There is a small but growing population of people who suffer from impaired balance. The causes range from old age to stroke to cerebral palsy. For those with only minor problems staying upright, a cane or walker is all that is needed. For some it is so debilitating that they are confined to a wheel chair. The precise cause of impairment can vary. In some, the vestibular, proprioceptive or visual impairments affect balance. In others, muscle weakness or brain damage is the cause. In another group, the brain never learned to balance in the first place. Relearning how to balance can be a struggle requiring months of costly physical therapy with a physical therapist. A machine that could help teach them how to balance would be a great help in the improvement of their lives. This thesis presents a set of control models for an exoskeleton that will stabilize and restore stability to those with impaired balance. The control models are designed for an exoskeleton to initially force the wearer into a known profile for balancing and moving. There will then be a steady reduction in the authority of the exoskeleton over time, requiring the patient to assert more control over his or her own movement. As the authority of the exoskeleton is reduced, the patient will have to increase his or her own authority and develop his or her own control law or the patient will become less stable and eventually unbalanced. We expect this treatment method will increase the stability of patients, allowing them to steadily adapt to standing and walking. This will then allow them mobility without the use of a wheel chair and decrease their risk of falling. Further, the use of this device will enable the patients to receive therapy at home and in their normal life without the need to visit a physical therapist for rehabilitation, enabling the patients to receive therapy at home and for a longer period of time than they currently do. / Master of Science

No / This paper explores the responses of 17 participants to using photo-elicitation as part of a project exploring their daily experiences of work-life balance. We explicitly asked participants about their experiences of using the method that involved taking photographs of their work-life balance experiences and interpreting these photographs through participation in semi- structured interviews. Participants took 108 photographs in total. We explore important methodological issues for researchers seeking to use these methods and explain that photograph-elicitation has much to offer management and organizational researchers. A major benefit of the method is the role of photographs as a ‘conversational technology’ in encouraging re-interpretation and reflection of experiences in a manner not always achieved when using other qualitative techniques.

Ce travail se propose d’étudier la notion d’« équilibre » non pas selon les méthodes « traditionnelles » (conceptualiste, essentialiste) mais à partir de l’analyse des différents discours dans lesquels elle est utilisée, ou dit autrement, selon ces fonctions dans le langage. La méthode analytique est en effet la plus adaptée pour dégager quelques éléments de connaissance sur cette notion employée de manière disparate par le législateur (lato sensu), les juges et la doctrine.A l’instar de Socrate qui préférait étudier la Justice en « majuscule » dans la cité avant d’étudier celle ci en « minuscule » chez l’homme, il nous a semblé utile, voire nécessaire, d’étudier, en amont, les discours de l’équilibre en droit afin de nous doter d’une grille d’analyse exploitable dans la matière du droit d’auteur. Parmi les résultats, il convient de noter que les usages du terme par la doctrine actuelle en droit d’auteur présentent une particularité. Contradictoires et poursuivant des objectifs antagonistes, ces usages attestent d’une absence flagrante d’unité sémantique. La fonction rhétorique du terme lui fait perdre tout caractère scientifique. / This work proposes to study the notion of "balance" not according to the "traditional" methods (conceptualist, essentialist) but from the analysis of the different discourses in which it is used, or said otherwise, according to these functions in the language.The analytic method is indeed the most adapted to reveal some elements of knowledge on this notion used in a disparate way by the legislator (lato sensu), the judges and the doctrine. Like Socrates who preferred to study justice in "capital" in the city before studying it in "tiny" in humans, it seemed useful, even necessary, to study, upstream, the discourses of balance in law in order to provide us with an analysis grid exploitable in the copyright field. Among the results, it should be noted that the uses ofthe term by the current copyright doctrine have a particularity. Contradictory and pursuing antagonistic objectives, these usages attest to a flagrant absence of semantic unity. The rhetorical function of the term makes him lose all scientific character.

