No description available.

Bakgrund: Idag uppskattas var tredje person få en cancerdiagnos under sin livstid.Cancer drabbar inte enbart den enskilda individen utan även de närstående. De närstående anses vara patienternas viktigaste stöd under sjukdomsprocessen och de har ett behov av att vara delaktiga i vården. Syfte: Att belysa forskning om upplevelsen av att vara närstående till en person med diagnosen cancer. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på tio kvalitativa studier.Resultat: Tre teman framkom vid dataanalysen. De närstående upplevde en förändrad vardag med nya roller och prioriteringar. Känslor som oro, osäkerhet och rädsla präglade de närstående men samtidigt fanns där ett hopp om att behandlingen skulle gå bra. De närstående upplevde att de ibland hade behov av att vara fria från sjukdomen och de sökte stöd hos vänner och familj. Att få vara delaktig i vården och få information var viktigt för att de närstående skulle få en känsla av kontroll och säkerhet. Resultatet i studien visar att de närståendes livssituation förändras och att det är viktigt för sjuksköterskan att vara medveten om deras upplevelser. / Background: Today it is estimated that one of three people get a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime. Cancer affects not only the individual but also the next of kin. The next of kin are considered to be the patient’s main support during the disease, and they need to be involved in the care. Aim: To illustrate the research about the experience of being next of kin to a person diagnosed with cancer.Method: A literature review based on ten qualitative studies.Results: Three themes were found from the data analysis. The next of kin experienced that their daily lives were changed with new roles and priorities. Feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and fear characterized the next of kin but at the same time, there was a hope about that the treatment would go well. The next of kin felt that they sometimes had needs to be free from the disease and they sought support from friends and family. To be involved in the care and get information was important so that the next of kin would get a sense of control and security. The results of the study shows that the next of kin’s life situations are changing and it is important for the nurse to be aware of their experiences.

<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p> <p>As plants are sessile organisms, detecting the presence of neighboring plants and exhibiting competitive behavior to acquire limiting resources is crucial. One of the ways plants respond to belowground competition is by allocation to fine roots in order to acquire the limited resources. However, this phenotypic plasticity can be costly as it assigns resources away from reproduction. Being able to recognize the relatedness of one′s neighbours and preferentially compete with strangers is a beneficial trait that can minimize the costs of competition with relatives and increases inclusive fitness. Many studies have looked at the association between resource availability and competition in plants while others have observed kin recognition in several plants species. However, no one has yet studied the effect of resource availability on kin recognition in plants. Here, I looked at root architecture to test if there is an association between kin recognition and nutrient availability in <em>Cakile edentula</em>.</p> <p>I found that the root system architecture is highly plastic and complex, showing variable responses to neighbour identity signals and resource availability. The results from the four experiments demonstrate that the responses of <em>C. edentula </em>to neighbour relatedness are dependent on nutrient availability. Additionally, this study also indicates that kin recognition in <em>C. edentula</em> does not require root contact; instead it occurs through a signal found in soluble compounds excreted from plants, possibly root exudates, as observed in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> <em>(</em>Biedrzycki et al. 2010).</p> <p>In conclusion, this study provides novel findings regarding the dynamics of root behavior in response to nutrient availability and the relatedness of neighbours.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Group living is a widespread social system among animals. Within these groups, decisions on interactions between individuals can be facilitated through knowledge about individual identity and kinship. Individual identity allows for the recognition of individuals from past interactions and thus, information on likelihood of reciprocity and group-membership can be gained. The benefit for cooperative interactions, specifically, increases with the level of relatedness between the helper and the recipient. Thus, knowing who is kin, is an essential ability among group-living species and remembering individual identity helps to maintain long-term relationships and inform future decisions. Kin recognition can be facilitated through temporal and spatial overlap (i.e. familiarity) or through phenotypic-templates (i.e. phenotype matching). The goal of this thesis was to explore recognition in the joint-nesting pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus melanotus). For the first portion of this thesis (Chapter II), I tested for evidence of phenotype matching in pūkeko using a cross-fostering experiment. Comparing survival and growth between fostered and non-fostered offspring, I provide evidence that pūkeko do not use phenotype matching as their mechanism for kin recognition. In Chapter III, I show that pūkeko chick distress calls may have an individual and group signature. I found variation in the vocal parameters between individual chicks and social groups. I also tested for response of adults towards chick distress calls of their own group. Using a playback-choice experiment, I report a biased response of adult pūkeko towards the distress call of their own group's chicks rather than the call of a distressed chick from a foreign chick. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Kin recognition is an essential ability for social species. Knowing whom is kin can help inform decisions on cooperation and conflict. I explored whether the joint-nesting pūkeko use familiarity or phenotype matching to recognise cross-fostered offspring. I experimented to determine if adult pūkeko can recognise the distress vocalizations of chicks in their group. I found no evidence that pūkeko use phenotypic templates to recognise cross-fostered chicks as non-kin. However, adult pūkeko showed a bias in response towards the distress calls of their own versus unfamiliar chicks. Individual chick distress calls, while variable from day-to-day, show group-specific similarities.

