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- Andersson, Kent, et al.
(author)
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Technology Forecast 2012: Military utility of ten technologies : a report from seminars at the SNDC Department of Military Technology
- 2012
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Ten technology forecast reports from the Fraunhofer Institute have been reviewed by staff at the Department of Military-Technology at the Swedish National Defence College (Note that there probably are other technology areas, equally interesting, but not included in this study). The task given by FMV was to assess the military utility of the chosen technologies in a time frame from 2025 to 2030, from a SwAF viewpoint.The method used was first to make a summary of each forecast report. The technology was then put into one or more scenarios that are assessed to be the best in order to show possible utility as well as possibilities and drawbacks of the technology. Based on a SWOT-analysis, the contribution to SwAF capabilities and the cost in terms of acquisition, C2 footprint, logistic footprint, doctrine/TTP, training, facilities and R&D were assessed. Conclusions regarding the military utility of the technology were drawn.We introduce our definition of military utility as being activities that efficiently and with the lowest cost in terms of lives and materiel lead to fulfilment of the mission objectives.The technologies were grouped in three classes; technologies with a significant potential, with uncertain potential and with negligible potential.The following technologies were assessed to have a significant potential for military utility;Augmented RealityNano air vehiclesSolid State Laser weaponsIn the scenarios studied, Augmented Reality (AR) is assessed to have a positive impact on several SwAF capabilities, especially for C2 and intelligence. AR is a relatively mature technology, applicable in many different branches. There are examples where AR is already applied with great success, e.g. Head-Up-Displays, HUD. The technology has proven its value. However, there are well known drawbacks to the technology such as weaknesses regarding models, increased weight for dismounted soldiers, power consumption etc. There is also a risk that personnel will have problems solving their tasks when AR systems fail, not being used to fighting without supporting systems.Nano air vehicles (NAV’s) have been assessed to contribute to a large range of capabilities, primarily intelligence. Their lifecycle cost has been assessed to be low, since development in this area is commercially driven, bringing down acquisition costs. Also, FAA has decided to allow NAV’s in controlled air space from 2015, which is expected to lead to an increase in civilian use of NAV’s. The technology is relatively mature even though there are obstacles concerning suitable materials, energy efficient propulsion systems as well as miniaturized microprocessors and software to control them.In the scenario studied, High Energy Solid State Lasers are assessed to have a positive impact on SwAF capabilities to engage targets on surface and in the air. The technology can be used to protect vessels on the surface and thereby increase survivability. The development of SSL in the given timeframe is expected to lower cost per shot and avoid the environmental problems with use of chemical lasers. Neighbouring military powers are expected to use laser weapons in the future, therefore SwAF should monitor the development of the laser weapons technology and develop and purchase adequate countermeasures.The following technologies were assessed to have uncertain potential for military utility;Metamaterial cloakingElectromagnetic gunSmall satellitesUltra-violet communicationMetamaterial cloaking, if realisable in the future, is assessed to be firstly implemented in the acoustic spectrum, since manufacturing of small structured cloaks for the shorter wavelengths in the optic and radar spectra is believed to be more difficult. Cloaking of submarines is primarily assessed to increase the survivability against torpedoes having active sonar. The use of cloaked mines could pose a deterring threat, even to advanced amphibious operations against Sweden. The technological development in this area should be closely monitored and compared to existing, maturing techniques for countermeasures and for the development of broad spectrum active torpedoes. The greatest concern is that cloaking will have negative impact on submarine manoeuvrability.The electro-thermal chemical (ETC) gun seems to be a first step towards a fully electrical gun such as the rail-gun or the coil-gun. The fully electrical guns have been a work in progress for some decades and there are still remaining challenges both concerning electrical power supply and design materials. When or if, they will be operational is difficult to say.The military utility of small satellites is disputed, despite an assessed contribution to several of the SwAF capabilities. The main reason for this is that there seems to be other alternatives which provide the desired capabilities, at a lower cost. Furthermore, the realisability and performance of small productionline manufactured nanosatellites is uncertain. However the scenario has shown that there are benefits to the military utility not met by other resources, e.g. the capability to perform surveillance and reconnaissance in operational areas globally without risking violation of the territorial integrity of other states or the lives of military personnel. Since there is a great interest in the technology area and several programmes are ongoing internationally the knowledgebase is assessed to be significantly better in a five year period. Also, the Swedish in depth study of space exploitation is soon to report.Ultra-violet communication has uncertain potential for military utility within the period, but the technology is assessed to have a positive impact on SwAF capability to maintain communications. The theoretical understanding of the area is low It is therefore uncertain if systems can be realized in the time frame. However, if commercial applications are developed, the prospect of military applications might change. In that case UV-communication could be a complement to RF- communication but is not foreseen to replace it. The following technologies were assessed to have negligible potential for military utility;Biomimetic unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV)Automated