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- Dahlman, Joakim, 1974-
(author)
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Psychophysiological and Performance Aspects on Motion Sickness
- 2009
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Motion sickness is not an illness, but rather a natural autonomic response to an unfamiliar or specific stimulus. The bodily responses to motion sickness are highly individual and contextually dependent, making them difficult to predict. The initial autonomic responses are similar to the ones demonstrated when under stress. When under the influence of motion sickness, motivation and ability to perform tasks or duties are limited. However, little is known about how specific cognitive functions are affected. Furthermore, standard mitigation strategies involve medications that induce fatigue or strategies that require cognitive capabilities. Both of them may result in reduced capability to perform assigned tasks or duties. Hence, there is a need for alternative mitigation strategies.The aim of the thesis was to study psychophysiological and performance aspects on motion sickness. The long-term goal is to provide strategies for mitigation and prevention of motion sickness by identifying psychophysiological responses as predictors for both wellbeing and performance. This thesis comprises four studies, in which 91 participants were exposed to two different motion sickness stimuli, either an optokinetic drum or a motion platform. Before the tests, a method for extracting fixations from eye-tracking data was developed as a prerequisite for studying fixations as a possible mitigation strategy for reducing motion sickness. During exposure to stimuli that triggers motion sickness, performance was studied by testing short-term memory and encoding and retrieval. In the final study, the effects of an artificial sound horizon were studied with respect to its potential to subconsciously function as a mitigating source.The results of the measurements of the psychophysiological responses were in accordance with previous research, confirming the ambiguity and high individuality of the responses as well as their contextual dependencies. To study fixations, a centroid mode algorithm proved to be the best way to generate fixations from eye-movement data. In the final study, the effects of the sound horizon were compared to the effects of a non-positioned sound. In the latter condition, both fixation time and the number of fixations increased over time, whereas none of them showed a significant time effect in the sound horizon condition. The fixation time slope was significantly larger in the non-positioned sound condition compared to the sound horizon condition. Number of fixations, heart rate, and skin conductance correlated positively with subjective statements that referred to motion sickness. Among participants that were susceptible to motion sickness symptoms, short-term memory performance was negatively affected. However, no effects of motion sickness on encoding and retrieval were found, regardless of susceptibility.Future studies should continue focusing on autonomic responses and psychological issues of motion sickness. Factors such as motivation, expectancies, and previous experiences play a major and yet relatively unknown role within the motion sickness phenomena.
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- Falkmer, Torbjörn, et al.
(author)
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Kartläggning av transportsituationen för barn med autismspektrumstörning
- 2001
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Transportsituationen för barn med autismspektrumstörningar är okänd såväl i ett nationellt som ett internationellt perspektiv. I syfte att kartlägga den analyserades enkätsvar från 1 631 föräldrar till barn med autismspektrumstörningar. Resultaten visade att tre av fyra föräldrar till barn med autismspektrumstörningar, till exempel Aspergers syndrom och autsim, känner oro när barnen åker skolskjuts eller färdtjänst. Dessutom känner nästan varannan förälder oro när barnen åker i familjens fordon. Anpassning av transporter till dessa barns behov handlar mer om att implementera ett förhållningssätt till barnens funktionshinder än att rent fysiskt anpassa fordonen. Föräldrarnas oro var befogad och berodde på bristande anpassning. Barnen färdas inte alltid enligt rekommendationerna och det är vanligt att barnen får åka med okända förare och obekanta medresenärer. Detta är exempel på bristande anpassning, vilket ofta skapar en oro hos barn med autismspektrumstörningar och hos deras föräldrar och reducerar barnens transportmobilitet.
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- Ahlstrand, Inger
(author)
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Pain and its relation to participation in valued activities in rheumatoid arthritis
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- There has been a dramatic change over the past two decades for persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not only due to early diagnosis, structured treatment, and aggressive medication but also due to an increased demand of participation in work life and society. Despite these treatment changes, RA continues to impact these individuals’ participation in valued daily activities. Participation in valued daily activities provides wellbeing and the opportunity for engagement and participation. By persons with RA pain has been highlighted as one of the most restrictive symptoms. This thesis uses the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework to describe disability and how participation is related to pain.Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore and describe the relationship between pain and participation in valued activities, in RA. Paper I compared pain and activity limitations in women and men with contemporary treated early RA with persons who were diagnosed ten years earlier. Paper II described experiences of pain and pain’s relationship with daily activities. Paper III examined difficulties performing valued life activities in relation to pain intensity. Paper IV described personal factors, including self-efficacy and pain acceptance, and studied whether personal factors are mediators of the relationbetween pain and performance of valued life activities.Methods: Different methodological approaches were used to provide a comprehensive understanding of pain and participation in valued activities in persons with RA. A prospective longitudinal cohort study was used to compare women and men treated with contemporary treated RA (n=276) with their counterparts ten years earlier (n=373) (Paper I). This study was followed by a focus group study where 33 persons with RA participated in seven focus groups (Paper II). Subsequently, Papers III and IV were conducted based on data from The Swedish Rheumatology Quality Registry (SRQ) and data from a postal questionnaire that gathered data on demographics, pain, personal factors, and participation in valued life activities (n=737). In addition, these studies used descriptive and analytical statistics with multiple regression and structural equation modelling (SEM).Results: Pain and activity limitations were still pronounced in women and men with RA despite recent treatment advances (Paper I). The relationship between participation and pain was dynamic and is related to fatigue, stress, and mood, factors that generated difficulties finding a suitable level of activity, resulting in difficulties balancing daily activities (Paper II). Both women and men reported restrictions in participation in valued life activities. Pain was identified as having an important relationship to difficulties performing valued life activities (Paper III). Personal factors were found important as mediators for pain in relation to participation (Paper IV).Conclusions: This thesis found a continued need for multidisciplinary interventions despite current treatments. Pain was identified as related to participation restrictions and had an important relationship to difficulties performing valued life activities. Pain and participation in valued activities needs to be comprehensively analysed and treated in the context of the person’s perspective and needs and demands of persons with RA. The subjective experience of participation, the engagement, must be highlighted. Personal factors mediated the relationship between pain and participation and this finding supports the value of self-management interventions to enable participation in valued activities
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- Ahlstrand, Inger, et al.
