Enhance the efficiency of automated parcel sorting machines by integrating a closed-loop overflow management system, focusing on identifying current challenges, critical integration factors, and conducting a cost-benefit analysis and developing guidelines for integration to optimize warehouse operations.

To fulfil the purpose of the study, a single case study was conducted which included eight interviews and three observation visits at the case study company. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining literature review with a case study. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with employees, on-site observations, and analysis of operational data. The empirical data was interpreted and analyzed through thematic data analysis and triangulation to identify patterns in the collected data.

The study identified significant challenges in current linear sorting systems, including limited flexibility, inefficient overflow handling, and integration difficulties. Critical factors for implementing closed-loop systems were outlined, such as compatibility with existing sorting machine, spatial constraints, and control system integration. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted which help the company to decide whether to make design change or not, and implementation guidelines were proposed, emphasizing phased integration and continuous monitoring.

The closed-loop overflow management system has the potential to significantly improve operational efficiency, reduce labor costs, and enhance overall sorting capacity. The implementation guidelines provide a practical roadmap for industry professionals planning such projects.

The study is primarily based on a single case study, which may limit the generalizability of findings. The rapidly evolving nature of logistics technology means that some recommendations may become outdated. The cost-benefit analysis is based on certain assumptions and projections, which may need refinement with more extensive data.

Bolted joints are widely utilized for their simplicity, ease of disassembly, and maintenance advantages. However, the self-loosening of bolted joints under cyclic loads remains a complex and challenging issue, with no singular cause. This study investigates the various factors contributing to bolt self-loosening, including friction between interacting surfaces, the amplitude of applied loads, and initial preload levels. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, a clearer understanding of the self-loosening phenomenon has been established, particularly in relation to different loading types. A finite element model was developed to accurately simulate the self-loosening behavior of bolted joints. The study identified friction as a critical parameter influencing bolt loosening. A focused analysis on friction parameters revealed that the friction between the threads of the bolt head and nut plays a more significant role in resisting loosening compared to other contact regions. Additionally, the investigation into Contact Moment Torque curves demonstrated a strong correlation between these curves, pretension loss, and bolt self-loosening. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanics of bolt loosening and offer a validated framework for further research and practical design improvements in bolted joint stability. The study underscores the importance of considering friction and loading conditions in the design and application of bolted joints to mitigate self-loosening.

The social studies subject differs by program affiliation, with college preparatory programs basically taking a 100 credit course while vocational programs only take 50 credits. Previous research shows a discrepancy between vocational and college preparatory programs where teaching for vocational programs is more superficial and simplified in comparison to college preparatory programs. But what is really different in the teachers' teaching practice? The purpose of the study is to provide a contribution to knowledge about how social studies teachers at upper secondary school feel that program membership affects teaching in the subject of social studies at upper secondary school. The study's questions are as follows: In what ways do social studies teachers describe that their teaching practice is affected depending on which program they teach? What challenges/opportunities do social studies teachers see with teaching social studies between vocational and university preparatory programs?

The study is based on semi-structured interviews with nine active teachers in the subject of social studies at upper secondary school. The material has been analyzed thematically and discussed from a theoretical perspective with citizenship education. The result shows that there is a discrepancy between vocational and college preparatory programs when it comes to teaching content. Students in vocational programs tend to have less interest and strive for lower grades than comparative students in college preparatory programs, which in turn affects the teaching practice that social studies teachers conduct. The social studies teachers emphasize structure and variety in the social studies subject to motivate students in vocational programs to find an interest in the subject. The possibilities of teaching against program affiliation enable the linking of subject matter to program affiliation, which in turn can create motivation and an understanding for future working life.

Inter-project knowledge transfer is by scholars widely considered to be a crucial source of competitiveness for project-based organizations. Effective knowledge transfer not only brings economic benefits but also enhances firms’ environmental and social sustainability performance. However, to date, limited research has focused on ascertaining the prerequisites for effective knowledge transfer within the SME context. Correspondingly, through single-case study, this study aims to understand how interrelated organizational factors impact inter-project knowledge transfer in project-based SMEs. Aspects that were found to impact knowledge transfer could be grouped into three dimensions of organizational factors; project characteristics, organizational structure, and organizational culture. More specifically, project similarities, project complexity, horizontal differentiation, and strong interpersonal relationships were found to facilitate knowledge transfer. On the other hand, urgency, absence of formal project managers, low degree of formalization, centralization, low degree of vertical differentiation, and sense of ownership of knowledge were factors identified to hinder knowledge transfer. Furthermore, the present study discovered how the dimensions of organizational factors are interrelated in their impact on inter-project knowledge transfer. Based on the findings, academic and practical implications, and future research avenues are proposed.

In the context of the constitutive approach to CSR Communication, this thesis seeks to investigate how BDP S.A.M. perceives and implements its CSR communication strategies in relation to its Sustainable Corporate Identity. This approach focuses on how communication shapes and defines corporate identity rather than merely reflecting it. Through semi-structured interviews with the Communication Department of the bank, in-depth insights were gathered from their understanding and practices. These interviews provide a nuanced empirical perspective on how the bank integrates and communicates its sustainability efforts, and how these efforts align with its corporate identity. First, internalizing sustainability among all stakeholders by disseminating information and raising awareness, maintaining a strong and close relationship with its clients, assisting them in transitioning towards sustainability and additionally, the bank ensures coherence between its actions and communications, given that sustainability is embedded at the core of the institution. However, they still lack the consideration of stakeholder’s perceptions on this construction of meaning. Nevertheless, CSR communication and the bank's Sustainable Corporate Identity are interrelated, as communication serves to reflect the bank's actions in terms of sustainability, raise awareness about sustainability, and act as both a promoter and contributor to sustainable practices. Additionally, the communication process itself is upheld sustainably. 

The purpose of this study is to contribute to a broader understanding of how teachers can utilize reading-while-listening as a strategy in their instruction. Reading-while-listening involves the student decoding text while it is simultaneously read aloud. The instruction aims to support and engage first-grade students in developing their comprehension of written texts. Through this study, we sought to determine whether reading-while-listening enhances students’ understanding of written texts and whether it increases their active participation. Data collection was conducted by staging instruction in two parallel classes, where two different lesson sequences were implemented to observe whether the use of reading-while-listening as a strategy improved students' comprehension of written texts. In the first lesson sequence, students only listened to a text and subsequently answered questions related to its content. In the second lesson sequence, students decoded the text while it was read aloud and then answered questions related to the content. During the implementation of the lesson sequences, all students were also observed to determine whether their active participation increased during reading-while-listening.

The results showed that students' comprehension of written texts improved when reading-while-listening was used as a strategy. Observations and results indicate that students' active participation is strengthened when they decode the text while it is being read aloud.

The urgency of sustainability has grown in recent years and the importance of reducing the use of fossil fuels and shifting to more sustainable energy sources is more evident than ever. The automotive industry is undergoing a shift to meet the demands of the future and this transformation also entails a high level of uncertainty, as it must deal with several factors that are unpredictable and complex. One of the key strategies to manage the uncertainty of introducing new products is the concept of product flexibility. The literature regarding product flexibility has been largely theoretical and more empirical research is therefore required for the subject. The purpose is therefore to investigate the role of product flexibility in production systems in the automotive industry to enable the green and electrical transition and to understand how product flexibility influences sustainability.

