The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between noncognitive symptoms and premorbid temperament in a group with Alzheimer’s disease. The relationship between premorbid temperament and noncognitive symptoms can be used to understand symptom susceptibility and risk, caregiver burdens, as well as providing insights into the neuroanatomical substrates of temperament and noncognitive behaviour. Sixty-three primary caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria for this study. Information regarding the noncognitive symptoms and premorbid temperament was procured from the primary caregivers. In fifty-one cases, a secondary caregiver also provided information about the premorbid temperament of the Alzheimer’s patient. The latter was obtained to enhance the reliability of retrospective data. The Behaviour Rating Scale for Dementia, the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory, and the Blessed Dementia scale were used to elicit data on noncognitive symptomatology, premorbid temperament, and current cognitive status, respectively. ii Noncognitive symptoms were grouped into two clusters namely neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioural disturbances. The neuropsychiatric cluster included mood and psychotic symptoms and the neurobehavioural cluster included vegetative and overall behavioural dysregulatory symptoms. Results showed that there is a wide spectrum of noncognitive symptom manifestation in patients’ profiles and that the neurobehavioural dysregulatory symptoms are more common than the neuropsychiatric symptoms in this Alzheimer’s cohort. With regard to symptom manifestation and cognitive status, a Pearson product moment correlational analysis showed that a lower level of cognitive functioning is significantly associated with aggressive episodes and a higher level of cognitive functioning with manifestations of depressive symptoms. In terms of interrater concordance on premorbid temperament ratings, intraclass correlations were significant for five of the six temperament domains, thus indicating a reliable estimate of premorbid disposition. Canonical correlational analysis yielded two significant variates. The first variate indicated that Alzheimer’s disease patients with a proclivity for aggressive behaviours and general behavioural deregulation but lower depressive profiles, were premorbidly more emotionally reactive, had low sensory thresholds (high sensitivity), and greater cognitive deficit. The second variate showed that patients with Alzheimer’s disease who tended to manifest with depressive and dysregulatory behaviour appear to have been premorbidly perseverative in temperament with a low sensory threshold (high sensitivity) and the tendency to maintain and attain a low level of activity (stimulation). Taken together, the significant variates revealed a dimensional relationship between depressive symptoms, aggressive symptoms, and behavioural dysregulation; and sensory sensitivity, emotional reactivity, perseverance, and activity, with cognitive status serving as a moderating variable. In conclusion, the study indicated a dimensional relationship between specific premorbid temperament traits and noncognitive symptoms, thereby highlighting the possible predictive influence of premorbid temperament on noncognitive manifestations in Alzheimer’s disease patients. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Psychology / unrestricted

Acoustic instabilities in a combustion chamber arise due to the coupling of acoustic pressure with in-phase heat-release, and are characterized by large amplitude oscillations of one or more natural modes of combustor. Even though an array of studies, both theoretical and experimental, has been conducted by a number of authors in this field to extract the flame response, most of these are based on kinematic flame models. In this dissertation, an experimental study of a subsonic flame's intrinsic response to acoustic pressure perturbations is performed for the case of a tube closed at one end and the other end opened to the atmospheric conditions. Pressure fluctuations inside the tube are measured for hot and cold side flows, and their varying trend is explained. The frequencies obtained from Fourier transform analysis exhibit a strong dependence with the distance between the stabilized flame position and open end of the tube. For different values of flame position (xf ), the values of growth constant 's' are calculated from the pressure versus time data readings procured from acoustic pressure transducer and dominant frequencies are analyzed from windowed FFT of the same. The expression for obtaining response function from the measured pressure fluctuations has been derived from the 1-D linearized conservation equations. The undamped response function plot is obtained by adding the decay rates at different frequencies inside the tube to the corresponding growth rates. Finally, the effect of blockage of pre-mixed flow on the growth rates inside the tube and consequently, the flame response values, is studied by repeating the experiment with different types of flame holders. A large number of theoretical flame-response models have been developed in modern literature, and some of these models are compared with the experimentally obtained response. Suggestions are also cited in this study so as to account for the observed deviations in trends. This includes a revisit of the intrinsic flame model by incorporating the effect of flame-area perturbations, with the aid of analyzed steady flame images.

