396 research outputs found
Schibbye och Persson’s Journey: a qualitative analysis of Göteborgs-Posten’s coverage of ”etiopiensvenskarna” from a narrative perspective.
Title: Schibbye och Persson’s Journey: a qualitative analysis of Göteborgs-Posten’s coverage of ”etiopiensvenskarna” from a narrative perspective.
Authors: Viktor Eriksson and Max Sommerstein
Subject: Undergraduate research paper in journalism studies, Dept. of journalism, media and communication (JMG) University of Gothenburg
Term: Autumn 2013
Supervisor: Mats Ekström, JMG, Gothenburg University
Pages: 35
Purpose: To examine how the narrative-model the hero’s journey is represented within the Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten’s articles on Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, two Swedish journalists who were imprisoned while conducting journalism in Ethiopia.
Method: A combination of Ethnographic content analysis (ECA) and Compositional Interpretation (image-analysis).
Procedure: A strategic selection of articles published in the supplement Skenprocessen i Addis Abeba, in Göteborgs-Posten.
Results: The narrative model the hero’s journey is clearly represented as cultural frames in Göteborgs-Posten’s articles about Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson. The framing of the events are used to simplify the facts and to make them emotionally accessible. We have also determined that the steps of the model largely follow the same chronology in the articles as it does in the hero’s journey. All in all, we have determined that journalism and myth has a closer relationship than one might think
Design and proof of concept for silicon-based quantum dot quantum bits
Spins based in silicon provide one of the most promising architectures for
quantum computing. Quantum dots are an inherently scalable technology. Here, we
combine these two concepts into a workable design for a silicon-germanium
quantum bit. The novel structure incorporates vertical and lateral tunneling,
provides controlled coupling between dots, and enables single electron
occupation of each dot. Precise modeling of the design elucidates its potential
for scalable quantum computing. For the first time it is possible to translate
the requirements of fault-tolerant error correction into specific requirements
for gate voltage control electronics in quantum dots. We demonstrate that these
requirements are met by existing pulse generators in the kHz-MHz range, but GHz
operation is not yet achievable. Our calculations further pinpoint device
features that enhance operation speed and robustness against leakage errors. We
find that the component technologies for silicon quantum dot quantum computers
are already in hand.Comment: References adde
Three-Omega Thermal-Conductivity Measurements with Curved Heater Geometries
The three-omega method, a powerful technique to measure the thermal
conductivity of nanometer-thick films and the interfaces between them, has
historically employed straight conductive wires to act as both heaters and
thermometers. When investigating stochastically prepared samples such as
two-dimensional materials and nanomembranes, residue and excess material can
make it difficult to fit the required millimeter-long straight wire on the
sample surface. There are currently no available criteria for how diverting
three-omega heater wires around obstacles affects the validity of the thermal
measurement. In this Letter, we quantify the effect of wire curvature by
performing three-omega experiments with a wide range of frequencies using both
curved and straight heater geometries on SiO/Si samples. When the heating
wire is curved, we find that the measured Si substrate thermal conductivity
changes by only 0.2%. Similarly, we find that wire curvature has no significant
effect on the determination of the thermal resistance of a 65 nm SiO
layer, even for the sharpest corners considered here, for which the largest
measured ratio of the thermal penetration depth of the applied thermal wave to
radius of curvature of the heating wire is 4.3. This result provides useful
design criteria for three-omega experiments by setting a lower bound for the
maximum ratio of thermal penetration depth to wire radius of curvature.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Building a Fortune From the Ground Up A Simulation Study on Reinvesting LKAB:s Dividends Into a Sovereign Wealth Fund
