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| 2. |
- Plank, Katarina, 1970-
(författare)
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Insikt och närvaro : Akademiska kontemplationer kring buddhism, meditation och mindfulness i Sverige
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Under 1900-talet har stora förändringar skett i synen på buddhistisk meditation. Från att ha varit en övning som bara ägt rum på kloster och bland ett fåtal munkar, har både ordinerade lärare och lekmannalärare börjat lära ut meditation till lekfolk. Meditation har kommit att framställas som själva hjärtat i buddhistiska traditioner, och som det element som kan isoleras och tas ur sitt religiösa sammanhang för att sedan läras ut i en sekulär inramning. Därigenom har meditation kommit att bli det enskilt viktigaste bidraget från buddhistiska traditioner till de nya former av andlighet och religiositet som den svenska majoritetsbefolkningen kommer i kontakt med. Praktiken återfinns även i de terapiformer som numera erbjuds inom svensk sjukvård, där mindfulness-baserade terapier snabbt har ökat i popularitet de senaste åren. Syftet med avhandlingen Insikt och närvaro är att undersöka på vilket sätt en religiös tradition förändras när den överförs till en ny kontext; hur den emottas och införlivas i sin nya kontext samt hur enskilda individer i Sverige uppfattar och använder sig av denna tradition. Det görs genom att belysa utvecklingen av insiktsmeditation, vipassana, som också är känt som satipatthana. I fokus står det meditativa arvet från den burmesiske lekmannaläraren U Ba Khin, en meditationsmetod som har blivit globaliserad framför allt genom hans indiske elev S. N. Goenka. Denna specifika burmesiska meditationsmetod kan även spåras i flera av de sekulära mindfulnessbaserade terapier som används i terapeutiska och medicinska sammanhang. Förutom att bidra till förståelsen av och för nya buddhistiska rörelseer, buddhistisk meditation och religionsbyten i det nutida svenska samhället, vill studien medverka till en fördjupad kritisk diskussion kring mindfulness. Som sådan kan den även tjäna som reflektionsunderlag för psykologer och andra som är verksamma inom den medicinska sektorn där mindfulness börjat introducerats inom svensk sjukvård.
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| 3. |
- Tajvidi, Nader
(författare)
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Characterisation and Some Statistical Aspects of Univariate and Multivariate Generalised Pareto Distributions
- 1996
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Extreme value theory is about the distributions of very large or very small values in a time series or stochastic process. This has numerous applications connected with environmental science, civil engineering, materials science and insurance. A rather recent approach for modelling extreme events is the so called peak over threshold (POT) method. The generalised Pareto distribution (GPD) is a two-parameter family of distributions which can be used to model exceedances over a threshold. This thesis consists of three papers. The main focus is on some theoretical and applied statistical issues of univariate and multivariate extreme value modelling. In the first paper we compare the empirical coverage of standard bootstrap and likelihood-based confidence intervals for the parameters and 90\%-quantile of the GPD. By applying a general method of D. N. Lawley, small sample correction factors for likelihood ratio statistics of the parameters and quantiles of the GPD have been calculated. The article also investigates the performance of some bootstrap methods for estimation of accuracy measures of maximum likelihood estimators of parameters and quantiles of the GPD. In the second paper we give a multivariate analogue of the GPD and consider estimation of parameters in some specific bivariate generalised Pareto distributions (BGPD's). We generalise two of existing bivariate extreme value distributions and study maximum likelihood estimation of parameters in the corresponding BGPD's. The procedure is illustrated with an application to a bivariate series of wind data. The main interest in the thesis has been on practicality of the methods so when a new method has been developed, it's performance has been studied with the help of both real life data and simulations. In the third paper we use three previous articles as examples to illustrate difficulties which might arise in application of the theory and methods which may be used to solve them. A common theme in these articles is univariate and multivariate generalised Pareto distributions. However, the discussed problems are of a rather general nature and demonstrate some typical tasks in applied statistical research. We also discuss a general approach to design and implementation of statistical computations.
