Swedish researchers are encouraged to share their research data, with a government goal for all publicly funded research to provide open research data by 2026. Hoshi Larsson (2023) investigated the extent and location of research data from LiU researchers. However, the search was limited to datasets with DOIs listed in DataCite Commons, suggesting that many datasets were excluded in the investigation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify, through articles’ descriptions of open data, to what extent LiU’s researchers are sharing their research data and open code, and if so, which repositories they use for sharing data. This report analyzed LiU articles parallel published in the institute's repository DiVA in 2022 using the ODDPub text-mining algorithm to determine the extent and repositories of LiU researcher’s open research data. The results showed that approximately 10 percent of the articles mentioned data availability, and almost two thirds of the openly shared datasets were in subject-specific repositories. Furthermore, approximately 80% of the total number of repositories used for sharing research data were subject-specific repositories. Additionally, 90 percent of LiU's parallel published articles did not mention data availability. The mismatch between data sharing articles detected in Hoshi Larsson (2023) and in this report suggests that findability remains low. The university library should guide researchers on the benefits of data sharing and the importance of findability and provide support in making their research data accessible.

The interaction between nature and humanity is a critical focus in today's world. As we have distanced ourselves from nature, it's crucial to understand that in the Earth's ecosystem, one cannot take without also giving back. Creating a better balance is imperative, necessitating a holistic approach to living, dwelling, and cultivating for the thriving of all species. Establishing an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is one way to initiate local collaboration to strengthen the interactions with environments that sustainboth nature and people and support the UN Global Biodiversity Framework.

 In this sample collection you will be inpired to take action in your localhood.

From good practice to next practice in the Nordic Biosphere Reserves

The Nordic UNESCO Biosphere Reserves play a vital role in supporting local communities to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). By fostering sustainable, place-based development, they empower communities to strengthen the relationship between nature and culture.

By providing a model for next practices and showcasing examples of initiatives and successful good practices, this guide supports the transformation of these practices into "next practices" that are innovative, adaptable, and tackle global challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change. 

This publication presents findings from the Nordic Council of Ministers – Nordic Working Group for Biological Diversity-funded project MAB LAB: Man and the Biosphere – Local Actions for the Global Framework for Biodiversity.

This thesis explores advancements in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for autonomous ground vehicles, focusing on the integration of neural networks to enhance localization accuracy and generalizability. The research addresses key challenges in SLAM, including scale drift, environmental adaptability, and computational efficiency. Through a systematic literature review and empirical studies, the thesis evaluates the performance of neural network-based SLAM techniques, particularly in diverse and dynamic environments. The findings highlight the potential of neural networks to improve SLAM by leveraging large, diverse datasets and advanced image enhancement methods. Additionally, the research investigates sensor fusion techniques, combining visual and inertial data to enhance localization performance. The contributions of this thesis provide a comprehensive framework for future research in SLAM-based localization, aimed at improving the generalizability and computational efficiency of autonomous navigation systems.

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are recognized as major virulence factors produced by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. While the effects of PFTs have been extensively investigated using mammalian cells as a model system, their interactions with the environmental host, Acanthamoeba castellanii remains less understood. This study employed high-throughput image screening (HTI), advanced microscopy, western blot analysis, and cytotoxicity assays to evaluate the impact of PFT-producing bacterial species on their virulence against A. castellanii. Our unbiased HTI data analysis reveals that the cyst induction of A. castellanii in response to various bacterial species does not correlate with the presence of PFT-producing bacteria. Moreover, A. castellanii demonstrates resistance to PFT-mediated cytotoxicity, in contrast to mammalian macrophages. Notably, Vibrio anguillarum and Ralstonia eutropha triggered a high frequency of cyst formation and cytotoxicity in infected A. castellanii. In summary, our findings reveal that A. castellanii exhibits a unique resistance to PFTs, unlike mammalian cells, suggesting its potential ecological role as a reservoir for diverse pathogenic species and its influence on their persistence and proliferation in the environment. (Figure presented.)

Vi undersöker i två delstudier samverkan mellan kommuner och Arbetsförmedlingen i tio kommuner. I delstudie 1 analyseras samverkan utifrån gruppintervjuer med chefer och handläggare i syfte att ringa in innehållet i samverkan. Vi genomför även en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av samverkansöverenskommelser. Delstudien fokuserar på tidsperioden strax innan Januariavtalet 2019, ett avtal som förändrade Arbetsförmedlingens roll i flera viktiga dimensioner. I delstudie 2 undersöker vi om samverkan har förändrats efter Januariavtalet genom gruppintervjuer som genomfördes 2021. Flera intressanta resultat framträder i rapporten: Vi identifierar exempelvis i delstudie 1 tre av fyra teoretiskt tänkbara samverkansarrangemang i kommunerna: kooperativ, komplementär och konfrontativ samverkan. Kooperativ samverkan återfinns bara i en av tio kommuner. I delstudie 2 finner vi att samverkan har försvårats efter Januariavtalet till följd av stängda lokalkontor, användning av privata utförare av arbetsmarknadspolitik samt ökad digitalisering av tjänster. Kommunala företrädare upplever att Arbetsförmedlingen har blivit mer svåråtkomlig. Intervjuade från Arbetsförmedlingen är mer positiva och anser att en stor del av problemen handlar om ”barnsjukdomar”. 

Expressions in social media can provide a rapid insight into people's reactions to events, such as periods of climatic stress. This study explored the link between climatic stressors and negative sentiment on the X platform in Germany to inform climate-related health policies and interventions. Natural language processing was used to standardize the text, and a comprehensive approach for sentiment analysis was utilized. We then conducted spatiotemporal modeling fitted using integrated nested laplace approximation (INLA). Our findings indicate that higher and lower level of temperature and precipitation is correlated with an increase and decrease in the relative risk of negative sentiments, respectively. The findings of this study illustrate that human sentiment of distress in social media varies with space and time about exposure to climate stressors. This emotional indicator of human exposure and responses to climate stress indicates potential physical and mental health impacts among the affected populations.

Secondary forests in the Amazon are important carbon sinks, biodiversity reservoirs, and connections between forest fragments. However, their regrowth is highly threatened by fire. Using airborne laser scanning (ALS), surveyed between 2016 and 2018, we analyzed canopy metrics in burned (fires occurred between 2001 and 2018) and unburned secondary forests across different successional stages and their ability to recover after fire. We assessed maximum and mean canopy height, openness at 5 and 10 m, canopy roughness, leaf area index (LAI) and leaf area height volume (LAHV) for 20 sites across South-East Amazonia (ranging from 375 to 1200 ha). Compared to unburned forests, burned forests had reductions in canopy height, LAI, and LAHV, and increases in openness and roughness. These effects were more pronounced in early successional (ES) than later successional (LS) stages, for example, mean canopy height decreased 33% in ES and 14% in LS and LAI decreased 36% in ES and 18% in LS. Forests in ES stages were less resistant to fire, but more resilient (capable of recovering from a disturbance) in their post-fire regrowth than LS stage forests. Data extrapolation from our models suggests that canopy structure partially recovers with time since fire for six out of seven canopy metrics; however, LAI and LAHV in LS forests may never fully recover. Our results indicate that successional stage-specific management and policies that mitigate against fire in early secondary forests should be implemented to increase the success of forest regeneration. Mitigation of fires is critical if secondary forests are to continue to provide their wide array of ecological services.

