Obesity is a major and growing health concern associated with an increased risk of falls. The majority of falls are thought to result from some kind of postural perturbation, yet the biomechanical mechanisms as to why obese individuals fall more often is unclear. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of obesity on balance recovery in response to small forward postural perturbations. Twenty male participants, including 10 lean (mean BMI ± SD: 21.9 ± 1.4) and 10 obese (BMI: 33.2 ± 2.3), were exposed to two types of postural perturbations (force impulses applied with a pendulum and angular displacements administered with a release mechanism). Participants attempted to recover balance with only an ankle strategy such that neither a step nor hip flexion was utilized. Quiet standing trials were also conducted for comparison with the literature. Obese individuals exhibited less center of mass (COM) displacement and a slower COM velocity compared to lean individuals when exposed to identical force perturbations. When exposed to the force perturbations relative to body weight, and when released from identical lean angles, no differences in COM performance were found. During quiet standing, no differences in center of pressure (COP) velocity were observed between obese and lean groups. In all tasks, the obese generated higher ankle torque than the lean. Overall, the obese participants exhibited no differences in movement or less/slower movement than the lean participants when recovering from small forward postural perturbations as well as during quiet standing. These results imply that obesity in young adult males did not impair balance recovery for the tasks investigated. / Master of Science

Yes / In this work, the process of ethane recovery plant was simulated for the purpose of Front End Engineering Design. The main objective is to carry out a series of simulation using Aspen HYSYS to compare recovery of ethane from Joule Thomson (JT) Valve, Turbo-Expander and Twister Technology. Twister technology offers high efficiency, more ethane recovery and lower temperature than JT valve and turbo-expander process. It lies somewhere between isenthalpic and isentropic process due to its mechanical configuration. Three processes were compared in terms of recovery of ethane. To conduct the simulations, a real gas plant composition and design data were utilized to perform the study for comparison among chosen technologies which are available for ethane recovery. The same parameters were used for the comparisons. Effect of operating conditions including pressure, temperature, and flow rate as well as carbon dioxide on the recovery of ethane was examined.

This research developed novel methodologies to achieve cost effective solutions to overcome many of the difficulties associated with unsteady state material recovery network synthesis. The work focuses on the development of three different methodologies: the first is a hierarchical multi-step methodology developed for the design and scheduling of batch water (material of interest) recycle networks. A new source- double tank-sink arrangement is introduced to overcome the limitation of samecycle assignment by permitting sources to be optimally recycled within the same batch cycle and/or storing and recycling sources to sinks in the following batch cycle. The problem is solved in interconnected stages. First, network targets such as minimum fresh water consumption and minimum waste water discharge are identified ahead of network design. Once design targets have been identified, an iterative procedure is followed to tradeoff fixed and operating cost to achieve a network design which has the minimum total annualized cost (TAC). The second developed methodology is a one-step simultaneous approach to design and schedule cost-effective batch water recycle networks. A new source-tank-sink representation is developed to embed potential configurations of interest for design and scheduling. As a result, water may be assigned from sources to sinks within the same cycle (with or without a storage tank) and in two subsequent cycles using a double tank arrangement. A mathematical formulation is developed to determine the network design and sufficient information on the scheduling of the network with the minimum TAC in one step. The third methodolgy this research developed is a systematic procedure to schedule the operation of an unsteady state material recovery network. The network has a set design and receives a number of feedstocks (sources) that are to be processed into higher value/quality products. The sources may be stored in tanks, mixed, and/or intercepted in separation devices to produce the desired products while maximizing profits and meeting all process constraints. The developed systematic procedure includes mathematical formulations that allow available sources to be stored, mixed, intercepted and determine the optimal scheduling scheme over time period ??with the objective of maximizing total annualized profit of the network.

