https://menstrual-health-work.livingmeta.ai Latest research papers, blog posts, and grey literature — curated and classified by AI en Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:21:23 GMT https://menstrual-health-work.livingmeta.ai/icon.png https://menstrual-health-work.livingmeta.ai https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000019395 This thesis explores the economics of corporate investment and investigates how problems of asymmetric information and strategic interaction influence the efficiency of investment behavior. I present theoretical work and empirical results from a survey of European chief financial executives. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT thesis:1ab5bce28bef5e31 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000022487 P53 is a tumour development p53. The aim of this work was to study the regulation of p53 in embryonic stem cells and its activation in response to DNA damage. p53 was found that p53 becomes transcriptionally active in ES cells after DNA damage. Embryonic stem cells contain a relatively high amount of p53 protein and p53 RNA. After differentiation p53 level is rapidly downregulated. The high abundance of p53 in undifferentiated ES cells is a result of enhanced translation. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT thesis:71663bf4b5faaea7 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000077059 This dissertation examines dynamic aspects of corporate governance and corporate leadership, focusing on board composition, CEO characteristics, and organizational monitoring mechanisms. The work is NOT relevant to menstrual health, menstrual disorders, or menopause in occupational settings. Fri, 17 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT thesis:730db267c25660b7 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000023886 This work is focused on different aspects within the loop of multiscale modeling: On the cellular level, effects of adrenergic regulation and the Long-QT syndrome have been investigated. On the organ level, a model for the excitation conduction system was developed and the role of electrophysiological heterogeneities was analyzed. On the torso level a dynamic model of a deforming heart was created and the effects of tissue conductivities on the solution of the forward problem were evaluated. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT thesis:7eb0a9b662642863 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000038392 The aging society and threatening old-age poverty are two major political topics in Germany for the next decades. Many modern employment biographies consist of atypical employment and discontinuities; both negatively impact the pension entitlements of the individuals. This work develops an inninnovative approach that offers flexibility to absorb demographic changes as well as labor market developments, without threatening the financial stability of the public pension scheme. Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT thesis:9dfd8251cb8d78b4 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000047818 Learning by reflection is one of the core processes for improving work performance. We provide a novel approach for reflective learning support by transferring and adapting practices from the Quantified Self to workplace settings. This book contributes with an integrated model for technical support of reflective learning, mobile and web-based applications designed for quantifying and gathering data in the workplace, and empirical insights from thirteen studies in three different use cases. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT thesis:c62e0542023a4646 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000044903 This thesis examines how wearable sensor systems can support reflective learning by monitoring work experiences. A design space is defined that guides designers to build systems that can provide content for reflection. Wearable sensors and applications have been developed and evaluated to capture the affective and social context in workplace settings. It is a first step towards the generation of learning content from sensor data. Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT thesis:e14cb85af71a43a1 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000094954 Enterprise software helps organizations comply with laws and regulations, yet software itself creates negative externalities that can undermine rights and laws. Software developers are an important regulatory force, yet many know little about how law and software interact. This work examines developer understanding of legal concepts and examples of the software code and law relationship: payroll, Sarbanes Oxley Act, web accessibility, and data protection. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT thesis:521b280922e7e742 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000145546 The provided metadata indicates a 2022 Habilitation thesis from KIT's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences titled 'The regulation of work, social structures, and inequality'. The full text content is not available for analysis—only bibliographic metadata is present. No information regarding menstrual health, menstrual disorders, menopause, or work-related health outcomes is evident from the available documentation. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT thesis:6b5614869006e8c1 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000183774 Recent decades have seen an ongoing shift toward virtual work. A major consequence of this shift is the reliance on communication channels, such as text, audio, and video, for communication, collaboration, and information exchange. Since extensive research in various fields has highlighted the positive impact of communication across different workplace situations, it is essential to understand the implications of this change in communication. Virtual communication channels differ in terms of their media richness and capacity to facilitate social presence, raising critical questions about whether the benefits of communication transfer to virtual work settings. An initial literature review summarized existing experimental research findings on whether using different communication channels impacts behavioral outcomes and outlined important avenues for future research. Based on this review, a controlled experiment investigated people’s preferences for text or video messages when being dishonest. Thereafter, an online study focused on nonverbal information in communication and explored whether enriching virtual pre-play communication with nonverbal cues improves team coordination and cooperation. Beyond studies on communication channels, an online field experiment examined virtual work on crowdworking platforms and how preference-personalized casual microtasking systems influence the performance of crowdworkers. Insights from the literature review revealed that the shift from face-to-face to virtual communication can significantly impact human behavior in workplace settings. While richer communication channels, such as video channels, can mitigate some negative effects, more nonverbal information in one-way communication, such as messages, poses risks. Notably, individuals have preferences for different communication channels, because subjects were significantly more likely to choose text over video messages when lying. Additionally, enriching audio communication with static nonverbal cues in the form of profile pictures significantly reduced team cooperation compared to audio-only and video communication. In the context of crowdwork, the results revealed no positive effects of preference-based personalization on performance. Overall, this dissertation contributes to the fields of economics and information systems by providing experimental insights into how different communication channels shape behavior. These findings offer valuable implications for researchers and practitioners, particularly in the context of ongoing discussions about office-based, remote, and hybrid work arrangements. Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT thesis:16ca6d95f1aacd86 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/a6439b42-474c-45c4-ba7f-74797db2d729 The purpose of this thesis was to explore workplace relations as resources for health and well-being from a salutogenic perspective. The number of elderly people is increasing in the population and elderly care has already a strained workload, why it is urgent to pay more attention to the salutogenic aspects for employees’ in elderly care. The studies have been carried out within a municipal healthcare organization between 2012 and 2016 together with healthcare employees. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used in the thesis process. Methods that have been used for data generation have been two individual interviews using thematic respectively hermeneutic analysis, questionnaire analyzed with multiple linear regression and multistage focus group interviews analyzed by using deductive content analysis. The results indicate that relationships with care recipients, colleagues and managers were important to the employees' health and contributed to the well-being of the employees'. The opportunity and time to be able to be personal in the relationship with the recipient were important prerequisites for the relationship to arise and be maintained. Belongingness with colleagues was an important prerequisite for the employee's health and wellbeing, where the relationship with the manager could be a means of promoting belongingness among colleagues. The result also showed that the relationship between employees’ and managers can be a resource for performing a good job. Different expectations of each other in the relationship, an increased awareness of each other's perceptions and role expectations are prerequisites for creating promoting relationships between the employees’ and the managers. The thesis also suggests that formal and informal meetings can be a resource for improvement work at the workplace. Multistage focus groups turned out to be an opportunity to explore and understand workplace relationships as a resource, using the Flourishing theory, in health promotion efforts and improvement work. By promoting workplace relationships, the health and well-being of health care employees’ can be promoted, as well as contribute to thriving workplaces. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT thesis:5c0cae65b518256a Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/18e454bf-6895-4ea9-bb16-924941d61307 ‘Collective Autonomy in the European Union’ explores the question of collective autonomy by investigating the relationship between collective bargaining and legal regulation and its current evolution in the national contexts and in the EU internal market. The thesis aims at achieving a comprehensive understanding of the notion, function and exercise of collective autonomy and collective bargaining, and it argues that collective autonomy and collective bargaining in contemporary Europe present challenges that alter their basic features. To this end, the thesis undertakes a multifaceted analysis integrating three perspectives: a theoretical perspective analysing and combining the conceptual elements of collective autonomy and collective bargaining as defined in industrial relations theories, labour law theories, and in the discourses on global labour rights; a comparative perspective analysing how collective autonomy and collective bargaining have found legal regulation in the Italian and Swedish labour law and industrial relations contexts; a cross-border perspective examining how the EU regulation of the internal market freedoms of establishment and to provide services impacts on the features of collective autonomy and collective bargaining.By combining elements of international, European and comparative labour law, EU internal market law, and industrial relations, this thesis explores the unique features of collective autonomy and collective bargaining as socio-economic mechanisms having a normative power, whose functioning is however influenced by legal dynamics. Eventually, it examines the transformation that the foundations of collective autonomy and collective bargaining undergo in relation to the challenges deriving from both the processes of company-level decentralisation and the dynamics of the cross-border scenarios in the EU internal market. Ultimately, the thesis contributes to advancing the understanding of the foundations of collective autonomy and to exploring its operations beyond national borders. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT thesis:7db9e62dadcb6577 Lund University other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000151597 Das Ziel der Ergonomie ist die qualitative und wirtschaftliche Optimierung des Arbeitsergebnisses. Gleichzeitig soll der Anwender während der Tätigkeit möglichst wenig ermüden und keine Schäden davontragen. In der Entwicklung von Bohrhämmern sind deshalb die Steigerung der Arbeitsproduktivität sowie die Prävention einer möglichen Schädigung des Anwenders durch Vibrationen wichtige Ziele. Um das Produkt hinsichtlich dieser Größen optimieren zu können, müssen die relevanten Einflüsse bekannt sein. In bisherigen Studien zur Analyse von Einflussgrößen wurden Kräfte, welche senkrecht zur Vorschubkraft wirken, noch nicht untersucht. Experimente haben jedoch gezeigt, dass Anwender beim Hammerbohren Querbewegungen aufbringen, welche zu Querkräften im Bohrloch führen. Bislang fehlt das Wissen, in welcher Größenordnung die Querkräfte beim Arbeiten mit einem Bohrhammer auftreten und ob diese einen Einfluss auf das Hammerbohren haben. Weiterhin ist nicht bekannt, ob ein möglicher Einfluss auf unterschiedliche Bohrhammer-Bohrer-Setups und Randbedingungen übertragbar ist. