| 1. |
- Eriksson, Mats
(author)
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Från ingenjörskonst till informatörskonst : studier av PR och riskkommunikation
- 2003
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis discusses the external risk communication of industrial companies. Such risk communication is here viewed as a division of the companies’ PR operations. There are some central weak points in current risk communication research. Up to now, this research has been dominated by a psychometric perspective and is to a great degree perception-oriented and lacking in a wider organisational perspective. A means for reaching a deeper understanding of the importance of organisational aspects in risk communication is to seek theoretical influences outside the traditional risk communication research. In this study, the two adjacent research areas of risk communication and public relations are thus cross-fertilised for the purpose of making such a knowledge contribution.The aim of the study is to examine the importance of the organisational conditions for the management of risk communication as well as to study how risk communication is developed over time. This is effected in the form of a critical analysis by the productivity of Grunig’s PR theory for the risk communication field, applied on empirical findings collected from four companies in the risk management industry (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Rohm and Haas Nordiska, Preem Raffinaderi and Skandinaviska Raffinaderi). The study uses qualitative and comparative case studies, where the empirical data has been collected through interviews and document studies.To summerise the result of the different case studies, I make the following conclusion: (1) The internal-organisational conditions are of great importance to the way in which PR and risk communication is managed and developed. (2) A more mechanical structure and authoritarian attitude towards employees and the public give primarily asymmetrical techniques, methods and strategies (3) A more organic structure and egalitarian attitude give both asymmetrical and symmetrical communication in the proactive work. (4) When development of PR and risk communication is underway, messages are changed longitudinally from being based on facts and positive arguments to more obvious offers of exchange, ethical appeals and invitations to dialogue. (5) When PR and risk communication make for higher levels on the risk communication ladder, prevailing notions and structures in the organisation are also renegotiated.The thesis concludes that Grunig’s theory in some way is productive for risk communication, but it also points out several weak things in Grunig’s concept. Among other things, these concern the fact that the causal thinking about the link between the organisational conditions and the communicative strategies to a high degree appear as circular reasoning. The theory’s division between authoritarian and egalitarian oriented cultures is also debateable as it to a great degree only focuses on instrumental values in the organisation. Even the distinction between asymmetrical and symmetrical communication can be criticised, among other things due to vague operationalisation and its one-dimensional character.In order to develop the organisational dimension of risk communication, a more symbolistic perspective is proposed. The symbolistic perspective signifies, among other things, a more distinct integration of the internal and the external as well as the informal (imaginary) and formal (physical) within the organisations. In addition, the symbolistic perspective reduces the importance of the causal thinking in the Grunig theory and its central distinction between asymmetry and symmetry becomes less important. Instead, the focus is increasingly on the rhetoric and symbolism with leaders, communicators and in information material etc.
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| 2. |
- Granberg, Mikael, et al.
(author)
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Dealing with uncertainty : a case study of controlling insect populations in natural ecosystems
- 2008
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In: Local Environment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1354-9839 .- 1469-6711. ; 13:7, s. 641-652
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper analyses the political process for handling an outbreak of an insect causing human allergic reactions. In the southern part of the Swedish island Gotland in the Baltic Sea, an outbreak of the northern pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pinivora, has occurred. With regard to the human nuisance and long-term effects on the tourist industry, demands have been raised for intervention to reduce and control the insect population. At the same time, there have been warnings against treating the insect population because there are knowledge gaps concerning the wider ecological consequences, including effects on biodiversity. This paper analyses the political process and its problemsolving efforts. Of particular interest is how it dealt with the issue of uncertainty. It was found that the uncertainty associated with the issue hindered the development of a shared understanding of the problem and a possible solution. There seems to be a growing need in society to develop the institutional capacity to handle complex issues that cross different sectors, regulatory frameworks and policy targets.
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| 3. |
- Larsson, Britt, et al.
