People working with handling parcels in terminals are often victims of musculoskeletal injuries. This is largely due to the hazardous lifting of too many parcels which are too heavy and unsuitable work postures. The human body?s ability to lift and grasp objects is so outstanding that developing a device with the same capability is very difficult.The goal of the project has been to develop a technical device that will improve the handling of parcels with regard to ergonomics. The area of concern was the lifting of parcels between the conveyor belt and the cargo space of the freight car.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: An increasing number of patients in Sweden receive epidural anaesthesia (EDA) in connection to surgery. Caring for patients with acute pain is a responsibility that is strongly established within the profession of the nurse anaesthetist. If the care provided by the nurse anaesthetist for patients who receive epidural anaesthesia is to evolve then further insight and knowledge is required regarding the individual´s experience.Aim: To describe patients' experiences in receiving epidural anaesthesia based on an earlier perioperative start-up of the EDA.Method: Based on a qualitative approach, the aim is to conduct semi-structured interviews with patients who receive EDA in connection to abdominal or gynaecological surgery. Research subjects' statements in the context of the interviews will be transcribed and then analysed using qualitative content analysis. In order to evaluate the chosen method regarding data collection and analysis model an exploratory pilot study was conducted.

Under vintrarna 2006/2007 och 2007/2008 vittnade man i USA om storskaliga förluster avhonungsbin (Apis mellifera). Gemensamma symptom för dessa förluster var att arbetarbinförsvann från kolonierna fastän det fanns rikligt med mat och inga tecken på infektion av någonparasit. Fenomenet fick namnet Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) eftersom det slutgiltigastadiet var att kolonierna kollapsade. Denna översiktstudie ämnar till att reda ut begreppetCCD och se över vilka potentiella orsaker den rådande forskningen föreslår och vad man harkommit fram till sedan utbrottet 2006. Resultaten indikerar att det antagligen inte är en ensamfaktor bakom CCD utan att flera faktorer samverkar.

Floor surface in pig facilities can have an impact on animal welfare and pig health, as it can cause the pig physical damage and thereby increased risk of infectious diseases and lameness. The development of pig housing systems has resulted in a decreased use of bedding. It seems hard to find the optimal floor in farrowing pens, as it must suit both the sow and piglets. The floor friction needs to be adequate to avoid slips and at the same time should the floor be non-abrasive. Abrasions and lesions caused by the floor are not only causing the animal suffering, but are also negative from an economical aspect.

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a great public health issue that can cause serious physical, psychological and psychosomatic injuries to the woman. Education is one out of many important protective factors against IPV. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association between women?s educational level and IPV in low- and middle-income countries, the interaction between the education of the woman and the man and IPV, how education on different levels (individual-, family- and community-level) influences IPV and how gender is connected to education and IPV. Method: A literature-based study with 12 selected scientific articles as the foundation for the analysis was performed.

A large part of the Namibian low income population lack access to grid distributed electricity. This mean they are effectively shut out from basic functions such as lighting, information technologies and hygienic food handling. Hence, finding ways of providing affordable off-grid electricity is an important, not to say critical, task.This master thesis is an innovation and concept development project that has been carried out in cooperation with organisations in Sweden and Namibia. The purpose of the project has been to (1) develop a concept for off-grid electricity supply in Namibia and (2) to gain a deeper knowledge within the area of innovation and product development for the Base of the Pyramid population, i.e. the poorest, but largest, socio-economic part of the global population.Essential in this project has been to acquire user understanding and to identify user needs to create a foundation for developing the concept.

Habituation to an automatic milking system (AMS) for cows in their first lactation differs from habituation to other milking systems. In AMS the cows are supposed to visit the milking station (MS) voluntarily. The milking takes place individually during the whole day, except when the milking system is cleaned. Milking is carried out without any human survey. The aim of the study was to describe the cow?s introduction in AMS in their first lactation.

A large number of rivers in northern Sweden have hydropower developments that cause negative effects on both up- and downstream migrations of anadromous species like Atlantic salmon. So far, most attention has focused on the hindrances of adult fish during their upstream spawning migration. However, since turbines in power stations cause losses on downstream passing fish, the focus on negative effects on smolts has increased. The aim of this study was to compare three different causes of losses of salmon smolts passing downstream through a power station area in the flow-controlled River Åbyälven in northern Sweden.A total of 61 wild salmon smolts were caught and radio-tagged in the River Åbyälven during their downstream migration in June 2009. The salmon smolts were released at three locations, 1.1 km upstream from the power station, in the turbine intake and in the upper part of a fishway, acting both for up- and downstream fish passage.

