There are many useful guidelines and theories to be found on mixing and mastering. One of these statements is that the monitoring level affects how well one can detect and evaluate the Dynamic Range Compression (DRC) when mixing. However, some of the sources that support this idea are contradictory as to whether a low or high monitoring level is better for this purpose. No previous research on this subject has been found, even though monitoring levels are presumed to be essential for the mixing and mastering engineer. The aim of the study was to investigate if the monitoring level will affect the listeners’ detection threshold for DRC when applied to a vocal track. For this, one higher and one lower monitoring level was chosen, and a simple up-down method was used to obtain the X₅₀ in each monitoring condition, in which these were compared. The results indicate that the monitoring level does not affect the listeners’ threshold of detection for DRC. Moreover, it can be stated that the monitoring level in which the participants had the most habit of working in did not affect the result either. This research can be used to take more informed decisions regarding monitoring levels and to revisit some previous observations.

The powered soft landing of a spacecraft represents a maneuver with high interest, withsome private launcher companies – SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Factory Augsburg, etc. - showinginterest in implementing it as a solution for their launchers, and several national agenciesusing it for the exploration of celestial bodies where it may be the only option. This thesispresents the work done in the theoretical development of a possible control algorithm for thepower landing maneuver of a rocket on Earth’s surface. The first step is the definition of the landingmaneuver based on literature study. This includes the identification of the different phasesof the flight, the selection of control variables, and the establishment of the initial conditionsfor the simulation and the working assumptions. Following this work, the three-dimensionalequations of motion for a rocket-like body are determined and simulated in the absence of anycontrol signal. Two aspects need to be analyzed in the powered landing maneuver: attitudeand velocity control. The second step consists in the implementation of the two respectivealgorithms, which are then applied to the equations system. The newly controlled system isagain simulated, and the results are compared with the ones obtained in the absence of thecontrol. The simulations are expected to provide the position, attitude, and velocity profilesof the rocket both in free fall and with a controlled power-landing. Consequently, the controlsystem is expected to guarantee safe recovery of the spacecraft given different initial conditions.

This Master's thesis is part of the Hydrogen Embrittlement in Rolling element bearings project (HERo) initiated at Luleå University of Technology (LTU), with the primary objective of determining critical hydrogen concentrations in bearing steel for rolling element bearings. The specific aim of this Master's thesis is to design a test rig that enables the investigation of the effects of hydrogen embrittlement on rolling element bearings under load. The design process focused on ease of manufacture and assembly.

The developed test rig includes an electric motor, a pneumatic load application mechanism, and an electrochemical cell. Using the leverage principle, a thrust roller bearing is loaded vertically, while it is driven by an electric motor that is connected to the bearing with a tyre coupling. The electrochemical cell, which consists of a reference electrode, counter electrode, and the test bearing as the working electrode, is used to charge the test bearing with hydrogen. The cell was designed to be easily accessible between tests to facilitate the change of thrust roller bearings.

The test bench enables the analysis of rolling element bearings that are exposed to simultaneous hydrogen embrittlement and realistic operating conditions. 

The material composition of asteroids is an essential piece of knowledge in the quest to understand the formation and evolution of the Solar System. Visual to near-infrared spectra or multiband photometry is required to constrain the material composition of asteroids, but we currently have such data, especially in the near-infrared wavelengths, for only a limited number of asteroids. This is a significant limitation considering the complex orbital structures of the asteroid populations. Up to 150 000 asteroids will be visible in the images of the upcoming ESA Euclid space telescope, and the instruments of Euclid will offer multiband visual to near-infrared photometry and slitless near-infrared spectra of these objects. Most of the asteroids will appear as streaks in the images. Due to the large number of images and asteroids, automated detection methods are needed. A non-machine-learning approach based on the Streak Det software was previously tested, but the results were not optimal for short and/or faint streaks. We set out to improve the capability to detect asteroid streaks in Euclid images by using deep learning. We built, trained, and tested a three-step machine-learning pipeline with simulated Euclid images. First, a convolutional neural network (CNN) detected streaks and their coordinates in full images, aiming to maximize the completeness (recall) of detections. Then, a recurrent neural network (RNN) merged snippets of long streaks detected in several parts by the CNN. Lastly, gradient-boosted trees (XGBoost) linked detected streaks between different Euclid exposures to reduce the number of false positives and improve the purity (precision) of the sample. The deep-learning pipeline surpasses the completeness and reaches a similar level of purity of a non-machine-learning pipeline based on the StreakDet software. Additionally, the deep-learning pipeline can detect asteroids 0.25–0.5 magnitudes fainter than StreakDet. The deep-learning pipeline could result in a 50% increase in the number of detected asteroids compared to the StreakDet software. There is still scope for further refinement, particularly in improving the accuracy of streak coordinates and enhancing the completeness of the final stage of the pipeline, which involves linking detections across multiple exposures.

Currently there is about 600 000 hectares of lodgepole pine forests in Sweden which of most were planted during the 1970s and -80s. Lodgepole pine is native species to western USA and Canada and was introduced in Sweden as an answer to an expected pulp-fiber volume depression. A big portion of these stands are now reaching maturing age for sawn timber product production, but little is known about lodgepole pine grown on Swedish soil. In this study, the correlation between the mean tree ring width, latewood ratio, swelling and the bending strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and density have been studied, if there is a statistically significant difference between the four different geographical stands the lodgepole pine in this study are stemming from and lastly how Swedish grown lodgepole pine differs from the traditional Swedish construction lumbers Scots pine and Norway spruce. The correlation between the mean ring width and the bending strength was -0,33, the density -0,18 and the MOE -0,42. For the latewood ratio and the bending strength it was 0,11, the density 0,21 and the MOE 0,06. For the radial and tangential swelling respectively it was -0,12 and -0,15 for the bending strength, 0,01 and 0,11 for the density and -0,29 and 0,27 for the MOE. For all four different growth stands there was a statistically significant difference between the means for all studied variables. The relationships for both Scots pine and Norway spruce show similar magnitudes and directions. 

Ur ett pågående forskningsprojekt om artificiell intelligens (AI) har ett behov vuxit fram att hitta en metod för datainsamling inom svensk byggkontext, detta examensarbete hade som syfte är att uppfylla det behovet. Forskningen är inom området maskinlärning (ML) och dataseende (CV) i bygg och anläggningsbranschen. Där dataseende innebär i stora drag går ut på att en dator extraherar information ur visuella data, det vill säga bilder och filmer. Datainsamlingen behöver vara av tillräcklig omfattning för att skapa ett dataset för maskininlärning, med målet att Boston Dynamics SPOT ska kunna användas i bygg - och anläggningsbranschen. 

