According to the Constitution of South Africa (1996), as well as the Schools Act of South Africa (1996), everyone has the right to education in the language of their choice. The advantage of being educated in one’s home language is a well-known and accepted as a demonstrated fact (Oosthuizen, Rossouw & De Wet, 2004:22). Unfortunately, Oosthuizen et al. (2004:22) remark that the biggest problem in education today, is that home language education cannot be given to everyone in South Africa. As a result many parents choose English as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) for their children, since they believe English is the language of empowerment. Although English Second Language (ESL) learners pose a challenge to educators in the class, they still have a right to quality education. Therefore, thorough planning is essential to ensure that these learners are taught according to their needs. The primary aim of this research study was to determine if primary school educators designed their lesson planning to accommodate ESL learners with a limited English proficiency. The primary aim could only be determined if the following sub-aims were successfully analysed: *To determine through a literature investigation which specific language barriers ESL learners, with limited English language proficiency, experience during a lesson. *To determine through a literature investigation why lesson planning is important; *To determine to what extent educators accommodate language barriers to learning of ESL learners, with a limited English language proficiency, in their lesson plans. *To determine how educators reflect on their lesson plan, in order to determine whether ESL learners, with limited English language proficiency, coped with the lesson. *To establish which modifications, if any, educators make after reflection to accommodate ESL learners with limited English language proficiency in the follow lesson planning? A Qualitative research method was followed during the study. Data was collected for the research study by doing a document analysis and semi-structured interviews with primary school educators who are currently in the teaching profession and have ESL learners in their class. A convenience sample was used, where the nearest parallel medium school was chosen with participants readily available. The following findings emerged from the study: According to the literature study, the most common specific language barriers which ESL learners with limited English proficiency experience in the classroom are: *Experience it difficult to express themselves in English; *Educators disparity in language between learners and educators; *a limited English vocabulary; and *struggling with comprehension of English. Findings of the empirical study showed that the participants do not plan for accommodations for ESL learners who may experience barriers to learning. They indicated that since English is the LOLT of the school and because they feel that the learners should be proficient in the language they do not need to plan for possible misunderstandings or communication problems that could occur because of a language barrier. However, they did acknowledge that a limited vocabulary and ways of expression can cause communication problems. / MEd, Learner Support, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

Patienter har enligt lag rätt till att vara delaktiga i vård och behandling, trots detta upplever patienter brist på delaktighet i vården. Syftet med studien var att beskriva patienters upplevelser av hinder och möjligheter för delaktighet i vården. Studien genomfördes som en systematisk litteraturstudie och 15 vetenskapliga artiklar ligger till grund för resultatet. I resultatet framträdde tre övergripande områden: individ, vårdrelation och organisation, och utifrån dessa framkom sex kategorier som beskrev hinder och möjligheter för delaktighet ur ett patientperspektiv. Patienters individuella förutsättningar för delaktighet berodde på faktorer som ålder, bakgrund, kunskap, erfarenheter och personlighetsdrag. I vårdrelationen upplevde patienter hinder och möjligheter, som kunde bero på sjuksköterskors attityder och förhållningssätt eller faktorer som handlade om kommunikation och information. Organisationen hade betydelse för upplevelsen av delaktighet. En stressig miljö med brist på kontinuitet och tid hos personalen försvårar delaktighet. Kunskap angående patienters upplevelser av hinder och möjligheter för delaktighet krävs för att kunna möta patienters behov och främja delaktighet. Det är därför viktigt att redan i sjuksköterskeutbildningen belysa vikten av patientdelaktighet. I vårdverksamheten är det viktigt med reflektion och att sjuksköterskor har en helhetssyn av patienter som utgångspunkt i omvårdnaden. Att utveckla organisationen mot ett mer personcentrerat synsätt skulle kunna främja delaktighet. Ytterligare forskning angående organisationens betydelse för delaktighet skulle vara intressant. / Patients have a legal right to participate in their own healthcare and treatment, in spite of this, patients experience a lack of participation in nursing care. The aim of the study was to describe patients ́ experiences of barriers and facilitators for participation in nursing care. The study was conducted as a systematic literature review and the results are based on 15 research articles. Three major themes emerged: individual, the nurse-patient relationship and the care organization and based on these, six categories were identified that described the barriers and facilitators for participation from a patient perspective. Participation for the individual patient depended on factors such as age, background, knowledge, experience and personality. In the nurse-patient relationship, patients experienced barriers and facilitators, which could be due to nurses ́ behaviors and attitudes or factors concerning communication and information. The care organization had significance for the experience of participation. A stressful environment with lack of continuity and time hinders participation. Knowledge about patients ́ experiences of barriers and facilitators is required in order to meet patients ́ needs and further participation. It is therefore vital that already in the education of nurses to highlight the importance of patient participation. Reflecting is important in nursing care and that nurses have a holistic view of the patients in their care. To develop the organization toward a more person-centered approach could promote participation. Further research regarding the organization's importance to participation would be interesting.

