Turkey’s political landscape is characterized by pronounced regional differences, commonlydescribed through a division between western coastal provinces, the central Anatolian heartland,and the Kurdish-dominated southeast. While these regional patterns are well documented inelectoral statistics and survey research, less attention has been paid to how regional politicalcultures are reflected in everyday political news coverage.

This thesis addresses this gap by examining how politics is described in regional news media fromeastern, western, and central Anatolia. Rather than focusing on voting behavior, the study analysespolitical news articles as media narratives that shape how citizens encounter politics in daily life.The empirical material consists of forty-seven articles from regional newspapers published duringthe 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections, the 2024 local elections, and the post-electoralperiod.

Methodologically, the study applies a qualitative comparative content analysis guided by Robert M.Entman’s framing theory. By integrating the “Three-Way Partition” concept mentioned in Akarca &Baslevent’s 2010 and 2011 studies with Entman’s framing theory, which focuses on differences infocus, tone, and values, the thesis contributes to research on the perception and delivery of politicalevents by different outlets in the context of regional variation. The findings indicate systematicregional variation in how political actors, conflicts, and the role of the state are framed, reflectingbroader differences in regional political culture.

Autism börjar bli ett vanligt inslag i skolan idag, varför det är viktigt att lärarnas kunskap om ämnet är så uppdaterat som möjligt. Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur verksamma lärare och lärarstudenters attityder till elever med autism-diagnos ser ut. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturundersökning där Erving Goffmans stigma-teori har använts som analysverktyg samt Agenda 2030. Undersökningen riktar in sig främst på Sverige, men har med resultat från andra länders studier för att bredda perspektivet. Resultatet visar att attityden är relativt positiv, dock finns det de som har en negativ association till ämnet. Dock var många villiga till att lära sig mer. Avslutningsvis diskuteras hur skolorna och lärarutbildningar kan jobba med att vidga kunskapen hos skolpersonalen, för att bättre ge stöd men även förstå hur deras attityd kan påverka vardagen hos elever med diagnos. Autism börjar bli ett vanligt inslag i skolan idag,1 varför det är viktigt att lärarnas kunskap om ämnet är så uppdaterat som möjligt. Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur verksamma lärare och lärarstudenters attityder till elever med autism-diagnos ser ut. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturundersökning där Erving Goffmans stigma-teori har använts som analysverktyg samt Agenda 2030. Undersökningen riktar in sig främst på Sverige, men har med resultat från andra länders studier för att bredda perspektivet. Resultatet visar att attityden är relativt positiv, dock finns det de som har en negativ association till ämnet. Dock var många villiga till att lära sig mer. Avslutningsvis diskuteras hur skolorna och lärarutbildningar kan jobba med att vidga kunskapen hos skolpersonalen, för att bättre ge stöd men även förstå hur deras attityd kan påverka vardagen hos elever med diagnos. 

Advanced microscopy and imaging techniques are essential for investigating cellular and subcellular architecture and chemical composition. In this thesis, Photoemission Electron Microscopy (PEEM) is developed and applied as a surface- and chemically sensitive imaging modality for biological systems, with a particular focus on neutrophils. Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells in humans and constitute a first line of defence in the innate immune system. Upon activation, they perform key antimicrobial functions, including phagocytosis, degranulation, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which trap, immobilize, and neutralize invading pathogens using DNA and antimicrobial agents.

In this work, NETs formation in combination with iron oxide (FeO_x) nanoparticles is investigated, including the magnetically guided assembly of linear and cross-shaped NETs-FeO_x nanoparticle μ-threads, induced by magnetic nanoparticles and externally applied magnetic fields. These engineered extracellular structures hold potential for materials with intrinsic antibacterial properties and, under magnetic control, exhibit a high degree of orientational order. The ability to impose controlled macroscopic alignment on DNA-based structures further suggests opportunities for the development of robust, oriented macromolecular systems, with relevance for structured organic and conjugated materials.

Work-function mapping based on surface-sensitive contrast in PEEM is a powerful and well-established technique in surface physics and materials science; however, its application in the life sciences, particularly for subcellular imaging, remains largely unexplored. To increase the information content of cellular imaging, this thesis introduces a photoemission-based strategy that integrates three-dimensional spatial reconstruction with pixel-resolved spectral (work-function) contrast, enabling quantitative insight into cellular composition and organization. Local variations in the work function provide intrinsic contrast between subcellular structures based on their molecular composition, allowing visualization of the polylobulated nuclei, intracellular granules, and membrane structures of neutrophils.

The thesis further includes the development and surface modification of gadolinium-incorporated cerium oxide nanoparticles for use as contrast agents in magnetic resonance and X-ray imaging. Two functionalization strategies are presented to enable targeting and therapeutic functionality. X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) is employed for chemical characterization of both nanoparticles and biological structures, highlighting the broader potential of photoemission-based methods within the life sciences.

Background

The growing number of older adults presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) challenges traditional models of acute care, which are often poorly aligned with the complex and heterogeneous needs of this population. Frailty, characterized by decreased physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors, has emerged as a key determinant of adverse outcomes in older patients. However, frailty is not systematically integrated into ED assessment and decision-making, which could be explained by persisting knowledge gaps. Comparison among various frailty assessment instruments in ED settings, has demonstrated good prognostic ability regarding adverse outcomes. Their ease of use in this time- and resource-pressured environment has been evaluated, in which the globally used assessment tool CFS was gauged as usable in the ED. Focus on specific patient groups and research personnel conducting the CFS assessments have limited the generalizability of previous research, resulting in lacking evidence of the instrument’s applicability and usability in actual emergency medicine.

Aim

Since uncertainty remains regarding the instrument’s usefulness in EDs, this thesis aims to answer (1) whether frailty assessment performed by regular ED staff retains prognostic validity in real-world conditions, (2) whether frailty adds relevant predictive value beyond established triage systems, (3) how feasible and acceptable frailty assessment with CFS is within time-pressured ED workflows, and (4) whether frailty-informed routines, assessed with CFS early during the ED visit, can improve operational performance.

Method

This thesis consists of Studies I-IV with observational, both prospective and before-and-after, as well as mixed-method designs. Study I was a prospective observational multicentre study conducted in three EDs in the council of Östergötland, Sweden. Study II was a secondary analysis of Study I. Study III, a mixed-method study, was carried out in the same three EDs as Study I. Study IV was a single-centre observational before-and-after study conducted in the Emergency department of University Hospital of Linköping, Sweden.

Study I investigated the prognostic ability of CFS assessments made by regular ED staff during real-life clinical work. All assessed patients aged 65 years and above were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was mortality at 30 days, and secondary outcomes were mortality at 7 and 90 days, admission rate, ED and hospital length of stay (LOS). Outcomes were compared between patients living with frailty (CFS>4) and robust patients (CFS<5). Confounders were adjusted for using logistic regression

Study II investigated the prognostic performance of CFS alone or in connection with the existing warning scores: national early warning score (NEWS), triage early warning score (TEWS) or the rapid emergency triage and treatment system (RETTS) triage tool. The prognostic ability was analysed using logistic regression and the primary and secondary outcomes were the same as Study I and are reported as area under the receiver operating curve (AuROC) scores with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Study III was a mixed-method study that examined the feasibility and acceptability of CFS in ED by collecting completion rate of assessed patients and by analysing staff experience gathered via an electronic questionnaire. Open-ended questions in the questionnaire rendered free-text comments which were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Quantitative data were analysed to identify patient-related and organisational factors and reported as descriptive data.