Fyra metoder för datainsamling har utvärderats och ställts mot varandra i syfte att hitta den metod som ger bäst förutsättningar att bygga ett dataset. Det bästa förhållningsättet baserat på studiens förutsättningar var att använda en experimentell metod med induktiv karaktär, alltså har studiens fokus främst legat på metodutveckling baserat på empiri och inte på teori. 

Breda frågeställningar har ställts för att hitta den bästa datainsamlingsmetoden för maskininlärning, dessa frågeställningar har besvarats genom att studien strukturerats upp i tre huvuddelar: en teoretisk, en empirisk och en teknisk del. 

Den teoretiska delen har varit en mindre kontextuell litteraturstudie, som gett en djupare förståelse för AI. Fokus har varit på delar som ansetts mest relevanta för studien som övervakat datorseende och aktuell forskning på AI:s appliceringsområden i byggkontext. I den empiriska studien har fallstudier genomförts där data samlas in genom de olika metoderna och utvärderats ur olika synpunkter för att avgöra vilken metod som var mest hållbar i praktiken. Den tekniska delen fokuserade främst på annotering och träning av data. Resultatet blev en siffra mellan 0 och 1 där 1 var bäst. I den tekniska delen gjordes även en utvärdering av operativsystem för ML.

De fyra metoder som utvärderats för datainsamling var:

1.       Manuell fotografering av gipsskivor på byggarbetsplatser. Där en byggarbetsplats besöktes och strax under 200 bilder samlades in. Modellen som tränades med data från metod ett gav ett resultat på 0.46. 

2.       Den andra metoden som testades var att utnyttja den arbetskraft som var belägen på byggarbeten. Tanken var att arbetspersonalen skulle fotografera gipsskivor under arbetsdagen och skicka in bilderna till gemensam samlingsplats. Denna metod avfärdades av byggföretaget i fråga, dels till följd av organisatoriska problem, dels av äganderättssynpunkt.

3.       I den tredje metoden undersöktes möjligheten att använda ett bildgalleri där historiska data samlats. Ett flertal av dessa bildgallerier undersöktes där behörighet till ett av gallerierna gavs till projektet och en anställd på byggföretaget gick igenom ett flertal andra bildgallerier. Totalt uppskattades att 4000 - 5000 bilder genomsöktes varifrån ett dataset av 38 bilder samlades in. Resultatet vid träningen av modellen från metod tre var 0. 

4.       Den fjärde metoden var att generera syntetiska bilder. En enkel modell modellerades upp i Revit där totalt 740 bilder samlades in. Vid utvärdering av modellen som tränats på metod fyras bilder var resultatet 0.9. När valideringsbilderna ersattes från syntetiska till verkliga bilder blev resultatet i stället 0.32. Vid närmare undersökning visades det att modellen kände igen gipsskivorna, men förvirring uppstod av bruset i bakgrunden, där spackel på väggen i den verkliga bilden misstogs för gipsskivor. Därför testades en hybridmetod där ett fåtal verkliga bilder lades till i träningsdata. Resultatet av hybridmetoden blev 0.66. 

Sammanfattningsvis visade resultaten av denna studie att ingen av de befintliga metoderna, i deras nuvarande former, lämpar sig för maskininlärningssyften på byggplatsen. Det framkom dock att det kan vara värt att utforska hybridmetoder närmare som en potentiell lösning. Ett intressant forskningsområde skulle vara att undersöka hybridmetoder som kombinerar element från metod ett och fyra, som tidigare beskrivits. En alternativ hybridmetod kan också utforskas, där omgivningen från bildgalleriet inkorporeras i en virtuell miljö och data samlas in med liknande processer som i metod fyra. Dessa hybridmetoder kan erbjuda fördelar som övervinner de begränsningar som identifierades i de enskilda metoderna och därmed möjliggöra effektivare och mer tillförlitlig datainsamling för maskininlärningsapplikationer inom den studerade kontexten. Framtida forskning bör inriktas på att utforska och utvärdera dessa hybridmetoder för att bättre förstå deras potential och fördelar inom området maskininlärning och datavetenskap. 

Pancreatic Neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) are challenging to diagnose and often detected at advanced stages due to a lack of specific and sensitive biomarkers. This study utilized proteomics as a valuable approach for cancer biomarker discovery; therefore, mass spectrometry-based proteomic profiling was conducted on plasma samples from 12 subjects (3 controls; 5 Grade I, 4 Grade II PanNET patients) to identify potential proteins capable of effectively distinguishing PanNET from healthy controls. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD045045. 13.2% of proteins were uniquely identified in PanNET, while 60% were commonly expressed in PanNET and controls. 17 proteins exhibiting significant differential expression between PanNET and controls were identified with downstream analysis. Further, 5 proteins (C1QA, COMP, HSP90B1, ITGA2B, and FN1) were selected by pathway analysis and were validated using Western blot analysis. Significant downregulation of C1QA (p = 0.001: within groups, 0.03: control vs. grade I, 0.0013: grade I vs. grade II) and COMP (p = 0.011: within groups, 0.019: control vs grade I) were observed in PanNET Grade I & II than in controls. Subsequently, ELISA on 38 samples revealed significant downregulation of C1QA and COMP with increasing disease severity. This study shows the potential of C1QA and COMP in the early detection of PanNET, highlighting their role in the search for early-stage (Grade-I and Grade-II) diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for PanNET.

Concurrent Design studies have become of great importance in the space industry reducing the time and costs associated to the feasibility assessments for future space missions. This has also helped companies and space agencies to be at the forefront of this fast-developing sector. These collaborative sessions are carried out by an interdisciplinary group of engineers, experts and customers who are capable of achieving an optimal design solution within a short period of time, typically a few weeks. They make use of dedicated tools, like COMET^® which is developed by RHEA Group, to store and share the data within the team, as well as with other partners or stakeholders.

As new software tools are developed for Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) applications, parallel improvements are needed for Concurrent Engineering teams, since this can be one of the first steps for a model-based approach. One of the main constraints during Concurrent Design studies is the limited number of analysed options, since evaluating the entire design space would require longer sessions and increased time availability from the experts, and would consequently result in more expensive projects.

One solution for this problem can be the application of generative engineering technologies to Concurrent Design studies. This method would allow to explore the entire design space by first defining the study model together with the system constraints, and then using a software to automatically generate all the possible architecture variants for that specific model. An example of state-of-the-art technologies for generative design is Simcenter™ Studio, a recently released tool from Siemens Digital Industries Software.