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Zusammenhänge zwischen der Querkraft und den Größen Vorschubgeschwindigkeit sowie die für den Menschen schädlichen Vibrationen zu analysieren. Zur Erreichung dieses Ziels wurden zunächst die auftretenden Querkräfte mittels einer Laborstudie mit Probanden untersucht. Anschließend wurden anhand zweier Studien auf einem roboterbasierten Prüfstand mit über 6000 Einzelversuchen Vorschubkräfte und Querkräfte mehrstufig aufgebracht, um deren Zusammenhang mit der Vorschubgeschwindigkeit sowie mit den Gehäusevibrationen zu ermitteln. Um aufzuzeigen, ob Interaktionseffekte zwischen der Querkraft und aus dem Stand der Forschung bekannter Einflussgrößen bestehen, wurden neben den Anwenderkräften die Betonfestigkeit, der Bohrhammer, der Bohrertyp und dessen Verschleiß variiert. Abschließend wurde eine Verifikation der auf dem Prüfstand gewonnenen Ergebnisse, inwieweit diese auf das manuelle Hammerbohren übertragbar sind, durchgeführt. Durch manuelle Versuche mit professionellen Anwendern konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass beim Hammerbohren Querkräfte auftreten und wodurch diese entstehen. Die anschließenden kausalen Studien zeigten, dass diese Querkräfte die Vorschubgeschwindigkeit negativ beeinflussen und unterschiedliche Effekte bei den Bohrhammervibrationen hervorrufen. Hierbei treten Interaktionseffekte zwischen den untersuchten Faktoren und der Querkraft auf. Anhand der Ergebnisse konnte somit gezeigt werden, dass die vom Anwender erzeugten Querkräfte die Arbeitsproduktivität und die für den Menschen schädlichen Vibrationen beeinflussen. Darüber hinaus konnten Potentiale für die Optimierung von Schwingungsentkopplungen der Hauptgriffe von Bohrhämmern aufgedeckt werden. Des Weiteren kann das Wissen für die Abbildung von realitätsnäheren Anwendereinflüssen im Testing oder für die Verbesserung von Normen zur Bewertung der Bohrhammervibrationen genutzt werden. Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT thesis:9fc9f0c99a8988fd Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000183870 The construction industry is crucial for economic growth, but its productivity has not improved much despite its importance. Heavy-duty mobile machines (HDMMs), particularly excavators, play a central role in construction projects, with their productivity directly impacting projects' productivity and costs. This dissertation aims to tackle several challenges regarding the automatic productivity estimation of an excavator in earth-moving operations, such as loading, trenching, and grading. In the beginning, the significance of the construction industry and the critical role of HDMMs within it are discussed. It highlights the challenges faced by the industry, including low productivity growth and outdated practices, emphasizing the need for automated productivity estimation and progress monitoring. Then, an excavator is introduced as the main application in the research study. In the next phase, existing research studies for the productivity estimation of HDMMs are thoroughly explored to identify research gaps and to design multiple research questions that drive the dissertation's focus. Capturing motion information using inertial measurement units (IMUs) holds promise for recognizing activities and automatically estimating cycle time and productivity. Also, the importance of analysis of working conditions and estimating theoretical cycle time and productivity is stated. In addition, 3D sensors and building information modeling (BIM) can be integrated to enhance the productivity estimation and progress monitoring of an excavator in quality-centered tasks, such as grading and trenching operations. First, an activity recognition method is proposed to identify the excavator working cycle using supervised classification methods and motion information, such as angular velocities and joint angles, obtained from four IMUs attached to moving parts of an excavator, including the swing body, boom, arm, and bucket. Human operators perform tasks using a medium-rated excavator under different working conditions, such as different types of material, swing angle, digging depth, and weather conditions to collect a dataset. The proposed method can effectively recognize the working cycles of an excavator. Task recognition can aid management teams in monitoring productivity and progress, optimizing resource allocation, and scheduling. Using the results of the task recognition algorithm, productivity can be calculated based on task-specific metrics. Next, an approach is designed to automatically determine the productivity and operational effectiveness of an excavator in the loading operation. Firstly, an algorithm is proposed to recognize the excavator's sub-tasks using supervised learning and motion data obtained from IMUs. Then, a method is presented to estimate the actual cycle time based on the sequence of activities detected using the trained classification model. The actual cycle time cannot solely reveal the machine's performance since operating conditions can significantly influence the cycle time. Therefore, a reference is required to analyze the actual cycle time. Secondly, the theoretical cycle time of an excavator is automatically estimated based on the operating conditions, such as swing angle and digging depth. Thirdly, the relative cycle time is obtained by dividing the theoretical cycle time by the actual cycle time. The relative cycle time index can effectively monitor the performance of an excavator in loading operations and can be useful for worksite managers to monitor the performance of each machine in worksites. In the next step, a technique is proposed to estimate the excavator’s actual productivity in trenching and grading operations. In these tasks, the quantity of material moved is not significant; precision within specified tolerances is the key focus. The productivity definitions for trenching and grading operations are the trench's length per unit of time and graded area per unit of time, respectively. In the method, a height map from working areas is constructed. Also, BIM is utilized to acquire information regarding the target model and required accuracy. The productivity is estimated using the map comparison between the working areas and the desired model. The method can effectively estimate productivity and monitor the progress of these operations. The obtained information can guide managers to track the productivity of each individual machine and modify planning and time-scheduling. This dissertation employs advanced technologies, such as IMUs, machine learning techniques, elevation terrain mapping algorithms, and BIM. It aims to streamline productivity estimation and progress monitoring for excavators, ultimately contributing to more efficient and successful construction projects. It underscores the potential for future research to enhance these methodologies, expand their applicability to other HDMMs and tasks, and address remaining challenges to propel the construction industry towards greater productivity and sustainability. Wed, 06 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT thesis:b99932846d28db5b Karlsruhe Institute of Technology other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/67ee2cd0-e84a-41aa-93b4-d86d62cd4bfa This thesis evaluates mWorks, a digital return-to-work solution designed for persons with common mental disorders on sick leave. The research focuses on the development and assessment of digital interventions to support work reintegration among individuals with mental health conditions. The study addresses the significant occupational health challenge of mental disorder-related work absence. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT thesis:e0cb2d8d4af1c4d2 Lund University thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/8c82dc70-52a6-434c-9c1e-bed2b01a7538 Allergic skin diseases caused by low molecular weight chemical compounds are a major health concern among the general population, especially in certain occupational groups. To limit exposure to such compounds, it is important that thorough risk assessments are performed before products reach the consumer market. Traditionally, such risk assessments have been based on animal tests, but due to several factors, including legislations and ethical concerns, the use of animal testing has become increasingly unjustifiable. In this context, one focus in predictive toxicology has been the development of alternative methods to replace animal experiments. Although several alternative methods have been validated for regulatory decision making, they lack certain endpoints for complete risk assessments, and molecular mechanisms underlying skin sensitization are still not entirely understood. The work described in this thesis aims at increasing our knowledge about the mechanisms in dendritic cell activation in response to skin sensitizers and to further develop a dendritic cell-based in vitro assay.In Paper I, we investigated the microRNA regulation in response to stimulation of a DC model with structurally similar rubber sensitizers. The changes triggered by the rubber sensitizers in both mRNA and microRNA expression suggest a chemical-specific regulation, despite the structural similarity of the rubber sensitizers. In Paper II, the skin sensitizing properties of herbicidal formulations are investigated. Here, we predicted the herbicide glyphosate as a non-sensitizer, while the co-formulant polyethylated tallow amine and two glyphosate-based formulations were predicted as sensitizers. Additionally, we also investigated the proteomic alterations in response to these chemicals and formulations, and identified cellular responses associated with the differentially expressed proteins. In the last two papers, Paper III and Paper IV, we present additional applications for the in vitro assay setup used in this thesis. In Paper III, we identified a biomarker signature for the prediction of skin sensitizer potency, demonstrating a balanced accuracy of 78% targeting three potency classes, i.e., 1A (strong sensitizers), 1B (weak sensitizers) and no cat (non-sensitizers). In Paper IV, we applied a statistical method, the conformal prediction framework, to investigate the predictive boundaries of the in vitro assay, and concluded, based on 70 chemicals, that the assay can be applied to a large chemical space.In conclusion, the work presented here can contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the immunological response to skin sensitizing chemicals, which together with state-of-the-art predictive assays could be used for improved risk assessment of chemical compounds and to develop tools for prevention and treatment of allergic skin diseases. Tue, 21 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT thesis:e228688f42fe6e98 Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3d91ca2e-7479-4abe-af7f-6e4a197513cd Glycerol levels in adipocytes depend on the lipolysis, the hydrolysis of triglycerides into glycerol and free fatty acids, and the efflux of glycerol across the plasma membrane through glycerol channels. The aims of this work were to investigate how glycerol levels are regulated on a molecular level by PLIN1, a major lipid droplet-associated protein and a key regulator of the lipolysis by scaffolding for lipolytic proteins on the lipid droplet. Furthermore to elucidate the selectivity and conducting mechanisms of aquaporin 7 (AQP7), the major glycerol channel in adipocytes.PLIN1 was found to form micro domains in human primary adipocytes during basal conditions, and the micro domains dispersed after lipolytic stimulation. Interactions specifically with cholesteryl esters, DPPC and triglycerides on the lipid droplet formed the basis for the dynamic PLIN1 micro domains. The dispersion of PLIN1 along with bound lipolytic proteins results in a fully activated lipolysis. Further, PLIN1 was identified as an interacting partner to AQP7. Protein kinase A phosphorylation of the AQP7 N-terminus decreased the binding to PLIN1, resulting in translocation from the lipid droplet to the plasma membrane for glycerol efflux. The high-resolution crystal structure of AQP7 was determined with glycerol and water molecules lining the channel. A conducting mechanism was proposed in which the glycerol partly rotates as it travels along the pore, possibly facilitating the transition by altering the hydrogen bond network and releasing the glycerol from more tightly bound positions. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations suggested that glycerol hinders water from diffusing through the pore at a high rate. Initial crystal growth of AQP7 for neutron diffraction studies was carried out, in order to be able to precisely locate hydrogen atoms and gain a deeper understanding of the selectivity and conducting mechanisms.Glycerol metabolism has implications in metabolic diseases and AQP7-knockout mice develop obesity and type 2 diabetes. This research has deepened our knowledge of how glycerol levels in adipocytes are regulated by PLIN1. Adipocyte lipolysis is upregulated by certain cancers in order to supply energy for rapid tumor growth. The structure of AQP7 unraveled the details of glycerol efflux through AQP7 and provides a structural basis for development of small- molecules drugs targeting AQP7. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT thesis:723175a6c9aa0847 Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/23bb82e4-24c4-4f39-b158-eb4d5d25c4db Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive disease, with variable clinical course and heterogenous molecular characteristics. In this thesis, which is based upon six original papers, we aimed to understand MCL deregulations, both at intrinsic and extrinsic levels, to identify companion biomarkers that would allow patient stratification. With the aim to bridge the gap between research and clinical application, the current work took advantage of major technological breakthroughs to advance the biological understanding of MCL. Paper I showed the applicability to apply next-generation sequencing to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) MCL tumor samples, enabling clinical implementation. The workflow allowed for the identification of recurrent and new mutations that can be used to guide treatment and to investigate the efficacy of new compounds in MCL. Despite major clinical benefits, the current standard of care shows varying treatment responses, with most patients eventually relapsing. In paper II we explored the transcriptomic profile of patients submitted to this regimen and identified metabolic changes in patients with worse treatment outcome. We focused on CPT1A, a rate-limiting enzyme in fatty acid oxidation, as a biomarker for MCL, and showed that is has a negative prognostic impact. TP53 mutations have been accepted as markers of poor prognosis in MCL, but genetic evaluation remains a challenge in many clinical facilities. Thus, in paper III we explored the possibility of using p53, evaluated by immunohistochemistry, as a surrogate marker for TP53 missense mutation. We showed a high concordance between p53 overexpression and TP53 missense mutation. In paper IV we intended to understand the role of c-Myc in MCL. We concluded that overexpression of c-Myc at protein and mRNA level was associated with poor clinical outcomes and, contrary to other B-cell lymphomas, MYC was not often translocated nor showed amplifications in MCL. Further, we describe a synergistic negative effect of dual aberrations in MYC and TP53. Paper III and paper IV findings strengthened the need for patient stratification in MCL for effective clinical management of the disease. Paper V and paper VI focused on the tumor-extrinsic factors in MCL. In paper V, we characterized the immune composition of MCL, particularly the presence of T-cell subtypes and the M2-like macrophages (CD163+ cells). We concluded that FoxP3+ cells were associated with shorter time to progression in patients treated with standard of care and that the presence of CD163+ cells was a negative prognostic marker, irrespective of treatment. In paper VI we were interested in understanding the crosstalk between tumor cells, T-cells and CD163+ cells in MCL in a spatial context. We showed that CD163+ cells are affected by their distance to tumor cells and that tumor microenvironments with presence of CD163+ cells show higher levels of MAPK activation. In summary, this work provided a comprehensive analysis of the contribution of molecular and tumor-extrinsic factors to treatment outcome in MCL and advanced the current knowledge of the disease, by highlighting additional therapeutic targets. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT thesis:7715a96ce2bf00c8 Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/c2560278-7d82-4418-81e5-6a43a3abf803 As the world population is pushing toward 8 billion, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death worldwide, representing 30% of all global deaths. A large body of work has recognized that smooth muscle cells (SMCs) surrounding the blood vessels play a prominent role in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. SMCs are highly specialized cells with the main function to maintain vascular tension and thereby regulate blood pressure and blood flow. SMCs retain remarkable plasticity. In response to changes in external cues, SMCs can modulate their phenotype from a highly mature contractile phenotype to a synthetic, proliferative phenotype. Although beneficial during key physiological processes such as wound healing, phenotypic modulation can contribute to the development and progression of several vascular disease states. Despite extensive studies on the transcriptional programs that define smooth muscle phenotype, the endogenous regulators that control smooth muscle specificity are still far from understood. The aim of this thesis was to gain further insight into the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression that occurs during disease development and how these changes affect the function of the vascular wall.The work in the following papers has identified previously unknown mechanisms by which small non-coding RNAs (miRNAs), actin polymerization and transcriptional regulators MRTFA and GATA6 can contribute to the changes in vascular smooth muscle observed in vascular disease states. In summary, we show that actin polymerization and MRTFA regulate a profile of miRNAs that are downregulated in patients with mildly dilated aorta. Moreover, we demonstrate a novel role for MRTFA in lipid accumulation and foam cell formation. We further demonstrate the importance of miRNA-143 and miRNA-145 for vascular function and for adaptation to hypertension. Lastly, we show that GATA6 regulates migration of SMCs. A deeper understanding into the underlying molecular mechanisms is crucial in order to develop new efficient therapeutic approaches against cardiovascular disease states. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT thesis:a871264bbcbad119 Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/10e06096-a84c-40f9-9114-2f48562e2176 The thesis consists of three independent chapters. The chapters are all empirical studies of scientists and the role that different types of mobility play in shaping researchers' scientific output and careers.Chapter 1, uses the liberalization of Swedish work migration, in 2008, to study the effect of immigration on the publishing productivity of incumbent academics in Sweden. The reform led to a sharp increase in the number of Asian academic researchers and PhD-students coming to Sweden. Identification relies on both the suddenness of the supply shock and that departments with past exposure to Asian migration saw relatively larger inflows of Asian migrants. Results show that the supply shock increased the publication output of incumbent researchers. Positive effects are found to be mainly explained by increased publishing productivity of already prolific incumbent researchers. For less productive incumbents, evidence instead suggests crowding-out effects and reduced productivity.Chapter 2, studies the effects of inter-university mobility on researcher productivity. The study suggests substantial gains from mobility on scientific output. Mobility effects are not explained by promotions taking place jointly with a move. Positive effects are found among individuals who move between universities and not for those who move to or from university colleges. Moreover, we find that the positive effect of moving only applies to researchers in medicine, natural sciences and engineering, and technology, with no effect of mobility found in the social sciences and the humanities.Chapter 3, investigates the social background of PhD-graduates. Results suggest that parents' characteristics are essential determinants for obtaining a PhD-level education. Of particular importance is if the parent also holds a PhD. This association is gender- and field-specific and is large in comparison to other sources of exposure to researcher careers in the childhood environment. Taken together, the results suggest that the family environment is crucial for obtaining a PhD-level education. Moreover, the study reveals that the existence of intergenerational spillovers also affects patenting and publishing behavior in a later research career. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT thesis:b9201970bfd323b7 Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/bdaeffa2-0c63-4383-8b1b-f6c6fe94b81b About 600 children and teenagers work at Managua's landfill, the largest in Nicaragua. They collect and sort waste at the open dump, which covers an area of 7 km2 on the outskirts of the city on the shores of Lake Managua. Such work, which occurs in many large cities in developing countries, is considered to be one of the riskiest types of child labor that exists. Nevertheless, knowledge of such work and its risks is lacking.We investigated chemical exposure and risk of injury among 103 child laborers aged 6 to 15 years from Managua's landfill. Almost half of the children also lived in the dump area itself, while the rest lived in a nearby area, Acahualinca. For comparison, 102 children from Acahualinca and 34 children from central Managua, 10 km away, who did not work at the dump, were also studied. This provided the opportunity to also study the environmental exposure from the landfill. The children were interviewed about living conditions, working conditions, and all injuries that occurred at workplaces, at school, and at home during the last 12 months. They had to provide blood samples for examination of the levels of, among other things, heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, and persistent organic environmental toxins such as pesticides and PCBs. We also investigated the levels of a relatively new organic environmental poison, the brominated flame retardant PBDE. At a later stage, soil samples were also collected from the landfill area and from Acahualinca for investigation of metal content.The children who worked at the landfill had higher levels of lead, mercury, and cadmium than the children in the comparison groups. One-third had blood lead levels higher than 100 μg/l, a level where measures to reduce exposure are clearly recommended. We also found that the children in the nearby residential area had higher lead levels than the children from central Managua. Although mercury levels were higher among the child workers, the levels were not such that they could be considered a present and clear health risk. Consumption of fish from Lake Managua only slightly affected mercury levels. The levels of several of the organic environmental toxins, especially PCBs, were also higher among the child workers than in the comparison groups. We know that PCBs, which have long been banned in the West, are still used in Central America, or stored in uncontrolled forms. The children in the comparison groups also had clearly higher levels of a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT and of PCBs than children in the USA and Western Europe. The levels of these substances are steadily decreasing in the Western world. There is extremely limited knowledge of how the development over time looks like in Central and Latin America because too few surveys have been carried out. Unexpectedly, we found extremely high levels of PBDEs among the children living and working at the dump, higher than previously reported. The children in the comparison groups also had unexpectedly high levels of these substances. This is the first investigation of human PBDE levels in Central and Latin America, and the findings clearly show that it is extremely important to study the spread of the new environmental toxins also in non-industrialized countries and among particularly vulnerable groups. Several of the different substances that we studied are toxic to reproduction, and they can negatively affect human reproduction and fetal development. It would therefore have been desirable to be able to make a balanced risk assessment, but this is not possible because there is a lack of knowledge about the synergistic effects of the substances, and especially about how other factors such as inadequate nutrition can further affect the risk picture. What is clear, however, is that the levels we found among the children are significant from a reproductive perspective, as many of the girls we surveyed will be mothers in a few years - a fifth of Managua's teenagers are pregnant or have given birth already.Injuries, which caused at least one day of absence from school or work, were seven times more common among the children working at the dump than among the children in the comparison groups. The vast majority of injuries occurred during work, corresponding to 2.2 injuries per 1000 working days. The children reported that approximately one in ten injuries had resulted in permanent disability or pain. We analyzed the injuries that occurred to clarify whether there were any clear injury patterns. Cuts and puncture wounds to the hands and feet in connection with material handling were most common and caused 70% of the injuries. This shows that simple protective measures – many children lack shoes and no one has gloves – could reduce the risk of injury. However, the most serious damage was caused by the vehicles at the dump.In our studies, we have wanted to measure exposure levels and quantify risks in order to clarify the situation of child workers, in the hope that increased knowledge and awareness can eventually contribute to change. We have also gained valuable knowledge about the levels of several common environmental toxins among ordinary poor city children in a developing country. This is something that has so far been too inadequately investigated. Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT thesis:c7950d669b736a9c Lund University other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/0b4dcf8d-a16d-4aed-9736-0409b68cabdc This doctoral dissertation evaluates an Individual Enabling and Support model designed to facilitate return to work for individuals with affective disorders. The study examines both the implementation and effectiveness of this supported employment intervention within mental healthcare settings. While focused on affective disorders rather than menstrual health specifically, the work addresses occupational health and work participation outcomes relevant to broader workplace health equity. Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT thesis:f157432ef87ce2bc Lund University thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-15554 This thesis concerns the leader as a facilitator of learning at work. More specifically, the aim of the study is to increase knowledge about leadership in relation to co-workers’ learning and development at the workplace. The focus is on the leaders’ notions of learning-oriented leadership, their actions in daily work and on the factors that may enable and constrain learning-oriented leadership. The theoretical framework is structured around a review and analysis of three leadership research traditions: studies of effective leadership, studies of managerial work, and critical studies of leadership. The research reported in the thesis is based on an interactive research approach comprising case studies of two industrial firms. The main empirical data have been collected in interviews with leaders. In addition, the empirical material includes observations of leaders and studies of documents. The results indicate that the leaders view learning and the development of their co-workers as important issues and that they use a number of different activities to facilitate learning. Based on the degree of formalization these activities can be characterized as planned, partially planned and spontaneous. When working with the co-workers’ learning the leaders alternate between acting as supporters, educators and confronters. Furthermore, learning-oriented leadership is influenced by factors such as the co-workers’ attitudes and motivation, the leaders’ views of learning and development, the presence of learning issues on the organizational agenda and the design of the organizations’ production systems. To conclude, the leaders in both companies can be seen as facilitators of learning. However, their leadership is mainly performance-oriented and focused on adaptive learning. There are traces of development-oriented leadership as well, but these patterns are not as apparent. For instance, the facilitation of critical reflection associated with developmental learning is not very common for the leaders in either of the cases. Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT thesis:0094129fefb07fa3 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-225119 In late 2015 and early 2016, more than two million refugees crossed European borders. Sweden, with its 10 million inhabitants welcomed more than 160,000 refugees, the second highest number per capita in Europe. This dissertation is a qualitative study focusing on the mandatory two-year Establishment Programme that all refugees between the age of 18 and 65 were enrolled in once they had received their residence permit. Governed by the Swedish Public Employment Service, the individuals who had come to Sweden as refugees were expected to establish themselves on the Swedish labour market as quickly as possible. It was Time to Work. Theoretically, the dissertation addresses concerns within the critical accounting research stream in general and to the growing body of literature on accounting and immigration in particular. This emerging field is influenced by social theories on immigration and the thought tradition of Michel Foucault, especially the concept of responsibilization. The discussions and conclusions drawn in these studies are that individual citizens are made responsible for the performance of the state. The processes are governed through the use of various accounting and auditing techniques and practices, and the consequences for individual immigrants are connected to unexpected and devastating processes of control and marginalization. Especially in relation to their opportunities on the labour market. In order to put the concept of performance in a wider and even more critical context, this dissertation takes on a contemporary Critical Theory perspective and a wide interpretation of the concept of performance management. By acknowledging the processes of social struggle and processes of commodification, this dissertation aims to highlight how accounting techniques and performance management affects already vulnerable individuals in state processes characterised by neoliberal values and capitalist production rationale. Taking its starting point in the concept of responsibilization, the analysis is made through the Marxist concepts of commodification, alienation, and reification. The study concludes that the expectations to perform in a public sector setting does not only alienate and reify the individual, it also expects a specific type of individual (performer) and a predetermined baseline for what is considered valuable performance in Swedish society. In the context of the Establishment Programme, there were large groups of individuals who could not perform on such level, which had implications for how the Swedish welfare state, while built on solidarity and a century of social reforms, in various ways degraded new citizens’ social status to a level below the ordinary working class. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT thesis:00bb25c22f7d088f DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/12467/1/Full%20thesis%20-%20Post%20viva.pdf Superovulation in assisted conception can create Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). Morbidity and even mortality that can occur with OHSS should be avoided by using the lowest risk and safest treatment strategy. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) are at high risk of over response due to the ample number of antral follicles capable of responding to stimulation. Diagnosis of PCOS is based on a collection of subjective symptoms, signs and laboratory investigations. Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), produced by the granulosa cells of the antral follicles, is elevated in women with PCOS. In a consecutive series of women presenting to an infertility clinic, the finding of increased AMH in those with PCOS was confirmed. Furthermore, AMH was shown to correlate with anovulation and hyperandrogenism. A single AMH value is interchangeable with any of the Rotterdam diagnostic criteria. Proposed values are 29pmol/L for polycystic ovarian morphology and 45pmol/L for either anovulation or hyperandrogenism using the generation II assay. Metformin has been shown to reduce the risk of OHSS in an agonist IVF cycle. The antagonist cycle is recommended for those at high risk of over-response. In a randomised double-blinded placebo controlled trial on 153 recruited patients; metformin was shown to have no effect on the incidence of OHSS in an antagonist cycle. There was no improvement in clinical pregnancy or live birth rate. The trial highlighted the discrepancy in clinical outcome between a White Caucasian and South Asian population. Avoidance of superovulation is an attractive option offered by in vitro maturation (IVM). A pilot study of 30 IVM cycles proved that immature oocytes can mature and fertilise in vitro at similar published rates. Unfortunately, no clinical pregnancies were created despite adequate transferred embryo quality. Although no incidence of OHSS, IVM appears to have been superseded by alternative approaches with replicable higher pregnancy rates. Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT thesis:00cae05882424966 White Rose eTheses Online pcos_other_conditions other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-327921 The freshwater crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, has been used as a model for studying hematopoiesis or blood cell production or hematopoiesis and immunity. The work of this thesis aims to investigate the impact of factors such as ROS signaling, Ast1, and the PVF/PVR signaling pathway in controlling stem cell behavior during hematopoiesis and specifically the role of the crosslinking enzyme transglutaminase (TGase) in regulation of hematopoiesis. The role of ROS in crayfish hematopoiesis was characterized by using the antioxidant named NAC to inhibit ROS production. Low ROS level resulted in a prolonged decrease in hemocyte numbers and a combined injection of LPS and NAC caused a slower rate of new hemocyte production. A low ROS level in cell cultures supplemented with crude Ast1 was found to inhibit cell spreading and a high extracellular TGase activity was detected on the surfaces of APC and HPT cells. We suggest that ROS serves as a prime signal to control proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells by affecting extracellular TGase activity. We reported an inhibitory effect of Ast1 on TGase enzyme activity and on its crosslinking activity and consequently Ast1 affects the clot formation and thus coagulation by inhibiting the crosslinking activity of the TGase enzyme. Secretion of the clot protein (CP) and the production of CP filament network between spreading cells were observed in HPT cell cultures in vitro. In the presence of CP together with Ast1 in 3D-collagen-I cultures, HPT cells were found to be more elongated and they formed chains of cells throughout the surrounding matrix. In the HPT tissue, CP was located around the HPT cells or around the lobules of HPT, and thus, CP was demonstrated to be a part of ECM and to possibly function together with collagen in generating a suitable environment for HPT progenitor cells. The inhibition of PVF/PVR downstream signaling pathway by Sunitinib malate resulted in a dramatic change of cell morphology and induction of an increase cell surface area during cell culture. The addition of crude Ast1 into the cell cultures in vitro enhanced this effect. Consequently, cell migration was stimulated and a high extracellular TGase activity on HPT cell surface was found after this inhibition. In conclusion, the work in this thesis provides new insight in understanding the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and extracellular TGase activity in controlling stem cell activity. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT thesis:02f08be28199db8e DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:vxu:diva-626 This thesis consists of three self-contained essays about absenteeism. Essay I analyzes if the design of the insurance system affects work absence, i.e. the classic insurance problem of moral hazard. Several reforms of the sickness insurance system were implemented during the period 1991-1996. Using Negative binomial models with fixed effects, the analysis show that both workers and employers changed their behavior due to the reforms. We also find that the extent of moral hazard varies depending on work contract structures. The reforms reducing the compensation levels decreased workers’ absence, both the number of absent days and the number of absence spells. The reform in 1992, introducing sick pay paid by the employers, also decreased absence levels, which probably can be explained by changes in personnel policy such as increased use of monitoring and screening of workers. Essay II examines the background to gender differences in work absence. Women are found, as in many earlier studies, to have higher absence levels than men. Our analysis, using finite mixture models, reveals that there are a group of women, comprised of about 41% of the women in our sample, that have a high average demand of absence. Among men, the high demand group is smaller consisting of about 36% of the male sample. The absence behavior differs as much between groups within gender as it does between men and women. The access to panel data covering the period 1971-1991 enables an analysis of the increased gender gap over time. Our analysis shows that the increased gender gap can be attributed to changes in behavior rather than in observable characteristics. Essay III analyzes the difference in work absence between natives and immigrants. Immigrants are found to have higher absence than natives when measured as the number of absent days. For the number of absence spells, the pattern for immigrants and natives is about the same. The analysis, using panel data and count data models, show that natives and immigrants have different characteristics concerning family situation, work conditions and health. We also find that natives and immigrants respond differently to these characteristics. We find, for example, that the absence of natives and immigrants are differently related to both economic incentives and work environment. Finally, our analysis shows that differences in work conditions and work environment only can explain a minor part of the ethnic differences in absence during the 1980’s. Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT thesis:03a7baf3da5293ce DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-189983 Real‐world autonomous systems are expected to be increasingly deployed and operating in real‐world environments over the coming decades. Autonomous systems such as AI‐enabled robotic systems and intelligent transportation systems, will alleviate mundane human work, provide new services, and facilitate a smarter and more flexible infrastructure. The real‐ world environments affected include workplaces, public spaces, and homes.  To ensure safe operations, in for example the vicinity of people, it is paramount that the autonomous systems are explainable, behave predictable, and can handle that the real world is ever changing and only partially observable.  To deal with a dynamic and changing environment, consistently and safely, it is necessary to have sound uncertainty management. Explicit uncertainty quantification is fundamental to providing probabilistic safety guarantees that can also be monitored during runtime to ensure safety in new situations. It is further necessary for well‐grounded prediction and classification uncertainty, for achieving task effectiveness with high robustness and for dealing with unknown unknowns, such as world model divergence, using anomaly detection.  This dissertation focuses on the notion of motion in terms of trajectories, from recognizing – to anticipating – to generating – to monitoring that it fulfills expectations such as predictability or other safety constraints during runtime. Efficiency, effectiveness, and safety are competing qualities, and in safety-critical applications the required degree of safety makes it very challenging to reach useful levels of efficiency and effectiveness. To this end, a holistic perspective on agent motion in complex and dynamic environments is investigated. This work leverage synergies in well‐founded formalized interactions and integration between learning, reasoning, and interaction, and demonstrate jointly efficient, effective, and safe capabilities for autonomous systems in safety‐critical situations. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT thesis:03a8163b1db31d90 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-7455 This thesis aims to study how information systems are received and interpreted by the employees of two organizations: the Hospital and Electricity company. I am interested in how work tasks and professional identities at these workplaces are coded by class and gender, and whether - and if so how - these encodings or constructions affect how employees perceive the information systems and the changes brought about by the new information system. Furthermore, the aim is to explain how the organizational context affects the way in which a new information system is received and interpreted, and how this is affected by the construction of masculinities and femininities. 35 life story interviews were conducted at the two workplaces. The interviews were focused on the effects, on the everyday- and working life of employees, brought about by the introduction of new information systems: the electronic journal Melior at the Hospital and the business system SAP at the Electricity Company. Another focus dealt with if – and if so, how, -the new technology had impact on the relationship with other occupational groups and professionals at the workplace. As its starting point, the dissertation adopts a theoretical patchwork based on Hardings’ three processes: genders symbolism, gender structure and individual gender. The concepts femininities and masculinities are used to discuss and analyze constructions of identities at work. The process of division of labor and concepts of professional closures are used to analyze negotiations within and between different groups. A theoretical concept, mirroring processes, is used to show how different parts of an individual’s life are linked together and how structures in different part of life reproduce and strengthen each other. The thesis argues that various organizational circumstances have an impact on how em-ployees receive and interpret the new technology. From the perspective of class and gender, it becomes evident how technology is not simply ascribed different roles at different workplaces. These roles are also assigned a symbolic value that is largely based on gender. It is also clear that the role assigned to technology depends on the division of labor and may, in turn, influence the current division of labor at the workplace through negotiations concerning the new technology. It becomes clear that gender- and class structures are produced and reproduced through negotiations and the employees' handling of the new information systems. The thesis argues that the interviewees’ construction of professional identities influence their understanding of changes in their own work when new information systems have been introduced. The dissertation also argues that the way femininities and masculinities are constructed within professional identities affect how employees view their work and the new technology. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT thesis:08c6cc9c840ceef8 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) intersectionality_inclusion other thesis https://hdl.handle.net/10589/209978 LAUREA MAGISTRALE Wed, 04 Oct 2023 22:00:00 GMT thesis:09c67e8d5eb0f712 Politecnico di Milano other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/10611/1/DBM%202%20Thesis%20final%20submission%202015.pdf While the antidiscrimination laws of the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US) seek to prohibit pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, their approach to the problem has historically differed. US law has been defined by an ‘equal treatment’ approach. The contrasting EU laws reflect a holistic approach that seeks substantive equality by combining equal treatment with ‘special treatment’ measures, complemented by the strategy of gender mainstreaming. This thesis sets out to examine the extent to which US antidiscrimination law is shifting towards a more holistic approach that seeks greater substantive equality for pregnant workers. This examination is carried out on two levels: firstly, this thesis will comparatively study the two distinct models of equality that exist to address sex discrimination in the EU and the US, with a view to highlighting differences and similarities, and the availability of alternative measures, or serious limitations in their approach to pregnancy discrimination. Secondly, this thesis examines the antidiscrimination legislation that has been adopted and proposed on the national and state levels in the US, in order to draw attention to the increasing number of measures providing paid leave and workplace accommodations for pregnant workers, and imposing a duty to promote or achieve substantive equality. This examination is undertaken against a background of the distinct historical, legal, and conceptual context against which EU and US sex discrimination law has been adopted, and the discursive debate of feminist legal theorists regarding the role of law in both subordinating women, and in helping to end their inequality. EU and US law is studied in this wider context, because they have all been influential upon its development and provide a framework for assessing how far the trajectory of US antidiscrimination law is converging with that of the EU. Sun, 01 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT thesis:0aea0926176bc26b White Rose eTheses Online menstrual_health_work other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-25574 School-to-work (STW) transitions have become more protracted over recent decades, with increased risks of unemployment and social exclusion for young people. Moreover, young people are expected to plan their own career and enhance their employa­bility, although gender and social and cultural background still significantly influence employment prospects. Policies have been developed in an attempt to facilitate young people’s pathways into work. However, STW-transitions are one of the weakest poin­ts in Swedish welfare system; in addition the quality of career guidance has been questioned. This dissertation aims to describe and analyse young adults STW-transitions from a biographical perspective. It is based around life story interviews with 52 unem­ployed young adults’, 25-29 years old, including men and women with varying educa­tional backgrounds, living in three different Swedish local contexts. Four research questions are examined: How do the young adults’ describe their STW-transitions in retrospect? What characterized their horizons of actions at the time of the interview? What is the impact of public career guidance? How did ethnicity, gender and locality affect answers to the above questions - and how may such differences be interpreted? The analysis of the young adults’ narratives was based on the careership theory devel­oped by Hodkinson and Sparkes. In retrospect the young adults described their STW-transitions as an attempt to find and achieve personal goals. They emphasized turning points, i.e. when educa­tion or a job begins or ends, but also highlighted experiences when studying or working that make them realize what they wanted or what they would not accept. Four transition patterns, partly connected to gender and locality, were identified among the respondents: yo-yoing between workplaces, education and unemploy­ment; mainly working; mainly in education; or mainly excluded from work and education. These patterns involved varying experiences, current situations and future expectations. At the time of the interview the young adults’ horizon of action involved interrelated aspects of life, but getting a stable job and settling down was pivotal to most of them. The strategies of the interviewees for navigating between dreams and reality diverged. However, they shared an ambition “to put one’s talents to good use” and feared not being able to do so. Experiences of career guidance were generally reported to have been sporadic and meaningless. However, in some cases, inter­ventions are influential for example, when choosing an upper secondary school or during times of unemployment. The young adults’ employed various strategies when interventions adversely affected their goals; of these “to managing by one’s self” was the most common. In addition, guidance varied according to ethnicity and local structures. It is concluded that STW-transitions are challenging journeys, mainly undertaken without professional support, which the young adults perceived as uncertain. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT thesis:0d9014280773579c DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-7340 This thesis consists of four constituent studies exploring several common themes: female participation in employment, normative assumptions regarding the proper roles of males and females, and social change. The underlying focus is gendered division of work, which is explored through the concept of family models. These models are conceptualized with reference to the interrelationships between female employment, availability of care services outside the family, and sharing of care work within the family. The empirical analysis is mostly based on the Baltic countries, but also includes Germany, Sweden, and Russia. By examining the variation between the countries, the research aims to highlight some common issues regarding the gendered division of work, issues that bridge the East/West divide. The data come from three sources: 1) available national descriptive statistics, 2) surveys, namely, the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) ‘Family and Changing Gender Roles’ modules and the European Values Survey (EVS), and 3) nineteen problem-centred interviews with women who experienced hardships in the Lithuanian labour market. The analyzed time period starts with the collapse of socialism. The studies call into question the assumption that strong support for the traditional ‘male breadwinner/female carer’ family model in post-socialist societies contributed to the exclusion of women from the labour market. Comparing male and female employment indicators revealed no general pattern of female exclusion from the labour market. Moreover, gender-role attitudes are neither uniform nor traditional in the studied societies. The most valid generalization would be that there is a trend towards less traditional attitudes over time, more precisely, towards greater acceptance of women’s working roles. Summarizing the current situation regarding the gendered division of work, with reference to policies, practices, and attitudes, reveals the presence of ‘adult worker’ family models in Eastern Europe. Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT thesis:0e3327ff4934c1b5 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-3630 This thesis is a user study within library and information science on participatory practices of a professional group in work activity. This has been investigated only to a minor extent in previous library and information science research. The qualitative empirical focus alternates between physicians‟ engagements in work practice and workplace learning within patient care. The overall research problem was to learn how people in workplaces interacted with information that was embedded, intricately intertwined, and tightly bound to the ongoing routines of their everyday work. This thesis aims at understanding information practices of professionals in occupational settings as exemplified by a team of physicians in a Nigerian teaching hospital. In this thesis, the focus was on the collective work activity, and the specific goals identified include how physicians interact and make meaning in the context of the social activities in the workplace, how professionals individually or collectively gather, understand, produce, share and use information, and how workplace learning influences information practices. Information practices are viewed as sociocultural practices that occur inside other practices. The thesis focuses on a nuanced, contextualized understanding of the interplay between the participating actors in activity, the activity per se, and the intermediary role of tools and artefacts. The epistemological point of departure is the sociocultural perspective that emphasizes the dynamic interdependence of the individual with the social and collective development focusing on mediation through tools and artefacts in cultural, institutional, and historical situations. I have chosen cultural-historical activity theory and the practice theories to analyse the dynamic processes in the context of patient care. Their underlying principles guided the empirical study, facilitating extrapolations and illustrations in the analysis. The cultural-historical activity theory was used to understand contextual issues that influence information practices in work activity: the object and subject of activity, division of labour, rules and norms, community, tools and artefacts, as well as the activity system itself and the hierarchical structure of the activity. Theories and concepts employed from a practice perspective on learning were considered useful for understanding the participatory modes in workplace and the influence of social learning communities on diverse information processes. In so doing, the study strives to provide a holistic understanding of information practices, workplace learning, and the relationships between them.The empirical data was gathered through a qualitative case study that lasted over a period of two years. Direct observation was the dominant data collection technique 5 used throughout the preliminary and main empirical studies to capture physicians‟ information practices and experiences. The observation