Showing papers by "Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences published in 2006"

Still Social and Democratic? Inclusive Education Policies in the Nordic Welfare States

Abstract: In this article, education policy is analysed from a welfare state perspective. The aim is to analyse the significance attributed to social‐inclusive aspects of education in contemporary education policies of the Nordic countries, and the extent to which education is regarded as an element in welfare policies. Four aspects are addressed: (1) access to education and measures to prevent social exclusion of young people, (2) comprehensiveness of education in terms of public/private, integration/segregation of e.g. minority children and children with special needs, (3) emphasis on democratic values and participation, (4) the importance of community and equality versus a focus on the individual. It is concluded that it is still justified to speak of the five Nordic countries as a rather distinct group. However, social‐inclusive policies have also clearly been reformulated and delimited, related to a strengthening of the economic‐utilitarian functions of education and a weakening of central education governance.

The gap between saying and doing in postoperative pain management

Abstract: Aim. To understand how nurses contribute to postoperative pain management in a surgical setting and to identify barriers to achieving optimal postoperative pain alleviation. Background. Postoperative pain is inadequately managed. Nurses play an important role in assessment, treatment and evaluation of postoperative pain in surgical wards, but combined observational and interview studies about how they approach these activities have rarely been undertaken. Design and methods. The study design is descriptive. Observations and in-depth interviews were conducted with nine nurses on three surgical wards at two hospitals. Each nurse was observed during five shifts, day and night, and interviewed after the final observation. The collection and analysis of data followed principles of qualitative research. Findings. One main theme emerged about the nurses’ approach to postoperative pain management: a discrepancy between what the nurses said they did and what they actually did. Conclusion. The study revealed a gap between what nurses said and did in postoperative pain management, and this gap was smaller when the nurses took an active approach. An active approach towards patients about postoperative pain seemed to enhance pain alleviation. Relevance to clinical practice. Nursing education and practice both need to promote knowledge of pain and pain management, as well as empathy and empathic communication in relation to pain. They need to collaborate in guiding nurses to act in accord with theoretical knowledge and so enhance competence in nursing actions related to postoperative pain management.

Student Psychological Distress: A psychometric study of 1750 Norwegian 1st‐year undergraduate students

Abstract: Evidence which suggests that university and college students are more vulnerable to psychological distress than the general population has generated increasing public concern. This study presents psychometric data on Norwegian undergraduate students' psychological distress (N = 1750). Psychological distress was assessed by applying the 12‐item version of the General Health Questionnaire. Twenty‐one percent of the students reported symptoms indicating clinically significant psychological distress. Demographic variables such as gender, marital status, being born in or outside Norway, and father's educational level were significantly associated with the degree of distress, but the associations were not strong. The findings indicated that the Norwegian students reported less psychological distress than students in other western countries reported in comparable studies.

Targets for antiepileptic drugs in the synapse

Abstract: Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have many proposed mechanisms of action and are still not fully understood. AEDs are widely used today to treat epilepsy, migraine, neuropathic pain, and bipolar disorder, and other disorders are also being investigated. The focus in this review is the main targets for AEDs in the GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses and possible future sites of action for AEDs to clarify their wide spectrum of activity. The study is a review of recently published investigations of the mechanisms of action of AEDs. The main targets for AEDs in the synapses include enhancement of GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission, decrease in glutamatergic excitatory neurotransmission directly or via inhibition of voltage-dependent sodium and calcium channels, and interference with intracellular signaling pathways. Vigabatrin, tiagabine, and valproate possess their main actions in the GABAergic synapse. Levetiracetam, topiramate, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, gabapentin, pregabalin, felbamate, and zonisamide decrease glutamatergic excitability. In addition, valproate, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine modulate intracellular signaling pathways. Several AEDs of a new generation based on the existing drugs are in development. Future targets to decrease excitability may include GABA and glutamate ionotropic and metabotropic receptors and astrocytes. Knowledge of the sites of action of AEDs in the synapse is important to improve our understanding of their broad spectrum of clinical efficacy and to develop future effective drugs for the treatment of both epilepsy and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Sport and Belonging

Abstract: Even though it is a common understanding among policymakers that playing sport creates feelings of belonging to a community, there is little research that confirms this assumption. The present arti...