MSc in FinanceThis study evaluates the potential benefits of establishing a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) in Sweden in 1988, using dividends from the state-owned mining company LKAB. Through two simulation scenarios, the study assesses the impact of the SWF on Sweden’s public balance sheet. The results indicate that both the ’Smoothed’ and ’Volatility’ SWF scenarios could have significant economic impact for Sweden, with values reaching 106.58 billion SEK and 112.79 billion SEK, respectively. Statistical significance in the Difference-in-Differences analysis strengthens the importance of these findings. The study suggests that establishing a SWF could offer long-term stability and economic benefits for Sweden, aligning with existing literature on SWFs and public balance sheets. Not creating a SWF in 1988 might have been a missed opportunity for Sweden, the study proposes that there is still potential to establish an impactful SWF in the future, thereby enhancing stability and wealth preservation over time. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of hypothetical SWFs and their implications for public balance sheets, laying the groundwork for future exploration in this area
Involvement that makes an impact on healthcare:Perceptions of the Swedish public
Aim: ‘Participation and influence in society’ is the first of 11 objective domains in Swedish public health policy. The aim of this article is to investigate the views of the Swedish general population on the impact of a range of health participation activities, and whether these views were associated with sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: The study utilizes a national representative survey of the Swedish population, aged 15 years and over (n = 1500). Results: Apart from voting in regional elections – which most of the respondents believed to be an influential way to make improvements in healthcare (74%) – respondents believed more in individual patient activities than activities associated with adopting a citizen role and acting collectively. A majority of respondents believed in the impact of replying to patient surveys (67%), making a complaint (61%), talking directly to staff (58%) or changing their healthcare provider (54%). Fewer believed in the impact of joining a patient organization (46%), taking part in a citizen council (35%) or joining a political party (34%). Beliefs in impact increased with educational attainment and decreased with age. Conclusions: The results suggest people have more confidence in the impact of participating as individual patients rather than collectively and as citizens. To ensure that activities enable ‘participation and influence in society’, complementary opportunities for collective involvement that also take into account under-represented voices such as those with a low level of education need to be developed
Vegetation as a heat reducing tool in the urban landscape : green infrastructure and heat reducing effects of vegetation
En av de svåraste utmaningarna dagens samhälle står inför idag är den
globala uppvärmningen och de globala klimatförändringarna. Den globala
uppvärmningen bidrar till stora temperaturförändringar i våra städer och
Norden är den del av Europa som kommer att påverkas i störst utsträckning
av denna klimatförändring. Den urbana miljön är i ständig utveckling. Städer
förtätas och tätorter expanderas vilket innebär en ökad andel hårdgjorda ytor
och en reducering av vegetativa ytor. I dagens läge består stadsmiljön
framförallt av hårdgjorda ytor vilket innebär att de har en låg kylningseffekt
och en låg infiltrationskapacitet. Detta bidrar till att det uppstår värmeöar i
både städer och tätorter. Stadskärnor är där värmeön är som mest intensiv
och på dagen kan lufttemperaturen ligga mellan 3-5°C högre än rurala
områden. På natten kan denna temperaturskillnad stiga upp emot 12°C.
Samhällets och ekosystemens förmåga att återhämta sig måste därför
förstärkas.
Grön infrastruktur har enligt flera studier visat sig vara en effektiv och socialt
accepterad lösning för att förmildra värmeö-effekten, genom att reducera
lufttemperaturen i den urbana miljön och på så sätt förstärka
ekosystemtjänster i samhällen. Att integrera grön infrastruktur inom olika
politiska områden erbjuder attraktiva lösningar på ekonomiska, sociala och
miljömässiga problem i våra samhällen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är
att undersöka hur olika system av grön infrastruktur påverkar temperaturen i
urbana miljöer samt vilka faktorer som bidrar till en temperaturförändring.
Litteraturstudien har därmed inriktat sig på vegetativa faktorer som albedo,
evapotranspiration, modifiering av vindförhållande och skugga för att studera
hur dessa påverkar temperaturen i staden. Litteraturstudien innefattar även
hur olika typer av grön infrastruktur såsom träd, gröna tak, vertikala grön
system och grönområden bidrar till värmereducering i sin omgivning. Målet är
att bilda en uppfattning om hur stor inverkan grön infrastruktur har på klimatet
i den urbana miljön och på så sätt bidra till ökad förståelse för olika aktörer
inom grönyteplanering.