Study IV was a before-and-after observational study of the effects of a frailty-informed routine where patients with CFS >4 were recommended to be prioritised for physician assessment among patients with the same acuity after triage. The primary outcome was ED LOS, and secondary outcomes were time to physician and admission rate. Outcomes were compared between a pre-implementation group (control) and a post- implementation group (intervention).

Results

Mortality was significantly higher in patients with CFS >4 at 30 days (7.9% vs 0.9%) with an adjusted odds ratio of 6.0 (95% CI 3.0-12.2, p < 0.001) in the total of 1840 ED visits that were included in the analysis. There were significant differences in mortality at 7 and 90 days, where mortality was higher for patients living with frailty. The differences remained even after adjusting for confounders. Patients living with frailty also had higher admission rates, longer ED LOS, and longer in-hospital LOS, compared to the robust patients.

A total of 1832 patients were included in Study II, where the association between mortality at 30 days and CFS >4 showed a significant association with an odds ratio of 6.0 (CI 95% 3-12, p < 0.01). Prognostication models demonstrated better prognostic ability in those models with CFS compared to those without and were overall similar in AuROC-values ranging from 0.82-0.83 (95% CI 0.77-0.88, p < 0.05).

Feasibility investigation showed a completion rate of 47% in 4235 ED visits. Assessments were made more frequently if the patients were aged >80 years, arrived by ambulance or during the forenoon. The questionnaire revealed that CFS was thought to be a relevant tool but high workload, unclear purpose for use and critical illness, were barriers for usability in the ED.

A total of 542 ED visits were analysed in the before-and-after study with 248 patients in the pre‐implementation and 294 in the post‐implementation group). Post-implementation showed a reduction in Time to physician from 44 min (IQR 20, 94) to 31 min (IQR 15, 65) (p < 0.001). ED LOS was shortened from 352 (IQR 266, 515) to 319 (IQR 240, 458) minutes (p = 0.014). There was no change in admission rate at 59% versus 60% (p = 0.4).

Conclusion

This thesis confirms the robustness and validity of CFS as a prognostic tool outside of controlled research settings and demonstrates that addition of frailty to conventional triage tools captures risk and vulnerability not reflected in vital signs and chief complaint alone. The CFS provides a more accurate risk prognosis which is valuable for establishing realistic goals-of-care and individualising medical planning. A clear ED routine including early frailty identification and connected actions could improve ED flow and decrease avoidable risks associated with prolonged ED stays, which in turn would benefit both the patients and the ED organisation as a whole. 

Ska jag välja något som det mest centrala för mitt intresse måste det bli social ordning. Hur gestaltar sig social ordning; hur utmanas den; vad händer då (Garfinkel, 1967)? När sociala praktiker är undersökningsobjekten (och det är som en social praktik jag studerar samtal) vill jag hävda att det egentligen är felaktigt att tala om ett ”mikrointresse”. Samhällelig förändring åstadkoms i varje handling människor emellan. Det som hänt tidigare bidrar till att det som händer i framtiden tar en specifik vändning och inte en annan. ...

Background

Prolonged emergency department waiting times are associated with increased mortality among older patients. In January 2025, the ED of Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden, implemented a low-resource routine to expedite the workup of older patients living with frailty by prioritized physician assessment and subsequent workup.

Aim

To investigate if a frailty alert using the Clinical Frailty Scale followed by prioritized clinical assessment influences ED operating metrics.

Design

This was an observational before and after study of a pre-implementation group (control) and a post-implementation group (intervention) between October 2024 and February 2025.

Setting/Participants

Consecutive patients aged >64 years, with a documented CFS assessment during the ED visit at the Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden, who consented to participation, were included.

Method

Standard ED operating metrics, Time to physician, ED length of stay (LOS), and admission rates were compared between a pre-implementation group and a post-implementation group.

Results

A total of 542 ED visits were analyzed (248 pre-implementation, 294 post-implementation). Time to physician was shorter in the post-implementation group at 31 min (IQR 15, 65) versus 44 min (IQR 20, 94) (p < 0.001). ED LOS was reduced from 352 (IQR 266, 515) to 319 (IQR 240, 458) minutes (p = 0.014). The admission rate was unchanged at 59% and 60% (p = 0.4).

Conclusion

Frailty alerts based on the CFS with prioritized workup reduced ED LOS and time to physician in older patients living with frailty in this single center study and may be a low-resource intervention to reduce the risks of adverse events in the ED.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06869148

This bachelor thesis examines how the role of the project manager has changed during the transition from traditional to agile approaches in IT projects. This is explored and structured around three core components: communication, leadership, and management. The purpose is to highlight which personal characteristics of the project manager are particularly important in agile projects. The thesis is based on five semi-structured interviews with project managers from a global IT consulting firm. All respondents have experience working in both traditional and agile projects.

The results show that the project manager’s role in agile projects becomes more facilitative and coaching oriented. Consequently, the importance of the project manager’s personal characteristics also changes. Greater focus is placed on team responsibility, communication practices evolve, and the need for flexibility increases. Examples of personal characteristics that become more important include the ability to build trust, adaptability, attentiveness, and stress management.

This thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how the project manager’s role evolves during the transition to agile project methodologies and can serve as a framework to support project managers who are new to agile projects. 

Orthognathic surgery is frequently used to correct dentofacial deformities (DFDs) in skeletally mature, non-growing individuals and has a history spanning over more than 150 years. Despite previous research, questions remain about how this treatment affects the patient’s quality of life, upper airways, and respiratory function.

The overall aim of this PhD thesis was to achieve a greater understanding of how orthognathic surgery affects patients’ quality of life in a Swedish context, with additional aspects regarding upper airway function and breathing.

The thesis comprises four studies.

In Study I, the recommended guidelines were used to translate the English-language Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) into Swedish (OQLQ-S). A group of 121 patients in four diagnostic groups participated in reliability and validity evaluations of the translated Swedish version of the instrument. The main conclusion was that the data supported the OQLQ-S’s validity, reliability, and comparability with the original English version.

Studies II and IV were prospective longitudinal studies of 62 consecutive patients undergoing orthognathic surgery for aesthetic and functional indications. In Study II, respiratory function was assessed using home cardiorespiratory polygraphy on three occasions: prior to orthognathic surgery and at 3 months and 1 year after surgery. None of the patients had previously been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Surgical displacements were evaluated based on measurements in three dimensions using pre- and postoperative computed tomography. There were only minor changes in respiratory parameters such as the apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI), the apnoea–hypopnoea index in the supine and non-supine positions, the oxygen saturation index (ODI), and the snore index. There was no significant correlation between surgical displacement and AHI, supine AHI, non-supine AHI, and ODI. There was a weak but significant correlation between vertical displacement of the anterior mandible and the snore index. The main conclusion was that the risk for iatrogenic obstruction of the upper airways seemed low in patients without OSA treated with orthognathic surgery.

In Study IV, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was evaluated with four questionnaires – OQLQ-S, Oral Health Impact 14 (OHIP-14), the Jaw Function Limitation Scale (JFLS), and the Oral Esthetic Scale (OES) – both before and after surgery and in comparison, to a control group comprising 31 patients without DFDs. On average, DFD subjects who underwent orthognathic surgery reported improvements across all scales and subscales, indicating that the surgery was beneficial. At baseline, the DFD group rated their OHRQoL significantly lower than the control group, but this difference levelled out at follow-up. However, some patients reported unchanged or worse outcomes on some of the instruments’ subscales, mainly decreased jaw mobility and an increased postoperative score in the psychosocial impact domain. The main conclusion was that orthognathic surgery has a positive impact on OHRQoL in DFD subjects.