Assessment of everyday functioning in young children with disabilities: an ICF-based analysis of concepts and content of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI).

Abstract: Background. Assessment of everyday functioning in children may depend to a considerable extent on the framework used to conceptualise functioning and disability. The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) has incorporated the mediating role of the environment on disability, using different measurement scales. The construction of the Functional Skills scales, which measure capability, and the Caregiver Assistance scales, which measure performance, was based on the Nagi disablement scheme. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) represents a new framework of functioning and disability that could be used to compare the measurement constructs and the content of different outcome measurements.Purpose. To examine the conceptual basis and the content of the PEDI using the ICF.Method. Phrases that describe the conceptual basis of the PEDI scales and of the ICF classifications were systematically collected and compared. Two researchers classified the item content o...

The exploration of the establishment of cutpoints to categorize the severity of acute postoperative pain.

Abstract: ObjectivesAlthough several studies have established different cutpoints (CPs) for mild, moderate, and severe pain for a variety of chronic pain conditions, only one study by Mendoza and colleagues reported on CPs for acute postoperative pain that were derived using ratings of worst pain. The purpose

Toward a realistic task scheduling model

Abstract: Task scheduling is an important aspect of parallel programming. Most of the heuristics for this NP-hard problem are based on a very simple system model of the target parallel system. Experiments revealed the inappropriateness of this classic model to obtain accurate and efficient schedules for real-systems. In order to overcome this shortcoming, a new scheduling model was proposed that considers the contention for communication resources. Even though the accuracy and efficiency improved with the consideration of contention, the new contention model is still not good enough. The crucial aspect is the involvement of the processor in communication. This paper investigates the involvement of the processor in communication and its impact on task scheduling. A new system model is proposed based on the contention model that is aware of the processor involvement. The challenges for the scheduling techniques are analyzed and two scheduling algorithms are proposed. Experiments on real parallel systems show the significantly improved accuracy and efficiency of the new model and algorithms.

Semen parameters in Norwegian fertile men.

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) provides guidelines for assessing the various semen variables. A set of reference ranges is given in the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm-Cervical Mucus Interaction, but several studies indicate that the values should be revised. Furthermore, semen parameters obtained at different laboratories are not directly comparable even if the same methods are used. Thus, it is recommended that each laboratory establish its own reference ranges. In this study, semen from 99 men who had recently achieved a pregnancy were analyzed to establish reference ranges for semen variables. The reference values were based on the group with time to pregnancy (TTP) 12 cycles or less (92%) and abstinence time from 2 to 7 days. The 5th and 10th percentiles for sperm concentration were 10.6 and 16.9 x 10(6)/mL, respectively, and 33% (5th percentile) and 43% (10th percentile) for spermatozoa with progressive motility. These values were below the WHO lower limit. The percentages of ideal spermatozoa (percentage with normal morphology according to WHO strict criteria) were 3 (5th percentile) and 4 (10th percentile). Thirty-nine percent reported that their partners became pregnant during the first cycle after they had stopped using contraception. The semen parameters in this group were compared with the others. Overall, the semen parameters were more favorable in the group with TTP = 1 cycle than in the group with TTP > 1. Sperm concentration, progressive motility, and percentage of ideal spermatozoa according to WHO strict criteria were significantly different in the 2 groups. However, when analyzed by multiple logistic regression, only "total numbers of sperm with progressive motility" remained in the model (P = .002). This is in accordance with previous studies indicating that a combination of semen characteristics provides a better predictor of male fertility potential than the single parameters. In conclusion, new reference ranges for semen variables deviating from the WHO values are established for our laboratory.