Bakgrund: När en person i ens närhet blir sjuk leder det ofta till att någon intar en stödjande roll som närstående. Att vara närstående kan upplevas på många olika sätt och inom intensivvården har närstående en central roll för omvårdnaden av patienten. I takt med en äldre befolkning och högre överlevnad bland intensivvårdspatienter har ett större fokus riktats mot närståendes upplevelser efter intensivvårdstiden. Intensivvårdsmiljön kan av närstående upplevas som skrämmande och känslor som ångest, stress och osäkerhet kan försätta närstående i en krissituation.  Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur närstående upplever sin tillvaro efter vårdtiden på en intensivvårdsavdelning. Metod: Studien har en deskriptiv design med kvalitativ ansats. Tio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med närstående till patienter som vårdats på en intensivvårdsavdelning. Dataanalysen genomfördes med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Huvudresultat: Resultatet i studien beskrev närståendes upplevelse av tillvaron efter vårdtiden på en intensivvårdsavdelning. Resultatet sammanställdes i ett tema: Tillvaron förändras för närstående efter intensivvårdstiden. Sju kategorier till temat definierades; Att känna eller inte känna oro i sin tillvaro, Att få en förändrad relation, Att ha ett närståendeansvar, Att uppleva förändringar i välbefinnandet, Socialt stöd har betydelse, Att använda olika hanteringsstrategier och Att ha fått andra perspektiv.  Slutsats: Efter avslutad intensivvård kunde närstående uppleva en förändring i tillvaron och i välbefinnandet. Upplevelserna från intensivvårdstiden var betydande för tillvaron efteråt. Tillvaron kunde präglas av oro, förändrade relationer, ansvar och olika hanteringsstrategier. Intensivvårdstiden kunde också leda till ett annat perspektiv på livet och en insikt om det sociala stödets betydelse. / Background: When someone close falls ill, it often leads to someone taking on the supportive role of next of kin. The experience of being a next of kin can vary widely, and within intensive care environments, next of kin play a central role in patient care. With an aging population and improved survival rates among intensive care patients, there has been increased attention on the experiences of next of kin after the intensive care period. The intensive care environment can be daunting for next of kin, with emotions such as anxiety, stress, and uncertainty potentially leading them to crisis.  Aim: The aim of this study was to describe how next of kin perceive their lives after the period of care in an intensive care unit.  Method: The study used a descriptive design with a qualitative approach. Ten  semi-structured interviews were conducted with next of kin of patients who had been treated in an intensive care unit. Data analysis was performed with qualitative content analysis.  Main Result: The study's results described next of kin's experiences of life after the intensive care period. These results were summarized in a theme: “A Change in Everyday Life as Next of Kin to a Intensive Care Unit patient". Seven categories were delineated within this theme: Feeling of Concern or No Concern in Everyday Life, Perceived Altered Relationships, Bearing the Responsibility as Next of Kin, Noting Changes in Well-being, Understanding the Meaning of Social Support, Using Different Coping Strategies, and Gaining New Perspectives.  Conclusion: After completing intensive care, next of kin may undergo significant changes in their lives and well-being. Experiences from the intensive care period have profound consequences for life thereafter. Life after intensive care may be characterized by concerns, altered relationships, responsibilities as next of kin, and various coping strategies. The intensive care period can also lead to a change in perspective on life and an appreciation of the importance of social support.

Many active processes in cells are driven by highly specialised motor proteins, which interact with the cytoskeleton: a network of filamentous structures, e.~g.~ actin filaments and microtubules, which organises intracellular transport and largely determines the cell shape. These motor proteins are able to transduce the chemical energy, stored in ATP molecules, to do mechanical work while interacting with a filament. Certain motor proteins, e.~g.~members of the KIN-13 kinesin subfamily, are able to interact specifically with filament ends and induce depolymerisation of the filament ends. One important role for KIN-13 family members is in the mitotic spindle, a microtubule structure that is formed in the process of cell division and is responsible for separation and distribution of the duplicated genetic material to the forming daughter cells. The aim of this work is to develop a theoretical framework capable of describing experimentally observed behaviour and shed light on underlying principles of motor induced filament depolymerisation. We use two different theoretical approaches to describe motor dynamics in this non- equilibrium situation: On the one hand we use phenomenological continuum equations which themselves are to a large extent independent of the underlying molecular details of the system. Molecular details of the system are incorporated in the equations through the specific values of macroscopic parameters which are determined by the underlying details. On the other hand, we use one- and two-dimensional discrete stochastic descriptions of motors on a filament. These kind of descriptions enable us to investigate the effects of different microscopic mechanisms of filament depolymerisation, and to investigate the role of fluctuations on the dynamic behaviour of motor proteins. We additionally discuss filament depolymerisation in the case where motors are not free to move but are fixed to a common anchoring point and depolymerise filaments under the influence of applied forces, mimicking the situation in the mitotic spindle. Our results can be related to recent experiments on members of the KIN-13 subfamily and predictions made in our theory can be tested by further experiments. Although motivated by experiments involving members of the KIN-13 subfamily, our theory is not restricted to these motors but applies in general to associated proteins which regulate dynamics of filament ends.

No description available.

Contact with the next of kin to a deceased person by a Nurse, may help the grieving family to gain closure as many family members feel a need to express their emotional grief. According to the WHOs definition of Palliative care supportive conversation and practical support is a necessity and an important part of the palliative care. Ruland and Moores Peaceful End-of-Life Theory has been used as a theory and an important part is to pay attention to how the relatives are feeling, for example symptoms of grief and anxiety and to answer their questions. The purpose of the study was to describe if geographical location, place of death, medical diagnosis and age affect if bereavement support is offered by the Health care to the next of kin within palliative care. Method: Retrospective time line to discover and examine how conversational support was offered. A quantitive method was chosen to enable the data to be analyzed statistically. To collect data the Swedish Palliative Register where used. Results: Larger numbers of the smaller municipalities proved to be better at offering conversational support in comparison to larger municipalities. Most offers for conversational support was in the case of cancer diagnosis, regardless of age. Families that lived in small municipalities where the patient was being treated for cancer 0-4 years with access to specialized palliative care proved to hold the greatest possibility of conversational support. Implication: There is a continuing need for further research in bereavement support and with a qualitative interview study of district nurses there is an ability to capture the factors that affect when bereavement support is not offered to all relatives. / Ett efterlevandesamtal mellan de anhöriga och distriktssköterskan en tid efter dödsfallet kan hjälpa familjen att få ett avslut och många anhöriga önskar att få tala om sin sorg efter sin bortgångna närstående. Enligt WHO:s definition är samtalsstöd och praktiskt stöd en nödvändighet och en viktig del av den palliativa vården. Ruland och Moores teori Peaceful End-of-Life Theory skriver att en viktig del i teorin är att uppmärksamma anhörigas mående, till exempel symtom på sorg och oro samt besvara deras frågor. Syftet med studien var att beskriva om geografisk plats, dödsplats, diagnos och ålder påverkar erbjudandet från hälso-sjukvården om efterlevnadssamtal till anhöriga inom palliativ vård. Metod: Kvantitativ retrospektiv metod har valts för att kunna undersöka bakåt i tiden hur efterlevandesamtal har erbjudits, kvantitativ  metod valdes för att det insamlade materialet skulle kunna analyseras. Data samlades in via Svenska Palliativregistret. Resultat: Några av de mindre kommunerna var oftast  bättre på att erbjuda efterlevandesamtal än större kommuner. Den diagnos som gav flest erbjudna efterlevandesamtal var cancerdiagnos oavsett ålder. Störst möjlighet för närstående att erbjudas efterlevandesamtal har de där den avlidne var mellan 0-4 år, vårdades för cancersjukdom och bodde i en liten kommun med tillgång till specialiserad palliativ vård. Det behövs mer forskning om efterlevandesamtal och genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie av distriktssköterskor finns möjligheten att fånga upp deras uppfattning om vad som påverkar att efterlevandesamtal inte erbjuds till alla närstående.