Study III was a retrospective study of 165 adult OSA patients treated with a mandibular advancement device (MAD). Data on AHI, supine sleep, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores, mandibular protrusion, patient-reported use, and adverse effects of the MAD were retrospectively collected from medical records or the Swedish Sleep Apnoea Register. Among the included patients, 27.3% (45/165) had both positional OSA at baseline and a ≥50% difference in the proportions of supine sleep between baseline and follow-up. A generalised linear model indicated that changes in the proportion of supine sleep time had a statistically significant effect on the change in overall AHI from baseline to follow-up, comparable in magnitude to the effect of the MAD. The main conclusion was that changes in the proportion of supine sleep are an important determinant of changes between measurements in overall AHI in many patients treated with MADs. Positional OSA must be acknowledged not only in OSA diagnostics but also in MAD treatment follow-up.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a severe type of stroke associated with high mortality and morbidity. Although neurocritical care has improved over recent decades, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) remains a common yet difficult-to-predict complication with current clinical tools. Affecting approximately 30% of patients, it contributes substantially to poor outcome.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) as a method for assessing cerebral blood flow regulation and identifying patients at risk of ischemic complications after aSAH.

To enable studies across the full patient population, a novel method for controlled carbon dioxide challenges during both mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing was developed and applied in subsequent work. CVR measured with magnetic resonance imaging was evaluated in healthy volunteers to systematically investigate methodological factors affecting repeatability. Finally, CVR was assessed using transcranial Doppler ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with aSAH to evaluate feasibility, safety, and potential clinical utility.

The developed system for controlled carbon dioxide challenges proved reliable and robust in achieving predefined stimulus levels during both mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing. Several important methodological considerations affecting the performance and interpretation of CVR measurements were identified. Magnetic resonance-based CVR using controlled inspired carbon dioxide was shown to be feasible in sedated and mechanically ventilated patients with aSAH. Preliminary results further suggest that CVR measurements may allow monitoring of ischemic evolution and early detection of DCI following aSAH.

By developing a method for controlled carbon dioxide challenges in mechanically ventilated patients, this work enables CVR investigations in previously understudied patient populations beyond aSAH. The systematic methodological investigations also contribute to greater transparency and standardization within the field. Although the clinical utility of CVR for risk stratification after aSAH could not be fully established, this thesis provides a methodological framework for future studies.

Uppsatsen är en kvalitativ litteraturstudie vars syfte är att se vad litteraturen säger om att användaskolval som pedagogiks verktyg med fokus på dess effekter på valdeltagande och allmänt politisktdeltagande. Med utgångspunkt i att de flesta gymnasieskolor i Sverige anordnarna skolval isamband med de allmänna valen, därför känns det viktigt att se om skolval är ett effektivtpedagogiskt verktyg. Att sedan flera samhällskunskapslärare för det övergripande ansvaret för attanordna skolvalet, skapar en efterfrågan kring denna metod är värd tiden som skolvalet upptar.Skolverket (2025, 2.1) skriver i gymnasiets läroplans andra kapitel om skolans mål, att elever ska haförutsättningar för att delta i demokratiska beslutsprocesser. Därför behöver skolan lära elever hurman röstar i våra allmänna val och då behöver vi som även ska bygga på beprövad erfarenhet ochvetenskaplig metod se om metoden skolval är en vetenskapligt bekräftad bra metod. Efter syftet ochingången så valdes tre frågeställningar som kollade på vad forskningen sa om skolval som metodför att öka valdeltagandet och för att öka allmänt demokratisk deltagande och slutligen vilkafaktorer som kan hjälpa och hindra skolvalet med fokus på anordnandet.

Med skolval så menas den modell som vi har i Sverige som går ut på att man i skolan håller ett val ianslutning till allmänna val (riksdags, region, riksdag och EU), där eleverna för att rösta och skolanblir som en extra valkrets, men som ej räknas med i det allmänna valet. Ett ord som används iforskningen är ”mock elections” vilket är samma sak men ett bättre beskrivande ord. Då detförklarar att skolval handlar om fiktiva eller påhittade val.

Uppsatsen fann att skolval har en tydlig effekt på att öka det demokratiska deltagandet blandeleverna. Då eleverna lär sig mer om politik och börjar diskutera politik mer efter skolval. Elevernakänner även att deras röst i valet spelar större roll efter skolvalet. Däremot så verkar effekterna påvaldeltagandet var små och ens några. För att få ut alla dessa effekter krävs dock att eleverna fårvara med och planera och att ungdomsförbund får möjligheten att träffa eleverna så att eleverna seratt politiker även kan vara unga som dem. Själva resultatet i skolvalet är inte det viktigaste, dåmånga elever inte ser skolvalet som ett sätt att utrycka sin åsikt utan som en skoluppgift. Däremotså har skolval starka möjligheter att fostra framtida demokratiska medborgare och minska distansentill politiken från eleverna.

Benign peripheral nerve tumours of the upper limb, predominantly schwannomas, pose unique diagnostic, therapeutic, and psychological challenges. The literature on diagnostic accuracy, surgical outcomes, patient experiences, and proteomic composition is inconclusive. This thesis aims to comprehensively evaluate the symptomatology, diagnostic precision, surgical outcomes, patient experiences, and explore the proteome heterogeneity of these tumours.

A multifaceted approach was employed across five studies, utilising retrospective clinical data, national quality registry data (HAKIR; hakir.se), prospective longitudinal patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), qualitative semi-structured interviews, and exploratory proteomic analysis using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated high sensitivity (85%) but low specificity (50%) for identifying schwannomas, highlighting the persistence of diagnostic uncertainty prior to surgery. While preoperative tumour size did not correlate with presenting symptoms, larger schwannomas were significantly associated with persistent postoperative sensory dysfunction at last follow-up. Surgery provided robust symptomatic relief, significantly reducing overall upper limb disability, improving daily activities, and decreasing multiple pain modalities, with improvements maintained up to 12 months postoperatively.

Furthermore, long-term follow-up (median 6 years) confirmed that residual disability remains low, although mild numbness, tingling, weakness, and cold sensitivity can persist. Importantly, no significant seasonal variation (colder versus warmer seasons of the year in Sweden) was observed in postoperative symptoms, and simple linear regressions showed no significant association between documented preoperative symptoms and long-term patient-reported outcomes.

From a patient perspective, the diagnostic and treatment trajectory is frequently accompanied by profound psychological strain and anxiety, often driven by fears of malignancy and uncertainty regarding surgical risks. Patients navigated these challenges using various coping strategies and emphasised the need for clear communication and shared decision-making with healthcare providers.

At the molecular level, exploratory proteomic profiling of histologically uniform schwannomas revealed pronounced inter-tumour heterogeneity. Tumours clustered into distinct proteomic subgroups, driven by coordinated differences in proteins associated with keratinocyte differentiation, iron handling, innate immunity, and cellular metabolism, suggesting the existence of unique biological states beyond routine histopathology.