Slutsatsen redovisar att faktorer som evapotranspiration, albedo, modifiering
av vindförhållanden och skugga har en påverkan på hur vegetationen bidrar
med en reducering av temperaturen i den urbana miljön. Vatten visade sig
vara en avgörande faktor till hur mycket kylningseffekt vegetationen avger,
då alla temperaturreducerande faktorer hos vegetationen är direkt beroende
av tillgängligt vatten. De olika typerna av grön infrastruktur som studerades i
litteraturstudien har alla en påverkan på det urbana klimatet avseende
temperaturen på ytor och i luften. Däremot bidrar de olika typerna av gröna
system på olika sätt med temperaturreduceringar i staden. Träd bidrar i
större omfattning på kylning av omgivningstemperaturen genom
evapotranspiration jämfört med gröna tak. Gröna tak bidrar däremot med
isolering och beskuggning av takytan på byggnader. Alla typer av gröna
system bidrar till en ökad värmereducering och en minskad energiförbrukning
i staden, därmed är det kanske en fråga om utrymme istället för total
värmereducerande effekt som städer bör ta fasta på
Critical international relations and the impact agenda
How should critical International Relations (IR) scholars approach the ‘impact agenda’? While most have been quite resistant to it, I argue in this essay that critical IR should instead embrace the challenge of impact – and that both IR as a field and the impact agenda more broadly would gain greatly from it doing so. I make this case through three steps. I show, firstly, that critical IR has till now been very much at the impact agenda’s margins, and that this situation contrasts strikingly with its well-established importance within IR teaching and research. I argue, secondly, that critical IR scholars both could and should do more impact work – that the current political conjuncture demands it, that many of the standard objections to doing so are misplaced, and indeed that ‘critical’ modes of research are in some regards better suited than ‘problem-solving’ ones to generating meaningful change – and offer a series of recommended principles for undertaking critically-oriented impact and engagement work. But I also argue, thirdly, that critical social science holds important lessons for the impact agenda, and that future impact assessments need to take these lessons on board – especially if critical IR scholarship is to embrace impact more fully. Critical IR, I submit, should embrace impact; but at the same time, research councils and assessments could do with modifying their approach to it, including by embracing a more critical and political understanding of what impact is and how it is achieved
Numerical Simulations and Empirical Data for the Evaluation of Daylight Factors in Existing Buildings in Sweden
Point Daylight Factor (DFP) has been used for daylighting design in Sweden for more than 40 years. Progressive densification of urban environments, in combination with stricter regulations on energy performance and indoor environmental quality of buildings, creates complex daylight design challenges that cannot be adequately solved with DFP. To support a development of the current and future daylight indicators in the Swedish context, the authors have developed a comprehensive methodology for the evaluation of daylight levels in existing buildings. The methodology comprises sample buildings of various use and their digital replicas in 3D, detailed numerical simulations and correlations of diverse DF metrics in existing buildings, a field investigation on residents\u27 satisfaction with available daylight levels in their homes, and a comparison between the numerical and experimental data. The study was deliberately limited to the evaluation of DF metrics for their intuitive understanding and easy evaluation in real design projects. The sample buildings represent typical architectural styles and building technologies between 1887 and 2013 in Gothenburg and include eight residential buildings, two office buildings, two schools, two student apartment buildings, and two hospitals. Although the simulated DFP is 1.4% on average, i.e., above the required 1%, large variations have been found between the studied 1200 rooms. The empirical data generally support the findings from the numerical simulations, but also bring unique insights in the residences\u27 preferences for rooms with good daylight. The most remarkable result is related to kitchens, typically the spaces with the lowest DF values, based on simulations, while the residents wish them to be the spaces with the most daylight. Finally, the work introduces a new DF metric, denoted DFW, which allows daylighting design in early stages when only limited data on the building shape and windows\u27 arrangement are available
An economic and logistical analysis of increased storage capacity and structuring of storage at Domsjö Fiber AB : a design of Domsjö Fibers bearing surfaces
Skogsbrukets industrier kräver ofta en stor lagerhållningskapacitet. Kostnaderna för dessa lager är ofta höga och inte sällan är lagringsplatserna för virket inte genomtänkta, vilket leder till att allt fler företag börjar se över sin internlogistik. Domsjö Fibers huvudsakliga uppgift är att försörja ägarbolagen med råvara. Företaget har uppmärksammat att inlåsningseffekter förekommer på lagerytorna och vill undersöka hur dessa effekter kan minimeras utan att minska lagerkapacitet.