The study was conducted through a multiple-case study, where two production systems were compared in terms of product flexibility and sustainability. The comparison was conducted through the use of interviews, observations, and document studies. Furthermore, the key findings of the study consist of the role of product flexibility, including influencing flexibility types, enablers, trade-offs, and its relationship to sustainability. Four enablers were identified, along with two connecting trade-offs that are impacting product flexibility. Lastly, a framework is presented regarding the role of product flexibility for the automotive industry to cope with the green and electrical transition. The presented framework is to serve as guidance for organisations in the automotive industry to cope with the electrical transition.

Malfunctions in hydraulic systems can be tied to contaminations being the most prominentfactor for them to occur. Contaminations in hydraulic systems can lead to shorter lifetime forhydraulic components, oil leaks that can pollute surrounding environments and also increasethe risk of accidents happening if the systems do not work as intended. Cleanliness in hydraulicsystems is therefore an important success factor for organisations producing hydraulicallyoperated products, because if neglected it can negatively affect economic, environmental andsocial sustainability factors.This study was conducted at a production facility where market-leading hydraulically operatedproducts are manufactured. The purpose of the study was to investigate how activities such ashandling, storage, and assembly of hydraulic components in a production facility can affect therisk of contaminations being built into hydraulic systems. Experiments and observations wereused as the main data collection methods to collect different types of data and also to strengthenthe overall results obtained from the two different methods.The results showed that the assembly stage of hydraulic systems is where the most risks lie withpersonnel and production facility and equipment used being the most influential risk factors.This was also coupled to that all assembly activities, including the hydraulics, were performedin the same area for the product. It also showed that sedimented particles from the ambientenvironment at the assembly stage could mostly not be linked to particles found in analysedhydraulic oil samples taken from assembled products. The majority of sedimented particlesfound was also deemed to pose little risk of damaging the hydraulic systems.This study contributed to research by providing a real-world example of how internal processesin a production facility can affect the risk of particle contaminations being built into hydraulicsystems.

This beachelor’s thesis in construction technology constitutes an in-depth researchstudy of sustainable urban development in Smedbyn, Jönköping. The aim is to completean analysis and present a planning proposal that integrates social, economic, culturaland environmental aspects. Various parties are engaged and involved in the region tostimulate interest and support the advancement of Smedbyn. Furthermore, the study'sobjective is to generate improvement proposals encompassing design elements such asbuildings, green spaces, road infrastructure, and commercial activities. The planningproposal and policy recommendations shall promote social interaction, safety andsustainability to create a lively and inclusive neighborhood with a strong communityand environmental responsibility.The method used in this study involves a case study approach aimed at achieving acomprehensive understanding of the subject matter that is being researched. In thisstudy, data collection techniques such as interviews, observations, and a literaturereview are used as triangulation, allowing compensation for each technique. Theinterviews were semi-structured to get well-thought-out reasoning about the researchobject from the respondents. The participants in the interviews were relevantrespondents in the form of municipal workers, visitors, residents and other actors in thearea.The results show that there are gaps in security for those who stay in the area in theevenings and nights. In addition, a strength of the area is its nature and culturalhistorical value. However, many of the respondents believe that the big problem for thearea is to get more visitors there.Through collected data, areas for improvement could be identified with Gehl's 12quality criteria, indicating that safety, recreational opportunities, and communalgathering spaces within the area pose significant challenges. It also shows that there aregood opportunities to spend time in nature. The aspects of sustainability that can beapplied in the area are cultural, social, economic and ecological/environmental aspects.In addition, sustainability solutions are presented through a planning proposal andpolicy recommendations for actors operating in the area.The research that have been developed during the study is supported and can becompared with the previous research available. The study shows that nature and thecultural-historical value found in the area are of great importance to the residents andvisitors who are in the area. Moreover, there are problems in the area in terms ofoperations and activities, resulting in fewer people visiting the area. Research showsthat more operations and activities are beneficial for a sustainable city.

This research paper investigates the effect of vibrotactile feedback implemented into microinteractions on the user experience within two scenarios: one where users are wearing gloves while interacting with interfaces and another where they are not wearing gloves. To answer the research questions, a three-method study following a within-subjects design was appointed. In total, 60 participants were recruited and allocated into one of two scenarios: gloves or non-gloves group. The participants in each group were given two prototypes: one with vibrotactile microinteractions and one without. Firstly, user tests were conducted to investigate the effects of vibrotactile microinteractions between the two scenarios (gloves vs no gloves) on users’ efficiency and effectiveness. Secondly, surveys were used to see the effects of vibrotactile microinteractions on user satisfaction between the two scenarios. 

Thirdly, 20 randomly chosen participants from the two scenarios (10 from each group) were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview, for more in-depth answers about their experiences. The findings show that the presence of vibrotactile microinteractions significantly affects effectiveness and efficiency, particularly for the users wearing gloves. For users not wearing gloves, the findings suggest (albeit not significant) that vibrotactile feedback can be useful for accuracy, but not necessarily for task completion. For the second research question, the survey findings show that vibrotactile feedback in microinteractions significantly enhances user satisfaction for users wearing gloves. For the non-glove condition, no significant findings were found. However, some indications suggest that vibrotactile feedback may still enhance user satisfaction to some degree in these scenarios as well. The interviews for both conditions show quite a polarized view, with users either feeling engaged or annoyed by vibrotactile feedback. Customization of haptic experiences was suggested to improve satisfaction.

Resultatet av denna studie visar att reklam fortsätter att påverka svenska ungdomar efter att reklam-TV haftsitt genombrott på 90-talet men att det nu har skett en utveckling som gör att den sker på heltannat sätt. Yngre generationer tittar inte på TV i samma utsträckning som äldre generationeroch är mer benägna att använda internet. Yngre generationer är mer negativt inställda till direktreklam men verkar också mer påverkade av dold reklam.

När det gäller genus så är den yngre generationen mer negativt inställd till hur män och kvinnor framställs i reklam, medan den äldre generationen är mer positivt inställd. Detta kan tyda på förändrade attityder bland generationerna, samt att precis som tidigare forskning har nämnt, är barn och unga mindre kapabla till kritiskt tänkande. Resultatet visar att reklamen vinner på att bygga hängivenhet till sina konsumenter snarare än att göra direktreklam. Det visar också att de flesta svenskar har en ambivalent åsikt om reklamen är positiv eller negativ vilket tyder på tidigare teorier och forskning där reklam beskrivs som så vanlig att den kan beskrivas som bakgrundsljud. Den enda form av reklam som stiger ut bland åsikterna är reklam via sociala medier och influencers där en majoritet är negativt inställda. Äldre generationer anser att deras barn tar skada av reklam och sponsring på internet men anser i helheten att deras barn inte tar skada av reklam.

The thesis is written in collaboration with Jönköping municipality's city planning office.Cities are according to Jan Gehl (2010) places where people gather to shop, enjoythemselves and exchange ideas. People's well-being is dependent on public spaces suchas streets, squares, and parks.