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| 4. |
- Ekman, Stefan, 1972
(författare)
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Writing Worlds, Reading Landscapes: An Exploration of Settings in Fantasy
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In fantasy literature, the setting is as important to the story as are characters and plot; but although many fantasy scholars have pointed this out, there is very little criticism that explores the role of the setting in fantasy. The aim of this study is to use a topofocal (place-focused) perspective to examine four aspects of the fantasy setting, including the way in which settings function in terms of their respective worlds and stories. Chapter 2 considers the division of a setting into text and image by investigating the fantasy map through a survey of a random sample of fantasy novels, as well as through a close reading of two maps from The Lord of the Rings. Fantasy maps, while generally adhering to a pseudomedieval aesthetics, may reveal much about the world of their respective works. Chapter 3 explores geographical divisions which also divide different realities. Borders between, for instance, mundanity and Faerie, and between the realms of life and death, may appear to be sharp demarcations but are often gradual transitions from one reality to another. Other areas – polders – are particular realities protected from the outside world by a boundary. These polders are bubbles of the past which extend the world’s topology as well as its history. The chapter demonstrates how a fundamental function for such boundaries and borders is to join opposing realities rather than keep them apart. Chapter 4 examines the relation between nature and culture in four fantasy cities. Each city portrays a highly dissimilar relation compared to the others: where nature is a symbol of just governance in one place, the element of opposition is used as part of a social critique in another; the two domains dissolve into each other in the third, and in the fourth city, nature is a liminal phenomenon between various cultural zones. In each story, however, the nature/culture relation displays a connection to a key theme or concern. Finally, chapter 5 shows how the fantasy genre allows the division between ruler and realm to be bridged, discussing the direct link between them. After an overview of such links, some specific tropes are considered, including the Fisher-King figure and the Dark Lord, and the importance of a non-metaphorical reading of the ruler/realm connection is demonstrated. The topofocal approaches in the four chapters reveal much about the works under consideration, such as their underlying attitudes and central concerns, and prove to be valuable critical strategies in demonstrating how plot, character, and setting are interwoven.
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- Larson, Tomas, 1967
(författare)
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A-TAC - The Autism-Tics, ADHD and other Comorbidities inventory: studies in reliability and validity
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Reliable, valid, and easy-to-administer instruments to identify possible “caseness” and to provide proxies for clinical diagnoses are needed in epidemiological research on child and adolescent mental health. The Autism–Tics, ADHD and other Comorbidities (A-TAC) inventory was developed to be used as a comprehensive interview to evaluate neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs), e.g. autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and coexisting disorders in childhood and adolescence. Aims & Methods: The overall aim of this study was to present basic reliability and validity data on the A-TAC and to investigate its screening application in epidemiological and clinical studies. Specific aims were to determine: (1) the A-TAC’s test–retest reliability; (2) the psychometric properties and establish optimal cut-off values for NDP modules of the A-TAC in order to differentiate between clinically diagnosed children and others; (3) the A-TAC’s convergent validity with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL); (4) its diagnostic predictive screening properties in a population-based cohort; and (5) to establish basic prevalence figures for NDPs and provide an overview of the comorbidity, distribution and intercorrelation of these problems with the A-TAC. Results: There were good test–retest intraclass correlations for both ASDs and ADHD (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.84 for both). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) for interview scores were excellent predictors of clinical diagnoses, around 0.95 for most disorders. Screening cut-off scores with sensitivities >0.90 could be established for most conditions. The A-TAC has overall convergent validity with the CBCL, and works well as a predictive assessment tool in the general population, with AUCs from 0.77 (ADHD) to 0.91 (ASDs). Finally, NDPs are dimensionally distributed in the general population, with a total of 16% being screen-positive for one or several of the targeted disorders (1.3% for ASDs and 5.6% for ADHD). Conclusions: The A-TAC inventory is a reasonably reliable and valid tool even when administered by lay persons over the telephone, yielding both sensitive screening measures and proxies for clinical diagnoses. The A-TAC has a particularly good ability to assess features and problems in the ASDs and their most common comorbid conditions.
