The objective of my work has been to monitor the opinions of social workers operating within the departments of social and legal protection of children at village municipalities with an extended scope of authority in the South Bohemian region as related to the problems of child care and education in substitute family care from the perspective of a social worker. The second objective has been to map the situation of children registered by the departments of social and legal protection of children of South Bohemia, the substitute family care of which was terminated before the 18th year of child´s age during the years 2003 {--} 2009. Due to significant reasons substitute family care, with the exception of adoption, can be terminated earlier. This presents a difficult situation both for the foster parents and for the foster children put into substitute family care. The results of my work have shown that most social workers do not lack the assistance of professional facilities that would support foster families in their regions. The most common reason for the termination of substitute family care before the 18th year of child´s age have been educational problems involving a whole range of issues. For most children, the termination of substitute family care resulted in institutional care {--} youth educational centers.

The diploma thesis entitled " Applicants preparation for an adoption and foster care" consists of two parts, the first is a theoretical part and the second part is practical. The theoretical part contains of eleven chapters. Professional literature, articles, quire, webpages and more were used to develop the theoretical part. The theoretical part is focused on the concept of substitute family care, description of forms of substitute family care, description of the arranging process of substitute family care, preparation of applicants, topics of preparátory courses. The practical part contains of the results of quantitative research, which are shown using graphs. The graphs describe the detection of quantitative research using an anonymous open-ended questionnaire. The practical part of the diploma thesis answers the questions of what motivations applicants for substitute family care have, the questions of the process of substitute family care and, last but not least, the questions concerning the preparation of applicants. The discussion is a final chapter of this thesis.

Published Article / The quality of spin casting products and mould life are critically dependent on thermal conditions they undergo. In order to improve the performance of production and to optimise the spin-casting process, characteristics of the thermal process was firstly identified by means of the measurement and simulation. Furthermore the investigation of the developed control methods, including the thermal property substitute method and mixture method of the metal powder, was kept on the effect of air-cooling induced automatically from the spinning of the mould on the thermal process. <br>The air cooling system was developed to optimise the thermal process during casting, utilising a theoretical analysis of the air-flow characteristics in a cooling tube submerged in a silicon mould and the characteristics of convection heat transfer associated with the mould and cast part. A numerical simulation of the casting process was also adopted in the analysis. The effect of the developed system on the thermal process was determined experimentally and it was found that a system of aircooling, automatically induced from the spinning of the mould, is feasible in optimisation of the thermal process. <br>The developed control methods can be applied to the practice of spin casting individually or collectively according to the specific situations and requirements.

These days, milk substitute products are getting more popular and exist together with milk on the market. These substitute products are appreciated by consumers due to animal welfare, environmental or health related reasons. The purpose of the investigation was to make assumptions about the future situation of farmers and which demographic, personal, sociological, cultural and psychological determinants have an impact on Swedish consumers purchasing substitute products. The proposed methodology to reveal the impact of those factors was a qualitative research. Ten semi-structured interviews with residents of Västra Götaland, aimed to gain a deeper and better understanding of the reasons for consumption of milk substitute products, were conducted in total. The existing theory and scientific articles about demographic, personal, sociological, cultural and psychological determinants of consumer behavior, in terms of food choice and consumption, were used to create an interview guide and also to compare the collected primary data in the end. Participants were asked questions regarding their demography, lifestyle, awareness and perception of milk substitute products and other reasons for their consumption of milk substitutes. The findings revealed that demographic factors such as age and gender seemed to have an impact on the consumer behavior. Moreover, personal and psychological factors were revealed to have a significant impact on the consumption behavior. In particular lifestyle, perception, attitudes and motivations, knowledge and learning had a significant influence on Swedish consumers and their food consumption behavior. Regarding sociological factors it was discovered that friends had a significant influence on food consumption. Cultural determinants were also important to consider. However, they did not have a significant influence on the participants. The findings also revealed that health and animal welfare were the main reasons for changing the consumption. Interestingly, no participant started to consume these products due to environmental reasons in the beginning. The strong competition of milk and milk substitute products on the market is most likely to continue. The future situation for farmers will look different and might get more critical as milk consumption in Sweden could change. This small scale research does not make it possible to generalize the revealed findings. Nevertheless, this qualitative investigation provided the basis for future research in the field of consumer behavior towards substitute products.