Bacteria often carry multiple genes encoding anti-phage defense systems, clustered in defense islands and phage satellites. Various unrelated anti-phage defense systems target phage-encoded homologous recombinases (HRs) through unclear mechanisms. Here, we show that the phage satellite SaPI2, which does not encode orthodox anti-phage defense systems, provides antiviral immunity mediated by Stl2, the SaPI2-encoded transcriptional repressor. Stl2 targets and inhibits phage-encoded HRs, including Sak and Sak4, two HRs from the Rad52-like and Rad51-like superfamilies. Remarkably, apo Stl2 forms a collar of dimers oligomerizing as closed rings and as filaments, mimicking the quaternary structure of its targets. Stl2 decorates both Sak rings and Sak4 filaments. The oligomerization of Stl2 as a collar of dimers is necessary for its inhibitory activity both in vitro and in vivo. Our results shed light on the mechanisms underlying antiviral immunity against phages carrying divergent HRs.

Nursing approaches to self-care, self-management, and adaptation to illness encompass diverse strategies aimed at enhancing patient well-being and empowering chronic condition management. The BMC Nursing collection “Nursing Approaches to Self-Care, Self-Management, and Adaptation to Illness” invites research advancing knowledge and care quality in these areas.

Purpose: Hypochlorite-based formulations are widely used for surface disinfection. However, the efficacy of hypochlorite against spore-forming bacteria varies significantly in the literature. Although neutral or low pH hypochlorite solutions are effective sporicides due to the formation of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), their optimal conditions and the specific role of pH in disinfection remain unclear. These conditions also increase the solution’s corrosiveness and compromise its shelf life. Therefore, further research is needed to identify the pH conditions that balance solution stability and effective hypochlorite-based spore disinfection.

Results: This study investigates the impact of neutral to alkaline pH on the sporicidal efficiency of hypochlorite against a pathogenic Bacillus cereus strain. We apply a 5,000 ppm hypochlorite formulation for 10-min across a pH range of 7.0-12.0, simulating common surface decontamination practices. Our results demonstrate that hypochlorite is largely ineffective at pH levels above 11.0, showing less than 1-log reduction in spore viability. However, there is a significant increase in sporicidal efficiency between pH 11.0 and 9.5, with a 4-log reduction in viability. This pH level corresponds to 2 - 55 ppm of the HOCl ionic form of hypochlorite. Further reduction in pH slightly improves the disinfection efficacy. However, the shelf life of hypochlorite solution decreases exponentially below pH 8.5. To explore the pH-dependent efficacy of hypochlorite, Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence imaging were used to investigate the biochemical mechanisms of spore decontamination. Results showed that lower pH enhances spore permeability and promotes calcium dipicolinic acid (CaDPA) release from the core.

Conclusion: Our results highlight the complex relationship between pH, sporicidal efficacy of hypochlorite, and its shelf life. While lower pH enhances the sporicidal efficiency, it compromises the solution’s shelf life. A pH of 9.5 offers a balance, significantly improving shelf life compared to previously suggested pH ranges 7.0-8.0 while maintaining effective spore inactivation. Our findings challenge the common practice of diluting sodium hypochlorite with water to a 5,000 ppm solution, as this highly alkaline solution (pH of 11.9), is insufficient for eliminating B. cereus spores, even after a 10-min exposure. These findings are critical for improving disinfection practices, highlighting the importance of optimizing sodium hypochlorite effectiveness through pH adjustments before application.

Background

It has been suggested that the university environment, to improve students’ health status and educational outcomes, should be based on a health promoting approach. More knowledge is needed about health promoting resources and lifestyle factors that may be of value for students in higher education and their future work-life balance. The aim of this study was to explore health-promoting resources, general health and wellbeing, and health promoting lifestyle factors among fourth and final semester students in higher education in healthcare and social work.

Methods

This longitudinal study is based on self-reported data collected through a web-based questionnaire that included questions about general health, wellbeing, and healthy lifestyle factors and made use of instruments: the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale, the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS), and five questions from the General Nordic Questionnaire (QPS Nordic). The questionnaire was distributed among students enrolled in seven different healthcare and social work programmes at six universities in Sweden. Data was collected when students were in their fourth (2019/2020) and final (2020/2021) semesters analysed with multiple linear and logistic regressions.

Results

The survey included responses from students during the fourth (n = 498) and the final (n = 343) semester of higher education programmes in health and social work. Total SOC scores decreased between the fourth semester and the final semester. The prevalence of the health promoting lifestyle factor of physical exercise decreased between the fourth and final semesters. Students in their final semester reported valuing group work more highly than did students in their fourth semester. Despite this, students in both the fourth and the final semester reported high SOC, low levels of good general health and perceived wellbeing, and sleeping problems.

Conclusions

Students’ report of good general health were associated with wellbeing, high-intensity physical training, and no sleeping problems A high SOC level was associated with good general health, perceived wellbeing, and no sleeping problems. A higher SHIS level was also associated with wellbeing and no sleeping problems. Therefore, we suggest further research focusing on how to prepare students in healthcare and social work during higher education for a future work-life in balance targeting effects on sleep quality.

In this study, we take the concept of care in school-age educare centres’ routine situations as a point of departure in order to make visible children’s perspective on the task of care and relations. The study is based on group interviews with 170 children in 45 groups (ages 6-11) from twelve different centers.

In the study the concepts of care, relationships and time hold a central analytical position in the analysis of the children’s expression. The results of the analysis are shown in three themes: Wandering between different time slots morning and afternoon, Snack-time structured through hourglasses and "five silent" and It's not so fun to stay until closing time. Overall, the study’s analysis reveals a picture of the school-age educare centres’ routine situations as deeply problematic and morally challenging, where the children are socialized into routines free from care and meaning. 

Aim: This study aimed to explore midwives’ experiences and views of amniotomy and its prevalence and complications in Sweden.

Methods: Study I was a qualitative study in which 16 midwives participated in individual interviews. Data were analysed using content analysis. Studies II, III, and IV were quantitative, for which register data from the Swedish Pregnancy Register were used, covering 95% of all births in Sweden. Analyses were performed using descriptive and comparative statistics, as well as simple and multiple logistic regression.

Results: Midwives discourage a routine use of amniotomy and want a clear indication of when to perform it. The decision, whether an amniotomy would support or interfere with the physiological process of labour was sometimes difficult for the midwives. The decisions were customized to each woman, based on the midwife’s knowledge and experience, but also regulated, and affected by the working environment. The overall prevalence of amniotomy in Sweden was 40%, and variations between hospitals were observed. A decrease in the prevalence of amniotomy was seen for women belonging to Robson groups 1 and 3. Increasing rates of induced labours thus resulted in an unaltered overall prevalence. The severe complication of umbilical cord prolapse is rare in Sweden, affecting 0.13% of labours with amniotomy. Higher parity, a baby in non-cephalic presentation, induction of labour, previous caesarean section and the presence of polyhydramnios were identified as risk factors for umbilical cord prolapse for labours with amniotomy. Severe perineal trauma is more common for both nulliparous and multiparous women who undergo amniotomy, thus amniotomy was not identified as a significant risk factor when adjusting for other risk factors. Women with severe perineal trauma have a longer duration between the amniotomy and the birth, compared to women without severe perineal trauma, regardless of parity. A longer duration between the amniotomy and the birth of the baby thus decreased the odds for severe perineal trauma for nulliparous women with amniotomy.