abstract: Two nearly homogenous 60 acre watersheds near Heber, Arizona, within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, were burned at moderate and high severities during the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski wildfire. Each watershed had 30 permanent plots located on it from earlier studies. In 2011, nearly 10 years following the fire, the plots were re-measured to determine how fire severity affects the long term vegetative recovery of this ecosystem; specifically herbaceous production and tree regeneration and density. Canopy cover, litter depth, herbaceous weight, herbaceous cover and shrub cover are vital indicators of herbaceous production, and were found to be significantly different between the sites. Canopy cover and litter depth were found to be significantly higher on the moderate site while herbaceous weight, herbaceous cover and shrub cover were found to be significantly higher on the high site. Tree densities of the three present tree species, ponderosa pine, alligator juniper, and gambel oak, were measured and divided into five size classes to distinguish the diversity of the communities. The mean densities for each species and size class were analyzed to determine if there were any statistically significant differences between the sites. Ponderosa pine saplings (regeneration) were found to have no significant differences between the sites. Juniper and oak saplings were found to be significantly higher on the high site. The remaining four ponderosa pine size classes were found to be significantly higher on the moderate site while the remaining four size classes for juniper and oak were found to have no statistical differences between the sites. Further analysis of the tree proportions revealed that the ponderosa pine species was significantly higher on the moderate site while juniper and oak were significantly higher on the high site. Species specific proportion analysis showed that the ponderosa pine size classes were significantly different across the sites while the juniper and oak size classes showed no significant differences between the sites. Within the ponderosa pine size classes, saplings were found to be significantly higher on the high site while the remaining four classes were significantly higher on the moderate site. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Applied Biological Sciences 2012

Title: Where Service Recovery Meets its Paradox - A search for the level of Service Recovery required for the Service Recovery Paradox to occur in the Hotel Industry  Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration  Author: Beatrice Nylander & Andreas Edström  Supervisor: Patrik Sörqvist  Date: 2021 – June  Aim: The purpose of this study was to, within the hotel industry, investigate at what level of service recovery the service recovery paradox will come into existence.  Method: Two surveys have been conducted where 190 respondents were introduced to a scenario- based service failure in the hotel industry. Survey 1 collected data about the amount of monetary compensation that customers felt they needed post service failure, in order to subsequently feel a little more satisfied than in the case of an error-free service experience (the point for service recovery paradox). In survey 2, customer satisfaction was then measured at three different levels of compensation after service failure. The three levels were the mean from survey 1, mean -1 SD, and mean +1 SD. This with the aim to, in an independent sample, test whether the point for service recovery paradox in survey 1 causes the paradox to arise in survey 2 or not.  Result & Conclusions: In the event of a specific service failure in the hotel industry, the level of service recovery paradox, through monetary compensation, was found. Survey 1 (N = 40) determined the compensation level to be SEK 1204. The same compensation level was confirmed as a sufficient level to achieve the service recovery paradox in survey 2 (N = 150).  Contribution of the thesis: Service failures are often not completely avoidable, especially not in the hotel industry. This study helps to understand the level of monetary compensation that may be required to achieve the service recovery paradox, in the event of a specific service failure in the hotel industry. The results from this study contribute to guidance in service recovery and give hotel managers knowledge of what monetary compensation level they should apply to restore customer satisfaction and also avoid overcompensation, in case of service failures.  Suggestions for future research: Future researchers should assume that service industries and service failures are all unique. Failure scenarios need to be described in detail in order for results to be applicable by managers. Future research may also examine the anchoring effect in order to avoid overcompensation if possible. SRP researchers who examine the hotel industry in particular may investigate the SRP level of additional customer segments that travel; alone, at work, with friends or with children. Although SRP might occur because of service recovery, repurchase intentions might decrease. A major challenge for future researchers will therefore be to measure how customer satisfaction after service failure and recovery stands long term. Another suggestion is to conduct the study again, but with real service failures and with real compensation.  Keywords: service failure, service recovery, service recovery paradox, service recovery hotel industry, customer satisfaction

