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- Vigsö, Orla
(författare)
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Valretorik i text och bild : En studie i 2002 års svenska valaffischer
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Posters have been used in political communication for more than a century, and are still an important element in the election campaigns. However, few studies have been devoted to the way in which text and image work together in order to obtain the rhetorical goal of making voters vote for a specific party.In this study, election posters in the 2002 general election in Sweden from all parties represented in the Swedish parliament are analysed. The context of this specific sample of political communication is described through a sociological approach inspired by Pierre Bourdieu, and through theories of political marketing. The model for analysis of the posters combine semiotics and rhetoric in order to present a model capable of analysing both text and image, and the way in which they are used in order to influence and persuade voters.The conclusions are that Swedish parties favour textual messages and not visual elements, and that when visual elements are used, these are mostly portraits of candidates. So apparently, the predominance of visual elements in advertising does not show in election posters. Neither can one claim that personalisation is a predominant element, as the total percentage of posters depicting candidates is quite low. The tendency towards negative campaigning seen in earlier elections is not present in the 2002 posters, and the rhetoric is mostly epideictic and thus aimed at keeping already convinced voters rather than attracting new ones. This might indicate that the posters have lost their role as means of attracting new voters and have become more of an “internal” affair, telling the party’s voters, in a way which presupposes shared points of view, that the party is there to be voted for as always. The posters thus fulfil a symbolic function of binding together adherents rather than attracting newcomers.
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- Ahlgren, Per
(författare)
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The effects of indexing strategy-query term combination on retrieval effectiveness in a Swedish full text database
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with Swedish full text retrieval and the problem of morphological variation of query terms in the document database. The study is an information retrieval experiment with a test collection. While no Swedish test collection was available, such a collection was constructed. It consists of a document database containing 161,336 news articles, and 52 topics with four-graded (0, 1, 2, 3) relevance assessments. The effects of indexing strategy-query term combination on retrieval effectiveness were studied. Three of five tested methods involved indexing strategies that used conflation, in the form of normalization. Further, two of these three combinations used indexing strategies that employed compound splitting. Normalization and compound splitting were performed by SWETWOL, a morphological analyzer for the Swedish language. A fourth combination attempted to group related terms by right hand truncation of query terms. A search expert performed the truncation. The four combinations were compared to each other and to a baseline combination, where no attempt was made to counteract the problem of morphological variation of query terms in the document database. Two situations were examined in the evaluation: the binary relevance situation and the multiple degree relevance situation. With regard to the binary relevance situation, where the three (positive) relevance degrees (1, 2, 3) were merged into one, and where precision was used as evaluation measure, the four alternative combinations outperformed the baseline. The best performing combination was the combination that used truncation. This combination performed better than or equal to a median precision value for 41 of the 52 topics. One reason for the relatively good performance of the truncation combination was the capacity of its queries to retrieve different parts of speech. In the multiple degree relevance situation, where the three (positive) relevance degrees were retained, retrieval effectiveness was taken to be the accumulated gain the user receives by examining the retrieval result up to given positions. The evaluation measure used was nDCG (normalized cumulated gain with discount). This measure credits retrieval methods that (1) rank highly relevant documents higher than less relevant ones, and (2) rank relevant (of any degree) documents high. With respect to (2), nDCG involves a discount component: a discount with regard to the relevance score of a relevant (of any degree) document is performed, and this discount is greater and greater, the higher position the document has in the ranked list of retrieved documents. In the multiple degree relevance situation, the five combinations were evaluated under four different user scenarios, where each scenario simulated a certain user type. Again, the four alternative combinations outperformed the baseline, for each user scenario. The truncation combination had the best performance under each user scenario. This outcome agreed with the performance result in the binary relevance situation. However, there were also differences between the two relevance situations. For 25 percent of the topics and with regard to one of the four user scenarios, the set of best performing combinations in the binary relevance situation was disjunct from the set of best performing combinations in the multiple degree relevance situation. The user scenario in question was such that almost all importance was placed on highly relevant documents, and the discount was sharp. The main conclusion of the thesis is that normalization and right hand truncation (performed by a search expert) enhanced retrieval effectiveness in comparison to the baseline, irrespective of which of the two relevance situations we consider. Further, the three indexing strategy-query term combinations based on normalization were almost as good as the combination that involves truncation. This holds for both relevance situations.