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Trip-induced falls are a leading cause of injuries among adults aged 65 years or older. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) has emerged as an exercise-based fall prevention intervention and shown efficacy in reducing the risk of trip-induced falls. The broad goal of my PhD research was to advance the application of this so-called trip training through three studies designed to address existing knowledge gaps. First, trip training is commonly conducted with the aid of costly specialized treadmills to induce trip-like perturbations. An alternative version of trip training that eliminates the need for a treadmill would enhance training feasibility and enable wider adoption. The goal of the first study was to compare the effects of non-treadmill training (NT), treadmill training (TT), and a control (i.e., no training) on reactive balance after laboratory-induced trips among community-dwelling older adults. After three weeks of the assigned intervention, participants were exposed to two laboratory-induced trips while walking. Results showed different beneficial effects of NT and TT. For example, NT may be more beneficial in improving recovery step kinematics, while TT may be more beneficial in improving trunk kinematics, compared to the control. While the first study showed the effects of PBT on laboratory-induced trips, little is known about how such training affects responses to real-world trips. Responses to real-world trips may be captured using wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs), yet IMUs have not been adequately validated for this use. Therefore, the goal of the second study was to investigate the concurrent validity of IMU-based trunk kinematics against the gold standard optical motion capture (OMC)-based trunk kinematics after overground trips among community-dwelling older adults. During two laboratory-induced trips, participants wore two IMUs placed on the sternum and shoulder, and OMC markers placed at anatomical landmarks of the trunk segment. Results showed that IMU-based trunk kinematics differed between falls and recoveries after overground trips, and exhibited at least good correlation (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r > 0.5) with the gold standard OMC-based trunk kinematics. The goal of the third study was then to explore differences in tripping kinematics between the laboratory and real world using wearable IMUs among community-dwelling older adults. Participants were asked to wear three IMUs (for sternum and both feet) and a voice recorder to capture their responses to real-world losses of balance (LOBs) during their daily activities for three weeks. Results showed a higher variance in laboratory-induced trips than real-world trips, and the study demonstrated the feasibility of using IMUs and a voice recorder to understand the underlying mechanisms and context of real-world LOBs. Overall, this work was innovative by evaluating a non-treadmill version of trip training, establishing the validity of IMUs in capturing kinematic responses after overground trips, and applying IMUs and a voice recorder to assess tripping kinematics in the real world. The results from this work will advance the use of PBT to reduce the prevalence of trip-induced falls and to investigate the real-world effects of such trip training in future studies. / Doctor of Philosophy / Trips and falls are a major health problem especially among older adults who are aged 65 years or older. Researchers have developed an innovative exercise-based fall prevention training program, which has shown to be helpful in reducing trips and falls. The broad goal of my PhD research was to advance the use of this so-called trip training through three new research studies. First, specialized treadmills are commonly used for trip training to simulate trip-induced falls. An alternative version of trip training without a treadmill would allow more people to receive benefits from this training. The goal of the first study was to compare the effects of non-treadmill training (NT), treadmill training (TT), and no training on balance recovery after tripping in the laboratory. Older adults living in the local community were recruited as research participants and completed NT, TT, or no training over three weeks. After that, they attended a laboratory session where they were tripped twice while walking on a walkway. Results showed that NT helped to take a longer and faster recovery step, while TT helped to limit trunk forward bending during tripping, both of which are important movements to prevent falling after tripping. While the first study showed benefits of trip training in the laboratory, not much is known about the benefits of trip training in the real world. Wearable sensors called inertial measurement units can record body movements without laboratory motion capture cameras, but their ability to record dynamic body movements during tripping needs to be tested. The goal of the second study was to evaluate the capabilities of these wearable sensors on recording trunk movements during tripping and compare them to those recorded by laboratory motion capture cameras. Participants were tripped twice in the laboratory, and their trunk movements were recorded by several wearable sensors and laboratory motion capture cameras. Results showed that these wearable sensors can distinguish between fallers and non-fallers after tripping, and that the trunk movements recorded by the wearable sensors were associated with those recorded by the laboratory motion capture cameras. With this confirmation, the third study was designed to compare balance recovery after tripping between the laboratory and real world using wearable sensors. Participants were asked to wear three wearable sensors and a voice recorder during their daily activities for three weeks. The wearable sensors recorded their trunk and feet movements, while the voice recorder was used for participants to provide detailed explanations of balance losses they experienced. Results showed a higher variability in balance recovery from the laboratory trips compared to the real-world trips. In addition, this study demonstrated that wearable sensors and a voice recorder can be used to study how people reacted to a balance loss and what they did to recover (or fall) from it. Overall, my PhD research work suggested a new version of trip training that does not require a treadmill, proved that wearable sensors can be used to record important body movements during tripping, and demonstrated the method to study balance recovery responses in the real world using wearable sensors. The results from the three studies will promote the use of trip training and provide guidelines for evaluating benefits of trip training in the real world.