(author)
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Blood supply and oxidative metabolism in muscle biopsies of female cleaners with and without myalgia
- 2004
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In: The Clinical Journal of Pain. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0749-8047 .- 1536-5409. ; 20:6, s. 440-446
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Pathomechanisms of work-related myalgia are poorly understood. Myalgia is thought to be caused by excitation of nociceptors present in the muscular tissue but not in the muscle fiber itself. Muscle contraction in combination with hypoxia is known to excite nociceptors. Morphologic analysis can contribute to the knowledge of the excitation of nociceptors. This study thoroughly examines the morphology of the trapezius muscle's capillary supply and signs of disturbed oxidative metabolism to understand their role in work-related myalgia. METHODS: Surgical trapezius muscle biopsies were obtained from 25 female cleaners with long-standing work-related myalgia, 25 female cleaners without trapezius myalgia, and 21 healthy teachers. Enzyme and immunohistochemical stainings were performed to highlight fibers with aberrant intermyofibrillar patterns, indicating a disturbed oxidative metabolism (also known as moth-eaten fibers) and a disturbed capillary supply of different fibers. RESULTS: A significantly lower number of capillaries per fiber area in cleaners suffering from myalgia compared with cleaners without trapezius myalgia was found. Moth-eaten fibers were found in the 3 groups, but these fibers were significantly more prevalent in the groups of cleaners than in the healthy teacher group. CONCLUSION: This work indicates that the capillary supply of trapezius is affected in work-related trapezius myalgia. More studies are needed to understand possible mechanisms that would explain the occurrence of moth-eaten fibers.
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| 4. |
- Larsson, Susanna, 1983-
(author)
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We bang our heads, therefore I am : subculture as laboratory of identity – the case of heavy metal
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Subculture is a structure against which identities are both created and guarded. These identities are often socially and practically negotiated against an idea of individual authenticity. The thought of nurturing ones uniqueness while striving to fit in is a common duality and a clear cause of friction within subcultures. The fourty year old heavy metal subculture is no exception. It has proven an arena for boundary drawing, exclusivity and alienation, but also for fierce loyalty and a sense of self-fulfilment.This thesis studies how young adults construct their identities in relation to subcultures in general and in relation to the heavy metal subculture in particular. This is brought to the for in four articles concerned with the construction and reproduction of subjective and intersubjective authenticity, the stigma and self-determination surrounding alienation, the practices of different levels of rituals and the construction of female gender identity in a male-dominated subculture.The thesis finds that heavy metal fans construct their identity in relation to the subculture through a life story. This life story is spun around a number of arguments on self and identity, which all aim to position the individual as a long-term, authentic, knowledgeable, self-determined and practically involved heavy metal fan. Furthermore, identity is constructed through a number of practices of which the narration of the subculture and the use of instruments exemplify both abstract and concrete rituals. Alienation is an important aspect of identity creation, especially where heavy metal fans, following an initial feeling of alienation, position themselves and their culture in what is considered a self-chosen manner against an outside society. Alienation can especially accompany the experiences of the female heavy metal fan, both within and outside the subculture. However, endurance and knowledge helps sustain a sense of a self-made identity, which can earn her respect from other heavy metal fans.
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| 5. |
- Lidskog, Rolf, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Intensive forestry in Sweden : stakeholders' evaluation of benefits and risk
- 2013
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In: Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 1943-815X .- 1943-8168. ; 10:4, s. 145-160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is growing consensus about the need to develop sustainable use of forest resources, but no consensus about how to interpret and implement this goal. Political institutions, governmental agencies, forest companies, and environmental organizations have partly different views on what sustainable forestry means and what strategies to use to achieve it. Not least, the climate change issue has put higher and partly new demands on forests, both as providers of biomass and as carbon sinks, which may be in conflict with other services of the forest’s ecosystem. This paper analyses how different Swedish stakeholders evaluate the possibilities for intensive forestry, that is, to increase the production of woody biomass through increased use of fertilizers, improved genetic material, the introduction of exotic tree species, and the use of fastgrowing deciduous tree species. The analysis shows that the pros and cons are evaluated differently, with some stakeholders assessing intensive forestry as a radical break from the current goal of sustainable forestry and others viewing it as according with it. It is concluded that this conflict should be understood as concerning not competing knowledge claims, but competing frames – schemes of interpretation through which the complexity of reality is reduced. This means that the solution is not to be found in improved knowledge but in increased awareness that the involved frames are the source of the conflict.