The high prevalence of back and neck pain results in enormous social, psychological, and economic burden. Most seeking help for back or neck pain consult general practitioners or chiropractors. Chiropractic is a regulated health profession (serving approximately 10 – 15% of the population) that has contributed to the health and well-being of North Americans for over a century. Despite available evidence for optimal management of back and neck pain, poor adherences to guidelines and wide variations in services have been noted. For instance, overuse and misuse of imaging services have been reported in the chiropractic literature. Inappropriate use of spine imaging has a number of potential adverse outcomes, including inefficient and potentially inappropriate invasive diagnosis and subsequent treatment, and unnecessary patient exposure to ionizing radiation. Although evidence-based diagnostic imaging guidelines for spinal disorders are available, chiropractors are divided on whether these guidelines apply to them. While guidelines can encourage practitioners to conform to best practices and lead to improvements in care, reviews have demonstrated that dissemination of guidelines alone is rarely sufficient to optimise care. Evidence regarding effective methods to promote the uptake of guidelines is still lacking. There is growing acceptance that problem analysis and development of interventions to change practice should be guided by relevant theories and tailored to the target audience. To date, very little knowledge translation research has addressed research-practice gaps in chiropractic. This thesis reports rigorous methods to: (1) assess practice and providers’ characteristics, (2) determine baseline rates and variations in spine x-ray ordering, (3) evaluate the impact of disseminating guidelines to optimise spine x-ray ordering, and (4) assess determinants of spine x-ray ordering and potential targets for change prior to the design of a tailored intervention. A mixed method using two disciplinary perspectives (epidemiology and psychology) was undertaken. A cross-sectional analysis of administrative claims data was carried out on a sample of chiropractors enlisted in a large American provider network. Despite available clinical practice guidelines, wide geographical variations in x-ray use persist. Higher x-ray ordering rates were associated with practice location (Midwest and South US census regions), setting (urban, suburban), chiropractic school attended, male provider, employment, and years in practice. The impact of web-based guideline dissemination was evaluated over a five year period using interrupted time series and demonstrated a stepwise relative reduction of 5.3% in the use of x-rays. Passive guidelines dissemination appeared to be a simple, cost effective strategy in this setting to improve but not optimise x-ray ordering rates. Focus groups using the theoretical domains framework were conducted among Canadian and US chiropractors to explore their beliefs about managing back pain without x-rays. Findings were used to develop a theory-based survey to identify theoretical constructs predicting spine x-ray ordering practice. Psychological theories and theoretical constructs explained a significant portion of the variance in both behavioural simulation and intention. Results from this thesis provide an empirically-supported, theoretical basis to design quality improvement strategies to increase guidelines adherence and promote behaviour change in chiropractic. Other researchers interested in improving uptake of evidenced-based information could use this method in their own setting to investigate determinants of behaviour among other professional groups. Future research may use knowledge gained to inform the development and evaluation of a theory-based tailored intervention to improve guideline adherence and reduce the use of spine x-rays among targeted providers.

In this study two nonlinear analysis methods are proposed for investigation of nonlinear effects of high temperature superconductive(HTSC) thin film planar microwave circuits. The MoM-HB combination method is based on the combination formulation of the moment method(MoM) and the harmonic balance(HB) technique. It consists of linear and nonlinear solvers. The power series method treats the voltages at higher order frequencies as the excitations at the corresponding frequencies, and the higher order current distributions are then obtained by using the moment method again. The power series method is simple and fast for finding the output power at higher order frequencies. The MoM-HB combination method is suitable for strong nonlinearity, and it can be also used to find the fundamental current redistribution, conductor loss, and the scattering parameters variation at the fundamental frequency. These two proposed methods are efficient, accurate, and suitable for distributed-type HTSC nonlinearity. They can be easily incorporated into commercial EM CAD softwares to expand their capabilities. These two nonlinear analysis method are validated by analyzing a HTSC stripline filter and HTSC antenna dipole circuits. HTSC microstrip lines are then investigated for the nonlinear effects of HTSC material on the current density distribution over the cross section and the conductor loss as a function of the applied power. The HTSC microstrip patch filters are then studied to show that the HTSCinterconnecting line could dominate the behaviors of the circuits at high power. The variation of the transmission and reflection coefficients with the applied power and the third output power are calculated. The HTSC microstrip line structure with gilded edges is proposed for improving the power handling capability of HTSC thin film circuit based on a specified limit of harmonic generation and conductor loss. A general analysis approach suitable for any thickness of gilding layer is developed by integrating the multi-port network theory into aforementioned proposed nonlinear analysis methods. The conductor loss and harmonic generation of the gilded HTSC microstrip line are investigated.