The complexity of space missions requires a very detailed definition and evaluation of the system architecture, even at the early stages of the design process. Therefore, research is needed on the use and implementation of new methodologies that will tackle the challenges related to Concurrent Design. The context of the research presented in this thesis is the new project proposed by RHEA Group, Siemens and OHB, called Generative Concurrent Design (GCD). It aims to combine their software tools COMET^® and Simcenter Studio, bringing generative engineering to Concurrent Design. One of the main advantages is achieving more optimised solutions in shorter times, reducing the number of necessary iterations on the system architecture during the entire project lifecycle. An enhanced feature of this tool is the possibility for the users to explore the solutions trade space with the support of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based system.

This thesis presents and demonstrates the application of the GCD methodology to a use case at system level, focused on the evaluation of configuration and assembly options in the design of a spacecraft. Using the mission EnVision, selected in 2021 by ESA’s Science Programme Committee, as the design baseline, the GCD methodology has been implemented in this use case study making use of both software tools and showing potential future features and applications.

Bakgrund: En enterostomi är en kirurgisk skapad öppning i bukväggen som används för att omleda tarmens innehåll. Enterostomioperation kan bli aktuell vid sjukdom eller skada och kan vara temporär eller permanent. Att få en enterostomi kan upplevas omvälvande och ställa stora krav på personen som genomgår denna förändring. Syfte: Att beskriva personers upplevelse, före och efter, enterostomioperation. Metod: Litteratursökning genomfördes i databaserna Cinahl och Pubmed där 15 artiklar analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat: Båda analyserna resulterade i fem kategorier vardera som beskrev personers upplevelse av tiden innan respektive efter enterostomioperationen. Kategorierna som framkom innan operationen var: att känna begränsningar och smärta relaterade till sjukdomen före operation, att känna hopplöshet, oro och förtvivlan inför livet med stomi, att tvingas acceptera att operation behövde ske, att ta stöd från sjukvårdspersonal, anhöriga och andra med stomi samt att hitta hopp och strategier. Kategorier som framkom om tiden efter operationen var: att får ett förändrat vardagsliv och att känna oro införframtiden, att uppleva övergivenhet, lidande och förtvivlan, att isolera sig och förlora sociala kontakter, att stöd och information upplevdes som tryggt och viktigt, att hitta strategier och tvingas till acceptans. Slutsats: Litteraturstudien visar att pre- och postoperativt stöd i form av praktisk och teoretisk information behöver utvecklas. För att främja anpassning och acceptans av enterostomin och underlätta en återgång till tidigare nivåer av livskvalitet och självständighet är det av yttersta vikt att erbjuda personligt anpassat stöd för både patienter och deras närstående.

This paper addresses the crucial need for engineering students to acquire both soft and hard skills for a successful career. While technical skills are essential, soft skills like communication, collaboration, problem-solving, leadership, and adaptability are equally vital. Traditional engineering education programs often neglect soft skill development, leaving students without structured guidance. This paper presents a strategic curriculum approach within an Industrial Design Engineering program that emphasises progressive skill development. It includes a competence profile and continuous self-assessment to encourage student reflection and growth. Additionally, a transformative process is introduced in a third-year capstone project, helping students identify and actively improve personal and interpersonal skills. The results underscore the importance of systematic soft skill development through reflective practice and assessment, offering valuable insights for engineering education.

Climate change impacts can escalate the deteriorating rate of infrastructures and impact the infrastructure’s functionality, safety, operation and maintenance (O&M). This research explores climate change’s influence on urban railway infrastructure. Given the geographical diversity of Sweden, the railway network is divided into different climate zones utilizing the K-means algorithm. Reliability analysis using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model is proposed to integrate meteorological parameters and operational factors to predict the degree of impacts of different climatic parameters on railway infrastructure assets. The proposed methodology is validated by selecting a number of switches and crossings (S&Cs), which are critical components in railways for changing the route, located in different urban railway stations across various climate zones in Sweden. The study explores various databases and proposes a climatic feature to identify climate-related risks of S&C assets. Furthermore, different meteorological covariates are analyzed to understand better the dependency between asset health and meteorological parameters. Infrastructure asset managers can tailor suitable climate adaptation measures based on geographical location, asset age, and other life cycle parameters by identifying vulnerable assets and determining significant covariates. Sensitivity analysis of significant covariates at one of the urban railway stations shows precipitation increment reveal considerable variation in the asset reliability.

wolf explores the timbral similarities between bass clarinet and very low sub tones. The timbral variation is explored via notated choreography, where the movement of the clarinet changes the frequency of the modular, which sends two low oscillator tones into a pair of subwoofer speakers. The clarinet part sounds in and around the modular, which is controlled by the movement of the clarinet. This is facilitated by the Music in Motion system designed by Robert Ek. It features a 9DOF sensor equipped with onboard sensor fusion. Using a combination of different sensor data, such as accelerometer and gyroscope information combined with pitch readings, The Music in Motion sensor works in conjunction with software created by Ek. Further, a control voltage signal is sent from the iPad to control the envelope of the modularsound. All these elements – clarinet sound, movement and envelope are described on the animated score, which uses a combination of lines and shapes to notate these elements, rather than pitches.

Geopolymer materials have garnered considerable interest as one of the most promising eco-friendly inorganic options over the last decade, thanks to their remarkable properties, including mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability, cost-effectiveness, and sustainable synthesis process, enabling their use in numerous high-value applications. Meanwhile, the ever-increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is an urgent concern for the environment and human health, forcing the development of effective CO2 capture, storage, and transformation strategies. Various potential solutions for reducing carbon emissions have emerged with the advancement of novel materials and technologies for CO2 capture from exhaust streams and air. Concurrently, significant studies have been conducted on utilizing geopolymers as a sustainable material for CO2 capture. This review provides a comprehensive overview of geopolymers’ recent advances and obstacles for CO2 management. We focus on state-of-the-art geopolymer foams and their composites, highlighting their potential for capturing CO2. In addition, we review the use of geopolymers as catalysts or precursors for converting CO2 into value-added chemicals and their potential for geological CO2 sequestration. Moreover, we analyze the current limitations and opportunities for further development of geopolymers in CO2 management. The review provides a perspective on the role of geopolymers in mitigating CO2 effects on the environment and advancing a sustainable future.

Environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) can provide unique insights into nanocarbon oxidation processes through atomic resolution and real time imaging of materials at high temperatures in reactive atmospheres. However, the electron beam can also influence the reaction rates, and even alter the processes entirely, complicating the interpretation of the in situ observations. Many mechanisms have been proposed to account for the impact of the electron beam, predominantly involving ionization of the oxidative gases to form more reactive species. However, these mechanisms have not been critically evaluated and compared to predictions from theory. Here, we evaluate the impact of the electron beam both qualitatively (oxidation mode and spatial extent) and quantitatively (oxidation rates), using high resolution imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy, at different electron energies and dose rates. We demonstrate that transient defects generated by elastic scattering, forming highly active sites for carbon abstraction by oxygen, is the main mechanism for the enhanced oxidation rates observed in situ. This is evident from an insensitivity to electron energy and saturation of the effects at high electron dose rates. To avoid undue influence of the electron beam in future ETEM studies, we therefore recommend conditions where the intrinsic oxidation dominates over the beam-enhanced oxidation (note that no conditions are completely “safe”) and extensive comparisons with other methods.