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| 6. |
- Solberg, Berit Skretting, et al.
(author)
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Maternal fiber intake during pregnancy and development of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Across Childhood : The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)
- 2024
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In: Biological Psychiatry. - : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 95:9, s. 839-848
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that the maternal diet quality during pregnancy may influence the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. Here we investigated the associations between maternal intake of dietary fiber and ADHD symptoms in early childhood.METHODS: We used longitudinal data of up to 21,852 mother-father-child trios (49.2% females) from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. The relationships between maternal fiber intake during pregnancy and offspring ADHD symptoms at ages three, five, and eight years were examined using: a) multivariate regression (overall levels of ADHD symptoms), b) latent class analysis (subclasses of ADHD symptoms by sex at each age), and c) latent growth curves (longitudinal change in offspring ADHD symptoms). Covariates were ADHD polygenic scores in child and parents, total energy intake and energy-adjusted sugar intake, parental ages at birth of the child, and socio-demographic factors.RESULTS: a) Higher maternal prenatal fiber intake was associated with lower offspring ADHD symptom scores at all examined ages (βage3=-0.14(95%CI -0.18, -0.10); βage5=-0.14(-0.19, -0.09); βage8=-0.14(-0.20, -0.09)). b) Of the derived low/middle/high subclasses of ADHD symptoms, fiber was associated with lower risk of belonging to middle subclass for boys and girls, and to high subclass for girls only (middle: ORboys 0.91(0.86-0.97)/ORgirls 0.86 (0.81-0.91); high ORgirls 0.82 (0.72-0.94)). c) Maternal fiber intake and rate of change in child ADHD symptoms across ages were not associated.CONCLUSIONS: A low prenatal maternal fiber intake may increase symptom levels of ADHD in childhood, independently of genetic predisposition to ADHD, unhealthy dietary exposures, and socio-demographic factors.
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| 7. |
- Yang, Yishen, 1984-
(author)
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On Rank-invariant Methods for Ordinal Data
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Data from rating scale assessments have rank-invariant properties only, which means that the data represent an ordering, but lack of standardized magnitude, inter-categorical distances, and linearity. Even though the judgments often are coded by natural numbers they are not really metric. The aim of this thesis is to further develop the nonparametric rank-based Svensson methods for paired ordinal data that are based on the rank-invariant properties only.The thesis consists of five papers. In Paper I the asymptotic properties of the measure of systematic disagreement in paired ordinal data, the Relative Position (RP), and the difference in RP between groups were studied. Based on the findings of asymptotic normality, two tests for analyses of change within group and between groups were proposed. In Paper II the asymptotic properties of rank-based measures, e.g. the Svensson’s measures of systematic disagreement and of additional individual variability were discussed, and a numerical method for approximation was suggested. In Paper III the asymptotic properties of the measures for paired ordinal data, discussed in Paper II, were verified by simulations. Furthermore, the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient (rs) and the Svensson’s augmented rank-order agreement coefficient (ra) were compared. By demonstrating how they differ and why they differ, it is emphasized that they measure different things. In Paper IV the proposed test in Paper I for comparing two groups of systematic changes in paired ordinal data was compared with other nonparametric tests for group changes, both regarding different approaches of categorising changes. The simulation reveals that the proposed test works better for small and unbalanced samples. Paper V demonstrates that rank invariant approaches can also be used in analysis of ordinal data from multi-item scales, which is an appealing and appropriate alternative to calculating sum scores.
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