<p>This thesis examines the relationship between work/life balance and Smartphones (Blackberry, iPhone, Android etc.)</p><p>Academic research has areas where not much research has been done previously including the qualitative research on work/life balance, positive crossover of work/life balance, newness of Smartphone technology, and consequences of constant connectivity. This study hopes to eliminate some of the gaps in these areas of research and proposes two research questions:  <strong>So what does owning a Smartphone mean for work life and home life?  Most importantly can this phone help people towards or assist with the balance they are so looking for or do the phones not impact this balance and just assist in the work life and home life realms separately?</strong></p><p>A qualitative approach using constructionist and interpretivist views were used to conduct the research. Empirical material was collected during phone interviews with participants in the USA, while supporting material was gathered from conference papers, academic articles, websites, and textbooks.</p><p>There are two major themes within this paper, work/life balance and Smartphone technology. For work/life balance a common understanding was reached that work and personal life should be kept happy but that doesn’t mean equal.  Also discussed is research about people that put up boundaries in their lives to try and separate things, one group of people likes to have work and personal separate but one group likes them combined.  Research also presents that there are consequences for setting up boundaries but that having the ability to choose where these boundaries are makes for a much happier situation.  On the technology side of research there is support for these devices being used to manage people’s different selves through communication from being more connected to people to feeling left out when the technology is not there. Also mentioned is how people adapt the devices to fit new and unique situations that the devices may not have been intended to be used for.</p>

Bakgrund: Knäskador är vanligt förekommande bland yngre fysiskt aktiva personer. Ofta skadas flera strukturer samtidigt vilket medför att den mekaniska stabiliteten i knäleden försämras samt att den neuromuskulära funktionen i benet försämras, vilket påverkar den posturala kontrollen samt stabiliteten på knät. För att upptäcka instabilitet behövs mer utmanande och specifika test som Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). I dagsläget saknas studier gjorda med SEBT på en svensk population. Fysioterapeuter är beroende av tillförlitliga instrument för att kunna göra en korrekt bedömning. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka test-retest reliabiliteten för SEBT samt att undersöka samtidig validitet mellan SEBT och Unilateral Stance test (UST) för personer med knäproblematik.Syftet var dessutom att undersöka hur den posturala kontrollen var för personer i åldrarna 20-30 år med knäproblematik mätt med SEBT och UST. Metod: Studien var gjord med en icke experimentell design som var både deskriptiv och korrelerande. Alla tester gjordes vid ett tillfälle med 5 minuters vila mellan testerna. I studien ingick 30 personer med diagnostiserad alternativt självupplevd knäproblematik i åldern 20-30 år som studerade på Biomedicinskt centrum vid Uppsala Universitet. Resultat: Den posturala kontrollen för testpersonerna (n=30) var uppmätt till god både mätt med både SEBT och UST. Validiteten mellan SEBT och UST var låg r=0,3 (p=0,12). Test-retest reliabiliteten för SEBT var god r=0,74 (p=0.00013). Konklusion: SEBT har en god interbedömarreliabilitet. Korrelationen mellan UST och SEBT var låg. SEBT är ett test som är ett väldigt specifikt test där man behöver både material och tid för utförandet. Det behövs mer studier för att få fram om testet går att användas effektivt på allmänna kliniker som ett utvärderingsinstrument för postural kontroll. Keywords: Postural balance, Dynamic balance, Reliability, Validity, Star excursion balance test (SEBT), Unilateral stance test (UST), knee injury.