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| 7. |
- Hansson, Sara Lina
(författare)
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On the validity of neurodevelopmental disorders
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Abstract Introduction: Validity is important at different levels in psychiatry. Valid structured instruments are important aids in screening and diagnostics, in both research and clinical practice. An aim of the diagnostic procedure is to yield valid diagnoses. Ultimately, the validity of structured instruments (non-empirical) and clinical diagnoses depends on the validity of the diagnostic classification system and its constructs. Aims and methods: (1) To validate the Autism – Tics, ADHD, and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC), developed for screening in large-scale studies, against clinical diagnoses and an established screening instrument (Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL]). (2) To determine prevalence rates and distributions of neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs) and general psychiatric problems as well as patterns of co-occurrence in a general population sample according to the A-TAC. (3) To qualitatively explore patients’ own experiences of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in an attempt to validate the diagnosis from a patient perspective. Results: The A-TAC showed excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC ≥0.97). ICCs for test-retest reliability were 0.77-0.97 for most modules. AUCs were around 0.90 for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and ADHD, and 0.71-0.84 for the other NDPs. Optimal cut-offs gave sensitivity around 0.90 and specificity around 0.75 for ASDs and ADHD. Cohen’s κ was > 0.60 for ASDs and ADHD. Sensitivity and Cohen’s κ were lower for the other NDPs. The A-TAC had moderate convergent validity with the CBCL on subscales that tended to target the same areas, but provided a more detailed and specific assessment of ASDs and related NDPs. Problems were continuously distributed and highly inter-correlated across types. There was a complex intra- and inter-individual variation of experiences of being diagnosed with ADHD, focused on diagnosis, identity, and life, but positive experiences were dominant. All but one interviewee expressed important positive consequences of being diagnosed. About half of them acknowledged negative aspects, but none regretted going through the neuropsychiatric evaluation. Conclusions: The results support the reliability and validity of the A-TAC in identifying ASDs, ADHD, and common comorbid NDPs. From a patient perspective, an ADHD diagnosis brings major benefits compared to the undiagnosed situation. Knowledge of an individual’s experiences is important for professionals as they can affect well-being and interfere with different treatments. Negative experiences especially might need to be addressed in the treatment work. Using the patient’s perspective may help validate psychiatric diagnoses, and is consistent with the idea of incorporating consequences into the concept of validity.
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| 8. |
- Martin, Roman
(författare)
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Knowledge Bases and the Geography of Innovation
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Despite the ongoing globalisation of economic activities, innovation does not take place randomly distributed over space, but concentrates in certain locations. A central argument to explain the spatial concentration of innovation activities lies in the ability of geographical proximity to facilitate interactive learning and knowledge exchange, which in turn is seen as an important driver for regional growth and prosperity. Intensive knowledge sharing within the regional milieu is considered pivotal to continuous innovation, while at the same time, distant sources of knowledge are important for accessing new ideas and thoughts. When, why and in what respect local or non-local knowledge sourcing and exchange matters for innovation is a key question addressed in this dissertation. The thesis applies a regional innovation systems perspective where innovation is seen as the result of interactive learning processes involving various actors from industry, academia and governments, which collectively contribute to regional innovation and growth. Moreover, the thesis takes a broad-based view on innovation where innovation is seen as critical for all sectors of the economy, and not only for science and (high-) technology orientated activities. A distinction between industries is made with respect to the type of knowledge base that underlies innovation activities (i.e. analytical, synthetic and symbolic). When, why and in what respect the geography of innovation varies subject to industry specific difference in the knowledge base is a further key question addressed in this dissertation. In order to account for the diversity of channels through which knowledge can be sourced and exchanged, particular attention is devoted to the notion of networks that connect firms and other organisations inside and outside the region, but also to other modes of knowledge transfer such as monitoring of collaborators and competitors, the mobility of knowledge embodied in skilled labour, and informal relations between individuals within knowledge communities. The dissertation reveals that the organisational and geographical scope of knowledge exchange is strongly (but not exclusively) shaped by the type of knowledge base that underlies innovation activities. The results point in the direction that symbolic industries, partly as a consequence of the context-dependency of cultural knowledge, are deeply embedded in localised knowledge networks, while knowledge exchange in synthetic industries is less locally organised and more governed by the national institutional framework. Analytical industries tend to rely less on localised sources of knowledge, and more on specialised knowledge providers in other parts of the world. The research design is inspired by critical realist ontology, epistemology and methodology, and draws on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. The empirical focus lies on several regional industries (or clusters) in different parts of Europe, with the main attention on the new media, food and life science industries in Scania, southern Sweden. The dissertation consists of five articles that are published or forthcoming in peer-reviewed journals, preceded by an opening part which outlines the theoretical and methodological background framing the individual articles.