Syftet med studien var att ta fram ett antal handlingsalternativ för en ny lagerstruktur åt Domsjö Fiber AB och även göra en ekonomisk redovisning för upprustningskostnader av nya lagerytor för att kompensera för omstruktureringen av deras befintligt lager.
I studien utformades med hjälp av inmätningar i ArcMap tre handlingsalternativ för att tillgodose Domsjö Fiber ABs behov med varierande prioriteringar. Det första alternativet prioriterade att lösa de inlåsningseffekter som Domsjö Fiber AB hade, det andra alternativet fokuserade på att lagra så stora virkesarealer som möjligt på virkesplanen. Det tredje alternativet hade samma fokus som alternativ ett, bortsett från att man inte skulle ta bort den tågräls som finns på virkesplan idag. Alternativen medförde kostnadsförändringar för truckarna. Studien visar då att de största besparingarna i transportkostnader för timmertruckarna resulterade i 99788kr/år p.g.a. minskade transportsträckor.
Det alternativ som ansågs som det val som ger bäst resultat är efter undersökning alternativ ett, med den lilla verkstaden som finns på virkesplanen borttagen. Detta för att man då utan lagerförluster kan lagra virket utan inlåsningseffekter och minska sina transportkostnader. Efter upprättande av en ekonomisk kalkyl bedöms kostnaden för att upprusta de idag delvis obrukbara lagerytorna till 5,7 milj.kr, förutsatt att detta görs internt av Domsjö Fiber AB.De osäkerheter som bör klargöras i praktiken av Domsjö Fiber AB är hur mycket en saneringsutredning kan komma att påverka priset för upprustningen.Forestry industries often require a large storage capacity. The cost of these stocks are often high and the wood yard surfaces are often not very well planned, and because of this more companies start to review their internal logistics. Domsjö Fiber AB is owned by Övik Energi AB and Domsjö Fabriker AB and their main purpose is to support the holding companies with raw material. The company has noted that lock-in effects occur on the bearing surfaces and would like to examine how these effects can be minimized without reducing storage capacity.
The purpose of the study was to develop a number of options for a new stock structure to Domsjö Fiber AB, and also to make a financial report for the renovation costs of new storage surfaces to compensate for the restructuring of the existing stock surfaces. Three different options was designed with the tool ArcMap, to meet Domsjö Fiber AB’s needs with varying priorities. The first option prioritized solving the lock-in effects Domsjö Fiber AB was having, the second option focused on storing as much timber as possible in the timber field, without lock-in effects taken into account. The third option had the same focus as the first option, except that it would not remove the railroad available on the wood yard today. The different options entailed changes in costs for the log-handlers, the study will show that the largest savings in transportation costs for log-handlers resulted in 99788kr/year due to reduced transportation distances. The option that’s considered as the choice that gives the best results are after studying the different alternatives option one, with the small workshop located in the timber field deleted. This because you can store the timber without the lock-in effects and reduce their transportation costs without any losses of inventory.
After establishing an economic analysis the cost to renovate the now partly unusable bearing surfaces ended up at a cost of 5700 000 kr , provided that this is done internally by Domsjö Fiber AB. The uncertainties that should be made clear in the practice of Domsjö Fiber AB is to do a clean-up inquiry, which may come to affect the price of rearmament
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