Conclusion: This thesis provides evidence about amniotomy from different perspectives, including midwives and register data. The midwives’ experienced and viewed amniotomy as both a simple everyday task and as an intervention demanding respect. Midwives want a clear indication of when to perform amniotomy and express an unwillingness to have a routine use. Almost half of the women who give birth in Sweden undergo amniotomy, however, variations in the prevalence between hospitals were observed. The prevalence of amniotomy remained stable for all births during the years 2017-2020, but a decrease was seen for women with spontaneous onset of labour. Umbilical cord prolapse is a rare complication to amniotomy. Women with higher parity, previous caesarean section, polyhydramnios, a baby in a non-cephalic presentation and induced labours should be carefully evaluated in the decision-making of amniotomy. Amniotomy is frequently used in labours where other, confirmed risk factors for severe perineal trauma are present. Amniotomy is thus not a significantrisk factor for severe perineal trauma when adjusting for the risk factors inregression analysis.

Geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) are defined as rapid changes in the magnetic field of the Earth that can lead to geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). Recent studies have shown that there are two main populations of GMDs, one in the pre-midnight sector and one in the dawn sector. The pre-midnight GMDs have been related to the substorm current wedge. The dawn population of GMDs has previously been found to occur during multiple intensification events. We adapt the SOPHIE substorm list to identify more instances of multiple intensifications. Recent models suggest the formation of a “dawnside current wedge” (DCW) during the main phase of storms that could lead to dawn sector GMDs. We investigate GMDs at all latitudes using the SuperMAG local time indices (SMR-LT), where SMR-LT are local time measurements of the magnetic field at low latitudes. During multiple intensification events the dawn sector low latitude magnetic field between 3 and 9 MLT (SMR06) is typically higher than the dusk sector between 15 and 21 MLT (SMR18), which is indicative of a DCW. Statistical analysis of the local time ring current indices during the dawn and pre-midnight GMDs shows that the dawn GMDs occur when the difference between the dawn sector and dusk sector SMR values (SMR06-SMR18) is largest and thus when there is a DCW.

OBJECTIVES: In home-based care for severely ill patients, family caregivers' contributions are crucial. This study aimed to explore how a web-based psychoeducational intervention influences family caregivers' experiences in addressing challenges while caring for a patient with life-threatening illnesses during specialized home care.

METHODS: This qualitative study undertook semi-structured interviews with family caregivers of patients with life-threatening illness receiving specialized home care. Family caregivers participated in a randomized controlled trial evaluating a psychoeducational intervention delivered through a website. Interviews were performed with 17 family caregivers; 13 spouses, 2 adult children, 1 parent, and 1 sibling, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS: The results indicate that the intervention resonated with the family caregivers' situation which gave them comfort and awareness. It inspired self-reflection on the caregiver role that provided new insights and encouraged communication with the patient. The intervention prepared family caregivers for the patient's progressing illness and death. While preparing was a help for some, others did not feel ready to face this, which led them to avoid parts of the website.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: This psychoeducational web-based intervention guided family caregivers as they addressed challenges in caregiving and prepared for the future, and they valued having access to such an intervention. In a time of decreasing healthcare resources, web-based support may be a useful alternative to in-person interventions. It is important to continue developing, evaluating, and implementing web-based interventions to meet the needs of family caregivers.

INTRODUCTION: It is well-established in research that clinical learning during nursing education is a foundational preparation for future practice. However, the role of academic tasks, such as writing a bachelor's thesis, is less recognized for its contributions to nurses' working lives and overall professional development.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore registered nurses' perceptions of the process of bachelor's thesis and its perceived usefulness in professional nursing careers.

METHODS: Semistructured interviews with ten registered nurses was employed. A thematic analysis of the data and the framework of sustainable learning were used.

RESULTS: The findings showed that the process of writing a bachelor's thesis during nursing education was perceived as a valuable learning experience and a source of continuing development. The main themes, professional knowing and professional agency, demonstrate the knowing applied in the healthcare contexts and for understanding nurse-patient relationships. The nurses stated that professional agency in research dissemination and a critical approach in their daily patient care was important and that the bachelor's thesis had provided a foundation for these practices.

CONCLUSION: Writing a bachelor's thesis during nursing education is justified as it may contribute to a critical understanding of nursing phenomena and the care taking place in clinical contexts. Bachelor's theses align with sustainable learning and are one of the prerequisites for readiness for change and development in professional practice.

About 15% of the population suffer from migraines and it is estimated that about 40%of all people with migraines would benefit from preventive treatment, but only 3–13%use it. Migraine is a huge burden for society and individuals. Migraines can be intensified by light, and some patients need to stay in a dark room until the attack is over. People with this type of photosensitivity show a clear preference for light color, specifically green, which has been shown to be more comfortable and even pain relieving in some cases. We will present a feasibility study with the aim of preparing a series of experiments to investigate if regular short-term green-light-exposure can prevent migraines. We will present findings from the literature, developed light equipment, and plans for future testing of migraine friendly light solutions.

Theory of mind refers to the human ability to reason about the mental content of other people, such as their beliefs, desires, and goals. People use their theory of mind to understand, reason about, and explain the behaviour of others. Having a theory of mind is especially useful when people collaborate, since individuals can then reason on what the other individual knows as well as what reasoning they might do. Similarly, hybrid intelligence systems, where AI agents collaborate with humans, necessitate that the agents reason about the humans using computational theory of mind. However, to try to keep track of all individual mental attitudes of all other individuals becomes (computationally) very difficult. Accordingly, this paper provides a mechanism for computational theory of mind based on abstractions of single beliefs into higher-level concepts. These abstractions can be triggered by social norms and roles. Their use in decision making serves as a heuristic to choose among interactions, thus facilitating collaboration. We provide a formalization based on epistemic logic to explain how various inferences enable such a computational theory of mind. Using examples from the medical domain, we demonstrate how having such a theory of mind enables an agent to interact with humans effectively and can increase the quality of the decisions humans make.

Key message: Seed germination responses to variation in temperature and light differed among six dry forest species, results that will inform ecological restoration and climate change adaptation projects.

Abstract: In dry forests, where opportunities for plant establishment occur in a narrow window of opportunity, seeds must respond to cues to germinate when conditions for growth are suitable. Knowledge of the strategies and adaptations of seeds to the seasonal dry-forest ecosystems, being under constant threat, is needed to guide restoration and management actions in the face of climate change. We investigated the effects of scarification, temperature and light in germination percentage, germination time and synchrony of six woody Fabaceae species. The species have ecological potential for restoration and are of cultural or economic importance for the local people in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. We carried out a multifactorial germination experiment with five temperatures, two light regimes and two scarification conditions for Mimosa luisana, M. polyantha, M. adenantheroides, M. lactiflua, Acaciella angustissima and Vachellia constricta. All germinated in a wide range of temperatures (10–40 °C), and mechanical scarification highly increased the germination percentage. Higher temperature increased and speeded up germination in dark conditions for most of the species, but they exist heterogeneous responses in their germination synchrony. Studied species had high germination percentages in warm temperatures, but their recruitment in nature might be negatively affected by warmer and drier conditions, and by the loss of shade and seed dispersers due to deforestation and changes in land use. It is crucial to study not just germination percentage and time but also other aspects of the germination process such as the germination synchrony, since it might reveal useful information for management actions.

