The study aims to promote the use of modules within the Swedish construction industry to address challenges such as inefficiency, environmental impact, and housing shortage. Modules are pre-constructed building elements manufactured in factories and assembled on construction sites. They offer benefits such as reduced construction time, decreased material waste, and higher quality. Despite these advantages, the modular industry has not yet gained a significant market share. The study investigates opportunities and limitations for buildings using modules, as well as their design and aesthetics. Additionally, the study explores possibilities for implementing modules in more construction projects, with a focus on the Swedish market and residential buildings. By considering laws, regulations, and requirements, conclusions are drawn based on existing conditions, although potential opportunities arising from legal changes are also discussed. The goal is to optimize the use of modules to reduce environmental impact and increase cost-effectiveness within the construction sector. The study utilized both earlier studies and interviews with representatives from the construction industry. By combining multiple methods and carefully addressing validity and reliability, the study aimed to provide credible results. A limited number of interviews were conducted using generalized questions, and relevant quotes were used to interpret and analyze the findings. The purpose was to contribute knowledge and insights from experts in the field. The results of the study indicate that construction projects using modules offer high quality and cost-effective solutions through factory manufacturing. Overall, the results align with the study's initial assumptions and the introduction based on previous research. The interview subjects were largely in agreement regarding modules and the modular industry, which provided a clear outcome. In the discussion section of the study, the results presented in the study are explored and analyzed, focusing on all research questions and the overall objectives of the study. A thorough and convincing discussion is provided, where the advantages and disadvantages of using modules within the study are identified and discussed. Furthermore, the study highlights the success factors and presents opportunities for improvements. The discussion provides a satisfactory insight into the achieved results and assures the quality and relevance of the study.

This study concerns digital tools and digital texts in the subject of Swedish. The study aims to describe how teachers express the use of digital tools and digital texts within the Swedish subject at primary school. The purpose of the study is achieved through questions that answer how and for what purpose digital tools and texts are used and furthermore describe the opportunities and challenges that teachers see with digital literacy in primary school.

The study consists of semi-structured interviews with four teachers. The results have been collected, processed and analyzed by using thematic analysis and compared with previous research. In this study, a socio-cultural perspective has been adopted as the theoretical starting point.

The results show that there are differences in which digital tools are available in the classrooms and that this affects how they are used in literacy teaching. It appears that teachers see the printed text as primary in early literacy teaching and that digital tools and texts are primarily used to support students, and to promote the love of reading, for example through an unlimited digital supply.

The conclusion of the study is that there was no evidence in the study that shoes that literacy education has been digitized. Instead, the study shows that teachers are trying to find ways to include digital texts and tools in a way that suits yearly literacy education. 

The study shows that more up-to-date research is needed that describes how digital tools and texts are used in teaching in primary school and that teacher´s voices are relevant.

Abstract 

Background:   

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive, chronic, and systemic autoimmune disease characterized by fluctuating symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and swollen joints. The disease can be relieved but not cured. RA is a public health problem, with the most common age of the outbreak being 40 years and older. Disease activity has a significant impact on affected individuals and their ability to perform daily activities. Many feel limited by pain. The experience of pain causes many individuals to become socially isolated, as they can no longer engage in the activities they find meaningful. Many are affected in their work, as the disease causes both pain and decreased hand strength.  

Aim: The aim of this study v is to map what previous research says about the impact of pain on daily activities in people with the diagnosis Rheumatoid Arthritis.   

Method: The study is a scoping review. The articles were produced in the databases Cinahl, Medline and PsycInfo. A total of 14 articles were included in the study.   

Results: The research results indicate that individuals with RA are limited in their daily activities due to pain. Despite this, many individuals choose to participate in different activities as a distraction from the pain. They find alternative ways to engage in occupations/activities. 

A supportive environment and permissive setting have been shown to have a positive impact on activity engagement and can reduce limitations.  

Conclusion: To live with RA can be a challenge and it is clear how pain limits people from engaging in activities that they consider meaningful and/or give them joy. This can contribute to social isolation and sometimes individuals are forced to take early retirement because they can not perform their work tasks anymore.   Key words: Activities in daily life, Occupational therapy, Pain, Rheumatoid arthritis, RA.