In summary, surgical excision of benign upper-limb nerve tumours is highly effective for pain relief and functional restoration, though patients should be counselled about the potential for persistent, albeit mild, sensory disturbances. To optimise care, clinicians should integrate clinical assessments with empathetic, patient-centred communication to mitigate preoperative anxiety. Finally, the discovery of underlying proteomic heterogeneity in schwannomas challenges the traditional view of these tumours as a uniform entity, paving the way for future molecular stratification that may ultimately improve diagnostic accuracy and possibly refine treatment prognosis.

Background: Swedish naval forces personnel operate continuously under demanding and unpredictable conditions. When on naval operations, employees are exposed to stressful challenges in a constantly moving environment. Training is important to maintain and increase preparedness and can be performed in different ways, for example, in different simulation environments or settings, and the level of realism in the scenario, referred to as low or high fidelity, can vary.

Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore stress and the experience of stress during training and naval operations, foreign and domestic, by measuring workload and demands of Swedish naval forces personnel.

Methods: This thesis comprises five studies. Studies I and II were qualitative, using individual notes of events during an international deployment and in-depth interviews 8 months later. Both studies explored stressors and coping among members of the Swedish naval specialized boarding element. Content analysis was used in the first study, and constant comparative analysis in the second. Studies III, IV and V were quantitative. Study III examined workload among Swedish Special Forces operators during stress week using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The different tasks were compared using ANOVA. Study IV investigated workload, combat readiness and situation awareness in a naval command and control (C2) team exposed to low- and high-fidelity simulation-based training (SBT), using repeated measures and non-parametric analyses. Study V assessed perceived learning in the same C2 team during low- and high-fidelity SBT using a within-group design. ANOVA, descriptive statistics with means and standard deviation were used for the analysis.

Results: Studies I and II highlighted the importance of preparedness, particularly leadership and team cohesion, for managing stress during naval operations. In Study III, firefighting scenarios generated a higher workload than medical scenarios, likely due to differences in previous training. Studies IV and V showed that low-fidelity SBT produced comparable workload and supported learning similarly to high-fidelity training, indicating cost-effectiveness. Study V may be a springboard for changes in education and learning based on the results presented in this thesis, and thereby may be of benefit to employees in the Armed Forces. The studies have mapped the demands placed on Swedish naval personnel and identified factors that shaped stress, workload and learning.

Conclusions: Strengthening team-building, leadership, and structured SBT can reduce stress and enhance operational readiness. Low-fidelity SBT offers a viable and efficient option for training within the Swedish Armed Forces.

Background: Sweden has been part of Operation Atalanta four times since 2009. Being part of an international naval deployment means acting in a substantially different context and environment. The Swedish Armed Forces leadership training includes the use of Wheelan’s IMGD model, whereby trust is a significant part of group dynamics.

Materials and Methods: Interviews took place after deployment when the respondents had been back in Sweden for 8 months. The constant comparative analysis method according to Glaser was used to answer the aim of the study.

Results: Trust was seen as the core of the interviews and was based on three categories: leadership, preparedness and endurance.

Discussion: The core category trust, and the lack of trust, may be a result of poor preparedness. The respondents expressed that they felt safe and secure within their own group. The “us and them” mentality was an important finding, and the cause should be examined more closely to increase trust and team spirit.

Conclusion: The Swedish Navy could benefit from improvement in education, team building and pre-deployment training to increase trust and the level of readiness and to reduce stress.

In a recent paper, Tsiakiri (2025) defends the use of luckegalitarianism (LE) in health-care priority setting againstthe charge of disrespect. She claims that a ”responsibilitysensitive healthcare system”, that is, a healthcare systemthat relies upon or is in accord with certain luck-egalitarianprinciples regarding priority setting decisions, can be compatible with respect for patients. She supports this claim byalluding to the Doctrine of Double Effect and Kant’s Formula of Humanity. The argument is further underpinned bythe idea that people have a perfect duty (towards themselvesand/or others) to promote their health in certain ways, whichincludes refraining from certain health-damaging activities

Since the inception of The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) in 1949, it has had a long-standing conflict with the Republic of China on Taiwan, following the Kuomintang (KMT)government’s retreat to the island. This thesis aims to apply Campbell’s poststructuralisttheory to the PRC–Republic of China (ROC) conflict through a discourse analysis of PRCpolicy documents, speeches, and state-affiliated media. Epistemic realism struggles to explainwhy the world’s second-largest military power perceives a comparatively small anddiplomatically constrained island as an existential threat. This thesis therefore argues that apoststructuralist perspective is more suitable for explaining the conflict.Drawing on Campbell’s theory, the analysis demonstrates how PRC foreign policy discourseconstitutes national identity through the construction of a political ‘self’ and ‘other’. Taiwanindependence is articulated as a site of danger not primarily because of material militarythreats, but because it challenges the ontological foundations of the PRC as the solelegitimate China. By insisting on reunification through legal, historical, and moral narratives,the PRC stabilizes its national identity and disciplines alternative interpretations ofsovereignty. Consequently, the thesis concludes that the PRC cannot relinquish its claim toTaiwan without facing existential consequences for its political identity, rendering peacefulcompromise structurally constrained under the current identity formation.

This chapter argues the need to expand media and communication research in two ways. We first indicate the necessity of broadening current media and communication approaches to AI and automation to include analyses of their material underpinnings. We then propose expanding discussions of AI to examine it as an analytical phenomenon along its infrastructures, encompassing the manifold relations that actors have with AI from mineral mining to the AI commodity. Situating AI infrastructures as a key concern for media and communication research will help account for the inequalities, economies and societal conflicts that emerge within AI-saturated futures. In other words, AI must be explored at the intersection of infrastructure and sustainability.

This chapter discusses what a good digital infrastructure for AI could mean, and for whom. It explores the frictions that emerge when communities, industries and public institutions collectively try to imagine and materialize multiple versions of the “good”. Drawing on the concept of “friction” and valuation studies, we analyse the establishment of a data centre for AI systems with a sustainability profile in Östersund in Sweden. We show how such digital infrastructure emerges from the friction between differing local understandings of liveable futures and between quantifiable and non-measurable qualities of the good, such as sense of place, belonging, trust and living a life with nature. Ultimately, we propose an expansion of the ongoing discussion on the sustainability of digital infrastructure and a reorientation of attention from questions of quantifiable and measurable harms, such as carbon emissions, to concerns with power and valuations through which the different qualities of “good” infrastructure come to fruition and contention.

Teknik har en central roll i det moderna samhället, där teknologisk utveckling sker i en allt snabbare takt. Förmågan att förstå, använda och kritiskt granska teknik är en grundläggande kompetens som skolan har i uppdrag att utveckla hos eleverna. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur tekniklärare på mellan- och högstadiet arbetar med undervisningsmetoder som kan öka elevernas engagemang och intresse för teknikämnet. 

Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex tekniklärare, samt en kompletterande enkät till elever, undersöks vilka undervisningsmetoder som används av lärarna och hur de påverkar elevens engagemang. 

Resultaten visar att lärarna uppfattar att praktiskt arbete, elevinflytande och samarbete starkt ökar elevers engagemang i teknik. Enligt lärarna påverkar lärares trygghet i ämnet hur mycket dessa metoder används. Samtidigt beskriver lärarna att könsnormer kan begränsa flickors delaktighet, vilket gör inkluderande undervisning extra viktig. 