Einleitung: Die Kationen-Anionen Bilanz (DCAB) des Futters modifiziert den Säure-Basen Status von Tieren und findet Anwendung in der Prävention von Milchfieber bei Kühen, MMA bei Sauen und Urolithiasis bei Haustieren. Durch die Veränderung des Kationen-Anionen-Verhältnisses in Futterrationen können biologische Prozesse beeinflusst werden, der Stickstoffmetabolismus. Ziel der Untersuchung: Die vorliegende Studie befasst sich mit der Frage, ob eine kaliumbedingte Variation der DCAB des Futters für wachsende Schweine einen Einfluss auf bestimmte Parameter des Säure-Basen-Haushaltes und möglicherweise auch auf die Stickstoffbilanz hat. Materialien und Methoden: Dem Versuch standen insgesamt 38 männlich kastrierte Mastschweine (Dreirassen-Kreuzung von Pietrain x Deutsches Edelschwein x Deutsche Landrasse) mit einem Einstallungsalter von ca. 12 Wochen und einer Lebendmasse von 17,3 kg bis 30,3 kg zur Verfügung. In randomisierter Reihenfolge erfolgte die Zuteilung der Schweine zu den acht Versuchsfuttern; Rohproteingehalt von 140 g kg-1 Futter und 200 g kg-1 Futter, sowie je 4 g, 10 g, 14 g oder 20 g Kalium kg-1 Futter. Die Versuchsfutter wiesen eine konstante Konzentration an Natrium und Chlorid auf. Die Hauptfutterkomponenten waren Mais und Weizen. Die beiden Rohproteingehalte wurden durch unterschiedliche Sojaextraktionsschrot- und Maisklebermengen gewonnen. Über Kaliumhydrogencarbonat (KHCO3) und Kaliumchlorid (KCl) resultierte die Einstellung der genannten Kaliumkonzentrationen sowie der vier DCAB-Stufen von -125 mEq kg-1, 66 mEq kg-1, 168 mEq kg-1, und 342 mEq kg-1 Futter. In einer Adaptionsphase von 15 Tagen gewöhnten sich die Scheine an das Versuchsfutter und die Umgebung. Die Einstallung erfolgte in Einzelboxen und die Versuchstiere erhielten Wasser ad libitum. Während der anschießenden zwei Bilanzphasen von je fünf Tagen wurden die Schweine in Bilanzkäfigen gehalten. Zwischen den beiden Bilanzphasen kam es zu einer fünftägigen Pause ohne Änderung der Fütterung. In der Bilanzzeit wurden der gesamte Harn und Kot der Tiere gesammelt sowie der dazugehörige pH-Wert kontinuierlich bestimmt. Harn- und Kotaliquots wurden für Stickstoff- und Elektrolytanalysen einbehalten. Jede fünftägige Bilanz endete mit der Gewinnung einer Blutprobe von jedem Schwein aus der Vena jugulares zur Bestimmung von Kalium, Natrium, Chlorid, pH-Wert, Hydrogencarbonat, Basenüberschuss und Aminosäuren. Ergebnisse: Kalium hat einen Einfluss auf den Harn pH-Wert. Analog zur steigenden Kaliumaufnahme (DCAB↑) wurden die Harn pH-Werte basischer (-125 mEq kg-1 Futter = Ø 5,93; 342 mEq kg-1 Futter = Ø 8,37). Die Blut pH-Werte, die im Durchschnitt bei 7,21 lagen, wie auch die Hydrogencarbonat- und Basenüberschusskonzentration, reagierten aufgrund der renalen Kompensation nicht wesentlich auf die unterschiedlichen DCAB im Futter. Die dazugehörigen Kot pH-Werte waren bei -125 mEq kg-1 Futter und 66 mEq kg-1 Futter um 0,16 höher als bei den anderen beiden DCAB-Stufen. Die Stickstoffaufnahme variierte zwischen 0,90 g kg-1KM d-1 und 1,22 g kg-1KM d-1 aufgrund der beiden Rohproteingehalte (14 und 20 %) in den Versuchsrationen. Eine Senkung der DCAB im Futter bewirkte eine Verbesserung der Stickstoffverdaulichkeit von 86,1 % auf 89,9 % (p<0,05). Hingegen zeigten die Diäten mit der kaliumärmsten Konzentration die höchsten renalen Stickstoffexkretionen von 442 mg kg-1KM d-1 gegenüber den anderen drei Kaliumkonzentrationen (345 mg kg-1KM d-1). In Folge dessen ergibt sich eine Stickstoffretentionssteigerung mit zunehmender DCAB im Futter. Jedoch wurde bei 66 mEq kg-1 Futter (Kalium 10 g kg-1 Futter) die höchste Stickstoffretention von 643 mg kg-1KM d-1 festgestellt. Die Untersuchung der Blutproben ergab keine Beeinflussung der Summe aller Aminosäuren, die bei ø 44,66 mg