All companies deal with tactical planning questions and decisions, for example balance demand and supply, to be able to create an acceptable delivery ability without too much inventory or resources/capacities. For that, some companies use Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) as their tactical planning process. The ongoing customization wave applies to more and more products and there is a general displacement from standard products, manufactured to stock, towards more customized ones where the product is either assembled-, manufactured-, or engineered-to-order (ETO). This displacement brings an increased complexity into tactical planning questions and decisions, which might be new to a company and must be handled efficiently. The use of S&OP in an ETO context is, however, rarely documented.

The possibility for companies to store large amounts of data and the availability of technologies such as Machine Learning (ML) to make predictions, opens up for an improved decision support for S&OP. ML models are normally trained with large datasets, and this is a challenge in an ETO context since there are normally small datasets to work with. Moreover, the use of ML in S&OP and ETO contexts are rarely documented.

The purpose of this thesis is, thus, to explore where and how ML can be a useful tool for tactical planning, such as in S&OP in an ETO context. This thesis takes the first steps toward using ML as a decision support for S&OP in an ETO context. Three studies have been performed to map the current state of ML in S&OP in ETO contexts, to understand the challenges and tasks connected to S&OP in an ETO context, and to explore some of the considerations required when implementing ML in S&OP in an ETO context.

The main findings indicate that implementing ML in an ETO context with the purpose of improving S&OP requires an understanding of challenges and related tasks before starting any ML implementation projects. Further, considerations are required before starting to understand available data and to build data models. Tasks for ML must also be understood and agreed. Mechanisms behind occurring challenges need to be understood as well. What is driving trust for a technology and the business process is also important to understand and prepare for, ahead of an ML implementation. The results of the studies are (i) a model presenting the different parts of S&OP in an ETO context, (ii) specific challenges and related tasks, (iii) a model of critical aspects of trust connected to the process, the technology, and the combination of the two, and finally, (iv) a model for assisting in understanding the mechanisms behind capacity and load in engineering.

Aluminum castings have been widely used in the automotive industry to reduce the vehicle's weight. However, the existence of casting defects significantly limits its application. The most common and detrimental defects in aluminum castings are porosity and oxides. The formation of the pores comes from the solute hydrogen and volumetric reduction during the solidification process, resulting in the gas and shrinkage pores, respectively. The oxides can be introduced by either the operation during the process or the originally existing oxides in the melt. To reduce these defects, optimizing the casting process and controlling the melt quality is essential.

In this work, the Semisolid Metal (SSM) process was used as it can significantly reduce the formation of shrinkage pores. The main focuses were on the influence of stirring intensity on the formation of casting defects and, thus, the resultant mechanical properties. In addition, to control the original melt quality, particularly the amount of oxides, efforts were made to develop proper methods for the melt quality assessment.

The results show that the slurry-making process, mainly through stirring intensity, can affect the casting defects significantly. On the one hand, the increasing stirring intensity can distribute the primary Al particles more homogeneously, reducing the pores in terms of size and number by increasing the permeability during the solidification process. On the other hand, the increasing stirring intensity can affect the size of oxides differently, depending on the composition, for instance, the Mg content.

For the alloys with sufficient Mg, the oxides would be MgAl2O4, which are small films with numerous cracks. Under intensive stirring, the oxides can break down into small oxide particles. As a result, intensive stirring can improve ductility by reducing the formation of big pores. However, the oxides would mainly be Al2O3 films for alloys with low Mg content. In this case, the current stirring intensity is insufficient to break the oxide films. Instead, the increased stirring has introduced more oxide films into the melt. Consequently, in the casting with intensive stirring, the increasing oxide films dominated the ductility rather than the reduced porosity.

The SSM castings exhibit better bending fatigue properties than the casting using the traditional high-pressure die casting (HPDC) process. This improvement is mainly due to the formation of the harder surface liquid segregation (SLS) layer on the SSM casting surface. Furthermore, compared with the standard SSM process, the castings using intensive stirring (hereinafter referred to as the modified SSM process) show similar but more reliable fatigue properties. This reliable fatigue property can be attributed to eliminating the big internal pores through intensive stirring, which results in local stress concentration and significantly reduces fatigue performance. Besides, due to the gradient stress distribution in the bending loading, the surface defects play a significant role in the fatigue properties. With the increase of the specimens’ thickness, the failure mechanisms changed.

