| 1. |
- Ezz El Din, Mahitab, 1972-
(författare)
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Beyond Orientalism and Occidentalism : Identity constructions in Arab and Western news media
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study examines how the media construct the identities of the Other by creating various ‘us’ versus ‘them’ positions (Othering) when covering non-violence-based intercultural conflicts in Arab and Western news media. Othering in this study is understood as an umbrella concept that in general terms refers to the discursive process of constructing and positioning the Self and the Other into separate identities of an ‘us’ and a ‘them.’This process is analysed using a mixed method approach. A content analysis is used to map the data, and then a closer examination of the discourse is conducted using a qualitative approach inspired by critical discourse analysis. Two empirical studies are conducted based on this analysis: 1) the case of the Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda’s publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed in 2007 and 2) the media coverage of the headscarf ban in French state schools in 2004. This study also employs Galtung’s Peace Journalism model as a frame of reference in the conclusions to discuss how this model could contribute, if applied in journalistic texts, to more balanced constructions of intercultural conflicts.The results show that Othering is a central discursive practice that is commonly adopted in both Arab and Western media coverage of non-violent intercultural conflicts, but it appears in different forms. Many of the previous studies have devoted considerable attention to rather conventional dichotomous constructions of Eastern and Western Others. The present study, in contrast, brings to the fore more non-conventional constructions and, while recognizing the occurrence of the conventional constructions, goes beyond these binary oppositions of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Variations in the types of identity constructions found in my study can be attributed to the mode of the article, the actors/voices included, the media affiliations and the topic and its overall contextualization.The different types of identity constructions in the media coverage may bring about a less black and white understanding of an event and help bring forth a more nuanced picture of what is going on and who is doing what in a conflict situation. Their occurrence in the media can possibly be linked to a new vision of a global society that does not necessarily constitute homogenous groups with the same characteristics, but rather is more consistent with a hybrid identity.This research is timely, as with the recent arrival of large groups of migrants from the Middle East, the ‘fear of Islam,’ and the right wing propaganda regarding Muslims as a threat is increasing. Islamophobia can be seen as a new form of racism used by elites to serve particular agendas. If media practitioners applied a more critical awareness in their writings so as not to reproduce culturally rooted stereotypes, which can inflame conflicts between people and nations, we might see less hostility against migrants and achieve a less racist world.
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| 2. |
- Heuman, Anna, 1990-
(författare)
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Negotiating standard language ideology : Metalinguistic discussions in mundane, online interaction
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates how ordinary language users enact language policy and thus negotiate (standard) language ideology in mundane, online interaction. The language policy work is found in metalinguistic discussions on various social media. The discussions have been triggered by deviations from standard written language, mostly on the level of orthography. The discussions mainly target different aspects of standard language ideology. The three studies included in this compilation thesis identify discursive strategies and reveal the contradictory ideologies underpinning the discussions.The discussions are analysed with an interactional and procedural focus, highlighting the unfolding negotiations of standard language ideology. The results show that standard language ideology is prevailing which, in turn, enables certain realisations. When drawing on standard norms, the participants can use strategies that do not include explicit arguments. However, the discussions also include contradictions and strategies that challenge traditional standard beliefs. These results illustrate the mundane, vivid metalinguistic negotiations in which standard language ideology is primarily enforced, but also challenged.The results illuminate how standardisation is not a mythical and imperceptible process, but one of constant and visible iteration, also in very mundane situations. Furthermore, the pervasiveness of standard language ideology could make it harder for those who deviate from it to be listened to or even to participate at all. In this way, everyday metalinguistic discussions are one among many language policy activities that can enforce loyalty to the standard variety and its position as unmarked.
