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Industrial robots have been identified as one of the most effective solutions for optimising output and quality within many industries. However, there are a number of manufacturing applications involving complex tasks and inconstant components which prohibit the use of fully automated solutions in the foreseeable future. A breakthrough in robotic technologies and changes in safety legislations have supported the creation of robots that coexist and assist humans in industrial applications. It has been broadly recognised that human-robot collaborative systems would be a realistic solution as an advanced production system with wide range of applications and high economic impact. This type of system can utilise the best of both worlds, where the robot can perform simple tasks that require high repeatability while the human performs tasks that require judgement and dexterity of the human hands. Robots in such system will operate as “intelligent assistants”. In a collaborative working environment, robot and human share the same working area, and interact with each other. This level of interface will require effective ways of communication and collaboration to avoid unwanted conflicts. This project aims to create a user interface for industrial collaborative robot system through integration of current robotic technologies. The robotic system is designed for seamless collaboration with a human in close proximity. The system is capable to communicate with the human via the exchange of gestures, as well as visual signal which operators can observe and comprehend at a glance. The main objective of this PhD is to develop a Human-Robot Interface (HRI) for communication with an industrial collaborative robot during collaboration in proximity. The system is developed in conjunction with a small scale collaborative robot system which has been integrated using off-the-shelf components. The system should be capable of receiving input from the human user via an intuitive method as well as indicating its status to the user ii effectively. The HRI will be developed using a combination of hardware integrations and software developments. The software and the control framework were developed in a way that is applicable to other industrial robots in the future. The developed gesture command system is demonstrated on a heavy duty industrial robot.

The aim was to increase understanding of the ethical dilemma that assistant nurses in special accommodation for people with dementia experienc, how they handle them, and how they perceive and deal with emotional stress. We used a qualitative approach in form of semi-structured interviews and vignettes. Our selection were assistant nurses working in dementia care in southern Sweden. We found that ethical dilemmas in dementia care are many and affects different areas. The one thing they have in common was that at least two choices conflict with each other and none of them lead to any positive result for the residents. We have found three common categories for how the caregivers handle the dilemmas: attract and clamoring, white lies and the healthy. The caregivers experience and are influenced by ethical in different ways. But everyone finds it hard when plans don’t turn out the way they thought from the beginning. The assistant nurses found that external factors were most stressful because external factors are difficult to change. All the assistant nurses are affected, but in which way, and to what degree, depends on the individual. They handle the emotional stress in similar ways by taking a walk, taking a five minutes break or to consider the residents best interest. Our conclusion was that nurses deal on a daily basis with ethical dilemmas and that they experience a lot of stress because of them.

This thesis examines how the Swedish Act On Support and Service to Certain Impaired persons (LSS) has given rise to substantial opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in society and to live under the same conditions as all other citizens. These objectives have in turn created a new profession, personal assistants, who work daily to transform the words of diversity and community participation into practice. The terms of employment of this new category of workers appear in diverse way both when it comes to the scope of their working tasks, as well as the employment protection especially for workers in the private sector. Because of the discrepancies that exist against the Swedish Employment Protection Act (LAS) and the rich variety that characterizes the performance of work, this inquiry aims therefore to seek to investigate to what extent an employee can be dismissed in relation to the LSS-right to personal assistance as well as how this can be understood from the impaired persons point of view. Initially, a legal scientific method is used to seek answers in this area. A sociological approach has also been applied to complete the parts where laws and other traditional sources of law have not been able to provide satisfactory answers. The findings that conclude this investigation claim that the perceived uncertainty of the tasks as well as the discrepant employment protection is maintained through the continuous link to the LSS-legislation.   Key words: LSS, private sector, dismissal, employment protection, the impaired person’s attitude towards the personal assistant

This study examined the supervisory interactions of past and present residence life staff members, specifically, the implications of race on the residence life professional (HD)/residence life student staff member (RA) supervisory relationship. College and university residence halls provide some of the most diverse environments that individuals will encounter as they move through life (Amada, 1994; Jaeger & Caison, 2005). It is in these spaces that individuals learn the most about themselves and others. Thus, learning to navigate multicultural interactions is critical. Facilitated by residence life staff, this knowledge serves as preparation for the actual experiences and situations students will face once they are in the "real world." Although some areas of the higher education literature were limited, the literature review supported the role that residence life staff members have in preparing student staff members (whom are also residents) for the workplace. Learning how to handle situations in the workplace where there are differences such as language, race/ethnicity, culture, or values and beliefs will aid in positive interactions with others and ultimately contribute to a better working environment--inside and outside of the residence halls. Qualitative methods were used for this study because of their attention to vivid and layered descriptions. These descriptions give voice to a person's experiences and interactions and help them make meaning of their own worlds. As a result of residence life staff members living where they work, the most appropriate way to further examine their life experiences was through a phenomenological lens. In addition to the aforementioned qualitative methods, modified versions of quantitative instruments from an earlier study (Ladany, Brittan-Powell, & Pannu, 1997) and two other scales (Helms & Carter; 1990; Helms & Parham, 1996) were used to measure the racial identity development of the participants. These inventories relied on participants to self-report their perceptions. After these assessments were completed, interviews were conducted with 10 randomly selected participants (five RAs and five HDs). Five themes emerged from these participant interviews: prestige, protection, privilege, proximity, and preparedness. / text