La guerre du Việt Nam mit la forêt au coeur des enjeux militaires. Nées des controverses sur lesconséquences environnementales des épandages d’herbicides, des hypothèses ont émergé sur les impacts decette pratique : différentiels selon les unités paysagères, aggravés par les perturbations anthropiques antérieureset postérieures à la guerre. Relevant de la biogéographie, l’analyse géohistorique confronte des sources souventdivergentes et privilégie les princeps pour reconstituer, à des dates clés, les paysages d’une province au coeurdu conflit. L’état actuel de partition en trois unités – plaine, collines et montagnes – révèle le lien entreperturbation et accessibilité. Circa 1954, les pratiques précoloniales et coloniales avaient déjà perturbé lesécosystèmes, de manière croissante des montagnes vers la plaine. Les impacts d’une guerre dirigée contre lemilieu furent directs et indirects. Après-guerre, ils furent aggravés par les pratiques civiles, qui bloquèrent lareconquête spontanée et provoquèrent déboisements et déforestations ; la pression s’accrut dans les collines etles montagnes, plus affectées par la guerre. Depuis circa 1990, les décisions politiques ont placé officiellementla forêt entre protection et développement mais elles se heurtent aux nécessités du développement économique.La reconquête, dirigée, accélérée par la plantation d’espèces à croissance rapide, est engagée dans dessylvosystèmes perturbés et épargnés par la guerre. Aujourd’hui, dans les trois unités paysagères, les zonesdéfoliées ne sont pas identifiables : cicatrisation, poursuite du recul des forêts surtout ont fait leur oeuvre.Restent visibles les géofaciès de cratères et les anciennes bases militaires américaines. La conjugaison desperturbations empêche l’identification du strict impact actuel de la guerre et relativise celui-ci ; plus affaiblissont les sylvosystèmes de la plaine qui, moins touchés, subissent une forte pression séculaire. / The Việt Nam war put the forest at the heart of military stakes. The controversies over the environmentalconsequences of herbicide spraying inspire the hypothesis that the impacts of this practice are differentialaccording to landscape units, worsened by the human disturbances prior to and after the war. Coming underbiogeography, the geohistorical analysis compares sources, that are often divergent, and favors primary ones toreconstruct, at key dates, the landscapes of a province at the heart of the conflict. The present state of partitioninto three units – plain, hills and mountains – reveals the link between disturbance and accessibility. Circa1954, the precolonial and colonial practices had already disturbed ecosystems increasingly from the mountainsto the plain. The impacts of a war against the environment were direct and indirect. In the post-war years, theywere worsened by the civilian practices, which inhibited spontaneous reforestation and provoked forestimpoverishment and deforestation; the pressure increased in the hills and mountains, which were more affectedby the war. Since circa 1990, the political decisions have officially put the forest between protection anddevelopment but they come up against the necessities of economic development. Managed, accelerated by theplantation of fast-growing species, the reforestation is started in some sylvosystems, that were disturbed orspared by the war. Today, in the three landscape units, the defoliated areas are not identifiable because ofhealing and, above all, continuation of forest decline. Geofacies of craters and former American military basesremain visible. The combination of disturbances prevents from identifying the strict present impact of the warand puts this one into perspective; more weakened are the plain sylvosystems, which were less hit but suffer astrong secular pressure.