This descriptive study was undertaken for the purpose of identifying the problems, benefits, and recommendations for improving secondary substitute teaching as perceived by administrators, regular teachers, substitute teachers, and students. Participants in the study included the total populations of administrators, regular teachers, substitute teachers, and students of the four secondary schools in a southwestern school district. The objectives of the study were to identify the perceptions of these groups regarding their views of the problems and benefits associated with substitute teaching and their recommendations for the improvement of substitute teaching in their school district. A two-questionnaire modified Delphi Technique was developed and used to gather the data. The Delphi I questionnaire was open-ended and asked the participants to list five problem areas; five benefits; and five recommendations for improving substitute teaching. Items for the Delphi II questionnaire were developed from the responses gathered on the first questionnaire. The population surveyed consisted of 15 administrators, 293 regular teachers, 93 substitute teachers, and 6,401 students. The participants were asked to respond on a five point Likert-type scale as to the degree of agreement or disagreement with the 27 items identified as problems; the 23 items identified as benefits; and the 25 items identified as recommendations for improvement. The data from the Delphi II questionnaire was analyzed and the means, standard deviations, and modes were determined. An analysis of variance was computed to determine differences among groups. This study is unique in that it is the first study to determine that there are perceived benefits associated with substitute teaching. It is also unique in that it surveys all four groups that are directly involved in the substitute process. The findings of this study validate the previous research in terms of the identified problems and the recommendations suggested. The fact that all groups agreed that there were numerous benefits associated with substitute teaching gives rise to the suggestion that maybe substitute teaching is more than just a babysitting service. It is recommended that, to improve substitute teaching, all four groups must realize that they are both responsible for the existing problems, and the potential solutions as well.

Studiens syfte är att få kunskap om hur den inre organisatoriska kontexten kan påverka förstalinjechefers ledarskapsbeteende gentemot underställda och hur den inre kontexten kan påverka ledarskapseffektiviteten. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ forskningsansats där tre stycken avdelningschefer samt en HR-chef i en organisation har intervjuats. Studien fokuserar på hur kontexten påverkar, begränsar, förstärker eller styr en organisations avdelningschefer till att använda en viss form av ledarstil eller beteende. De ledarstilar vi har utgått från är ett uppgiftsorienterat- samt relationsorienterat ledarskap. I studien har vi funnit att den inre kontextens variabler påverkar både ett uppgiftsorienterat- och ett relationsorienterat ledarskapsbeteende hos avdelningschefer. Vi har kunnat urskilja hur variabler i den inre organisatoriska kontexten påverkar avdelningschefers ledarskapsbeteende är individuellt. I studien har vi använt engagemang samt sjukskrivningsstatistik hos de underställda som mått på ledarskapseffektivitet. Studien visar att i en inre organisatorisk kontext med flertalet substitut för ett uppgiftsorienterat ledarskapsbeteende, kan en relationsorienterad ledarstil vara mer effektiv för att öka engagemang och minska sjukfrånvaron bland underställda. / The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge about how the internal organizational context may affect the first line managers leadership behavior toward subordinates and how the internal context can influence leadership effectiveness. The study was conducted using a qualitative research approach where three department managers and one HR manager in an organization were interviewed. The study focuses on how the context affects, restricts, amplifies or controls an organization's department managers to use a certain kind of leadership style and behavior. The leadership styles we have used in this study is based on a task- and relationship-oriented leadership. The study found that the internal contextual variables affects both the task- and relationship-oriented leadership behavior of the department managers. We have been able to discern that there are individual differences in how the variables in the internal organizational context affects department managers leadership behavior and style. We have used the commitment and level of absenteeism of subordinates as a measure of leadership effectiveness. The study shows that in an internal organizational context with several substitutes for a task-oriented leadership behavior, a relationship-oriented leadership style could be more effective in increasing the level of commitment and reduce the level of absenteeism of subordinates.