This report observes social and ecological sustainability aspects as well as whatconstitutes Jönköping municipality's urban planning vision. Dalvik is located in thewest of Jönköping and is the area this project will focus on. Today Dalvik lacks someof the conditions for the area to have good social sustainability. The area is in need ofrevitalization to create a livelier, more inclusive, and more environmentally friendlysociety. The study aims to understand the areas current flaws and from them create adesign proposal by analyzing theories, previous studies, and the publics opinions.Together with the city planning office this report aims to work as a basis for a futureproject regarding the development of Dalvik.

The study will be carried out in different steps and will start with examining alreadyexisting literature and analyzing the area to identify its strengths and weaknesses. Theinhabitants of Dalvik will be engaged in the project through a survey to gatherinformation about their experience in contrast to what urban planning theories say aboutthe area. By using earlier literature and the survey responses a design proposal is createdthat will encourage social sustainability for Dalviks center. To give a detailed image ofDalvik and the most important aspects of social sustainability in city planning thisreport will be a case study. 

The study's credibility is ensured by use of a combination of qualitative and quantitativemethods and aims to produce a high degree of reliability and validity in the survey. Asurvey consisting of both rating scales and questions with the ability to write freely isused to measure and explore the people's opinions and experiences. The respondentshave been divided into age groups to get a more detailed view of how the inhabitants think about Dalvik.

The survey results show that there are multiple challenges in Dalvik regarding its socialsustainability. The greatest problems are the areas traffic security issues, lack ofmeeting places and greenery. To support sustainable development and highlight thecurrent problems, measures are proposed based on the theoretical framework and thepeople's experiences and opinions. The design proposal includes rearrangement of thebus stops to create a living plaza with increased access to seating and greenery as wellas parks for recreation and training. Dalvik can be transformed into a more sustainableand pleasant area by combining theory with the people's wishes. 

Due to climate change, the incidence of extreme weather events has increased in Sweden, leading to property damage. The government's vision is to reduce society's vulnerability through climate adaptation measures. However, the implementation of these measures is progressing slowly, partly due to the lack of direction and resources. 

New detail plans include requirements for climate adaptation measures. In older planned areas, property owners are responsible for existing buildings. This poses challenges for real estate concerns as protective measures are costly, and financial resources are limited. 

The purpose of this study is to examine how small real estate concerns work with climate adaptations today. The study also aims to map the knowledge of climate adaptation measures and the need for support and collaboration with their respective municipality. 

The study is conducted using a qualitative approach through cross-sectional studies, with data collected from interviews with several smaller real estate concerns operating in municipalities of various sizes. 

The results indicate that real estate concerns are aware that extreme weather can have consequences for their properties. However, measures are only taken when necessary, rather than preventively. Real estate concerns lack an overarching internal strategy for climate adaptation measures, and none of the interviewed companies specifically addresses the issue. 

Knowledge of the municipalities' climate adaptation plans is unknown to real estate concerns. Property owners request support from the municipality through knowledge, long-term planning, and possibly financial assistance. There is also a desire for more organized collaboration between the municipality and property concerns to identify risk areas and find common solutions. More initiatives from the municipality, such as information meetings and sharing of expertise, could facilitate the work of climate adaptation for real estate concerns. 

The literature in Greece on the attitudes and challenges of physical education (PE) teachers, particularly regarding the inclusion of autistic children in mainstream PE classes, is limited and outdated. Additionally, there is no literature detailing the strategies employed by PE teachers to include autistic children in PE classes. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of PE teachers toward the inclusion of autistic children in PE classes, along with the challenges they face and the strategies they employ. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with six Greek PE teachers employed in mainstream schools to investigate this topic. Inductive thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes: (1) The positive and negative effects of inclusion on diverse communities and considerations surrounding it, (2) Systemic, societal, and individual obstacles work against inclusion in physical education, (3) Individualized approaches meet the diverse needs of children fostering their inclusion in physical education, (4) Promoting peer collaboration through a participatory partnership and motivational and educational approaches. PE teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion were mostly positive. However, negative aspects were linked to challenging behaviors and the severe level of autism, attributed to limited knowledge and training of non-specialized PE teachers. Challenges related to systemic inadequacies also hindered efforts toward inclusion. A variety of individualized strategies were employed by PE teachers to meet the needs of the children.

With consideration to the increased interest in glass as a facade material, the focus of this research is to gather more knowledge about how opaque glass facades, with color and lighting, can create an appealing industrial and commercial environment. In urban development, lighting plays a decisive role, and the public's views on design should become known to architects and lighting designers. Therefore, the aesthetic preferences of both laymen and professionals are mapped on six different lighting principles in combination with four colors that are depicted on models of opaque glass facades. The aesthetic judgments between laymen and professionals have been compared in the majority of studies and the difference in opinions between the two groups turns out to be a trend. The authors have a similar hypothesis that turns out to be correct. In order to prove this and get answers to what underlies differences in aesthetic preferences, the underlying factors have to be examined and presented in different themes. The study uses quantitative and qualitative strategies and the method is survey. The results show that the two research groups have different opinions about what is considered attractive, but that they reason in a similar way. There is no single aspect within aesthetics that is behind a complete assessment by the research groups. The assessments are based on a balance between several parts, which are highlighted in a thematic analysis. It also appears that they share opinions for certain colors and for others not. The laymen show scattered opinions for certain facade colours, while the professionals are clearer in their choices.

Den här rapporten visar hur frikyrkan arbetar strategiskt med digital transformation för att lösa samhällsutmaningar. Digital transformation antas ofta vara positivt för organisationer när nya erbjudanden utvecklas. Mindre uppmärksamhet har dock ägnats åt de negativa konsekvenserna. Behovet av att hantera dessa konsekvenser blir alltmer strategiskt viktigt för civilsamhällets organisationer i takt med att dessa verksamheter förväntas ta ett större ansvar vid samhällskriser, särskilt för redan utsatta och sårbara grupper. Men hur det strategiska arbetet i dessa organisationer går till, och hur digitaliseringens negativa konsekvenser kan vändas till inkluderande lösningar som främjar integration, jämlikhet och mobilitet, det saknas svar på.

Frågan om hur strategiarbetet går till undersöks med teoretiskt stöd, avgränsat till idéburen organisation strukturerad i form av stiftelser och föreningar. Exempel från frikyrkan belyser svårhanterliga konsekvenser av digital transformation och visar hur idéburen organisation kan agera för att trygga integration, jämlikhet och mobilitet. Empiriska studier har genomförts i samverkan mellan forskare vid Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping och två behovsägare – Pingst Jönköping (PJ) och Akademi för Ledarskap och Teologi (ALT). En referensgrupp med forskare från Lunds universitet och Stockholms universitet har också medverkat i projektet. Efter en förstudie 2021–2022 genomfördes realtidsstudier i de två behovsägarnas  verksamheter  2022–2024.  Flera  församlingar  inom  Pingströrelsen jämfördes för att testa de preliminära resultaten från studierna.