behaviour AnalysisEvolutionary RoboticsBiomimetic UUV’s could be used for covert surveillance and inconspicuous naval reconnaissance missions at sea or in amphibious missions. Even though the report focuses on fishlike propulsion, the military utility of UUV’s is assessed to be mostly dependent on the development of advanced automation and learning systems. As of now, we assess other existing technologies as being preferable due to lower cost and less complexity. The performance of UUV’s needed for SwAF capabilities are assessed to be far off into the future. Simpler UUV systems could however be used by potential adversaries for monitoring our own base areas and hence the development should be monitored from a protection point of view.Automated behaviour analysis may be of some relevance for increased security screening and surveillance. The primary military utility of the technology will however probably be for international activities and to a lesser extent for increased base security in Sweden. Generally the main applications for this kind of technology are assessed to be for civilian use in public spaces and close to high value areas like airports, important official buildings and other similar objects.Evolutionary Robotics, here restricted to the sub domain Advanced Robotics, has uncertain potential for military utility within the period. In the scenarios studied the technology is assessed to have a positive impact on a broad range of SwAF capabilities. The area is large and inconsistent comprising sub areas that are assessed to have significant potential, but also those that are believed to have negligible potential or where technological obstacles might retard the development.Our evaluation of the used method shows that there is a risk that the assessment is biased by the participating experts’ presumptions and experiences from their own field of research. The scenarios that were chosen do not cover all possible aspects of the technology and their possible contribution to operational capabilities. It should be stressed that we have assessed the ten technologies’ military utility in the presented scenarios, not the technology itself. The chosen definition of military utility clearly affects the result of the study. The definition is believed to be good enough for this report, but could be further elaborated in the future.The greatest value of the method used is its simplicity, cost effectiveness and the trade off that it promotes learning within the working group. The composition of the working group and the methodology used is believed to provide for a broad and balanced coverage of the technologies under study.
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3. |
- Axberg, Stefan, et al.
(author)
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Lärobok i Militärteknik, vol. 9 : Teori och metod
- 2013. - 1
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Book (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Ämnet militärteknik utgår från att tekniska system är officerens arbetsredskap och att en förståelse för och kunskap om dessa verktyg är central för att kunna utöva professionen framgångsrikt. Denna nionde volym av Lärobok i Militärteknik, benämnd Teori och Metod, behandlar centrala begrepp, teorier och postulat samt metoder för värdering av teknik och består av ett antal texter författade av 16 forskare och lärare vid den militärtekniska avdelningen. Volymen riktar sig främst till de som inlett sin officersutbildning och utgörs till stora delar av ett kompilat av publicerade och opublicerade militärtekniska texter och kan sägas utgöra militärteknikens ”state of the art”.
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4. |
- Karp, Staffan, et al.
(author)
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Det stora lyftet uteblev
- 2012
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In: Svensk Idrottsforskning. - : Centrum för Idrottsforskning. - 1103-4629. ; 21:1, s. 42-45
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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- Karp, Staffan, et al.
(author)
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More of the same instead of qualitative leaps : a study of inertia in the Swedish sports system
- 2014
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In: European Journal for Sport and Society. - : Routledge. - 1613-8171 .- 2380-5919. ; 11:3, s. 301-320
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Between 2007 and 2011, the Swedish government added 50 million Euro per year to the budget of the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) for a Sports for All programme (SfA), Idrottslyftet (The Lift for Sport), with the aim of engaging more children and youth, especially those from underrepresented groups. The programme manifesto stated that all activities should be based on gender and equality perspectives and be permeated by the regular RF policy program, Idrotten vill (What sports want). In this article, we discuss mechanisms of change and inertia in the Swedish sports system by applying path dependency theory on results achieved in Idrottslyftet. Findings are based on three data sources from five National Sports Organisations (NSOs) (Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation, Swedish Floorball Federation, Swedish Gymnastics Federation, Swe-dish Ski Association and Swedish Sports Organisation for the Disabled); the data include their development plans, interviews with key personnel and granted project applications from sports clubs during the programme’s first and third year (N = 2,563). Overall, the study shows that when considering decisions and activities undertaken by the government, RF and the NSOs little has been done to enable change and to avoid inertia. The NSOs have mainly provided funds to applications that focus on recruiting instead of on applications with a qualitative approach focusing on changing activities for children and youth. Furthermore applications focused on only a few of the guidelines in Idrotten vill and lacked in general gender and equality perspectives. Our main conclusion is that projects carried out in sports clubs strengthen ongoing activities rather than being an engine for qualitative leaps in developing activities for engaging more children and youth. Finally, we note that path dependency theory has been a fruitful tool for analysing the results from Idrottslyftet. The theory has significantly contributed to a deeper understanding of inertia within the Swedish sports system.
