| 1. |
- Dahlgaard-Park, Su Mi, et al.
(författare)
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TQM - Managerial fad or a case of social becoming?
- 2001
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Ingår i: Management in the thoughtful Enterprise. - Oslo : Fagbook forlaget. - 8276745652 - 9788276745658 ; , s. 148-179
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 2. |
- Quist, Johan, 1971-
(författare)
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Att översätta TQM : - en longitudinell studie kring reflekterande aktörer
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This doctoral thesis focuses on translating Total Quality Management (TQM). The reason for this focus is that ideas such as TQM rarely or never contain a complete description of how the idea is to be “installed” in an organisation if it is to achieve the intended result. This often has the consequence that the result the idea is expected to produce in the organisation is only achieved in part, if at all. In Sweden there has been a great interest in working with the SIQ Model for Performance Excellence. In the thesis the model is viewed as an operationalisation of the TQM concept.The theoretical perspective of sensemaking is applied to understand what happens when organisations begin to use the model. This work is in the thesis seen as a translation process and contrasts the rational view of implementation. The sensemaking perspective rests on a social constructionist viewpoint, which distinguishes it from the view that TQM has on organisations. The study is placed in the interpretative paradigm and two service organisations in public sector have been studied with a longitudinal design.The main contribution of the study is a new way of looking at the work with the model. Thus, the interpretations could be seen as aspects, which together present a detailed description of the translation process. These aspects are, in summary, a way of looking upon and understanding:• the translation process as a number of parallel and reciprocal processes• the role of the translators• the relationship between translators and top management• the contextual prerequisites of the translation process.In addition to this, the thesis can work as a driving force towards a more constructive and critical attitude among practitioner of TQM. The somewhat seductive rhetoric and the risk to work with the model without an apparent intention are highlighted in the study. It seems that the model in itself can lead to collective sensemaking that gets the work done without discussing the intention. In light of the interpretations it becomes clear that working with the model is a relatively complicated process. Many of the failed attempts to reach excellence could be explained by unrealistic expectations of the character and requirement of the work. In the thesis, the translator has been introduced as a counterbalance that possibly could help dealing with the complexity of TQM.
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| 3. |
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Hans, 1962-
(författare)
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Organisering för individualitet : transparenta och opaka aspekter i utvecklingsprocesser
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The doctoral dissertation 'Organising for individuality - transparent and opaque aspects of development processes' deals with the relationship between a company's ability to develop new products and its ability to change the way it organises its product development activities. The dissertation is based on a real time study of two product development and two organizational change processes at Orrefors Kosta Boda AB.The company has a tradition of innovative product development based on a high degree of individuality. In this study, individuality refers to situations where differences between individuals' (i.e. designers') distinctive features are important for a company's success and not to individuals talents or capabilities per se.In studying and analysing the product deveopment processes an (opaque) underlying thought structure appears in terms of a tension between 'a separating and a unifying logic of effectiveness'. The two logics of effectiveness constituted underlying assumptions and answers to the question of how to be an innovative and commercially successful company in the high quality glass industry.The product development was conducted in an "inescapable" tension of separating and unifying, indicating that the separating and unifying logics of effectiveness should - in the context of product development - be viewed as a 'neccessary relation of incompatibility' rather than mutually exclusive.In spite of two attempts to change the organising of the product development in the company, the measures taken did not alter any fundamental conditions of the product development within the company, and therefore not the problems the change initiatives were designed to address.In the literature on product development and innovation scholars require research with an approach that links structural conditions to action and interaction. Using Archer's (1995) morphogenetic perspective to relate product development to organizational change, this dissertation is an attempt to do this.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Lena, 1979-
(författare)
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När strävan efter samsyn blir en kamp : Meningsskapande och meningsgivande i mångtydiga sammanhang
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- När personer och grupper med olika bakgrund och erfarenheter möts för att sam-arbeta förutsätts ofta att samsyn kring målen med verksamheten är en förutsätt-ning för koordinerad handling. Forskningen har dock inte kunnat visa empiriskt i vilken utsträckning samsyn är viktigt för att åstadkomma samhandling. I förelig-gande avhandling presenteras en studie som undersöker hur gemensam mening formas i sammanhang präglade av heterogenitet respektive mångtydighet samt hur koordinerad handling uppstår under sådana förutsättningar. Som empirisk grund för att kunna besvara frågeställningarna studeras FöretagsNära med stöd i me-ningsskapandeperspektiv. FöretagsNära är en ny verksamhet organiserad som ett projekt i samverkan mellan Norrköpings kommun och Arbetsförmedlingen i Norr-köping. Syftet med satsningen är att föra samman näringslivsutvecklande och ar-betsmarknadsinriktade insatser och bidra till fler arbetstillfällen i Norrköping. Ba-serat på en longitudinell fältstudie berättas om meningsskiljaktigheter och strävan efter samsyn. Den longitudinella ansatsen gör det möjligt att se utvecklingen av och komplexiteten i formandet av samsyn och samhandling. Skildringen av Före-tagsNära visar att meningsskapandet i processen tar sig olika uttryck. I fråga om syftet med FöretagsNära uppstår en kamp om meningen. Studien visar hur samsyn och samhandling relaterar till varandra på mer komplexa sätt än tidigare forskning föreslagit. Det finns ingen entydig relation mellan gemensam mening och koordi-nerad handling. Studiens resultat har både teoretisk relevans och stor praktisk be-tydelse.