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| 9. |
- Rosenkvist, Henrik
(författare)
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The Emergence of Conditional Subordinators in Swedish : A Study in Grammaticalization
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is an empirical and theoretical study of the emergence of five Swedish conditional subordinators: utan, om, hvar, ifall and bara. The first changes occur in the 13th century, and the last in the 18th century. After a theoretical introduction, in which grammaticalization as well as conditionality and conditional structures are critically discussed, five paths of change are identified. The changes are analysed from a syntactic as well as a syntactic perspective; it is argued that such a mode of procedure is not only possible, but also desirable, since only a wide perspective of this type may reveal the interesting interaction between structure and meaning in diachronic language change. The changes of utan require an understanding of the formal meaning of utan, I claim, and I suggest that utan is an anticonditional subordinator (matching PDE unless), the meaning of which may be paraphrased as 'it is not the case that if p then q'. Om in turn inherited meaning from the older æn, in a process of univerbation, while hvar has two sources, an adverb and a pronoun. Ifall developed through univerbation, and bara, finally, originated as an adjective but developed into an adverb, a sentence adverb and finally into an explicitly sufficient conditional subordinator. The five paths of change are eventually discussed in terms of grammaticalization, and three different concepts of grammaticalization are taken into consideration: grammaticalization as an empirical phenomenon, grammaticalization as a gradual, unidirectional type of language change, and grammaticalization as syntactic simplification. As for the examined paths of change, it is demonstrated that they are quite idiosyncratic and that they do not, in general, support the hypotheses that grammaticalization is a specific type of language change – the conclusion is that several irregular linguistic factors may affect a path of change (and such factors can not be reconstructed merely from synchronic data).
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| 10. |
- Sjölander-Lindqvist, Annelie
(författare)
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Local Environment at Stake : The Hallandsås Railway Tunnel in a Social and Cultural Context
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A major trend in facility siting research focuses on economic and psychological aspects of land-use regarding the location of potentially hazardous technological facilities including storage for high-level radioactive waste, landfills, chemical plants, large-scale dams, or waste incinerators. Such facilities frequently have profound environmental impact and are often understood by local citizens as intrusions on their environment that threaten landscape, place, and community. This investigation of local responses to facility siting is grounded in social anthropological theories of landscape and place. The study addresses the social and cultural impacts of the building of a railway tunnel through the Hallandsås ridge in an agricultural area in the southwest of Sweden. This tunnel project has met with technological difficulties and environmental problems such as a lowered groundwater table and toxic contamination of groundwater, soil, and surface water. A principal concern in this dissertation is how homeowners’ perceptions and views of the landscape, place, and locality—that is, their local environment—has been affected by the building of a tunnel beneath their farms and homesteads. The four articles on which the thesis build are derived from anthropological fieldwork carried out among local residents affected by the Hallandsås tunnel project. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, collaborative photography, nature walks, and participant observation at public meetings, between the years 1999 and 2003. The main findings of the study suggest that the construction of the tunnel and the subsequent environmental consequences have given rise to an increased sense among affected residents of the fragility and uncertainty of life systems and people’s livelihoods. Feelings of uncertainty regarding the future of the community and the landscape have stimulated a discourse about local history and collective memories bearing on the local environment. Shared responsibility for nature and the local environment is another theme. The building of the Hallandsås railway tunnel has both reinforced local identity within the rural community of affected residents and incited conflict as to how the natural resources of the area should be understood and interpreted. Groundwater issues play a central role in land-use disputes generated by the tunnel project. Groundwater serves as a ‘boundary object’ bordering the domains of the concerned parties: the local community and the Swedish National Rail Administration.
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