Standards are necessary for an efficient functioning of the market and their regulation is an increasingly important area of law. Such is their importance that today it is possible to find thousands of standards developed by international standardising bodies, governmental agencies and even private companies in products that range from SIM cards and medical devices, to the pasteurisation of milk and computer protocols. Reasons that justify their widespread use are not difficult to ascertain: they play, for example, an important role in the achievement of economies of scale in manufacturing and in the attainment of compatibility of products and processes. However, together with these positive effects, standards can also have discriminatory consequences for trading partners, especially in cases in which they are badly designed and applied (for example, when they are introduced with the real purpose of creating an artificial comparative advantage for domestic producers). Given the existence of these ambivalent effects, three different policy tools have been developed within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) legal regime, aimed at maximising the benefits derived from the use of standards: harmonisation, equivalence and mutual recognition. The present thesis investigates the way in which both the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreements regulate these three instruments, and also, the potential shortcomings of the system from a trade law perspective. For that purpose, it studies relevant legal provisions of both Agreements, WTO jurisprudence and guidelines issued by international standardising bodies, among other topics.

Bakgrund E-handel av livsmedel är en av de e-handelsbranscher som växer starkast i Sverige just nu. Enligt Svensk Digital Handel förväntas e-handel av livsmedel omsätta 5,7 miljarder kronor år 2016, vilket innebär en ökning med 38 procent från föregående år. Den första satsningen på e-handel av livsmedel gjordes i början av 2000-talet, dock lade de flesta aktörer inom branschen i Sverige ned efter bara några år. Idag år 2016 är denna typ av bransch mer mogen än vad den var då, på grund av snabbare internetuppkopplingar och att fler har datorvana och även större vana att handla på internet. Dock stod livsmedelshandeln på internet för endast 1,5 procent av den totala livsmedelshandeln i Sverige år 2015. Trots att e-handeln av livsmedel ökar är det alltså fortfarande många konsumenter i Sverige som inte köper livsmedel på internet. Syfte Syftet med studien är att identifiera barriärer till att handla lösplock av livsmedel på internet för konsumenter i Sverige som inte tidigare har använt sig av konceptet. Som en del av syftet ingår även att identifiera eventuella likheter och skillnader för olika typer av hushåll genom att analysera om barriärerna varierar beroende på hur hushållens utformning och förutsättningar ser ut. Genomförande Studien utgår från ett konsumentperspektiv och med en abduktiv ansats och en kvalitativ strategi genomfördes intervjuer med tio hushåll. De hushåll som deltog i intervjuerna hade ännu inte e-handlat livsmedel och det som undersöktes var varför de inte anammat konceptet. Ett uppföljningsmoment genomfördes därefter där de intervjuade hushållen bads att testa att handla livsmedel på internet för att sedan svara på några korta frågor i en uppföljningsintervju. Sju av hushållen medverkade i uppföljningsmomentet. För att sätta resultatet från de intervjuade hushållen i perspektiv och för att skapa bredd i studien genomfördes även en enkätundersökning där 154 respondenter deltog. Slutsats 38 barriärer till e-handel av livsmedel identifierades. Dessa barriärer har grupperats i följande kategorier: vana, sättet de handlar livsmedel på, att inget problem uppstår, personlighet, okunskap, fördelar med fysiska livsmedelsbutiker, negativa aspekter eller antaganden som de har till e-handel av livsmedel, att de inte har möjlighet samt att de är skeptiska. Alla barriärer som går under dessa kategorier presenteras i studien. Inga mönster som identifierar att barriärerna varierar beroende på hur hushållens utformning och förutsättningar ser ut kunde hittas. Att flera olika hushållstyper studerades kan dock tänkas ha bidragit till att många olika barriärer kunde identifieras. / Background Grocery e-commerce is one of the e-commerce sectors with the strongest growth in Sweden right now. According to Svensk Digital Handel, the expected turnover for grocery e-commerce in 2016 is 5,7 billion SEK, which is equal to an increase of 38 percent compared to the previous year. The initial investment in the grocery e-commerce industry was made around year 2000, however, most of the businesses in Sweden was shut down after only a few years. Today, this type of industry is more mature than it was at that time because of faster internet connections and that more people are used to using computers and shopping on the internet. But still the grocery e-commerce is responsible for only 1.5 percent of the total turnover in the grocery industry in Sweden in 2015. Despite the fact that the use of grocery e-commerce increases, there are still many Swedes who are not using the internet for buying groceries. Aim The study aims to identify barriers to buy groceries online for consumers in Sweden who have not previously used the concept. A part of the aim is also to identify possible similarities and differences of the different types of households by analysing if the barriers vary depending on the type of household. Completion The study is using a consumer perspective, and with an abductive and qualitative approach ten interviews was conducted. The households that participated in the interviews had not yet tried grocery shopping online and we examined why they did not yet adopt the concept. After the interviews all the households were asked to try the grocery e-commerce concept, of which seven of them took part. Those were asked a few questions in a follow-up interview. To put the results of the interviews of the households in perspective, and to broaden the study, a survey was also carried out, were 154 respondents participated. Conclusion 38 barriers to grocery e-commerce were identified. The barriers have been categorised info following categories: habit, the way they are buying groceries, there is no problem existing, personality, ignorance, that they prefer traditional grocery stores, negative aspects or assumptions about grocery e-commerce, that they do not have the opportunity and they are sceptical. All the barriers in these categories are presented in the study. No patterns that identifies that the barriers vary depending on the type of household could be found. That different household types were studied could however have contributed to the fact that many different types of barriers could be identified.

