Background

Heart failure is a common disease affecting well over 20 million people worldwide. In addition to pharmacological therapy, self-care is efficacious in improving prognosis and generating symptom relief in this population and one important part of self-care behaviour is physical activity. Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour negatively affect prognosis for the heart failure population but achieving sustained behaviour change relating to physical activity is challenging. There is research published on how to positively influence behaviours relating to physical activity and one means by which this can be achieved is using mobile health applications. One such mobile health tool, which is designed to enhance self-care behaviour is called Optilogg and it constitutes an appropriate platform on which to develop a novel tool to address sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity.

Aim

The aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate tools for assessing and supporting physical activity in patients with heart failure.

Methods

This thesis describes the development and testing of two tools, through four scientific studies, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analyses. Study I (n = 106) was a cross-sectional study to test a single item self-report screening tool for identifying physically inactive people with heart failure. Study II (n = 10) describes the mixed-method evaluation of the intervention tool called the Activity Coach, along with the development process. Studies III and IV served to evaluate the Activity Coach in terms of study design, potential outcomes and user experiences. Study III (n = 20) was a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial and Study IV (n = 10) a qualitative study using thematic analysis.

Results

The screening tool studied (Study I) had a high specificity (92%), but low sensitivity (30%) in correctly identifying physically inactive people and correlated significantly (ρ = 0.24, p = 0.016) with an objective measure of physical activity. The whole development process of the Activity Coach took 76 months, with the process of defining and implementing it taking 21 months. Key development elements included co-design, defining factor-action pairs, intervention theory, and mixed-method evaluations. The mixed-methods analyses (Study II) showed an acceptable system adherence of 61% and that it could increase motivation to be physically active, but that user selection likely matters, and too physically active people should not be targeted. The pilot randomized controlled clinical trial (Study III) showed that recruiting people for this type of study, while also screening for physical inactivity was challenging with a recruitment rate of 22%. There were significant effects on subjective goal-attainment and health-related quality of life, and a trend towards reduced sedentary behaviour. Following improvements made prior to Study III, the system adherence increased to 69%. The qualitative analysis (Study IV) showed that the Activity Coach was user-friendly, increased motivation to be physically active and that users experienced positive effects on physical health and emotional well-being.

Conclusions

A single-item self-report screening tool may be used to identify those in extra need of intervention. A pilot trial showed challenges in recruiting participants. It also showed high system adherence and potential benefits in subjective goal-attainment and health-related quality of life. Qualitative analyses of user experience highlighted perceptions of user-friendliness and a sense of enhanced well-being. Further validation and updates are recommended before a full efficacy trial is undertaken.

Syftet med den här studien är att få ökad kunskap om fritidshemspersonals beskrivningar av vad elevinflytande innebär samt hur elever och personal beskriver elevers möjlighet till inflytande på fritidshem.

Forskningsfrågorna behandlar hur personal beskriver elevinflytande, hur personal beskriver att de möjliggör för elever att ha inflytande i verksamheten samt hur elever beskriver sitt inflytande i fritidshemsverksamheten. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och metoden som används för datainsamling är semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal och fokusgruppsamtal med elever. Studiens teoretiska perspektiv utgår från centrala begrepp inom det barndomssociologiska perspektivet. Dessa begrepp används för att analysera insamlad data.

Resultatet visar att personal beskriver elevinflytande utifrån barns perspektiv, vilket innebär att de lyssnar in elevers röst vid planeringen av verksamheten samt utifrån barnperspektiv, vilket innebär att personal planerar utifrån elevers behov och fritidshemmets styrdokument. Personal och elever beskriver elevers möjlighet till egna val som en stor del av elevinflytandet. Formella forum för elevinflytande lyfts av personalen som en möjlighet för eleverna att göra sin röst hörd. Det är en del av fritidshemmens demokratiundervisning. Elever använder sig, enligt både personal och elever, oftare av informella forum när de önskar påverka verksamheten. Ramar, inom vilka eleverna har inflytande, anses av personal som en trygghet för eleverna. Ramar kan också ses som ett hinder för elevinflytande.

In the past century, the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle has surged alongside the advent of modernity, bringing forth heightened health risks associated with prolonged inactivity. One proposed solution to counteract this health issue is to incorporate more frequent physical breaks into daily routines. Utilizing applications could serve as a means to facilitate these breaks and encourage physical activity among individuals. However, a significant challenge lies in motivating individuals to consistently use such applications. This obstacle can potentially be addressed through the implementation of gamification techniques like game elements, which aim to enhance motivation for application usage. This master's thesis investigates the design of gamification elements and social interactions for a micro-break application, to create motivation to use the application. The research is conducted in collaboration with LioPep, an application aimed at encouraging office workers to be more active at their desks. The study explores theoretical aspects of gamification to achieve motivation and includes a small-scale user test. The conclusion drawn from this thesis underscores the importance of two primary steps in developing game elements: identifying the desired motivational impact and selecting relevant game elements tailored to the specific application.

Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation is a well-established problem in signal processing. It involves determining the direction from which a signal reaches a sensor array, and is fundamental in applications like radar, sonar, and acoustics. Traditionally, DOA estimation relies on comparing the time of arrival of the signal across different sensors in the array. However, this approach is sensitive to the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between sensors, which can be challenging to estimate accurately. Additionally, precise synchronization among the sensors is essential, but this can be difficult to achieve in certain environments or applications. 

In this thesis, we explore a novel approach to DOA estimation based on the received signal power at the sensors. The method exploits the directional sensitivity of the microphones in the array, which defines how effectively each microphone captures sound from different directions. To model the directional sensitivity, we use a Fourier series (FS) model. The model is then used to estimate the DOA of a sound source across various environments, and for different types of signals. The parametric model enables Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) analysis of the DOA estimation problem. 

Our findings demonstrate that the directional sensitivity exhibits a significant variation in accordance with the frequency content of the signal, and we exploit this to estimate the DOA for different types of sounds. The proposed method has been validated with a range of signals, including gunshots, elephant trumpets, sirens, and female screams. 

The results show that the developed method achieves high accuracy in estimating the DOA for the above-mentioned signals. Furthermore, the method performs similarly well in outdoor scenarios with realistic background noise levels. When compared to state-of-the-art DOA estimation techniques, our approach performs better or equally well for the investigated sounds. 

A key advantage of this method is that it does not require any TDOA measurement between the microphones, enabling the design of smaller, more compact devices. This opens up new possibilities for estimating DOA in environments where traditional methods are impractical. A limitation, however, is that the method requires knowledge of the microphone’s directional sensitivity, which necessitates calibration in an anechoic chamber. Nevertheless, this calibration has proven to be robust, and only needs to be performed once to create a model applicable across different environments. 

Additionally, this thesis explores a different application of DOA estimation, where geophones are used to estimate the DOA to elephants. As elephants move, they generate ground vibrations, and these signals can be captured by geophones. We show that a traditional delay-and-sum beamformer can accurately estimate the DOA of elephants at distances up to 40 meters. By determining when elephants are approaching and from which direction, park rangers can take early measures to avoid conflicts between humans and elephants, which is a major problem in some parts of the world. 

Computer vision systems that are deployed in safety-critical applications need to quantify their output uncertainty. We study regression from images to parameter values and here it is common to detect uncertainty by predicting probability distributions. In this context, we investigate the regression-by-classification paradigm which can represent multimodal distributions, without a prior assumption on the number of modes. Through experiments on a specifically designed synthetic dataset, we demonstrate that traditional loss functions lead to poor probability distribution estimates and severe overconfidence, in the absence of full ground truth distributions. In order to alleviate these issues, we propose hinge-Wasserstein – a simple improvement of the Wasserstein loss that reduces the penalty for weak secondary modes during training. This enables prediction of complex distributions with multiple modes, and allows training on datasets where full ground truth distributions are not available. In extensive experiments, we show that the proposed loss leads to substantially better uncertainty estimation on two challenging computer vision tasks: horizon line detection and stereo disparity estimation.

The superfamily of voltage-gated potassium (KV) channels is crucial for the normal function of several tissues and represents an attractive pharmacological target for treating disorders such as epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmias. However, any drug designed to target a KV channel must be capable of discriminating between different members within the superfamily, lest they plague the user with deleterious side effects. Such rational design requires structural and functional insight into how the selectivity of a molecule can be tailored to suit the intended target.  

This thesis combines the use of electrophysiological and computational techniques to investigate the molecular basis for how the function of hKV7 and hERG channels can be modulated by different lipophilic compounds with known or suspected effects on ion channels. These include polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), cannabidiol (CBD), and synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs).   