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| 3. |
- Breazu, Petre, 1978-
(författare)
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Representing the Roma in Romanian Media : A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, I addressed the representation of the Roma in Romanian newspapers, television news, and social media. I focused on Romania, a country with the largest Roma population in Europe, and where the Roma have historically experienced centuries of discrimination and social exclusion. I conducted an in-depth Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to reveal what kind of discourses are used to represent this minority group, after Romania joined the European Union. The analysis in this thesis confirms the well-documented discourses in reference to Roma as criminal, uneducated, dirty, immoral, and as resisting assimilation into wider society. In addition, this research shows how these discourses have been incorporated into newer forms specific to the current political climate across Europe, increasingly dominated by right-wing populist politics, where minority groups, such as the Roma have become easy targets for politicians to justify their political failures and are scapegoated for lack of jobs, declining economic prosperity, instability, fears of immigration and of the loss of national autonomy and traditions. The detailed MCDA analysis allowed me to show how racism can be communicated in a variety of ways, not so much in relation to biological differences but in terms of culture, behaviour, traditions and national values. The multimodal approach was instrumental in showing how different media, with their different affordances have their specific way of avoiding overt racism while nevertheless the ideology remains. We see how the combination of different modes help to communicate the civil nature of violent actions, such as camp evictions, or the representation of poverty as a choice, rather than embedded in the social structures. Moreover we see on social media how ‘simple fun’, in the form of humour and ridicule, is loaded with extreme forms of racism that even call for ethnic cleansing.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, Björn
(författare)
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Electrochemical evaluation of new materials in polymer electrolyte fuel cells
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electrical energy and heat, with the only exhaust being water. Fuel cells are considered key in achieving a sustainable energy sector. The main obstacles to wide scale commercialization are cost and durability. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate new materials for PEFC to potentially lower cost and increase durability. To lower the amount of expensive platinum catalyst in the fuel cell, the activities of Pt-rare earth metal (REM) alloy catalysts have been tested. To improve the lifetime of the carbon support, the carbon corrosion properties of multi walled carbon nanotubes have been evaluated. To reduce the overall cost of fuel cell stacks, carbon coated and metal coated bipolar plates have been tested. To increase the performance and lifetime of anion exchange membranes, the water transport has been studied.The results show that the Pt-REM catalysts had at least two times higher specific activity than pure platinum, and even higher activities should be obtainable if the surface structures are further refined.Multi-walled carbon nanotubes had lower carbon corrosion than conventional carbon Vulcan XC-72. However, once severely corroded their porous structure collapsed, causing major performance losses.The carbon coated metallic bipolar plates showed no significant increase of internal contact resistance (ICR) by cycling, suggesting that these coatings are stable in fuel cells. The NiMo- and NiMoP coated bipolar plates showed low ICR, however, presence of the coated bipolar plates caused secondary harmful effects on the polymer membrane and ionomer.Considering the water transport through anion exchange membranes it was found that most membranes showed very similar water transport properties, with more water detected at both the anode and cathode when a current was applied. The most significant factor governing the water transport properties was the membrane thickness, with thicker membranes reducing the backflow of water from anode to cathode.The results indicate that all of the new tested materials have the capability to improve the lifetime and reduce cost and thereby improve the overall performance of PEFC.
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| 5. |
- Vikström, Axel, 1991-
(författare)
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The Mediated Representation of the Super-Rich : Secrecy, Wealth Taxation and the Tensions of Neoliberal Capitalism
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis examines how the wealthiest apex of the capitalist class, a segment commonly referred to as ‘the super-rich’, is represented in Swedish legacy newspapers. As decades of neoliberal reforms have paved the way for increasing wealth concentration at the very top, the super-rich has emerged as both a material and discursive phenomenon. The news media provides an influential site for studying meaning-making around the super-rich in the context of the underlying tensions of the neoliberal capitalist social order. Combining Nancy Fraser’s theory of normative contradictions with a critical political economy approach to the media, this thesis explores mediated representations of the super-rich as sites of ideological struggle between ideals of market justice and social justice. The thesis conducts an in-depth Critical Discourse Analysis to uncover what discourses Swedish newspapers – both in contemporary and historical settings – draw upon when representing the super-rich. The thesis consists of three case studies, each zooming in on different dimensions of the super-rich. The findings suggest that, while the feature reporting on the super-rich is no twithout its ambivalences, the critique is largely limited to questioning the morality of individual billionaires or business models, not billionaire wealth in itself. The thesis also shows how the secrecy surrounding the super-rich, hailed as a key part of the reproduction of economic inequality, can be mobilized by the tabloid media to intensify the ‘wealth porn’ genre rather than questioning inequalities per se. It also argues that the longterm coverage of the Swedish wealth tax in the liberal/conservative press between 1969 and 2007 delegitimated the tax as an immoral and irrational anomaly in a globalized world, paving the way for the social acceptance of large individual fortunes. As such, the thesis provides a comprehensive account of how the news media operates to incorporate the super-rich into the justice narratives of neoliberal capitalism, thus serving to mitigate the tensions of the social order.