In two structural priming experiments, we investigated the representations of lexically-specific syntactic restrictions of English verbs for highly proficient and immersed second language (L2) speakers of English. We considered the interplay of two possible mechanisms: generalization from the first language (L1) and statistical learning within the L2 (both of abstract structure and of lexically-specific information). In both experiments, L2 speakers with either Germanic or Romance languages as L1 were primed to produce dispreferred double-object structures involving non-alternating dative verbs. Priming occurred from ungrammatical double-object primes involving different non-alternating verbs (Experiment 1) and from grammatical primes involving alternating verbs (Experiment 2), supporting abstract statistical learning within the L2. However, we found no differences between L1-Germanic speakers (who have the double-object structure in their L1) and L1-Romance speakers (who do not), inconsistent with the prediction for between-group differences of the L1-generalization account. Additionally, L2 speakers in Experiment 2 showed a lexical boost: There was stronger priming after (dispreferred) non-alternating same-verb double-object primes than after (grammatical) alternating different-verb primes. Such lexically-driven persistence was also shown by L1 English speakers (Ivanova, Pickering, McLean, Costa, & Branigan, 2012) and may underlie statistical learning of lexically-dependent structural regularities. We conclude that lexically-specific syntactic restrictions in highly proficient and immersed L2 speakers are shaped by statistical learning (both abstract and lexically-specific) within the L2, but not by generalization from the L1.

I konserten framförs orgelstämman av dansaren vars rörelser och gester aktiverar Acusticum orgelns orgelpipor och ljudeffekter genom ny interaktiv musikteknologi som utvecklats inom det VR-finansierade forskningsprojektet: Den obestämda platsens musik: telematiskt framförande och komposition som väver samman fysiska och virtuella platser (LTU/ GEMM 2023-25)

Lamento e più tar avstamp i ett textmaterial från tidigt 1600-tal av Ottavio Rinuccini. Texten var i sin tur librettot till den förlorade operan Arianna som tonsattes av Claudio Monteverdi. Det enda återstående musikaliska fragmentet ur denna opera från 1607 är den berömda arian "Lasciatemi morire" – också kallad "Lamento d ́Arianna" – och kring denna aria finns i librettot intressanta texter som Monteverdi en gång tonsatte för kör i den förlorade operan. Det historiska materialet som är utgångspunkt för den nya kompositionen ger möjlighet att vidareutveckla traditionellt utformad polyfoni. Därigenom kan verket utvinna nya tekniker för kontrapunktiska relationer mellan koreografi och musik.

Bakgrund: Den palliativa vården ska tillgodose patientens behov med bland annat symtomlindring, kommunikation och relation i samarbete med övriga i vårdteamet. Stödet till de närstående är centralt. Sjuksköterskan ska ge stöd och bemöta partnerna i deras individuella kontext med skiftande behov, bakgrund, ålder och förförståelse. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva upplevelsen av att vara partner till en patient i palliativ vård. Metod: En kvalitativ, systematisk litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats utfördes. Analysen baserades på tio granskade, kvalitativa artiklar. Resultat: Fyra kategorier framkom: Behov av stöd vilket ibland saknades, Hålla fast vid hoppet utmaningar till trots, Att finnas för sin partner oavsett vad och Slutet närmar sig. Slutsats: Litteraturstudien är ett bidrag till sjuksköterskans arbete att skapa en god, personcentrerad omvårdnad vid livets slutskede, framför allt för den sjuka patientens partner. 

Would your decision-making be different if you used your foreign language? This is a topic that has gained attention in the field of cognitive psychology in recent years. Work today often involves two or more languages and at times requiring processing of information in a language that is not ones native. This raises a question; does use of a foreign language influence reasoning? The study aims to explore how a foreign language affects reasoning in a bi and multilingual population, looking specifically at age of acquisition, which order participants rank their foreign language and if linguistic distance has associations to performance on a reasoning task. The present study examines fifty Swedish bi and multilingual participants with the languages English and Meänkieli. Unequal years of education makes the results of the reasoning task inconclusive. A possible relationship with the order and age of acquisition, and linguistic distance could be found. Overall, results suggest further research is needed to explore the variables in detail. 

‘Building Science Graphics’ guides scientists and science communicatorson how their communication of science knowledge can benefit from thevisual aid of science graphics. This can be an intimidating task to someoneunfamiliar with visual design, but the book demystifies this entire process,giving a simple and straightforward account of a complex topic. 

In the Roman myth of Psyche and Cupid, it is told how the princess Psyche loses her lover after doing the forbidden: lighting the lamp and looking at the deity. In her efforts to find him, she is thwarted by her jealous mother-in-law, the goddess Venus, and is eventually forced across the River Styx, past the three-headed gatekeeper, and down to Persephone, ruler of the underworld. The Underworld is an audio game that travels inwards, downwards, to be swallowed up by the darkness and the unknown. It is a journey through ancient and contemporary fairy tales and myths and touches on the horror of realizing the limitations of existence, the horror of dissolution and the excruciating acceptance of one’s own mortality. The work is composed for an actor, clarinet, electric guitar, pre-recorded voices and electronic music

Introduktion: Hjärtsvikt är en vanlig sjukdom i den vuxna befolkningen. För personer som lever med sjukdomen innebär den en stor livsförändring. Behandlingen kan vara komplicerad vilket kan skapa hinder för hantering av sjukdomen. Sjuksköterskor behöver ta del av personers upplevelser för att kunna tillgodose individuella behov och främja deras hälsa. Syfte: Att beskriva personers upplevelse av att leva med hjärtsvikt. Metod: En litteraturstudie med nio ingående artiklar med kvalitativ design genomfördes. Studiens analysmetod var en kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i fyra slutliga kategorier; Att livet förändras, Att sjukdomen påverkar relationer med andra, Att acceptera sitt tillstånd och Att behöva stöd och strategier för att hantera vardagen. Slutsats: För att stödja personer som lever med hjärtsvikt genom deras förändring krävs att sjuksköterskor har kunskap om utmaningar och hälsofrämjande aspekter som de upplever. Resultatet kan bidra till en ökad förståelse för och kunskap om personers upplevelse av att leva med hjärtsvikt. Vidare belyser resultatet vikten av ett individuellt anpassat stöd från sjuksköterskor och ökar förutsättningarna att bedriva en mer personcentrerad vård för personer som lever med hjärtsvikt. 