Using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique on Xenopus oocytes, we find that both PUFAs and CBD modulate the function of hKV7 channels in subtype-specific manners. PUFAs facilitated the activation of hKV7 channels, except for hKV7.4 channels which were instead inhibited. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that structural differences in the voltage-sensing domain of hKV7.4 conferred a unique, inhibitory PUFA interaction site absent in the other hKV7 subtypes. Once this site was neutralised by mutagenesis, PUFAs facilitated hKV7.4 activation. In the case of CBD, we observed three different responses: inhibition of channels with hKV7.1 subunits, potentiated voltage-sensitivity of channels with hKV7.2 or hKV7.3 subunits and enhanced maximum conductance of channels with hKV7.4 or hKV7.5 subunits. However, these responses were evoked from the same interaction site in the pore domain, indicating a more complex subtype-specific mechanism of action. Finally, using an automated patch-clamp system we screened 36 different SCRAs on the cardiac channels responsible for repolarisation: hERG and hKV7.1/KCNE1. We find 28 of the SCRAs to be inhibitors of hERG and 22 to be inhibitors of hKV7.1/KCNE1. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest the increased susceptibility of hERG to SCRA-mediated inhibition may be due to a unique central cavity site that is absent from the pore domain of hKV7.1/KCNE1.   

In conclusion, structurally diverse lipophilic molecules of endogenous and exogenous origins can interact with KV channels and influence their function by enhancing or interfering with functional domains. In some instances, structural differences in the channel protein can explain the discrepancies in pharmacology. These findings have implications for both pharmacology (informing rational drug design) and toxicology (identifying targets through which adverse effects may occur).   

Maternal stress during the prenatal period can significantly impact offspring behaviour, physiology, and cognition. This study aimed to investigate how prenatal maternal stress affects behavioural habituation in chickens. Female hens were randomly assigned to receive either a corticosterone (CORT) pellet or a placebo pellet before egg formation. The offspring (n=53) were subjected to eight trials of open field and emergence tests at an early age and after sexual maturity. Open field tests measured the total distance travelled and time spent in the outer zone, while emergence tests assessed latency to emerge the head from a box. Linear mixed models, generalized additive models and Cox proportional hazard models were employed to analyse the data. Surprisingly, the results revealed that adult offspring from CORT-treated mothers habituated faster to the emergence test compared to those from placebo-treated mothers, indicating reduced anxiety-like behaviour. However, no significant differences were observed in the open field tests. These findings challenge the conventional notion that prenatal maternal stress leads to increased anxiety in offspring. The study highlights the complex and nuanced effects of maternal stress on behavioural habituation, emphasizing the importance of considering intra-individual variation and the potential influence of moderate stress exposure on offspring resilience. Further research is warranted to elucidate the optimal threshold for stress exposure and its implications for animal welfare and industry practices. 

Limitations on the right to interest deduction within the income category of business activities is a legal regulation aimed at protecting the erosion of the corporate tax base. The rules on interest deduction are constantly changing and being evaluated to prevent tax avoidance within groups with cross-border activities. The Swedish interest deduction limitation rules in the Income Tax Act (1999:1229) (ITA) cannot currently be applied as the rules are not compatible with the freedom of establishment. There is an ongoing inquiry since 2022 to investigate how the exception rule in Chapter 24, Section 18, second paragraph of the ITA can be made compatible with the freedom of establishment. In a new precedent from the Supreme Administrative Court in 2024, the court ruled that Chapter 24, Section 19 of the ITA also violates the freedom of establishment. With the latest case law in mind, this thesis investigates four different alternatives to the current targeted interest deduction limitation rules in Chapter 24, Sections 18–19 of the ITA to determine if the rules in their current scope can be abolished and replaced with regulations that are compatible with the freedom of establishment and can adequately prevent the erosion of the Swedish corporate tax base. The alternatives explored are: 1. Financing deduction 2. Interest deduction in relation to taxable assets 3. Expansion of the general interest deduction limitation rule 4. Implementation of a consolidated common corporate tax base at the EU level (the BEFIT proposal). In the thesis, we conclude that the implementation of the BEFIT proposal could lead to the targeted interest deduction limitation rules no longer being necessary to protect the Swedish corporate tax base. However, the implementation of such a measure may be extensive and could take a long time. Therefore, as a complement until the BEFIT proposal is accepted by all member states, we suggest that protection of the Swedish corporate tax base could possibly be provided by applying the third alternative, i.e., expanding the general interest deduction limitation rule.

"From Creative City to Budget Victim" is a bachelor thesis focused on Norrköping's cultural life. The study is based on the cultural policy changes introduced by the newly elected city government in 2022. It examines Norrköping as a cultural city and the cultural institutions that have contributed to this development. We analyze these changes through qualitative interviews with seven current and former cultural workers in Norrköping. The theoretical frameworks for the study includes place identity, to better understand the city's identity, and cultural hegemony, to deepen and problematize the ongoing cultural policy changes occuring in Norrköping. The core issue of the study is to explore the effects of the recent cultural policy changes. 

Syftet med den här studien är att få ökad kunskap om hur fritidshemspersonal i en medelstor kommun i södra Sverige beskriver fritidshemmets fysiska lärmiljö samt hur de beskriver att den fysiska lärmiljön nyttjas för att skapa förutsättningar för studiero på fritidshemmet. Forskningsfrågorna behandlar den fysiska lärmiljön på fritidshemmen, vad fritidshemspersonalen anser att studiero på fritidshemmet innebär samt hur de arbetar för att främja studiero på fritidshemmet. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och metoden som används är semistrukturerade intervjuer med fritidshemspersonal. Studien tar sin teoretiska utgångspunkt i ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Utifrån ett kontextuellt perspektiv beskrivs hur fritidshemmets verksamhet formas utifrån den miljö den igår i.

Resultatet visar att det är stora skillnader i den fysiska lärmiljön mellan olika fritidshem. Många fritidshem har någon eller några egna lokaler som är inredda utifrån verksamhetens behov medan andra är hänvisade till klassrum och grupprum under fritidshemstiden. Studiero eller lekro, som jag hellre vill kalla det, innebär enligt fritidshemspersonalen att eleverna har möjlighet att leka med de kompisar de själva valt utan att bli störda av andra elever eller av avbrott för till exempel mellanmål. Fritidshemspersonalen arbetar aktivt med att anpassa lokalerna och verksamheten för att erbjuda eleverna studiero/lekro. Fritidshemspersonalen ser bristen på smårum, där eleverna kan leka ostört, och de stora elevgrupperna som hinder för studiero/lekro på fritidshemmet.

The elusive concept of a sphere of influence is often used rhetorically and assumptively, with partiality, while being marked by a notable lack of deep examination. This study addresses this gap by developing a nuanced understanding and conceptualization. Drawing on a theoretical framework that combines elements of Classic Realism and Constructivism, the study provides a detailed definition of spheres of influence and applies it to a case study involving the asymmetrical Russo-Georgian relationship that culminated in the 2008 war in the South Caucasus. Through a process tracing approach that examines actors' motives and actions, the case study analysis reveals that while Russia's behavior in the region does not conform to a traditional sphere of influence, it reflects a determined aspiration to establish one. The study concludes that the situation in the South Caucasus resembles more a sphere of interest rather than a sphere of influence. The conceptualization facilitated a comprehensive examination of actors' motives and contextual dynamics, underscoring the concept's potential as an analytical tool for understanding complex geopolitical events. Thus, this thesis contributes to academia by offering theoretical progress in this topic, an advanced definition of sphere of influence, and a valuable toolkit for discerning behavioral patterns and their implications in international relations theory and practice.

Syftet med den här småskaliga studien var att undersöka hur fyra förskollärare, två specialpedagoger och en psykolog utformar tillgängliga lärmiljöer utifrån barnens behov och förutsättningar. Studien beaktar särskilt fysisk lärmiljö och vilka möjligheter och hinder som finns vid utformning av tillgängliga lärmiljöer i förskolan. 

Data samlades in genom en kvalitativ forskningsansats med strukturerade intervjuer och ickedeltagande observationer. En tematisk analys genomfördes. Åtta teman analyserades fram under analysarbetet. Dessa var Bildstöd, Ordning och reda, Trivsamt klimat, Material på låg höjd, Utrymmen för vila, Trygghetsföremål och Förebygga och minska buller och Att ha tid för planering och utvärdering, och att ta vara på tiden. Syftet uppnåddes och frågorna besvarades genom dessa teman och i resultatet synliggörs även att deltagarna i studien utgick från relationella perspektiv på svårigheter och problem vid utformandet av tillgängliga lärmiljöer, vilket innebär att problem och barns svårigheter anses beror på det organisatoriska i förskolan, personalens förhållningssätt och den omgivande miljön.

Denna studie är relevant för specialpedagoger då den ger råd, exempel på tidigare forskning och litteratur till vidare läsning som handlar om tillgängliga lärmiljöer i förskolan. Det ger även ett flertal tips och idéer om vilka verktyg och anpassningar som kan användas i lärmiljön.