Observationer av församlingarnas digitala transformation före, under och efter pandemin visar hur utvecklingen av nya digitala erbjudanden både förändrades och stabiliserades. Vissa erbjudanden permanentades, ibland som en integrerad del i den ordinarie verksamheten, medan andra avvecklades när covid-19 pandemin ebbade ut, trots att de hade bidragit till att hantera samhällsutmaningar. Motsättningen mellan att utveckla och avveckla digitaliserade erbjudanden framträder även i projektets realtidsstudie av ALT— en bildningsverksamhet som har organiserat sin ledning och kärnverksamhet genom digitala plattformar och byggt upp en gedigen kunskap om digitalt ledarskap under mer än ett decennium. Få av de digitala erbjudandena integrerades i lokala församlingarna, vilket gjorde att lärare och verksamhetsledning vid ALT var tveksamma till att investera i utbildningar inom digitalt pastorsledarskap.

Kunskap om digital transformation inom frikyrkan har visat sig vara svår att implementera brett inom frikyrkorörelsen, trots den omfattande digitala omställningen under covid-19. Detta behöver förklaras för att bättre förstå konsekvenser av digital transformation inom civilsamhällets organisationer och deras strategiarbete. Frikyrkans syn på kunskap om digital teknologi och transformation, samt hur detta samspelar med församlingens identitet, begränsar utvecklingen och spridningen av digitala innovationer utanför den egna lokala församlingsverksamheten. Det finns dock goda exempel där digital teknologi används strategiskt i frikyrkans erbjudande där integration, jämlikhet och mobilitet stärks bland utsatta grupper. Detta gränsöverskridande strategiarbete diskuteras i rapporten som enmodell för hur samhället kan göra skillnad.

In the 21st century, the global shift toward urbanization has intensified, with over half of the world's population residing in urban areas. This urban expansion presents profound environmental challenges, affecting climate, air and water quality, and biodiversity. These issues, critical to both ecosystem balance and public health, demand innovative monitoring approaches to guide sustainable urban development. This master's thesis investigates the potential of honeybees (Apis mellifera) and the pollen they forage as bioindicators to monitor environmental health in urban landscapes, providing insights for urban planners and authorities. Using a design research methodology approach that includes a comprehensive scoping review, interviews with urban planners, and qualitative testing, this research helped develop a GIS plugin to visualize and analyze environmental data, offering actionable recommendations to aid urban planners and authorities in the urban design process. The research concludes that the data analyzed through the GIS plugin can provide a comprehensive overview that supports informed decision-making.

Syftet med studien är att utifrån en sociokulturell teori bidra med kunskap om förskollärares tolkningar kring hur barnstyrd lek påverkar barnens verbala språkutveckling och vad förskolläraren har för roll i leken för att främja barns verbala språkutveckling. Frågeställningarna som besvarats är: Hur bidrar den barnstyrda leken till barns verbala språkutveckling enligt förskollärarna? Hur diskuterar förskollärarna kring sin roll i leken för att främja barns språkutveckling? Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ metod, där datainsamlingen ägde rum genom två semistrukturerade fokusgruppsamtal med åtta yrkesverksamma förskollärare. Studiens empiri har bearbetats med stöd av tematisk analys. 

Resultatet visar på att barnstyrd lek enligt förskollärarna bidrar till språkutveckling, genom att det är via leken barn får möjlighet att uttrycka sig och bearbeta sina erfarenheter. Studien visar även på att barnstyrd lek bidrar till samspel, vilket i sin tur leder till att barn inte bara lär sig av förskollärare utan även av varandra. Resultat visar på att förskollärarna anser att deras roll innebär att vara delaktig men värna om leken, däremot handlar rollen om mer än att aktivt delta i leken. Det handlar även om att skapa språkliga lekmiljöer som ska skapa lekmöjligheter till barnen. Centrala begrepp för studien var barnstyrd lek, delaktighet, samspel, språkutveckling, proximala utvecklingszonen och förskollärarens roll. 

Syftet med studien är att bilda kunskap om hur förskollärare beskriver att de arbetar för att främja flerspråkiga barns lärande av andraspråket svenska i förskolan. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ metodansats. Sex semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts för att bilda kunskap om hur förskollärare beskriver sitt arbetssätt. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är den sociokulturella teorin. Genom sociokulturella perspektiv synliggörs hur förskollärarnas arbetssätt spelar betydande roll att främja flerspråkiga barns svenska språket, och hur samspel och interaktioner mellan barnen kan bidra till svenska språklärande.Resultatet visar att förskollärarna arbetar aktivt för att främja flerspråkiga barn, där olika arbetssätt och metoder framkom. I resultatet framkommer det fyra huvudteman: språkfrämjande lek och musik, språkfrämjande högläsning i förskolan, språkstöttande förskollärare och transspråkande som resurs för att främja svenska som andra språk. 

Studiens syfte är att undersöka barns beskrivningar av vad en god förskola kan vara genom att lyssna till hur barn berättar om sina tankar och åsikter om en god förskola. För att besvara frågeställningen används en kvalitativ metod, där 12 barn från två olika förskolor medverkar i semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer. En tematisk analys används i databearbetningen och tar sin teoretiska utgångspunkt ur barndomssociologin. Resultatet visar på fyra teman av vad barnen uttrycker som viktigt för en god förskola; Lek, Kompisar, Omtanke och Vuxna i förskolan. I resultatet framkommer det att kärnan av en god förskola är att det måste finnas god tillgång till lek. Enligt barnen innebär det i sin tur att det finns goda relationer med kompisar, ett rikligt utbud av material och en stor mängd uppsättning av leksaker. Barnen vittnar även om att det måste finnas en struktur, som vuxna i förskolan ansvarar för, vilket behövs för att lek och relationer byggda på samspel och omtanke ska kunna bli till och utvecklas. Centrala begrepp för studien har varit barns perspektiv, barns rättigheter, god förskola och förskola av hög kvalitet. 

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience several biological, psychological,emotional, and social limitations, including restricted participation. Various interventions are available to support children with ASD, with autism assistance dogs (AADs) as a recently emerging option. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of families living with an AADin Germany. Benefits and challenges for families and children with ASD, as well as a potential impact on the children’s participation, were investigated. The study followed a qualitative abductive approach, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis with inspiration from phenomenography. Data was collected in interviews with two parents of children with an AADand one AAD user from Germany. The direct impact of the AAD on children with ASD was primarily positive, and a positive influence on their participation was described. However, they also encountered some challenges, mainly related to societal limitations. Within the family, the AAD was perceived as calming and facilitating structure and routine. Various obstacles for families could be identified, including the need for all family members to adjust, an additional burden of care for the dog, and several barriers within the society such as misrepresentations in the media, ignorance of strangers, and organizational limitations. Nevertheless, the positive and sustainable impact of AADs was emphasized, while highlighting the need for better public education and more resources and research directed at AADs as a helpful intervention forchildren with ASD.