Inledning: Röntgensjuksköterskan arbetar i en snabbutvecklande och högteknologisk miljö som ställer krav på kompetensutveckling för att säkerställa evidensbaserad och patientsäker vård. I dagsläget finns det begränsningar i möjligheter för vidareutbildning för röntgensjuksköterskor i Sverige. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att undersöka röntgensjuksköterskors inställning till och erfarenhet av kompetensutveckling. Metod: Kvantitativ enkätstudie med 91 deltagande röntgensjuksköterskor från Sverige. Resultat: I studien så framkommer det att kompetensutveckling är viktigt då det förbättrar patientsäkerheten, höjer vårdkvaliteten och framför allt stärker yrkesrollen. De flesta anser sig ha möjligheter till kompetensutveckling men är missnöjda med utbudet. Många upplever begränsningar till att delta vid kompetensutveckling och de återkommande faktorerna är personalbrist, tidsbrist, arbetsbelastning och brist på ekonomiskt stöd. Det framkommer även att finansiella belöningar kan spela en stor roll i att motivera anställda till att engagera sig i utbildning. Slutsats: Enkätstudien visar att intresset för kompetensutveckling är stort hos deltagarna, men det behöver bli tydligare i kommunikationen mellan ledning och personal vad som finns att tillgå samt vilket ekonomiskt stöd som finns. Radiografi är ständigt under utveckling och röntgensjuksköterskan måste följa med i utvecklingen för att kunna arbeta patientsäkert. 

Bakgrund: Sexuellt våld är ett samhällsproblemen som skapar och upprätthåller ojämställdhet mellan kvinnor och män. Sexuellt våld är ett globalt problem och innebär ofta ett trauma för den drabbade. I Sverige var det år 2022 lika stor risk att utsättas för sexuellt våld som att drabbas av en hjärtinfarkt. Syftet: Att beskriva upplevelsen av mötet med vårdpersonal hos kvinnor som utsatts för sexuellt våld. Metod: Författarna har gjort en litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats genom kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys för att på bästa sätt beskriva upplevelsen. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i 4 kategorier: ”Stöd i mötet stärker kvinnor som utsatts för sexuellt våld”, ”God kommunikation och delaktighet är av största betydelsen”, ”Att känna sig missförstådd och inte bli tagen på allvar” samt ”Bristande kunskap, fördomar och attityder förvärrade situationen” Slutsats: I mötet med vårdpersonalen fanns både positiva och negativa upplevelser. Brister i kommunikationen och vårdpersonalens okunskap resulterade i större trauma och mer lidande för dessa kvinnor. Det var tydligt att upplevelsen av mötet med vårdpersonal var av stor betydelse. Ökad kunskap om kvinnornas upplevelser av mötet kan ge ökad förståelse för denna typ av trauma och främja vårdpersonalens arbete för att kvinnor som utsatts för sexuellt våld ska få en så god och adekvat vård som möjligt.

Bakgrund: Antalet datortomografiundersökningar (DT-undersökningar) har ökat kraftigt i Sverige och den kollektiva stråldosen till befolkningen blir allt högre. DT-undersökningar av buken är en av de undersökningarna som ger högst stråldos till patienten, därför är det viktigt att de endast görs när det krävs för att ställa diagnos. Därmed kan det vara relevant att undersöka huruvida antalet undersökningar också lett till ökat antal patologiska fynd hos patienter. Syfte: Undersöka hur många akuta DT-undersökningar med intravenös kontrast av buken som gjordes vid två sjukhus och hur stor andel av dessa som påvisade patologiska fynd. Metod: För att besvara syftet gjordes en kvantitativ retrospektiv studie där röntgenremisser och röntgensvar från mars 2013, mars 2018 och mars 2023 analyserades. Resultat: Antalet akuta DT-bukundersökningar med intravenös kontrast har ökat vid sjukhusen med i genomsnitt 49,5% mellan 2018–2023. Den mest markanta ökningen sågs i åldrarna 50–80 år. Vid Sjukhus 1 hade andelen fynd ökat från 57,5% i mars 2013 till 72,4% i mars 2023, samtidigt som andelen fynd vid Sjukhus 2 i stället minskat från 54% i mars 2018 till 46,3% i mars 2023. De vanligaste fynden vid de två sjukhusen var ileus/subileus, appendicit och kolecystit/gallsten/vidgade gallvägar. Könsfördelningen visade att något fler kvinnor än män genomgick akut DT buk med iv. kontrast, (Sjukhus 1: 54% kvinnor och Sjukhus 2: 55% kvinnor). Slutsatser: Det har vid båda sjukhusen skett en ökning av antalet undersökningar men utvecklingen av andelen fynd har gått i två olika riktningar. De vanligaste patologiska fynden som görs skulle kunna ställas med hjälp av andra modaliteter med låg eller ingen stråldos, såsom konventionell röntgen eller ultraljud. Ökningen av antalet akut DT-buk med iv. kontrast har medfört en ökad arbetsbelastning för röntgensjuksköterskor.

High walls of open stopes in underground stoping mines can be considered to behave in a similar manner to open pit slopes if stability is largely controlled by geological structures. With this assumption the kinematic method of analyses can be used to assess the stability of the footwall, hangingwall, the roof and floor of an open stope. This paper demonstrates the application of kinematic analyses tools such as Rocscience’s DIPS® and UNWEDGE® to assess the stability of underground stopes in a narrow vein mine. A back analysis was conducted, using both kinematic methods and the empirical stability graph method, after field investigation of stope failures and review of stope closure reports. The stability graph method showed that the designed stopes were stable with support. However, majority of the stopes audited have apparently failed or were in state of failure, i.e., unstable. Kinematic analyses showed that these stopes were certainly at risk of failure which confirmed the observations. The stability chart used by the mine was eventually adjusted based on the kinematic analyses and observations made, resulting in the stability graph having only three regions: stable, unstable and fail.

This article proposes an online solution to address the problem of closed-loop system identification using multiple recursive least squares estimation protocols. Some control systems cannot be analysed in an open-loop form for stability reasons or the requirement for online control system operation. So, it is necessary to identify plant dynamics and controller parameters based on input–output data from the feedback structure. The presented method identifies real-time parameters of plant dynamics and controller parameters by utilising a series of recursive least square estimation algorithms that estimate open-loop data from noisy input–output data measured from the closed-loop feedback structure. The proposed method can effectively identify abrupt variations in both the controller parameters and plant dynamics. This capability makes it valuable for deployment as a supervisory component, enabling the detection of any faults that may arise in operating systems. Mathematical formulations and theorems are developed, and two numerical case studies are presented to examine the feasibility and performance of the presented closed-loop system identification protocol.