This thesis examines differences and longitudinal associations addressing early language and cognitive and later literacy skills among low birth (LBW; less than 2500 gr) and normal birth weight (NBW; above 2500 gr) children. This cut-off definition aligns with the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021). In this study, LBW and NBW children were enrolled at the age of 5 from an international longitudinal twin study. In this thesis a total of 382 Swedish twins were included and assessed longitudinally from preschool through Grade 2. In my thesis, I use preschool measures of language and cognitive skills as predictors of later literacy development assessed at kindergarten and Grade 1 and 2. Findings across as well as within each birth weight group clearly show a classical pattern of associations between pre-reading skills and early literacy development where phonological awareness, RAN (rapid automatized naming), letter knowledge and to some extent vocabulary predict word reading, spelling and reading comprehension in early grades. Findings also indicate that there are no differences between LBW and NBW children and their literacy competence nor development across early grades. The first and most important conclusion from these analyses is that LBW children in Sweden develop early cognitive and language skills to the same extent and with similar impact on their early literacy development as NBW children. This argues for a discussion addressing the advantages in neonatal health care across countries, but as for my future profession as a special education teacher, I will always be aware about the possible impact of low birth weight might have on young students entering first grade in the Swedish school system.

Catalytic water recombination and electrolysis play an important role in the transition towards green, renewable, fossil-free energy production. The processes are kinetically limited by the oxygen reactions, i.e. Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) and Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER), thus these reactions have higher demand for electrocatalysts than the hydrogen reactions. There is a particular focus on finding abundant and cheap alternatives to noble metal oxygen reaction catalysts used today. Alternatives such as Co, Ni, Fe and Mn oxides, are promising candidates and in some cases found to be bifunctional oxygen catalysts, i.e. that they are active towards both reactions. In this thesis, these catalytically active elements have been alloyed together in multicomponent, high entropy thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering. 

Anodization profiles have been designed to activate the thin films by tuning the surface oxidation states. This considerably enhanced the catalytic activity towards both ORR and OER. For pure Co films, the electrochemical modification resulted in the formation of Co3O4 platelets with the two Co cations as active sites. In the CoCrFeNi films, an enrichment of the surface in Co and Ni cations was observed after anodization. In addition, the presence of Fe and its synergy with the active sites was identified as key to the catalytic activity.   

Another critical aspect was the film structure. Here the substrate bias was varied which affected the ion bombardment during the deposition. This changed the typical columnar structure of the films towards denser and more faceted films with larger grains. Both the columnar and denser structure were found catalytically active, in particular towards OER. The denser films had better long-term stability towards OER compared to the columnar films.   To understand in depth the catalytic mechanism for the CoCrFeNi and MnCrFeNi films, the ORR pathway was also investigated. It was first observed that replacing Co with Mn reduced the overpotentials for both ORR and OER. The as-deposited films follow a (2+1) electrons pathway whereas the anodized films shifted towards either 4 or 2 electrons pathway. This was also correlated to the active sites and film structure. 

Furthermore, the films synthesized in this thesis have also a high corrosion resistance in alkaline and neutral chloride containing environments. The films presented a passive behavior due to the formation of a protective oxide layer. Once again, film composition and film structure, in particular grain size affected the corrosion performance. The presence of defects due to lattice distortion of CoCrFeNi significantly improved the corrosion resistance in NaCl. The smaller grain size of the films led to a higher corrosion resistance in KOH. Additions of Mo to CoCrFeNi significantly improve the corrosion resistance in acidic environments at elevated temperature. This was attributed to the suppression of secondary phases and presence of Mo in the passive films.  

In summary, this thesis focuses on tuning thin film composition, structure, and post-deposition oxidation to improve both the catalytic activity towards oxygen reactions and the corrosion resistance in environments relevant for cata-lytic water recombination and electrolysis. The focus on abundant and cheap elements for material synthesis aims to contribute to the development of non-noble metal oxygen electrocatalysts for potential use in future green energy technologies.   

This essay explores China's December 2023 decision to prohibit the export of rare earth magnet manufacturing technology through the lenses of both economic nationalism and economic liberalism. The paper seeks to determine why China's export ban is rational by examining its reasons within the context of its larger economic strategies. The study examines China's dominance in the rare earth elements (REEs) market, emphasizing the US-China trade relationship. The article uses a qualitative technique that combines theoretical concepts and empirical data to investigate how the prohibition matches China's aims of technical self-sufficiency, economic security, and global competitiveness. The findings show that China's approach is motivated by a strategic desire to protect its technological advances, maintain its competitive advantage, and reduce reliance on foreign markets. While this protectionist move goes against liberal economic concepts such as free trade and limited government intrusion, it demonstrates China's determination to strengthen its national interests and technological autonomy. The analysis concludes that, while the export ban can potentially disrupt global supply networks, it is a planned effort to strengthen China's long-term economic and geopolitical prominence. This work adds to our understanding of the complex interplay between national policies and global economic processes, providing useful insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders.

There are mainly two indications in patients with enlarged thyroid for which a hemithyroidectomy is recommended: (1) surgery as a therapeutic procedure to improve compression symptoms and (2) surgery as a diagnostic procedure to confirm or rule out thyroid malignancy. This thesis evaluates which patients benefit more from hemithyroidectomy and examines the patients' perspectives, which can provide knowledge that can be implemented in meetings with patients.  

Paper I was a preclinical study of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from the thyroid gland. The study evaluated if the addition of a molecular BRAF-V600E mutation analysis could detect more papillary thyroid cancers in the palpation-guided FNAC group. The results showed that adding BRAF-V600E mutation analysis might significantly increase the proportion of papillary thyroid cancers diagnosed preoperatively in the palpation-guided FNAC group.  

Paper II was a retrospective cohort study from a well-established Scandinavian quality register (SQRTPA). Retrospective data for two different hemithyroidectomy indications were collected, to exclude malignancy or as a therapeutic procedure. The study showed that the excised thyroid weight was an independent risk factor for bleeding, and permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis was less common in the excluding malignancy group.  

Paper III was a prospective cohort study of patients with compressive symptoms who underwent hemithyroidectomy due to an enlarged thyroid. Seventy-two patients filled in four different questionnaires before and after hemithyroidectomy and objective measurements of the enlarged thyroid were registered before the operation. Most of the patients benefited from hemithyroidectomy, however, many patients had voice impairments 6 weeks after the operation. No correlation was found between the symptom changes and the preoperative measurements of the thyroid lobe.

Paper IV was a qualitative interview study on 16 patients with compression symptoms from an enlarged thyroid who underwent a hemithyroidectomy. The data were analysed using conventional content analysis. The analysis revealed two main categories. Patients experienced postoperative symptoms that affected their daily life and postoperative symptoms that made the patients develop coping strategies. A subcategory showed that the patients had concerns about the future.  

This thesis reinforces that a successful choice of hemithyroidectomy begins with a well-informed patient and professional counselling based on the patient's condition and preferences. A holistic perspective of the patients is central for individualized treatment. 

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become more common, even within the nuclear power industry. For nuclear power plants, which are often located remotely from larger cities for safety reasons, remote work offers significant time andcost savings for the staff. Since safety is the highest priority in the nuclear power industry, it is regulated to evaluate various forms of changes. Organizational changes that might affect employees’ basic work practices, such as remote work, could be an example of such a change. This study adopts an exploratory approach to investigate whether thestaff at a nuclear power plant perceive that remote work can affect the safety cultureand radiation safety. The study is based on WANO’s ten traits of a healthy nuclearsafety culture. The study included two focus groups with employees to identify the advantages and disadvantages of remote work from their perspective. The results were used to design a survey that was sent out to all permanent employees at the nuclear power plant. The survey included questions about how much the respondent works remotely, psychological distance to the nuclear power plant, and experiences of traits related to safety culture when working on-site and remotely. A final focus group with managers at the nuclear power plant examined whether their experiences of remotework align with those of the employees. All focus groups and free-text responses from the survey were analyzed using thematic analysis. The quantitative part of the survey was analyzed using descriptive and statistical analyses. The results show that WANO’s traits of a strong safety culture are perceived to be applied both on-site and during remote work, but are rated statistically higher for on-site work. Employees and managers share similar perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks of remote work. However, the daily work of employees is more affected when their colleagues work remotely than that of managers. The study identified experiences that could potentially negatively impact safety culture in the long term based on the theory of social cognition. Therefore, it is recommended that these aspects be evaluated and monitored to avoid drifting.