The shrinkage pores in the reduced pressure test (RPT) test play a significant role in the accuracy of melt quality assessment. A good correlation between the bifilm index (BI)/ density index (DI) and hydrogen content is observed for the RPT samples without significant shrinkage pores. In addition, the correlation between the BI and elongation is also strongly affected by the clusters of shrinkage pores due to the conflict between the definition of the BI and the influence of clusters of shrinkage pores on the ductility. Based on this, we proposed an optimized BI where the clusters of shrinkage pores were treated as single pores, increasing the reliability of the correlation between the BI and elongation. 

Global warming is driving industry to manufacture lighter components to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Promising candidates for achieving this are aluminium-silicon (Al-Si) cast alloys, which offer a high weight-to-strength ratio, excellent corrosion resistance, and good castability. However, understanding variations in the mechanical properties of these alloys is crucial to producing high-performance parts for critical applications. Defects and oxides are the primary reasons cast components in fatigue applications are rejected, as they negatively impact mechanical properties.

A comprehensive understanding of the correlation between fatigue performance and parameters such as the α-aluminium matrix, Al-Si eutectic, surface roughness, porosities, hydrogen content, oxides, and intermetallic phases in Al-Si castings has not been reached.

The research presented in this thesis used state-of-the-art experimental techniques to investigate the mechanical properties and crack-initiation and propagation behaviour of Al-Si-Mg cast alloy under cyclic loading. In-situ cyclic testing was conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), digital image correlation (DIC), and focused ion beam (FIB) milling. These techniques enabled a comprehensive study of parameters affecting fatigue performance, including hydrogen content, surface roughness, oxides, and intermetallic phases. More specifically, we investigated the effect of melt quality, copper (Cu) content, oxide bifilms, surface quality, and porosity.

The increased Cu concentration in heat-treated Al-Si alloys increased the amount of intermetallic phases, which affected the cracking behaviour. Furthermore, oxide bifilms were detected at crack-initiation sites, even in regions far away from the highly strained areas. Si- and Iron (Fe)-rich intermetallics were observed to have precipitated on these bifilms. Due to their very small size, these oxides are generally not detected by non-destructive inspections, but affect mechanical properties because they appear to open at relatively low tensile stresses. Finally, Al-Si alloy casting skins showed an interesting effect in terms of improving fatigue performance, highlighting the negative effect of surface polishing for such alloys.

University spinoffs (USOs) are firms created to commercialize research outcomes or innovative technologies developed by university members. This paper adopts a systematic literature review approach for exploring the trajectory of the USO research field. It categorizes the literature based on two perspectives: the process of how USOs develop and what factors can explain the variance of USO development; the paper critically examines the USO literature through these two lenses. By integrating these two perspectives and examining 120 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1987 and 2022, we develop a comprehensive model of USO development. The paper contributes to the extant literature on academic entrepreneurship by contending that while the “how” and “what” questions pose unique challenges for USO scholars, they cannot be separated because the process and variance models are complementary and important in advancing research on USOs. As such, we explore and identify specific factors that affect each of the distinct phases of the USO development at the institutional, organizational, and individual levels of analysis which form the basis for a rich future research agenda.

Industrialized house building (IHB) needs to improve efficiency and reduce costs to be able to meet the demand of future building requirements. The discrete manufacturing industry has already begun its transformation with concepts such as Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. The focus of these concepts is on systems integration and utilizing different design principles and technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness. So far, smart manufacturing has not been discussed to any significant extent in the context of the IHB industry, even though it might be a way for this industry to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

The purpose of this thesis is to support smart manufacturing realization in the IHB industry through improved systems integration capability. The objective is to develop a support system that helps to mitigate current product data management challenges in the IHB industry. The research presented here followed the design research methodology (DRM), and three research studies were conducted within the IHB industry, specifically within the context of the wooden single-family house industry.