Online active learning is a paradigm in machine learning that aims to select the most informative data points to label from a data stream. The problem of minimizing the cost associated with collecting labeled observations has gained a lot of attention in recent years, particularly in real-world applications where data is only available in an unlabeled form. Annotating each observation can be time-consuming and costly, making it difficult to obtain large amounts of labeled data. To overcome this issue, many active learning strategies have been proposed in the last decades, aiming to select the most informative observations for labeling in order to improve the performance of machine learning models. These approaches can be broadly divided into two categories: static pool-based and stream-based active learning. Pool-based active learning involves selecting a subset of observations from a closed pool of unlabeled data, and it has been the focus of many surveys and literature reviews. However, the growing availability of data streams has led to an increase in the number of approaches that focus on online active learning, which involves continuously selecting and labeling observations as they arrive in a stream. This work aims to provide an overview of the most recently proposed approaches for selecting the most informative observations from data streams in real time. We review the various techniques that have been proposed and discuss their strengths and limitations, as well as the challenges and opportunities that exist in this area of research.

In astronomy, interferometry by ground-based telescopes offers the greatest angular resolution. However, the Earth´s atmosphere distorts the incident wavefront from a celestial object, leading to blurring and signal loss. It also restricts the transmission of specific wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum. Space-based interferometers would mitigate atmospheric obstruction and potentially enable even higher angular resolutions. The main challenge of implementing space-based interferometry is the necessity of matching the light´s optical path differences at the telescopes within the coherence length of the light utilizing physical delay lines. This thesis explores the potential realization of digital delay lines via heterodyne interferometry. The technique generates a heterodyne beat note at the frequency difference between the incident stellar light and a reference laser in the radio regime, permitting digitization of the delay line while preserving the phase information for image reconstruction. The primary objective of the thesis is to advance the field of astronomy by constructing a testbed environment for investigating future space-based heterodyne interferometry in the NIR light range. It requires the achievement of two main tasks. Firstly, a laboratory starlight simulator is developed to simulate a distant star´s wavefront appearance as it reaches telescopes on or around Earth. The consequent starlight simulator contains an optical assembly that manifests a point source in NIR light, aligned with a mirror collimator’s focal point, transforming the wavefront from spherical to planar. Secondly, a fiber optical circuit with interference capability is constructed, consisting of a free-space optical delay line and a polarization-controlled custom-sized fiber. The delay line matches the optical paths within the light's coherence length, while the polarization controller optimizes interference visibility. The completion of the tasks establishes the foundation to investigate space-based heterodyne interferometry in the NIR light with the potential implementation of delay line digitization.

The effect of chemical cleaning and regular backwashing on the efficiency of an ultrafiltration membrane fouled during stormwater treatment was studied. Increasing backwash time from 30 to 60 s resulted in an increase in productivity by 20%. However, the productivity was highest when a backwash time of 45 s was used (3% higher than using 60 s). Chemical cleaning was carried out using an alkaline solution (NaOH with or without NaOCl) followed by acid washing with HCl. The addition of NaOCl to the cleaning chemical did not significantly increase the efficiency of chemical cleaning, and the average pure water permeability increase was 97 ± 13 LMH bar−1 after chemical cleaning with NaOH followed by HCl and 117 ± 15 LMH bar−1 after chemical cleaning with NaOH + NaOCl followed by HCl, on average. In addition, reversibility after chemical cleaning was 96 ± 67%, on average. The result from scanning electron microscopy showed that at the end of the experiments, inorganic foulants existed in both the inner layer (feed side) and the outer layer (permeate side) of the membrane.

This study addresses the challenge of decarbonizing India's transportation and power sectors, which jointly contribute to around 35% of the nation's emissions. The research introduces a transport model designed to project the growth of EVs within the 2-wheeler (2W) and 4-wheeler passenger (4W) segments, considering different policy scenarios. These scenarios are assessed for their impact on technology adoption, fossil fuel demand, power requirements, and CO2 emissions. Additionally, the study presents a demand model to forecast national electricity demand. The power model is also developed and linked with the transport and demand models to evaluate different fuel mix options for meeting the projected national power demand through 2050. The findings reveal that ambitious policy scenarios can drive EVs to constitute roughly 45% of all 2W and 4W vehicles on Indian roads by 2050, substantially increasing electricity demand to an estimated 295 TWh with a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions within the transport sector. Significantly, the soft linkage between these models underscores the potential for India to meet up to 90% of its national electricity demand through renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydropower. The research underscores the feasibility of transitioning towards a low-carbon energy system through renewable energy and EV integration. 

Purpose

The aim was to illuminate the experiences of stroke survivors returning to everyday life in the year following stroke, in the context of client-centred rehabilitation.

Methods

Four men who participated in a client-centred rehabilitation program were followed during the first year after stroke. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, allbut the first in the participants’ home. The data were analysed using a grounded theory approach.

Results

The results revealed a process with the overarching core category; The “new” self becomes reality through challenging everyday experiences, and five main categories driving the process: 1) Striving for structure in a “new” chaotic world, 2) Homecoming an ambiguous experience, 3) Reaching the “new” self through reflections of self-understanding, 4) Socialising in new circumstances, and 5) Realising a new reality.

Conclusions

While in hospital, stroke survivors can have unrealistic expectations. When at home they can begin to realise their actual capacity . To find a “new” self after a stroke can involve time-consuming and taxing processes of reflections of self-understanding. Engagement in self-selected meaningful and valued activities can support stroke survivors’ reconstruction of the “new” self but not all stroke survivors may succeed in finding their “new” self during the first year after stroke.

Having an in-depth knowledge on the performance characteristics of space mechanisms in flight operation, with special attention to nominal vs. anomalous performance, is vital for mission success. On many unmanned spacecraft for Earth observation missions, reaction wheel assemblies are used in combination with magnetic torquers for their attitude control. Understanding the magnitude of potential electromagnetic interactions between both types of attitude control actuators is of particular interest for large spacecraft as they are usually equipped with strong magnetic torquers. In this frame, experimental investigations have been performed on simplified test set-ups with flight representative reaction wheel assemblies operated in external homogeneous magnetic fields as well as in close vicinity of magnetic torquers which create inhomogeneous magnetic fields. The test results have been successfully correlated with computer-based simulation output obtained from models with different levels of complexity. The impact of critical parameters like the location of magnetic torquers relative to reaction wheels and their material properties such as electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability have been particularly studied. It has been found that magnetic torquers pointing orthogonal to the reaction wheel spin axis cause the highest influence on the reaction wheel's performance characteristics. The material choice for the flywheel rotor, being either ferromagnetic or paramagnetic, has a strong influence when exposing the reaction wheel assembly to external magnetic fields. In general, the increase of loss torque noticed with all reaction wheels tested has been caused by eddy current effects. In this frame, the impact of using ferromagnetic materials has been surprisingly strong. Specifically, the local distortions and guidance of the magnetic field due to ferromagnetism has a highly amplifying effect on eddy currents. However, interestingly it has also been found that the impact of material choice is much more severe when considering homogeneous magnetic fields and strong magnetic torquers while being less important with relatively small magnetic torquers. The main reasons for this finding have been compensating effects of ferromagnetic vs. highly conductive materials.