dl-1 lag. Die Summe der essentiellen Aminosäuren war bei einer DCAB von 66 mEq kg-1 Futter im Blut geringer als bei den übrigen Variationen. Einige Parameter der Elektrolytbilanzen waren zwischen den Futtervariationen verschieden: Bei dem Versuchsfutter mit einer DCAB von -125 mEq kg-1 Futter (Kalium 4 g kg-1 Futter) schieden die Schweine Na: 2,83 mg kg-1KM d-1 und Cl: 1,54 mg kg-1KM d 1 weniger mit dem Kot und Na: 7,05 mg kg-1KM d-1 weniger mit dem Harn aus gegenüber den weiteren Versuchsgruppen. Die renale Chloridexkretion zeigte keine Variabilität. Die renale, als auch die fäkale Kaliumausscheidung nahm analog zur DCAB des Futters zu (DCAB im Futter: -125 mEq kg-1; 66 mEq kg-1; 168 mEq kg-1; 342 mEq kg-1; K-Abgabe in mg kg-1KM d-1, renal: 74,0; 273,3; 431,1; 609,1; fäkal: 24,5; 31,2; 32,6; 44,0). In der Gesamtheit betrachtet ergibt sich für die Natrium- und Chloridretention keine richtungsweisende Beeinflussung im Zusammenhang mit der DCAB der Versuchsrationen. Die Kaliumretention hingegen stieg von 66,5 mg kg-1KM d-1 (-125 mEq kg-1 Futter) auf 167,0 mg kg-1KM d-1 (342 mEq kg-1 Futter) an, was nicht von den Kaliumkonzentrationen im Blut wiedergegeben wurde. Entsprechendes gilt für die Natrium- und Chloridkonzentrationen im Blut. Schlussfolgerungen: In der Alkalisierung des Harns zeigt sich, dass der DCAB des Futters Einfluss auf den Säure-Basen Status nimmt. Der systemische pH-Wert blieb aufgrund der Puffersysteme des Organismuses weitestgehend unberührt. Durch die KHCO3-Zulagen wurde das intragastrale bzw. das intestinale pH-Milieu verändert, was sich in der schlechteren Verdaulichkeit von Stickstoff bei höherer DCAB wiederspiegelt. Die Stickstoffretention steht in keinem Zusammenhang mit der Stickstoffverdaulichkeit. Mit dem DCAB von 66 mEq kg-1 Futter bzw. K: 10 g kg-1 Futter wurde die beste Retention für Stickstoff beobachtet. Die täglichen Gewichtszunahmen und die Futterverwertungen der Versuchsschweine konnten dies allerdings nicht reflektieren. Anzumerken sei, dass für einen eindeutigen Effekt auf die tägliche Zunahme eine längere Beobachtungsphase notwendig wäre (Sprung der täglichen Zunahmen von 520 g für -125 mEq kg-1 Futter auf das Niveau von 692 g für 66 mEq kg-1 Futter und mehr). Eine Empfehlung in Anlehnung an diese Studie wäre ein DCAB-Wert um die 66 mEq kg-1 Futter. Wird dieser Wert erhöht sinkt die Stickstoffverdaulichkeit auf der anderen Seite verschlechtert sich die Stickstoffretention bei Verringerung der DCAB. / Initiation: The dietary cation-anion balance (DCAB) of the feed modifies the acid-base balance and is used in the prevention of milk fever in cows, MMA in sows and urolithiasis in pets. The modification of the cation-anion ratio in diets can take an impact on biological processes inducting nitrogen metabolism. Objectives of investigations: This study objectively clarifies, whether potassium-based variation of the DCAB of the food has an influence on certain parameters of the nitrogen balance and the acid-base balance. Materials and Methods: The trial covered a total of 38 male castrated pigs (three racial crossing Pietrain x Large White x German Landrace) with a housing-age of approximately 12 weeks and a live weight of 17.3 kg to 30.3 kg. In randomized order, the pigs were allocated to the eight experimental feed: crude protein content of 140 g per kg feed and 200 g per kg feed, as well as 4, 10, 14 or 20 g of potassium per kg feed. The sodium and chloride concentrations in the feed were kept constant. The main food components were corn and wheat. The two crude protein levels were determined by various soybean meal and corn gluten quantities. Potassium hydrogen carbonate (KHCO3) and potassium chloride (KCl) were used to establish the four DCAB levels of -125 mEq kg-1, 66 mEq kg-1, 168 mEq