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- Persson, Eva, 1953
(författare)
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A new life with a stoma and quality of care among patients and their partners
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Information, education, and counselling are essential elements in stoma care. It istherefore important to take the necessary time to explain to patients and their partnerwhat to expect when living with a stoma.Aim: To describe the perception that patients and their spouses have of their lifesituation after stoma surgery, with particular emphasis regarding their personal viewson the importance of various aspects of care and how they felt about the quality ofcare that was provided.Methods: Nine patients were interviewed about their feelings and life experiences 6-12 weeks after stoma surgery. A qualitative method was used to collect and analysethe data. In addition to the interview procedure, quality of care of patients and theirrelatives was assessed using the identity-oriented dimension of the well-establishedquestionnaire Quality of Care from the Patients Perspective . A colostomy group of49 patients and 32 couples and an ileostomy group of 42 patients and 28 couplescompleted the questionnaire. Focus group interviews comprised of spouses to patientsafter surgery for rectal cancer were conducted as method of data collection.Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the implicit meanings embeddedwithin the interview material.Results: The altered body image had an adverse impact on the sexual life of thepatients and their spouses. Social life and leisure activities were also affectedadversely and thus the couples had to adapt to their new live style accordingly. Thetopics covered by the questionnaire were considered important to both the patientsand their relatives. Information given on results from medical examinations andlaboratory tests was judged to be unsatisfactory in about one-half of the ileostomypatients and their relatives and in about one-third of the patients and their relatives inthe colostomy group. Furthermore, their dissatisfaction with the possibility ofparticipating in the decision-making process or to discuss sexual matters was evengreater. Although the majority of the patients in both study groups considered theattitudes of the ET nurse and the treatment they received as satisfactory, the relativeswere observed to be less content with these issues. Ileostomy patients and theirrelatives tended to be more displeased with the quality of care than the colostomypatients and their relatives.Conclusion: Despite access to stoma therapy and modern stoma appliances, anileostomy as well as a colostomy, were found to adversely affect the daily life ofpatients and their spouses and relatives. Concerning the quality of care, a largediscrepancy still exists between what form of care is offered and what is actuallygiven, particularly regarding patient participation and information needs. An attitudechange that is more accommodating and that encourages spouses and relatives totake part in consultations might serve to facilitate the ostomy patient s long-termadjustment to living with a stoma.
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| 7. |
- Holmqvist Andersson, Elisabeth
(författare)
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Mild traumatic brain injuries : the impact of early intervention on late sequelae
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aims: Studies I & II:To assess the incidence of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) in western Sweden and to investigate health-related quality of life and post-concussion symptoms (PCS). Study III: To test the hypothesis that a programme of early rehabilitation for selected Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) patients would reduce late sequelae. Study IV: To investigate the parallel reliability, concurrent validity and inter-observer reliability of the Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (PCSQ). Methods: Studies I & II: Data were collected prospectively and retrospectively. 173 patients aged between 16 and 60 and collected consecutively at Södra Älvsborg Hospital received two mailed questionnaires three months and one year after injury. Study III: 1719 patients were registered at Södra Älvsborg Hospital and 395 MTBI patients were selected. Patients allocated to the control group (n=131) received regular care. Patients assigned to intervention (n=264) were contacted 2-8 weeks (median 3 weeks) after injury and offered rehabilitation. The intervention was designed according to their perceived individual needs. Outcome was measured as the change in the occurrence of PCS, life satisfaction, health-related quality of life and daily activities one year after injury, as compared with before injury for the different groups. Study IV: In the parallel reliability and concurrent validity study, 35 patients filled in the PCSQ, answering, “Yes” or “No”. The patients were than interviewed to check the certain “Yes” or “No” answers. In the inter-observer study, the observers filled in their ratings independently. Results: Studies I & II: 753 cases were identified, representing an incidence of 546 per 100,000 a year in western Sweden. A statistically-significant correlation was found between an increasing number of PCS and reduced health-related quality of life. Study III: No statistical differences were found between the intervention and control groups with respect to intervention. Patients who experienced few PCS 2-8 weeks (median 3 weeks) after the injury and declined rehabilitation recovered and returned to their pre-injury status. Patients who suffered several PCS and accepted rehabilitation did not recover during the period of one year. Study IV: The parallel reliability and concurrent validity ranged from 82-100 per cent of agreement between the two questionnaires. The range of agreement was 93-100 per cent in the inter-observer study. Conclusions: Study I: The incidence of TBI is high in western Sweden, 546 per 100,000. Study II: There is a statistically-significant correlation between a higher increase in the number of PCS and reduced health-related quality of life. Study III: In this particular MTBI sample, early active rehabilitation did not change the outcome to a statistically-significant degree. Study IV. The PCSQ is a reliable and valid instrument for screening PCS after an MTBI.