The findings emphasized that integrated information and communication technology (ICT) tools are a precondition for realizing smart manufacturing in IHB. A pilot product lifecycle management (PLM) system was developed as a support system to mitigate the challenges encountered in product data management. The support system was developed based on five requirements (integrate product data between ICT tools, extract product data to purchasing items, adaptable to the product realization process, organize product data in different views, and trace revisions on building information modeling (BIM) projects and BIM families) and six functions (extract and interpret product data from the BIM project, property mapping, revision management, different types of document structures, from document structure to item structure, and complete bill of materials). The pilot PLM system was perceived to have value and could, for the case company, mitigate their challenges with product data management and facilitate improved systems integration. Furthermore, 18 enablers for PLM implementation in IHB were identified and categorized into implementing organization, PLM implementation process, PLM system selection and development, and development of product data for PLM.

This thesis focuses on promoting patient safety in older persons using medications. Given that medications can unintentionally harm patients, the World Health Organisation emphasises “Medication without harm” as a global patient safety challenge. Older persons are more likely to experience harm, and harm tends to occur when prescribing or monitoring medications. Co-production of healthcare with patients may reduce the risk of adverse events and can serve as a resource to promote safety in healthcare. Accordingly, this thesis aims to increase knowledge of how older persons and healthcare professionals can co-produce a solution for improved medication evaluation and thereby promote patient safety.

Co-design is an approach that emphasises patient involvement in improvements of healthcare services. Therefore, the thesis was guided by the four phases of the Double Diamond framework for co-design. In the Discover phase experiences of medication evaluations were collected. Older persons were interviewed and data were analysed using qualitative inductive content analysis (Paper I). Critical Incident Technique was used to collect and analyse data from interviews with healthcare professionals in primary care (Paper II). In the Define and Develop phases, a case study design was used to explore older persons’, nurses’ and physicians’ design choices for a medication and their experiences of a remote co-design approach. Collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics along with directed content analysis (Paper III) and thematic analysis (Paper IV). In the Deliver phase, the feasibility of applying a medication plan in primary care, as well as the study methods used were examined. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis (Paper V).

The findings showed that older persons reported having a responsibility to engage in their medication evaluations, even if some felt unable to do so or considered themselves unconcerned. Continuity of care and participation facilitate evaluations, but a comprehensive medication evaluation was lacking (Paper I). Healthcare professionals experienced that medication evaluations for older persons were influenced by working conditions and working in partnership. Actions taken to manage medication evaluations were carried out through working with a plan and collaborative problem-solving (Paper II). A medication plan, linked to the medication list, had to provide an added everyday value related to safety, effort and engagement, and support communication, continuity and interaction. Important functional requirements were to provide instant access, automation and attention, and content requirements were detailed information about the medication treatment (Paper III). Remote co-design can complement or substitute for face-to-face co-design sessions. The approach allowed an accessible environment, and sharing everyday life experiences created learning and awareness of possible risks and strategies that could promote patient safety (Paper IV). The feasibility of applying a medication plan, assessed as usability, varied and the participants’ experiences of usability concerned a de-prioritised medication plan, functionalities, individualisation and resources. The participants’ perceptions of patient safety addressed awareness and information, challenges beyond the medication plan and patient involvement (Paper V).

Healthcare services could promote patient safety by involving older persons in medication evaluations and in co-designing patient safety solutions. However, implementing a medication plan in clinical practice is complex and requires continuous co-produced improvements at different levels within the healthcare system.

Rapporten fungerar som pilotstudie inför en förväntad fördjupning i området i framtiden. Den beskriver grunderna för cirkulär ekonomi och framförallt, för hur gjuteriföretagens satsning på cirkularitet kan påverka deras affärsmodeller. Med utgångspunkt i regeringens handlingsplan för cirkulär ekonomi (2021), noterar rapporten att industrin många gånger satsar på cirkularitet genom att ta till traditionella sätt att arbeta mer resurseffektivt (områden 1 och 3 i handlingsplanen). Område som påverkar företagens affärsmodeller ägnas mindre uppmärksamhet, men är minst lika viktigt i arbetet mot cirkularitet. Regeringen noterar att detta område (2) påverkar hur företag och kunder konsumerar, och använder material och produkter.