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| 7. |
- Bjursell, Cecilia, 1970-
(författare)
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Integration through framing : A study of the Cloetta Fazer merger
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Vad innebär det att jobba med integration i ett fusionerat företag? Studien som denna avhandling bygger på syftade till att utforska, skildra och reflektera över hur en ledningsgrupp strävade efter att uppnå socio-kulturell integration. Resultatet illustreras genom påvisandet av hur nya referensramar skapades i den pågående kommunikationen på integrationsmöten i ett nordiskt konfektyrföretag. På dessa möten försökte ledningsgruppen, som bestod av medarbetare med olika nationell, funktionell och organisatorisk hemvist, att skapa en ny gemensam kultur. En paradox uppstod då företagsledningen hade för avsikt att bevara de gamla kulturerna, samtidigt som de ville skapa något nytt. Kultur har i denna studie betraktats som en social referensram vilket möjliggör att man kan tala om kultur i förhållande till andra föreställningar i integrationsprocessen. Genom analys av integrationsdiskursen med hjälp av begreppet föreställningsramar, framträdde ett flertal i integrationsprocessen aktiva föreställningsramar. Dessa visar hur ledningen rörde sig mot en gemensam föreställningsram under integrationsprocessen. Med tiden framträdde en gemensam föreställning: the one company frame. Denna föreställningsram drevs på ett djupare plan av människors vilja att tillhöra och skapa mening i det som hände, något som beskrivs i the faith frame. På mötet utmanades dock the faith frame av the game frame som betonar den konkurrensmässiga aspekten av affärsverksamhet. Avhandlingen avslutas med en diskussion om hur förståelsen för integrationsprocessen skulle kunna ökas genom att tydligare erkänna konkurrens som ett inslag i integration.
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| 8. |
- Carannante, Ilaria, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of Parkinson’s disease on striatal network connectivity and cortico-striatal drive : an in-silico study
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Striatum, the input stage of the basal ganglia, is important for sensory-motor integration, initiation and selection of behaviour, as well as reward learning. Striatum receives glutamatergic inputs from mainly cortex and thalamus. In rodents, the striatal projection neurons (SPNs), giving rise to the direct and the indirect pathway (dSPNs and iSPNs, respectively), account for 95% of the neurons and the remaining 5% are GABAergic and cholinergic interneurons. Interneuron axon terminals as well as local dSPN and iSPN axon collaterals form an intricate striatal network. Following chronic dopamine depletion as in Parkinson’s disease (PD), both morphological and electrophysiological striatal neuronal features are altered. Our goal with this \textit{in-silico} study is twofold: a) to predict and quantify how the intrastriatal network connectivity structure becomes altered as a consequence of the morphological changes reported at the single neuron level, and b) to investigate how the effective glutamatergic drive to the SPNs would need to be altered to account for the activity level seen in SPNs during PD. In summary we find that the richness of the connectivity motifs is significantly decreased during PD, while at the same time a substantial enhancement of the effective glutamatergic drive to striatum is present.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Hellgren, Bo, et al.
