Uppsatsen undersöker vad binge-watching är för ett fenomen, och närmare vad som gör en TV-serie binge-värdig. Kopplingar mellan element som är förknippade med att göra en serie beroendeframkallande, främst cliffhangers undersökas på en djup nivå. Medan tiden har förändrats har tekniken också förändrat hur det ses på program från när de först visades till hur de konsumeras idag, från att titta på en svartvit box-TV till att titta på en gigantisk smart-TV med inbyggd video-on-demand. Olika berättarmetoder från “monster of the week”till något som har en berättelse som är tänkt att förbli sammanhängande från början av serien förklaras i denna texten, och paralleller dras mellan teknikerna och fenomenet binge-watching.

Detta arbete är ett examensarbete inom maskinteknik som utförts i samarbete med Westermo. Westermo är ett växande företag som tillverkar produkter inom industriell datakommunikation. För att behålla sin marknadsposition och konkurrenskraft arbetar de med ständiga förbättringar och utveckling av sin produktion och dess effektivitet. Vårt uppdrag på Westermo var att se över effektiviteten i slutmonteringen då montörerna inte hinner med att producera i den takt som krävs på grund av den höga efterfrågan. Att montörerna inte hinner med tror företaget beror på att montörerna själva måste förbereda sitt material till varje tillverkningsorder. I den här rapporten kommer ni att hitta förbättringsförslag på hur Westermo kan jämna ut flödet och effektivisera materialhanteringen i slutmonteringen. För att göra detta kommer framför allt teorier och verktyg inom Lean att användas.  De förbättringsförslag som arbetet tagit fram är uppdelat i två kategorier. Den första handlar om att en ny arbetsroll ska införas som ska ansvara för materialhanteringen. Den andra handlar om en implementering av ett två-binge system vid monteringsstationen. Båda lösningsförslagen bidrar till en flödesutjämning och minskar stopp i produktionen. / This work is a degree project in mechanical engineering carried out in collaboration with Westermo. Westermo is a growing company that manufactures products in industrial data communication. In order to maintain their market position and competitiveness, they work with continuous improvements and development of their production and its efficiency. Due to the increased demand the operators do not have time to manufacture all products on time. The company believes this is due to the fact that the operators themselves must prepare all material for each order. This work is about developing improvement solutions that even out the flow and streamline the material management. To be able to do this, tools within Lean will be used.    The improvement solutions that the work has developed are divided into two categories. The first is about an introduction of a new work role that will be responsible for all material management. The second one is about an implementation of a “två-binge” system. Both solutions contribute to a flow equalization and reduce stop in the production.

The purpose of this project is to gather an understanding of binge eating disorder and effective treatment approaches used for the reduction of binge eating symptoms for adult females. The research focus of this study will be, what are the attitudes and perspectives of binge eating disorder treatments for adult females among students who are in a masters of social work field or study. This research project utilized a post-positivist paradigm where data was gathered qualitatively through the implementation of interviews with MSW students of diverse ethnic backgrounds (e.g. Hispanics, whites, and blacks, professional and personal experiences) from California State University of San Bernardino. The researcher utilized literature review to prepare for the study execution, and participants were provided with an inform consent and debriefing statement. The researcher prepared questions, and audio recorded, transcribe, and then analyzed the interviews. Master’s students’ first-hand knowledge and perspectives contributed to a better understanding of what needs to be known in order to effectively treat binge eating disorder. The results consisted of the following themes: knowledge; basic knowledge of eating disorders, limited knowledge or awareness about binge eating disorder among adult females, no knowledge in regards to effective treatments for adult females with binge eating disorder, need for knowledge or awareness, perceptions; negative perceptions of binge eating disorder and treatments for adult females, experiences; personal and school experiences, and treatments; cognitive behavior therapy for treatment.

