Psykisk ohälsa är ett samhällsproblem som kräver mer uppmärksamhet från sjukvårdens sida. En kronisk sjukdom drabbar både patienter och deras livskamrater och präglas av olika förluster som förändrar livet. Förlusterna skapar en klyfta mellan det liv patienter och livskamrater lever och de liv de egentligen vill leva. Det är i denna klyfta som den kroniska sorgen skapas. Kronisk sorg skiljer sig från vanlig sorg då den återkommer i perioder och växlar i intensitet. Syftet med studien var att beskriva upplevelsen av kronisk sorg hos patienter och livskamrater i samband med en kronisk sjukdom. Studien är genomförd som en litteraturstudie där 15 vetenskapliga artiklar samlades in och granskades. Resultatet visar att patienter och livskamrater upplever olika typer förluster, både fysiska, sociala och psykiska. Dessa förluster ligger till grund för upplevelsen av kronisk sorg. Genom att få kunskap om patienter och livskamraters upplevelse av kronisk sorg i samband med kronisk sjukdom kan sjuksköterskan få förståelse för dessa patienter och utifrån det hjälpa dem att hantera sorgen. Kronisk sorg är ett relativt nytt begrepp inom sjukvården och det krävs därför mer forskning för att öka kunskapen om begreppet. / Mental health is a problem in society and it requires more attention from the healthcare side. A chronic disease means that both patients and spouses undergo different periods of losses that change their lives in different ways. These losses create a gap between the patients and spouse’s ongoing lives and the life they really want to live. It is in this gap that the chronic sorrow is created. Chronic sorrow differs from normal grief when it recurs in periods and switches in intensity. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of chronic sorrow in patients and spouses related to a chronic disease. The study was conducted as a literature review where 15 research articles were collected and examined. The results show that patients and spouses experience different types of losses, physical, social and psychological. These losses create their chronic sorrow. By gaining knowledge of patients and spouses experiences of chronic sorrow the nurse can obtain an understanding of their situations and based on that help they cope with grief. Chronic sorrow is a relatively new concept in healthcare and therefore more research is required to increase understanding of the concept.

Copper losses to slag are generally between 0.7-2.3% during the copper matte smelting stage. In this study, the aim was to reduce these losses in the slag phase. For this purpose, usage of some additives (especially calcined colemanite labeled as CC, boric oxide-B2O3 and calcium oxide-CaO as well) as flux material was investigated. The flash furnace matte-slag (FFM-FFS) obtained from Eti Copper Inc. and a master matte-slag (MM-MS) produced synthetically were used as starting materials. Additives were tested in various amounts under two different atmospheres (N2 and low Po2 obtained by mixture of CO2/CO gases). Temperature and duration were also used as experimental variables. Experimental results have indicated that 2 hours was sufficient to obtain a low copper content in slag about 0.3% and 0.4% for FFS and MS, respectively. It was also seen that the copper content in slag decreased with increasing CC addition at all oxygen partial pressures and at all temperatures. Furthermore, the addition of all additives up to 4% had great influence in lowering the copper content in the final slags (~0.3%Cu). From FactSage calculations, it could be concluded that the colemanite addition decreased the liquidus temperature which led to early melting of slag and allowed enough duration for settling of matte particles within the slag without substantial changing its viscosity, which resulted in less mechanical copper losses to the slag. By using colemanite in copper production, it was possible that a new application area for boron compounds which are produced in Turkey could be created.

Pulse-width modulation methods are widely used for the synthesis of ac voltages at the terminals of a voltage-sourced converter (VSC). Traditionally sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation (SPWM) has been used. A powerful alternative for this purpose is space-vector modulation (SVM), in which the converter is placed in a finite number of states in order to best approximate the reference voltage. This method offers better utilization of the dc bus voltage and provides several degrees of freedom for enhancement of the harmonic spectrum as well as switching losses. This thesis studies the SVM method for two- and three-level VSCs. A model for implementation of SVM in the electromagnetic transients simulation program PSCAD/EMTDC is developed. The model is able to generate firing pulses in linear as well as overmodulation range and is used to study the performance of different SVM strategies in terms of their harmonic spectra and associated converter and harmonic losses. The model is also used to demonstrate the suitability of the method for network applications. The thesis also employs genetic algorithms to find an optimized SVM sequence for improved harmonic performance. An objective function is defined that seeks to minimize the most significant harmonic components of the generated waveform, while keeping the other harmonic components within the acceptable range outlined in the available standards. The obtained sequence shows great improvement over the conventionally-used SVM sequence. / October 2007