Inledning: Forskning visar att smärta vid stora trauman är underbehandlat, vilket kan ge ett förlängt sjukdomsförlopp och leda till komplikationer för patienten. Smärtbedömning är en viktig del i smärtbehandlingen och kan göras med hjälp av observationer av fysisk status och smärtskattningsinstrument. Eftersom ett stort trauma även innebär en psykologisk påfrestning för patienten är det viktigt att lindra både smärtan och det psykiska lidandet.Syfte: Att beskriva ambulanssjuksköterskors uppfattningar om traumapatienters upplevelser av smärta samt beskriva ambulanssjuksköterskors erfarenheter av smärtbehandling och omvårdnadsåtgärder som lindrar lidande hos dessa patienter.Metod: En intervjustudie med elva ambulanssjuksköterskor. Intervjuerna analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys.Resultat: Ambulanssjuksköterskans arbete vid smärtlindring vid stort trauma präglades av avvägningar och prioriteringar. Dessa gjordes utifrån ambulanssjuksköterskans egna bedömningar samt de riktlinjer som fanns inom ambulanssjukvården.

The dog is unique in the way that the adult weight can vary 100 folds between the different breeds. Despite this, most of the breeds reach adult size before two years of age. For the large-breed dogs this means a very rapid growth when some of them can have a weight gain of up to 150 times their birth weight. The most rapid growth occurs when the puppies are between three to six months old and that kind of rapid growth during such a short period of time makes these large-breed puppies very sensitive to deficits and excesses of energy, nutrients and minerals. Some examples can be excess of energy, excess or deficit of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus or deficits of protein. The rapid growth can also make the large-breed puppies predisposed to some diseases affecting the skeletal and joints.

Lameness causes suffering and poor performance in sheep, as in other species. The cause of lameness often originates in problems of the claws. Many claw diseases of sheep are described in British and Australian research, but this field has previously not been of special concern in Sweden. This graduate thesis contains the first claw health survey made on Swedish sheep. The chief objective was to give an overview of sheep claw diseases and to assess claw health in adult sheep.

Ultrasound is a well established diagnostic method in small animal veterinary practice but there appears to be limited use of ultrasound for evaluating the musculoskeletal system. The aim of this study was to investigate what publications exist concerning musculoskeletal ultrasound of dogs and to compare the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound at the University Animal Hospital (UDS) in Uppsala, to other animal hospitals in the world. The literature review is divided into three parts, the front leg, the hind leg and miscellaneous. The literature review focuses on the musculoskeletal abnormalities that can be seen with ultrasound. The front and hind leg sections are mainly focused on the joints.

The castration of piglets is performed routinely all around the world. Most castrations are done without anaesthesia and analgesia, despite the fact that this procedure has been proved to induce acute pain and stress for the piglets. The procedure regarding castration of piglets is currently a hot topic of debate and an important political issue. The underlying issue is the boar taint which are highlighted in the heating of the meat after slaughter, which in turn can lead to reduced meat sales as it can be perceived as unpleasant for many consumers. The purpose of this study is to examine alternative drugs which may be selected in order to replace the practice of castration of piglets without anaesthesia, in light of improved animal welfare.

Bakgrund: Intensivvårdspatienter utsätts för en påfrestande situation, vilket kan bidra till utvecklandet av iva-delirium. Iva-delirium är en form av hjärndysfunktion som leder till ökad sjuklighet, ökad mortalitet och ökade vårdkostnader i form av förlängd vårdtid. Studier visar att trots att iva-delirium är vanligt förekommande inom intensivvården så missas tillståndet ofta. Bedömningsinstrument för att identifiera iva-delirium finns men används vanligen i liten utsträckning inom svensk intensivvård. Detta kan leda till att intensivvårdssjuksköterskor, utifrån personlig erfarenhet, utvecklar olika strategier för att vårda patienter med iva-delirium.

Alla människor kan drabbas av en akut sjukdom eller skada. Hur de drabbade hanterar händelsen är mycket varierande. Känslor som rädsla, oro och smärta kan öka risken för mer eller mindre långdragna psykiska reaktioner. Om det akuta vårdteamet har kunskap om den intima kopplingen mellan människans kropp och psyke kan de ge ett korrekt stöd och bemötande redan i ett tidigt skede och därmed kanske minska patientens psykiska lidande. Trots att traumavården gör stora tekniska framsteg finns endast liten kunskap om hur det är att vara traumapatient.