With the rapid development of AI in recent times industries are seeking to streamline repetitive tasks, such as quality inspection in order to eliminate subjective and biased judgments traditionally performed by humans. Due to the demand for implementing a consistent and fast-paced inspection system, this study aimed to perform defect detection on metal surface prints. Within the timeframe of this study, data collection on a variety of print designs was conducted, where it was found that the defects mainly were miscalibrated colors. To handle the mentioned task, experimentation between three separate systems was carried out, following a metric learning-based approach. An XGBoost classifier serving as a baseline, a triplet network processing histograms, and a triplet network processing images were implemented to compare how regular machine-learning systems compare to modern metric learning systems, as well as comparing histogram analysis to image analysis. Metric learning networks follow a template-matching approach and in this study, a pixel-perfect template and a printed paper representing a perfect print were initially available. During the data collection, the disconcerting gap from design files to photographs was seen when comparing the pixel-perfect template and paper template. To address this issue, a Convolutional Autoencoder (CoAE) was built to transform the design files into representations that look closer to a photograph of the design. To replicate camera artifacts a process was built that performs a camera’s process of taking a photograph but in reverse. Since the choice of an anchor within a metric learning network can have a significant impact on the performance, the experimentation also included four separate anchor choices between the pixel-perfect template, the printed paper template, and two CoAE-generated templates, with and without applied camera artifacts that were tested on the three defect detection systems.

The results of the experimentation pointed towards the XGBoost baseline being best in performance based on precision, recall, F1-score, and accuracy. The image triplet network tended to outperform the histogram triplet network, therefore image analysis was deemed superior. The best result was obtained by combining the XGBoost classifier and the CoAE anchor without applied camera artifacts. The pixel-perfect anchor was always better than the paper anchor for the metric learning networks. The CoAE-generated anchor without artifacts was typically better performing than the CoAE anchor with artifacts. The addition of camera artifacts made the anchors look closer to real photographs but they had generally worse performance. Although the performance of the different systems additionally can be improved, this study can provide usable information for further research in the area of defect detection on color variations. 

This thesis explores President Nayib Bukele’s discourse on El Salvador’s “war on gangs” through the lens of populist rhetoric, analyzing the ways in which Bukele may construct a narrative that legitimizes rigorous policies. Building on two intersecting concepts, populism and authoritarianism, this theoretical framework is applied to facilitate a deeper understanding of when these two merge and challenge democratic norms. Through a focused case study, using a mixed-method approach of qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis, this study examines official speeches made by President Bukele to uncover the way populist rhetoric might be reflected in his communication. The findings reveal that in order to justify authoritarian practices, Bukele indeed employs language and rhetorical techniques typical of populism. Bukele effectively narrates “the war on gangs” building on common populist attributes such as the “us vs them” dichotomy, anti-establishment sentiments, crisis narratives and nationalism. By portraying the campaign against gang violence as both urgent and necessary, Bukele’s rhetoric seeks to mobilize public sentiment, thereby facilitating the legitimization of more authoritarian policies. This research contributes to the understanding of the implications of populist leadership for democratic governance, illustrating how populism might support authoritarian practices under the pretext of national security and development. 

Computers are great at performing calculations and making decisions based on theresults of those calculations. In order to perform useful calculations based on theoutside world, computers need to be interfaced with sensors to be able to take ininformation. If the information of interest is the linear displacement of some entity, alinear variable differential transformer (LVDT) may be used. LVDTs use the principleof mutual induction in order to determine how far, and in which direction the entityhas been moved.This report describes the process, necessary theory and results of a study into theperformance achievable by a novel interface between an LVDT and a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA).The LVDT outputs two voltages, correlating to the position of an entity attached to theLVDT. These two voltages are passed into an analog to digital converter (ADC) whichconverts the voltage into a digital value which is then processed by the FPGA to givea single value which, again, relates to the position of an entity. The LVDT outputsalternating current (AC) signals but the experiments performed in the making of thisreport were performed using direct current (DC) signals. This was done due to thedesign not being capable of working with AC signals in time. Provided a goodmethod for dealing with AC signals is provided, the results of this study could stillprove valuable. The study used a signal generator to simulate the output of an LVDT.This was done partly to allow for more precise measurements but also to make theresults more generally applicable.The results of this study show that the novel interface provides a good accuracy andan improved bandwidth when compared to a currently used interface.

Although it is widely accepted that security in software should never be an afterthought, in many cases, it is. Particularly in the context of legacy codebases, security considerations often take a backseat, pushed back by the pressing demands of functionality, maintenance, and tight development timelines. The very important topic of security is often sidelined or bolted on during the later stages of development, leading to vulnerabilities that could have been avoided with a more proactive approach. Addressing this challenge requires a focus on redesigning legacy code with security as a central concern. This thesis explores the impact of Secure by Design principles, specifically domain primitives, on enhancing software security through a study involving the OWASP(Open Web Application Security Project) Juice Shop, an intentionally insecure web application. The application undergoes a partial redesign where domain primitives are implemented into the legacy code, after which the inbuilt challenge system is used to evaluate the two versions. The redesign of the application employs the Secure by Design principles as detailed by Deogun et al.(2019), aiming to showcase the practical benefits and effectiveness of adopting proactive secure design strategies. The experiment yielded good results that showed the potential of implementing domain primitives into legacy code. However it is clear that it must be accompanied by other security measures to achieve an application that is truly secure by design.

The use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in the construction industry has increased in recent years, leading to a need for increased production capacity at manufacturer. To meet this growing demand, work processes in CLT production need to be improved. One of these critical work processes is load planning, which affects both the production flow during manufacturing and the assembly process at the construction site. The aim of this study is to identify challenges in load planning and investigate if the use of BIM automation tools can enhance the efficiency of load planning. A Design Research Methodology (DRM) was conducted, with interviews of load planners and assembly leaders to understand user needs, identify challenges and the most time-consuming tasks in the load planning process. The research resulted in a Revit plug-in aimed to improve load planning while considering both production flow and the assembly process. This study showed that BIM automation tools can streamline the load planning process by automating the most time-consuming tasks, transferring the load planning process from 2D to a 3D environment, and developing an automated check system to ensure quality at each stage of the process. BIM also contributed to reducing load planning time, decreasing the risk of human errors and enabling a more efficient workflow in the 3D environment

Kursplanen för historia har fått en del ändringar mellan Läroplan för grundskolan,förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet 2011 (Lgr11) och Läroplan för grundskolan,förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet 2022 (Lgr22). I den rådande läroplanen har historiskakällor tilldelats en större roll medan historiska platser inte har en lika stor del.Litteraturstudiens syfte är att belysa hur elevers inlärning påverkas av användandet avhistoriska källor och historiska platser. Studien vill även ta reda på hur lärare kanundervisa med hjälp av historiska källor och historiska platser. Litteraturstudien utgör enforskningsöversikt, där aktuell forskning har analyserats och sammanställts. Resultatetvisar att det finns stora fördelar för elevers lärande och historiemedvetande genom attanvända sig av historiska källor och historiska platser i historieundervisningen. Resultatethar även visat att historiska källor och historiska platser kopplat till haptik bidrar till enhistorisk förståelse. Studien ger även förslag på olika metoder som lärare kan använda sigav för att inkludera historiska källor och historiska platser i undervisningen.