Automation of public service provision has gained renewed attention as emerging technologies are said to enable automation of tasks that were previously seen as requiring human involvement. However, the merits of these automation technologies are often exaggerated. More knowledge is needed on public service automation, and much can be learned from adjacent research fields studying human-automation interaction. To lead by example, this work applies Bainbridge's (1983) concept of ironies of automation. The purpose is to (1) present ironies of automation, (2) explicate how these ironies can come into play when implementing automated systems in the public service context, and (3) outline implications that follow for public service automation. This is achieved by relating ironies of automation to contemporary studies on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) developments in Swedish local government. The analysis results in five ironies and a set of implications for public service automation. The ironies and implications for public service automation direct attention to key challenges that must be acknowledged in future automation implementations and show that further investigations and theoretical developments are needed on e.g., problems introduced by automation; tasks, roles, and responsibilities that follow on automation; how to design the interface between humans and automated systems in a way that facilitates monitoring, take-over, and maintenance; and, tools and methods for assessing the impact and quality of automated systems. This paper thus provides a foundation for future empirical investigations and further theoretical development on public service automation.

Radar image resolution depends on physical parameters of the imaging system, such as bandwidth and aperture size. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) improve resolution by artificially increasing the size of the aperture. The standard method of back projecting the measured radar cross section (RCS) of a target using an inverse Fourier transform is computationally taxing and is limited by the physical parameters just mentioned. This can be circumvented using different signal processing methods or neural network based methods. This thesis takes an approach based on the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD). GTD uses a physical model that describes the scattering from different geometries. By using GTD and attempting to classify the scattering geometries of the target by summing up the scattering contributions of different point scatterers, the actual geometry of the target can hopefully be predicted. This is the main contribution of this master’s thesis.

Fighter aircraft’s capability to carry extra fuel in order to increase the range is of significant operational importance. Under certain circumstances it may be necessary to separate the external fuel tank from the aircraft, i.e. to jettison the fuel tank. It is safety critical to be able to achieve a safe jettison process, which is why today’s pneumatic ejector pylons have mechanically fixed settings to distribute the cold gas supply to the aft and forward pistons that results in a controlled fuel tank trajectory post jettison.This master’s thesis work has investigated the possibility to create a dynamic optimal control algorithm that aims to determine the required force distribution and magnitudes necessary for the respective ejector pylon pistons to achieve a safe separation process, based on information regarding states such as the aircraft’s altitude and speed as well as the external fuel tank’s physical properties such as mass and center of gravity point.The work has investigated theory and utilized methods from three primary subjects: Separation modeling, solenoid valve modeling and optimal control, with emphasis on the latter. The contribution from the subject of separation modeling has mainly been to express the translational and rotational aerodynamics for the external fuel tank. The contribution from the subject of solenoid valve modeling has aimed at giving an expression for the piston forces that arise by controlling the pressure inlet to their respective cylinder assemblies. The primary subject of optimal control has involved utilizing a nonlinear numerical solver in MATLAB/CasADi in order to reach solutions for how to control the ejector pylon pistons to achieve a safe separation for the external fuel tank.The resulting optimal control algorithm has showed that there are multiple variants of flight scenarios where a conclusive and positive result has been achieved, that would indeed result in a safe jettison process for the external fuel tank.

Atypical femur fractures (AFFs) are a rare complication associated with long-term usageof bisphosphonates. AFFs have certain radiographic features that allow them to bedistinguished from normal femur fractures (NFFs). However, these features can be verysubtle and thus easily overlooked.

The objective of this thesis is to implement two-dimensional convolutions neural networks(2D CNNs) and vision transformers (ViTs) for classification of AFFs and NFFsfrom radiographs, and determine whether ViTs perform significantly better at classificationthan 2D CNNs. Eight architectures pre-trained on ImageNet are implemented, includingResNet50 and VGG19 belonging to the CNN family, and ViT-B/16, ViT-L/16, DeiTB/16, Swin-B/4, CaiT-S/24 and PVT v2 belonging to the ViT family. To better understandthe decision-making process, Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM)Is used to highlight the areas of the radiographs that contribute most to the networks’ predictions.

The used dataset consists of 1,161 radiographs from 72 hospitals in Sweden. 20.03% ofthe radiographs show AFFs, and the remaining 79.97% of the radiographs show NFFs. Thedata is partitioned into training and test sets using an 80/20 ratio. The training set it furtherdivided into five folds and k-fold cross validation is performed. For the vast majority ofpatients present in the dataset, there are more than one radiograph available. To avoid data leakage, the dataset is therefore partitioned on patient-level. Class weights are usedto manage the imbalanced class distribution.

Accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1-score, ROC-AUC, PRC-AUC andMatthew’s correlation coefficient (MCC) are used to evaluate the performances of eachmodel on both image and patient-level. To determine whether there are significant differencesin performances, McNemar’s test is used. Furthermore, Monte Carlo dropout is usedto estimate the uncertainties in the networks’ predictions. The estimated uncertainties arealso used as weights when computing patient-level predictions.

In terms of MCC, CaiT-S/24 performs best on image-level (0.759 ± 0.049), ViT-B/16performs best on patient-level (0.925 ± 0.015) and ViT-L/16 performs best on patient-levelwhen weighing the individual radiographs by their corresponding uncertainties. All architecturesperform better on patient-level than on image-level. Weighing the individualradiographs by their corresponding uncertainties negatively impact MCC for all architectureswith the exception of ViT-L/16. The results are variable across the different architectures,and it is not possible to conclude that ViTs perform significantly better than 2DCNNs in classifying AFFs based on the obtained results.

Studien undersöker hur kompetensutveckling sker genom externa källor inom en kompetensutvecklingsavdelning, samt vilka aspekter som gör att avdelningens medarbetare uppfattar källorna som lärorika. Data samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, vilka sedan bearbetades genom en tematisk analys. Resultatet utgörs av fem teman; källorna som används, vad som gör källorna lärorika, sammanhanget de används i, vilken tid som spenderas på kompetensutvecklingen, samt transfer och kunskapsbefästning. Diskussionen belyser förbindelserna mellan intervjupersonernas redogörelser och den teoretiska referensramen. Slutsatserna påvisar att en rad externa kunskapskällor förekom, exempelvis podcasts, internetforum, webinarier och samarbetsprojekt. Det fastställdes att tiden som läggs på arbetet varierar mellan två och tjugo timmar, samt att kompetensutvecklingen sker i olika sammanhang, men främst på arbetet. Det konstaterades att aspekter som individanpassning, kärnfullhet, interaktion, integration och psykologisk trygghet är aspekter som bidrar till att något beskrivs som lärorikt. Avslutningsvis presenteras de praktiska implikationer som studien resulterat i samt ett antal förslag på framtida forskning.

The thesis explores the application of deep reinforcement learning techniques to the task of motion planning of autonomous vehicles, where the data for training is generated by the vehicle executing actions through trial and error to learn a driving policy. The thesis work implements reinforcement learning algorithm called Soft-Actor Critic algorithm for motion planning in static environments and investigates the extension of the methodology to dynamic environments. The deep reinforcement learning framework is integrated in a driving simulator called CARLA, for training and testing. High dimensional action and state spaces inherent to autonomous vehicle motion planning, along with the requirement of large computational resources and training time, presents a challenge for applicability of the reinforcement learning framework. To ensure computational feasibility, given the available computational resources and reducing training times, a reduced action space is used. The thesis employs Soft-Actor Critic algorithm to learn the steering control for a fixed throttle value of the agent using the image from a front-facing camera on the ego vehicle as input, to solve the problem of motion planning in static environments.An extension of the method for dynamic environments can be to segregate the control into lateral control using pure-pursuit control and longitudinal control using the Soft-Actor Critic algorithm, among others.The observed results for various driving situations in the static environment demonstrate the ability to learn driving policies without pre-existing driving datasets. However, enhancements in diversity in training environment, better perception, hyper-parameter tuning of the policy and value networks, increased computational resources, and the integration of imitation learning can potentially lead to better results.

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions on the influencing factors of a democratic classroom community. The study also explores the effect of outdoor education. The current study aims to investigate teachers' perceptions of how they develop a democratic classroom community and what factors impact this development. Teachers’ interviews were analyzed according to the method of Grounded theory that led to the generation of a theory. Findings suggest that these factors can be practices that teachers use inside the classroom but also external factors that support or undermine the democratic climate. More specifically, the study found 4 main categories impacting the classroom community and 18 subcategories. These categories are democratic practices teachers use inside their classroom (child centered approach, outdoor experiential learning, students' councils, supportive environment and supportive environment outdoors). Strengthening factors, external factors that influence the democratic climate (teachers' egalitarian beliefs, schools' alternative philosophy, teachers' collaboration, parents' inclusion) positively, undermining factors, external components that influence the democratic climate negatively (teachers' negative psychological state, stressful working environment, lack of time, competition and teacher-parent non-effective communication). Lastly, the fourth category, community impact, consists of some positive outcomes in a democratic classroom community (children's feelings, children's feelings from being outdoors, student’s relationships, and student’s relationships outdoors). Limitations of the study and further implications are also provided.   

