthcare doctrine. Keywords: PAC, radiography, pain, mammography, discomfort, satisfaction, compression, patient-assisted, literature review

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The profession of general intensive care nurse is specific in its high demands on physical, technical, ethical and mental abilities of each individual. The thesis focusses on the mental stress of the nurse, analyses potentially high-risk professional situations the nurse encounters and proposes methods for their management. The topic of mental stress and its handling has, and will, have important impact on the field. The goal of the thesis is to map the psychologically challenging situations that all of the 129 nurses approached in a smaller local medical facility considered as difficult to handle and thus have impact on their ability to cope with a demanding job. The situations are defined and evaluated using predefined hypotheses. The results of an anonymous quantitative questionnaire clearly show that the largest levels of stress and discomfort are caused by situations which are "directly connected to medical care provided by the general intensive care and accident and emergency nurse". The least discomfort is perceived in situations described as "indirectly connected to intensive care / A&E nurse duties", such as irregular working patterns and work during public holidays. The results are presented in a graphical form. We conclude by observing that unlike large-scales studies that commonly...

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal