Mitt syfte med denna uppsats är att undersöka varför och på vilket sätt individer söker sig till antroposofi. Jag vill främst göra detta genom att undersöka och beskriva attityder hos individer som har valt att gå till en antroposofisk mödra- och barnavårdcentral. Individer som inte på ett enkelt sätt definierar sig som antroposofer, eller ens som associerade med den organisationen, men som trots allt ändå väljer antroposofisk mödravård. Syftet är att lyfta fram individens val, tankar och förhållningsätt till antroposofin och till mörda- och barnavårdcentralen.

Att befinna sig i ett terminalt skede i livet kan innebära en känsla av oro och ångest inför sjukdomen och döden. Möjligheten att då få tillbringa sin sista tid i hemmiljö med nära och kära kring sig genererar för många en trygghet. Syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa vuxna människors erfarenheter av att i livets slutskede vårdas av anhöriga i hemmiljö. Metoden som använts är systematisk litteraturstudie där aktuell forskning inom området sammanställts. Databaser som använts för sökningen var PsycINFO, Medline, Cinahl, Elin@kalmar och SweMed+. Artiklar som syftade till problemformuleringen kvalitetsgranskades och resultatet bygger på tio vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultatet visade att sociala relationer och stöd från familjen genererar livskvalitet och trygghet hos människan som vårdas i livets slutskede. Delaktighet i sin vård och känsla av att inte förlora kontrollen över sina symtom gjorde att människan kände hopp och att de klarade av situationen. Slutsatserna var att möjligheten att få bo kvar hemma ansågs mycket betydelsefullt. Sociala relationer bidrog till att människor hemma kände en lägre grad av symtom. Den sjuke uppskattade stödet från familjen men ville inte bli en börda för anhöriga. Information om stöd och en realistisk planering samt insikt i situationens allvar bidrog till att hon kände delaktighet och bättre kunde hantera situationen.

Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva brännskadade personers upplevelser av livet efter en brännskada. Bakgrund: En brännskada är ett trauma för både kropp och själ och ett stort lidande för den drabbade. Fysiska förändringar och psykologisk kris gör vägen tillbaka svår. Genom medicinskt kunnande och genom att vara ett medmänskligt stöd har sjuksköterskan en viktig roll under både den fysiska och psykiska läkningsprocessen. Metod: Studien är en allmän litteraturstudie baserad på fem kvalitativa vetenskapliga artiklar samt en självbiografi, publicerade mellan år 2003-2008. Analysen innebar att meningsbärande enheter togs ut och sammanfördes till tre huvudkategorier med tillhörande underkategorier. Resultat: De brännskadade upplevde att livet efter brännskadan innebar stort lidande och gjorde att de inte längre kunde vara självständiga. De upplevde bristande tillit till sin egen kropp vilket ledde till ett försämrat självförtroende. För att kunna gå vidare i livet var det viktigt att finna vägar för att acceptera och hantera det som hänt. Efter hand kunde livet ses positivt och värderas högre. Flera olika faktorer hade stor betydelse för att de skulle kunna känna trygghet i sitt förändrade liv. Slutsats: För att sjuksköterskan ska finnas där som stöd för den brännskadade behövs djupare kunskap inom området, vilket gör att ytterligare forskning är betydelsefull. Kunskapen skulle kunna spridas vidare genom att brännskadade föreläser om sina upplevelser och att de som är insatta i ämnet handleder personal inom hälso- och sjukvård utifrån casemetodik. / Aim: The purpose was to describe how people with burn injuries experience their life after a burn injury. Background: A burn injury is a trauma for both body and soul and a big suffering for the person who is affected. Physical changes and psychological crisis makes it hard to recover. By medical knowledge and through human support nurses have an important role during the physical and psychological healing process. Method: This study is a literature overview, based on five qualitative scientific articles and one biography, published between the years 2003-2008. In the analysis meaning units were identified and brought together into main categories and sub categories. Result: People with burn injuries experiences that life after the injuries meant a great deal of suffering as well as a loss of independence. They experienced lacking trust in their own body, which lead to impaired self-confidence. To be able to move on in life, they had to find ways to accept and deal with what had happened. Several different factors were of importance to make them feel safety in their changed life. Conclusions: For the nurse to be able to be there for people with burn injuries, more knowledge of the subject is needed, which makes further research important. The knowledge could spread by the burn injured holding lectures about his or hers experiences, and by the well-informed tutoring health care staff and students using case methodology.

Patienter som genomgått kirurgi på grund av övre gastrointestinal (GI) cancer drabbas oftast av olika postoperativa besvär som starkt påverkar patientens livssituation. Syftet: Att undersöka hur patienter som opererats för en misstänkt eller diagnostiserad övre GI-cancer upplever den tidiga postoperativa tiden i hemmet innan första återbesöket. Metod: Kvalitativ metod med tolkande fenomenologisk ansats. Tio patienter intervjuades och den transkriberade texten analyserades enligt Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Resultat: Fem överordnade teman framträdde: mat och ätande, kroppsfunktioner, återhämtning, stöd och oro inför framtiden. Informanterna upplevde att de hade en helt ny livssituation att anpassa sig till. Maten och ätandet var ett stort problem som de hade svårt att hantera, likaså var tröttheten dominerande. De flesta upplevde ett gott stöd från sina anhöriga men de saknade stöd från professionen. Informanterna uttalade önskemål om kontinuerlig kontakt med sjukvården som initieras av densamma. Konklusion: Patienter som opererats på grund av övre GI-cancer befinner sig i en mycket sårbar tid i livet och behovet av stöd är av största betydelse. Riktad information till både patient och anhöriga preoperativt, samt kontinuerlig och strukturerad uppföljning av kontaktsjuksköterska och dietist postoperativt behövs för att kunna förbättra livskvaliteten, öka välbefinnandet och samtidigt höja kvaliteten på vården för dessa patienter.

<p>Over the past 200 years, the Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration has increased by more than 35%, and climate experts predict that CO₂ levels may double by the end of this century. Understanding the mechanisms of resource management in plants is fundamental for predicting how plants will respond to the increase in atmospheric CO₂. Plant productivity sustains life on Earth and is a principal component of the planet's system that regulates atmospheric CO₂ concentration. As such, one of the central goals of plant science is to understand the regulatory mechanisms of plant growth in a changing environment. Short-lived positron-emitting radiotracer techniques provide time-dependent data that are critical for developing models of metabolite transport and resource distribution in plants and their microenvironments. To better understand the effects of environmental changes on resource transport and allocation in plants, we have developed a system for real-time measurements of metabolite transport in plants using short-lived positron-emitting radiotracers. This thesis project includes the design, construction, and demonstration of the capabilities of this system for performing real-time measurements of metabolite transport in plants.</p><p>The short-lived radiotracer system described in this dissertation takes advantage of the combined capabilities and close proximity of two research facilities at Duke University: the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) and the Duke University Phytotron, which are separated by approximately 100 meters. The short-lived positron-emitting radioisotopes are generated using the 10-MV tandem Van de Graaff accelerator located in the main TUNL building, which provides the capability of producing short-lived positron-emitting isotopes such as carbon-11 (¹¹C; 20 minute half-life), nitrogen-13 (¹³N; 10 minute half-life), fluorine-18 (¹⁸F; 110 minute half-life), and oxygen-15 (¹⁵O; 2 minute half-life). The radioisotopes may be introduced to plants as biologically active molecules such as ¹¹CO₂, ¹³NO₃^-, ¹⁸F^--[H₂O], and H₂<sup>15<\sup>O. Plants for these studies are grown in controlled-environment chambers at the Phytotron. The chambers offer an array of control for temperature, humidity, atmospheric CO₂ concentration, and light intensity. Additionally, the Phytotron houses one large reach-in growth chamber that is dedicated to this project for radioisotope labeling measurements.</p><p>There are several important properties of short-lived positron-emitting radiotracers that make them well suited for use in investigating metabolite transport in plants. First, because the molecular mass of a radioisotope-tagged compound is only minutely different from the corresponding stable compound, radiotracer substances should be metabolized and transported in plants the same as their non-radioactive counterparts. Second, because the relatively high energy gamma rays emitted from electron-positron annihilation are attenuated very little by plant tissue, the real-time distribution of a radiotracer can be measured <em>in vivo</em> in plants. Finally, the short radioactive half-lives of these isotopes allow for repeat measurements on the same plant in a short period of time. For example, in studies of short-term environmental changes on plant metabolite dynamics, a single plant can be labeled multiple times to measure its responses to different environmental conditions. Also, different short-lived radiotracers can be applied to the same plant over a short period of time to investigate the transport and allocation of various metabolites.</p><p>This newly developed system provides the capabilities for production of ¹¹CO₂ at TUNL, transfer of the ¹¹CO₂ gas from the target area at TUNL to a radiation-shielded cryogenic trap at the Phytotron, labeling of photoassimilates with ¹¹C, and <em>in vivo</em> gamma-ray detection for real-time measurements of the radiotracer distribution in small plants. The experimental techniques and instrumentation that enabled the quantitative biological studies reported in this thesis were developed through a series of experiments made at TUNL and the Phytotron. Collimated single detectors and coincidence counting techniques were used to monitor the radiotracer distribution on a coarse spatial scale. Additionally, a prototype Versatile Imager for Positron Emitting Radiotracers (VIPER) was built to provide the capability of measuring radiotracer distributions in plants with high spatial resolution (~2.5 mm). This device enables detailed quantification of real-time metabolite dynamics on fine spatial scales.</p><p>The full capabilities of this radiotracer system were utilized in an investigation of the effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration and root nutrient availability on the transport and allocation of recently fixed carbon, including that released from the roots via exudation or respiration, in two grass species. The ¹¹CO₂ gas was introduced to a leaf on the plants grown at either ambient or elevated atmospheric CO₂. Two sequential measurements were performed per day on each plant: a control nutrient solution labeling immediately followed by labeling with a 10-fold increase or decrease in nutrient concentration. The real-time distribution of ¹¹C-labeled photoassimilate was measured <em>in vivo</em> throughout the plant and root environment. This measurement resulted in the <em>first</em> observation of a rapid plant response to short-term changes in nutrient availability via correlated changes in the photoassimilate allocation to root exudates. Our data indicated that root exudation was consistently enhanced at lower nutrient concentrations. Also, we found that elevated atmospheric CO₂ increased the velocity of photoassimilate transport throughout the plant, enhanced root exudation in an annual crop grass, and reduced root exudation in a perennial native grass.</p> / Dissertation

This thesis initiates from the empirical researches findings which indicate that cognition-action gap exists in knowledge sharing practice. In order to have a deep insight, the researcher conducts a phenomenological qualitative research to explore the context behind this phenomenon. We adopt phenomenological interview technique to explore the lived experience concerning knowledge sharing in knowledge management systems (KMS) called SCTNet. We interview forty-nine teachers who register as the members on SCTNet and are located in different cities in Taiwan. Research findings show that the meaning of knowledge that teachers perceive are¡G the techniques and lived experiences accumulated from the interactions with children¡¦s parents and children, teaching professions and designs, and the beliefs in teaching. The teachers perceive knowledge sharing as the transit power in transforming oneself from alone to belong to the teacher¡¦s professional community and helps oneself expands his/her experience from limited into broader. We find that teachers¡¦ interaction happened in five different fields in the school. These are the places of workshop, demo, gossiping, apprenticeship learning, and ¡§the space between you and me¡¨. In each field, there exist different phenomena of interactions. In the fields of workshop, demo, gossiping and apprenticeship learning, most of the interactions are perceived as a ¡§form of play¡¨, and only little lived experience is shared in these places. Most of lived experience sharing and learning happen in ¡§the space between you and me¡¨. Research findings indicate that the constrains frame these teachers in speaking out of their lived experience are¡Gthe norms of teacher society, busyness, and loneness. These teachers show their desires in looking for ¡§others¡¨ as the learning and sharing partners in SCTNet. Yet, they show different participation phenomena while they present themselves in the virtual space and these phenomena outline two forums for interaction in SCTNet. One of them is ¡§Smart¡¨ platform and another is ¡§Outside¡¨. On the ¡§Smart¡¨ platform, teachers perceive themselves as smart teachers and show strong group identity to this platform, share their lived experience actively, and always give support while partners need. They defense against outsiders while others criticize their platform. However, the members and their behaviors in sharing on ¡§Smart¡¨ platform are through the security check and guaranteed the sharings are safe. The phenomena in ¡§Outside¡¨ show that most of the participants keep quiet or with few interactions to hide themselves from the ¡¨others¡¨ on SCTNet. In this area, a lot of teaching materials are stored and used by the novices or the travelers on the virtual space. Sometimes, ¡§Outside¡¨ serves as the communication channel of the educational administration for transfering the documentations. Yet, with the administration intervention, participants are encouraged to submit or post some materials upon the ¡§quantity¡¨ request. This makes the SCTNet under the risk of becoming an information junkyard (McDermot 1994). Research findings also indicate the factors which serve as obstructs, exits, and projections that teachers tour around the physical and virtual space. At the end, several reflections are proposed from the perspectives of educational contexts, teachers, and information technologies for constructing the knowledge management systems.

What is the meaning of life? This has been one of the major questions of philosophy for centuries / from Socrates to Nietzsche and from Tolstoy to the famous comedy writers&rsquo / group Monty Python. People from diverse intellectual backgrounds asked what the meaning of life is. Although there are doubts that this question is now outdated, meaning of life seems to me still an intriguing subject. In this thesis I argue that life&rsquo / s meaning must be discussed according to two different notions. One of these notions is the content of life where life&rsquo / s meaning can be analyzed according to its coherence with a value system, its achievements or its influence on others. The other is the notion of life&rsquo / s meaning as a mental concept, as an experience. I provide reasons to think life&rsquo / s meaning as a composite mental state and propose its components. My point of view carries subjectivist implications, however by introducing necessary conditions of the formation of the composite mental state that provides a life with meaning I argue that such a mental state attains objectivity.