Studien bygger på Fredricks, Blumenfeld & Paris (2004) – Tredimensionell modell för engagemang. Denna modell visar att engagemang formas genom beteendemässiga, känslomässiga och kognitiva aspekter. 

Slutsatsen är att en engagerande teknikundervisning kräver enligt lärarna en balans mellan praktiska moment, begreppsarbete, elevdelaktighet och strukturerat samarbete, samtidigt uppfattar lärarna att de aktivt behöver motverka könsnormer och skapa trygga, inkluderande lärmiljöer.

Högläsning är en vanligt förekommande aktivitet i skolans tidigare årskurser och lyfts ofta som betydelsefullt för både sociala och språkliga aspekter. Studiens syfte är att bidra med kunskap om hur lärare i årskurs F-3 beskriver att de arbetar med högläsning i undervisningen och varför de använder den. Studien baserades på kvalitativa intervjuer med verksamma utbildade lärare i årskurs F-3. Resultatet visade att högläsning främst betraktades som en lugn och gemensam aktivitet med ett språkutvecklande syfte. Andra centrala delar som framkom var interaktion genom samtal och frågor, liksom inlevelse vid läsningen. Samtidigt visade det sig att högläsningen i många fall inte systematiskt planerades, även om bokvalet lyftes av lärarna som en viktig del i planeringen. Sammantaget visar studien att högläsning präglas av fokus på genomförandet, medan den pedagogiska planeringen ofta framträder i mindre utsträckning.

This study examines how companies in the Swedish agri-food sector develop business models based on residual streams and what factors influence their ability to contribute to a circular transition. Drawing on frameworks such as Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and Strategic Niche Management (SNM), the analysis explores the interaction between niche actors, intermediaries, and the established linear regime.

Empirical data from interviews and literature studies show that small, value-driven niche firms act as key carriers of circular innovation through learning, collaboration, and experimentation. However, they face structural barriers such as limited access to capital and institutional lock-ins. Intermediaries like clusters and universities play a crucial role by providing legitimacy, knowledge exchange, and coordination between actors.

The study concludes that circular transition depends not only on technological innovation but also on relational innovation- the capacity to build and maintain cross-sectoral collaboration supported by long-term structures, clear regulations, and targeted incentives.

This thesis investigates how national cultural differences influence corporate sustainability outcomes by comparing large firms in Sweden and Japan. Drawing on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Hall’s context theory, the study combines analysis of quantitative indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability from corporate reports with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews. The results show that cultural traits such as hierarchy, risk tolerance, and communication context shape not only how firms pursue sustainability, but also how outcomes are reported and interpreted. Sweden’s low power distance and individualism foster transparency and participation, while Japan’s high uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation promote disciplined, incremental efficiency improvements embedded in organizational routines. Together, these findings position culture as an explanatory mechanism behind some degree of observed differences in sustainability outcomes and reporting asymmetries. The study contributes to cross-cultural management and sustainability literature by bridging cultural theory with measurable company-level outcomes, and offers practical insights for investors and policymakers seeking to interpret sustainability performance across diverse cultural contexts.

This thesis offers an empirically grounded critique of laws that present themselves as protective in the contemporary Swedish welfare state, based on the experiences of young men who sought refuge in Sweden around 2015. Drawing on ethnographic and participatory methods, it is based on accounts from more than 90 young men, through interviews and survey responses. Starting from their experiences of violent victimisation and search for safety and justice, the study situates these accounts within a changing welfare state. Tracing responsibility for migrant victimisation back to the state, it positions young men seeking refuge as both victims of crime and survivors of state violence. Victim protection, often framed as the flipside of criminal justice, constitutes an understudied site where wider transformations of the welfare state manifest. The system of migrant victim protection spans criminal justice, social welfare and migration control. This layering, which stretches across multiple scales, produces a disorienting legal and institutional landscape where protective and punitive dimensions of law become entangled.

The thesis introduces the metaphor of the Upside Down as a conceptual frame for examining victim protection as an alternative dimension that sits beneath, or deeply within, the Swedish welfare state. The metaphor illuminates an upside-down welfare state in which racism animates the punitive dimensions of ostensibly protective legal regimes, held together by the racialising underside of law. It captures not only the structural conditions of this landscape, but also how young men seeking refuge navigate it. 

The findings demonstrate the harmful effects of purportedly protective laws. While policies and practices of abandonment facilitate violent victimisation, attempts to engage purportedly protective laws and institutions often intensify suffering in the aftermath of interpersonal violence. At the same time, relying on law can still provide moments of respite and refuge, especially when aided by practices of friendship, solidarity and informal support. The thesis highlights the limits and ambivalent potential of protective laws, while showing how struggles for safety and justice unfold both within and far beyond the reach of the state.

Sustainability actions have the potential to exert a lasting impact on higher education didactics. Universities are often regarded as key actors in educating the next generation of decision-makers who are capable of making more informed choices from a sustainability perspective. However, significant challenges remain regarding the understanding about how sustainability can be integrated into higher education, and disciplines differ considerably in how they engage with the topic. To address these issues, we employ collaborative auto-ethnographic approach to examine how eight lecturers from different disciplinary backgrounds approached sustainability education, and what affordances and tensions they encountered during and after a joint international course on Higher Education Didactics for Sustainability organized by Karlstad University in Sweden. The findings indicate that substantial challenges persist, despite participants' high levels of motivation and transdisciplinary mindsets. These challenges appear to be linked to disciplinary differences in approaches and emphasis regarding which aspects of sustainability education are considered applicable to the participants' teaching practices.

This study examines the experiences of immigrant children in a small Swedish town in Sweden regarding their participation in leisure acitvities. It evaluates how social inclusion support well-being and integration and analyzes how immigrant youth aged 13 to 18 years old navigate opportunities and challenges in organized leisure activities. 

A qualitative approach was used, involving semi-structured interviews with ten immigrant children from diverse backgrounds. Thematic analysis identified key themes: Social integration, belonging, participation in leisure activities, and the effects of discrimination, streotypes and policy barriers. The findings show that participation in activities such as sports, music, and library programs fosters belonging, enhance well-being and builds confidence among immigrant youth. However, access to these benefits depends on factors such as age at migration, language proficiency, family economic resources and the availability of activities in smaller communities. 

The study identifies several barriers to inclusion, such as financial contraints, cultural differences, limited peer networks, and experiences of exclusion or discrimination especially for those with visible markers of identity like wearing hijab. Some participations reported isolation, while others found in inclusive clubs, libraries or among peers with similar backgrounds. Early integration and language aquisition strengthened their sense of belonging, while certain policy regulations, including age restrictions, sometimes limited participation.

the study highlights the importance of including immigrant children's perspectives to better understand their needs and inform policy and practice. Enhancing accessibility and inclusivity in leisure activities, while addressing structural barriers, can improve inclusion and well-being among immigrant youth. The findings show a need for ongoing research and targeted interventions to address gaps in inclusion and beloging for immigrant children in Sweden and beyond. 

Det här examensarbetet undersöker hur grundskollärare och speciallärare upplever och genomför den pedagogiska bedömningen inför en utredning av målgruppstillhörighet för elever som misstänks ha en intellektuell funktionsnedsättning (IF). Den pedagogiska bedömningen är en del av en större utredningsprocess som även omfattar en psykologisk, medicinsk och social bedömning och utfallet av bedömningen kan få långtgående konsekvenser för elevens framtida skolgång och livsvillkor. Studiens syfte är att belysa vilka arbetssätt, övervägande och etiska dilemman som präglar denna process samt hur samverkan mellan olika aktörer upplevs.  

Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra lärare och tre speciallärare, från två kommuner, med erfarenhet av att skriva pedagogiska bedömningar. Datamaterialet har analyserats genom tematisk analys och resulterade i fem övergripande teman. 

Resultaten visade att omfattande anpassningar och särskilt stöd präglar elevers skolgång innan bedömningsprocessen inleds. Den pedagogiska bedömningen beskrevs som en komplex uppgift där lärare försöker skapa en så allsidig bild som möjligt av elevens förutsättningar att nå målen. Otydliga riktlinjer, varierande rutiner och organisatoriska förutsättningar skapar osäkerhet kring skrivprocessen. Lärarna upplevde ett stort professionellt och etiskt ansvar eftersom bedömningarna är en del av en utredning som kan påverka elevens framtida möjligheter till utbildning och arbete. Samverkan med elevhälsan, kollegor och vårdnadshavare sågs som nödvändig men ibland även bristfällig. Studien pekar på ett behov av tydligare riktlinjer och utökad samverkan med elevhälsan. Arbetet bidrar med en fördjupad förståelse för de utmaningar som omger de pedagogiska bedömningarna och vikten av att stärka kvaliteten och likvärdigheten i dessa bedömningar. 

The future of quantum technology has great potential to revolutionize sensors, communication tools, and computing. Quantum computers are heavily researched with the goal of finding suitable candidates for qubits. One promising implementation of qubits is color centers with addressable spin, which can operate even at room temperature. The main challenge is to find a good combination of host material and point defect, and DFT simulations provide an easy way to test the properties of different ones. This study models the strain of SiV in diamond. Previous experimental strain research on this defect has shown that SiV has a high susceptibility to strain. Using D3d point group symmetry, strain shows a linear correlation between A1g strain and the ZPL, as well as a linear correlation between Eg strain and the orbital splittings. This study subjects the SiV to the same type of strain and is relaxed through the PBE functional. The simulated results agree with theexperimental measurements.

Quantum computing has the potential to meet the increasing demand for computational power by solving some unique issues more efficiently than classical computers. To realize the full capabilities of quantum computing, a reliable physical implementation of quantum bits is essential. Point defects in semiconductors may offer a promising solution for this implementation. However, point defects, like most qubit implementations, would benefit from increased coherence times. For certain point defects, this improvement comes from clock transitions, where the transition frequency becomes locally independent of the magnetic field. This thesis consists of a thorough analysis of clock transitions in point defects. First, the clock transition of the bismuth vacancy (BiV) in CaO is reproduced. Then, an automatic workflow for finding clock transitions and converging computational parameters are built as an extension to the ADAQ (Automatic defect analysis andqualification) software. 10243 clock transitions were found in a set of 3704 defects, 143 of these are due to zero-field splitting, and the rest due to hyperfine interactions. Clock transitions that arise only from zero-field splitting have a clear correlation between separation and the 2nd derivative. Clock transitions that emerge from hyperfine interactions have no such clear trend, meaning that they need to be studied in more detail for individual defects.

Air traffic control is an example of safety-critical domain where operators’ decision making is crucial for enhancing safety. Visualization tools can help air traffic controllers not just to maintain safety of flights but to manage traffic complexity. Our recent research in visual analytics has demonstrated clear benefits for identifying mapping patterns of ATCos and also for supporting them in critical decision-making tasks, i.e., conflict detection and resolution and complexity management. Yet the ultimate effectiveness of our research hinges on the collaborative engagement of the critical workforce—air traffic controllers—in their co-design and evaluation. In this position paper, we share insights gathered from design and evaluation studies conducted with more than 30 fully-licensed and operational air traffic controllers to propose a principled approach for meaningful application domain expert participation in work pattern analysis and visualization design for air traffic control. We present the unique challenges these operators face, and outline methods and outcomes of successful co-design processes resulting in a forward-looking research agenda.

This study investigates the motivations and occupational aspirations of students enrolled in Swedish Higher Vocational Education programmes for the brewing industry. Drawing on narrative interviews with 24 participants aged 25–66, the research explores how personal interests, career trajectories, and structural conditions intersect in shaping vocational choices. The analysis identifies three dominant motivations for enrolment: (1) seeking new occupational opportunities following unemployment or fragmented work histories, (2) pursuing mid-career transitions prompted by dissatisfaction, burnout, or physical strain, and (3) engaging in brewing as a craft or artistic endeavour motivated by personal interest and creativity. Findings highlight the multiple functions of vocational education, serving not only as a route to employment but also as a platform for career reinvention, entrepreneurial experimentation, and personal fulfilment. The study underscores the interplay between individual agency and structural factors in occupational decision-making and contributes to understanding the role of vocational education in emerging industries.

This qualitative and ethnographically inspired study aims to fill a research gap concerning how teachers in School-Age Educare Centres (SAEC) teach science when working with students in need of special support. Empirical data were collected through video observations and field notes at a SAEC at a compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. We report results supporting two main arguments: students’ potential meaning-making is guided by the SAEC teacher and her ability to offer, coordinate, and make available various semiotic resources in the teaching. Additionally, the transition from formalized, group-oriented teaching often shifts to individual and situation driven teaching, where the focus can be adjusted for each student. This suggests the need for a deeper understanding of meaning-making processes in science education within SAEC.

To meet international and national climate goals and reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated from logistics, the use of fossil-free fuels in freight transport is necessary. While research concerning the technical implementation of fossil-free fuels has made progress, research pertaining to the impact fossil-free fuel use will have of logistics stakeholders has not been researched at length. Logistics stakeholders are organizations that provide, complete or purchase logistics services. This doctoral thesis explores how the use of biomethane as a fossil-free fuel in road freight affects logistics stakeholders and their relationships with each other. While electrification presently dominates green logistics research, biomethane remains underrepresented despite its range, similarities to diesel, local production and encouragement to a more circular economy. The purpose of the doctoral kappa is to increase understanding of how using biomethane in road freight affects logistics stakeholders and their relationships.

To fulfill the purpose, three research questions were posed. The first, What roles do logistics stakeholders take when utilizing biomethane in road freight?, resulted in findings revealing that logistics stakeholders assumed dynamic roles based upon activity and influence. Activity pertains to the operations undertaken by logistics stakeholders in completing the road freight transport, such as coordination or driving of vehicles. Influence pertains to logistics stakeholders’ ability to either directly or indirectly impact the operations of another logistics stakeholder.

The second research question, Which drivers and barriers do logistics stakeholders experience when utilizing biomethane in road freight?, resulted in the identification of drivers and barriers experienced by the logistics stakeholders within the dimensions of technology, customer, organizational culture, costs, society and policy. Organizational culture was revealed to be experienced as the most telling driver for the use of biomethane in road freight. An involved and encouraging management eased the transition to biomethane. The cost dimension, however, proved to not be a large barrier for logistics stakeholders as expected from green logistics literature.

The last research question, How do logistics stakeholders engage with one another when biomethane is utilized in road freight?, resulted in identification of engagement approaches to understand interactions amongst logistics stakeholders when using biomethane in road freight. A logistics stakeholder’s engagement was determined by their role and experiences of drivers and barriers. The identified engagement approaches included collaboration, consultation, dissemination, assess and submit. For example, Haulier took submit as an engagement approach on the use of biomethane in road freight building off its role and experience of drivers and barriers. This kappa expands the use of stakeholder engagement by realizing a connection between engagement approach and expected response.