This study examines barriers limiting access to hospice care for elderly African Americans. Ethnic background plays a critical role in the development of attitudes, beliefs and expectations related to death and issues surrounding hospice care. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers that may limit access to hospice care for African Americans. A questionnaire was administered to 56 elderly African Americans in three religious settings and an African American senior citizens center. The questionnaire was designed to obtain information concerning African Americans' attitudes toward death and dying; religious beliefs; health beliefs; familiarity with hospice and prospective use of hospice. The results of the study indicate a number of barriers in access to hospice care for African Americans including: hospice knowledge barriers; education/outreach barriers; cultural knowledge barriers related to death/dying values; family/social support barriers; hospice organizational/provider barriers; health care organizational/provider barriers; and reimbursement barriers.

Till följd av en ökad global migration har Sverige blivit ett mångkulturellt land där det talas många olika språk. Detta medför att sjuksköterskan möter patienter med språk, regler och normer som kan skilja sig från deras egna. Avsaknaden av ett gemensamt språk mellan sjuksköterskan och patienten försvårar sjuksköterskans dagliga arbete samt kan vara ett hinder att möta patientens behov. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskans erfarenheter av språkbarriärer i vårdandet, med fokus på kommunikation och omvårdnad samt att beskriva hur sjuksköterskorna hanterar språkbarriärer. Metod en litteraturöversikt som var baserad på 15 vetenskapliga artiklar såväl kvalitativa, kvantitativa som mixmethod. Resultatet visade att det fanns frustration, osäkerhet samt oro hos sjuksköterskorna vid vård av patienter då ett gemensamt språk saknades. Studien visade tre huvudteman: samt tio subteman som hade betydelse för hur språkbarriär påverkar sjuksköterskans arbete och vården. Slutsats Komplexiteten och utmaningen med att vårda patienter som inte kan värdlandets språk och den påverkan det har på vården och sjuksköterskans dagliga arbete tydliggjordes. Kommunikation är en förutsättning för att patienten kan vara delaktig med sin egen vård och möjliggör att kommunicera om sina behov. / As a result of increased global migration, Sweden has become a multicultural country where it is spoken in many different languages. This means that healthcare professionals such a nurses encounter patients with language, rules and standards which may differ from their own. The lack of a common language between the nurse and the patient complicates the nurse's daily work and can be a barrier to meet the patient's needs. Aim: The aim was to describe nurses' experiences of language barriers, with a focus on communication and care and to describe how nurses deal with language barriers. Method: The study is a literature review based on 15 scientific articles which consists of qualitative, quantitative and a mix method of the two. Results The results showed that the nurses' experience frustration, and anxiety due to uncertainty when caring for patients when a common language was missing. The study revealed three main themes: and ten subthemes that are important to how the language barrier affects the nursing profession and health care. Conclusion: The results has shown the complexity and challenge faced when caring for patients who cannot speak host language and the impact it has on patients health care and nurse's daily work. Communication is a prerequisite for the patient so that they can be involved in their own care and also enables to communicate their needs.