This special issue advances our understanding of organizing and strategizing in extreme contexts by focusing on temporality, emotions, and embodiment. Extreme contexts – marked by unpredictability, high stakes, and urgency – challenge organizational capacities and demand innovative responses. Drawing on the foundation of extreme context research, this introduction explores three perspectives: extreme as an event, a situational context, and a socially constructed practice. Together, these perspectives illuminate how organizations navigate, adapt to, and construct extremeness through temporal, emotional, and embodied processes. The contributions span diverse empirical settings and theoretical frameworks. By examining the contributions in the light of these dimensions, this introduction highlights the evolving and contested nature of extreme context research. The introduction concludes with a call for future studies to deepen engagement with materiality, relational dynamics, and methodological innovations, reinforcing the relevance of this field to broader management and organization studies.

Patients with rheumatic diseases are at increased risk of developing malignant lymphoma, yet the mechanisms linking immune-mediated diseases to lymphomagenesis remain unclear. A deeper understanding of these processes could provide clues to the pathogenesis of both disease categories, improve early risk assessment, and inform preventive strategies. Similarly, the pathophysiological mechanisms of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and the molecular distinctions underlying the varied clinical outcomes of its subtypes, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), remain poorly understood. Improved insights into these mechanisms could aid in developing more targeted diagnostic tools and treatment strategies.

Paper I investigated B cell-related mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Key findings include elevated levels of several cytokines and chemokines relevant to B-cell biology compared to RA and population controls. In particular, CXCL13 emerged as a protein of interest for its potential role in linking RA to lymphomagenesis.

Paper II examined programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 in lymphoma tissue from patients with pre-existing rheumatic diseases, with a particular focus on RA-associated DLBCL. A key finding suggests that RA disease severity may influence PD-L1 expression in DLBCL tumor cells.

Paper III characterized lymphomas in patients with pre-existing GPA, focusing on subtypes, localization, and clinical features of both the lymphomas and the underlying rheumatic disease. No clear indications of a predominance of a specific lymphoma subtype were observed, nor was there evidence suggesting local lymphomagenesis in typical GPA target organs.

Paper IV identified key proteins, biological functions, and pathways associated with both shared and distinct disease mechanisms in AAV subtypes, categorized by ANCA serotype into proteinase 3 (PR3)-AAV and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-AAV. The findings highlighted enhanced STAT3 signaling in PR3-AAV and prominent TNF signaling in MPO-AAV, suggesting partially distinct inflammatory processes driving the pathogenesis of these subtypes.

To conclude, the studies in this thesis contribute to the efforts to elucidate the link between autoimmune diseases and lymphoma, as well as the shared and distinct disease mechanisms in AAV.

Tropical forests substantially influence the terrestrial carbon sink. Their contributions to the forest carbon sink may increase due to the stimulation of photosynthesis by rising atmospheric CO₂ (C_a); however, the magnitude of this effect is poorly quantified for tropical canopy trees.

We measured the ratio of two deuterium isotopomers of glucose derived from tree rings to estimate how photosynthetic efficiency (photorespiration-to-photosynthesis ratio) has responded to C_a rise at a centennial scale. Wood samples were obtained from Toona ciliata trees from three climatically distinct forests in Asia and Australia. We applied Bayesian mixed effect models to test how the isotopomer ratio changes with C_a, tree diameter (as a proxy for crown exposure), temperature, and precipitation.

Across all sites, long-term C_a rise increased photosynthetic efficiency, likely due to increased photosynthesis and the concurrent suppression of photorespiration. Increasing tree size reduced photosynthetic efficiency, likely due to reduced leaf internal CO₂ at higher irradiance and stronger hydraulic limitation. Associations of photosynthetic efficiency with temperature and precipitation were inconclusive.

Our study reveals a centennial-scale association between photosynthetic efficiency and increasing C_a in canopy trees and provides a new and independent line of evidence for C_a-induced stimulation of photosynthetic efficiency in tropical forests.

Hf₇Pd₇Ga₃ has been obtained by arc melting the elements under argon atmosphere. The crystal structure of the new compound has been determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, while powder X-ray diffraction has been applied for the characterization of polycrystalline samples. Hf₇Pd₇Ga₃ (oS68, Cmce, a = 12.948(4), b = 9.585(3), c = 9.581(3) Å, Z = 4) crystallizes with a ternary version of the Zr₇Ni₁₀ type of structure exhibiting a statistical mixture of palladium and gallium atoms on three crystallographically independent nickel sites. The crystal structure of Hf₇Pd₇Ga₃ features a Pd–Ga framework built of sinusoidal layers of Pd and Ga, which stack along the b axis sandwiching the Hf atoms. Density functional theory calculations for Hf₇Pd₇Ga₃ in an idealized, ordered structure and, for comparison, hypothetical Hf₇Pd₁₀ reveal that partial substitution of Pd by Ga helps to alleviate the strong Pd–Pd antibonding interactions observed in Ga-free Hf₇Pd₁₀.

As industrial sustainability concerns mount, manufacturers engaged in digital servitization grapple with the twin transition of configuring and implementing digital solutions to meet their customers' sustainability objectives. To address this challenge, a socio-technical systems theory-based framework is proposed. Drawing on case studies with three manufacturers undertaking digital servitization and on the sustainability, digital servitization, and socio-technical systems theory research, our framework highlights key processes in navigating the twin transition. It emphasizes the importance of contextual factors in defining a customer twin-transition roadmap, outlines key steps in reconfiguring technical and social subsystems, and stresses the joint optimization processes based on feedback and metrics. This systematic approach guides manufacturers in supporting their customers through the twin transition, emphasizing socio-technical systems and iterative processes for sustained success. Our findings contribute to the growing digital servitization and sustainability research by conceptualizing underlying processes in the twin transition and offering manufacturers practical insights. 

Disaster management, such as early warnings for earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, requires IoT sensors and cameras, which produce tremendous amounts of data.To avoid network bandwidth congestion, much of this data needs to be processed close to where it is produced, as enabled by Mobile Edge Clouds (MEC). However, for such use cases, the disaster itself may take out the MEC, hence hindering disaster management efforts. We present a fault tolerance infrastructure tailored specifically for MEC systems to address various types of failures as part of a holistic disaster recovery solution. Our research investigates using current technologies, such as Kubernetes, to effectively handle fault tolerance in situations involving the failure of one or several edge nodes and RabbitMQ as a resilient message broker in our proposed infrastructure to ensure dependable message transmission, even during network outages. To evaluate our framework, we conduct a case study using weather stations as mission-critical assets within an urban setting next to forests where edge nodes are placed as safely as possible. The experiments demonstrate that the infrastructure can handle two node failures simultaneously. The proposed infrastructure ensures 99.966\% availability for both the system and mission-critical applications.

Climate change is increasingly affecting the water cycle, with droughts and floods posing significant challenges for agriculture, hydropower production, and urban water resource management due to growing variability in the factors influencing the water cycle. Reinforcement learning (RL) has demonstrated promising potential in optimization and planning tasks, as it trains models on historical data or through simulations, allowing them to generate new data by interacting with the simulator. This systematic literature review examines the application of reinforcement learning (RL) in water resource management across various domains. A total of 40 articles were analyzed, revealing that RL is a viable approach for this field due to its capability to learn and optimize sequential decision-making processes. The results show that RL agents are primarily trained in simulated environments rather than directly on historical data. Among the algorithms, deep Q-networks are the most commonly employed. Future research should address the challenges of bridging the gap between simulation and real-world applications and focus on improving the explainability of the decision-making process. Future studies need to address the challenges of bridging the gap between simulation and real-world applications. Furthermore, future research should focus on the explainability behind the decision-making process of the agent, which is important due to the safety-critical nature of the application.