Bakgrund: Mörkertalet bland kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer befaras vara stort då våldet ofta sker i det privata. Våldet kan vara en kombination av fysiskt, psykiskt och sexuellt våld. Detta samhällsproblem är också ett folkhälsoproblem då det ger uttryck i en sämre hälsa. Våldet kan bidra till fysiska, psykiska samt psykosomatiska besvär och sjukvården har en betydande roll i att identifiera dessa kvinnor. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att belysa hur kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer upplever bemötandet från sjukvården. Metod: En litteraturöversikt enligt Friberg (2012) har genomförts och grundar sig på tolv vetenskapliga originalartiklar. Artiklar har hämtats från databaserna CINAHL Complete och PubMed. Resultat: Litteraturöversiktens resultat har redovisats i två huvudkategorier med tillhörande subkategorier. Första huvudkategorin Upplevelsen av mötet i sjukvården beskriver kvinnornas upplevelser och intryck i mötet med sjukvården. Andra huvudkategorin Att lyfta frågan om våld belyser kvinnornas känslomässiga upplevelser, hur de upplever sjukvårdspersonalens förhållningssätt samt vilka råd de önskade att sjukvårdspersonalen kände till. Diskussion: Resultatet diskuterades med Joyce Travelbees omvårdnadsteori och konsensusbegreppet vårdande som utgångspunkt. Kvinnorna upplevde främst ett bristfälligt bemötande från sjukvården då de uttryckte en önskan om ökad empati, förståelse samt tålamod från sjukvårdspersonalen. Sjukvårdspersonalens bristande kunskap inom området våldsutsatthet bidrog till att de inte uppmärksammade kvinnorna ur ett helhetsperspektiv. / Background: The number of unrecorded cases among women exposed to intimate partner violence is feared to be large, since violence often takes place in the private sphere. The violence can be a combination of physical, psychological and sexual violence. This social problem is also a public health issue, since it leads to worse health among the exposed women. The violence may cause physical, psychological and psychosomatic disorders. Due to this, health care has an important role in order to identify these women. Aim: The aim of the literature review was to illuminate how women exposed to intimate partner violence experience the hospitality of health care. Method: Suggested by Friberg (2012), a literature review has been implemented which is based upon twelve original scientific articles. The articles were collected from the databases CINAHL Complete and PubMed. Results: The result has been presented into two main categories with associated subcategories. First main category, Experience of meeting the health care, describes women's experiences and impressions of meeting the health care. The second main category, To illuminate the issue of violence, highlights women’s emotional experience. In other words, how they experience the approach among the health care professionals' as well as their wished advice from the nursing staff. Discussions: The result was discussed with Joyce Travelbee’s theory of nursing and the concept of caring. Women experienced a defective treatment from the health care and expressed a desire of greater empathy, understanding and patience from the health care. There is a lack of knowledge regarding the field of violence victimization among the health care professionals´, which leads to that they do not observe the women from a holistic perspective.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among females of childbearing age, affecting between 6-8% of the population. It is also the most common cause of infertility. Females with PCOS may have two or more of a constellation of symptoms that can potentially leave them at odds in terms of normative ideals of femininity. This study examines how feminist theory interrogates and analyzes knowledge about the body and PCOS, integrating the lived experiences of women to provide a deeper, more meaningful understanding of what it means to be a woman with PCOS.

Using qualitative methods, this study is about the attitudes and daily practices of parents who genuinely want the best for their children who have been diagnosed with autism. The study examined the everyday realities of living with autism from a parent's perspective. The purpose of this study was to describe the range of specific behaviors, practices, attitudes, and ways of being that families adopt when they engage in the world of autism. Three families were interviewed in these case studies. A content analysis of the interviews identified five thematic clusters that are described and examined in close detail. The five thematic clusters include (1) managing the diagnostic process, (2) child's behavior and educational needs, (3) impact on parent's well-being, (4) impact on the family as a whole, and (5) full integration into mainstream society. These themes were further categorized according to the "challenges" facing the families and the specific "strategies" families used to face these challenges. Parents shared their stories with the researcher with the hopes that their life experiences could be beneficial to other families facing the same challenges as they navigate complex educational, health, and social systems. The research presents a set of recommendations that were embedded in the participants' stories. These recommendations represent advice from the parents in the study to other parents with children diagnosed with autism. Their recommendations are based on what the participants have learned as they raised their own child with autism.