Bioenergi är en stor industri i Sverige och står för en betydande del av energiomsättningen. Bioenergi i form av flis förvaras runt om i landet på hög i väntan på förbränning. Då högarna läggs upp startar olika processer som värmer upp stacken, ofta till temperaturer på 50°C under det första dygnet. En vanlig ansats i litteraturen är att denna temperaturstegring beror på aerob nedbrytning. Arbetet ämnar undersöka om denna uppvärmning endast beror av mikrobiella aktiviteter. Hypotesen prövas genom kalorimetriska mätningar av effekt från prover av flis och simulering av första dygnets temperaturutveckling i ett program som programmeras under arbetes gång. I modellen så betraktas för enkelhets skulle flisstacken som en avlång figur med rektangulärt tvärsnitt. Figuren delas sedan in i lämpligt stora beräkningsceller. Problemet löses genom att iterativt räkna fram ett strömningsfält. Strömningsfältet och effekterna som räknas ut hålls sedan konstanta under ett tidssteg, 5-15min. Den magasinerade värmeenergin används sedan för att räkna fram en ny temperatur som så ger ett nytt strömningsfält och nya effekter. I modellen användes enbart explicita metoder eftersom de är snabbare och mycket enklare att programmera. Ett flertal experiment i kalorimeter genomfördes med olika prover av flis och torv. Prover med barkflis gav högst utslag. Den högsta effekten som uppmättes var 2,16W/kg TS. Då effekter av denna storleksordning användes som inre effektgenerering i programmet gav detta inte en temperatur ökning motsvarande sådana som uppmätts i verkligheten. Detta tyder på att mer än aerob nedbrytning krävs för att ge en temperatur på över 50°C. / Bioenergy is a major industry in Sweden and accounts for a significant part of the energy production. Bioenergy in the form of wood chips is stored in piles across the country awaiting combustion. When the piles are acumulated, various processes that heat the stack begin, often to temperatures of 50 °C during the first day. A common approach in the literature is that this temperature rise is due to the aerobic decomposition. This paper will investigate whether the microbial activity is the fundamental cause for warming. The hypothesis is tested by calorimetric measurements of power from the samples of wood chips and simulation of the first day's temperature development in a programme that was desinated. For simplicity the model considers an oblong wood chip pile with rectangular cross-section. The pile is then subdivided into appropriately sized calculation cells. The problem is solved by calculating a flow field iteratively. The flow field and the effects that are calculated is then static during one time step for approximately 5-15 minutes. The produced heat energy is then used to calculate a new temperature, which renders a new flow field and new powers. The model uses only explicit methods because they are faster and much easier to programme. Several calorimetric experiments were carried out with various samples of wood chips and peat. Samples of bark chips achieved the highest result. The highest power measured was 2.16 W / kg DM. When the effects of this magnitude were used as internal power source in the programme the temperature did not increase corresponding to those measured in reality. This suggests that more than aerobic decomposition is needed to reach a temperature above 50°C.

In this bachelor thesis several software, capable of calculating andsimulating complex problems concerning the power losses in inductors andtransformers with the finite element method, have been evaluated and used tosolve test cases provided by the commissioner. The software have been evaluatedwith respect to several requirements stated by the commissioner.The aim is to be able to simulate power losses and inductance levels in complexdesigns of inductors and transformers. By reading the manuals to the software, aview of the methods and equations the different software use for their calculationshave been established. The enclosed tutorials have provided the knowledge forthe operations of the different software. By designing the test models providedby the commissioner, a deeper understanding of the work area has been reached.The test results provides an answer for the test models, the behaviour of themagnetic field has been analysed for the models and the calculated power lossesseem to correspond to the behaviour of the prototypes.The evaluation of the software has been done with regard to the commissionersrequirements. The recommendation will be to use either FEMM 4.2 or QuickField5.7, both software have a short training curve and an interface easy to maintain.For problems requiring a transient analysis the recommendation is QuickField, butthe material library maintainability is better in FEMM 4.2. Regarding COMSOLMultiphysics 3.5 and Ansys RAnsoft Maxwell Student Version 9, both softwareare highly qualified for the complex calculations needed for these kind of problems.The training curve for these software is however much longer than for the othertwo software and for the commissioner to be able to fully use all the possibilitiesin the software this will not be efficient.