De-identification, also known as anonymization, is a broad term that refers to the process of redacting or obscuring personal data, or data that identifies an individual. In the context of video and image data de-identification, the most tangible personal information is the face. Faces are considered biometric data, thus change little compared to other aspects of an individual, such as clothing and hairstyle. Humans possess a strong innate ability to recognize faces. Computers are also adept at recognizing faces, and face recognition models are exceptionally powerful at identifying and comparing faces. Consequently, it is widely recognized as crucial to obscure the faces in video and images to ensure the integrity of de-identified data. Conventionally, this has been achieved through blurring or masking techniques. However, these methods are destructive of data characteristics and thus compromise critical attribute information such as eye gaze, pose, expression and the fact that it is a face. This is a particular problem because our society is data-driven in many ways. This information is useful for a plethora of functions such as traffic safety. One obvious such aspect is autonomous driving and driver monitoring, where necessary algorithms such as object detectors rely on deep learning to function. Due to the data hunger of deep learning, combined with society's demand for privacy and integrity through regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), face de-identification, which preserves useful information, becomes significantly important.

This Thesis investigates the potential and possible limitations of de-identifying faces, while preserving the aforementioned useful attribute information. The Thesis is especially focused on the sustainability perspective of de-identification, where the perseverance of both integrity and utility of data is important. The baseline method to achieve this is through methods introduced from the face swapping and face manipulation literature, where the current research focuses on changing the face (or identity) with generative models while keeping the original attribute information as intact as possible. All while being integrated and consistent in an image and/or video. Specifically, this Thesis will demonstrate how generative target-oriented and subject-agnostic face manipulation models, which aim to anonymize facial identities by transforming original faces to resemble specific targets, can be used for realistic de-identification that preserves attributes.

While this Thesis will demonstrate and introduce novel de-identification capabilities, it also addresses and highlight potential vulnerabilities and security issues that arise from naively applying generative target-oriented de-identification models. First, since state-of-the-art face representation models are typically restricting the face representation embeddings to a hyper-sphere, maximizing the privacy may lead to trivial identity retrieval matching. Second, transferable adversarial attacks, where adversarial perturbations generated by surrogate identity encoders cause identity leakage in the victim de-identification system. Third, reconstruction attacks, where bad actor models are able to learn and extract enough information from subtle cues left by the de-identification model to consistently reconstruct the original identity.

Through this, this Thesis points out several approaches that are: 1) Controllable, meaning that the proposed models do not naively change the identity. This means that the type and magnitude of identity change is adjustable, and thus tunable to ensure anonymization. 2) Subject agnostic, meaning that the models can handle any identity or face. 3) Fast, meaning that the models are able to run efficiently. Thus having the potential of running in real-time. 4) Non-reversible, this Thesis introduces a novel diffusion-based method to make generative target-oriented models robust against reconstruction attacks. The end product consists of a hybrid generative target-oriented and diffusion de-identification pipeline that achieves state-of-the-art performance on privacy protection as measured by identity retrieval, pose retention, expression retention, gaze retention, and visual fidelity while being robust against reconstruction attacks.

The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries witnessed a flourishing of history writing by Swedish authors. This thesis studies four such historical works, namely the Karlskrönika (c. 1452), Ericus Olai’s Chronica regni Gothorum (c. 1471), the Sturekrönika (c. 1497), and Johannes Magnus’s Historia metropolitanae ecclesiae Upsalensis (1536/1557). 

The aim of the study is to elucidate how the authors made use of three forms of ritualised occurrences to comment on the legitimacy of both secular and spiritual leaders. In order to do this, the thesis analyses ritualised time, elec­tions, and funerals. Historians have noted that depictions of rituals in medieval history writing were highly susceptible to politically and ideologically mo­tivated modifications—or even completely invented. In relation to Swedish historio­graphy of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries this topic has, however, previously received limited scholarly interest. Furthermore, by comparing the authors’ accounts with the sources they likely used, the thesis also endeavours to shed light on how and to what degree the authors shaped their accounts to conform to their political and ideological outlook. 

The study shows that authors used ritualised occurrences to thematise the legitimacy of leaders, which is in line with previous observations. In relation to earlier research, the thesis presents a more thorough analysis of what this meant in practice and the nuances and ambiguities connected to these descrip­tions. Generally speaking, these ritualised occurrences provided authors with an opportunity to illustrate the connection between the leader and common­weal of the realm and/or the Church. The analysis shows that there were a variety of ways in which authors could “spin” such occurrences and connect them to specific values that ultimately related to the common good. Not least, the study demonstrates that the descriptions of emotions and frames of mind were important tools when authors gave meaning to these retellings of the past. The analysis also suggests that authors were reluctant to engage in pure invention, at least when writing about ritualised occurrences pertaining to a more recent past. 

Preoperative tumor localization and axillary mapping in breast cancer surgery are integral for successful breast conserving surgery and axillary staging. They can be performed with a variety of markers and tracers, including magnetic seeds and a liquid sentinel node tracer containing superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of both magnetic seeds and SPIO in breast cancer surgery, further research is needed to optimize their application and maximize their potential benefits.

Paper I presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that have investigated the role of SPIO for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The findings confirm that SPIO performs comparably to radioisotope while highlighting knowledge gaps regarding the optimal dose, timing, and site of SPIO injection to minimize side-effects and facilitate tailoring of treatment.

Paper II reports a pragmatic, multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing the use of magnetic seed and SPIO to conventional guidewire and SPIO in non-palpable breast tumors. In 426 patients, both methods demonstrated equivalent re-excision rate, SLN detection, and resection ratio. However, the combination of magnetic seed and SPIO resulted in shorter operative times, fewer failed localizations and improved surgical logistics.

Paper III presents the results of a prospective cohort study that investigated the feasibility and efficacy of SPIO for SLNB in patients undergoing primary systemic therapy (PST) for breast cancer. The results showed that SPIO performed comparably to radioisotope (RI) but detected more sentinel lymph nodes and demonstrated a higher detection rate of metastatic sentinel lymph nodes. The findings suggest that SPIO injection before PST is both feasible and beneficial for enhancing axillary mapping in this patient population, though further studies are needed to refine the optimal timing of administration.

Paper IV consists of a health economic analysis of the trial from Paper II. It explores the financial implications of the implementation of a magnetic marker compared to the guidewire. Through a cost-minimization approach that considered all direct and indirect costs, the study demonstrated that although the magnetic marker is more expensive as a device, incorporating it in the Swedish healthcare system is more cost-effective than the guidewire.

The balls are rolling for climate change, with increasing vulnerability to women and children related to climate extreme events. Recent evidence has shown that acute exposure to heat wave during pregnancy can be associated with adverse health outcomes in childhood, with the risk being significantly higher among socially disadvantaged population, despite their lack of contribution to global carbon dioxide emissions and the rising global ambient temperature. This unequal impact requires utmost attention to develop tools, establish interdisciplinary teams, and to implement evidence-based interventions for the betterment of women and children in climate-vulnerable populations.

Objectives: Comorbidity with other conditions is common in functional bowel disorders. We aimed to investigate the prescription patterns of commonly used drugs in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional unspecific bowel disorder, compared to the general population.