Bioelectronics, a field that bridges biology and electronics, has a rich history dating back to the 18th century. The inception of bioelectronics is generally attributed to Luigi Galvani, who in the late 1700s discovered that frog legs twitch as if alive when struck by electrical current. Consequently, this was the idea leading to what is known as animal electricity, which is considered the precursor to modern bioelectronics. Furthermore, in the mid-1800s, the electrical phenomena of exposed cerebral hemispheres in rabbits and monkeys were discovered by Richard Caton leading to the advancement in the 20th century bringing us closer to what we refer as bioelectronics nowadays, with the development of medical devices to aid with cardiological or hearing disorders such as the pacemaker and cochlear implants. What is more, a big milestone in the field of bioelectronics was the invention of the transistor in the middle of the 20th century opening countless new possibilities for biocompatible devices and electronic miniaturization. Nowadays bioelectronics have been evolving into a broad and diverse field with applications ranging from medical imaging to even genetic modification. The focus is on areas like bioelectronic medicine, neural interfaces and biosensors as well as the development and testing of new biocompatible materials. The field is growing every day driven by advancements in both organic electronics and biology. As our understanding is expanding more about the properties of biological cells and tissues, the potential ideas and applications will also continue to grow.   

Currently, the state of the art is Neuralink with the aim of creating a brain-computer interface that could potentially restore autonomy to those with medical needs that could not be met with the current advancements in technology. A device containing a chip and several electrode arrays of more than 1,000 super thin, flexible conductors that a surgical robot carefully implants into the cerebral cortex was utilized. Implantable devices designed to make controlling a computer or mobile device at will come closer to reality, with the biggest success being that these devices were successfully implanted in a human for the first time ever.   

Organic electronics is a field with focus on the synthesis, characterization, design, and application of polymers that exhibit desirable electronic properties such as high conductivity and processability. Organic electronic materials are constructed from organic polymers unlike their inorganic semiconductor counter parts. Benefits of organic electronics include their (potential) lower cost compared to traditional inorganic electronics as well as increased material flexibility. What is more, organic electronics are a better fit for the growing field of green environmentally friendly chemistry. However, the implementation of organic electronic materials can be challenging, especially considering their inferior thermal stability and diverse fabrication issues. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are transistor devices where the channel betwixt the source and drain is comprised by an organic semiconductor. The electrical current produced is governed by the interchange of ions between the device channel and the electrolyte solution (usually phosphate buffered saline for our experiments). The operation of OECTs is governed by potential changes between the organic semiconductor channel and the gate electrode (usually AgCl or Pt) leading to modulation of the charge density and thus conductivity. For this reason, OECTs are great for applications like bioelectronics and biosensors due to the excellent modulation properties they exhibit  

This thesis focuses on the development of a new wave of conducting polymers by selective visible-light-activated polymerization of advanced processable functional materials for possible applications in neural interfaces, biosensors, photocatalysis, conductive inks, and energy storage. Chemical and morphological effects of micro-structured processable materials are of utmost importance. Bioelectronic technologies were developed to enable new discoveries like soft electrodes that can be grown inside living tissue utilizing processes taking place inside the brain. Several new strategies were developed for the polymerization of these materials that were also electrically characterized afterwards. These strategies include the photoinduced polymerization of EEE-COONa (EDOT-EDOT-EDOT moieties with a carboxylic acid side chain) as well as EEE-S (EDOT-EDOT-EDOT moieties with a sulfonate side chain). What is more, these materials can be successfully processed and utilized in applications like photopatterning, where photolithography masks are used as the desired patterning shape with high fidelity structures as a result with micrometer resolution. Photopatterning can also be implemented in vivo with the use of photocatalytic dyes like SiR-COOH which extends the polymerization capabilities to longer wavelengths (650 nm) on zebrafish brains and tails, essentially creating conductive tattoos on living organisms.   

One other important part of this thesis is the mechanistic studies of the photoinduced polymerization, to gain further insight on how this new technology can be refined and implemented in new applications. Our findings suggest that oxygen plays an integral role in the polymerization reaction since hydrogen peroxide production has been observed after the illumination of the monomer/polymer solutions. Furthermore, a study on the stability of enzymatically crafted OECTs containing materials such as ETE-COONa (EDOT-Thiophene-EDOT moieties with a carboxylic acid side group), ETE-S (EDOT-Thiophene-EDOT moieties with a sulfonate side group), and EEE-COONa was conducted to improve adhesion and long-term usage. Sulfo-NHS click chemistry was implemented to improve the adhesion to modified epoxy group silane (GOPS) to create a stronger covalent bond between the organic molecules and the surface of the interface. 

As cyber threats continue to escalate on a global scale, the importance of acquiring skills to effectively counter these attacks becomes increasingly critical. In response to this growing need, cyber defence exercises have emerged as invaluable educational tools aimed at equipping individuals with the necessary expertise to defend against cyber threats. These exercises offer hands-on learning experiences, simulating real-world cyberattack scenarios to provide participants with practical insights into cyber defence strategies and tactics. This thesis delves into the process of developing a framework for determining which new exploits to integrate into cyber defence exercises. Using selection criteria acquired through interviews and a questionnaire administered to researchers affiliated with the white and red teams at FOI, the framework was formed. The framework utilises the vulnerability databases NVD and CWE together with the criteria for finding appropriate exploits to integrate into a cyber defence exercise at FOI. To evaluate the framework the confusion matrix is used with an implementation of an OS command injection exploit. The study concludes that the framework effectively generated exploits suitable for integration into cyber defence exercises, as it did not yield any false positives or negatives. 

Train dispatchers play a vital role for safe and efficient railway operations. Their role includes several tasks, such as controlling train movements, maneuvering railway infrastructures (e.g., switches and signals), communicating with train crew and maintenance contractors. Dispatching centers operate around the clock, resulting in a high risk of fatigue for dispatchers, especially during night shifts. Moreover, dispatchers’ cognitive performance deteriorates when workload levels are too high. Although workload is a subjective measure, it is correlated with task load, i.e., the number of tasks executed in a given period of time. A preventive approach against too high workload levels is to account for the task load already during the scheduling phase. Currently, shifts are scheduled manually, which is a very complex task that cannot guarantee a satisfying quality both in terms of high efficiency and balanced workload levels.

The aim of this thesis is to create a scheduling framework, based on mathematical optimization models, that supports shift planners in their work. The framework helps in automatizing the scheduling process and improves the quality of the resulting shifts. Our initial approach is to use our models to figure out the required staffing levels and produce baseline schedules, and then improve these by increasing their attractiveness. To achieve this goal, we conduct three related studies considering the case of Malm¨o dispatching center. The studies result in different optimization models for shift scheduling of train dispatchers. We present the complete results in the following three papers:

In the first paper, we build an optimization model for one-day shift scheduling, where the objective function is to minimize the number of needed dispatchers. Moreover, we analyze the impact on the computation time of different parameters, such as the number of geographical areas and how these are combined. The results of the experiments are obtained within acceptable run times for real-world size instances. In the second paper, we suggest a stronger formulation of the previous model; in addition, we focus on improving the quality of the shifts. The improvements consider avoiding undesirable start times (between 00 and 05 am) and too short shifts (shorter than 6h). Our major contribution in this paper is giving four approaches for defining and modeling area-dispatcher-assignment switches, called handovers,  which occur when a dispatcher changes the assigned controlled areas during a shift. Two of these approaches gave promising results for solving real-world size instances to optimality within acceptable run times.

In the third paper, we increase the time horizon from one day to a week. We do this by combining the resulting shifts from some instances in the second paper where we consider a list of legal constraints, such as resting time between shifts, weekly rest and the total weekly working hours. In addition, we analyze the impact of the variability in shift lengths on the quality of the weekly schedules. 

Individers erfarenheter av och inställningar till samtalsbehandling är ett forskningsområde med kunskapsluckor. Syftet med studien var att öka kunskapen om upplevelser av och attityder till samtalsbehandling bland svenska individer över 18 år. Aspekter som undersöktes var bland annat upplevd nöjdhet med samtalsbehandling samt förekomst och anledningar till avhopp. Studien tillämpade en kvantitativ ansats och genomfördes utifrån en webbaserad enkätundersökning. Deskriptiv statistik användes för att kartlägga ämnesområdet utifrån studiens frågeställningar. Datainsamlingen baserades på totalt 593 individer, varav 70 % hade egna erfarenheter av samtalsbehandling.

Resultatet visade att respondenterna som genomgått samtalsbehandling var relativt nöjda, och skattade i genomsnitt sin nöjdhet till 12.67 (SD 2.56) poäng på en skala från 4 till 16. Även alliansen skattades högt, i genomsnitt 5.33 (SD 1.34) poäng på en skala från 0 till 6. Frekvensen av att någonsin ha avbrutit samtalsbehandling beräknades till 40.3–44.6 %. Avhopp berodde vanligen på missnöje med behandlaren. Respondenter utan erfarenhet av samtalsbehandling uppgav generellt hög tilltro till samtalsbehandling som hjälpsamt vid symptom på psykisk ohälsa, men inte vid fysiska besvär.