This dissertation examines how customers' attribution for service failures and expected recovery in online service encounters are influenced by whether the recovery efforts are satisfying or dissatisfying to the customers; the relationship between satisfaction and other behavioral outcomes such as intention to remain and word-of mouth is examined. Many customers are using the Internet to purchase products and services, pay bills online, and make hotel and airline reservations. The Internet service recovery encounter warrants special attention because of its inherent ramifications such as the ease of attributing failure to the service provider after a service failure, the lack of interpersonal relationship, and the ease of leaving one service provider for another. The purpose of this study is to explore some of the importance of Internet service recovery mechanisms relative to customer's attribution for failure, expected service recovery, satisfaction, and intent to remain. This study further seek to explore how these mechanisms can be employed by the service providers to improve customer satisfaction, minimize negative word-of-mouth, and improve the firm's profitability. Many studies have examined customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction in traditional retailing, and the antecedents of the unsatisfactory behavior however, the same cannot be said of the Internet service encounters despite ecommerce revolution and its impacts on retailing and service encounters. A conceptual framework of recovery expectation and satisfaction in Internet based service encounters is presented, and a scenario-based experimental design is developed to measure the constructs. A web-based data collection was employed and the collected data were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis to provide answers to the research questions. The results of the analyzed data were discussed and presented. The findings overwhelmingly support all the hypotheses and contribute to the field of marketing by exploring some issues that might be unique to the online shopping experience and add more to the body of literature on online service failure and recovery management. The managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions are also presented.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of adopting clinical care bundles for the enhanced recovery program (ERP) at the project site. The practice-focused questions explored whether care bundles from the enhanced recovery program (ERP) would achieve positive postoperative patient care experiences when compared to the traditional surgical care pathways. The concepts, models, method, and theories used for this project include the Iowa model, the plan-do-study-act model, lean methodology, Donabedian's framework, and Watson's theory of caring. The sources of evidence included the facility site analysis report to evaluate surgical inpatient complications, morbidity, and mortality rates. Over 100 items related to surgical postoperative inpatient details were retrieved from the facility site database. Using descriptive analysis of 31 postoperative surgical inpatients' demographics, body mass index data, 30-day readmission, and comorbidities, the findings indicated that the ERP is an efficient, cost-effective program with positive postoperative inpatient outcomes in comparison to traditional surgical care pathways. The impact of the evaluation of the ERP predominately improves patient outcomes, which is a positive social change to postoperative inpatients, families, clinical staff, and the project site operational and clinical performance. The implications of this study for nursing practice and positive social change include standardization of quality and patient safety in a dynamic healthcare environment.

Bakgrund: En kranskärlsoperation är ett behandlingsalternativ till dem som har en kranskärlssjukdom. Den utförs främst vid komplicerade fall och innebär att med nya kärl skapa en förbindelse förbi det förkalkade kranskärlet runt hjärtat. Operationen är stor och påfrestande, och innebär flera förändringar i livet.   Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att belysa patienters erfarenheter av att ha genomgått en kranskärlsoperation.   Metod: En litteraturstudie utfördes genom att granska 10 vetenskapliga kvalitativa studier som stödjer författarnas syfte. Studierna analyserades och sammanställdes till ett resultat.   Resultat: Operationen påverkade deltagarna och deras återhämtning på olika sätt. Besvärliga kroppsliga symtom kunde visa sig under återhämtningen. Många tankar och funderingar väcktes som skapade oro och rädsla. Stöd och information hade en betydande roll och operationen krävde livsstilsförändringar som kunde vara svåra att anpassa sig till.   Konklusion: Brist på information och avsaknad av länk till sjukhuset efter utskrivning, ledde till rädsla och oro vilket skapade en otrygghet. Ytterligare forskning om stöd och information behövs för att kunna hjälpa och tillfredsställa patienters behov.