(author)
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Smärta och dagliga aktiviteter vid Reumatoid artrit ur ett patientperspektiv
- 2011
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Bakgrund: Smärta vid Reumatoid artrit (RA) ärett välkänt symtom som orsakar lidande ochaktivitetsbegränsning. Traditionellt mäts smärtainom reumatologin som smärtintensitet på enVisuell Analog Skala (VAS). Kunskapen kring hurpatienter med RA upplever smärta och dess konsekvenser är begränsad. Patientens egenbeskrivning behövs som underlag för behandlingsplanering och för att utveckla nya metoderför att beskriva problematiken.Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva smärtavid RA ur ett patientperspektiv med fokus på hursmärtan påverkar dagliga aktiviteter.Metod: Patienter med diagnostiserad RA i syd-östra Sverige identifierades via Svenska Reumatologiregistret. Urvalet baserades på minst 5 årssjukdomsduration och minst 40 mm smärtintensitet på VAS vid de två senaste besöken på reumatologklinik. Sammanlagt 33 patienter, 7 män och26 kvinnor, deltog i sju fokusgrupper. Gruppernaformades utifrån kön och ålder. Intervjuguideninnehöll frågor som: Hur beskriver patienter medRA sin smärta? Vad påverkar smärtan? Vilkakonsekvenser har smärtan för aktivitetsutförande,aktivitetsbalans och undvikande av aktivitet? Enkvalitativ innehållsanalys görs.Resultat/förväntat resultat: Analyser hittills visar patienternas frustration över att inteklara det man vill eller behöver göra, beroendeav andra, minskade möjligheter till delaktigheti sociala sammanhang. Och närståendes betydelse. Analyserna visar att smärtan är relaterad till Göteborg6-8 april 201134trötthet, stress och sinnesstämning och att arbeteeller andra aktiviteter medverkar till att glömmabort smärtan och uppehålla förmåga. Analysenslutförs under hösten.Konklusion: Denna studie förväntas genererany angelägen kunskap om och förståelse försmärta.
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- Albertsson, Pontus, et al.
(author)
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Litteraturöversikt Skadehändelser relaterade till busstrafik : Buss-OLA - en trafiksäker bussfärd
- 2003
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this literature review was to describe the pattern of injuries and fatalities related to bus traffic. Furthermore, the aim was to identify possible future measurements for improvement of passive safety in buses. Bus crashes were presented in international literature virtually in as many ways as there were articles on the topic. Hence, the authors used the term bus incidents, in order to cover all types of injuries related to bus traffic. In this review only M2 and M3 buses, i.e. buses over 3.5 tonnes were included. In the vast majority of OECD countries, less than 1 % of the vehicle fleet was constituted of buses. Bus passenger's average person kilometres represented 10 % of the total road vehicle person kilometres annually.The number of fatalities and injured in bus incidents have been stable recent years in EU. The fatality risk is ten times lower for bus passengers compared with car occupants. Of all traffic fatalities, bus fatalities represented 0.3-0.5 %. The most frequent injury localisations from all types of bus crashes were lower limb (35 %), upper limb (33 %) and head/face (28 %). Rollovers occurred in almost all cases of severe crashes. Projection, total ejection, partial ejection, intrusion and smoke inhalation were the main injury mechanism. Three major injury groups in severe bus crashes were thoracic injuries, massive injuries and pelvic fractures.Heavy wind seemed to be capable of affecting the bus dynamics, particularly on highly built buses (e.g. as high as 4.3 meters). Unprotected road users were hit by buses in about 1/3 of all cases in Sweden. Side impact was most common for local buses (38 %). Boarding and alighting were contributing to injuries in about 1/3 of all cases. If the coach has more than one section it seems that the upper section is more exposed to risk for injuries than the lower section.Safety belts can improve the passive safety in buses. The 2-point belt prevents passenger ejection but in frontal crashes the jack knife effect could cause head and thoracic injuries. However, the 3- point belt provides the best restraint in rollovers and frontal crashes, as it keeps the passenger remained seated.
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