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| 6. |
- Östgren, Carl Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of atherosclerosis in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes compared to normoglycaemic individuals-a Swedish population-based study.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cardiovascular diabetology. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1475-2840. ; 22:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of death and cardiovascular events and people with diabetes or prediabetes have been found to have increased atherosclerotic burden in the coronary and carotid arteries. This study will estimate the cross-sectional prevalence of atherosclerosis in the coronary and carotid arteries in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes, compared with normoglycaemic individuals in a large population-based cohort.The 30,154 study participants, 50-64years, were categorized according to their fasting glycaemic status or self-reported data as normoglycaemic, prediabetes, and previously undetected or known diabetes. Prevalence of affected coronary artery segments, severity of stenosis and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) were determined by coronary computed tomography angiography. Total atherosclerotic burden was assessed in the 11 clinically most relevant segments using the Segment Involvement Score and as the presence of any coronary atherosclerosis. The presence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid arteries was determined by ultrasound examination.Study participants with prediabetes (n=4804, 16.0%) or diabetes (n=2282, 7.6%) had greater coronary artery plaque burden, more coronary stenosis and higher CACS than normoglycaemic participants (all, p<0.01). Among male participants with diabetes 35.3% had CACS≥100 compared to 16.1% among normoglycaemic participants. For women, the corresponding figures were 8.9% vs 6.1%. The prevalence of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries was higher in participants with previously undetected diabetes than prediabetes, but lower than in patients with known diabetes. The prevalence of any plaque in the carotid arteries was higher in participants with prediabetes or diabetes than in normoglycaemic participants.In this large population-based cohort of currently asymptomatic people, the atherosclerotic burden in the coronary and carotid arteries increased with increasing degree of dysglycaemia. The finding that the atherosclerotic burden in the coronary arteries in the undetected diabetes category was midway between the prediabetes category and patients with known diabetes may have implications for screening strategies and tailored prevention interventions for people with dysglycaemia in the future.
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| 7. |
- Bergström, Göran, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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Body weight at age 20 and in midlife is more important than weight gain for coronary atherosclerosis: Results from SCAPIS.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1484 .- 0021-9150. ; 373, s. 46-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elevated body weight in adolescence is associated with early cardiovascular disease, but whether this association is traceable to weight in early adulthood, weight in midlife or to weight gain is not known. The aim of this study is to assess the risk of midlife coronary atherosclerosis being associated with body weight at age 20, body weight in midlife and body weight change.We used data from 25,181 participants with no previous myocardial infarction or cardiac procedure in the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS, mean age 57 years, 51% women). Data on coronary atherosclerosis, self-reported body weight at age 20 and measured midlife weight were recorded together with potential confounders and mediators. Coronary atherosclerosis was assessed using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and expressed as segment involvement score (SIS).The probability of having coronary atherosclerosis was markedly higher with increasing weight at age 20 and with mid-life weight (p<0.001 for both sexes). However, weight increase from age 20 until mid-life was only modestly associated with coronary atherosclerosis. The association between weight gain and coronary atherosclerosis was mainly seen in men. However, no significant sex difference could be detected when adjusting for the 10-year delay in disease development in women.Similar in men and women, weight at age 20 and weight in midlife are strongly related to coronary atherosclerosis while weight increase from age 20 until midlife is only modestly related to coronary atherosclerosis.
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| 8. |
- Bergström, Göran, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of Subclinical Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis in the General Population
- 2021
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Ingår i: Circulation. - Philadelphia : American Heart Association. - 0009-7322 .- 1524-4539. ; 144:12, s. 916-929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Early detection of coronary atherosclerosis using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in addition to coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring, may help inform prevention strategies. We used CCTA to determine the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis and its association with CAC scores in a general population.Methods: We recruited 30 154 randomly invited individuals age 50 to 64 years to SCAPIS (the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study). The study includes individuals without known coronary heart disease (ie, no previous myocardial infarctions or cardiac procedures) and with high-quality results from CCTA and CAC imaging performed using dedicated dual-source CT scanners. Noncontrast images were scored for CAC. CCTA images were visually read and scored for coronary atherosclerosis per segment (defined as no atherosclerosis, 1% to 49% stenosis, or ≥50% stenosis). External validity of prevalence estimates was evaluated using inverse probability for participation weighting and Swedish register data.Results: In total, 25 182 individuals without known coronary heart disease were included (50.6% women). Any CCTA-detected atherosclerosis was found in 42.1%; any significant stenosis (≥50%) in 5.2%; left main, proximal left anterior descending artery, or 3-vessel disease in 1.9%; and any noncalcified plaques in 8.3% of this population. Onset of atherosclerosis was delayed on average by 10 years in women. Atherosclerosis was more prevalent in older individuals and predominantly found in the proximal left anterior descending artery. Prevalence of CCTA-detected atherosclerosis increased with increasing CAC scores. Among those with a CAC score >400, all had atherosclerosis and 45.7% had significant stenosis. In those with 0 CAC, 5.5% had atherosclerosis and 0.4% had significant stenosis. In participants with 0 CAC and intermediate 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease according to the pooled cohort equation, 9.2% had CCTA-verified atherosclerosis. Prevalence estimates had excellent external validity and changed marginally when adjusted to the age-matched Swedish background population.Conclusions: Using CCTA in a large, random sample of the general population without established disease, we showed that silent coronary atherosclerosis is common in this population. High CAC scores convey a significant probability of substantial stenosis, and 0 CAC does not exclude atherosclerosis, particularly in those at higher baseline risk.