(författare)
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How issues become (Re)constructed in media : Discursive practices in the AstraZeneca merger
- 2002
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Ingår i: Brittish Journal of Management. - : John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. - 1467-8551 .- 1045-3172. ; 13:2, s. 123-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we put forward a novel way of exploring difference and contradiction in merging organizations. We examine how the media (re)constructs meanings in a major cross-border merger. Based on an analysis of press coverage, we attempt to specify and illustrate how particular issues are (re)constructed in media texts through interpretations of ‘winning’ and ‘losing’. We also show how specific discourses are drawn on in this (re)construction. In the merger studied, discourse based on economic and financial rationale dominated the media coverage. Discourse promoting nationalistic sentiments, however, provided an alternative discursive frame to the dominant rationalistic discourse. We argue that the two basic discourses are enacted in three analytically distinct discursive practices in the media: factualizing, rationalizing and emotionalizing. We suggest that the ability of different actors such as top managers to make use of different discursive strategies and resources in promoting their ‘versions of reality’ in the media (or public discussion) is a crucial avenue for research in this area.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Hellgren, Bo, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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The Reproduction of Efficiecy Theory : The Construction of the AstraZeneca Merger in the Public Discourse
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Business and Management. - : Canadian Center of Science and Education. - 1833-3850 .- 1833-8119. ; 6:5, s. 16-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mergers have become a generally accepted solution to a broad set of managerial problems in practice. However, research on mergers and acquisitions provides a rather sceptical view as to the success of mergers in solving business problems. The current paper aims at investigating the public discourse on mergers and acquisitions and its relation to the scientific discourse. The public discourse is studied by an analysis of Swedish media reports on the Astra Zeneca merger. More specifically we study the actors given voice in the discourse, the temporal evolution of the discourse and the arguments voiced. We conclude that the discourse is dominated by journalists, managers and financial analysts who all generate arguments based on a rather narrow “efficiency theoretical” basis. This is in conflict with current insights in research on mergers and acquisitions that has proposed more valid and complex models for understanding mergers. The reasons and consequences of this discrepancy between the public and the scientific discourses are discussed.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Hellgren, Gunnel, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Proliferative Retinopathy Is Associated with Impaired Increase in BDNF and RANTES Expression Levels after Preterm Birth.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Neonatology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1661-7819 .- 1661-7800. ; 98:4, s. 409-418
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Extremely preterm delivery is, amongst other complications, associated with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Untreated, ROP can progress to visual impairment and blindness due to an overgrowth of new vessels in the retina and vitreous cavity. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify cytokine markers within the first weeks of life that could be used to predict the risk for development of ROP later in life. Methods: Serum levels of 27 different cytokines in infants born at gestational weeks 23-30 were analyzed using a multiplex immunoassay method and compared between infants who did not develop ROP and infants who later developed proliferative ROP. In addition, mRNA levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in retinas from mice exposed to hyperoxia were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. Results: At birth, serum levels of IL-5 were higher in infants with no ROP compared to infants with proliferative ROP. 10-14 days after birth, serum levels of BDNF and RANTES were lower in infants who later developed proliferative ROP compared to infants who did not develop ROP. Furthermore, mRNA expression levels of BDNF in retinas from mice exposed to hyperoxia were significantly lower at postnatal day 15 compared to retinas from mice in room air. Conclusions: These results indicate that BDNF and RANTES may be important factors in the selective vulnerability of ROP development in preterm infants.
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| 20. |
- Hellgren, N., et al.
(författare)
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Growth, structure, and mechanical properties of CNxHy films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering in N2/Ar/H2 discharges
- 2000
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Ingår i: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. A. Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films. - : American Vacuum Society. - 0734-2101 .- 1520-8559. ; 18:5, s. 2349-2358
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reactive direct current magnetron sputtering was used to deposit the hydrogenated carbon nitride films in mixed nitrogen (N2)/argon (Ar)/ hydrogen (H2) discharges. Growth and structure evolution of films was found to be affected by chemical sputtering effects. The hydrogen were found to be bonded to nitrogen and hydrogen incorporation decreases the elasticity and hardness.