Is loneliness a psychological dysfunction? A literary study of the phenomenon of loneliness

Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to explore how loneliness is described in literature and research. The study employed a hermeneutic approach rooted in the ideology of humanistic science in a caritative nursing tradition. Data sampling for the study was completed over two different periods of time (1998 and 2004). The main findings are that loneliness is understood as a complex dimension in our lives and it can be experienced at many levels. Through the survey of the theoretical material, loneliness may be understood as a structural dimension of existence and not as an illness. The deep dimension of loneliness, however, can entail suffering that is possibly so intolerable that it may turn towards becoming an illness. Loneliness is assumed as something we are, an ontological structure in our existence. Loneliness can therefore be turned into suffering as well as into health. It is perhaps in the silent reflective loneliness that we paradoxically develop a greater understanding of the benefits of togetherness. Our conclusion is therefore, that the phenomenon of loneliness is not a psychological dysfunction.

Cancer Patients’ Perception of Being or Not Being Confirmed

Abstract: The aim of this study was to obtain in-depth knowledge about caring confirmation of patients with cancer, from the patients’ point of view. The research topic was: what is the significance for patients of their being confirmed by nursing personnel? Fifteen men and women between 43 and 80 years of age participated in this study. The method of data collection used was qualitative research interviewing. A hermeneutic approach was used to interpret the data, in which Kvale’s self-perception, the ‘common sense’ level, and theoretical levels were applied. The results are summarized in three areas: an outer confirmation, an inner confirmation, and a lack of the latter. Outer confirmation meant being understood and taken seriously; the maintenance of human dignity and worth indicated inner confirmation. A lack of inner confirmation is primarily manifest in terms of patients’ mental, spiritual and existential concerns. In relation to the theory of Eriksson, these patients were confirmed at the level of having and ...

Patients’ Dignity in a Rehabilitation Ward: ethical challenges for nursing staff

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges met by nursing staff in a rehabilitation ward. The overall design was qualitative: data were derived from focus interviews with groups of nurses and analyzed from a phenomenological-hermeneutic perspective. The main finding was that challenges emerge on two levels of ethics and rationality: an economic/administrative level and a level of care. An increase in work-load and the changing potential for patient rehabilitation influence the care that nurses can provide in rehabilitating patients, and therefore also affect patients’ feelings of self-worth and dignity. Some patients wish to maintain their independence and autonomy, whereas others seem to ‘lose themselves’. Independence and autonomy are associated with dignity, but their lack is contrary to it.

Nurses as Moral Practitioners Encountering Parents in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Abstract: Historically, the care of hospitalized children has evolved from being performed in isolation from parents to a situation where the parents and the child are regarded as a unit, and parents and nurses as equal partners in the child's care. Parents are totally dependent on professionals' knowledge and expertise, while nurses are dependent on the children's emotional connection with their parents in order to provide optimal care. Even when interdependency exists, nurses as professionals hold the power to decide whether and to what extent parents should be involved in their child's care. This article focuses on nurses' responsibility to act ethically and reflectively in a collaborative partnership with parents. To illuminate the issue of nurses as moral practitioners, we present an observation of contemporary child care, and discuss it from the perspective of the Danish moral philosopher KE Logstrup and his book The ethical demand.

Effect of training and detraining on the expression of heat shock proteins in m. triceps brachii of untrained males and females

Abstract: Forty untrained persons were randomized to four different training protocols that exercised the m. triceps brachii. Group 1 and 2 performed high intensity (HI) elbow extensions and group 3 and 4 performed low intensity (LI) elbow extensions. Group 1 and 3 trained until they had accumulated a matching high volume (HV) of training, while group 2 and 4 trained until they had accumulated a matching low volume (LV) of training. Training for 5-8 weeks increased the HSP72, HSP27 and GRP75 levels in the subjects' m. triceps brachii by 111, 71 and 192%, respectively (Fig. 1a-c). There were, however, no significant differences in the heat shock protein (HSP) responses to training between the four training groups (Fig. 2a-c). The frequency of extreme responses to exercise was, however, higher after HI exercise than after LI exercise, indicating that HI exercise induces extreme HSP reactions in some subjects. When we assigned the subjects to three clusters, according to the total number of repetitions they had lifted, the subjects who had lifted the highest number of repetitions had lower PostExc HSP levels compared with subjects that lifted the lowest number of repetitions (Fig. 3a-c). Additionally, there was a negative non-linear regression (Fig. 4a-c) between the subjects PreExc levels of HSP72, HSP27 and GRP75 and the percentage change in their respective protein concentration after training (r = -0.75, -0.89 and -0.88, all P < 0.0001). Thus, the PreExc level of HSPs seems to be an important "regulator" of HSP expression following the training.

