Also issued as a Ph.D. thesis in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, 1973. / Bibliography: p. 51.

The aim of this thesis is to find out the attitudes towards using the mobile telephone as a communication tool within the District Education Offices (DEO) in Iringa in Tanzania. This in order to collect an understanding of the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a work place in a developing country and to develop an understanding of how and why ICT is used.   The theoretical framework which is the base for this study is made up by several theories within the field of development communication. Diffusion of innovations, ICT for developing countries, Technology Acceptance Model and a framework for sustainable ICT are the theories from which factors affecting attitudes have been collected to make up the theoretical framework for this study.   The study was conducted with qualitative interviews with the employees of two out of seven DEOs in Iringa in Tanzania. The interview data was also complemented with data from questionnaires, filled out by employees at the DEOs. The questions in interview guide and the questionnaire were formed with the theoretical framework as the starting point and later also analysed through the same theoretical framework. Four individual interviews and one group interview with five interviewees were conducted and twelve questionnaires were collected.   The compiled data showed that private usage, perceived ease of use, costs of usage, possible side effects of usage and the compatibility of the technology are the factors influencing the attitudes towards using the mobile phone at work and it can be concluded that the employees of the two District Education Offices in general had a positive attitude towards using the mobile phone, but that the technology and the work situation not yet were perfect for them to use the mobile phone without any restrains in their work.

Telefonrådgivning via en sjuksköterska har funnits ända sedan 1930-talet men det är först de senaste åren som denna kompetens har erkänts som en egen specialitet. Inom vården sker allt fler möten mellan vårdgivare och vårdsökande via telefonen vilket leder till att allt högre krav ställs på sjuksköterskans yrkeskunnighet. Studiens syfte var att beskriva vad sjuksköterskor upplever vid telefonrådgivning till personer med psykiska problem. Metoden som använts i denna litteraturstudie var kvalitativ innehållsanalys med manifest och latent ansats. Resultatet baseras på 10 vetenskapliga artiklar där fyra kategorier framkom: trygghet, utsatthet, ett känsligt öra samt meningsfullhet. I resultatet framkom att kunskap och klinisk erfarenhet är faktorer som har stor betydelse för yrkesrollen inom telefonrådgivning. Som rådgivningssjuksköterska inom psykiatrisk vård upplevde många en hög stressnivå vad gäller den komplexa yrkesrollen. Att inte se patienten med sina egna ögon upplevdes som att delvis arbeta i blindo. Detta ledde till att rådgivningssjuksköterskorna lyssnade aktivt för att försöka förstå vad som uttrycktes mellan raderna i samtalet med den vårdsökande. Ett etiskt dilemma som rådgivningssjuksköterskor beskriver är upplevelse av svårigheter att hantera andrahandsinformation vid telefonrådgivning. Dessa svårigheter uppkommer då rådgivningssjuksköterskan ej har möjlighet att tala direkt till den person som telefonråden gäller. För övrigt gavs uttryck för att arbetet som rådgivningssjuksköterska är stimulerande och utmanande

Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Bert Lundy, Scott Coté. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): H. Lyman Miller, Glenn Cook. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-74). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-193).

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Master / Master of Philosophy

Voice over IP technology (VoIP) has recently gained popularity among consumers. Many popular VoIP services exist only as software for PCs. The need of taking such services out of the PC, into a stand-alone device has been discovered, and this thesis work deals with the development of such a device. The thesis work is done for Häger Scandinavia AB, a Swedish telephone manufacturer. This thesis work covers the design of a complete prototype of a table-top VoIP telephone running an embedded Linux Operating system. Design areas include product development, hardware design and software design.The result is a working prototype with hardware and corresponding Linux device drivers. The prototype can host a Linux application adapted to it. Conclusions are that the first hardware version has worked well and that using an open-source operating system is very useful. Further work consists of implementing a complete telephony software application in the system, evaluation of system requirements and adapting the prototype for a commercial design.

Despite the existence of evidence-based interventions for anxiety disorders, many barriers impede access to effective treatment services (e.g., distance from services, comorbidity). This dissertation aimed to investigate ways to overcome some of these barriers by exploring (1) the efficacy of therapist-supported distance cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders in adults, (2) the suitability of anxiety sensitivity (AS; a fear of arousal-related physiological sensations) as a target for transdiagnostic treatment, and (3) the efficacy of a distance CBT intervention for reducing high AS and its associated mental health and substance use symptoms. In Study 1, a systematic review showed that therapist-supported distance CBT was more efficacious than a waiting list and as efficacious as face-to-face CBT in reducing anxiety symptoms, increasing the likelihood of diagnostic remission, and improving quality of life. In Study 2, AS was associated with panic, posttraumatic stress, social phobia, and depressive symptoms. Of its lower order subscales, physical concerns predicted unique variance in panic, cognitive concerns predicted unique variance in depressive symptoms, and social phobia was predicted by social concerns. Together, Studies 1 and 2 suggest that distance CBT for anxiety is efficacious and that AS may be a suitable target for transdiagnostic interventions. As such, Studies 3 and 4 report on a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy and transdiagnostic implications of a telephone-delivered CBT intervention for high AS. The treatment significantly reduced AS relative to a waiting list and led to significant reductions in panic, posttraumatic stress, and social phobia symptoms (though not generalized anxiety or depressive symptoms). Treatment-related reductions in AS mediated these anxiety symptom changes. Participants in the treatment, vs. control, group also showed a significantly greater reduction in number of mental health diagnoses and in functional disability. Treatment also significantly reduced coping-with-anxiety drinking motives and physical alcohol-related problems for the treatment but not waiting list group. Reductions in AS mediated changes in coping-with-anxiety motives, while coping-with-anxiety motives mediated changes in physical alcohol-related problems. Taken together, findings from this dissertation provide evidence that distance-based and transdiagnostic AS-focused interventions may be two important and efficacious ways to overcome several barriers to anxiety treatment.

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