Many homeless youth come from foster homes, group homes, and other forms of substitute care. For young people in the child welfare system, elopement represents a major problem as it places them at risk for a number of troubling outcomes. Three studies were undertaken examining elopement among young people living in substitute care in Canada and the United States. The first study explored strengths and needs in a sample of 5,011 children and youth housed in a variety of substitute care settings including foster homes, group homes, residential treatment centres, emergency shelters, and juvenile justice facilities. Results indicated that needs, but not strengths, predicted running among children, while both needs and strengths predicted running among adolescents. Problems with school attendance, substance abuse, and delinquency also predicted running among both children and adolescents, with the exception of young children, for whom substance abuse was not a significant predictor. The second study explored the relationship between trauma, strengths, and elopement in a sample of 2,296 adolescents living in substitute care. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, school violence, and traumatic grief/separation were found to predict elopement. In addition, family violence and community violence predicted running among younger but not older adolescents. Educational strengths predicted a lower risk of running away for all adolescents, while well-being and relationship permanence predicted a lower risk of running among younger and older adolescents, respectively. The impact of strengths on the relationship between trauma and elopement was evaluated, with results suggesting that elopement was not predicted by an interaction between strengths and trauma. The third study was qualitative in nature and explored the perspectives of youth who had run away from substitute care at least once in their lifetime. Youth provided information about their experiences as well as suggestions designed to reduce the prevalence of running away among youth in substitute care. Findings for all three studies were discussed in relation to the literature with implications for research and prevention.

Background: Agricultural activities occupy a significant part of the world’s land area and the food systems are comprehensively reliant on fossil fuels, resulting in that the sector is responsible for a large percentage of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Changes are needed in order to meet the challenges of developing sustainable food systems. One change strategy would be to replace parts of animal proteins with greener plant substitutes. This thesis is part of a four-year transdisciplinary research project with the aim to, within four years, develop domestically produced products based on Swedish legumes. This paper will focus on exploring significant components affecting health-conscious consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions regarding legumes-based products. By the thesis, valuable information and insights regarding legumes as a protein substitute will be gathered amongst the growing consumer group of health-conscious consumers.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes regarding legumes, and underlying key components affecting health-conscious consumers purchase intentions towards legume-based products. Additionally, two research questions have been developed to reach valuable findings for this investigation.

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier, HBOC-201, on the cardiovascular system. Systemic cardiovascular parameters of mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation, as well as vascular resistance, were examined. A murine model of the cardiovascular system and microvasculature was employed. Sprague-Dawley rats (male; 230-530g; N = 13) were anaesthetised and surgically prepared for intravital microscopy of the spinotrapezius muscle. Increasing doses of HBOC-201 (2 mg/kg, 22 mg/kg, 230 mg/kg, and 780 mg/kg) and an iso-oncotic volume control were administered to assess for a dose-response relationship. MAP displayed a significant increase from baseline for both treatment groups, with no significant difference between the two. Arteriolar diameter displayed no changes from baseline, or between treatment groups or across doses. Based on these results, the noted changes in MAP were due to hypervolemia, and not a property of HBOC-201, itself.

In the US today, blood transfusion is safer than ever. Nevertheless, the century-old quest for a suitable blood substitute persists. The elimination of unwanted side effects, especially transfusion-transmitted diseases, the problems and high cost factor involved in collecting and storing human blood, the pending worldwide shortages, and the need for compatibility testing are the driving forces contributing towards the development of blood substitutes. The leading research is focusing on hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs), which are limited in clinical application due to the pressor effect they induce. In this study, the mechanisms through which HBOCs affect mean arterial pressure (MAP), arteriolar diameter, and nitric oxide levels in the microcirculation were investigated, using Oxyglobin (HBOC-301), a third generation glutaraldehyde-polymerized bovine hemoglobin. The spinotrapezius muscle of female Sprague-Dawley rats was exteriorized for microcirculatory observations. HBOC in doses of 0.1, 1.0, 10.0, and 100.0 μM i.v., LNAME (30 mg/kg, i.v.), and papaverine (100 μM, topically) were given to the rat. Heparinized saline (0.1 ml and 0.5 ml, i.v.) served as control. MAP was monitored continuously through a cannula in the right carotid artery. Images of the feed, arcade and transverse arterioles were captured using a Zeiss Axioplan microscope, equipped with a digital camera, and imaging software. All doses of HBOC produced an overall vasoconstriction of the arterioles leading to an elevated MAP. Following L-NAME pretreatment, HBOC administration alone and with papaverine produced no significant elevation in MAP, indicating that the increase in resistance required basal amounts of nitric oxide (NO). This study concludes that the constriction of the arterioles correlated with the level of hypertension, and that these effects occur in a dose-dependent manner as a consequence of NO scavenging.