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| 8. |
- Ihlström Eriksson, Carina
(författare)
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The Evolution of a New(s) Genre
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis describes and analyzes how the online newspaper genre has evolved since its inception on the Internet in the mid-nineties. The overall research question is: What characterizes the online newspaper genre evolution? The thesis is based on both synchronic and diachronic studies with a multimethod approach (including six different studies involving, e.g., interviews, questionnaires and web site analyses) intended to provide a comprehensive picture of this genre evolution. On the basis of genre theory, the thesis proposes a framework for understanding online newspaper genre evolution, integrating design (layout) aspects with publisher and audience views. Applying this framework to the collected empirical material, the thesis presents a comprehensive and integrated view of this evolution. Over time, online newspapers have evolved into a specific digital genre, with genre characteristics such as content and form, distinguishing them from other digital genres. However, this rapid development has also lead to diversities in form and function, triggering both academics and practitioners to seek ways to design for consistency within the genre. Several factors have influenced the online newspaper genre evolution, e.g., inhouse attitudes, business model shifts and technological progress at the publishers’ side. The audience demographics, habits and preferences have also changed. The layout of the online newspapers has been altered into long pages stuffed with content like news streams, headlines, photos, and services not possible in the printed edition. There has also been a shift towards frequent updates throughout the day and more content produced for the web. In addition, the thesis contributes to digital genre theory by modifications relevant to the online newspaper genre. For example, the concepts of genre awareness and genre interdependence are elaborated, a framework for identifying genre characteristics is proposed, and the concept “positioning” is introduced. Further, the thesis also contributes with implications for online newspaper design and publishing with longitudinal mappings of online newspaper layout and the habits and preferences of the audience.
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| 10. |
- Rosenberg, Kerstin
(författare)
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Värdet av arbete : arbetsvärdering som ett lönepolitiskt instrument
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this dissertation is to examine if and in what way job evaluation can act as an instrument for wage politics. This is done by analysing the process in different job evaluation projects and the connection between job evaluation and the wage politics and wage setting of the organisations. The research questions are: What support and what obstacles can be identified during the job evaluation and wage setting processes to equalise unwarranted wage differences between women and men? How do organisations carry out the results of the job evaluation in wage politics and pay setting? Does job evaluation function as an instrument to achieve a wage setting that gives equal pay for work which is regarded as equal or of equal value and in that case in what way?The model used in this dissertation, the HAC system, Basic Model for Job Evaluation, has been drawn up with gender neutrality in mind and is based on the factors mentioned in the Equal Opportunities Act, Section 2: knowledge and skills, responsibility, and effort. The empirical studies include two job evaluation projects in municipalities, two projects within government departments and one project in banking. The cases have been studied with the help of the following methods for documenting and analysing the processes of job evaluation and pay setting: intervention, observations, interviews, questionnaires and mapping. Intervention was used in the different support processes through project leadership and reports by experts during the processes of job evaluation and also where appropriate during the individuals qualifications process. Observations were made of the job evaluation process by participation in project and evaluation meetings. Interviews were carried out in Case A and Case E with a number of key people in the project as well as with a selection of people whose positions had been evaluated before the job evaluation and in Case A also after the evaluation was carried out. Questionnaires were given to all the employees in Case E after the first wage setting had taken place. The results of the job evaluation formed a part of each positions basic pay where the individuals qualifications were discussed according to a given model at the individual pay negotiations. Mapping was done of pay policy in all cases, both before and after the job evaluation. The procedure was to interview those responsible for pay as well as to study existing policy documents. The study makes the following conclusions. The organisational hierarchy with men at the top and managers who are a part of the evaluation group means that the status quo is maintained. Doubtfulness exists regarding the techniques of the job evaluation system. Thus when adjusting to the organisation one should carefully observe how the number of demand levels affects the results, how the weighting of factors affects the results, and how the connection between results and the pay setting is intended to become a reality. Winners as well as losers will appear if changes take place in the ranking of different professions in contrast to former evaluations/values when the job evaluations result is compared to the wage hierarchy.The role of unions in negotiations may be changed at the introduction of a job evaluation instrument in pay setting which ties a certain part of wages to the results of the job evaluation reducing the scope for negotiations. The efforts to create wage setting that gives equal pay for the same and similar work easily become an evasive problem which is shifted from visible wage setting principles and parts of the wage to invisible ones the more the wage principles and parts of the wage have been clarified. The traditional male dominated hierarchys significance regarding evaluation work and pay setting must be broken. Equal pay is a question of democracy and justice that should be placed at the top of the political agenda.
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