The electrochemical and charge storage performance of a fluorine-free structurally flexible hybrid pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid electrolyte (HILE) in a symmetric graphite-based supercapacitor is thoroughly investigated. The HILE revealed thermal decomposition at above 230°C, a glass transition (Tg) temperature of below −70°C, and ionic conductivity of 0.16 mS cm−1 at 30°C. The chemical and electrochemical properties are investigated using a systematic variable temperature 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy and diffusometry, cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD). The supercapacitor demonstrated a notable specific capacitance of 186 F g−1 at a scan rate of 1 mV s−1 and a specific capacitance of 122 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. The maximum energy density of 48.8 Wh kg−1, a power density of 450 W kg−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1, and a potential window of 4 V were obtained. Altogether, this study demonstrates that the new HILE can be used in symmetric graphite-based supercapacitors over a wide potential window of 4 V and a temperature range from −20°C to 90°C. 

Debates persist regarding the impact of Stain Normalization (SN) on recent breast cancer histopathological studies. While some studies propose no influence on classification outcomes, others argue for improvement. This study aims to assess the efficacy of SN in breast cancer histopathological classification, specifically focusing on Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) grading using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The null hypothesis asserts that SN has no effect on the accuracy of CNN-based IDC grading, while the alternative hypothesis suggests the contrary. We evaluated six SN techniques, with five templates selected as target images for the conventional SN techniques. We also utilized seven ImageNet pre-trained CNNs for IDC grading. The performance of models trained with and without SN was compared to discern the influence of SN on classification outcomes. The analysis unveiled a p-value of 0.11, indicating no statistically significant difference in Balanced Accuracy Scores between models trained with StainGAN-normalized images, achieving a score of 0.9196 (the best-performing SN technique), and models trained with non-normalized images, which scored 0.9308. As a result, we did not reject the null hypothesis, indicating that we found no evidence to support a significant discrepancy in effectiveness between stain-normalized and non-normalized datasets for IDC grading tasks. This study demonstrates that SN has a limited impact on IDC grading, challenging the assumption of performance enhancement through SN.

A growing number of smart items are entering our daily lives as the Internet of Things becomes increasingly prevalent. ICT device miniaturization introduces a brand-new material type called Communicating Material (CM). The term “communications material” refers to a single system that includes a material equipped with communication devices. In this paper, the main limitation of CM was studied - the issue of energy consumption. Due to the limited battery capacity of sensor nodes, the issue of network lifetime comes to the fore, emphasizing the importance of power management and optimization for each sensor node. The first and most important step in tackling this problem is to precisely estimate and calculate each node's power usage. In addition, the WSN's embeddedness in the material makes it challenging to replace batteries and measure network power consumption, necessitating the development of a different approach to power consumption estimation. Thus, our work explores all the different approaches to energy estimation in WSN and tries to choose the best method that fits our WSN platform. 

A considerable amount of ultrafine magnetite as the iron source will end up in the tailing dams since the magnetic separation process markedly drops as the particle size. Cationic reverse flotation could be one of the main alternatives for recovering ultrafine magnetite. As a systematic approach, this study explored the flotation efficiency and interaction mechanisms of two biodegradable ether amines (diamine and monoamine) to separate ultrafine quartz from magnetite (− 20 µm). Several assessments (single and mixed mineral flotation, zeta potential, contact angle, surface tension measurement, turbidity, and Fourier transform infrared) were conducted to explore the efficiency of the process and the interaction mechanisms. Results indicated that ether diamine and monoamine could highly float ultrafine quartz particles (95.9 and 97.7%, respectively) and efficiently separate them from ultrafine magnetite particles. Turbidity assessments highlighted that these cationic collectors could aggregate magnetite particles (potentially hydrophobic coagulation) and enhance their depression. Surface analyses revealed that the collector mainly adsorbed on the quartz particles, while it was essentially a weak interaction on magnetite.

Bakgrund: Alzheimers sjukdom är en obotlig progressiv sjukdom som drabbar hjärnan. Sjukdomen karaktäriseras av kognitiva nedsättningar som minnessvikt och kommunikationshinder. Alzheimers sjukdom med tidig debut är vanligare hos kvinnor och demenssjukdomar ökar i samhället. Syfte: Att beskriva kvinnors upplevelse av att leva med Alzheimers sjukdom med tidig debut. Metod: Tre biografier valdes ut och analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys med manifest ansats. Analysen resulterade i fem kategorier. Resultat: Att få diagnos tidigt i livet var svårt att acceptera, att förlora förmågor som tidigare tagits för givna, att känna hopp så länge det går, att känna skam och oro att bli en börda och att döden och sorgen blev närvarande. Slutsats: Kvinnor som drabbas av Alzheimer med tidig debut upplever förnekelse, förlust av förmågor, hopp, skam över diagnosen och sorg. Ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt är av största vikt för ett psykiskt och fysiskt välbefinnande för personer med Alzheimers sjukdom.

In recent years, there has been a serious request for innovative, accurate approaches to be determined and controlled for dam failures. The present study aims to explore and evaluate the flood wave parameters that result from a dam break due to piping failure occurring in the body of the dam and routing the flood waves. Mosul Dam, which lies in the north of Iraq, and a reach of the Tigris River downstream the dam to Samarra Barrage at about 470 km are selected as a case study. A two-dimensional Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (2D HEC-RAS) and the Geographic Information System (GIS) have been supposed to be suitable for development calculations of the flood wave parameters based on the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and land cover satellite images that enhance the calculations. The reservoir and two-dimensional flow area are delineated and incorporated with DEM. Manning`s coefficient for the whole area has been extracted according to the Land Cover satellite image, which showed that its value ranges between 0.025 to 0.037 with a correlation coefficient R2 equal to 0.845 and 0.801 for the calibration and validation processes, respectively. The results of the scenario display a substantial performance of the maps produced from the model that represented the depth, velocity, and water surface elevation. All the maximum values of dam break parameters lie near the dam body and slightly decrease downstream. It is pre-eminent that the 2D HEC-RAS model is appropriate for analyzing and simulating the occurrence of dam breaches by visualizing the distribution of flood wave depth and velocities in two dimensions. Hence, the clear improvement in producing maps, which monitor the spread of hydrodynamic waves, gives an indication of risk areas that are threatened by inundation and aids in the formulation of emergency plans.