Integravus vaikus su negalia į bendrojo lavinimo mokyklas, mokytojui, ugdančiam šiuos vaikus, iškyla nemažai rūpesčių. Tapo aktualu ištirti mokytojo padėjėjo veiklą ir apibūdinti mokytojo padėjėjo vaidmenis bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje. Siekiant spęsti šią problemą buvo iškeltas toks tyrimo tikslas: atskleisti svarbiausius mokytojo padėjėjo vaidmenis, kuriant palankias mokymosi sąlygas mokiniams, turintiems specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių, bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje. Šiam tikslui pasiekti buvo suformuluota keletas uždavinių: išanalizuoti specialiosios pagalbos teorinius pagrindus; atskleisti bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų mokytojų ir mokinių tėvų lūkesčius mokytojo padėjėjo pagalbai; įvertinti bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje dirbančių mokytojų padėjėjų atliekamų vaidmenų kryptingumą, nustatyti mokytojo padėjėjo veiklos ryšius su kitais ugdymo proceso dalyviais, pateikti siūlymų dėl mokytojų padėjėjų rengimo. Empirinis tyrimas atskleidė visuomenės lūkesčius: mokytojo padėjėjas turėtų būti kiekvienoje klasėje, turėtų turėti specialųjį pedagoginį – psichologinį išsilavinimą ir turėtų padėti mokiniams turintiems specialiųjų poreikių bendradarbiauti su mokytojais, padėti mokytojui ir mokiniui atlikti pateiktas užduotis, judėti mokykloje, orientuotis aplinkoje. Tyrimo metu gauti rezultatai rodo, kad mokytojo padėjėjas atlieka tokius vaidmenis: pagalbininko mokytojui, pagalbininko mokiniui, tarpininko tarp mokinio ir mokytojo, prižiūrėtojo, draugo. Siekdami įvertinti jų kryptingumą, ištyrėme... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / As the disabled children have been integrated in comprehensive schools their teachers encounter many problems. Therefore, analysis of assistant teacher functions and description of his/her roles in a comprehensive school has become relevant. To resolve the issue the following aim of the research was put: to reveal basic roles of assistant teacher in creating favourable learning environment for children with specific education needs in comprehensive schools. To achieve the said aim several tasks have been formulated: to analyze theoretical bases of specific assistance; to reveal expectations of comprehensive school teachers and schoolchildren parents in regard of assistant teacher functions; to evaluate functional singleness of roles of assistant teachers working in comprehensive schools; to ascertain relations of assistant teacher activity with activities of other participants of educational process and to give suggestions on training assistant teachers. The empirical study carried out has disclosed social expectations: an assistant teacher should be in each and every class, he/she must have specific pedagogical and psychological education, help children with specific needs to cooperate with teachers, help teachers and children do their tasks, move across a school and orient in the environment. Results of the study show an assistant teacher has the following roles: he/she is an assistant to a teacher, an assistant to a child, an intermediate between a child and a teacher, a... [to full text]

Socialinio darbuotojo padėjėjas yra žmogus arčiausiai kliento, teikiantis socialinę pagalbą. Socialinis darbas Lietuvoje tik naujai atrandama profesija platesniame visuomenės kontekste. Šiame kontekste socialinis darbuotojas yra plėtros veikėjas, o socialinio darbuotojo padėjėjas tampa socialinės pagalbos teikėjas. Todėl socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų veikla reikalauja išsamesnio tyrimo. Lietuvoje nėra atliktų tyrimų, atskleidžiančių socialinio darbuotojo padėjėjo veiklas, atliekamus vaidmenis socialinio darbo kontekste. Šis tyrimas – tai pirmasis bandymas pažvelgti į socialinio darbuotojo padėjėjo veiklą globos įstaigoje, kartu atskleidžiant socialinio darbuotojo padėjėjo dalyvavimą socialinio darbo profesijos veikloje, teikiant socialines paslaugas, ir jo indėlį, formuojant socialinio darbo profesijos sampratą Lietuvoje. Darbe keliami tyrimo klausimai: 1. Kokie ypatumai būdingi socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų veiklai pensionate, teikiant socialinę pagalbą proto negalės žmonėms? 2. Kaip socialinis darbuotojas turėtų organizuoti socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų, kaip paslaugos teikėjo, veiklą pensionate? Tyrimo objektas – pensionato socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų veikla. Tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų veiklą pensionate. Tikslui pasiekti darbe iškeliami šie tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Apibūdinti socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų, kaip pagalbos teikėjų, veiklą pensionate. 2. Išanalizuoti socialinių darbuotojų padėjėjų veiklos trukdžius ir profesinės veiklos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Social worker‘s assistant is the man closest to the customer, providing him services of social support. In Lithuania social work is just a newly discovered profession in the broader context of society. In this context, the social worker is a public character of development and social worker‘s assistant becomes a provider of social support. Therefore, the activity of social worker‘s assistant requires a more thorough investigation. In Lithuania there are no accomplished studies of revealing the activity of social worker‘s support, his roles in the context of social work. This study is the first attempt to look at the social worker‘s assistant activities in the body care institution, simultaneously revealing the participation of social worker‘s assistant in social work profession by providing social services and his contribution to shaping the concept of social work profession in Lithuania. The object of research – pension social worker‘s assistant activity. Inquiry questions: 1. What are the main characteristic features of social worker‘s assistant activity at a pension in providing social support to mentally disabled people? 2. How social worker should arrange social workers assistants’ activity as residential service providers at the pension? Purpose of research - to reveal the activity of social worker‘s assistants at the pension. Tasks of research: 1. Describe the social workers assistants’ activity as the providers of services of social support at the pension. 2. To... [to full text]