Understanding the conditions that favour the evolution and maintenance of spiteful bacteriocin production combines two important questions from the fields of social evolution and microbiology. Spiteful behaviours, though, initially thought to be rare represent an important class of interactions between bacteria through the production of bacteriocins. Bacteriocins can be considered spiteful as they are costly to produce (in many cases requiring lysis) and are costly to sensitive bacteria (i.e. they are lethal). However, much about the ecology of spiteful behaviours and bacteriocin production remains unclear. Mathematical models have given us important insights into some conditions that should favour bacteriocin production, but few empirical studies exist supporting these results. In this thesis I use the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a prolific producer of bacteriocins), to examine conditions that favour bacteriocin production. I also investigate more specific elements about this system and toxin production in general. I find that bacteriocin production in P. aeruginosa closely follows predictions made from mathematical models under a range of different conditions (e.g. frequency, scale of competition, multiple social traits). I also find that resistance can evolve to bacteriocins and biological mechanisms such as the neutralisation of one’s own toxin can have important consequences. Finally, I consider bacteriocin as a policing trait testing predictions about the role that linkage plays in policing. This work represents a comprehensive study into the importance of bacteriocin production in bacteria.

Bakgrund: Idag lever många nära en person som drabbats av en livshotande sjukdom. Många som insjuknar har behov av den palliativa vården. Den palliativa vården syftar till att främja livskvalitet och lindra lidande, både för patienten och för de närstående. När en person i familjen blir sjuk är det naturligt för de flesta människor att ta rollen som vårdare och familjen anses ha en stor betydelse i vården av den sjuke. Att erhålla information samt stöd är viktiga förutsättningar för att de närstående ska kunna känna delaktighet i vården. Sjuksköterskan har till uppgift att lindra lidande, främja hälsa samt ge stöd och information. Syfte: Att belysa de närståendes erfarenheter av den palliativa vården. Design: En litteraturöversikt. Metod: 14 vetenskapliga artiklar som blivit publicerade under de senaste fem åren, har lästs flertalet gånger och därefter analyserats utifrån en innehållsanalys, för att finna gemensamma kategorier som beskriver de närståendes erfarenheter/ upplevelser. Resultat: Närheten till döden var något som väckte starka känslor, och situationen beskrevs vara fysiskt, psykiskt och emotionellt påfrestande. Resultatet visar att de närstående tog ett stort ansvar i vården av den sjuke, detta resulterade i ett ökat behov av stöd, framförallt från familj och vänner. En god relation till vårdpersonalen ökade förutsättningarna till en god vård. Trots den svåra situationen kunde meningsfullhet upplevas. Slutsats: Sjukdomen medförde att livssituationen förändrades och en ökad ansvarskänsla uppstod hos den närstående. Stöd från familj och vänner, samt vårdpersonal hade stor betydelse. Kunskap hos vårdpersonalen värderades högt och det var viktigt att den sjuke skulle få dö en värdig och fridfull död. / Background: A lot of people are today living close to a person who suffers from a life-threatening disease A lot of people who become sick has a need for palliative care. Palliative care aims to improve quality of life and ease suffering, both for the patient and for the next of kin. When a person in the family gets ill, it’s natural for most people to take on the role as the caregiver and the family is considered to have a great importance in the caregiving. To obtain information and support it’s important for the next of kin to feel involved in the care. The nurse’s task is to ease suffering, promote health and provide support and information. Aim: To describe the next-of kin`s experiences of palliative care. Design: A literature review. Methods: 14 articles, published in the last five years, has been read several times and then analysed through a content analysis, to find categories that describes the next of kin’s experiences. Results: The closeness/proximity of death was something that arouse strong emotions, and the situation was described as physically, mentally and emotionally stressful. The result revealed that the next of kin took a great responsibility in the care of the ill person, this resulted in an increased need of support, especially from family and friends. A good relationship to the healthcare professionals increased the chances to get good care. Despite the difficult situation, meaningfulness could be experienced. Conclusion: The disease led to a changed life situation and an increased sense of responsibility for the next of kin. Support from family and friends and healthcare professionals had great importance. Knowledge among healthcare professionals was highly valued and it was important that the ill person would be allowed to die a dignified and peaceful death.