Med utgångspunkt i tolv principer för cirkulära affärsmodeller (de tolv ’R’) beskriver rapporten olika strategier som företag kan använda för att anpassa sina affärsmodeller till den cirkulära ekonomin. För att relatera dessa modeller till den svenska gjuteriindustrin används två fallstudier (Husqvarna Forest and Garden, och AB Bruzaholms Bruk). Rapporten visar att de två företagen tagit viktiga steg mot cirkularitet i sina verksamheter och att det finns en begynnande, om än otillräcklig, infrastruktur i Sverige som underlättar för cirkulära flöden. Satsningar utomlands möter större utmaningar eftersom kostnader för till exempel, returlogistik är höga.

Rapporten avslutas med tidiga lärdomar från gjuteriföretagens arbete mot cirkularitet, när det gäller just affärsmodeller. Bland annat lyfts fram vikten av ett fördjupat partnerskap med ett fåtal partnerföretag, projekt som tillåter att gjuteriföretag experimenterar med alternativa affärsmodeller, och insikten att det tar tid för det cirkulära tänket att sätta sig i hela organisationen.

Aim: The aim of this literature study was to investigate oral health in children and adolescents with Down syndrome.

Method: The study is a general literature study where the searches were carried out in the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE and Dentistry & oral sciences source (DOSS). Scientific articles that responded to the purpose of the study were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and relevant keywords. Results: A total of 22 quantitative studies were reviewed which showed that children and adolescents with Down syndrome had poorer oral hygiene, more oral diseases and malocclusions compared to children and adolescents without Down syndrome. The reported oral diseases/conditions were caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, oral candidosis, malocclusions, attrition, agenesis and dental erosion. Risk factors that can influence the development of oral diseases and malocclusions, for example, oral hygiene habits and oral motor factors. Conclusion: Children and young people with Down syndrome have an increased risk of suffering from oral diseases and malocclusions. Through increased knowledge about the oral health of children and young people with Down syndrome, dental hygienists can work preventively and motivate support and care for this risk group.

This study presents an investigation into the use of ChatGPT in the software development field. With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the technology field, tools like ChatGPT have become increasingly relevant in software development. The main aim of the study is to investigate how ChatGPT can work as a tool in the software development process and if it can help facilitate the development process for a developer.Through a combination of questionnaire survey and experiments, the study has shown that ChatGPT has the potential to be a tool of great value in software development. This by offering automatic code completion and other aids that can improve developers' efficiency. The results of this study indicate that the integration of AI tools such as ChatGPT into the software development process can lead to improved workflows and increased productivity. However, further research should be conducted to better understand potential benefits and challenges. To further understand ChatGPT's role in software development, it is recommended to conduct more extensive field studies where the tool is used in real world development projects.

The research investigates the feasibility of applying 2D accessibility guidelines to enhance a 3D digital planning tool's accessibility for individuals with visual impairments. Three primary research questions guide this study.

It incorporated a mixed-method data collection approach to comprehensively investigate these questions. The study began with a designer interview to understand the current state of accessibility within a 3D planning tool, how designers ensure compliance with guidelines, guideline adherence, and implementation strategies.Subsequently, empirical user testing was conducted involving six participants with visual impairments. This methods aimed to obtain diverse user perspectives, emphasizing the user-centered nature of the study. The designer interview highlighted four critical accessibility issues: keyboard accessibility, information clarity, clear labeling, and focus visibility. Addressing these issues aligned the 3D planning tool with WCAG 2.1 guidelines and resulted in significant enhancements in it's accessibility.Empirical user testing revealed varying degrees of success among different users with visual impairments, highlighting both the successes and challenges of implementing accessibility features, and emphasizing the complexity of designing for individuals with visual impairments. The study identified key features that contributed to an enhanced user experience, including accessibility through assistive technology, effective scanning navigation strategies, and challenges for improvements in areas such as clear descriptions and interaction feedback.