Material and methods: Prescriptions of commonly used drugs in 2022 were compared between patients and the general population from the same age group and region in Sweden.

Results: Of 526 patients, 317 were followed up in 2022 (219 women and 98 men) and were compared to 51,001 women and 55,571 men in the general population. The median follow-up time from the first visit to 2022 was 8 years (25th–75th percentile 6–11 years). Female patients were significantly more likely than controls to be prescribed PPIs, antibiotics, NSAIDs, paracetamol, opioids, muscle relaxants, antimigraine drugs, antidepressants and asthma medications. Male patients were significantly more likely than controls to be prescribed PPIs, opioids, antidepressants, and asthma medications. In the year prior diagnosis and through 2022, female patients showed a significant decline in the use of PPIs (38% vs.10%; p < 0.001), antibiotics (27.5% vs. 20.1%; p = 0.0426), NSAIDs (23.3% vs.14.6%; p = 0.012), opioids (20.6% vs. 7.5%; p < 0.001), and a significantly increase in the use of asthma medications (15.5% vs. 24.2%; p = 0.0088). Male patients showed a significant decline in the use of PPIs and NSAIDs.

Conclusion: Patients with functional bowel disorders are more likely to be prescribed medications for conditions other than IBS. Over time, there was a decline in the prescriptions of most drugs, except for antidepressants and asthma medications.

One of the most pressing questions in modern cosmology pertains to the physical processes governing the early universe and the origins of cosmic structure. Primordial signals are manifest in various probes of the large-scale cosmic structure, such as the higher-order statistics of the density field and the scale-dependent bias effect. Detecting and measuring non-Gaussian primordial signals would shed light on the potential shape of the inflaton field, the hypothetical particle responsible for cosmic inflation. In the near future, next-generation galaxy surveys will begin operation, aiming to constrain the non-linearity parameter fNL to the degree of uncertainty necessary for identifying feasible inflationary models. Nevertheless, accomplishing this objective necessitates modern statistical data analysis tools to accurately account for stochastic and systematic uncertainties when extracting these subtle signals from observations.

In this thesis, I describe a novel approach for measuring primordial non-Gaussianity in galaxy redshift surveys that I have developed. The method is based on a Bayesian field-level inference technique, which includes the full field to constrain fNL. In this way, the method is able to go beyond current state-of-the-art methods, which employ a limited set of summary statistics, to capture the full information content of the three-dimensional cosmic structure. The method uses a physical forward model that translates any set of initial conditions to a predicted observable. The space of plausible initial conditions and cosmological parameters are sampled with the help of a Bayesian framework utilizing a Hamiltonian Monte Carlo approach. The method accounts for the gravitational formation of the three-dimensional cosmic structure, and inherently and fully self-consistently accounts for all stochastic uncertainties and systematic effects associated with selection effects, galaxy biasing, and survey geometries. The method is able to account for multiple probes of primordial non-Gaussianity, e.g. the higher-order correlation functions, galaxy mass distributions, peculiar velocity fields, and the scale-dependent bias effect. I showcase highlights of the development process, and present work in inferring primordial non-Gaussianity in galaxy survey data sets. Lastly, necessary preparation for next-generation galaxy redshift surveys is discussed.

The Arctic region is witnessing changes on an unprecedented level. Surface air temperatures have increased at a rate four times the global average. Two of the main climate forcers that are responsible for perturbing the radiative balance in the Arctic are greenhouse gases and atmospheric aerosols. Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere that range in size from a few nanometres to tens of microns.  These particles affect the climate by interacting with radiation and influencing cloud formation, brightness, and longevity.  The work presented in this thesis aims to improve our understanding of the drivers and mechanisms involved in controlling both the seasonal variations and the long-term changes in Arctic aerosols, and analyse the general aerosol lifecycle.  In a changing Arctic, both the emissions of anthropogenic and natural aerosol particles have and are expected to continue to change. For one, the long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols is likely to continue to decline with reductions in emissions.

Measurements of Arctic aerosols were carried out at a research observatory on Svalbard. In this thesis, a variety of instrumentation and measurements were used to assess seasonal and long-term changes in various aerosol-related variables.  The work in this thesis shows that the concentration of light-absorbing aerosol particles has decreased significantly over the past two decades, with the largest decrease in contributions from northern Siberia.  This thesis argues that a quarter of the overall reduction is due to changes to the removal processes via wet scavenging. In this thesis, the changes in environmental parameters along the transport pathway to the site are explored. From this perspective, precipitation is shown to act as both a source and a sink, impacting the number of particles depending on their size, whilst solar radiation is shown to promote an increase in the number of aerosol particles over the entire size spectrum.  Furthermore, using the first long-term time series measuring light-absorbing particles inside and outside of clouds, the process of nucleation scavenging is explored. Increased uptake of light-absorbing particles into cloud droplets is presented from April until October. Incorporation of these particles into cloud droplets is shown to be dependent on temperature and cloud water content. Lastly, the frequency in the production of small particles, barely a nanometre in diameter, in the vicinity of Svalbard is shown to be heavily influenced by solar radiation and the total surface area of pre-existing aerosol particles.  The Greenland Sea is shown to be a relatively larger source of these small particles compared to neighbouring seas.  Its shown that the total surface area of pre-existing aerosols within airmasses is reduced through cloud and precipitation events, setting the stage for new particle formation and the replenishment of aerosol particles in the presence of solar radiation. 

Understanding how these findings can be broadened and applied across a larger geographical region remains to be answered. Additionally, the overall effect these mechanisms and changes can have on the radiative balance in the Arctic requires further exploration.

The journey from light-induced excitation of a photoactive molecule to the formation of a stable photoproduct unfolds through a sequence of complex transformations within the molecular system. These transformations are governed by ultrafast processes and short-lived intermediates or transient species, which are crucial to the photoprocess. Studying these intermediates is vital not only for understanding the fundamental light-matter interactions that underlie natural optical phenomena but also for enabling the design of photochemical and photophysical reactions across diverse fields of application. Optical spectroscopic methods are commonly used to gather experimental evidence of these phenomena. Although these methods identify the intermediates based on their energy signatures, a proper characterization of the electronic structure remains elusive.

This thesis delves into sophisticated quantum chemical frameworks, supported by multiple studies, to elucidate the mechanism and architecture involved in characterizing the short-lived molecular transients. The studies addressed in the thesis highlight the rich photochemistry of heterocyclic compounds through theoretical dynamical modeling and spectral simulations. In the first part, the non-adiabatic effects in photoexcited thiopyridone are explored. A collective theoretical and experimental investigation describes the molecular evolution during the ultrafast process and the observed variations across its constitutional isomers. The possibility of formation of a molecular excimer is also explored. The second part focuses on imidazole to simulate the electronic and structural changes that lead to proton transfer, with particular attention given to the local effects that influence the overall characteristics.

Youth mental health lays the foundation for health and well-being across the life course. Mental health problems, such as psychosomatic complaints, depression, and anxiety, are recognised as significant challenges in young people’s lives that can have both immediate and long-term consequences. Social connectedness, i.e., the extent to which individuals feel belonging and integration within their social relationships, plays an important role in shaping youth mental health. This thesis aims to contribute to an increased understanding of mental health problems across adolescence and young adulthood – life stages characterised by significant social transitions – by examining the development of these problems and exploring their associations with social connectedness. Drawing on repeated survey data and linked register information, the four empirical studies in this thesis investigated common indicators of mental health problems – psychosomatic complaints, depression, and anxiety – and their links with different aspects of social connectedness.

