Ombordanställda i svenska rederier har under många år legat högre i olycksstatistiken än anställda i land. Detta problemförhållande bygger vårt examensarbete till stor del på. Detta examensarbete syftar till att undersöka hur de svenska rederierna arbetar för att förhindra arbetsrelaterade olyckor ombord. Arbetet har utförts med metodtriangulering. Vi har intervjuat fyra svenska rederier angående deras arbete med arbetsrelaterade olyckor. Utifrån de svar vi inhämtat från rederierna så utformade vi en enkät som 10st ombordanställda fick svara på. Resultatet av vårt arbete visade att rederierna känner till problemet och att deras förebyggande arbete till stor del bygger på att öka inrapporteringen av olyckor och tillbud från fartygen. Främst med nya inrapporteringsprogram som skall förenkla inrapporteringsproceduren. Från de enkätsvar vi fick så kunde vi se att det finns ett stort mörkertal i inrapporteringen av olyckor ombord. / Employees on Swedish shipping companies have for several years topped the accident statistics when compared with land based jobs. The purpose of this study is to examine how the Swedish shipping companies are working to prevent work related accidents. The study was made through interviews with four Swedish shipping companies. And a questionnaire answered by 10 onboard employees from Swedish shipping companies. The result of our study shows that the companies are working with preventing accidents onboard mainly through different measures to increase the reporting frequency from the ships to the office. In the answers we received from the questionnaires we could see that the reporting frequency on board is poor.

In this dissertation, the effect of mild sleep deprivation on attentional allocation and performance monitoring was investigated using a variety of event-related potential (ERP) paradigms with ecologically realistic periods of sleep deprivation. Seventeen female young adults completed several tasks under alert and sleepy conditions, after 3 and 20 hours of wakefulness, respectively. Objective behavioural measures of response times and error rates indicated virtually no decrements that could be attributed exclusively to sleepiness; however, there were consistent alterations in the ERPs indicative of subtly reduced attentional resources and performance monitoring. The first study (Chapter 2) examined the effect of distraction on the P300, an ERP component related to attention and stimulus processing. Participants performed an auditory oddball task with and without a secondary visual working memory task. Response times (RTs) and P300 amplitudes were affected by the addition of the secondary working memory task. However, an interaction showed that the P300 latency was significantly increased by the secondary task only in the sleepy condition, indicating that processing speed is impaired by a secondary task only when the participant is sleepy. The next study (Chapter 3) used a Go/NoGo contingent negative variation (CNV) task. The CNV is reflective of sustained attention, and is known to be associated with frontal lobe functioning. This task was performed twice, with and without a financial incentive for fast responses, to assess the effect of motivation. The P300 amplitude to the first stimulus and CNV prior to the second were clearly larger to Go stimuli for both levels of alertness when the participant was motivated by the financial incentive. However, with no incentive in the sleepy condition, there was reduced differentiation of the two types of stimuli, indicating a reduced ability to discriminate between important and less important information. In chapters 4 and 5, performance monitoring was examined using two tasks, the Eriksen Flanker task and the Anti-Saccade task, producing an ERP related to errors with two basic components: the error-negativity (Ne/ERN) and error-positivity (Pe), thought to be related to error recognition and error evaluation, respectively. In both data sets, the amplitude of the Ne/ERN was not significantly reduced by sleep deprivation, but the amplitude of the Pe was. In addition, smaller anti-saccade errors produced reduced Ne/ERN amplitudes compared to larger anti-saccade errors. Another marker of performance monitoring is post-error slowing, which was present in the flanker task only during the alert condition. These results indicate that error detection or recognition (Ne/ERN) appears to be relatively preserved during sleep deprivation, but further error evaluation (Pe) and compensation (post-error slowing) are impaired. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that even mild sleep deprivation has a subtle but reliable effect on electrocortical activity associated with attention and performance monitoring despite an absence of behavioural changes, indicating deleterious effects before behavioural changes are observed. Therefore, relying on behavioural tests to determine at what point an individual becomes unsafe to operate machinery or perform various tasks may be misleading.

