| 1. |
- Abalo, Ernesto, 1982-
(författare)
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Through a post-political gaze : on the ideological loading of democracy in the coverage of Chávez's Venezuela
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rooted in ideology critique, this dissertation studies the construction of democracy in the coverage of Venezuela during the era of President Hugo Chávez. The aim of this endeavor is twofold. First, the dissertation aims to understand the relationship between ideology and the construction of democracy in journalism on foreign political phenomena. Second, it attempts to explore the ways in which the relationship between ideology and democracy in journalism serves to legitimize or delegitimize the struggle for social justice in nations in the global South vis-à-vis the political and economic fundamentals of global capitalism.The dissertation comprises three articles that study the construction of democracy in depictions of the Venezuelan political system and its key political actors. Article I studies the construction of (il)legitimate democracy in relation to the Venezuelan government, Article II explores the construction of difference between Chávez’s supporters and his opponents, and Article III studies the coverage of the coup d’état against Chávez in 2002. All three articles are methodologically rooted in critical discourse analysis and rely on materials from a sample of three elite newspapers: Dagens Nyheter (Sweden), El País (Uruguay), and the New York Times (US).Across the studies, there are four macro-strategies that in different ways serve to ideologically load the notion of democracy. Three of these strategies – the constructs of populism, of power concentration and of difference – serve to define political deviance and to (de)legitimize political actors in relation to democracy. The fourth macro-strategy, relativization, serves to justify actions that contradict established democratic principles but serve greater politico-ideological goals.(De)legitimation in relation to democracy corresponds with the closeness of a group of actors to the dominant political practices and values within global capitalism. Journalistic reporting thus follows a post-political gaze; it is generally in accordance with the political consensus that characterizes the post-Cold War era. Through this gaze, any challenge to the political tenets of global capitalism fails on democratic grounds.
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| 2. |
- Abdelzadeh, Ali, 1981-
(författare)
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Transcending dichotomies : The many faces of youth dissatisfaction in democracy
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the recent scholarly debates over changing citizenship attitudes and norms in advanced democracies, especially when it comes to rising levels of political dissatisfaction, opinion about the political role of young people is divided. For some scholars, they represent a driving force behind the development of new kinds of citizenship values, and constitute an asset to the functioning of political systems. For others, they pose a potential threat to the health of representative democracy, because of their increasing levels of dissatisfaction and civic disengagement. By contrast with these two competing approaches, this dissertation advances the argument that a more balanced view of young people’s political activities is called for. Adopting a quantitative approach, it aims therefore to contribute to better theoretical and empirical understanding of young people’s political dissatisfaction, and to explain their role in a democratic society. Considering different aspects of dissatisfaction, the current dissertation contributes to previous research in significant ways. Among others things, it adds to our knowledge by showing empirically that, in terms of political dissatisfaction, young people constitute a heterogeneous group, with different political roles and profiles, ranging from the healthy to the more threatening. Moreover, it contributes to previous research by highlighting the crucial role played by fair teachers in providing linkages between young citizens and the wider political system. All in all, the findings in the current dissertation have implications for the ongoing debate over the role and significance of young people in the functioning of democratic systems, and also for political socialization research.
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| 3. |
- Abrahamsson, Gun, 1961-, et al.