A plethora of research has linked negative affect with binge eating in people with binge eating disorder (BED). Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) have not traditionally addressed emotional regulation deficits. Failure to address emotional aspects of binge eating may explain why some individuals do not respond to CBT or IPT, and why many of those who do respond relapse shortly after finishing treatment. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) specifically targets the inability to accurately recognise and regulate affect. Preliminary investigations have shown that DBT may be efficacious in treating BED. However, it can take up to 10 months, and a shorter intervention targeting affect regulation and recognition may produce similar effects. Four studies evaluating a ten session emotion-focussed group psychoeducational intervention for BED were conducted. In the first, 25 women diagnosed with subthreshold or full syndrome BED (using DSM-IV-TR criteria) were treated. The second study tested whether the specific components of the intervention, or the treatment as a whole, was required to produce positive outcomes in women. Study three, examined the efficacy of the treatment programme with three men diagnosed with subthreshold or full syndrome BED (also using DSM-IV-TR criteria). The fourth study compared the women's and men's response to treatment. Following the intervention with women, binge abstinence rates, comparable to those of CBT and IPT, and various other positive changes to eating and general pathology, were observed. These effects were well-maintained up to one-year later. Overall, it was concluded that the whole treatment programme was necessary to produce the optimum outcome for BED in women. A positive outcome was measured in the men, although the effects were not as dramatic as those found in the women. Suggestions for improvements, and suggestions for further research, are discussed. The results provide support for the Affect Regulation Model of BED in women and men.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without the use of compensatory behaviors. Functional accounts of BED propose that negative affect is an antecedent to binge eating because binge eating serves to alleviate negative affect. However, previous studies investigating the association between negative affect and binge eating have yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps due to individual vulnerability factors that moderate the effects of negative affect on binge eating behavior. As one candidate, the current study investigated emotion regulation strategies that may be implicated in the maintenance of binge eating in BED, particularly under conditions of negative affect: brooding rumination, distress tolerance, and mood-related expectancies for eating. These emotion regulation strategies were: a) compared in 38 women with BED vs. 36 non-eating disordered female controls, b) examined in relation to markers of current binge eating severity among BED women, and c) used as predictors of caloric intake and urge to eat in response to a personally-relevant dysphoric mood induction upon presentation of snack foods in a "taste task." Results revealed that women with BED endorsed higher brooding rumination, more positive expectancies that eating serves to ameliorate negative affect, and lower distress tolerance than controls. Among women with BED, higher brooding rumination was associated with greater binge eating severity, and stronger expectancies that eating reduces negative affect were associated with more frequent binge eating episodes and greater urge to eat in response to depression. Surprisingly, better distress tolerance was associated with more frequent binge eating episodes. Women with BED consumed more calories and reported greater loss of control as well as a greater sense of guilt in response to the taste task relative to control participants. Contrary to hypothesis, there were no direct or indirect effects of any of the three emotion regulation strategies on change in urge to eat or calories consumed on the taste task following sad mood induction in BED women. In controls, better distress tolerance and stronger expectancies that eating alleviates negative affect were associated with decreased caloric intake on the taste task after mood induction. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of considering trans-diagnostic processes in BED as well as the need to identify other theoretically-relevant factors that contribute to the cognitive and behavioral features of BED. Limitations and directions for future studies are discussed.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without the use of compensatory behaviors. Functional accounts of BED propose that negative affect is an antecedent to binge eating because binge eating serves to alleviate negative affect. However, previous studies investigating the association between negative affect and binge eating have yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps due to individual vulnerability factors that moderate the effects of negative affect on binge eating behavior. As one candidate, the current study investigated emotion regulation strategies that may be implicated in the maintenance of binge eating in BED, particularly under conditions of negative affect: brooding rumination, distress tolerance, and mood-related expectancies for eating. These emotion regulation strategies were: a) compared in 38 women with BED vs. 36 non-eating disordered female controls, b) examined in relation to markers of current binge eating severity among BED women, and c) used as predictors of caloric intake and urge to eat in response to a personally-relevant dysphoric mood induction upon presentation of snack foods in a "taste task." Results revealed that women with BED endorsed higher brooding rumination, more positive expectancies that eating serves to ameliorate negative affect, and lower distress tolerance than controls. Among women with BED, higher brooding rumination was associated with greater binge eating severity, and stronger expectancies that eating reduces negative affect were associated with more frequent binge eating episodes and greater urge to eat in response to depression. Surprisingly, better distress tolerance was associated with more frequent binge eating episodes. Women with BED consumed more calories and reported greater loss of control as well as a greater sense of guilt in response to the taste task relative to control participants. Contrary to hypothesis, there were no direct or indirect effects of any of the three emotion regulation strategies on change in urge to eat or calories consumed on the taste task following sad mood induction in BED women. In controls, better distress tolerance and stronger expectancies that eating alleviates negative affect were associated with decreased caloric intake on the taste task after mood induction. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of considering trans-diagnostic processes in BED as well as the need to identify other theoretically-relevant factors that contribute to the cognitive and behavioral features of BED. Limitations and directions for future studies are discussed.

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent of all eating disorders and is characterized by recurrent episodes of eating a large amount of food in the absence of control. There have been various kinds of research of BED, but the phenomenon remains poorly understood. This thesis reviews the results of research on BED to provide a synthetic view of the current general understanding on BED, as well as the neural correlates of the disorder and treatments. Research has so far identified several risk factors that may underlie the onset and maintenance of the disorder, such as emotion regulation deficits and body shape and weight concerns. However, neuroscientific research suggests that BED may characterize as an impulsive/compulsive disorder, with altered reward sensitivity and increased attentional biases towards food cues, as well as cognitive dysfunctions due to alterations in prefrontal, insular, and orbitofrontal cortices and the striatum. The same alterations as in addictive disorders. Genetic and animal studies have found changes in dopaminergic and opioidergic systems, which may contribute to the severities of the disorder. Research investigating neuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches as neural treatment, suggests that these are innovative tools that may modulate food-related reward processes and thereby suppress the binges. In order to predict treatment outcomes of BED, future studies need to further examine emotion regulation and the genetics of BED, the altered neurocircuitry of the disorder, as well as the role of neurotransmission networks relatedness to binge eating behavior.