Managing large networks of virtual machines

Abstract: As the number of available virtualization tools and their popularity continues to grow, the way in which virtual machines can be managed in a data center is becoming more and more important. A few commercial tools such as VMware ESX and XenEnterprise exist, but they are limited to a certain virtual machine technology and offer no way to expand the tool's capabilities to local needs. This paper discusses an open source management tool, MLN, for large virtual networks transparent of their virtualization platform. The current version supports the two popular open source virtual machine packages: Xen and User Mode Linux. MLN uses an extensible configuration language for the design of the virtual machines and their internal configuration. Large groups of virtual machines can be managed as logical groups. We present a web-server hosting scenario and a on-demand render farm as case studies to show the usefulness of our tool. The text concludes with a short discussion on the difficulties of offering abstraction to virtualization platforms.

Educational development centres: from educational to organisational development?

Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the role of educational development centres, and their potential for playing a broader and more central role in quality and organisational developmentDesign/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the results of three external evaluations of educational development centres in Denmark and Norway, combined with a literature review of studies of educational development centresFindings – Educational development centres are in a period of transformation due to external forces (Bologna, the demand for institutional quality systems, etc), and this creates new dilemmas and challenges for educational developmentOriginality/value – The paper points to the need to broaden the focus of educational development, and link it closer to other processes related to quality and organisational development

Are Multidose Over-the-Counter Artificial Tears Adequately Preserved?

Abstract: Purpose:To investigate artificial tears containing different preservatives for antimicrobial efficacy. Based on the challenge test outlined in the European Pharmacopoeia, products were tested in their original containers to see whether their component preservative had sufficient activity.Methods:Fiv

Is marriage/cohabitation beneficial for young people? Some evidence on psychological distress among Norwegian college students

Abstract: Although a large number of studies have examined the association between marital status or cohabitation on the one hand and psychological distress on the other, few have looked specifically at young people. Theoretically, the effects of marriage may be expected to vary with age, and differential selection into or out of marriage/cohabitation may also have different implications at different age levels. This paper uses cross-sectional data on about 2300 Norwegian college students aged from 19 to 30; for nearly 1000 of these two-wave panel data are also used. Psychological distress is measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and linear regression analysis is used. Cross-sectional analyses show that among female students marriage/cohabitation is associated with less distress. For male students the association changes with age; in the youngest group, married/cohabiting men are more distressed than those living alone, this is reversed beyond about 23 years of age. The longitudinal analyses show that termination of marriage/cohabitation is associated with increased distress. Going from single living to marriage/cohabitation does not seem to have any effect, however. These results are interpreted as providing some tentative support for social selection effects, and for the stressfulness of terminating a marriage or relationship of cohabitation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Changes in health status, psychological distress, and quality of life in COPD patients after hospitalization.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper was to describe quality of life (QoL) following an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to examine possible relationships between QoL, health status, psychological distress and QoL. This prospective longitudinal study examined data from hospitalization and two subsequent phases, collected over a 9-month period. The sample consisted of 51 COPD patients aged 48–87 years. Health status was assessed with the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ); psychological distress with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL); and quality of life using the World Health Organization Quality of Life – Bref (WHOQOL – Bref). Health status improved significantly over the 9 months; from 65.95 to 59.40 (p = 0.001) in the SGRQ total score. Psychological distress improved significantly from hospitalization to the 1-month assessment (T2) (p = 0.001). QoL remained stable except for a significant increase in the physical domain from hospitalization to T2, and in the environmental domain from hospitalization to T2 and T3. Test–retest correlations of the WHOQOL – Bref were high. The results suggest an improvement in the health status over a 9-month period from being discharged after an exacerbation of COPD in spite of high levels of psychological distress and reduced QoL.