kg-1, and 342 mEq kg-1 feed. In an adaptation period of 15 days pigs were accustomed to food and environment. They were kept in individual pens and were given water ad libitum. During the following two trial phases of five days each, the pigs were kept in balance cages. Between the two trial periods, there was a break of five days (no diet change). During the trial period all urine and excrement of the animals was collected, and the respective pH-value was continuously measured. Aliquots of urine and faeces were used in nitrogen and electrolyte analyses. At the end of each five-day record a blood sample from the jugular vein was taken from each pig for determination of potassium, sodium, chloride, pH-value, hydrogen carbonate, base excess, and amino acids. Results: Potassium has a significant influence on renal pH values. Analogous to increasing potassium intake (DCAB ↑), the urine pH value turned more basic (-125 mEq kg-1 feed = 5.93; 342 mEq kg-1 feed = 8.37). The blood pH levels, which averaged at 7.21, as well as the hydrogen carbonate concentration and base excess concentration, did not respond to the different DCAB in the feed because of the renal compensation. The associated feces pH values at -125 mEq kg-1 feed and 66 mEq kg-1 feed were higher by 0.16 than at the other two DCAB levels. The nitrogen intake varied between 0.90 g kg-1BM d-1 and 1.22 g kg-1BM d-1, based on both crude proteins (14 % and 20 %) in the experimental feeds. A reduction of DCAB in the feed resulted in an improvement of the nitrogen digestibility from 86.1 % to 89.9 % (< 0.05). However, diets with the lowest concentration of potassium showed the highest renal nitrogen excretions of 442 mg kg-1BM d-1 compared to the other three concentrations of potassium (345 mg kg-1BM d-1). As a consequence, nitrogen retention increases with increasing DCAB in the feed. However, the highest nitrogen retention of 643 mg kg-1KM d-1 was found with a 66 mEq kg-1 diet (potassium 10 g kg-1 feed). The examination of blood samples revealed no influence on the sum of the amino acids, which was 44.66 mg dl-1. The sum of the essential amino acids was reduced at a DCAB of 66 mEq kg-1 in blood, similar to the other variations. Some parameters of the electrolyte balances were different between the feed variations: In the experimental diet with a DCAB of -125 mEq kg-1 diet (potassium 4 g kg-1 feed), the pigs eliminated Na: 2.83 mg kg- 1BM d-1 and Cl: 1.54 mg kg– 1BM d-1 less in the feces and Na: 7.05 mg kg- 1KM d-1 less in the urine with respect to the other experimental groups. Renal chloride excretion showed no variability. The renal and fecal excretion of potassium increased proportionally to the DCAB of the feed (DCAB in the feed: -125 mEq kg-1, 66 mEq kg-1, 168 mEq kg-1; 342 mEq kg-1; K output in mg kg- 1BM d-1, renal: 74.0; 273.3; 431.1; 609.1; fecal: 24.5; 31.2; 32.6; 44.0). When viewed against the totality of results for the sodium and chloride retention, there were no trend-setting influences in connection with the DCAB of the experimental diets. The potassium retention, however, increased from 66.5 mg kg- 1BM d-1 (-125 mEq kg-1 feed) to 167.0 mg kg- 1BM d-1 (342 mEq kg -1 feed), which was not reproduced from the potassium concentrations in the blood. The same applied to the sodium and chloride concentrations in the blood. Conclusions: The alkalization of the urine shows that the DCAB of the feed influences the acid-base status. The systemic pH remained largely unaffected due to the buffer systems of the organism. The intragastric, respectively the intestinal, pH medium was changed by the addition of potassium hydrogen carbonate, which is reflected in the poorer digestibility of nitrogen at higher DCAB. The nitrogen retention is not related to the nitrogen digestibility. The