Empirical data were collected through a systematic literature review, two case studies, interview studies, and document analysis within the Swedish context, focusing on logistics stakeholders’ use of biomethane in road freight.

The doctoral research contributes to green logistics literature by expanding knowledge on fossil-free fuel adoption beyond electrification. The practical contribution is primarily aimed at logistics stakeholders considering switching to a fossil-free fuel or have already begun the transition. Further practitioners can use this doctoral research to aid in identifying drivers and barriers that influence transitioning to fossil-free fuel and how these can be managed effectively, not least through collaboration with other stakeholders. Overall, the research highlights the importance of long-term policy support, proactive collaboration, and knowledge dissemination to accelerate the transition to fossil-free freight transport.

This chapter explores the relationship between energy, sustainability and digital infrastructure for AI from the perspective of infrastructure misalignments. It focuses on a misalignment between the temporalities and pace of scaling of cloud computing infrastructure, and those of energy grids, showing how this temporal misalignment results in the crowding out of industries and in putting pressure on public values of equal access to electricity. Using examples from Sweden, the chapter further discusses collective efforts by regional and national actors to repair the situation by upscaling electricity grids and change planning practices that in turn create further misalignments and societal conflicts. I suggest that infrastructural misalignment as a perspective on digital infrastructure and sustainability invites a shift in focus from questions about the carbon emissions of computing infrastructure towards concerns with resource access, public values and the common good. 

This open access book assembles cutting-edge research in media and communication exploring AI infrastructures and sustainability. It builds upon and expands perspectives on media infrastructure, addressing critical issues such as environmental impacts, economic concentration, and social justice – areas that have not been comprehensively examined under the umbrella term “sustainability” within discussions on AI. The authors explore the complex social, economic and material processes through which AI formations take shape, and offer novel perspectives on the entanglement of digital media, AI and sustainability discourses as they manifest in the shaping of futures with AI.

The increasing frequency and severity of natural and man-made disasters have intensified the need for effective emergency evacuation planning, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Mass evacuation involves the rapid movement of populations from hazardous zones to safe shelters, supported by the timely provision of essential relief commodities. However, evacuation operations face significant challenges, including route selection under disrupted infrastructure, shelter allocation, risk-aware decision-making, and the pre-positioning and distribution of humanitarian supplies under uncertainty.

This thesis investigates emergency mass evacuation from an operations management perspective through four interrelated studies. First, it provides a comprehensive analysis of evacuation planning and execution processes, identifying key operational bottlenecks across all evacuation phases. By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, the study examines how technology-driven solutions—such as artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 tools, big data analytics, and hybrid digital systems—can enhance coordination, reduce response time, and mitigate casualties. Second, the thesis develops a risk-aware emergency evacuation network design for flood-prone urban areas by explicitly incorporating geographical risk factors. A spatially informed risk assessment framework is proposed, and a Min–Max optimization model is developed to minimize the maximum risk across evacuation operations, including transportation, sheltering, and humanitarian logistics. This approach improves system

resilience by strengthening the most vulnerable components of the evacuation network. Third, the thesis examines inventory pre-positioning under disaster uncertainty and evaluates flexible risk-sharing procurement contracts. The analysis highlights the roles of return permissions and order flexibility in reducing costs while maintaining high service levels during emergencies. Finally, the thesis compares alternative pre-positioning strategies in multi-stage humanitarian logistics networks under different disaster scenarios, considering disaster likelihood, product essentiality, and emergency transportation risk.  

The global population is ageing rapidly, and this demographic shift, combined with sedentary lifestyles, has resulted in an increased prevalence of chronic diseases and functional impairment. Addressing these challenges requires ensuring that the increased longevity is accompanied by improved quality of life. Achieving this goal demands the development of new technologies that support mobility, rehabilitation, and health monitoring, together with a deeper understanding of fundamental cellular behaviour to enable effective therapeutic strategies. Conducting polymers (CP), e.g., polypyrrole (PPy), exhibit a unique combination of properties including electrical conductivity, tunability, biocompatibility, adaptability, and processability, making them highly attractive for a wide range of applications. In this thesis, innovative CP-based devices are explored for biological studies and medical applications, with a particular focus on soft actuators, functionalised active surfaces, and systems that combine both approaches. The work can be structured into three main parts.

The first part focuses on wearable technologies, specifically smart textile actuators based on CP-coated yarns (CP-yarns), with potential use in assistive devices. For effective integration of CP-yarns into textile-based systems, a counter-electrode-free configuration is preferred. This can be achieved by employing two yarns that actuate synchronously while undergoing opposite redox reactions. The actuation mechanism can be tuned by doping the CP-yarn with either small or large anions. Yarns doped with small, mobile anions actuate due to anion diffusion, whereas yarns doped with large, immobile anions actuate due to cation diffusion. We investigate dopants and electrolytes to obtain a complementary pair of anion- and cation-driven CP-yarns, which results in a counter-electrode-free linear actuation system. This strategy facilitates the integration of CP-based actuators into lightweight, flexible, and low-power wearable technologies for physical assistance and rehabilitation.

The second part addresses fundamental biological studies enabled by novel CP-based actuators and active surfaces. We develop a simple, versatile, PPy-coated gold (PPyAu) wire actuator for in vitro mechanotransduction studies that is compatible with cell culture conditions. The PPyAu wire actuator delivers well-controlled static and cyclic micro-mechanical stimuli to adjacent cells. Using osteoblastic and endothelial cell models, we show regime-dependent mechanotransduction responses at both transcriptional and cytoskeletal levels, e.g., upregulation of well-known mechanosensitive genes, including Fos and Fosl1, and reorganization of the cytoskeleton and maturation of focal adhesions. Altogether, these results highlight the importance of stimulation dynamics in mechanobiology. In parallel, CPs are employed as dynamic substrates for the development of advanced in vitro culture platforms. PPy surfaces functionalised with osteoblast-derived plasma membrane nanofragments (PMNFs) are engineered to promote early-stage bone mineralisation, mimicking key aspects of the bone marrow niche. We investigate the influence of PPy dopants, PPy redox state, PMNFs immobilisation strategies, mineralisation time, and the addition of β-glycerophosphate during mineralisation of the bone. Furthermore, we show that these surfaces support hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) viability and modulate cell adhesion and proliferation, representing a promising step toward advanced biochips for in vitro studies.

Finally, the third part explores future-oriented, autonomous biohybrid systems. To date, most CP-based actuators rely on external potentiostats or wired power supplies. As an alternative, biochemical energy conversion using glucose and oxygen, as employed in enzymatic biofuel cells, offers a route toward untethered operation. To this end, we investigate the electrochemistry of enzyme-catalysed biofuel reactions in solution and on the surface in PPy-coated bilayer and trilayer bending actuators. To improve electron transfer, the use of redox mediators and enzyme immobilisation strategies are explored. This work advances the possibility of self-powered CP actuators and highlights their potential for next-generation implantable, ingestible, or wearable biomedical devices.

Overall, this thesis demonstrates how CPs can bridge device development and fundamental biological research, advancing soft actuation wearable technologies, mechanobiology tools, and autonomous biohybrid systems for future biomedical applications.