Ongoing efforts to quantify changes in quality of life attributable to low vision rehabilitation have focused on the utility of a single test instrument to measure this multidimensional concept. It is hypothesized that quality of life is best assessed using multiple instruments to capture some of its component facets, including functional status and psychosocial impact. Low vision devices have a predictably spontaneous impact on functional vision status, but associated psychosocial impact occurs with different magnitudes and over more protracted time intervals. The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) measures the functional status of individuals in key vision areas that are associated with quality of life. The Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) is an instrument that measures the psychosocial impact of assistive device intervention in three quality of life domains: competence, adaptability, and self-esteem. 68 participants were obtained from an ongoing parent study. These participants were recruited through the Low Vision Clinic at the University of Waterloo. They had a primary diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and were obtaining a CCTV system for the first time. Assessments from the parent study used in this thesis included follow-up from 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months post-adoption of the CCTV. The two tests administered were to measure functional vision status (NEI VFQ-25) and perceived psychosocial impact (PIADS), according the framework outlined by the Consortium for Assistive Technology Outcomes Research (CATOR). Multivariate repeated-measures ANVOA results confirmed that CCTV systems have an immediate and robust effect on the daily visual functioning of their users, and that this effect is stable over long periods of device use. The psychosocial impact of CCTV device use peaks in the shorter term and then seems to wane in the longer term for reasons that are not yet understood. The NEI VFQ-25 and the PIADS appear to have differential sensitivity to important influences on low vision rehabilitation outcomes. This project has demonstrated the value of longitudinal outcomes research in low vision rehabilitation. After obtaining a CCTV, visual function status remains static while psychosocial impact is dynamic during 6-months of follow-up.

Bakgrund: Alkoholkonsumtionen i Sverige har ökat de senaste tio åren, vilket leder till att allt fler människor riskerar att få sjukdomar och skador till följd av sitt alkoholbruk. Sjuksköterskan har ansvar för att främja hälsa och förebygga sjukdom. För att möta patienten på ett gott sätt måste sjuksköterskan värna om värdighet, samt visa förståelse. Syfte: Att ur ett sjuksköterskeperspektiv beskriva faktorer som påverkar mötet mellan sjuksköterskan och patienter med alkoholproblematik. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Arbetet med patienter med alkoholproblematik väcker många tankar och känslor hos sjuksköterskan. Tankar finns om att det är personens eget fel och att patienten inte vill ha hjälp, men även om vad som ligger bakom missbruket. Det finns en känsla av kunskapsbrist som leder till osäkerhet hos sjuksköterskan. Många sjuksköterskor låter bli att prata om alkohol med sina patienter på grund av att de tror att patienterna ska bli upprörda. Diskussion: För att skapa förutsättningar för ett bra möte är det viktigt att sjuksköterskan är medveten om sin förförståels, samt reflekterar över sina tankar, känslor och handlingar i mötet med patienter med alkoholproblematik. / Background: In Sweden, the consumption of alcohol has increased during the last ten years and this in turn has lead to an increased risk of alcohol related diseases and injuries. Nurses have a responsibility to promote health and prevent diseases. In order to meet patients in a good way, nurses must be understanding and maintain the patient’s dignity. Aim: To describe – from a nurse’s perspective – factors that affect the interaction between the nurse and patients with alcohol related problems. Method: A literature review based on eleven scientific articles. Result: Working with patients with alcohol related problems raises a lot of thoughts and feelings among nurses. For instance, thoughts on blame and how patients refuse help, but also thoughts on what is causing alcohol abuse. There is a feeling that lack of knowledge leads to insecurity among some nurses. Many nurses refrain from discussing alcohol with their patients since they believe the patients might be offended. Discussion: In order to create conditions for good interaction, it is important for the nurse to be aware of her preconceptions and to reflect over thoughts and feelings that appear in the interaction with patients with alcohol related problems.

Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar sjuksköterskans arbetsrelaterade stress samt att ta reda på vilka konsekvenser detta kan leda till. Metod: Examensarbetet utfördes som en litteraturstudie med 14 vetenskapliga artiklar. Datainsamling gjordes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Huvudresultat: De faktorer som tydligast framkom genom artiklarnas resultat handlade om sjuksköterskornas psykiska och fysiska arbetsmiljö, vilket innefattar bland annat skiftarbete, relationer till arbetsgruppen, att bli utsatt för olika typer av hälso- och säkerhetsrisker samt att bemöta död och döende. Det framkom dessutom att besparingar och omstruktureringar var en av de mest frekvent nämnda stressfaktorerna för sjuksköterskor, liksom arbetsbelastning, krav och förväntningar. De konsekvenser som tydligast dök upp genom studiernas resultat handlade om hur sjuksköterskorna kunde drabbas både psykiskt och fysiskt, samt hur det kunde leda till konsekvenser gällande patientsäkerhetsrisker. Slutsats: Litteraturstudiens författare har utifrån resultatet kunnat dra slutsatsen av hur viktig en god arbetsmiljö är för att kunna erbjuda en trygg och säker vård. De faktorer som påverkar sjuksköterskans arbetsrelaterade stress leder inte endast till konsekvenser för hur sjuksköterskan kan drabbas både psykiskt och fysiskt, utan kan även leda till konsekvenser gällande patientsäkerhetsrisker.

<p>During adolescence, both boys and girls confront a period of heightened risk for dissatisfaction with weight and shape and engagement in unhealthy appearance-related behaviors. For many adolescents, this risk coincides with involvement in a range of romantic partnerships. Although a considerable body of empirical work has investigated same-gender peer influences on weight- and shape-related attitudes and behaviors, very little research has examined the role of romantic partners in this socialization process. Derived from social norms and social rewards theories of influence, this study examined several distinct modes through which romantic partners may influence changes in gender-specific behaviors and attitudes over a 6-month period. Participants included 214 (56% female) male and female adolescents ages 16-17 who reported having a romantic partner (of varying seriousness and relationship length) at Time 1. Results from multiple group (by gender) longitudinal path analyses revealed that both boys and girls experienced weight-related influence from a romantic partner. The seriousness and length of a romantic partner relationship moderated some, but not all, influence effects. Findings suggest that romantic relationships are important contexts for changes in adolescents' appearance-related health. Future research should examine romantic partners as contributors to both health-risk and health-promoting behaviors and attitudes.</p> / Dissertation

Information in a message can either be fully expressed (explicitly) or indirectly stated (implied) and understood by inference or association. Previous research suggested an age-related decline in performance of implicit compared to explicit information and that this relationship is moderated by prior knowledge. Whereas previous studies mainly obtained quantitative data of inferencing performance, the current study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques to understand age-related differences in inferencing. Twenty younger and older participants evaluated whether a series of one-sentence statements were true or false based on specific two-sentence text passages. Text passages either resembled real warnings (taken from actual products) or were novel (the opposite of a warning found on an actual product). Statements either explicitly stated information from the text passage or required participants to go beyond information given in the text. Quantitative analysis showed that older adults accuracy compared to that of younger adults when evaluating real text passages, with explicit items being evaluated more accurately than implicit items. For novel text passages (generally lower accuracy scores), younger adults showed the same pattern as for real text passages, whereas older adults accuracy was low for both explicit and implicit statements. Qualitative analyses supported that participants correct answers generally reflected that the intended inference was drawn and that for incorrect answers the inference was not mentioned. The data also suggested that accuracy scores may underestimate the actual ability to infer. Both age groups mentioned most often that text-related factors (e.g., clarity) influenced their decision and brought outside information (e.g., education, experience, expectations) to the task regardless of text passage or statement type. Older adults more often referred to outside information than younger adults, particularly when evaluating novel text passages and their answer was wrong. This study substantiated that age-related differences in a task requiring inferencing may be explained by a combination of the factors of working memory (time and availability of information) and prior knowledge as well as a possible decline in inferencing ability. Prior knowledge is important for both age groups and especially so for older adults. Important implications for designers are to make information available and explicit.