This research has broader implications, impacting both the practical and scientific fields of accessibility. It offers practical significance for companies like IKEA, emphasizing the importance of a user-centered approach to empower users and gather unique insights from individuals with disabilities. Contributing inclusivity and user-friendliness in 3D planning tools.The findings highlight the significance of accessible user interface elements and the importance of compatibility with assistive technologies. A need for inclusive design methods in the development of 3D planning tools and the creation of specific accessibility guidelines designed for 3D environments.

In conclusion, this research demonstrates the feasibility of applying 2D accessibility guidelines to enhance the accessibility of 3D digital planning tools. The research contributes to both practical design considerations and the scientific understanding of accessibility challenges in 3D environments.It holds the potential to improve the industry, empower users, and enhance overall accessibility standards. The findings underscore the importance of user-centered design, the complexity of designing in 3D context and to diverse user needs, the interplay between accessibility and usability, and the ongoing need for improvements to enhance the user experience, to create more inclusive and user-friendly 3D digital planning solutions for everyone.

Background: Animal Assisted Therapy has increased within occupational therapy.Occupational threapists may use animals within the profession, but the description of how these occupational therapy interventions are conducted is missing.Aim:This scoping study explored how canine assisted occupational therapy is described and conducted. Material and methods: A scoping review method was applied to explore, summarize and describe canine-assisted octupational therapy practice. Six databases and manual search of identified literature utilized search terms focusing on Animal Assisted Therapy and Occupational Therapy. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Results: From 148 pappers, after duplicates removed, only four papers, representing two studies, met full inclusion/exclusion criteria, which focuced solely on autistic children. Two themes emerged: social interaction with a therapy dog, and description of activities, skills and goals in canine- assisted interventions. The second theme consisted of subthemes: social interaction and motor skills practice and practicing activities of daily living with therapy dog. Conclusion: Therapy dogs were described as acting agents to facilitate participant engagement and participating as a third member in the therapeutic process. Further research is needed to consider the extent to which CA-OT contributes to clientsachieving their therapeutic goals. Significance: This study highlights how canine- assisted therapy is described and used in occupational therapy.

Introduction – The construction industry today accounts for a significant portion ofthe Earth's greenhouse gas emissions, and the need to reduce these emissions issubstantial. Investing more climate-smartly in new construction is increasing, and woodhas become an increasingly popular building material, especially for multi-familyhouses. However, logistic warehouses are still predominantly dominated by steel. Theaim of this study is to investigate the differences in costs and greenhouse gas emissionsbetween glulam timber and steel frames for logistic warehouses. This is done toexamine whether wood is an economically viable and environmentally more efficientstructural material for constructing logistic warehouses compared to a steel frame.

Method – The chosen method for the study is a case study, as it will encompass both atheoretical examination, a review of quantitative data from a previous project, and anestimation of the cross-sectional size of a timber frame through simulation in astructural design software. The cost and environmental impact of a steel and glulamtimber frame will be determined in order to conduct a comparative analysis of the twostructural materials.

Results – The frames do not differ significantly in terms of price, but the glulam timberframe results in significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to the steelframe. The cost difference between steel and timber frames was minimal based onmaterial and assembly costs. The steel frame generates almost seven times moregreenhouse gas emissions than the glulam timber frame during the production stage. Inthe transportation phase, laminated timber has a longer transportation distance then steelin this study, which is the main reason for the greater environmental impact of thelaminated timber frame compared to the steel frame at this stage. During the assemblyphase, the steel frame has a larger environmental impact than the timber frame. Acrossthe entire frame during the entire construction and production stages, the steel framehas four times more emissions than the glulam timber frame.

Analysis – If the cost of the frame is the primary concern for the builder, a steel frameshould not be assumed to be the cheaper alternative. This study considers the widestspan of beams at 24 meters, and for larger spans, the conditions for choosing structuralmaterials might differ. Glulam timber is well-suited as a structural material if the goalis to build with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.

Discussion – The construction industry plays a crucial role in reducing carbon dioxideemissions and achieving climate goals. Despite the fact that the analyzed timber framemight not be optimally designed, the study still demonstrates significant environmentaladvantages in using glulam timber as a structural material in logistic warehouses, withno major differences in cost.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed fields like disease diagnosis and defence. Utilising sophisticated Machine Learning (ML) models, AI predicts future events based on historical data, introducing complexity that challenges understanding and decision-making. Previous research emphasizes users’ difficulty discerning when to trust predictions due to model complexity, underscoring addressing model complexity and providing transparent explanations as pivotal for facilitating high-quality decisions.