(författare)
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Problemlösningsarbete på låg organisatorisk nivå : Två studier om implementering respektive konkretisering av idéer om kundorderstyrd tillverkning
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The two studies reported in this thesis are about problem solving at a low organisational level in an organisational unit in a Swedish manufacturing company, which has adopted ideas of World Class Manufacturing. In the first study, we analyse, from an organisational learning perspective, the implementation of the well-known concept Continuous Improvement at shop-floor level and how management accounting may facilitate or impede improvement work. A case study was conducted in two workgroups in one production unit for about seven months. In one of the groups, management accounting facilitated improvement work with high organisational scope and, in the other group, impeded the organisational scope. Our conclusion is that management accounting may facilitate a high organisational scope by supporting the leadership style, stressing co-operation, dialog and participation, or, by the way the manager uses management accounting, make boundaries distinct between groups of employees and between departments, and therefore impede improvements with high organisational scope. In the second study, we analyse, from a rule-based behavioural perspective, how ideas of World Class Manufacturing are institutionalised in cross-functional problem solving at a low organisational level. A case study was carried out in two cross-functional weekly group meetings for about nine months. Problems raised and solutions decided followed a repeated pattern. The actors draw on instrumental rules, which can be described as technical as well as economic. We concluded that ideas of World Class Manufacturing were institutionalised as different variants of World Class Manufacturing in the different functions at a low organisational level. At the meetings, contradictory instrumental rules were activated by the functions and treated according to interaction rules. Two overall patterns of action, articulated the two main interaction rules guiding actors in how to treat contradictory ideas of World Class Manufacturing.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Adenskog, Magnus, 1985-
(författare)
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Democratic innovations in political systems : towards a systemic approach
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There are many indicators that the representative democratic system is currently facing serious legitimacy challenges. Two central indicators of these challenges are changing patterns of political participation and a decline in system support. Against this backdrop, a growing number of governments claim that democratic innovations (DIs) could reconnect institutions with citizens. This thesis focuses on online DIs implemented in real political contexts, and the overarching aim of the thesis is to contribute to the emergent empirical scholarship on how DIs can influence political systems. In the last two decades, most empirical studies in the field have analysed DIs at the micro level.This thesis takes a different stance by posing system-related research questions to the implementation of DIs and, by doing so, showing how DIs are interrelated with, rather than isolated from, the political system and that DIs can influence political systems. The thesis consists of one literature review and three empirical case studies, applying a multiple methodological approach. Its novelty lies in three main empirical findings that contribute to the development of the field. First, it shows that participation in DIs can influence citizens’ perceived trust towards local political institutions. In addition, the results suggest that predispositions and prior engagement mediate the direction of change in trust amongst citizens. Secondly, the results show that DIs can perform different political functions, such as facilitating spaces for citizens to provide original ideas and deliberation, while also having an agenda-setting function. Thirdly, the result suggest that long-term institutional change is complex and that the implementation of DIs can create a situation in which civil servants and politicians perceive their organisation to be in some ‘state of flux’, as they are torn between two competing institutional logics. In conclusion, this thesis should be understood as a piece in a broader movement that works towards a systemic approach to the study of DIs, and that by showing these empirical findings, the thesis contributes to deepening our understanding of what influences and functions DIs can have in political systems.
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| 6. |
- Adestam, Johan, 1982-
(författare)
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Den dokumentvillkorade garantin
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Den dokumentvillkorade garantin, som i praktiken vanligen betecknas som självständig, känneteck-nas av att villkoren i utfästelsen väsentligen endast innefattar villkor som refererar till att vissa angivna dokument presenteras för garanten. Dokumentvillkorade garantier förekommer vanligtvis i avtalsstrukturer som involverar ett flertal olika avtal och parter. De typer av avtal som omfattas av sådana avtalsstrukturer ger upphov till speciella rättsliga frågor. Avhandlingen belyser ett antal sådana frågor ur ett svenskt perspektiv, genom att beskriva rättsnormers utformning och tillämpning på olika typer av fall. Särskild vikt läggs vid att upprätthålla ett språkbruk som möjliggör att detta sker på ett motsägelsefritt och rättvisande sätt.En fråga av grundläggande betydelse är hur garantier kan klassificeras på ett sätt som bidrar till att besvara nyss nämnda typ av frågor. En sådan klassifikation, baserad på garantiers innehåll, klargör vad som skiljer den dokumentvillkorade garantin från andra typer av garantier. När det gäller den rättsliga relationen mellan parterna till ett avtal i vilket det föreskrivs att den ena parten, gäldenären, ska låta ombesörja att det ställs ut en garanti till motparten, berörs i synnerhet frågan under vilka omständigheter motparten är fri att begära fullgörelse av garantin och frågan under vilka omständigheter det uppkommer en återkravsrätt för gäldenären gentemot motparten (beneficienten). I fråga om den rättsliga relationen mellan garanten och beneficienten behandlas särskilt frågorna hur man genom tolkning avgör om en garanti är dokumentvillkorad eller inte, hur dokumentvillkoren i en dokumentvillkorad garanti ska tolkas och i vilken mån det finns speciella rättsnormer tillämpliga på dokumentvillkorade garantier. Ytterligare en fråga rör tillämpningen av den tvingande regeln om rättsmissbruk, enligt vilken beneficienten saknar rätt till fullgörelse av garanten om det föreligger rättsmissbruk. Såvitt avser den rättsliga relationen mellan uppdragsgivare och uppdragstagare i uppdrag som relaterar till utfärdandet av en dokumentvillkorad garanti berörs i synnerhet frågan under vilka omständigheter en uppdragstagare har regressrätt gentemot sin uppdragsgivare. En fråga av allmän betydelse är vad som i olika avseenden krävs för att intresset av att uppdragstagare till sådana uppdrag inte ska ha incitament att undersöka svårbedömda omständigheter ska tillgodoses.