Cause-Related Marketing(CRM), which was initiated by American Express Company in 1981 to support the arts in San Francisco raising fund. Many academic researches have tried to discover the benefit and risk of CRM since 1990s. Print advertisement is a main channel for CRM. Therefore, how to structure CRM ads, especially for the focus of visual component, will be important in CRM campaigns. Based on previous studies relevant to charitable donations, this study compares the effects of cause-focused and product-focused CRM ads through experimental design method. In addition, donation magnitude and consumer mood are also considered to observe how they sway the effectiveness of CRM ads. The present study employs an experimental design to investigate the effects of the types of visual component (cause-focused vs. product-focused), donation magnitude (5% of invoice price vs. 20% of invoice price) and consumer mood (positive vs. negative) on CRM effectiveness. A 2x2x2 factorial design is conducted. Eight different scenarios are established and the ad effects are measured by purchase intention and attitude toward the brand. The results indicate that the cause-focused ads are more effective than the product-focused ads. Although donation magnitude does not make a difference in a cause-focused ad, but low donation magnitude leads to higher purchase intention when a product-focused ad is presented. Positive mood facilitates the advertising effects of cause-focused ads. Finally, low donation magnitude and positive mood enhance the advertising effects of product-focused ads. The implications of these findings are discussed as well as the limitations and directions for future research.

Most of previous studies done on publicity were mainly focused on the positive and negative publicity. However, for the job applicants, while it is important to consider positive and negative publicity when making career choices, it is also important to note that there are other variables of publicity that should be considered when making these decisions. According to previous studies, publicity might play an important role in helping the job seekers to choose which company to work for. Based on these studies, a study was conducted to determine whether or not publicity has an impact on the attractiveness of an organization to the job seekers. Moreover, in this study, I also tried to explore the effects of publicity¡¦s impressiveness (which can be categorized into timeliness and coverage) and publicity¡¦s relatedness (which can be categorized into the level of concern and familiarity) on the organization¡¦s attractiveness to the potential job seekers. In this study, a scenario-based experiment was conducted mainly on 240 Business graduate students; those who were enrolled in part-time master program were excluded from this study. The results of the experiment indicated that publicity has significant impact on the attractiveness of the organization to the job seekers. The results of the study also supported that the publicity¡¦s impressiveness (both the timeliness and coverage) can influence, to a certain extent, the attractiveness of the organization. Moreover, with regards to publicity¡¦s relatedness (categorized into the level of concern and familiarity), the results have revealed that the level of concern does have a significant influence on the attractiveness of the organization to the job seekers whereas familiarity doesn¡¦t.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessment has emerged as a vital health outcome measure in clinical trials, healthcare services and evaluation, and population health outcomes research. Reliability, validity, and parent-child agreement of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales were examined using child self-report and parent proxy-report age subgroup data on over 8,000 children ages 5-16 years from the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales DatabaseSM. The PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales demonstrated good internal consistency reliability for children as young as 5 years; healthy children across the age subgroups demonstrated a statistically significant difference in HRQOL (better HRQOL) than children with a known chronic health condition. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that a 5-factor model fit almost identically across the age subgroups, providing further evidence that children as young as 5 years are reliable and valid self-reporters of their HRQOL. Parent-child agreement was in the moderate-to-good range, with parents reporting significantly higher PedsQL™ 4.0 scores across the age subgroups. In conclusion, the analyses support the reliability and validity of child self-report in children as young as 5 years old.