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| 21. |
- Javefors Grauers, Eva, 1943-
(författare)
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Profession, genus och företagarpar : en studie av advokater och köpmän
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A study of supermarket owners (Javefors Grauers 1999) showed that the woman and the man in the family business were unequal in terms of e.g. ownership, salaries, and domestic work. Furthermore, that the woman in the business couple was not visible as a supermarket owner. The results were interpreted as an outcome of the gender system (Hirdman 1990). The dissertation deals with the question whether the outcome of the gender system is modified towards equal terms if the business couple runs a family business within a profession that requires a higher education.In order to illuminate if professional membership modifies the outcome of the gender system, a study of professional business couples where both spouses are lawyers was conducted. The results of the study were compared with the results from the study of supermarket owners. The comparison shows that the professional membership amongst business couples to a certain degree contributes in modifying the outcome of the gender system. Despite there was a traditional gender pattern of differentiation among the lawyers e.g. in domestic work sharing, the findings taking together and especially the visibility of the female lawyers point towards that family business in terms of business couple in a profession actually works towards equality between the spouses. The female lawyers were visible as business women but the female supermarket owners were not. The visibility of the female lawyer is explained by the legitimacy she receives through her professional knowledge and acknowledged profession. When a legal advisor has applied for and been admitted to the Law Society she becomes visible as a lawyer to those who have an interest in her professional competence. Professional membership amongst business couples seems to modify the outcome of the gender system and thereby to make family business a vehicle of equality.
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| 22. |
- Johannesson, Lars, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Including a battery state of health model in the hev component sizing and optimal control problem
- 2013
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Ingår i: IFAC Proceedings Volumes (IFAC-PapersOnline). - 1474-6670. - 9783902823434 ; , s. 398-403
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper studies convex optimization and modelling for component sizing and optimal energy management control of hybrid electric vehicles. The novelty in the paper is the modeling steps required to include a battery wear model into the convex optimization problem. The convex modeling steps are described for the example of battery sizing and simultaneous optimal control of a series hybrid electric bus driving along a perfectly known bus line. Using the proposed convex optimization method and battery wear model, the city bus example is used to study a relevant question: is it better to choose one large battery that is sized to survive the entire lifespan of the bus, or is it beneficial with several smaller replaceable batteries which could be operated at higher c-rates?
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| 23. |
- Johannesson, Lars, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Predictive energy management of hybrid long-haul trucks
- 2015
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Ingår i: Control Engineering Practice. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0967-0661 .- 1873-6939. ; 41, s. 83-97
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a novel predictive control scheme for energy management in hybrid trucks that drive autonomously on the highway. The proposed scheme uses information from GPS together with information about the speed limits along the planned route to schedule the charging and discharging of the battery, the vehicle speed, the gear, and when to turn off the engine and drive electrically. The proposed control scheme divides the predictive control problem into three layers that operate with different update frequencies and prediction horizons. The top layer plans the kinetic and electric energy in a convex optimization problem. In order to avoid a mixed-integer problem, the gear and the switching decision between hybrid and pure electric mode are optimized in a lower layer in a dynamic program whereas the lowest control layer only reacts on the current state and available references. The benefits of the proposed predictive control scheme are shown by simulations between Frankfurt and Koblenz. The simulations show that the predictive control scheme is able to significantly reduce the mechanical braking, resulting in fuel reductions of 4% when allowing an over and under speed of 5. km/h
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| 24. |
- Käfling, Åsa, 1977-
(författare)
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The Chinese Volvo : Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures and Perceived Performance
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation describes and analyzes the perceived performance of Sino-foreign joint ventures. The dissertation is based on an in-depth qualitative longitudinal real time case study of the joint venture known as Jinan Hua Wo Truck Corporation (Hua Wo), between Volvo Trucks and China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co. Ltd. in China. The purpose of the dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of Sino-foreign perceived performance by suggesting an elaborated model, which captures situated and dynamic features. Perceived performance is defined as the joint venture executives’ assessment of strategic goal achievement and overall satisfaction.Findings from the study of the Hua Wo joint venture indicate that what determines perceived performance is the outcome of activities initiated in order to achieve or to facilitate goals. The dissertation presents an analytical model of Sino-foreign joint venture perceived performance which comprises the four concepts: goals, stakeholder relations, political influence and control. The conclusion of the dissertation is that in order to understand what decides perceived performance, it is necessary to assess system size, in other words, the number of stakeholders able to influence goal achievement, and also the intended duration of the activities. It is proposed that the configuration of the suggested model of perceived performance will be dependent upon these two dimensions. For activities taking place in a restricted system over a restricted time period, perceived performance depends primarily on the goals of the activity. The perceived performance of activities of a restricted system carried out over an extended period of time is more influenced by control. On the other hand activities carried out in an extended system over a restricted period of time are mainly determined by stakeholder relations for perceived performance, whereas activities which take place in an extended system for an extended time period are vulnerable to political influence.