Studien fann tydliga kopplingar mellan allians, nöjdhet och avhopp, samt identifierade svårigheter med att särskilja olika typer av samtalsbehandling på grund av betydande överlapp mellan definitioner. Därmed konstateras ett behov av ökad tydlighet för att skilja mellan behandlingsalternativ inom samtalsbehandling.

A computer modem consists of many processors and memories, specialized for digital signal processing. One of the components, the main scalar processor, may also consist of multiple processor cores. This thesis investigates the approach of specializing these further, cutting features such as supported instructions or pipeline stages where possible, in order to save area and improve performance. These specialized processor cores, in this thesis called micro-cores, would then be combined in a heterogeneous chip, which together supports the entire instructionset.

The investigation found that micro-cores can save significant area, and even improve general-purpose performance; however, a large investigation with more complex cores and a final integration, would be required to completely evaluate the design approach. Still, this investigation provides valuable insight into processor design; such as what contributes to chip area and how new components or more pipelining affects processor speed and program performance.

Knowledge is power, not only for better understanding one's existence but also for influencing one's life. Nevertheless, many people still remain outside a modern educational system, due to reasons emerging from geographical and socioeconomic challenges. People in remote areas also deserve a proper education, but how can education be effectively achieved to those living furthest from modern society? This essay aims to explore the early stages of an initiative by a charitable organization that, leveraging smart technology, has undertaken the challenge of providing vocational training to people in the Kenyan last mile through the Kenswed m-school project.

Based on multiple interviews, questionnaires, and on-site observations in Kenya, the following conclusions can be drawn: Access to a free, mobile learning platform with adequate educational material can improve people's opportunities to increase their economic income. It has also been observed that the spread of knowledge extends beyond the optimal one-to-one solution, as a tablet often benefits more individuals than the primary student. This is not only in terms of knowledge but also visually, as the solar-powered device also brings a set of light bulbs to communities that have not yet been electrified. Despite its strengths, the project needs to further adapt the educational material to the Kenyan context, and there is a reported need for support in the form of start-up capital to create job opportunities after completing the vocational training.

The impact of knowledge in the communities selected to participate in the project is overall striking, with many students reporting a shift from an idle state of being to a more active daily life. 

Is it possible to design and build furniture without sketches, drawings or mesaurement tools?

In this bachelors thesis creativity, memory and spatial ability is studied by banning the most essential design tools. Instead of translating ideas into drawings and then build according to them, thoughts are translated directly intophysical objects. The tool for this study is the kitchen sofa. An example of this type of furniture is designed and built based on the question “how is one’s spatial ability affected by refraining from sketching and drawing in a woodworking project?”.

The sketch and the drawing’s effect on design is critically analysed and compared to other tools for communication such as oral language and text.

The thesis as a whole consists of two parts. One is the the practical work; building the kitchen sofa and the finished result. The other is this report.

This dissertation challenges the conventional narrative of Danish colonial history by critiquing the predominant reliance on textual records and archives as primary carriers of historical knowledge. Through case studies focused on landscape and landscaping practices, it offers an alternative approach to understanding the past by actively engaging with material heritage in what is conceptualized as a vibrant archive. Utilizing interdisciplinary and practice-led methodologies, from cultural and memory studies to ecocriticism, the research examines and engages with colonial history through case studies in dialog with contemporary interlocutors. Emphasizing the dynamic nature of landscapes as vibrant archives-in-the-making, building on Jane Bennett’s concept of vibrant matter, the dissertation underscores their capacity to both shape and be shaped by diverse actors and forces. This perspective prioritizes ethical considerations in preserving and interpreting cultural heritage, aiming to foster inclusivity and resilience in shaping future landscapes. As landscapes embody multiple pasts that transcend national borders, they reveal a global network of interconnected material heritage. However, prevailing historical understandings often prioritize certain discursive national formations, limiting a comprehensive grasp of global connectivity. By exploring contemporary investments in constructing new relational pasts, the dissertation seeks to broaden the analytical scope and challenge such dominant narratives. Through an exploration of colonial trauma and the enduring impacts of historical violence, the research delves into the entangled relationships between past, present, and future. Additionally, the dissertation investigates the role of sound recordings in creating immersive narratives and enhancing the communication of findings, offering insights into preservation efforts, cultural revitalization projects, and community-led initiatives in a contemporary context. Throughout the research, there is a consistent advocacy for a more just and inclusive approach to caring for the colonial archive within the context of colonial exploitation and ecological crisis. This emphasis on interconnectedness across social, environmental, and cultural dynamics highlights the urgent need to reckon with colonial legacies to promote social and environmental justice.

Denna studie är kvalitativ till sin karaktär och lägger fokus vid att fördjupa sig i en fritidshemskontext för att undersöka hur fritidshemslärare arbetar systematiskt med elevers språkliga delaktighet i fritidshemmet. Studiens syfte är att bidra med att synliggöra de inre och yttre faktorer som påverkar elevers möjligheter för språklig delaktighet i fritidshemmet samt belysa hur fritidshemmets lärare arbetar för att stödja eleverna efter lokala behov och förutsättningar. Studien utgår från ett sociokulturellt synsätt på att människan lär tillsammans och använder språket för att tolka och förstå omvärlden i olika sociala sammanhang. Genom detta synsätt återges hur sociala företeelser upplevs, skapas och omskapas i den dagliga verksamheten. Ytterligare en utgångspunkt för studien är vår tolkning av Lundymodellen, en delaktighetsmodell som utgår från barnkonventionen tolfte artikel vilket innefattar barns rätt till delaktighet. 

Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med sju fritidshemslärare från fyra olika fritidshem grundas studiens resultat på deras upplevelser och beskrivningar av hur arbetet med elevers förutsättningar och språkliga delaktighet ter sig i praktiken. Resultaten synliggör arbetssätt som både återkommer och skiljer sig mellan olika fritidshem varpå även lokala möjligheter och utmaningar beskrivs. Arbetet går inte alltid i linje med visionen om en skola för alla, vilket kan komma att påverka elevers sociala delaktighet och fritidshemmets inkluderade undervisning. 

Heat-treatment plays a crucial role in manufacturing and production of steel components since its aim is to provide necessary material properties to fulfil the in-service requirements and comply with the safety measures. Cooling of steel components is a necessary step in heat-treatment and associated with different microstructure manipulations that control the mechanical and other properties, depending on the steel type in question. Common issues of this process, for example in large-scale production of thick bars or in small scale-production of automobile or agricultural steel components, include insufficient cooling rate that leads to poor properties, undesirable residual stresses that may lead to cracks and premature failure, as well as insufficient spatial and temporal control over the quenched sample in case when gradients of mechanical properties are required.  

To avoid the mentioned issues and improve the control during cooling process, a newly developed test rig for Impinging Jet Quenching Technique (IJQT) is used in this thesis to investigate the spatial and temporal behavior of various steel types during different cooling routes. The study is focused on two main cases: continuous cooling of solid cylindrical bars and differential cooling of thick plates. The continuous cooling of bars involves water quench-hardening of low-alloyed carbon steel and different cooling routes of super duplex stainless-steel. The differential cooling of plates involves cooling of different types of carbon steels with various hardenability levels using water and compressed air. The work includes an accurate temperature recording from cooling experiments and metallurgical characterizations for validation of cooling simulation models.  

The results from continuous cooling case showed that martensite hardening of carbon steel bars with water jets can be controlled using IJQT and correlate well with the simulation model which is validated by hardness measurements, microstructure observations and residual stress analysis. Cooling of the duplex stainless-steel bars and their metallurgical characterizations as well as impact toughness results show the technique’s high flexibility and control over temperature evolutions during both water and compressed air cooling. The study of continuous cooling using IJQT in this thesis clearly demonstrates its high potential to be used for other sizes and geometries.  

The results from differential cooling case show that IJQT is flexible enough to provide a wide range of simultaneous cooling rates along the steel plates of different carbon content using both water jets and air jets resulting in various microstructure and hardness gradients. For 0.38-mass% C steel the gradient includes fully martensitic condition with high hardness level transitioning to a slightly softer bainitic region. For the 0.27-mass% C steel the gradient includes almost fully hardened state smoothly transitioning to a soft pearlitic region covering a wide range of hardness levels within a component. The results from physical experiments on differential quenching facilitated further modelling approach for exploring carbon steels in terms of their applicability for microstructure- and hardness gradient formation using different cooling strategies.  