Cellular mechanotransduction signals play a crucial role in physiological and pathological conditions, including skeletal disorders. Although various systems exist to mechanically stimulate cultured cells, most are constrained by incubator incompatibility, limited physiological relevance, nonuniform stimulation, or complexity. The objective of this article is to develop and validate a compact, incubator-compatible tool capable of delivering localized and physiologically relevant mechanical stimulation to small cell populations. Here, we introduce a polypyrrole-based wire-shaped microactuator designed to induce localized mechanical stress to adjacent cells. These wire-shaped microactuators are biocompatible, easy-to-use, and compact for use within standard in vitro cell culture systems. Using a noncontact optical method, we characterize the actuation of polypyrrole-coated wires in an aqueous NaDBS electrolyte, showing radial expansion of 1.5–8 µm depending on the deposited polypyrrole film thickness, comparable to cellular dimensions. Next, the actuation is confirmed to be robust and stable to use in cell culture media at physiological temperature. To evaluate biological relevance, osteoblastic KUSA-A1 cells are mechanically stimulated inside the incubator and transcriptomic changes are assessed. Mechanical stimulation resulted in upregulation of genes previously associated with mechanotransduction, including Fos and Fosb. Additionally, several uncharacterized long noncoding RNAs are differentially expressed, suggesting potential novel players in the mechanotransduction pathway.

Background

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has a pivotal role in preoperative evaluation of patients before lung cancer surgery. As surgical and perioperative practice and functional diagnostics continuously evolve, it may be time to reevaluate and refine the use of CPET in this setting.

Research Question

Can risk assessment with CPET before lung cancer surgery be improved by combining 2 established CPET variables (percent predicted peak oxygen uptake [Vo2peak], and ventilatory efficiency, measured by minute ventilation []/carbon dioxide elimination [Vco2] slope) while using recently suggested optimal threshold values for these variables?

Study Design and Methods

Single-center, retrospective analysis of 208 patients with lung cancer who underwent preoperative CPET in 2008 to 2020. The main outcome was any major pulmonary complication (MPC) or death within 30 days of surgery. We combined previously suggested threshold values of percent predicted Vo2peak and /Vco2 slope, defined with a focus on high sensitivity and specificity. For each measure, patients were categorized into 3 groups based on these thresholds, yielding a proposed 9-field matrix for risk assessment. The frequency of complications between groups was compared using the χ2 test.

Results

Overall, 29 patients (14%) suffered an MPC and 3 died. The frequency of complications differed between groups based on the 9-field matrix in patients who underwent lobectomy or pulmectomy (P < .001). No patient with both favorable percent predicted Vo2peak and /Vco2 slope values experienced MPC or death, whereas worsening values in both percent predicted Vo2peak and /Vco2 slope were associated with an increasing frequency of adverse outcomes.

Interpretation

The proposed 9-field matrix for risk assessment was able to demonstrate a synergistic effect between /Vco2 slope and percent predicted Vo2peak for identifying patients who suffered major pulmonary complications or death within 30 days of cancer lobectomy or pulmectomy. These results further improve and help nuance risk assessment in these patients.

Analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog interfaces (ADIs and DAIs) constitute the essential link between the analog physical world and digital signal processing systems. As modern communication systems demand higher bandwidths,improved linearity, and increased energy efficiency, imperfections such as linear and nonlinear distortion and sampling errors increasingly limit achievable performance. Such imperfections require compensation techniques that are both effective and computationally efficient for high-speed, high-resolution implementations. This thesis contributes low-complexity solutions for linearization,equalization, and sampling-frequency synchronization, enabling efficient signal processing in high-speed data-conversion systems.

Firstly, the design of low-complexity digital linearizers for ADIs is addressed. Several novel linearizers are introduced that are inspired by neuralnetwork architectures, but avoid the high training complexity associated with neural-network-based approaches. These linearizers can outperform classical linearizers, such as Wiener and Hammerstein, while requiring lower implementation complexity. The proposed designs cover both memoryless and memory (frequency-dependent) linearizers and are applicable to nonlinear distortion occurring either before or after sampling. All designs enable closed-form parameter estimation via matrix inversion, thereby eliminating the need for unpredictable iterative nonconvex optimization. In addition,an efficient memoryless linearizer based on 1-bit quantization is introduced,enabling lookup-table-based implementations with only one multiplication per corrected sample.

Secondly, equalization of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) frequency response using linear-phase finite impulse response (FIR) filters is considered. For several DAC pulse shapes operating across multiple Nyquist bands,minimax-optimal equalizers are designed, and their properties are analyzed. Based on these designs, expressions for the required filter order are derived as explicit functions of bandwidth and target equalization accuracy, using symbolic regression followed by further refinement. The resulting expressions provide accurate order estimates across different pulse shapes and operating conditions.

Thirdly, a low-complexity time-domain sampling frequency offset (SFO)estimation and compensation framework based on the Farrow structure for interpolation is presented. By reusing the Farrow structure already employed for SFO compensation, the proposed approach enables a unified estimation and compensation architecture with significantly reduced overall implementation complexity. The method operates on arbitrary bandlimited signals, supports joint estimation of SFO and sampling time offset, and allows estimation using only a single component (real or imaginary) of a complex signal. A Newton-based estimator exploiting the structure of the problem is developed to reduce computational complexity, while an alternative iterative least-squares-based design provides an even lower-complexity solution. The resulting estimators are robust to other synchronization errors and are well suited for practical receiver implementations. In addition, motivated by the appearance of low-order time-index-powered sums in the Farrow-based formulation, a general cascaded-accumulator framework is developed as a supplementary contribution, enabling efficient causal computation of time-index-powered weighted sums of arbitrary order without data buffering and reducing the multiplicative complexity from order K N to only K+1 constant multiplications (where N is the number of terms and K is the power in the sum), which is applicable both to SFO estimators and to other signal processing applications beyond the SFO problem.

True crime har under de senaste åren blivit alltmer populärt att konsumera via poddar, dokumentärer och andra medieformat. Tidigare studier visar att intresset är större hos kvinnor. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om det finns skillnader i personlighet enligt femfaktorteorin mellan kvinnor som konsumerar true crime och kvinnor som inte gör det, samt hur dessa skillnader kan relateras till den mörka triaden (narcissism, machiavellianism och psykopati). Studien genomfördes med en kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie via enkät med ett bekvämlighetsurval där de 85 deltagarna var kvinnor mellan 19-59 år varav 42 lågkonsumenter och 43 högkonsumenter av true crime. Datainsamlingen skedde via en enkät i Google Form som inkluderade Big Five Inventory (BFI-44), Short Dark Triad (SD3) samt egenkonstruerade frågor om true crime-konsumtion.

 Resultaten visade en signifikant skillnad i neuroticism mellan hög- och lågkonsumenter av true crime.  Högkonsumenter visade lägre nivåer av neuroticism. Inga övriga Big Five-dimensioner skilde sig signifikant mellan grupperna. Korrelationsanalysen visade att narcissism var positivt relaterad till extraversion och öppenhet, samt att psykopati var negativt relaterad till vänlighet och samvetsgrannhet, vilket överensstämmer med tidigare forskning om den mörka triaden. 

Studiens resultat indikerar att neuroticism har en framträdande roll i relation till kvinnors konsumtion av true crime, medan övriga personlighetsdrag visar begränsade samband. Studien bidrar till ökad förståelse för hur personlighet kan påverka preferenser för våldsrelaterat medieinnehåll.