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (Anammox) bacteria are known to utilize ammonium and nitrite as electron donor and acceptor, respectively, to produce nitrogen gas as their main final product with by-product formation of nitrate. Anammox bacteria provide the advantages of significant saving in aeration, no requirement for external electron donor, reduction of greenhouse gas emission, lowered sludge production, and higher specific nitrogen-removing activity compared to the conventional nitrification-denitrification process used in nutritent-N removal. Therefore, the anammox process has recently been widely studied and applied as a state-of-the-art biotechnology to remove nutrient nitrogen from ammonium-rich wastewater. However, the inhibitory impact of nitrite (one of the two main substrates) on the anammox process has been reported in both lab- and full-scale anammox systems, which limits the application of anammox process. Based on the current knowledge, a wide range of nitrite concentrations causing anammmox inhibition was reported to be correlated to the pH and energy status of anammox bacteria, and the understanding of the mechanisms of nitrite inhibition to anammox bacteria is still not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to investigate the mechanism of nitrite inhibition and develop a strategy for recovering nitrite inhibited anammox processes. The effects of pre-exposing anammox bacteria to nitrite alone on their subsequent activity and metabolism after ammonium has been added was evaluated in batch bioassays. The results showed that pre-exposure of anammox bacteria to nitrite without ammonium caused dramatic inhibition with observed 50% inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) of 52 mg NO₂⁻-N L⁻¹, compared to an IC₅₀ of 384 mg NO₂⁻-N L⁻¹ obtained in the control group with ammonium and nitrite added simultaneously. The accumulated nitric oxide (NO) found in the group with anammox bacteria pre-inhibited by nitrite indicated that pre-exposure to nitrite most likely caused disruption of the anammox biochemistry by interrupting the hydrazine synthesis step. Meanwhile, active metabolic status of anammox bacteria fueled by a strong proton gradient maintained by controlling pH in the optimal range of 7.2-7.8 enhanced the ability of anammox bacteria to tolerate nitrite inhibition. This was evaluated by depleting the proton gradient by utilizing two uncouplers of respiration, 2,4 dinitrophenol (24DNP) and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazine (CCCP). The results showed that presence of 0.28 mg CCCP L⁻¹ caused enhancement of nitrite inhibition to anammox bacteria, with a calculated IC₅₀ of 18.7 mg NO₂⁻-N L⁻¹ compared to an IC₅₀ greater than 150 mg NO₂⁻-N L⁻¹ in the control group lacking CCCP. Meanwhile, the sensitivity to NO₂⁻ was 3 times in anammox bacteria pre-exposed to 100 mg NO₂⁻ L⁻¹ for 24 h than in treatments lacking 37.8 mg 24DNP L⁻¹. A potential strategy of detoxifying the nitrite inhibition to anammox bacteria was proposed by using nitrate due to the finding of the presence of NarK, with potential function of NO₃⁻/NO₂⁻ antiporter, encoded in the anammox genome. Both batch- and continuous-experiments were carried out to test this hypothesis. The relative contribution of nitrate to nitrite detoxification was found to be pH dependent but the attenuation of nitrite inhibition is independent of the proton motive force which is supported by the result that nitrate caused almost complete attenuation of nitrite toxicity in cells exposed to the proton gradient disruptor, CCCP, at pH 7.5. Increase in nitrate concentration also improved the attenuation of nitrite inhibition to anammox process, with the maximum recovery being achieved at 0.85 mM in batch experiment and 2.0 mM for 3 days in continuous-fed bioreactor. Moreover, the timing of nitrate addition is significant because long-term nitrite inhibition of anammox biomass results in irreversible damage of the cells, under which condition addition of nitrate showed no positive impact on recovery of nitrite inhibition. This study also investigated the inhibitory effects of six metals (Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, and molybdate) commonly found in landfill leachate on anammox activity. Results from batch bioassays indicated that precipitation reactions decreased considerably the soluble concentration of the cationic metals. Cu, Zn, Cd, and Ni were the most toxic metals with 50% inhibiting soluble concentrations of 4.2, 7.6, 11.2, and 48.6 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Molybdate and Pb²⁺ were not or only moderately inhibitory at the highest soluble concentrations tested (22.7 mg Mo L-1 and 6.0 mg Pb L⁻¹, respectively). Microbial inhibition was strongly correlated with both the added- and the dissolved metal concentration. These relationships could be described by a noncompetitive inhibition model for all inhibitory metals except for Pb. The results of this dissertation indicate that the resistance of anammox bacteria to nitrite inhibition could be enhanced by maintaining either an active metabolism in simultaneous presence of ammonium and nitrite, or sufficient proton gradient to enable relieving nitrite accumulation in sensitive regions of the anammox cells through an active nitrite transport system. An alternative nitrite detoxification mechanism was also demonstrated which relied on a secondary transport system facilitated by exogenous nitrate to avoid the accumulation of toxic intraorganelle nitrite concentration. Moreover, the results obtained in the study investigating the impact of heavy metals on anammox process provides new insights on the sensitivity of anammox bacteria to common metals and can be used to devise strategies to minimize inhibition of the anammox process when treating wastewater containing heavy metals.