Bakgrund: Sömnstörningar är ett vanligt fenomen hos personer med demenssjukdom. Störningarna yttrar sig ofta genom upplevd trötthet under dagtid och osammanhängande sömn under natten. Sömnen är betydelsefull för återhämtningen och bidrar till en ökad livskvalitet.  Problem: Personer med demenssjukdom lider ofta av flera symtom som kan förvärras vid sömnbrist. Omvårdnadsåtgärder som sjuksköterskan kan använda för att främja sömnen för personer med demenssjukdom är bristande och behöver tydliggöras samt lyftas fram. Syfte: Syftet är att skapa en översikt av omvårdnadsåtgärder för att främja sömnen hos personer med demenssjukdom. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med kvalitativa-, mixade- samt kvantitativa artiklar. Resultat: Resultatet visade flera olika omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan tillämpas vid sömnstörningar för att främja sömnen hos personer med demenssjukdom. De olika kategorierna som presenteras under resultatet är: Miljöns betydelse, kvalitetssäkra rutiner för sömn och vikten av beröring. Slutsats: Några generella slutsatser kunde inte dras då evidensen för omvårdnadsåtgärderna är låg och kräver mer forskning. Sömnen kunde dock främjas genom de omvårdnadsåtgärder som presenteras i resultatet. / Background: Sleep disorders are a common phenomenon in people with dementia. The disorders are often manifested by perceived fatigue during the day and incoherent sleep during the night. Sleep is important for recovery and contributes to an increased quality of life. Problem: People with dementia can suffer from several symptoms that can be worsened by a lack of sleep. Nursing interventions that can be used to promote sleep in people with dementia are deficient therefore, they need to be clarified and highlighted. Aim: The aim is to create an overview of nursing measures to promote sleep in people with dementia. Method: A literature review with qualitative-, mixed-and quantitative articles. Results: The results showed several different nursing interventions that can be applied in sleep disorders to promote sleep in people with dementia. The importance of the environment, quality-assured routines for sleep and the importance of touch. Conclusion: No general conclusions could be drawn as the evidence for nursing measures is low and needs more research. However, sleep could be promoted through the nursing measures presented in the development.

Alterations in self-experience is a relatively omitted topic in czech literature. For that reason, the following diploma thesis deals with this issue, in relation to unipolar depression and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The thesis is divided into two parts - theoretical and practical part of the research. Each chapter of the theoretical part summarizes the crucial information about schizophrenia and other disorders from schizophrenia spectrum that later appears in the research sample - as well as depression. The chapter describes symptomatology, diagnostics, epidemiology, etiopathogenesis and the treatment of the abovementioned disorders. Hereafter, the subject of alterations in self-experience is introduced and the two main phenomenologically oriented approaches to this phenomena. After that, the concrete manifestations of alterations in self-experience in schizophrenic disorders and depression are outlined. The concluding chapter of the theoretical part provides a brief account of the most famous methods in the research that focuses on alterations in self-experience. The research part of the thesis includes two sections. The first one aims to compare the changes in the experience of self in schizophrenic disorders and depression. For this purpose, the newly developed Self-disturbances Scale....

Background: Previous research shows that it is common for people with dementia to have sleep disturbances as a result of several different physical, mental, environmental and pharmacological factors that cause complex consequences for the person with dementia. These sleep disorders are for example, insomnia during the night, drowsiness during the day and circadian rhythm disorders. Sleep is a prerequisite for recovery and sleep disturbances lead to a disturbed sleep. Pharmacological treatments for dementia and sleep disturbances have a deficient effect and side effects. The nurse needs increased competence about which non-pharmacological nursing measures reduce sleep disorders and promote sleep for people with dementia. Aim: The aim is to create an overview of which nursing interventions promote sleep for people with dementia. Method: A literature review according to Friberg (2017) with six quantitative articles, five qualitative articles, and one article with mixed methods that constitute the result of this thesis. Results: The results show several nursing measures to promote sleep for people with dementia based on four categories; the importance of the environment to promote sleep, the importance of regular routines to promote sleep, promote sleep through physical activity and promote sleep through touch. Conclusion: The non-pharmacological nursing measures presented in the results are effective in promoting sleep for people with dementia. The nurse needs to be creative and open to new evidence-based nursing measures that promote sleep for people with dementia and to individualize nursing measures. / Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning visar att det är vanligt förekommande att personer med demens har sömnstörningar till följd av flera olika fysiska, psykiska, miljömässiga och farmakologiska faktorer som orsakar komplexa konsekvenser för personen med demens. Dessa sömnstörningar är till exempel sömnlöshet under nattetid, dåsighet på dagen och dygnsrytmstörningar. Sömnen är en förutsättning för återhämtning och sömnstörningar leder till en störd sömn. Farmakologiska behandlingar mot demens och sömnstörningar harbristfällig effekt och biverkningar. Sjuksköterskan behöver en utökad kompetens om vilka icke-farmakologiska omvårdnadsåtgärder som minskar sömnstörningar och främjar sömnen för personer med demens. Syfte: Syftet är att skapa en översikt över vilka omvårdnadsåtgärder som främjar sömnen för personer med demens. Metod: En litteraturöversikt enligt Friberg (2017) med sex kvantitativa artiklar, fem kvalitativa artiklar och en artikel med mixad metod som utgör resultatet i detta examensarbete. Resultat: I resultatet framkommer flera omvårdnadsåtgärder för att främja sömnen för personer med demens utifrån fyra teman; miljöns betydelse för att främja sömnen, betydelsen av regelbundna rutiner för att främja sömnen, främja sömnen genom fysisk aktivitet och främja sömnen genom beröring. Slutsats: De icke-farmakologiska omvårdnadsåtgärderna som presenteras i resultatet är effektiva för att främja sömnen för personer med demens. Sjuksköterskan behöver vara kreativ och öppen för nya evidensbaserade omvårdnadsåtgärder som främjar sömnen för personer med demens samt att individanpassa omvårdnadsåtgärder.