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Bankkrisen under 1990-talet och den globala krisen mellan 2007 -2009 har kommit som en kalldusch för de svenska storbankerna, Handelsbanken, Nordea, SEB och Swedbank, vilket har lett till betydande kreditförluster. Kreditförluster är den vanligaste orsaken till bankernas ekonomiska problem vid en finansiell kris då återbetalningsförmågan hos kredittagare försämras, samtidigt som det talar för att finansiella kriser är ett återkommande fenomen idag. Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att se vilka åtgärder i kreditprocessen som gjorts efter finanskriserna i de fyra svenska storbankerna samt även se hur tidigare gjorda åtgärder stod sig under den senaste krisen. Vår ambition med uppsatsen är att de resultat vi får fram ska kunna användas av bankerna i kreditprocessen så att de påverkas mindre vid framtida eventuella kriser. Metod: Uppsatsen grundar sig på en kvalitativ metod med respondenter med gedigen erfarenhet och ansvarspositioner inom storbankernas kreditprocesser och praktisk kunnighet gällande storbankernas påverkan av finansiella kriser. Slutsats: De svenska storbankernas kreditprocesser stod sig bra under den senaste globala krisen i jämförelse med bankkrisen under 1990-talet, orsaken till det är de åtgärder som gjordes i kreditprocessen efter bankkrisen inom banken. Kreditprocessen har under de senaste 20 åren gått från en delvis oprövad och snabb kreditprocess till att idag vara en mer sofistikerad och tungarbetad kreditprocess som ställer högre och strängare krav på kredittagarna. För att få kreditprocessen helt vaccinerad mot finanskriser anser vi att det behövs mer mod och integritet hos kredithandläggare för att på bästa sätt kunna förmedla den rådande situationen på ett korrekt och snabbt sätt. / Background and problem discussion: The banking crisis during the 1990s and the global financial crisis between 2007-2009 came as a cold shower for the four biggest Swedish banks, Handelsbanken, Nordea, SEB and Swedbank and led to significant credit losses. Credit losses are the most common financial problems of banks during financial crises, because the repayment ability of borrowers can deteriorate. In addition, financial crises seem to be a recurring phenomenon today. Aim: The objective of this paper is to see what kind of changes that have been made after financial crisis, and also see how the previous changes during the recent banking crisis stood during the recent global crisis. Our ambition with the paper is that the results we obtain can be used by the Swedish banks credit process so that they are less vulnerable in the future. Method: The paper is based on a qualitative approach with respondents with extensive experience and influence in the credit process. The respondents in the four biggest banks have practical experience of the banks impact after the financial crises. Conclusion: The biggest Swedish banks credit process did well during the last financial crisis in comparison with the banking crisis in the 1990s. One of the reasons are the changes made after the previous crisis related to credit processes.. The credit process has, during the past 20 years, gone from a partially untested and fast-credit process towards a more sophisticated and heavy credit process which puts more responsibility on the borrowers. In order to fully protect banks against future financial crises, we believe more courage and integrity among credit managers is necessary. Upcoming threats needs to be reported in a proper and fast way.