Study I explored the link between psychosomatic complaints during adolescence and depression and anxiety symptoms in young adulthood. The findings revealed graded associations between both the frequency and number of psychosomatic complaints and later depression and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, both earlier and more recent complaints were linked to subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms, while persistent psychosomatic complaints showed stronger associations in girls. This suggests that adolescent psychosomatic complaints may serve as a marker for underlying distress that could develop into depression and anxiety in young adulthood. Therefore, if left unaddressed, frequent, numerous, and persistent psychosomatic complaints in adolescents may contribute to more serious mental health problems over time.

Study II focused on parenting practices and psychosomatic complaints across middle and late adolescence. Although social circles widen during adolescence, to include peers, friends, and teachers, parental relationships remain fundamental. This study examined three core parenting practices – parental support, knowledge, and rule-setting – and demonstrated an especially important role of parental support in mitigating youth psychosomatic complaints. While no evidence was found for a longitudinal impact of parenting practices on later psychosomatic complaints, increases in parental support and knowledge over time were linked to a decrease in youth psychosomatic complaints, with parental support showing the most consistent association. These findings suggest that continuous and increased parental support may be particularly important for youth mental health during these ages.

Study III examined the relationship between belonging, loneliness, and psychosomatic complaints in late adolescence and young adulthood. This study regarded belonging and loneliness as related, yet distinct constructs. Belonging and loneliness were analysed separately and as the cross-combinations of these, in accordance with the dual-continuum model. The findings revealed that belonging was negatively associated and loneliness was positively associated with psychosomatic complaints in cross-sectional analyses. Furthermore, individuals in the so-called socially distressed group – those experiencing high loneliness and low belonging – exhibited both cross-sectional and prospective associations with increased psychosomatic complaints.

Study IV further explored how loneliness was prospectively linked to depression and anxiety in young adults. This study examined the association of loneliness with subsequent self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as with psychiatric diagnoses based on register data. The findings showed that loneliness in late adolescence was linked to a greater likelihood of both self-reported symptoms and clinical diagnoses of depression and anxiety in young adulthood, even after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and indicators of prior mental health problems.

This thesis demonstrates the interrelated nature of mental health problems and underscores the importance of social connectedness as a social determinant of health among young people. The individual studies offer empirical evidence on how various aspects of social connectedness – that is, social support, belonging, and loneliness – are linked to mental health problems across adolescence and young adulthood. While high social connectedness can reduce mental health problems, low social connectedness not only contributes to current mental health challenges but also has lasting impacts that can extend into adulthood. Furthermore, various indicators of social connectedness do not exist in isolation and may influence youth mental health both independently and collectively. Overall, this thesis highlights the crucial role that social connectedness plays in youth mental health throughout adolescence and young adulthood.

This thesis examines the heritagisation of military flags captured as war trophies by the Swedish army in 1657. It investigates the capture, use, and preservation of captured flags by which the Great Armoury in Stockholm emerged as a museum in the seventeenth century. The focus is on analysing assemblages of practices, objects, and humans in which the agency of the flags was created and performed. The aim is to examine the role of Early Modern military flags as agents in political, social, and cultural performances. The thesis furthermore aims to contribute to the history of Swedish museums and the international research on arsenals and armouries as Early Modern museums. Thus, the study is positioned at the intersection of heritage studies and art anthropology.

The overarching research question concerns the agency of the materiality of flags understood as the relational interaction between flags and humans. How were flags used for producing, enacting, and transforming cultural meanings and how, in turn, did flags become constituents of these meanings? The question “how” focuses the embodied practices performed in these processes. A group of Danish flags captured by the Swedish army in 1657 serves as an example. A biographical method is used to identify socio-material practices in which flags were agential. The theoretical framework draws on anthropological works on the agency of objects, which is understood as situational and relational; engendered in performances and assemblages together with humans, spaces, and sounds. 

The first empirical chapter investigates the agency of the material and visual properties of military flags. It is argued that materials and decorative techniques were agential in creating military hierarchies. It is also suggested that flags bearing the royal insignia were considered as “second bodies” of the king. The second chapter explores the role of flags in military rituals. It is argued that the rituals created the flags as “sacred objects” giving them agency to create or dissolve a military unit. The chapter also analyses the representation of flag-waving as a body technique in seventeenth-century illustrated instruction books. It discusses the flag’s agency in performing civility and manly virtues. The third chapter focuses the transition between the flags’ original use and their use as signs of victory. It investigates the techniques for transforming captured flags into trophies such as rituals of surrender and triumphal processions and argues that the flags thus enacted changes in political power. The fourth chapter identifies the practices of heritagisation engendered by the influx of captured flags to the Great Armoury in Stockholm. Analyses are made of the techniques of administration, preservation and display used for the collection. The fifth chapter investigates how heritage was enacted through the transfer of the collection of captured flags from the military armoury to Riddarholmskyrkan in 1817. It shows how the Early Modern heritage practices affected the use of the flags in the transition to the Modern period.

This thesis argues that the agency of military flags became manifest in the rituals, regulations, and instructions governing their uses. It furthermore argues that the capture and heritagisation of the studied flags were practices aimed at controlling this agency. Military flags that had been made war trophies thus played an important role in forming heritage practices in Early Modern Sweden. 

Given the unclear impact of technologies on auditing and calls for further research, this thesis examines and enhances understanding of their impact on external auditing and factors slowing their adoption. It addresses three research questions on the potential of emerging technologies (Studies I and II), less advanced technologies (Studies III and IV), and barriers to adopting emerging technologies in audits (Study V). The thesis employs a systematic literature review, a conceptual approach using design science, and surveys analysed with quantitative and mixed-method techniques. Findings reveal that emerging technologies enhance audit efficiency and effectiveness while narrowing the expectation gap. They will shape future audits by influencing perceptions, auditor-client relationships, regulatory frameworks, audit structures, procedures, professional profiles, innovation, and audit quality. Less advanced technologies partly improve audit efficiency and effectiveness while facilitating dynamic capabilities during turbulent times by aiding audit evidence collection and client communication. However, their effectiveness is limited by challenges in complex audit tasks, reliability, and internal controls. Despite their potential, emerging technologies face slow adoption, mainly due to a lack of regulatory standards. This thesis identifies key internal drivers (e.g., social influence from colleagues and management, auditors’ competence, and organisational support), external drivers (e.g., proactive audit standards, guidance, and social influence from societal norms and industry experts), and other factors (e.g., switching costs, satisfaction with the status quo, and perceived value) that influence emerging technology adoption. Overall, this thesis contributes to understanding how technologies enhance audit evidence collection and processes while identifying adoption barriers crucial for the audit industry in navigating the evolving audit environment.

The main objective of the present study was to investigate mixtures of soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and glycerol dioleate (GDO) as encapsulation matrices for Cannabis sativa L. phytocannabinoids. The effects of cannabinoids loading into non-aqueous formulations and non-lamellar liquid crystalline phases were studied using synchrotron small-angle X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering methods. The incorporation of phytocannabinoids is discussed with respect to the lipid aggregation behaviour, self-assembled nanostructures, and long-term chemical stability. The obtained results showed that SPC/GDO-based formulations can incorporate relatively high amounts of cannabinoids and could serve as liquid crystalline delivery vehicles in the form of bulk phases.