focused on the Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CPT) team‟s encounters with patients; the interactions they had amongst themselves, and events and situations surrounding patient care. During the main study, other data collection techniques were employed alongside the observation method. In-depth open-ended interviews were conducted with 17 physicians and 9 non-physicians who were selected to provide rich and varied descriptions of the phenomena under study. The interview time totalled at 1,535 minutes. Physical artefacts were another data collection technique employed: 30 patients‟ medical records were assessed during the empirical study. Finally, informal interactions in the research setting were an additional data collection technique used continuously throughout the two empirical periods. The results were analyzed through a combination of inductive and deductive methods of analysis. There are four parts to the empirical results in this thesis. In the first, contextual elements that showed how work environment can be an influencing factor in the information practices of a professional group are described from the perspective of cultural historical activity theory. In the second part, the nature of information access in the real-world information environment was portrayed. It was found that information sources and strategies contributed to the overarching goal of restoring patient health to normalcy. The information sources and strategies were also found useful for mediating the information environment both subjectively and intersubjectively. An equally important result concerns the authority issues related to information sources and strategies. In the third part, available tools and artefacts were presented as useful information aids that also played a mediating role. Tools were categorised into physical tools and language. Language was categorized according to the social situations or classes of speakers. The case notes were seen as useful artefact and occupied a central niche in the studied work activity. These tools and artefacts enabled affordances around which social practices were built on in the work activities. In the last part of the results, various information practices that mirror the participatory practices rather than those of isolated individuals are highlighted. Six dimensions made up and covered the most vital spectrum of the information processing: information gathering, meaning making, information sharing, information use, reading, and documentation. Furthermore, the study revealed that learning took place simultaneously with the work activity and that it influenced information practices at the same time. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT thesis:0f17991e03f27e18 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/f5bbc0df-9c7b-40bd-af0a-2fbfab9ee120 A significant part of the labour market debate is devoted to issues concerning problematic youth. Expressions like “the lost generation” is coined to address the very core of the matter. It captures the difficulties for low-skilled young people to gain a sustainable work life in an education-oriented society. A strategy to increase employment opportunities specifically suited for the latter group was introduced in Sweden on 1 January in 2012. The VAT for restaurant and catering services was lowered from 25% to 12%. The aim is to support an increase in demand for restaurant and catering services and, through that, increase the number of employment opportunities for for the less educated labour market groups.In this study I have investigated how young people themselves describe the path from unemployment to an ambition to work in the restaurant industry. Empirical data were collected from two main sources. Firstly, material was gathered through in-depth interviews with 17 young men and women who, a few years after the implementation of the new VAT strategy for restaurant services, participates in a vocational training program in restaurant work. Secondly, material consisting of government policy documents published between the years 1981 and 2011 was collected.I used a theoretical frame inspired by Michel Foucault. The analysis takes place at an intersection where personal ambitions to improve problematic work lives meet political strategies that amount into an ambition to lead unqualified job seekers into suitable employment opportunities.I have veiwed the relation between the two materials as a game of truth. It is a game between, on one side, the political ability to govern society and anchor important truths about the economy and, on the other side, a group of people who have ability to create resistance, motivated by their own interests and claims on the results the truth creates.How the essence of the political truth becomes relevant among the interviewees has been detected through the identification of truth practices. These truth practices also become essential to how the path to the restaurant industry takes form. Findings indicate that the process of occupational choice among the interviewees is predominately positive. The image of restaurant work as a representation of low-skilled work is characterised by possibilities to achieve success that have not previously been available. It is against the backdrop of the interviewees' problematic relations to the labour market that the image is argued to become relevant. Perhaps the relevance is even of a particular importance in a time when labour market opportunities are considered to be fewer for disadvantaged groups, while the importance of acting responsibly to create a sustainable work life is argued to be greater than ever. Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT thesis:18ecf129e211289f Lund University other other thesis https://hdl.handle.net/10356/7892 Using data from Hebei Province of China, this study reviews and discusses how the local government’s new policies and regulations have impact on the issue of unequal treatment in terms of employment, household responsibility and family abuse of women. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT thesis:19e8c26322ae007f Nanyang Technological University intersectionality_inclusion other thesis https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/adc807fe-3f95-4fae-8f04-3af0e96c0a09 Sweden’s “establishment reform” was introduced in 2010 with the ambition to increase the labour market participation of newly arrived migrants. It was in line with other labour market policies of the centre-right Alliance government, elected in 2006, which aimed to increase work incentives particularly for groups seen as “vulnerable” in, or excluded from, the labour market.By considering the history of ALMP and policies of migration linked to the labour market, the establishment reform can be seen as building both on earlier initiatives targeting certain groups, as well as the investment ambitions of labour market training programmes. At the same time, the integration approach to migration, developed by successive Social Democratic governments, has also largely been integrated through this reform. Thus, the establishment reform combines both social and labour market goals, leading to contradictions and ambiguities at the policy level and in practice.In this thesis I consider how the establishment reform combined workfare and social investment elements, including social support ambitions, through a qualitative study of its policy ambitions, organisational challenges and practical consequences, using documentary analysis, interviews and close to 200 individual cases from the Public Employment Service.It is argued that the ambiguities of the policy are present in the twin goals of workfare and social investment: above all, how to combine the disciplinary elements of active participation – positive and negative economic incentives to enter the labour market quickly – with the long-term goals of upskilling to improve the quality of employment, particularly in combination with the ambition to provide “individualised” support and to empower individuals.At the organisational level, these contradictions are played out in practice through the interactions between the individual participants and employment officers at the Public Employment Service, as well as private sector “establishment guides”. Here, the social needs of the participants achieve prominence, making it more difficult to focus on the reform’s work-first principles. This prioritisation on the ground can be defended by the policy’s stated goal to focus on the individual.A closer analysis at how the measures fit the group of newly arrived migrants is achieved through the construction of five “types” within the group. The trajectories of each type are explored, showing the different opportunities and difficulties they encounter through the establishment period, and how the measures are more suitable to some types than others. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT thesis:1c659331530b4da4 Lund University other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-121971 The collective agreement is considered to be the single most important method of regulating the labour market in Sweden. Its importance is emphasised by the fact that there is no legislation concerning wages, and that labour-market legislation often can be derogated from by collective agreements (quasi-mandatory statutes). It is often argued that the position of the collective agreement is threatened, due to the fact that the society within which the collective agreement was developed to regulate is fundamentally changing. This change, described in terms of certain tendencies, (internationalisation, individualization etcetera) and their driving forces appear, as it seems, in society (i.e. outside the law), which makes them somewhat difficult for the legal discourse – and jurisprudence in particular – to handle. In the thesis the author combines a discussion of classical topics concerning the collective agreement (such as closing of collective agreements, the binding force of the collective agreement, interpretation of the collective agreement and principles regarding competing collective agreements) with concepts from the law and literature-genre. The law of the collective agreement is thereby described as a legal field of its own, and since the legal field to a large extent is constructed and withheld by legal doctrine, the author argues that jurisprudence itself have an important role in how the changes in society affects the collective agreement. However, modern legal science has certain problems to acknowledge and, moreover, to reflect upon its influence in this process. It is suggested that the changes, insofar as they are relevant to the collective agreement, is situated within the legal discourse itself, in its own narrative. With this perspective in mind, jurisprudence can, and ought to, reflect upon its own role in the narrative of the collective agreement. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT thesis:1dbfbf87b02b5ab0 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/12800/1/489355_Vol1.pdf Government policy in the UK since 1989 has led to increasing numbers of children under three attending group day care whilst their mothers return to work The experience of young children in day care remains an under researched area. Two research questions underpin this thesis: What are the experiences of children under three in group care settings? What are the perspectives of the adults involved? This thesis contributed new knowledge to understanding of children's experiences of group day care through an investigation of fifteen children under the age of three in group care settings over a period of four years. The thesis also examines the perspectives of the adults involved; parents, managers and staff. The thesis first reviews the literature on the history of childcare in the UK and critically examines research into the implications of children under three attending daycare. Methodological and ethical issues are then identified and discussed. The study then presents narrative cases studies of children's experiences by using observational data to present four case study narratives of children in group care settings and one of a child cared for at home by his mother. The case study observations are analysed using different methods: diary form, cohort overview, a monthly account and two using a Framework for analysis which was developed as part of the study. The study includes analysis of interview data which were gathered to illuminate the perspectives of the adults involved. Findings raise questions about the grouping of children in age cohorts, the knowledge and skills of the adult in interacting with children and in challenging their learning, relationships between parents, practitioners, and the crucial role of the manager in leading a day care setting. Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT thesis:1fc989f8a63b5952 White Rose eTheses Online other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/13776/1/2016%2C%20PhD%20-%20Interpreting%20Parliamentary%20Scrutiny.pdf This doctorate looks at the role of parliamentary select committees in the UK House of Commons. Though the literature on this topic is extensive, this research project explores the issue from a distinctive vantage point. While research on committees has predominantly focused on their outputs, such as committee reports, in order to assess the effectiveness of Parliament in holding the executive to account, this thesis looks at the input-side to committee work. It explores the individual beliefs, everyday practices and perennial dilemmas of parliamentary actors in select committees. In doing so, this thesis argues that understanding beliefs and practices of committee members, chairs and staff are crucial ways to better comprehend the way that scrutiny works in the House of Commons. This PhD finds that scrutiny is contested in a range of ways by a range of actors. In taking actors’ interpretations seriously, this PhD reveals that each actor has their own performance style, which is used to enact beliefs about scrutiny. At its most simple, this PhD argues that scrutiny is pushed and pulled in different (sometimes conflicting) directions by parliamentary actors. There is no such thing as uniform, systematic select committee scrutiny; there exist only dense webs of scrutiny that rely upon committee members, chairs and staff to enact their roles in such ways to be conducive to holding the executive to account. These dense webs of scrutiny affect committee relationships, their ability to question witnesses in select committees, and construct consensus in writing reports. Tue, 31 May 2016 00:00:00 GMT thesis:2122f0abc6d0d842 White Rose eTheses Online other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/11786/1/Irvine%20-%20PhD%20Integrative%20chapter%20-%20final.pdf This integrative chapter presents a synopsis of selected work completed during my time as a Research Fellow in the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of York. The doctoral submission is formed of two linked strands of published work: a substantive strand based on commissioned research on the interplay of mental health and employment; and a methodological strand which arose from the substantive work and investigated the effects of interview mode on researcher-participant interactions in qualitative research interviews. The substantive strand of work comprises the reports of two commissioned research projects which examined employment transitions and job retention in the context of mental ill health, and a number of ensuing publications. The initial studies contributed to government understanding at a time when mental health and employment was high on the agenda, whilst the ensuing academic articles added to conceptual understandings of the complexities, contingencies and contextual dependencies surrounding how individuals and those around them manage mental ill health in the workplace. The methodological component offers one of few robust, systematic comparisons of telephone and face-to-face interview modes in qualitative social research. The study applied the method of Conversation Analysis to research interview data in a novel way and, through a varied range of publications, has informed scholarly discussions about the conduct of qualitative research interviews in academic and applied contexts. The chapter also considers policy and research implications arising from this body of work and details the associated scholarly activities undertaken which have contributed to the impact of the research. In sum, this submission aims to demonstrate how my work has made an original contribution to substantive and methodological knowledge, alongside evidence of the acquisition and application of the range of skills and attributes expected of a doctoral level candidate. Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT thesis:2882fb96a091847e White Rose eTheses Online other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/9048/7/A.CHRISTOFOROU%20PHD%20THESIS%20%5BFINAL%5D.pdf This qualitative thesis investigates Greek Cypriot women's lived experiences and understandings of menstruation, menopause, and womanhood. Through in-depth interviews, the study explores how menstrual and menopausal experiences are culturally situated and linked to women's identity construction and social roles. The research reveals how menstruation and menopause intersect with work, family, and cultural expectations in the lives of Greek Cypriot women, highlighting the significance of biological events in shaping women's experiences of being and belonging. Findings underscore the importance of understanding menstrual health within specific cultural contexts and suggest implications for health support and workplace considerations. Invalid Date thesis:2920539528ef59bc White Rose eTheses Online multi_domain cultural_framing_normalization thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-28 This thesis contains four different studies on the dynamics of gender in households and workplaces. The relationship between family life and work life is in focus, particularly in the paper on labour market outcomes after divorce. In the introductory chapter, the Swedish context is briefly described. The description focuses on gender differences in the labour market and in the home. Theories concerning the division of work in the household are discussed, as are two theories on labour market discrimination, viz. taste discrimination and statistical discrimination. The theory part is concluded with a discussion of social closure processes and gendered organizational structures. The Reproduction of Gender. Housework and Attitudes Towards Gender Equality in the Home Among Swedish Boys and Girls. The housework boys and girls age 10 to 18 do, and their attitudes towards gender equality in the home are studied. One aim is to see whether the work children do is gendered and if so, whether they follow their parents’, often gendered, pattern in housework. A second aim is to see whether parents’ division of work is related to the children’s attitude towards gender equality in the home. The data used are taken from the Swedish Child Level of Living Survey (Child-LNU) 2000. Results indicate that girls and boys in two-parent families are more prone to engage in gender-atypical work the more their parent of the same sex engages in this kind of work. The fact that girls still do more housework than boys indicates that housework is gendered work also among children. No relation between parents’ division of work and the child’s attitude towards gender equality in the home was found. Dependence within Families and the Household Division of Labor – A Comparison between Sweden and the United States. This paper assesses the relative explanatory value of the resource-bargaining perspective and the doing-gender approach in analysing the division of housework in the United States and Sweden from the mid-1970s to 2000. Data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey (LNU) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) were used. Overall results indicate that housework is truly gendered work in both countries during the entire period. Even so, the results also indicate that gender deviance neutralization is more pronounced in the United States than in Sweden. Unlike Swedish women, American women seem to increase their time spent in housework when their husbands are to some extent economically dependent on them, as if to neutralize the presumed gender deviance. Divorce and Labour Market Outcomes. Do Women Suffer or Gain? In this paper, the interconnected nature of work and family is studied by looking at labour market outcomes after divorce. The data used are retrospective work and family histories collected in LNU 1991. A hazard regression model with competing risks reveals that women’s chances of improving their occupational prestige appear to be better after divorce compared to before. Increased working hours and perhaps also increased energy invested in the job may pay off in better occupational opportunities. Worth noting, however, is that the outcome among women with a less firm labour market attachment is more often to a job of lower prestige than one of higher prestige. Hence, the labour market outcome for women after divorce is to some extent conditioned by their labour market attachment at the time of divorce. Men, on the other hand, in most cases seem to suffer occupationally from divorce. For separated men the risk of negative changes in occupational prestige is greater than for cohabiting men. Formal On-the-job Training. A Gender-Typed Experience and Wage- Related Advantage? Formal on-the-job training (FOJT) can have a positive impact on wages and on promotion opportunities. According to theory and earlier research, a two-step model of gender inequality in FOJT is predicted: First, women are less likely than men to take part in FOJT and, second, once women do get the more remunerative training, they are not rewarded for their new skills to the same extent as men are. Pooled cross-sectional data from the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions (ULF) in the mid-nineties were used. Results show that women are significantly less likely than men to take part in FOJT. Among those who do receive training, women are more likely to take part in industry-specific training, whereas men are more likely to participate in general training and training that increases promotion opportunities. The two latter forms of training significantly raise a man’s annual earnings but not a woman’s. Hence, the theoretical model is supported and it is argued that this gender inequality is partly due to employers’ discriminatory practices. Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT thesis:2d13a8a6946eaa37 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-242149 The aim of this register-based longitudinal study was to explore the relationship between exposure to unemployment and sick leave at a young age and later health and work related outcomes. A comparison was also made between immigrants and native Swedes. The study population consisted of all immigrants, born between 1968 and 1972, and a random sample of native Swedes in the same age range. The follow-up period was 15 years, divided into three 5-year periods. Unemployment in 1992 was associated with later ≥60 days of sickness absence, disability pension and, for all subjects except native Swedish women, also mortality during follow-up. The risk of future sickness absence was about the same in all three follow-up periods. There was an increased risk of ≥100 days of unemployment in all three follow-up periods, but the risk declined, however, until the last follow-up period. Higher level of education at baseline as well as education attained between 1993 and 1997 decreased the risk of future unemployment. Participating in active labour market programmes was associated with higher risk of future unemployment. The risk of both future unemployment and future sickness absence increased with the length of unemployment in 1992. Immigrants had a higher risk of unemployment both at baseline and at follow-up compared with native Swedes, but matched the pattern of native Swedes during follow-up. Exposure to ≥60 days of sickness absence in 1993 was associated with increased risk for ≥60 days of sickness absence, ≥100 days of unemployment, disability pension and mortality during follow-up compared with no sick leave at baseline. The income from work, during the follow-up period, among individuals with spells of sick leave ≥60 days in 1993 was around two-thirds of that of individuals not on >60 days of sick leave. There was a rapid increase in future work absence for the first 1–7 days of sick leave claimed. Thereafter there was a lower, but steady increase in days of future work absence for every increase in sick leave. This of course affects the individual in the first place and to a society it means substantial costs in the form of increased welfare payments, and loss of productivity and tax income. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT thesis:2d1e5d090b4c1506 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10589/178101 LAUREA MAGISTRALE Fri, 23 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT thesis:2dd135582e26d29d Politecnico di Milano other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-204149 It is known that sleep problems affect people’s wellbeing and has great consequences for public health. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) gives uncomfortable sensations in the legs at rest, leading to an irresistible need for activity. It aggravates in evening and at night. Therefore, RLS provides poorer sleep and can affect quality of life through fatigue, family life and social activities, work, and comorbidity. It is demonstrated a dysfunction of the dopaminergic system in the brain with low levels of dopamine and / or less sensitive dopamine receptors. RLS is more common in women and the prevalence increases with age and during pregnancy. Periodic limb movements are characterized by uncontrolled stretching movements of the legs, especially the toes, ankles, knees and hips during sleep. They last between 0.5 and 5 seconds, and can cause brief awakenings leading to daytime sleepiness. The clinical significance of PLM is rather controversial and PLM is sometimes seen in healthy people with no daytime symptoms. RLS is a subjective diagnosis and translated with the help of questionnaires. PLM however, can objectively be evaluated by polysomnography. Depression is common during and after pregnancy. It is not known whether women with RLS during pregnancy have a higher risk of prenatal or postpartum depression. The aims of this thesis was to  to examine the prevalence, associated symptoms and comorbidities, in particular, vasomotor symptoms, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use, among women who suffer from RLS and PLMs. We also evaluated the impact of RLS and PLMs on health related quality of life (HRQoL), and if RLS before and during pregnancy increases the risk of antenatal or postpartum depressive symptoms. Three different poulations were used.  Paper 1-3 were cross-sectional and included 5000 resp. 10000 randomly selected women from the general populations of Dalarna and Uppsala County. Questionnaires, polysomnographic recordings, blodtests etc. were used. Paper 4 was a longitudinal cohort study where 1428 pregnant women in Uppsala County were followed. In summary, data included in this thesis points out that RLS and PLMs are more common in women with estrogendeficiency-related symptoms of menopause. RLS-positive women had an impaired mental HRQoL compared to RLS-negative women and more often suffered from comorbidities. Data also revealed that women with RLS before and during pregnancy are at increased risk for depression during and after pregnancy. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT thesis:2f0f07e27f4ecce7 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) menopause_perimenopause_work other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-4028 Professional truck drivers are highly exposed to fatigue and work related injuries. Truck drivers are common victims of musculoskeletal disorders, frequently suffering from pain symptoms particularly in the neck, shoulder and lower back. This situation is believed to be a contributor to the high absenteeism in this job category. A high percentage of this problem is due to the adoption of an unhealthy driving posture resulting from inappropriate seat design. This incorrect and poor design is owing to the insufficient and obsolete anthropometrical data which has been used for decades for arranging and positioning components in the driver environment. The main objective of the present study was to create and construct a mathematical model which clarifies and predicts the drivers’ comfortable sitting posture and position. It was hypothesized that the length and height characteristics of some body segments as well as the body weight and waist circumference of the driver have a great impact on the selection of a specific sitting posture. The steering wheel positions as well as the pedal/floor locations were hypothesized to be highly correlated to the driver’s selected posture and the corresponding comfort. The effect of the seat position on posture selection and related comfort assessments constituted the other hypothesis of the study which received extra attention. A laboratory experiment on a Scania truck cab mock-up was conducted. The seat track travel along a vertical as well as horizontal forward-backward path was obtained by mounting the seat on the motorized rigid frame which allowed unrestricted vertical and fore-aft travel. The seat cushion angle and backrest angle were adjusted by pivoting the entire seat and backrest around a lateral axis and independently. The pedal components were mounted on a motorized platform, thus allowing unrestricted fore-aft and height travel without any changes in the pedal angles. The steering wheel was mounted on the instrument panel by two independent pneumatic axes which allowed a wide range of adjustments including tilting and moving along the sagittal plane for adjusting the height and distance. The test plan called for 55 international highly experienced heavy truck drivers. The drivers were recruited to span a large range of body weight and stature, in particular to ensure adequate representation of both the extreme as well as the normal group of drivers. The drivers filled in a general information questionnaire before undergoing the anthropometrical measurements and thereafter the test trials. The experiment contained a subset of test conditions with five different trials using random selection sampling procedure. Drivers were asked to adjust the components in a wide range of trajectory according to a written protocol. A sparse set of threedimensional body landmark locations and the corresponding comfort assessments were recorded. As the main part of the result, the mathematical models using multiple regression analyses on selected body landmarks as well as anthropometrical measures were developed which proposed a linear correlation between parameters. The differences between the observed data and the corresponding predicted data using the model were found to be minimal and almost dispensable. Additionally, the drivers preferred to sit in the rearmost position and at a rather high level relative to the rest of the available and adjustable area. Considering the normal adjustable seat area of the cab, only a very small part of the observed Hpoint data lies within this area while a large remaining amount of data lies outside of it. Moreover, the difference between the observation (plotted H-point data) and the neutral H-point was found to be significant. Furthermore, and since some of the data lies almost on the border of the adjustable area, it may indicate a reasonable tendency for even more seat adjustment in the backward direction. A conceptual model consisting of four different parameters was developed and presented in the end. These parameters of the model suggest being as key factors which play a central role on process of decision making regarding the selection of a desirable sitting posture. Any eventual modifications and adjustments for elimination or minimizing discrepancies, biases or obscured factors affecting the quality of the mathematical model would be a case for future study. The investigation of a complete assessment of comfort should be supplemented with an analysis of how many truck drivers are satisfied with the comfort in the end. Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT thesis:3168e957c4dae006 DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-4089 This dissertation addresses party-culture in political parties represented in the Swedish parliament. Party-culture is investigated by studying collective self-images and norms in Swedish parliamentary party-groups (PPG). The aim of this investigation is to contribute to understanding of the conditions under which parliamentary work is carried out. In order to expand our understanding of these conditions this dissertation looks beyond the formal processes by which party-groups deliver their political message and make decisions, and instead highlights the cultural aspects of these party organizations in the parliament. The method of analysis is qualitative and the material for the study consists of 53 interviews with members of parliament from all represented parties. The parties studied are thus the Social Democratic, Moderate, Liberal, Christian Democrats, Left, Centre, and Green. In addition, some participant observation for the 1998-2002 mandate period in used. The empirical investigation shows that party-culture is revealed via four basic themes: political ability, feelings of political responsibility, the importance social fellowship, and the party’s strength in relation to individual party members. The party’s culture based on the four themes noted above provides a theoretical structure for interpretation that combines an Aristotelian idea about basic knowledge types, sophia and phronesis, with cultural theorists Mary Douglas’ grid-group-analysis. Based on this interpretation method it is shown that party-cultures distinguish themselves from each other in a way that diverges from the left-right spectrum that dominates Swedish politics. At the same time as the parties demonstrate differences in party-culture, there are also some similarities between the parties, and these similarities suggest that the parties have adjusted themselves to a more general culture within the parliament, most visibly the focus on factual knowledge and a certain requirement for modesty from party members. Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT thesis:373f2e6fbfc2c5cc DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-272 This study is about Swedish “safety delegates” (skyddsombud). The main function of a safety delegate (SD) is to represent employees in matters of work environment (health and safety including psychosocial aspects). The legislation concerning SDs is mainly found in the Swedish Work Environment Act (WEA) and in collective agreements.This study focuses on the Swedish work environment legislation. It has a special focus on the SD’s power to influence the work environment. The SD as a legal institution was founded in 1912 and can be considered to be the first representative of local democracy in the work place. There are approximately 110 000 SDs in Sweden today. An SD is almost always appointed by a local trade union. At first glance one can get the impression that an SD is just like any other trade union official, but the SD’s role is more complex. One question posed in this study is why is the role of the SDs so complex? In order to answer that question I have used traditional legal method complemented by a historical study. Another question posed in this study is, if the SDs can influence the work environment. In order to answer this question two empirical studies have been carried out. One study covers 200 cases when the SDs used their power to suspend work and another study covers 200 cases when the SDs used their power to request a decision from the Supervising Authority. Altogether 6 000 different factors have been analysed. The cases used in the study had been registered at the Supervision Authority (then called the Labour inspectorate, now called the Work Environment Authority). This study finds that the function of an SD is not only to represent the trade union, but also individual employees. Another function is to help the State to promote good work environment and to lessen public health costs. An SD can at the same time be regarded as a helper to the employee in order to promote good work environment. An SD also has a special function of receiving and sharing information on matters relating to the work environment. My findings from the empirical studies were that that SDs could influence their employer and/or the Supervising Authority in 96 % of cases by using suspension of work and in 92 % of the cases when using requests for a decision from the Supervising Authority. When comparing the SD’s power to request a decision and their power to suspend work, I found that the power to request was more effective in terms of influence. The SDs used their power many times for preventing matters relating to psychosocial problems such as violence, dissatisfaction with their boss or too great a work load with too little staff. Most of the suspensions of work and requests to the Supervision Authority were used by head or regional SDs. These powers were rarely used by women as women are less often appointed as head or regional SDs. The position of an SD is strong from a legal point of view with respect to preventing work accidents and injuries. SDs are in the interests of everyone, from employees to employers and the State. Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT thesis:3762158a80dfae2a DiVA Portal (Nordic Universities) other other thesis https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/9649/1/Afroza%20Begum_Thesis_14%20July_2015PDF1.pdf The increasing world population demands increased food production, but several abiotic factors, for example, drought is hampering increased food production. The problem of drought is increasing and further limiting the productivity of many crops. There could be a range of potential strategies that may help plants to tolerate and avoid drought conditions, for example, to produce stress tolerant plants, to understand and utilize signalling mechanisms in plants to adapt them to drought, to minimize yield loss in dryland areas and to reduce the water needs. ABA (abscisic acid) is produced during drought stress causing the closure of the stomatal pore to prevent water loss. K+ (potassium) release from the vacuole through K+ transporters localised to the tonoplast, during these conditions this is one of the important steps. However, the mechanism of coupling of ABA to the tonoplast is not known yet. The AtTPK1 channel (Arabidopsis thaliana two pore potassium channel) is localised to the tonoplast and has been shown to have a role in the vacuolar K+ release and stomatal closure. AtTPK1 is activated by phosphorylation and binding of 14-3-3 proteins. The surface of the plasma membrane of plants contains receptor-like kinases (RLKs) that are known to be involved in the early steps of osmotic-stress signalling. Binding of a ligand to the extracellular domain of the RLK activates the intracellular kinase domain, resulting in bringing extracellular environment signals into the intracellular targets. LRRs (Leucine-rich repeat) are a possible mechanism to link external ABA with TPK1 and because LRRs had been found to impact in TPK1 current, for example, two LRR receptor kinase candidates, KINASE1 and KINASE2 (At3g02880 and At4g21410) were shown by patch clamp studies to affect TPK1 current stimulation. The BiFC (Bimolecular fluorescence complementation) studies also showed interaction of these kinases with TPK1 when they were treated with ABA. Therefore, it was hypothesized that they are involved in the activation of TPK1 (Isner et al., unpublished data). The kinase mutant lines were selected for further characterization in comparison to tpk1 and WT (wild type) in different media conditions. All the knockout lines showed shorter root lengths and lower fresh weights as compared to the wild type in K+-deficient, higher K+ and osmotic stress conditions. Lower fresh weights for the KO (knock out) lines as compared to the wild type were also observed in soil in control and moderate stress conditions. The lower growth of the tpk1 and kinase KO lines as compared to the wild type may be because of the lack of TPK1 activity. The lack of kinase proteins may lead to the inactivation of TPK1 channels and thus it leads to the comparable results between the kinase KO lines and tpk1 KO line. These results suggest a link between these kinases and TPK1 channel activity. These lines were also tested for the stomatal conductance under various ABA treatments applied to the excised leaves. The kinase KO lines and tpk1 KO led to a delayed response in stomatal closure after exposure to different concentration of ABA (1 µM, 10 µM and 100 µM). The similarities in phenotype between the kinases KO and channel KO mutants suggest there may be a relation between these kinases and the TPK1 channel. Combined with other, as yet unpublished data, the data from this report support the idea of the involvement of these kinases in ABA dependent regulation of TPK1. Fri, 30 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT thesis:37bddce8d2f22300 White Rose eTheses Online other other thesis