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| 7. |
- Adolfsson, Annsofie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Miscarriage : women’s experience and its cumulative incidence
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many women experience miscarriage every year. Every fourth woman who has given birth reports that she has previous experience of miscarriage. In a study of all women in the Swedish Medical Birth Register 1983-2003, we found that the number of cases of self reported miscarriage had increased in Sweden during this 21 year period. This increase can be explained by the introduction of sensitive pregnancy tests around 1990, as well as an increase in the mean age of the mothers, by approximately 3 years, during the observation period. The risk of miscarriage is 13% with the first child. With subsequent pregnancies, the risk of miscarriage is 8%, 6% and 4% with the second, third and fourth child, respectively.Thirteen of these women who had suffered a recent miscarriage were interviewed four months later, and their feelings of guilt and emptiness were explored. Their experience was that they wanted their questions to be answered, and that they wanted others to treat them as the mothers to be that they felt themselves to be. They also experienced the need for time to grieve their loss.Measurement of grief by means of the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) is used in research but has also been proposed for clinical use. We have translated this psychological instrument to Swedish, back-translated and tested it in a small pilot study. In a randomized controlled study, women with early miscarriage were allocated, either to a structured visit (study group) or a regular visit (control group) to a midwife. The structured visit was conducted according to the Swanson caring theory. We could conclude that the structured visit had no significant effect on grief compared to the regular visit, as measured using the PGS. However, women with the sub-diagnosis missed abortion have significantly more grief four months after early miscarriage, regardless of visit type.We also performed a content analysis of the tape-recorded structured follow-up visit. The code-key used was Bonanno and Kaltman’s general grief categorization. Women’s expression of grief after miscarriage was found to be very similar to the grief experienced following the death of a relative. Furthermore, the grief was found to be independent of number of children, women’s age, or earlier experience of miscarriage.Conclusions: Every fourth woman who gives birth reports that she has also experienced early miscarriage. The experience of these women is that they have suffered a substantial loss and their reaction is grief similar to that experienced following the death of a relative.
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| 8. |
- Adolfsson, Daniel, 1992-
(författare)
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Robust large-scale mapping and localization : Combining robust sensing and introspection
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The presence of autonomous systems is rapidly increasing in society and industry. To achieve successful, efficient, and safe deployment of autonomous systems, they must be navigated by means of highly robust localization systems. Additionally, these systems need to localize accurately and efficiently in realtime under adverse environmental conditions, and within considerably diverse and new previously unseen environments.This thesis focuses on investigating methods to achieve robust large-scale localization and mapping, incorporating robustness at multiple stages. Specifically, the research explores methods with sensory robustness, utilizing radar, which exhibits tolerance to harsh weather, dust, and variations in lighting conditions. Furthermore, the thesis presents methods with algorithmic robustness, which prevent failures by incorporating introspective awareness of localization quality. This thesis aims to answer the following research questions:How can radar data be efficiently filtered and represented for robust radar odometry? How can accurate and robust odometry be achieved with radar? How can localization quality be assessed and leveraged for robust detection of localization failures? How can self-awareness of localization quality be utilized to enhance the robustness of a localization system?While addressing these research questions, this thesis makes the following contributions to large-scale localization and mapping: A method for robust and efficient radar processing and state-of-the-art odometry estimation, and a method for self-assessment of localization quality and failure detection in lidar and radar localization. Self-assessment of localization quality is integrated into robust systems for large-scale Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, and rapid global localization in prior maps. These systems leverage self-assessment of localization quality to improve performance and prevent failures in loop closure and global localization, and consequently achieve safe robot localization.The methods presented in this thesis were evaluated through comparative assessments of public benchmarks and real-world data collected from various industrial scenarios. These evaluations serve to validate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed approaches. As a result, this research represents a significant advancement toward achieving highly robust localization capabilities with broad applicability.