best retention of nitrogen was observed with the DCAB of 66 mEq kg-1 feed (K: 10 g kg-1 feed). The daily weight gain and feed utilizations of the pigs certainly could not reflect this. It should be noted, however, that a longer observation period would be necessary for a clear effect on daily gain (jump of the daily weight gain from 520 g of -125 mEq kg-1 feed to the level of 692 g for 66 mEq kg-1 feed and more). A recommendation based on this study would be a DCAB value of 66 mEq kg-1 feed. If this value increases, the nitrogen digestibility decreases; on the other hand, the nitrogen retention deteriorated with reducing DCAB.

Personer med en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning kan ha olika svårigheter som påverkar de dagliga aktiviteterna i vardagen. Aktivitetsbalans är ett begrepp som ofta används inom arbetsterapi och beskriver en individs uppfattning av att ha en tillfredsställande mängd av aktiviteter och rätt variation mellan olika aktiviteter. Det förekommer inga studier om aktivitetsbalans kopplat till personer med en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning vad författarna har noterat. Syftet med examensarbetet var att beskriva den självskattade aktivitetsbalansen hos vuxna personer med en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning. Den metod som användes var en kvantitativ icke – experimentell tvärsnittsstudie. Totalt deltog 55 personer i åldrarna 18-65 år. Rekryteringen skedde via bekvämlighetsurval. Data insamlades med hjälp av en enkät som innehöll instrumentet Occupational Balance Questionnarie (OBQ) samt några bakgrundsvariabler. För sammanställning av insamlad data har deskriptiv och använts. Resultatet visade att respondenterna skattade sin aktivitetsbalans lågt. Det förekom ingen signifikant skillnad i aktivitetsbalansen i förhållande till bakgrundsvariablerna kön, ålder, boendesituation, hemmaboende barn eller lönearbete. Resultatet visar att det finns ett ökat behov av arbetsterapi för att hjälpa personer med neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar att strukturera sin vardag. Då resultaten inte kan generaliseras till en större population, rekommenderar författarna ytterligare forskning kring aktivitetsbalans hos vuxna personer med en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning. / Persons with neuropsychiatric disabilities can experience difficulties that can have significant impact on the activities of daily life. Occupational balance is a frequently used concept in occupational therapy, describing an individual’s perception of having the satisfactory amount of occupation and the right variation between occupations. There are currently no studies addressing the occupational balance rates in adults with neuropsychiatric disabilities. The aim of this study was to describe the self-reported occupational balance in adults with neuropsychiatric disabilities. This quantitative non- experimental cross-sectional study comprised a convenience sampling of 55 participants (age range 18-65 years). Data were collected from a self-rating questionnaire that contained the instrument Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) and some background variables. Descriptive statistics were used to compile the results. The results show that the participants rated their activity balance as low. Moreover no significant difference was found in the occupational balance when normalized to: gender, age, housing, child dependency and employment. These results imply that an increased utilization of occupational therapy might be beneficial for people with neuropsychiatric disabilities. The authors conclude that further research is required to more fully evaluate the rate of occupational balance in adults with a neuropsychiatric disability.