This thesis deals with voltage disturbances in audio-frequency propagated in distribution networks. In the theoretical part, a creation and effect of these interferences are discussed as well as current methods of their measurement. In the practical part of the thesis, a measurement device based on a frequency filter was developed. This measurement device is able to measure audio-frequency disturbances up to 250kHz without suppresion of audio-frequency disturbances. The maximum frequency on the output is limited by either 125kHz or 250 kHz filter.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between workplace violence and sleep disturbances in the Swedish working population, and to estimate potential dose-response relationships. Methods: Data were derived from two waves (2014 and 2016) of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (n=9364). Sleep disturbances were measured with four items of the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire and one question asked whether the participants were exposed to violence or threats of at the workplace in the past six months. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Exposure to workplace violence was associated with higher odds of concurrent sleep disturbances (cross-sectional approach). Workplace violence was also associated with higher odds of subsequent sleep disturbances, but only when covariates were not adjusted for (prospective approach). Sleep disturbances were associated with higher odds of subsequent workplace violence (reverse approach). A dose-response relationship was found in the cross-sectional approach but not in the prospective and reverse approach. Conclusion: The findings suggested that there was a cross-sectional association between workplace violence and sleep disturbances, and that sleep disturbances were prospectively associated with exposure to workplace violence, but the results did not support a statistically significant prospective association between workplace violence and sleep disturbances.

La fiabilité des microcontrôleurs est cruciale compte tenu de leur utilisation massive dans de nombreux domaines, surtout dans des environnements sévères. De ce fait, la robustesse aux perturbations électromagnétiques, en particulier à propos des alimentations, est un axe de développement majeur, que ce soit pour acquérir un avantage comparatif sur le marché, ou simplement pour assurer la sécurité des biens et des personnes. En ce sens, nous avons étudié le test de ces circuits soumis à des agressions transitoires rapides en salve définies par la norme IEC 61000-4-4. Les mécanismes spécifiques de propagation de la perturbation en mode commun sont mis en évidence, ainsi que leur conversion en mode différentiel. Plusieurs méthodes de mesure, dont certaines originales, ont été développées pour valider cette conversion, ainsi que les modes de propagation. Sur cette base, le réseau de distribution des alimentations a été particulièrement étudié et son influence sur la robustesse du circuit a été mise en évidence. Enfin, cette thèse ouvre de nouvelles perspectives d’amélioration de la robustesse des microcontrôleurs, pour ce type d’agression, et donc de leur fiabilité. / The reliability of the microcontrollers is crucial considering their massive use in numerous domains, especially in severe environments. Therefore, the robustness in the electromagnetic disturbances, in particular for the power supply network, is a major development, whether it is to acquire a comparative advantage on the market, or simply to assure the goods and people safety. Therefore, we studied the Fast Transient Burst test of integrated circuits, as defined by the IEC 61000-4-4 standard. The specific propagation mechanisms of the disturbance in common mode are highlighted, as well as their conversion in differential mode. Several measurements methods, among which certain novel, were developed to validate this conversion, as well as the propagation modes. Based on this, the power distribution network was particularly studied and its influence on the robustness of the circuit was highlighted. Finally, this work opens new perspectives of improvement of the microcontrollers’ robustness, for this kind of aggression, and thus their reliability.