The “stage model” is a criticized but well-used segmentation method for categorizing firms into different export development stages based on their perceived export barriers. However increasing presence of born global firms and lagging exports, particularly in the Swedish tech industry, require an updated segmentation tool. Export intensity, export experience and psychic distance to foreign customers are identified as alternative indicators of a firm’s perceived export barriers. The extent to which these variables can predict perceived export barriers of firms is tested. Collected data from 30 Swedish SMEs consisting of both born globals and traditional exporters within the tech field suggest that none of the three variables is a sufficient indicator of perceived export barriers on its own. Instead, each variable explains different export barriers to different degrees. The results indicate that each SME chooses its unique path of export development, making it difficult to establish a standardized stage model for modern SMEs.

To build multi story buildings out of timber is of a common interest in the building sector. Timber as a building material has many profits, such as the low cost, the availability and the ability to recycle it, the low carbon footprint and the workability. Although, when it comes to fire protection of buildings with a timber based structure there are challenges regarding prevention of the spread of fire while timber surface is exposed to fire. There have been cases in which timber buildings have caught fire leading to severe fire spread and ruined buildings. One example concerns a student modulus accommodation in Luleå that caught fire in august 2013. The fire started on the fourth floor after which a vertical fire spread occurred in concealed spaces between the volume modules. According to the fire investigation lack of knowledge regarding performance of detailed building solutions has led to the poor fire performance of the building. This master thesis mainly consists of a model scale tests that is prepared and performed according to the standard EN 1363-1. The purpose of the test is to investigate the performance of various cavity barriers exposed to fire. The main objective is to examine which temperatures that can be expected at different positions at various cavity barriers when using model scale test as a test method. There are two main kinds of cavity barriers: barriers that are airtight and closed inside the voids of the construction; and ventilated barriers. The most common cavity barriers are the ones that are airtight and closed. The material can be solid wood, gypsum board or mineral wool. The installation areas for these cavity barriers are anywhere, besides where the concealed spaces shall be ventilated and in every joint that shall be sealed using sealant. The ventilated cavity barriers are mounted in concealed spaces where the ventilating function is provided. These concealed spaces are often situated in, for example, ventilated attics, facades and roofs. The purpose of the ventilated barriers is to maintain the air flow in the cavity during regular conditions but also to form a protecting barrier between fire compartments when exposed to fire. The model scale test includes test apparatuses such as thermocouples and a fire resistance furnace with plate thermometers and burners. In addition, a test rig consisting of test specimens and the products to be tested are essential.  In this report, two model scale tests have been performed and prepared according to EN 1363‑1. The test period endured for four hours and the thermocouples measured the temperatures during the whole time. During the first hour the test specimens were exposed to the standard ISO 834 fire curve by controlling the burners in the furnace. After one hour the burners were turned off and the specimens were no longer exposed to fire. The measurements of the temperatures continued during three more hours. After the first two of these three hours the furnace was opened to confer more oxygen in the purpose to record any changes in the temperatures. Results of the performed experiments have indicated parameters that affect the performance of the cavity barriers. The cavity surface itself has an influence to the fire spread. The number of barriers in the cavity and the material properties of the material that is used as the cavity barrier lead to the different protection by those cavity barriers. Some of the tested barriers were plastic covered, which had effect on the performance of the cavity barriers. The dimensions of the barriers, moreover the width and the thickness, are important parameters for the proper function of the barrier. The test results indicate that glowing combustion occurs in the cavity between various cavity barriers.  It can be seen that the temperature rises when the furnace is opened. This indicates the appearance of smouldering since the combustion increases when the amount of oxygen increases, which leads to a temperature rise. Furthermore, the appearance of smouldering (glowing combustion) can be indicated by the observation of the damages of the specimens after the test. The temperatures that may be expected at the unexposed side of the cavity barrier depend on the surface material of the cavity, dimensions, and the material of the cavity barriers. Smouldering is a consequence of the temperature rise in closed cavities between cavity barriers. The performed test endured for approximately four hours and this indicates that fires in cavities can stay for a long time. To ensure the performance of various cavity barriers and verification by a model scale test it is important to perform further experiment and analyses to investigate the effects of the various parameters. To ensure the effectiveness of the performance of the cavity barriers they should be tested in cavities with various widths and various heights. Further investigation of the risk for smouldering is needed with measuring the amount of oxygen and the pressure.