The chapter contains a description of the Swedish school context over the last three decades, especially regarding compulsory education, and descriptions of research studies undertaken by Malmqvist. From the 90s to today, the Swedish school system has undergone many national reforms such as decentralisation, the right to choose school, and the establishment of independent schools (free schools) in a developed quasi-market for education. The free school idea, with schools financed by national taxes, is internationally unique and popular among venture capital companies as they can transfer profits abroad to tax havens. Segregation and inequity have increased while academic achievement among students has decreased to an extent that the first national school committee since 1946 was recently commissioned. At present in the area of special needs education, student misbehaviour and social order in schools are heavily debated. The large proportion of students who receive diagnoses, ADHD for instance, reveals the popularity of medical explanations and medical treatment. The current establishment of special education classes and medication of individuals interpreted biological deficits exacerbate school segregation and seem to be inadequate solutions to school system problems. Party political decisions that lack support from pedagogical empirical research findings, push this development. 

This study explores how teachers promote literary understanding and language development in Swedish as a second language (SSL) classrooms for Grade 6 students through read-aloud discussions. Addressing a research gap on core SSL curriculum delivery in elementary schools, this investigation observed two experienced teachers over a two-month period. The study draws on reader-response perspectives from Langer and Felski, combined with discursive strategies and Cummins' notion of reading engagement. Through analysis of classroom observations, field notes, and photos, the study examines how teachers use questioning, discussions, and language support strategies to foster students' growth in literary understanding and L2 knowledge.In both classrooms, linguistic aspects appeared to be highly integrated into the reading practices. For example, the teachers commented on the linguistic and aesthetic qualities of literary words. At the same time, the different dynamics of the student groups impacted the teachers’ choice of texts, which affected the possibilities for a deeper understanding of the text; for instance, by perceiving symmetries between the text and knowledge acquired in other teaching areas. The strategies revealed in the present study can potentially be used in other contexts to elevate the quality and status of L2 teaching.

In both classrooms, linguistic aspects appeared to be highly integrated into the reading practices. For example, the teachers commented on the linguistic and aesthetic qualities of literary words. At the same time, the different dynamics of the student groups impacted the teachers’ choice of texts, which affected the possibilities for a deeper understanding of the text; for instance, by perceiving symmetries between the text and knowledge acquired in other teaching areas. The strategies revealed in the present study can potentially be used in other contexts to elevate the quality and status of L2 teaching.

The paper advances our understanding of care in transnational families by exploring how proximate family members engage in care within two institutional contexts, a school and a hospital. It considers how care processes and outcomes are shaped by the transnational character of families and by the related power dynamics inherent within families and institutions. It does so by studying language and literacy practices that people engage in when they act as language brokers and literacy mediators for family members who are accessing care. Working with two families in the United Kingdom and Sweden, our analysis draws on fieldnotes, interviews with caregivers, and interactional data. We describe the language and literacy practices and interactional events associated with our participants' institutional encounters, relating them to individuals' intersecting positionalities. Analysis demonstrates the ways in which these practices enable them to challenge inequalities inherent in health and educational systems.

In today's era of technological evolution, programming education is crucial for shaping the future workforce and fostering innovation. However, access to quality computer science education remains a significant challenge with Sub-Saharan Africa nations experiencing a pronounced digital divide. Despite growing interest in technology, these countries struggle with unequal access to educational resources. AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Codey, and GitHub Copilot offer personalized learning experiences that could democratize access to knowledge and reshape programming education. This quantitative study examines the impact of these AI tools on fostering inclusive education in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. It involves 322 university students, using purposive sampling and online questionnaires. Various quantitative analyzes, including descriptive statistics, country-wise comparisons, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and correlation analysis, were conducted. The study reveals students’ motivations for programming, their attitudes towards AI-driven educational tools, and the perceived impact on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Significant variations were found in attitudes based on educational level and country of residence, highlighting the need for tailored strategies to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of AI-driven programming education tools.

This article introduces a novel Multi-agent path planning scheme based on Conflict Based Search (CBS) for heterogeneous holonomic and non-holonomic agents, designated as Heterogeneous CBS (HCBS). The proposed methodology employs a hybrid A∗ algorithm for non-holonomic car-like robots and a conventional A∗ algorithm for holonomic robots. Following this, a body conflict detection strategy is utilized to construct the conflict tree, bridging the initial path planning with the resolution of conflicts among agents. Moreover, we present two variants of HCBS: the Enhanced Conflict-Based Search (EHCBS) and the Depth-First Conflict-Based Search (DFHCBS). We evaluate the efficacy of our proposed algorithms—HCBS, EHCBS, and DFHCBS—against a standard prioritized planning algorithm, focusing on success rates and computational efficiency in environments with varying numbers of agents and obstacles. The empirical results demonstrate that EHCBS exhibits superior computational efficiency in small, dense environments, while DFHCBS performs well in larger-scale environments. This highlights the adaptability of our proposed approaches in various settings, proving the computational advantage of EHCBS and DFHCBS over traditional methods.

This study investigate the effects of temperature on the tribological properties of Titanium-zirconium-molybdenum (TZM). TZM alloy was subjected to sliding contact against AISI 430 steel counterparts at varying temperatures. The results shows, the coefficients of friction (COF) at interface were 0.77, 0.75, 0.71, and 0.69, in the case of 25 °C, 300 °C, 600 °C, and 900 °C test temperatures. The presence of MoO3 and Mo9O26 phases suggested the wear resistance and decreasing COF at high temperature. Temperature is a critical factor influencing material transfer between TZM and AISI 430 steel. The primary TZM wear mechanism at 25 °C involved scratching, surface deformation, and local cracks, while elevated temperatures near 900 °C intensified material adhesion phenomena with a surface shearing effect on the TZM surface after the trotest.

This study explores the role of humour in shaping digital death discourses on TikTok. examining how users engage with mortality, the afterlife, and dying in playful yet profound ways. Through an analysis of three content strands--#celebritydeathprank, Heaven Receptionist skits, and mourning-dedicated accounts--it investigates how TikTok's participatory culture enables users to navigate and reframe death through creative and often comedic means. Rather than centering grief, this study highlights how humour serves as a mechanism for engaging with existential themes, fostering communal rememberence, and reimagining collective imaginaries of death. By leveraging TikTok's affordances--such as remixing, commenting, and algorithmic visibility--users produce content that blurs the boundaries between adversity and the absurd, intimacy and spectacle. This study contributes to research on digital death by demonstrating how social media platforms cultivate new vernaculars and ephemeralities of death discourse, where humour becomes the central mode of engagement with mortality.

Introduction. This paper explores a challenge for any novel digital intervention: the hesitancy or reluctance among the designated user group.Purpose.The overall purpose is to better understand the hesitant reception of digital innovations through a specific case study. The aim is to further our understanding of resistance towards digital innovation as well as reflect upon the pro-innovation bias of digital development projects.Method. Multiple sources were combined: data collected within the case project and conducted document analysis of project documentation.Results.Labor and maintenance were the main reasons behind stakeholder hesitancy, as well as concerns regarding the hosting, funding, and local relevance of the proposed innovation. Conclusion. The assumption that digitization is inherently beneficial shaped the direction of the case project. Yet ongoing cultural changes and current adaptations must be understood to ensure a new digital solution is actually needed. As researchers we must pay enough attention to relevant local conditions by critically engaging with the innovation process of the project itself. This requires looking pass the pro-innovation bias.