Introduction: An increasing number of children in need of special support are included in mainstream schools. The roles of teaching assistants have changed with the inclusion of these children. Social partic-ipation is an essential aspect of inclusion, possible to be achieved in schools. In the literature social participation in elementary schools is studied in terms of friendships and relationships, contacts and inter-actions, perception of pupil with special education needs and acceptance by classmates. The impact that teaching assistants have on social participation has been questioned due to low or no education or training to work with children in need of special support. The aim is to investigate the social participation dimen-sions and the impact that teaching assistants have on the social participation of children in need of special support in mainstream elementary schools.Method: A systematic literature review was performed exploring four databases.Results: Nine studies in total were found. Seven studies examined social participation dimensions of con-tact and interactions, four – perception of pupil with special education needs. Friendships and relationships and acceptance by classmates were examined in two studies. Six studies identified negative impact of teaching assistants on social participation of children in need of special support, and three showed positive and negative results. The impact is attributed to the roles of teaching assistants, and participation in class.Conclusion: All four dimensions of social participation were studied in the articles, but no studies explored all dimensions at once, therefore complete impact of teaching assistants cannot be entirely realized yet. Nevertheless, the negative trend of teaching assistants’ impact on the social participation of children in need of special support found in this systematic review implicates two possible approaches. The role of teaching assistants could be shifted and adapted to suit the abilities of teaching assistant. Education and training of teaching assistants are necessary to support social participation of children in need of special support.

Bakgrund – Stress påverkar kroppen både fysiskt och psykiskt, för att stressen inte ska ge negativa effekter är det viktigt med återhämtning. Stress i arbetet är vanligt förekommande framförallt inom sjukvården och kan uppstå då det ställs höga krav på individen. För att undvika att stressen ska påverka individen används olika former av hanteringsstrategier, det kan vara allt från problemlösande- till emotionellstrategier. Syfte – Att beskriva vårdpersonalens hanteringsstrategier vid arbetsrelaterad stress. Metod – En litteraturstudie med elva kvalitativa studier inkluderades, dessa analyserades med hjälp av Forsberg och Wengström, inspirerad av metod för innehållsanalys. Resultat – Författarnas resultat visade på två kategorier, ”problemlösande hanteringsstrategier” och ”känslomässiga hanteringsstrategier”, samt åtta underkategorier, ”att söka, ge och erhålla stöd”, ”att prioritera och planera arbetet”, ”att utföra aktiviteter”, ”reflektion och pauser”, ”att använda humor”, ”ilska och undvikande”, ”substansanvändning” och ”andlighet och tro”. Konklusion – Omvårdnadsyrket är ett krävande område där stress är oundvikligt, därför är det viktigt att hantera den stress som uppkommer i arbetet för att kunna bibehålla fokus. Mer forskning på effektiva strategier för stresshantering krävs. / Background - Stress affects the body both physically and mentally, to avoid negative effects of stress, it’s important with recovery. Occupational stress is common especially in health care personal and can occur when there are high work demands on the individual. To avoid occupational stress affect on the individual the use of various forms of coping strategies, it can vary from problemsolving- to emotional coping strategies. Purpose - To describe healthcare personnel management of occupationalstress. Method - A Literaturereview with eleven qualitative studies were included, these were analyzed by Forsberg and Wengströms, inspired by the method of content analysis. Results - The authors' results demonstrated in two categories, "problemsolving coping strategies" and "emotional coping strategies" and eight subcategories, "to seek, give and receive support", "to prioritize and plan work", "to perform activities", "reflection and breaks","use of humor", "anger and avoidance", "substance use" and "spirituality and faith". Conclusion – The nursing profession is a demanding area where stress is inevitable, therefore it is important to manage the stress that arises in the workplace in order to maintain focus. More research on effective strategies for stress management is required.

The problem of this study was the status of administrative assistants in higher education with special emphasis on (1) the role of the administrative assistant, (2) the internship aspects of the position, as perceived by college and university presidents throughout the United States, and (3) the professional qualifications held by persons filling positions as administrative assistants.