Regardless of firm size, governance structure, and ownership form, all firms depend on competencies, i.e., skills, knowledge, and qualifications, as a vital resource for business prosperity. However, previous research has shown that access to crucial competencies varies depending on the context in which the firm operates. It has previously been suggested that firms operating in rural contexts are substantial contributors to local and national economy, although these firms are generally small and have limited access to crucial resources that enable business prosperity. Simultaneously, in recent decades, the rural context has proved to offer limited competencies that match the competence needs of the firms operating in this context because individuals with specialised competencies have extensively ‘emigrated’ from rural areas to seek more advantageous job opportunities and access to crucial infrastructure in urban areas. This has left rural areas with low population density and, as a result, downshifted infrastructure. Most of these small firms operating in the rural context have a family ownership structure, which is associated with specific familiness traits in their governance. These familiness traits produce an even narrower selection of competencies than other firms have. Small, family-owned firms operating in rural contexts thus have limited access to matching competencies due to the extensive rural competence scarcity, and simultaneously, they ‘block’ the few potential competencies available by preserving familiness and long-term firm heritage. This downward rural spiral creates challenges for rural family firms and affects the competence management strategies they apply to navigate this situation.

The purpose of this dissertation is to deepen the understanding of challenges and strategies in rural family SMEs’ (small and medium-sized enterprises) competence management and examine how industry affiliation, location, competence diversity, and business disruptions affect these firms’ challenges and strategies. Three research questions guided the empirical studies of this dissertation: RQ1) How do industry affiliation and location affect the prerequisites and strategies for competence management in rural family SMEs? RQ2) In which ways and why does familiness affect competence diversity in rural family SMEs in terms of finding, attracting, and retaining competencies? RQ3) Which competence management strategies do rural family SMEs apply to enhance entrepreneurial endurance during business disruptions and why?

Three studies were conducted that applied both qualitative and quantitative as well as a mixed-methods approach. Two industries were investigated in different geographical areas: the manufacturing industry and the tourism industry in southern and northern Sweden. The resource-based view (RBV) was used to understand how rural family SMEs find, attract, and retain competencies, while socio-emotional wealth theory (SEW) was applied to delve deeper into the how values, norms, and behaviours of the family SME-owners guide the management of competencies. SEW theory was also applied to understand how familiness traits affect the strategies of rural family SMEs. Previous studies have not thoroughly outlined this allocation of competencies in rural family SMEs, nor has the perspective of how familiness affects competence management strategies in rural family SMEs been investigated. These two perspectives can deepen the understanding of which competence management challenges rural family SMEs face and how they develop their strategies.

This dissertation finds that rural family SMEs use short-term competence management strategies rather than long-term prospects to navigate rural competence scarcity; this finding contradicts previous research indicating that family firms act with a long-term perspective. Rural competence scarcity, in combination with unique familiness traits, pushes rural family SMEs towards short-term strategies rather than long-term prospects to fill their immediate competence needs. The rural location is proved to affect the competence management extensively, as rural family SMEs find that they cannot compete with the salaries offered in urban areas. The two industries examined here use strategies with some similarities to manage their competencies by prioritising family members in positions within the firm and by recruiting individuals from their closest networks. While the manufacturing industry, for instance, uses coopetition as a competence management strategy, the tourism industry uses seasonal staff. This study further reveals that rural family SMEs use network coopetition as an advantageous competence management strategy to navigate business disruptions, such as crises. There is an extensive need for rural family SMEs to exchange knowledge when competencies are scarce during business disruptions, which makes them seek competitors for collaboration. The use of the network coopetition strategy enhances robustness for rural family SMEs, which helps them endure business disruptions better than other firms. The small size of their firms makes network coopetition a successful competence strategy to use during business disruptions. An important contribution is that familiness causes reluctance towards competence diversity – such as bringing competencies from outside into the network – in rural family SMEs, and thus, they have a rather ambiguous attitude towards bringing diverse competencies into their firms. As previous research has established that competence diversity enhances business performance and growth, rural family SMEs' ambiguous attitude towards it sheds light on a rather ‘closed’ working environment that does not properly use potentially available external competencies at hand, despite the need to do so.

An important theoretical implication is that, complementing prior research, the findings of this dissertation show that rural family SMEs do not solely rely on internal resources, as RBV suggests, to make ends meet, but also on external resources. Another implication is that the few competencies available in rural areas must be better matched with the competence needs of the family SMEs operating there. The findings suggest that more attention must focus on addressing the extensive difficulties that rural family SMEs face in meeting their competence needs due to rural competence scarcity. Sufficient, functioning infrastructure is a crucial aspect that could prevent rural competencies from being lost. Starting educational programmes that nurture necessary competencies in rural areas to match competence needs could also increase the attractiveness of working and living in those areas.

Prior research has highlighted coopetition as a successful strategy for enterprise performance during a crisis; this has largely focused upon large firms therefore, limiting our knowledge of network coopetition in micro-enterprises. This article explores the impact of network coopetition on the robustness of micro-enterprises during COVID-19. A survey and interviews with craft food producers in Sweden were conducted; a measurement for firm robustness was created, indicating that 46% of respondents had successfully weathered the pandemic and were thus, considered robust. The findings show that micro-enterprises employing network coopetition as a strategy during the pandemic exhibited robustness. This article stresses the importance of micro-enterprises that broadly embrace network coopetition to withstand the negative effects of crises.

Theft and Robbery pose serious threats to public safety and society's well-being. There are misconceptions and public believe already in place about the factors that affect these trends. The objective of this thesis is to understand the decline trends in Theft and Robbery  in Sweden between 2008-2022. What has caused the decline of this type of crime between these years? The other objective is to have fruitful recommendations to the authorities for preventing the number of these crimes altogether and to serve as an example for countries experiencing higher rates of theft and robbery. The data in the thesis was gathered from different sources, including public websites, published literature and research, and most importantly law enforcement authorities. Findings from this research confirmed a positive role of education and employment in reducing the crime rate in Sweden. I also found that the increase of youth is also reducing the crime rate whereas increase of immigrant rate increases the crime rate. As a result, the conclusion of this thesis will allow policymakers to understand the factors and provide strategies that affect the decline in the number of Theft and robbery in Sweden. 

This study investigates the integration of monocular CAD and RGB-based 6D pose estimation into robotic lawnmowers, focusing on charging station docking. A systematic literature review establishes the foundation by exploring methodologies, models, architectures, datasets, and relevant topics from existing literature on 6D pose estimation with CAD and RGB data. An approach for system development was developed integrating YOLOv7 and MegaPose, both deep learning-based, as the models for object detection and 6D pose prediction respectively. The detector model’s and 6D pose predictor’s performance across diverse datasets and distances highlights its potential, though specific challenges suggest the need for further refinement. A methodology for implementing an intelligent 6D pose estimation system for robotic lawnmower operation is developed through the Iterative Development Process where the results demonstrate promising outcomes. Notably, the detector model, trained exclusively on synthetically generated data, exhibits robust performance in detecting charging stations. The subsequent 6D pose predictor, MegaPose, demonstrates robust performance during neutral robotic lawnmower operation and scenarios with artificial degradation such as occlusion and water on the camera lens. Challenges encountered in real-world scenarios, such as low camera height, occlusions at close distances, and unclear imagery underscore the need for future improvements. This study bridges theoretical concepts with real-world implementation, laying a foundation for further advancements. The findings provide valuable insights for the robotic lawnmower domain and potentially for other robotic systems and domains by introducing them to or improving their capabilities via advanced autonomous navigation and interaction.

