Biomedical subjects

Gunilla Carlsson

Publications and source records attributed to Gunilla Carlsson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Latex diffusion at high volume fractions studied by fluorescence microscopy.

The behavior of fluorescent latex probes (radii 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 mum) in latex host particle suspensions was investigated by fluorescence microscopy with image analysis. The volume fraction of the host latex was varied between 0 and 0.50. A careful statistical analysis was performed to examine the accuracy of the fluorescence microscopy method, from which the direct observation of the Brownian motion gives the diffusion coefficient. The method was found to meet all statistical requirements. From rheological measurements, the maximum volume fraction and the intrinsic viscosity can be obtained. The Krieger-Dougherty equation can be used for the prediction of sample viscosities. The predicted viscosities were used to obtain the theoretical diffusion coefficients with the Stoke-Einstein equation. When comparing the theoretical diffusion coefficients with the experimental ones, it turned out that all models tested yielded acceptable predictions of the diffusion coefficients.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Patients longing for authentic personal care: a phenomenological study of violent encounters in psychiatric settings.

This article focuses on patients' violence against caregivers. Several studies show that violence and threats within the health care setting are an increasing problem. Encounters that become violent have been the issue of many debates but the phenomenon is still not fully understood. It is important to understand the course of events in violent encounters, both for the sake of the patients and the caregivers' well-being. The aim of this study was to describe the essence of violent encounters, as experienced by nine patients within psychiatric care. Guided by a phenomenological method, data were analyzed within a reflective life-world approach. The findings explicate violent encounters characterized by a tension between "authentic personal" and "detached impersonal" caring. "Authentic personal" patients are encountered in an undisguised, straightforward, and open way, and they sense unrestricted respect that caregivers would show another human being. In these encounters violence does not develop well. However, in caring that is "detached impersonal," the encounters are experienced by the patients as uncontrolled and insecure. These encounters are full of risks and potential violence.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Violent encounters in psychiatric care: a phenomenological study of embodied caring knowledge.

This article focuses on encounters that become violent, a problem in health care that has been the issue of many debates but is still not fully understood. Violent encounters refer to events where the patient expresses an aggressive and hostile attitude toward the caregiver. This study is part of a bigger project that aims to elucidate violent encounters from the caregivers' as well as the patients' perspectives. The purpose of this particular study was to describe the essence of violent encounters from the caregivers' perspective. Guided by a phenomenological method, data were analyzed within a reflective lifeworld approach. The essence of a violent encounter between caregivers and patients, as experienced by the caregivers, is a critical moment characterized by a tension between presence and distance, a moment where everything is happening at the same time. There are important meaning differences in relation to the violent encounter being viewed as positive rather than negative, based on the caregivers' ability to be present and their capacity in these trying situations to manage their fear. The findings also make explicit the particular knowledge that is needed for the caregiver to manage the threat of violence in a creative way.

Caregivers↗

PubMed2003

Dynamic fluorescence microscopy as a feasible technique for estimating the diffusion coefficients of small particles in the presence of additives.

The Brownian motion of carboxylated polystyrene latex, labeled with fluorescent probe molecules, at low concentrations in aqueous solutions was investigated by dynamic fluorescence microscopy. For all three latex radii, i.e., 0.5, 0.265, and 0.1 mum, the estimated diffusion coefficients correspond well with the theoretical predictions if thermal and electrostatic contributions are included in the discussions. It was also possible to discriminate latex interactions with an added polymer. Added polyethylene glycol showed no or very weak interaction with the latex until the polymer overlap concentration was reached, at which the formation of a polymer network slowed down the latex diffusion. Polyvinylpyrrolidone, on the other hand, had a more pronounced interaction with the polystyrene latex and slowed down the diffusion even at polymer concentrations in the ppm range. The overall conclusion is that fluorescence microscopy is a feasible method for the study of the dynamic behavior of small particles in solution.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Non-caring encounters at an emergency care unit--a life-world hermeneutic analysis of an efficiency-driven organization.

The aim of this study was to analyse and describe non-caring encounters at an emergency care unit (ECU). The research approach was life-world hermeneutics, and the research question was: what are the conditions leading to non-caring encounters at an ECU? Nine nurses and nine patients were interviewed. The interpretative analysis reveals an adaptation to organisational demands for efficiency, on the part of both nurses and patients. This form of adaptation seems to constitute a precondition for a well-functioning ECU. Furthermore, a comparison with a study of the intersubjective aspects of caring for aggressive patients reveals unexpected similarities: the carers are absent in both contexts. In nursing education and ECU-practice caring competence must thus include capacity to be present when patients express their needs worries and questions about care.

Agonistic Behavior↗