Thesis advisor: Maureen E. Kenny / Recent research suggests that eating disorders exist across genders, races and ethnicities (e.g., Smolak & Striegel-Moore, 2001; Striegel-Moore & Smolak, 2000; Talleyrand, 2002, 2006; Taylor, Caldwell, Baser, Faison, & Jackson, 2007; Thompson, 1994, 1996), but most findings and frameworks within the eating disorders literature are based on research with White women who engage in restrictive eating patterns. Given the rapid rise in rates of obesity and related illnesses in the United States — particularly among Black American women (e.g., Hedley et al., 2004), an understanding of overeating that accounts for race-related factors is needed. By exploring the relationship between perceived racism, racial socialization, perceived stress, and overeating patterns among Black American women, the current study sought to develop a model of disordered eating that accounts for the unique contextual, emotional, and behavioral factors in the lives of Black American women. Using a sample of Black American women (N = 201), the results of the data analysis revealed that perceived racism was related to overeating by way of perceived stress. This finding supports theories that race–related factors underlie the development of eating disorder symptoms (e.g., Harris & Kuba, 1997) and that perceived racism may be a significant etiological factor in the development of eating disturbances among Black American women (Mastria, 2002; Root, 1990; Smolak & Striegel-Moore, 2001; Thompson, 1994, 1996; Talleyrand, 2006). This finding also adds to the larger body of literature, which links perceived racism to a range of negative psychological, behavioral, and physical outcomes (e.g., Mays et al., 2007). Racial socialization was not found to have a significant moderating effect in the relationship between perceived racism and overeating, but was unexpectedly found to be related to disinhibition around food. Although the explanation for this finding is unclear, it is consistent with some evidence that that identification with Black American culture may promote greater levels of comfort regarding food (Talleyrand, 2006; Villarosa, 1994). / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Highly organised and differentiated neural circuits form and unite to link the cortex with the basal ganglia and thalamus to mediate movement, cognition and behaviour. Previous assertions that the basal ganglia primarily acted to filter cortical information to facilitate motor outputs only have since given way to an understanding of the basal ganglia as a relay and gating structure with functionally and structurally segregated inputs, functions and outputs. Thus, cortical – basal ganglia circuits can be segregated into three broadly separable functional domains mediating motor (primary and supplementary motor cortex (SMA) and putamen), cognitive (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and caudate), and limbic (ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum (VS)) processes. In addition, cognitive and behavioural programs that pass through the cortical – basal ganglia circuitry can be subject to filtering by the subthalamic nucleus (STN), which receives direct projections from the cortex. This work first demonstrated the functional organisation of segregated intrinsic cortical – basal ganglia circuits in humans, alongside a detailed map of functional subzones within STN, a small and technically inaccessible midbrain structure. The behavioural relevance of the defined cortical – basal ganglia circuits was investigated by examining the cognitive constructs of impulsivity and compulsivity. Waiting impulsivity, a tendency towards rapid premature responses that has been associated with compulsive drug use, was associated with connectivity between limbic regions including subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, VS and STN. However, motor impulsivity, in the form of stopping ability, was associated with motoric regions including pre-SMA and STN. Compulsivity was captured as deficits in: reversal learning, implicating lateral orbitofrontal cortex; attentional shifting, implicating dlPFC; and habit learning, implicating SMA. Neural circuit changes were also examined in individuals with alcohol dependence and binge drinkers. Waiting impulsivity was elevated in both groups and the functional connectivity, microstructural integrity and anatomical connectivity of the neural circuit underlying waiting impulsivity were associated with problematic drinking behaviours in both groups. Together, this work establishes that discrete functional subzones of small subcortical regions can be differentiated in humans and that their behavioural correlates can be similarly mapped. The definition of intrinsic network architecture underlying a particular behaviour and the demonstration its disturbance in psychiatric groups will crucially inform the development of future diagnostic and therapeutic models.

Heavy drinking behaviors have been observed in relation to fraternity and sorority membership. Some have argued that this relationship persists as a result of the drinking-conducive social environments of Greek organizations, but others have suggested that this relationship may be spurious. Using data from The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (n = 10,904) the link between Greek affiliation, alcohol consumption, and parental influence was examined through the lens of social learning theory. It was hypothesized that members of Greek organizations would report higher levels of drinking compared to others and that the inclusion of the variable of parental influence would effectively render this relationship spurious. The results reveal a strong relationship between Greek affiliation and drinking behaviors, but parental influence failed to sufficiently account for this relationship.