The increasing penetration of distributed generation (DG) in power distribution systems presents technical and economic benefits as well as integration challenges to utility engineers. Governments are beginning to acknowledge DG as an economically viable alternative to deferring investment at generation, transmission and distribution levels, meeting demand growth and improving distribution network performance and security. DG technology is rapidly maturing in Ontario due to government economic incentives promoting connection, specifically, the Ontario’s Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) Program. Optimal sizing and siting of DG is well researched, traditionally studying the technical impact on distribution system such as real power loss reduction and voltage profile improvement. Equally common objectives studied are the economics of DG installation which are useful for the developer when deciding when and where to install. Although DG represents a “non-wires” solution to network asset reinforcement, the direct economic benefit to the host utility from promoting DG uptake is not fully understood by utility planners and asset managers. Some DG based asset reinforcement deferral work has been performed in the UK and Italy but is mainly at the transmission level and is not part of an overall strategy that could be applied by a utility. This research presents a comprehensive three stage technique: optimal siting, optimal sizing and financial evaluation of cost savings over a defined planning period to quantify the economic benefit to a Local Distribution Company (LDC) of solar photovoltaic (PV) DG connections on an actual distribution feeder. Optimal sites for PV DG are determined by applying the power loss sensitivity factor method to the test feeder. The objective functions used to determine cost savings consist of loss minimization, asset investment deferral, and peak demand reduction to identify an optimal DG penetration limit. Furthermore, a utility planner can identify an optimal DG penetration limit, encourage uptake at preferred locations that would benefit the LDC, and use the positive impact of DG at existing locations as part of an asset management strategy to prioritize and schedule future asset reinforcement upgrades.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the hemodynamics of the total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) may lead to further optimization of the connection design and surgical planning, which in turn may lead to improved surgical outcome. While most experimental and numerical investigations have mainly focused on somewhat simplified geometries, the investigation of the flow field of true TCPC configurations is necessary for a true understanding. METHODS: This study details a manufacturing methodology yielding more accurate in vitro models that would provide a better understanding of the TCPC hemodynamics and adequate data for the validation of anatomical CFD simulations. This approach is illustrated on two different TCPC templates: an intra-atrial TCPC with a single superior vena cava (SVC) and a bilateral SVC with an extra-cardiac conduit. Power loss, flow visualization, digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) flow measurements as well as computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed to characterize the anatomic flow structure. Additional parametric glass models of the TCPC were manufactured to help understand the fluid dynamics of the anatomical models and support the computational model validation effort. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Both anatomic configurations revealed very different fluid dynamics underlining once again the need for at least one comprehensive experimental campaign per TCPC template for a good understanding of the flow phenomena. The absence of caval offset in the anatomical intra-atrial model resulted in important flow turbulence, which was enhanced by the large connection area and yielded high pressure drops and power losses. On the other hand, the bilateral SVC, which featured a smooth extra-cardiac conduit and wider vessels, led to power losses that were one order of magnitude lower than those of the anatomic intra-atrial model and a smooth flow field with lower levels of instability. The simplified glass models demonstrated that the diameter of the connecting vessels and of the pulmonary arteries in particular, was a parameter of prime importance. Finally, this study also reports on a combined experimental and numerical validation methodology, suggesting a cautious approach for the straightforward use of available CFD tools and pointing out the need for developing high resolution CFD techniques specifically tailored to tackle the complexities of cardiovascular flows.

This multi-scale investigation aimed to provide new knowledge and understanding of creep and shrinkage of high performance lightweight concrete (HPLC) by assessing prestress losses in HPLC prestressed members in a large-scale study; by quantifying the effect of the constituent materials and external conditions on creep and shrinkage in a medium-scale study; and by improving the fundamental understanding of creep and shrinkage in a small-scale study. Creep plus shrinkage prestress losses were between two and eight times lower than those estimated for the design standards and approximately 50% of those measured in similar strength normal weight high performance concrete girders. The lower creep and shrinkage exhibited by HPLC was found to be caused by a synergy between the pre-soaked lightweight aggregate and the low water-to-cementitious material ratio matrix. That is, the water contained in the lightweight aggregate contributes to enhance hydration by providing an internal moist curing. The water in the aggregate also contributes to maintain a high internal relative humidity which reduces or eliminates autogenous shrinkage. This higher internal relative humidity also reduces creep by preventing load-induced water migration. Finally, lightweight aggregate exhibits a better elastic compatibility with the paste than normal weight aggregate. This improved elastic matching and the enhanced hydration are believed to reduce peak deformations at the ITZ which further decreases creep and shrinkage.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the technical losses in Electric Distribution Systems, the sources of the losses, minimum levels of the losses, ways to decrease the losses and current applications in Turkey. The wrong and weak parts of the current applications are determined and emphasized. Ways to decrease losses in Distribution Systems are advised. The energy resources in the world are decreasing rapidly. There is a rapid growth in consumption. It is a must to use existing resources in most efficient way because there is no unlimited energy source. Losses in the electric distribution systems are one of the most important subjects because the most of the technical losses in electric systems occur in the distribution systems.