Increased economic growth and growing competition in the world market has led to an increased need for Supply Chain Management (SCM). SCM leads to a complex network between the parts in the entire flow chain and the complexity increases the vulnerability to external disturbances. At the end of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic start spreading, an external disturbance, had a major impact on society. Because of the preventive measures to prevent the spread of infection, many companies' supply chains are affected. Today, it is a major challenge for companies to manage and mitigate the risk on the company through well-functioning risk management, both to work proactively and reactively, as well as structural flexibility in the supply chain. This thesis examines how a Swedish medium-sized export company is affected by COVID-19 and how they work proactively and reactively in reducing negative consequences in the supply chain as a result of COVID-19. The study was conducted with qualitative interviews at the case company and the result was compared with a literature study of existing risk management theory in the event of disastrous events. A literature survey shows that there is a clear research gap, as there is limited knowledge about COVID-19 and its impact on corporate supply chains. Previous research on the subject is not comparable to COVID-19, as all disease outbreaks are unique. The result shows that the company has comprehensive risk management through an appointed director of the group management who proactively works with risks and has prepared a crisis management plan that is used during the outbreak of COVID-19. The crisis management plan, on the other hand, does not address pandemics, but the plan has been adapted to the current situation. However, supply chain risks should be seen not only as a threat to the business, but also as opportunities. Both positive and negative consequences for the case company have been identified. The results, however, contain limitations as the pandemic during the study's time span is still going and can create further direct and indirect consequences, and a future study can follow up on the outcome of the pandemic on the case company and suggest improvements based on the company's risk management. / En ökad ekonomisk tillväxt och växande konkurrens på världsmarknaden har lett till ett ökat behov av supply chain management (SCM). SCM leder till ett komplext nätverk mellan aktörerna i hela flödeskedjan och komplexiteten ökar sårbarheten för externa störningar. I slutet av 2019 uppstod pandemin COVID-19, en extern störning, som gav stora konsekvenser på samhället. På grund av de förebyggande åtgärderna för att förhindra smittspridningen påverkas många företags supply chain. Idag är det en stor utmaning för företag att hantera och mildra risken på företaget genom en väl fungerande riskhantering, såväl att arbeta proaktivt och reaktivt, samt en strukturell flexibilitet i supply chain.   Den här studien undersöker hur ett svenskt medelstort exportföretag påverkas av COVID-19 och hur de arbetar proaktivt och reaktivt med att reducera negativa konsekvenser i supply chain till följd av COVID-19. Undersökningen genomfördes med kvalitativa intervjuer på fallföretaget och resultatet jämfördes med en litteraturstudie av befintlig teori om riskhantering vid katastrofala händelser. En litteraturundersökning visar att det finns ett tydligt forskningsgap, då det råder begränsad kännedom om COVID-19 och dess påverkan på företagets supply chain. Tidigare forskning inom ämnet är inte jämförbart med COVID-19, eftersom alla sjukdomsutbrott är unika. Resultatet visar att företaget har en övergripande riskhantering via en tillsatt direktör i koncernledningen som proaktivt arbetar med risker och har upprättat en krishanteringsplan som används under utbrottet av COVID-19. Krishanteringsplanen tar däremot inte upp pandemier, men planen har kunnat anpassats till rådande situation. Risker i supply chain ska dock endast inte ses som ett hot mot verksamheten, utan det handlar även om att se möjligheterna. Både positiva och negativa konsekvenser på fallföretaget har identifierats. Resultaten innehåller dock begränsningar då pandemin under studiens tidsspann är under spridning och kan skapa ytterligare direkta och indirekta konsekvenser, och en framtida studie kan följa upp resultatet av pandemin på fallföretaget och föreslå förbättringar utifrån företagets riskhantering.