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| 9. |
- Agélii Genlott, Annika, 1968-
(författare)
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Designing for Transformational Change in School : Digitalizing the Digitized
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Digital technologies have gained a prominent role in education and schools, but research concerning how digital technologies can create better conditions for improved teaching and enhanced learning for students is scarce and inconclusive. Successful use of digital technologies requires a complex combination of interacting factors, including integrating technology and pedagogy as well as organizing and leading a structured transformation process. The capability of school organizations to lead and support the digitalization process is an under-researched field compared to the well-established focus on individual stakeholders.This thesis examines how experimentation and innovation processes in school can be designed and pursued to support and enhance digitalization across an entire school organization by using a Design Science Research (DSR) approach to answer the question: How can a school organization at municipal level lead digital transformation through the digitalization of teaching and learning processes in an organized, professional, and, as far as possible, scientifically based way?The findings show that the design and use of the Information System Artifact model (ISA) together with a DSR development method can support both improved teaching and enhanced learning within and across a school organization. Effective use of digital technologies to improve teaching and learning across the school organization requires fundamental changes of ordinary practices and engagement as well as commitment from school authorities and school leaders.This thesis contributes with empirically and theoretically based insights from leading (digital) transformational change in school through the iterative design of IS artifacts used as a driver and quality control for the shift from digitization towards digitalization aiming at improved teaching and enhanced learning.
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| 10. |
- Ahl, Rebecka, 1987-
(författare)
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The Association Between Beta-Blockade and Clinical Outcomes in the Context of Surgical and Traumatic Stress
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Traumatic injury and major abdominal surgery are areas in general surgery associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The overall colorectal cancer surgery mortality rate is around 4%, with that for emergency surgery more than twice as high as for planned. Surgical morbidity varies between 25% and 45%. Around half of trauma patients develop low mood. In one quarter of patients this becomes permanent. Depression is known to impede physical rehabilitation and recovery. The onset of physiological stress, driven by adrenergic hyperactivity following traumatic and surgical injury is hypothesized to contribute to these adverse outcomes. Interest has therefore been sparked into blocking adrenergic receptor activation.Papers I and II investigated the role of beta-blocker therapy in preventing post-traumatic depression following severe traumatic brain injury (Paper I) and severe extracranial injury (Paper II). The Karolinska University Hospital Trauma Registry was used to identify patients admitted between 2007 and 2011. In Paper I (n = 545), patients on pre-injury beta-blocker therapy were matched to beta-blocker naïve patients with equivalent injury burden. Results revealed that beta-blocked patients exhibited a 60% reduced risk of needing antidepressant therapy within one year of trauma. In Paper II (n = 596), the lack of beta-blocker use before extracranial trauma was linked to a three-fold increase in the risk of antidepressant initiation.Papers III-V explored the role of pre-operative beta-blocker therapy in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer between 2007 and 2016, identified using the nationwide Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry. Paper III (n = 3,187) identified a 69% reduction in the risk of 30-day mortality in beta-blocked patients. Paper IV (n = 22,337) outlined long-term survival benefits for patients on beta-blocker therapy prior to undergoing elective surgery for colon cancer. Beta-blocked patients showed a risk reduction of 42% for 1-year all-cause mortality and 18% for 5-year cancerspecific mortality. Similarly, patients on beta-blocker therapy who underwent surgery for rectal cancer demonstrated improved survival up to one year after surgery with a risk reduction of 57% and a reduction in anastomotic failure and infectious complications in Paper V (n = 11,966).
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