The research in this thesis provides a deeper understanding of how microstructures and properties of steel components can be manipulated using IJQT to achieve specific requirements depending on the steel type in question. In long term, it is believed that the approach used in this thesis will contribute to the development and establishment of an advanced digital tool for optimal selection of alloys and corresponding cooling strategies thus reducing the experimental time and unnecessary emissions. 

Försörjningsberedskap handlar om att säkerställa nödvändiga resurser och tjänster för befolkningens överlevnad samt att upprätthålla samhällsviktiga funktioner vid kris och krig.

I denna rapport presenteras en kunskapsöversikt om försörjningsberedskap och hållbara försörjningskedjor inom kris- och räddningsområdet, med syfte att identifiera kunskapsluckor och områden som kräver ytterligare forskning. Rapportens fokus ligger på tre av de tio definierade beredskapssektorerna: Hälsa, vård och omsorg, Räddningstjänst och skydd av civilbefolkningen samt Transporter. Därtill inkluderas klimatförändringarnas effekter på försörjningsberedskapen.

Metoden för kunskapsöversikten innefattade en systematisk genomgång av internationell vetenskaplig litteratur och intervjuer med representanter från de tre beredskapssektorerna. Totalt analyserades 204 artiklar och 12 semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes.

Studien identifierade flera kunskapsluckor och resulterade i rekommendationer för framtida forskning som bland annat handlar om vårdkedjans robusthet, hemsjukvård vid samhällsstörningar, och mänskligt beteende under kris. Därtill identifierades vikten av att hantera integrationen av förnybara energikällor och elektromobilitet i försörjningskedjor, kopplingar och beroenden mellan olika sektorer, samt samarbete och samordning mellan olika aktörer involverade i försörjningsberedskapen, som viktiga aspekter. Andra rekommendationer omfattar även utveckling av cybersäkerhetsstrategier, kvantitativa modeller för att förbättra försörjningskedjor, och utbildningsprogram i krishantering för civila.

Everyone has a duty to reduce our carbon footprint. No actor is solely responsible, however, thebuilt environment sector is one of the largest polluters of greenhouse gasses. By prolonging abuilding’s lifespan and minimizing the exploitation of resources, it is possible to reduce emissionswhile also preserving our cultural heritage. The purpose of this paper is to study different actors'perspectives on conservation in order to subsequently put them in relation to each other. Theempirical data was collected with an inductive approach by semi-structured interviews. Togetherwith theories around sustainable urbanism, place identity and the industrial heritage as a concept,has challenges and requirements for conservation been defined. The study resolves into adiscussion around central factors within sustainable urbanism and shows the different conditionsand incentives for actors to work with conservation. The study aims to demonstrate the importanceof social and cultural values in planning. 

Healthcare capacity is a foundational constituent of the total defense, contributing to a nation’s resilience and resistance to war, natural disaster, or crises. In case of any such total defense event, the whole spectrum of society is expected to be contributory in sectors like healthcare. A well-functioning chain of trauma care is essential for sound and efficient healthcare in both peacetime and total defense situations. This requires certain medical knowledge to be distributed in society. It is important to understand what requirements that are facing the healthcare under varying conditions, and what needs these requirements result in for laymen and medical personnel. It is also important to understand the status in current competencies and education. The functioning of the healthcare in total defense situations can be understood by taking the perspective of Transactive Memory Systems in emergent response groups. Members of such groups work interdependently without a set hierarchy or previous knowledge about other member’s competencies, in a dynamic and changing environment. Actionable knowledge governs task assignment in a given situation, and actions communicates trust between members. 

In this thesis, the aim was to explore expert’s experiences of current healthcare system and current competence needs for the trauma care chain to be efficient from a perspective of total defense. Seven experts where interviewed, data was analyzed with interpretative content analysis resulting in eight categories; Healthcare levels, Functioning of the trauma care chain, Competencies for laymen, Competencies for medically trained, Non-medical competencies, Ability to act, Healthcare in different total defense contexts, and Education. Additionally, the aim was to explore the status in healthcare education for laymen and medical personnel, to be put in relation to expert’s experiences. Course material from four different courses for laymen, medically trained, civilians, and military personnel were analyzed based on the interview data and content analysis. This analysis of documents resulted in a table of learning objectives of each course, as well as four describing categories; Care levels, Competencies, Non-medical competencies, and Different contexts. Based on the results of content analysis and analysis of course documents, medical laymen need basic competencies in first aid and most importantly the confidence to act on these competencies. Courses analyzed generally cover these needs. The medically trained need increased competencies in trauma care, disaster medicine and the ability to act in varying preconditions. Analyzed courses are relevant to achieve these goals but need to be complemented by undergraduate degrees. The results are in line with development of Transactive memory systems where actionable knowledge, will to contribute, trust in and from actions as well as opportunistic coordination are key factors.

Although human air conduction (AC) and bone conduction (BC) hearing are well investigated, there is a lack of information about BC hearing in most other species, the normal BC hearing thresholds have not been established. And animal model is vital for understanding the physiology of bone conduction hearing. Hence, in our study, the hearing thresholds in the guinea pigs were estimated by a regression of the amplitude of the compound action potential (CAP) with stimulation level and was found robust and gave a high resolution of the threshold level in the frequency range between 2 kHz and 20 kHz. The reference for the BC thresholds was the cochlear promontory bone velocity. This reference enables comparison of BC hearing in animals, both intra and inter species, which is independent on the vibrator and stimulation position.   

According to our comparable BC threshold, we can do some further research. The vibration was measured in three orthogonal directions where the dominating vibration directions was in line with the stimulation direction, here the ventral direction. The BC thresholds lay between -10 and 3 dB re 1 μm/s. The slopes of CAP growth function were similar for AC and BC at low and high frequencies, but slightly lower for BC than AC at frequencies between 8 and 16 kHz. This was attributed to differences in the stimulus levels used for the slope estimation and not a real difference in CAP slopes between the stimulation modalities.   

At the same time, the effect of a middle ear lesion, here modelled by severing the ossicles (ossicular discontinuity) and gluing the ossicles to the bone (otosclerosis), is investigated for both AC and BC. Two kinds of middle ear lesions, ossicular discontinuity and stapes glued to the surrounding bone, gave threshold shifts of between 23 and 53 dB for AC while it was below 16 dB when the stimulation was by BC. Statistically different threshold shifts between the two types of lesions were found where the AC threshold shifts for a glued stapes at 2 and 4 kHz were 9 to 18 dB greater than for a severed ossicular chain, and the BC threshold shifts for a glued stapes at 4 and 12 kHz were 8 to 9 dB greater than for a severed ossicular chain. 

Moreover, the direction of the vibration influences BC hearing also is investigated in our study. This direction sensitivity was investigated guinea pigs by providing BC stimulation in five different directions at the vertex of the guinea pig skull. The hearing thresholds for BC stimulation was obtained in the frequency range of 2 to 20 kHz by measurements of  the guinea pigs’ compound action potential. During the stimulation by  BC, the vibration of the cochlear promontory was measured with a three-dimensional laser Doppler vibrometer resulting in a set of unique three-dimensional vibration combinations for each threshold estimation. The sets of three-dimensional vibration at threshold were used to investigate six different predictors of BC hearing based on cochlear promontory vibration, three single direction (x, y and z directions in isolation), one linear combination of the three-dimension vibrations, one square-rooted sum of the squared vibration magnitudes, and one sum of the weighted three-dimensional vibrations based on a restricted minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimation. The MMSE gave the best predictions of the hearing threshold based on the cochlear promontory vibration while using only a single direction gave the worst predictions of the hearing thresholds overall. According to the MMSE estimation, at frequencies up to 8 kHz the vibration direction between the right and left side gave the greatest contribution to BC hearing in the guinea pig while at the highest frequencies measured, 16 and 20 kHz, the anteroposterior direction of the guinea pig head gave the greatest contribution.  

We do the further research to compare the vibrational patterns of human and guinea pig cochleae accurately, we developed and validated a novel finite element model of the guinea pig, leveraging it to analyze vibrational patterns in the cochlea. This approach is mirrored in our examination of the human cochlear model, providing granular insights into the nuances of human bone conduction hearing. The comparative analysis reveals that the guinea pig cochlea mirrors human cochlear vibrational patterns, thus serving as an efficient proxy for exploring human cochlear function. The convenient and comparable sites for bone conduction stimulation are identified as the human mastoid and the upper region of the guinea pig's skull. The cochlear vibration pattern encompasses a mix of rigid, rotational, and compressive motion. 

Denna slutrapport beskriver ”Biokol kunskapslyft” som genomfördes 2022. Projektet omfattade biomassor, tillverkning, användningsområden och affärsmodeller samt kopplingar däremellan. Fördjupad insikt om biokol utvecklades och spreds under projektets gäng, liksom ny kunskap om hydrokol. Generellt sett tillverkas biokol med hjälp av pyrolys av torra biomassor medan hydrokol tillverkas med hydrotermisk karbonisering (HTC-processen) av våtare biomassor.