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| 25. |
- Lindberg, Eva, 1957-
(författare)
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Continuous Quality Development by Means of New Understanding : A four year study on an Intensive Care Unit during times of hard work and demanding organisational changes
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present thesis follows an intensive care unit during four year of hard work and demanding organisational changes (1998-2001). The changes were mainly initiated by diminishing resources and a legislative claim to pay regard to the quality aspect of health care service. The process of implementing a quality system was the main focus for the thesis. Triangulation was used aiming at explore the process from different views. Two interviews studies were conducted one with the staff and another with the leadership. Both interviews were analysed thematically combined with a phenomenographic technique (e.g. using the how, and what aspect). A longitudinal quasi experimental time-series study was also accomplished. The correlation between staff variables and workload were measured once a year. The result show a 20 % increase in workload per staff and year. The staff judged the organisational climate for innovativeness stable over the period. Sick leave increased, and more so, than the general trend in the society. In spite of this increase the prevalence of stress related symptoms was the same. Two different systems emerged, a complex adaptive system and a mechanical system. The two systems exist and functions intertwined. Because of the construction of the patient register it is possible to see that the situation around a patients being admitted ≥ 5 days functions according to the complex systems character while the situation around the acute patients functions according to a mechanical system. Sick leave correlated with number of patient admitted ≥ 5 days (P=,000). It seemed the problem found had its root in the unawareness of the existing of a complex system. The result has implications for a need of increased awareness about how to manage the situation when the ICU is functioning according to the complex adaptive system.
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
- Murgovski, Nikolce, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Convex optimization of charging infrastructure design and component sizing of a plug-in series HEV powertrain
- 2011
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Ingår i: IFAC Proceedings Volumes (IFAC-PapersOnline). - 2405-8963. - 9783902661937 ; 18:PART 1, s. 13052-13057
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the topic of plug-in HEV city buses, this paper studies the highly coupled optimization problem of finding the most cost efficient compromise between investing in onboard electric powertrain components and installing a charging infrastructure along the bus line. The paper describes how convex optimization can be used to find the optimal battery sizing for a series HEV with fixed engine and generator unit and a fixed charging infrastructure along the bus line. The novelty of the proposed optimization approach is that both the battery sizing and the energy management strategy are optimized simultaneously by solving a convex problem. In the optimization approach the power haracteristics of the engine-generator unit are approximated by a convex, second order polynomial, and the convex battery model assumes quadratic losses. The paper also presents an example for a specific bus line, showing the dependence between the optimal battery sizing and the number of charging stations on the bus line.
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| 29. |
- Ruilope, LM, et al.
(författare)
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Design and Baseline Characteristics of the Finerenone in Reducing Cardiovascular Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease Trial
- 2019
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Ingår i: American journal of nephrology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1421-9670 .- 0250-8095. ; 50:5, s. 345-356
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <b><i>Background:</i></b> Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. <b><i>Patients and</i></b> <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥25 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup> and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 to ≤5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level α = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049.
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| 30. |
- Serenius, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Among Extremely Preterm Infants 6.5 Years After Active Perinatal Care in Sweden
- 2016
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Ingår i: Jama Pediatrics. - Chicago : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2168-6203 .- 2168-6211. ; 170:10, s. 954-963
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IMPORTANCE Active perinatal care increases the rate of survival of extremely preterm infants, but there are concerns that improved survival might increase the rate of disabled survivors. OBJECTIVE To determine the neurodevelopmental outcomes of a national cohort of children 6.5 years of age who had been born extremely preterm (<27 weeks' gestational age) in Sweden. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Population-based prospective cohort study of consecutively born extremely preterm infants. All of these infants were born in Sweden during the period from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2007. Of 707 live-born extremely preterm infants, 486 (68.7%) survived to 6.5 years of age. These children were assessed and compared with matched controls who had been born at term. Comparison estimates were adjusted for demographic differences. Assessments ended in February 2014, and analysis started thereafter. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Cognitive ability was measured with the fourth edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), and the mean (SD) scores of the children who had been born extremely preterm were compared with those of the controls. Clinical examinations and parental questionnaires were used for diagnosis of cerebral palsy, hearing and vision impairments, and cognition for the children who were not assessed with the WISC-IV. RESULTS Of 486 eligible infants who were born extremely preterm, 441 (90.7%) were assessed at 6.5 years of age (59 by medical record review only) alongside 371 controls. The adjusted mean (SD) full-scale WISC-IV score was 14.2 (95% CI, 12.1-16.3) points lower for children who had been born extremely preterm than for controls. Cognitive disability was moderate for 18.8% of extremely preterm children and 2.2% of controls (P < .001), and it was severe for 11.1% of extremely preterm children and 0.3% of controls (P < .001). Cerebral palsy was observed in 9.5% of extremely preterm children and 0.0% of controls (P < .001), blindness was observed in 2.0% of extremely preterm children and 0.0% of controls (P < .001), and hearing impairment was observed in 2.1% of extremely preterm children and 0.5% of controls (P = .07). Overall, 36.1%(95% CI, 31.7%-40.6%) of extremely preterm children had no disability, 30.4%(95% CI 26.3%-34.8%) had mild disability, 20.2%(95% CI, 16.6%-24.2%) had moderate disability, and 13.4%(95% CI, 10.5%-16.9%) had severe disability. For extremely preterm children, moderate or severe overall disability decreased with gestational age at birth (adjusted odds ratio per week, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.54-0.79]; P < .001) and increased from 26.6% to 33.5%(P = .01) for children assessed both at 2.5 and 6.5 years. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Of the 441 extremely preterm infants who had received active perinatal care, 293 (66.4%) had no or mild disability at 6.5 years; of the 371 controls, 11 (3.0%) had moderate or severe disability. Disability rates at 6.5 years increased relative to the rates at 2.5 years. Results are relevant for health care professionals and planners, and for clinicians counseling families facing extremely preterm births.