Many ML models offer probability estimates for predictions, commonly used in methods providing explanations to guide users on prediction confidence. However, these probabilities often do not accurately reflect the actual distribution in the data, leading to potential user misinterpretation of prediction trustworthiness. Additionally, most explanation methods fail to convey whether the model’s probability is linked to any uncertainty, further diminishing the reliability of the explanations.

Evaluating the quality of explanations for decision support is challenging, and although highlighted as essential in research, there are no benchmark criteria for comparative evaluations.

This thesis introduces an innovative explanation method that generates reliable explanations, incorporating uncertainty information supporting users in determining when to trust the model’s predictions. The thesis also outlines strategies for evaluating explanation quality and facilitating comparative evaluations. Through empirical evaluations and user studies, the thesis provides practical insights to support decision-making utilising complex ML models.

  In the last 10 years, the development of LED has opened up great opportunities for creative lighting solutions. This could be used for a colorful and dynamic facade lighting. In this study, it is investigated how animated light is experienced and how to achieve a soft and seamless effect. This can be applied in several different scenarios of programming moving light. Animated light (animation) is generated with LED lighting and to function it has to change the color or intensity of the pixels like a video changes image. The study conducted focused on animated interior and exterior lighting in cars. This study has been done with the support of the Perceived Quality team at Volvo Cars AB and the focus has therefore been on interior and exterior lighting in cars. The research method of the study has been experiments where the participants have observed different scenarios with animation on a LED strip. The participants had to respond on a survey how they experienced the animation. The study shows that factors such as speed and size will affect how light is perceived. Mentioned factors are necessary parameters to create a seamless and smooth animation, which is what the study showed. 

Background: To win the “war for talent” and recruit highly skilled candidates, employers need to distinguish themselves from their competitors by securing employer-of-choice (EOC) status. In competitive industries such as information technology (IT), companies focus on shaping unique employer branding (EB) strategies to help find or retain top talent and the indispensable edge or advantages that come along with them. At the same time, diverse IT employees are contending with different forms of prejudice and discrimination within the industry, making it essential for companies to clearly present their agendas of diversity and inclusivity through EB that communicates a “great place to work” for employees.

Purpose: While there are various bodies of EB-focused research, few studies have empirically explored how diversity and inclusion are communicated across industries. Accordingly, this study explores the use of external digital communication for promoting EB inclusivity deployed by the human resources (HR) and marketing departments of IT companies.

Method: This study uses exploratory research within a qualitative research design, along with an abductive approach, preexisting theories, and empirical data gathered from seven semi-structured interviews and digital communication materials from three IT companies: CGI, Nexer, and Toxic. The data is analyzed using the Gioia method and content analysis. Finally, a revised conceptual framework is developed.

Conclusion: The results of this study show that a range of external digital communication channels are needed to effectively communicate EB inclusivity. This can be achieved by portraying diversity and inclusion in different dimensions, in addition to successful diversity- and inclusion-driven projects, initiatives, and storytelling. It is essential to highlight different demographics within the company, for instance, from junior and senior, to male and female employees, as well as individuals from underrepresented groups. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the IT industry is in a state of continuous innovation and evolution while also being highly competitive in terms of securing top recruits who can choose between their prospective employers. There is also a need to gain wider perspectives when creating IT solutions for diverse groups worldwide and there is a clear shortage of women in the industry. Therefore, it is important for IT companies to communicate their EB with diversity and inclusion in mind — and in practice through using the revised framework that presents relevant actors, tools, communication channels, and dimensions of D&I. On a managerial level, local and international actors are recommended to work in close collaboration, utilize modern technology, and follow up their external communication to attract potential employees who may one day become ambassadors for the company.

Ingress: Det finns i dag en allmän uppfattning om att samhället utför det mesta av omsorgen. I själva verket är vi allt fler som hjälper närstående – ofta våra egna föräldrar.