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| 9. |
- Chiche, Ariel
(författare)
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On Hybrid Fuel Cell and Battery Systems for Maritime Applications
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Hydrogen is seen as a key player in leading to a sustainable energy sector and decarbonizing the transport sector. Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) consume hydrogen and oxygen to generate water, heat and electricity. If designed properly, a hydrogen-fuelled system can significantly increase the endurance of vehicles without increasing the weight or volume of the energy system, which makes it a promising solution for maritime applications. To take advantage of the high density of energy in hydrogen and of power in batteries, a sizing strategy for hybrid systems was developed and implemented for an underwater vessel and a rescue boat, considering various constraints, e.g. neutral buoyancy for underwater vehicles. Several types of storage for reactants were compared and their thermal properties were included in the sizing strategy. To understand the behaviour of fuel cells in an underwater environment, i.e. a closed environment without presence of oxygen, an experimental lab-scale setup was built, and various hydrogen supply methods were tested. Finally, modelling of the hybrid system was used to compare different energy management strategies (EMSs). The developed sizing strategy, tested through real power profiles, demonstrates that an optimized hybrid system becomes more compact and lighter than a battery system when the length of the mission increases. Such a system can also compete in terms of weight and volume with a diesel engine and help reduce the environmental impact of a vehicle. The heat balance analysis shows that the fuel cell is the major heat contributor, regardless of the combination of reactants storage units. The experimental work highlights that the fuel cell should deliver a low current density at a high relative humidity in order to limit the waste of hydrogen and increase the performance of the stack. The symmetric purging strategy appears to increase the stability of the stack over time. It is also shown that it is crucial to select an adapted EMS for each mission in order to fulfil it. Some EMSs tend to limit the hydrogen consumption while others deplete more battery power. To conclude, it is relevant to use fuel cell systems for maritime applications, and has the potential to increase the length of the missions performed.
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| 10. |
- Nothhaft, Camilla, 1976-
(författare)
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Moments of lobbying : an ethnographic study of meetings between lobbyists and politicians
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study is to define and further the understanding of the practice of lobbying as it manifests in the participants’ interactions with each other and to identify its specific conditions (rules, standards, traits).A research overview shows that lobbying as a political phenomenon is well researched, but that the action per se tends to been taken for granted as ‘talking’. Communication between lobbyists and politicians has predominantly been reconstructed as transmission, informationexchange. The study addresses this deficiency by applying an ethnographic method, shadowing, and by focussing on the micro-level of lobbying as a socio-political phenomenon. Lobbying is researched in moments of interaction between interest representatives and representatives of the political system, i.e. MEPs and their assistants.Seven lobbyists and politicians in Brussels have been shadowed for one week each; a further 34 interviews were conducted. The analytical strategy was to infer from the actors’ impression management (Goffman). The study is informed by a neo-institutional perspective. It assumes that cognitive, normative, and regulative structures provide meaning to social behavior, and that these resources are identifiable.Goffman’s concept of team and the distinction between frontstage and backstage emerged as central categories. My results suggest that the small world of the EU’s capital results in a sense of ‘us in Brussels’ shared by lobbyists, politicians and assistants alike. Lobbying-interaction in frontstage-mode is governed by strict conventions; ignorance or transgression are sanctioned as unprofessional. The key result, however, is that lobbyists actively work towards engagement on other terms. Lobbyists employ various strategies and build relations with politicians in order to create moments of backstage-interaction. In backstage-mode, lobbyists not only gain access to soft information, but can negotiate ways of working together with politicians in pursuit of different, but partly overlapping agendas.
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