The overall aim was to explore the experiences and knowledge of Personligt Ombud (PO) (a Swedish version of Case Management) and how they relate to the client's recovery as well as their own role of supporting clients in the recovery process. The thesis consists of four original papers (I-IV), and both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Paper I showed that there were differences in knowledge and attitude toward recovery between three personnel groups: psychiatric outpatient services (POPS), the supported housing team (SHT) and the PO service, where the POs showed greater knowledge about recovery than both POPS and SHT. The results also indicated that university education and training in recovery was positive related to knowledge and attitudes towards recovery. Findings from papers II - IV showed that the clients' choices permeated all of the work that the POs and clients did together. The strategies used by the POs put the client in an active changing process, where he/she became involved in every aspect of the process. The work of the PO included discussions and collaboration with clients. The relationship with the client was the foundation of the work, and it was important to build a working alliance, which also involved a personal dimension. The findings also showed that POs experienced their role as unbounded, where they didn't have to consider any organizational frames, and POs solely represent the client. However, the free role was also connected with responsibilities concerning their work, and POs had to be able to work independently. The role as POs also enables to get a holistic view to both the client as well as to the welfare system. However, the freestanding role demanded legitimacy, and the POs had to work for this. It was important for the PO service to develop good platforms for cooperation with other actors in the society. In conclusion, it is interesting and leads to the question of whether POs and personnel in POPS can relate to two different kinds of recovery: personal vs. clinical. It may be important to consider the need for university education and training in recovery developing recovery-oriented practices. Findings showed that the PO service has developed a method in accordance to the NBHW guidelines, which in many cases, may benefit the clients' recovery process; however, there were aspects the PO service needed to develop. They seemed to use a problem-oriented approach, and they need to change this and look at the clients' strengths, both individual and environmental, and use them in order to support the client to reach goals in life. In Strengths Model Case Management, the Strengths assessment exists, that may be useful. The POs' service also needs to strengthen their organization and possibly develop support among colleagues. / Det övergripande syftet var att undersöka Personligt Ombuds (PO) (en svensk variant av Case Management) erfarenheter och kunskap om återhämtning och hur de använder sig av detta samt deras roll i klientens återhämtningsprocess. Avhandlingen består av fyra originalarbeten (I - IV), där både kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder användes. Paper I visade att det fanns skillnader i kunskap om återhämtning mellan tre personalgrupper: personal inom psykiatrisk öppenvård, boendestöd och PO verksamheter där det visade sig att POs hade mer kunskap om återhämtning än personal både inom psykiatrisk öppenvård samt boendestödet. Resultatet visade även att universitetsutbildning samt fortbildning i återhämtning hade positiv inverkan på kunskap om återhämtning. Resultaten från paper II - IV visade att klientens val genomsyrade allt arbete som PO och klienten gjorde tillsammans. De strategier som PO använde satte klienten i en aktiv förändringsprocess, där han/hon blev involverad i varje del av processen. Det var viktigt för PO att diskutera och samarbeta med klienterna. I klientarbetet var relationen med klienten en grundbult, där det var viktigt att bygga en allians med varje klient, som även innehöll en personlig dimension. Resultatet visade även att PO upplevde sig obundna i sin roll där de inte behövde anpassa sitt arbete utifrån organisatoriska ramar och tillhörighet, viket bidrog till att PO upplevde att de enbart representerade klienten. Men den fria rollen innebar även att ta ansvar i sitt arbete då PO måste kunna arbeta självständigt. Rollen som PO möjliggör att skapa en helhetssyn på både klienten samt välfärdssystemet. Den fristående rollen krävde legitimitet där PO där det är betydelsefullt att utveckla goda plattformar för samarbete med andra aktörer i samhället. Sammanfattningsvis är det intressant att reflektera om olika yrkesgrupper relaterar till två olika definitioner av återhämtning: personlig vs klinisk återhämtning. I utvecklingen av en återhämtningsinriktad praktik kan det vara betydelsefullt att beakta behovet av personal som är utbildade på universitetsnivå samt fortbildning i återhämtning. Resultaten visade att PO har utvecklat en metod utifrån Socialstyrelsens riktlinjer, vilket i många fall möjligtvis kan gynna klientens återhämtningsprocess, men det finns delar i PO verksamheten som behöver utvecklas. De verkade använda ett problemorienterat förhållningssätt och de bör utveckla verksamheten till att identifiera klienten styrkor, både individuella och miljömässiga och använda dessa för att stödja klienten att nå mål i livet. I Strength Model Case Management finns ett instrument där man tillsammans med klienten inventerar styrkor. Dessa kan bli användbara i processen. PO verksamheten bör även stärka organisationen och eventuellt utveckla stöd bland kollegor.