En central del av projektet var analys av vilka biomassor som finns i regionen och hur hydrokol/biokol tillverkade av dessa passar for olika användningsområden. Analysen sammanställdes i en mappning mellan biomassor och användningsområden med en gradering av hur lämplig varje enskild kombination är. En slutsats från analysen är att dagens vanliga upplägg där biokol från obehandlad träflis används i urbana planteringar inte ar det mest optimala nyttjande av resurser. Stor potential hittades i andra kombinationer, till exempel att nyttja restströmmar från regionens många pappersbruk for att tillverka hydrokol och sedan använda som torversättning i planteringsjord.

Vidare diskuterades affärsmodeller och en ny svensk standard som utvecklas av med Hushållningssällskapet som projektledning. Ett nätverk av aktorer inom biokol och hydrokol började ta form bland annat med befintliga intressenter från Vreta Kluster, Cleantech Östergotland, Linköpings universitet, Agtech 2030 och Branschföreningen Svensk biokol.

Arbetsmetoden med tre workshops och ett öppet seminarium med kopplad samverkansdiskussion ansågs av deltagarna ha fungerat bra. Speciellt fokus lades på hybridmötesteknik med förstärkt teknikstöd for både digitalt och fysiskt deltagande, så att alla skulle få samma förutsättningar att kanna sig inkluderade. Fördelen med hybridupplagget var att kunna ha med deltagare från olika platser och organisationer, både nationellt och internationellt. Hela upplägget gav ett positivt stöd för samarbetsfokus mellan olika aktörer så som lantbrukare, panntillverkare, kommersiella användare, fritidsodlare, certifieringskunniga, klusterorganisationer och myndigheter.

Arbetsmetoden ansågs passa till denna typ av kortare projekt och planeras att användas i kommande liknande kunskapsintensiva projekt med stort fokus på samarbete.

Resultatet av arbetet finns i denna slutrapport.  

The electronic structure of S⁢c1−𝑥⁢V𝑥⁢N𝑦 epitaxial films with different alloying concentrations of V are investigated with respect to effects on thermoelectric properties. Band structure calculations on S⁢c0.75⁢V0.25⁢N indicate that V 3⁢𝑑 states lie in the band gap of the parent ScN compound in the vicinity of the Fermi level. Thus, theoretically, the presence of light (dispersive) bands at the Γ point with band multiplicity is expected to lead to lower electrical resistivity, while flat (heavy) bands at 𝑋−𝑊−𝐾 symmetry points are associated with higher Seebeck coefficients than that of ScN. Hence, to probe the thermoelectric properties experimentally, epitaxial S⁢c1−𝑥⁢V𝑥⁢N𝑦 thin film samples were deposited on MgO(001) substrates. All the samples showed N substoichiometry and pseudocubic crystal structure. The N-vacancy-induced states were visible in the Sc 2⁢𝑝 x-ray absorption spectroscopy spectra. The reference ScN and S⁢c1−𝑥⁢V𝑥⁢N𝑦 samples up to 𝑥=0.12 were 𝑛 type, exhibiting carrier concentration of 1021 c⁢m−3, typical for degenerate semiconductors. For the highest V alloying of 𝑥=0.15, holes became the majority charge carriers, as indicated by the positive Seebeck coefficient. The underlying electronic structure and bonding mechanisms in S⁢c1−𝑥⁢V𝑥⁢N𝑦 influence the electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and Hall effect. Thus, this paper contributes to the fundamental understanding to correlate defects and thermoelectric properties to the electronic structure in the Sc-N system with V alloying.

The administrative borders of the Swedish counties have historically not been prone to change. However, in past decades there have been active attempts from municipalities demanding to move the county borders, and thus change which county and region they belong to. Previous research on territorial bottom-up reforms in Sweden have not given attention to this phenomenon. Studies on other types of territorial reforms indicate that there are multiple factors explaining the outcome of such processes, institutions and interactions between strategic actors being in the forefront. The subject of this case study is one rare successful attempt to change the county borders, carried out by Heby municipality in 2007. This study answers the questions of how the decision-making process proceeded and what factors affected the outcome of the policy process. It does so by considering the institutional context, the interaction between actors and characteristics of the specific actors referred to as policy entrepreneurs. As indicated by previous studies on municipal secession, this decision is believed to be influenced by the opinions of the ruling party of the government. The negotiations were in hindered by the citizens of Heby municipality being geographically divided in the question of if there should be a border change or not. The results show, in addition, that the county councils opinion were, at a given point of the policy process, appointed the power of a veto. This led to the institutions defining the negotiations being, in fact, up for negotiation. Policy entrepreneurs played a part in making the municipality’s wish for a border change part of the parliaments agenda and up for debate.

In this bachelor thesis of Global studies, I explore how cultural heritage can be used in anti-nationalistic resistance movements through contemporary art. Building upon previous research on the topic of nationalism in Sweden and the resistance movement Folk Musicians Against Racism, I add new perspectives through an interview study. The thesis conducts an analysis of three qualitative interviews with four cultural workers in Sweden, who use folk music in their respective artistic/activist work. Since their methods, practices and ideas relate to anti-racism, anti-nationalism and queer feminism, the study uses a theoretical framework within queer theory and critical race- and whiteness theory. I examine how the interviewees' thoughts on cultural heritage as being recreated in the present through a flow of exchange, can be used to deconstruct nationalist ideas about an 'authentic' national heritage. Additionally, the artists' aesthetical view of authenticity (as in sound or material) is compared to the political exclusionary view of 'authentic' Swedishness. The study aims to create an understanding for the need of an epistemic resistance against essentialist ideas about a nation's presumed monoculture. Drawing from the results of the interviews, such resistance can be created within community building, two-sided integration and the development of language through non-binary thinking.

Focusing on the lives of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei and his father Ai Qing, a famous poet in China during the era of Mao Zedong, this essay seeks to understand how the censorship and lack of freedom of expression in China may cause transgenerational trauma and dissidens. This is done by analyzing the book 1000 years of joys and sorrows by Ai Weiwei. Drawing from a thematic analysis, the purpose of this essay is fulfilled by analyzing the subjective stories and experiences from Ai Weiwei and Ai Qing with an overall focus on "the masses" versus the individual. The theoretical perspective used for this essay is transgenerational trauma, as made famous by Vamik Volkan and Marianne Hirsch. By making my own interpretation fo their theories, I analyze how the relationship between Ai Weiwei and Ai Qing may have been affected by transgenerational trauma, and how transgenerational trauma and lack of freedom of expression may have impacted their careers, which are most definitely dependent on freedom of expression. My conclusion is that China's censorship and lack of freedom of expression have caused transgenerational trauma between the two artists and have made them both take positions ans dissidents. 

Swedish supercentenarians

Sweden's population registration system is among the most advanced and comprehensive in the world, with a history spanning several centuries. This system facilitates verification of age claims of all native-born inhabitants during the past three centuries, something that is of importance when studying the oldest old.

In this study, I could verify 28 persons of Nordic de­scent that reached the age of 110 years in Sweden untill the year of 2022. Verification was achieved by utilizing the Swedish population registration system and publicly available genealogy resources.

Detta är en kvalitativ studie som fokuserar på hur första linjens chefer ser på sina möjligheter och begräsningar inom äldreomsorgen i förhållande till sitt handlingsutrymme. Studien är inom det sociala arbetets verksamhetsfält och vi har genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna genomfördes med 11 stycken första linjens chefer och vi fick inblick i hur de bedriver sin verksamhet utifrån de ramar som finns. Att bedriva en verksamhet som första linjens chef är en komplex uppgift som kräver flexibilitet och en förmåga att problemlösa. Uppgifterna är varierande och man måste ha en bred kunskap inom allt från budget till hur man ska bemöta anhöriga, medarbetare och brukare. Resultatet visar att första linjens chefer har ett stort handlingsutrymme som de väljer att bruka på olika sätt inom respektive verksamhet. Cheferna har stora möjligheter när det kommer till hur de vill forma sin verksamhet och begräsningar när det kommer till budget. Kontakten med medarbetare sågs som en viktig del i arbetet och var avgörande för hur väl verksamheten fungerar. Cheferna har en mer sporadisk kontakt med brukare och anhöriga, men vid behov så är kontakten god. Cheferna uttryckte också att de fick stöd uppifrån vid behov och de kunde vid svårigheter kontakta sin chef. Studien visade att det fanns en bredd av möjligheter och begräsningar som kunde skilja sig mellan verksamheter, men också gemensamma begränsningar. Ett exempel var budgeten, som var ett genomgående tema i intervjuerna med cheferna. Slutsatsen är att handlingsutrymmet är stort så länge man vet hur man ska sköta sin verksamhet och hur man ska fördela de tillgångar som finns.