Economic geography is an important subject for policymakers when it comes to technological change and as development of Industry 4.0 is an important topic, the subject will only increase in importance. The purpose of the study was to map and analyse the spatial distribution of Industry 4.0 innovation activity in Sweden from 2017 to 2023 with the objective to find major innovation hubs and construct a patent dataset representing Industry 4.0 innovation. Earlier research suggested that the innovative activity should be clustered around the major metropolitan areas as they possess the necessary externalities. Theory further suggests that outliers in the data can be found in proximity to nearby universities or firms with high R&D investment. The findings show that the distribution mostly follows the expected pattern with some localised innovation hubs depending on the analysed variable. Policymakers can use these findings to understand the spatial properties of Industry 4.0 to make regional policies more effective.

In recent years, countries worldwide have significantly increased the use of subsidies as a central element of their economic strategies. This study aims to quantitatively analyse the effectiveness of domestic subsidies on both product and sector level in creating comparative advantages. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset covering over 100 countries and more than 5000 products and 400 sectors from 2009 to 2022, this research employs Event Study Analysis with fixed effects to assess the impact of subsidies. The study finds evidence that domestic subsidies have a positive effect on comparative advantages on sector level, demonstrating benefits in both short and long term. This suggests that sectors receiving subsidies are better positioned to enhance their competitiveness over time. However, the analysis on product level presents challenges due to the unbalanced panel, where not all countries export every product each year. This imbalance complicates the ability to draw definitive conclusions about the impact of subsidies on individual products, highlighting the need for more granular data and refined methodologies to fully understand these dynamics.

This study investigates how operational hedge strategies could effectively reduce exchange rate risk. The paper focuses on multinational corporation in Japan, chosen for their large export volume, the number of foreign subsidaries globally, and the size of the economy. Our paper employs a sample of 50 Japanese multinational corporations listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange from 2019 to 2023

Abstract:

Background: The supply chain is one of the most important components of any organization, especially in chain stores. This issue has increased the concerns about the risks affecting the stability of the supply chain regarding these stores and their products. It is one of the most critical aspects of sustainability in the environmental field. This issue is significantly raised in products with a higher probability of damaging the environment, which in this research is related to detergents.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this research is to investigate the risks of a sustainable supply chain with an emphasis on environmental factors and the specific field of detergent packaging.

Method: In this research, using the qualitative method and interviews, we identified risks, influential factors, strategies, and expected results from risk management in the sustainable supply chain in the detergent packaging sector. For this purpose, ten experts and people with experience in this field were interviewed.

Results: The results of this research led to the identification of practical risks, factors affecting supply chain sustainability risks from an environmental point of view, strategies for managing these risks, and finally, the expected results to manage these risks.

Introduction: The report presents a Master thesis project within product development of assistive technologies. It is exploring opportunities to develop a medical mattress that assists in sitting in electrically adjustable beds.Background: According to the National Board of Health and Welfare's report on serious injuries between 2013-2018, 8% of all registered care injuries in Sweden are pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers are a common health risk associated with prolonged sitting in the same position. However, the ability to adjust the bed into a seated position can make a variety of things easier, such as basic self-care activities that individuals perform daily, like bathing, dressing, eating, and transferring from bed to chair, and other activities like watching television, using the cellphone, and spending time with children in bed. For that reason, there is a potential opportunity to explore device related solutions to assist the users who sit up to be active by decreasing the risks of sitting and improving comfort.Objective: The aim of this project is to explore the opportunities of developing a medical mattress that assists users in the seated positionMethods: A literature review is conducted to find the device related solutions proven to work. Expert elicitation is used in a workshop format to help define the needs of a product that would assist sitting in medical mattresses. The needs are translated into metrics, and the metrics are then reflected into mechanisms to form the concepts. Concepts are evaluated in three stages. After the first two evaluations, the worst-performing concepts are eliminated, and the remaining concepts are modeled and evaluated a final time using weighted objectives in a concept-scoring matrix.Results: This project resulted in three concept mattresses that have the potential to assist with sitting. The three concepts, with strengths and weaknesses, are delivered to serve as a base for further development.

This study aims to contribute to understanding how school-age educare teachers and youth recreation leaders perceive and experience their work and collaboration in Swedish school-age educare centers (SAECs). Such understanding is important as SAECs constitute a significant part of compulsory school and pupilsˋ everyday lives. Over half a million pupils aged 6–12 years engage in these centers’ activities almost daily. However, the operation faces serious challenges, such as large pupil groups, a lack of qualified teachers, and a high proportion of staff without pedagogical training. These challenges have led to issues with equality in the teaching. Recent Swedish Government Official Reports have raised questions about the possibility of solving these issues by, among others, hiring educated youth recreation leaders. This professional group is trained to work with youth (aged 13–18 years) but many choose to work in SAECs, a very different context. Empirical research is needed to facilitate an informed discussion about the contribution of these professionals to both teaching and collaboration in SAECs. Given that employees with training as youth recreation leaders in SAECs have increased in recent decades, examining their current professional practices is relevant and timely. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of these professional groups, their education, and cooperation in SAECs, and informs the broader discussion on developing school-age educare as a compensatory welfare resource in Sweden. The study is based on a thematic analysis of interviews with seventeen SAEC teachers and youth recreation leaders, all of whom have experience working with the other professional group. This analysis makes it possible, based on the informants' descriptions of everyday practices, to articulate different ways of making sense of their work and cooperation. The results show that there are more similarities than differences between these professional groups in how they enable content, plan teaching, nurture relationships, create participation, and work to ensure that teaching is based on pupils' interests. One difference is that teachers more often emphasize that teaching has the goal of developing skills and knowledge. Teachers also reflect more critically on the content and implementation of teaching. Collaboration is perceived in three different ways: as equal, hierarchical, or complementary. Both professional groups largely share the perception of what constitutes meaningful leisure time for pupils in SAECs. However, teachers differ from youth recreation leaders by more often adopting a forward-looking perspective that focuses on equipping pupils with experiences and knowledge that will benefit them in their future lives. We conclude that youth recreation leaders have an important contribution to make in SAECs; they are a significant resource, especially given the shortage of qualified teachers. However, it is crucial to clarify roles and responsibilities. We welcome a strategy aimed at hiring more youth recreation leaders in SAECs and advocate that the Youth Recreation Leader Program also includes knowledge about working in SAECs. Another essential strategy would be to strengthen the primary teacher training for SAECs by including more content on teaching development and pedagogical supervision of colleagues without teacher training. Both the clarification and the strategies could enhance the quality and equality of Swedish school-age educare.

Introduction  

The report contains a study of the environmental impact of the building industry and what is needed for construction companies to prioritize sustainable construction by integrating reuse. The building industry current accounts for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions, and according to studies, reuse is an aspect that can reduce this enormous environmental impact. Statistics show that the building industry has begun to rethink this issue, and there has been an increase in the number of renovations in recent years. The aim of the study is to examine the building industry and what is needed for reuse to be the obvious choice for construction companies. But also, to investigate the process and identify the tools required for reuse to be the first choice. 

Method  

The study was conducted using the research methods survey and case study and the data collection method interviews. The interviews were conducted through a nonprobability sampling technique, where respondents were selected based on the attributes work with either reuse or demolition and work in the construction industry. The interviews were semi-structured, characterized by high standardization and low structuring.