Titel: Lönemodellens påverkan på fastighetsmäklares balans mellan familje- och arbetsliv. Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi, 15 hp. Författare: Desiree Apell och Liza Malmqvist Handledare: Maria Fregidou-Malama, Ernst Hollander och Pär Vilhelmson Datum: 2014 – maj Syfte: Denna studie avsåg att förklara hur fastighetsmäklare upplevde att deras lönemodell påverkade deras balans mellan familje- och arbetsliv och i vilken utsträckning de ansåg att lönemodellen var stressande eller motiverande. Vidare avsåg den här studien att till viss del validera en framväxande teori, genom att besvara huruvida tre faktorer, kön, karriärambitioner och föräldraskap påverkade fastighetsmäklares upplevda balans mellan familje- och arbetsliv. Metod: Tillvägagångssättet för arbetet var kvantitativa studier i form av mailenkäter. Resultat &amp; slutsats: Om respondenten kände sig motiverad av sin lönemodell upplevde de inte att lönemodellen påverkade deras balans mellan familje- och arbetsliv, dock ansåg de att de hade balans i livet. Flexibla arbetstider kan vara en faktor som bidrog till att respondenterna upplevde balans i livet. Individer som upplevde stress ansåg dock att lönemodellen påverkade deras upplevda balans i livet och ansåg även att de inte hade balans mellan familje- och arbetsliv. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Studiens syfte samt forskningsfrågor behöver vidare forskning för att fastlås eller avslås. Även faktorn flexibla arbetstider bör studeras vidare för att fastställa om den bidrar till balans mellan familje- och arbetsliv hos fastighetsmäklare. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien kan inspirera franchisetagare eller chefer inom branschen att utforma stabilare och bättre villkor för sina anställda utifrån vår studies resultat. / Title: The impact of salary model's on real estate agents balance between family and work. Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration C, 15.0 hp.         Author: Desiree Apell och Liza Malmqvist Supervisor: Maria Fregidou - Malama, Ernst Hollander and Pär Vilhelmson Date: 2014 – may Aim: The aim of this study was to explain how real estate agents experienced their pay model affecting their balance between family and work and in what extent they felt their pay model being stressful or motivating. Furthermore, the aim of this study was partially to validate an emerging theory by answering whether gender, career aspirations and parenthood-affected real estate agents balance between family and work. Method: We did a quantitative research by using mail surveys. Result &amp; Conclusions: If the respondents felt motivated by their pay model, then they did not experience the salary model was affecting their balance between family and work, however, they experienced balance in life. Flexible working hours could contribute work-life balance to the respondents. Individuals, who experienced stress, also experienced that their pay model was affecting their balance between life and work. They also experienced that they did not have balance between family and work. Suggestions for future research: To be able to determine if this study is credible and generalizable, this study's purpose and research questions need further research. Flexible work should be studied further to determine whether it contributes real estate’s balance between family and work. Contribution of the thesis: Based on this study, this study can inspire the franchisees or executives in the real estate industry to design more stable and better conditions for their employees.