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- Karran, Terence, et al.
(author)
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Postgraduate studies in Europe : looking beyond Bologna
- 2010
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In: Meeting the challenges of change in postgraduate education. - London : Continuum International Publishing Group. - 9781441184696 - 9781441163813 - 9781441191885 ; , s. 89-104
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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8. |
- Landström, Fredrik J., 1966-, et al.
(author)
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Electroporation therapy for T1 and T2 oral tongue cancer
- 2011
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In: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 131:6, s. 660-664
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Conclusion: Electroporation therapy appears to be a safe treatment achieving excellent local tumor control and very good functional results in our study and it should be further clinically evaluated.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess local tumor control, survival, and effects on speech and eating after treatment of tongue cancer with electroporation therapy, a new local therapeutic modality. In this approach intracellular accumulation of a chemotherapeutic agent is achieved by using a locally applied electrical field.Methods: Fifteen patients with primary T1 and T2 oral tongue cancer were treated with electroporation therapy with intratumorally administered bleomycin. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed when the tumor infiltration was 5 mm or more. The follow-up time was 24 months for the surviving patients and 20.4 months overall. The effects on eating and speech were assessed using the PSS-HN scale and voice recordings.Results: No local recurrence was recorded in any patient during the follow-up. Three patients died, two from progressive regional disease. Of the 12 surviving patients, 2 patients had regional recurrence and 10 patients including the 5 patients treated with EPT alone were tumor-free both locally and regionally at the last follow-up. The functional outcome for speech and eating were very good.
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- Lindgren-Tuoma, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Skellefteå kommuns 1:1-satsning i gymnasieskolan : en redovisning av enkätsvar från elever, lärare och rektorer i årskurs 1
- 2014
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Under Skolarbetet blir roligare, gymnasieeleverna tar större ansvar och de lär sig bättre när de får använda datorn eller plattan i skolarbetet. Vilket de motiverar med att tekniken ger ökad tillgång till information, gör det lättare att läsa, skriva och anteckna samt att det stöttar lärandet. Många anger också att de uppskattar specialprogram som underlättar läs- och skrivarbete. Detta visar den enkätstudie som Skellefteå kommun gjort under våren 2014. Under perioden 2013-2015 genomför Skellefteå kommun en 1:1-satsning i kommunens gymnasieskolor som omfattar samtliga elever och lärare. Studien genomfördes och analyserades av Umeå universitet på uppdrag av Gymnasiekontoret vid Skellefteå kommun. Den omfattade samtliga gymnasielever och lärare i årskurs 1 samt rektorerna vid de berörda skolorna. Rapportförfattarna vill tacka alla som tog sig tid till att delta. Av de elever som deltog, besvarade samtliga alla frågor som ingick i enkäten, vilket var extra roligt.
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- Löfgren, Kent, 1966-
(author)
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Competency-based corrective feedback in higher education second language teaching : Perspectives from empirical research and the common European framework of reference for languages
- 2013
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In: Competency-based language teaching in higher education. - Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands. - 9789400753853 - 9789400753860 ; , s. 141-149
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This chapter discusses different forms of teacher-introduced corrective feedback – the backbone of language teaching – and students’ responses to it. How can university teachers use corrective feedback to promote clarity and transparency? And what resource allocations and constraints may affect these teaching-learning processes? The chapter also discusses the link between corrective feedback and the EU’s second language teaching system. It is further argued that student-centered, self-governed learning is important in European higher education, and that this, in turn, calls for learning situations where reflective self-correction among students is encouraged. Consequently, given the importance of, and need for, such learning environments, this chapter reminds the reader that student-introduced feedback should be encouraged and seen as a natural part of the teaching and learning process. Student-introduced feedback provides students with opportunities to offer feedback about the teaching-learning that is taking place, as well as about their perspectives on their own learning experiences. A key point in this chapter, therefore, is that learners may improve their language skills at a faster rate and with higher quality if they are provided with opportunities to reflect on and take active part in their own learning.
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