Results  

The results of the survey indicate that there are certain requirements for reuse to be the obvious choice for construction companies. Responses from the respondents revealed several flaws in the area, with one recurring aspect being the structure, which is currently almost nonexistent. The results also showed that there are more factors influencing the process of reuse, similar to previous studies. New aspects have also been identified, such as role in the industry and environmental inventory. The respondents acknowledge that they have not yet made significant progress in terms of reuse, but they see potential for development. The result of the case study was that the collected empirical data was not sufficient to complete the checklist. More empirical data would have been required to complete a checklist. 

Analysis  

Reuse contributes to sustainable construction, and many of the respondents argue that with a better system for reuse, it would be easier to integrate buildings or building components into the building industry. Assistance and support are needed for reuse to become the new norm. For instance, with better structure or government requirements, the process would start moving forward.

Discussion  

Reuse is becoming common in the construction industry and has seen a rise the last years. There are several challenges associated with the use of reuse that need to be addressed in order to enhance its adoption and generate more interest among stakeholders in the building industry.

A spirometry test is a test used to diagnose lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. The appointment letter is sent before the examination, and it includes preparations that patients need to consider before the examination. These preparations are necessary for the examination to be performed correctly with a safe diagnosis outcome. Improvement science has four domains that has been provided in this type of research, they are systems thinking, understanding variation, experiential knowledge, and psychology of change. The improvement project aims were to improve the ability of patients to come more prepared for their spirometry examination. The goal of the improvement work was to have at least 70% of the patients feel more prepared before the examination. This goal is measured by having them answer a patient survey and rate themselves with response options 6-10 (1= not feeling prepared and 10= feeling fully prepared). To know what changes needed to be made, we used the think-aloud method. We have been even using the PDSA-cycles to test what changes had to be done. The results of the improvement project showed that 80% of the patients rated themselves 6-10 on the question of how well they felt prepared before the examination, which means that the goal has been achieved. We have been studying the patients' experiences with the preparation after a spirometry examination. Results showed two categories: access to information and preparations in the appointment letter. The conclusion was that improvement has been achieved by making changes to the patient appointment letter using the think aloud method, which highlights the importance of patient involvement to achieve patient safe care. 

Introduction: School closures and restrictions on recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the opportunities for adolescents to meet their peers and maintain friendships. Gathered information is needed on how the restrictions impacted adolescents´ peer relations and therefore also their right for occupational participation with peers. Aim: To systematically review the impacts of COVID-19 on adolescents´ peer relations. Method: Method used was systematic review. Data were gathered from electronic databases and analysed with the help of Zotero and thematic analysis. Results: 12 peer-reviewed research papers were analysed. Based on the quality appraisals performed, the methodological quality of the articles was high. The themes formed were:  Changes in communication, Lack of physical encounters, Emotions towards friend, Decrease of negative encounters, Changes in school setting. Conclusions: The findings indicate that not being able to see friends face-to-face and school closures had a negative impact on peer relations. Discussing virtually and online games gave support in maintaining peer relations and occupational participation. Significance: As COVID-19 affected peer relations in multiple ways, further research is needed, on how isolation and uncontrollable changes affect in the long term and when reaching adulthood.

Introduction: The growing population of older adults underscores the need for more focus on their health and wellbeing, including the role of traditional cultural activities in relation to wellbeing. Aim: The aim was to describe the meaning of older adults’ participation in traditional cultural activities in relation to wellbeing. Method: Inspired by Mak and Thomas’ (2022) framework, a scoping literature review was performed. Five databases were searched to identify relevant studies and descriptive qualitative content analysis was used. Findings: From 1222 articles retrieved, 16 were included in addition to two grey literature sources. The study identified two overarching categories, each with two sub-categories: traditional cultural activities and older adults’ wellbeing and cultural and social identity. Conclusions: While no studies directly addressed older adults’ perceived meaning of traditional cultural activities, the findings provide insights about the meaning of older adults’ participation in traditional cultural activities which may contribute to physical and psychological wellbeing and foster strong social bonds and self-identity among older adults. Significance: By integrating traditional cultural activities into interventions, occupational therapists may enhance holistic wellbeing, cultural preservation, and social inclusion for this population. Future qualitative research on older adults’ perceived meaning of participation in traditional cultural activities is needed.

Introduction: Virtual Reality (VR)-based therapy may improve motor and executive functions for people with various medical conditions, including stroke. However, VR-based therapy in complex rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) remains underexplored from an occupational perspective. Aim: This scoping review aimed to map and synthesise the literature on VR-based interventions in rehabilitation of people with SCI from an occupational perspective. Method: A literature search of quantitative studies was performed in four databases, in addition to grey literature and a manual search. Data were analysed using basic qualitative content analysis. Results: Twelve studies were included. The findings showed that VR-based therapy may decrease neuropathic pain and enhance walking function, balance and sitting balance. Less is known about VR-based therapy relating to mental wellbeing and there were mixed results on performance in activities of daily living (ADL). Conclusions: The findings suggest that VR-based therapy has potential to complement existing occupational therapy and may address various rehabilitation goals. Overall, the use of VR is reportedly safe within a therapeutic context.  Significance: VR-based therapy may support rehabilitation of people with SCI. However, to promote an occupational perspective, future research is needed to explore VR-based therapy using ADLs and occupation-related outcome measures.

The central question addressed is how ethical decisions are made during crisis. In a world full of ethical scandals and an increasing pressure on organizations to act ethically, it is now more important than ever to get decisions right. However, there is very little practical knowledge in the academic field in what creates such a decision. Our aim was to shed light on actual approaches to ethical decision-making, what do people consider to be the most important aspects? Is ethics even considered? Are ethical documents needed? By using a reflexive thematic analysis guided by a constructivist approach we held semi-structured interviews so that the participants from Sweden, Norway and England could focus on what is important to them. We found that crisis preparation plays a more important role than previous literature suggested. We also show why attempting to define an ethical decision is counterproductive for future research. Finally for the individual manager there are cases presented which allows for insights to be drawn and applied in the personal work life. 

This thesis introduces and investigates the use of metal over capacitive touch (metal over cap) sensor technology in a matrix for measuring applied forces. This opens the possibility of using metal over cap for positional force sensing, which detects both the amplitude and location of an applied force. The robustness and durability which follows with metal over cap technology could be used as a more robust alternative to common positional force sensing modules. To investigate this possibility, associated questions were asked and answered throughout this thesis:

[RQ1] How much force does the module need to be loaded with, in order to detect a press? I.e., what sensitivity does the module achieve?

[RQ2] What positional accuracy of an applied force can the module achieve?

[RQ3] How does the thickness of the metal sheet (front panel) influence the positional accuracy of an applied force?

A module of metal over cap sensors in a matrix was designed and constructed in iterations in an experimental study to answer the research questions.

The sensor was tested to have a median sensitivity of 77 mN to detect a force for the most sensitive artifact. It had a positional accuracy diameter of up to 44 mm for the artifact that achieved the highest accuracy.

The influence of the metal sheet thickness regarding the positional accuracy is that a thinner sheet reaches its maximum positional accuracy with less force than a thicker sheet.  

The fabrication of the sensor showed issues and inconsistencies between the three layers of the artifact. Therefor worse results were concluded than expected due to these said inconsistencies. The end product would benefit from further refinements and improvements of the construction and stability.