Most modern heavy vehicles use pneumatic suspension systems to adjust the height and stiffness of thesuspension by inflating or deflating air bellows with compressed air. The pneumatic suspension system hasbeen advantageous to use, even though the required components are bulky, because of the versatility thatthe pneumatic systems provide. The compressed air is commonly used for a variety of functions such ascontrolling brakes, doors and even gearboxes. However, for vehicles with large batteries, these functions arebetter suited for electrical systems. This could eventually leave the bulky pneumatic components exclusivelyfor the suspension, thus the need for a more compact and capable suspension system grows.Gas-hydraulic suspension systems could be a good substitute to pneumatic suspension systems since theincompressible hydraulic fluid that is used allows the components to be smaller and the response times inthe system to be shorter. The gas-hydraulic suspension systems also allow for different connection setupsthat could increase the stability of the vehicle.The aim for this thesis was to design a model of a gas-hydraulic suspension system together with a controllerthat allows it to fulfill a set of required functions while maintaining reasonable comfort for the driver andpassengers. The design of the suspension system was based on Wolfgang Bauers book, Hydropneumatic SuspensionSystems. The project was carried out within the MATLAB environment and simulations were donein Simulink. Different road profiles where generated to test how the system behaved in different scenarios.The performance of the system and its inherent limitations were evaluated from plots of the simulations.The resulting model of the system was capable of executing all the demanded requirements. By connectingthe cylinders of each side with connecting valves two different setups could be achieved, a cross-connectedsetup with hydraulic anti roll that allows the system to be very stable, and a regenerative setup where thecylinders are independently controlled to achieve optimal comfort. Simulations of the system proved thatgas-hydraulic suspension systems can provide a comfortable and responsive suspension. The active dampingof the system is however sensitive to delays. When standard response times and speeds are introduced tothe damping valves, a somewhat under damped system is achieved.Because of delivery times longer than usual, no testing of this system could be done. Since this thesis isentirely theoretical, calculations should be validated by testing the components and comparing with thesimulated results.

Från att en kyrka byggdes fram tills i dag har människorna samlats till gudstjänst i Gammelstad. Vid vistelsen i kyrkstugan tog man på sig sina bästa kläder. I Klädmodets variationer berättar historikern Lars Elenius om hur människorna i lulebygden klädde sig till vardags och till fest. Under självhushållningens tid vävde man själv tyget som man sydde kläder av. Ull var det självklara material man hade på gården, men man odlade också hampa. Linet importerade man däremot.

I klädernas formspråk och val av material signalerades också status och makt. Under ståndssamhällets tid var den sociala skiktningen starkt cementerad. Det fanns en föreställning om att adelsmannen, prästen och bonden tillhörde skilda grupper, där de lägre stånden skulle underordna sig de högre. Inget stånd fick överskrida sin plats i den sociala hierarkin genom att förhäva sig. Därför blev sidentyger och andra exklusiva tyger förbjudna att användas offentligt av de lägre stånden under 1600- och 1700-talet. De som överträdde förbudet fick sitta i fängelse ett antal dagar på vatten och bröd eller böta.

Industrialiseringen tillsammans med den billiga bomullen revolutionerade klädseln. Rallarna som byggde järnvägen till Malmfälten och till Luleå hade ingen möjlighet att sy upp kläder. De beställde efter från postorderföretag eller köpte kontant av handlare. Kvinnor i mejerier och på sjukhus började klä sig i vita kläder. Till Luleå stad flyttade företagare, bokhållare, hattmakare, hushållerskor och andra. Det borgerliga modet spred sig till kyrkstugorna i Gammelstad, till bönderna i byarna och arbetarna i städerna. I klädmodets förändring ser vi också samhället förändring.

This thesis describes the development of an autonomous recovery system for stratospheric balloons, focusing on the novel pressurised balloon prototype BALMAN of CNES. Stratospheric balloons, reaching altitudes of up to 40 km, are utilised for scientific experiments, with recovery of payloads being a critical aspect. While traditional recovery methods involve separating the balloon envelope and deploying a parachute, BALMAN's parachute will be deployed in free fall. The proposed autonomous system comprises decision-making and electronics components.

The decision-making segment employs microcontrollers and environmental sensors to recognise the balloon's descent, triggering the release decision. The electronics section, responsible for providing energy to a pyro cutter, is designed with electrical switches and capacitors. Thermal simulations guide the placement of heaters, maintaining system temperature within operational limits. The final prototype, tested for functionality on-ground, exhibits a measured energy release of 24 mJ, double the requirement for pyro cutter activation. However, environmental and flight testing remain pending.

The system's potential applications extend beyond BALMAN, offering a standardised autonomous recovery solution for various balloons. This innovation promises enhanced landing accuracy, obviates the need for telecommunication in recovery, and facilitates payload descent deceleration. Future endeavors involve comprehensive testing and potential integration into BALMAN missions, showcasing the system's adaptability and operational simplicity across diverse stratospheric endeavors.

Rapid industrialization, urbanization, global warming, and climate change are compromising surface water quality across the globe. Consequently, water conservation is essential for both environmental sustainability and human survival. This study assesses the water quality of the Jamuna River in Bangladesh at five distinct sites during wet and dry seasons. It employs six global water quality indices (WQIs) and contrasts the results with Bangladesh's Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) and the Department of Environment (DoE) criteria. The WQI models used are the Weighted Arithmetic WQI (WAWQI), British Columbia WQI (BCWQI), Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment WQI (CWQI), Assigned WQI (AWQI), Malaysian WQI (MWQI), and Oregon WQI (OWQI). Fifteen physicochemical parameters were analyzed according to each WQI model's guidelines. The findings reveal that most parameters surpass the standard permissible values. The WQI model results indicate that the average water quality across the five sites falls into the lowest category. A comparison of the WQI models suggests potential correlations between WAWQI and AWQI, as well as between MWQI and OWQI. The straightforward presentation of the WQI models indicates that while the river water requires treatment for household and drinking use, it remains suitable for irrigation. The decline in water quality is likely attributable to human activities, urbanization, municipal waste disposal, and industrial effluents. Authorities must prioritize regular monitoring and assessment of water quality to address the identified challenges. Restoring the water to an acceptable standard will become increasingly difficult without proactive measures.