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| 31. |
- Thunberg, Ulrica, 1967-
(författare)
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Aspects of Staphylococcus aureus in Chronic Rhinosinusitis
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) affects about 10% of the European population, and is considered a great scourge. Its cause is not clear. Findings of Staphylococcus aureus in the maxillary sinus are common in CRS patients, but are usually regarded as insignificant due to the bacterium’s attribute as a commensal elsewhere. S. aureus has the ability to cause both mild disease and serious conditions, due to its wide armoury of secreted components such as staphylococcal enterotoxins and cell-surface-associated virulence components. This thesis focuses on the clinical features and importance of S. aureus in CRS, including a long-term perspective on the disease, through studying a cohort of CRS patients. S. aureus was found to be highly prevalent in the maxillary sinus and nares of CRS patients, which might indicate an impact on the disease. A sheltered sampling technique for maxillary sinus culture reduced the contamination rate but did not significantly improve the diagnostic reliability. Whole genome sequencing showed that 95% of paired S. aureus isolates collected simultaneously from the nares and maxillary sinus were from identical lineages, indicating colonization of the maxillary sinus from the nares as one joint milieu. A decade-long persistence of S. aureus in the nares and maxillary sinus was established in 20% of CRS patients. The vast majority of S. aureus isolates were susceptible to all tested antibiotics, including the strains that had persisted for a decade. No significant differences in the prevalence of gene determinants were seen for selected virulence factors and MSCRAMMs in S. aureus isolates sampled from CRS patients and healthy controls. The overall alterations of anti-staphylococcal antibodies over time showed great variability and minor support for an impact of S. aureus on CRS. At the long-term follow-up, symptoms were generally reduced and VAS quality of life in terms of fatigue was improved. The subgroup of CRS patients without nasal polyposis had a greater chance of symptom relief than their counterparts with nasal polyposis in this longterm perspective. There was no correlation between severity of symptoms for CRS patients and S. aureus growth in the maxillary sinus to support a role for S. aureus in CRS.
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- Tomicic, Marie, 1969-
(författare)
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Reaching agreement in a management team : a study of social influence
- 2001
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with the question of how agreements are reached without consensus in management teams. It is argued that agreements should be viewed as a social influence phenomenon and that attention should be directed to the process of reaching agreements. The issues of who is involved in the process and who is kept out; who is allowed to exert influence and who is not, are central to an understanding of how agreements are reached, The thesis is based on a study of a management team at a production unit in a multinational company. The overall character of the team's agreement-reaching processes is described in terms of an 'organisational conformity' mode of influence, and agreements are characterised as social agreement or compromise agreement. This mode of influence mediates differences of opinion into agreement mainly by reducing both the number of active participants and the expression of differences of opinion. Implicit 'rules of the game', mirroring general ideas of organising, guide social interaction and communication during the reaching of agreements. These rules are of particular importance for understanding the way that the 'organisational conformity' mode of influence mediates differences of opinion. Hierarchy, distribution of responsibility, and encouragement of action are three organising ideas in this mode of social influence. Rules of the game are partly an outcome of the way that the organising logic is translated. The business contexts and members of the team affect how the general ideas are translated into rules of the game.
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