Personalized Decentralized Communication

Search engines, portals and topic-centered web sites are all attempts to create more or less personalized web-services. However, no single service can in general fulfill all needs of a particular user, so users have to search and maintain personal profiles at several locations. We propose an architecture where each person has his own information management environment where all personalization is made locally. Information is exchanged with other’s if it’s of mutual interest that the information is published or received. We assume that users are self-interested, but that there is some overlap in their interests. Our recent work has focused on decentralized dissemination of information, specifically what we call decentralized recommender systems. We are investigating the behavior of such systems and have also done some preliminary work on the users’ information environment

Monazite in metasediments from Stensjöstrand : a pilot study

Monazit är ett Ree– och Th-bärande fosfatmineral som förekommer i vissa magmatiska och metamorfa bergarter. Mineralet är användbart för datering av den metamorfa utvecklingen och kan bidra till att yt-terligare karaktärisera metamorfosen i en bergart, detta genom att man undersöker zoneringar i kristallerna. Mo-nazit har upptäckts i metasediment i Stensjöstrand och tunnslip har gjorts ifrån prover för att undersöka mineralet. Tunnslip 3c och 3b kommer ifrån en migmatitgnejs som har två skilda faser, mesosom och leukosom. Tunnslipen har studerats med polarisationsmikroskopi och två olika typer av monaziter har upptäckts. Den första typen är små och ovala eller runda, ofta med distinkt zonering, och de förekommer i leukosomen. Den andra typen har stora, påtagligt oregelbundet formade kristaller med otydlig zonering och de förekommer i mesosomen. Kemisk samman-sättning och zonering i olika monazitkristaller och resterande mineralsällskap har analyserats med SEM-EDX. Re-sultaten visar en tydlig skillnad i mineralsammansättningen och texturer mellan leukosomen och mesosomen. Mi-neral som förekommer i leukosomen är kvarts, plagioklas, K-fältspat, zirkon och små biotit-, ilmenit- och mo-nazitkristaller. Mineral som förekommer i mesosomen är sillimanit, kvarts, plagioklas, K-fältspat, granat, zirkon och stora biotit- (vissa har symplektit-inneslutningar), ilmenit-, hematit– och monazitkristaller. Back-scatterbilder visar avblandningar i både K-fältspat och ilmenit. Erhållna analysresultat från olika domäner i olika monazitkristal-ler är inkonsekventa och inte fullständigt korrekta och kunde endast användas för att jämföra relativa skillnader i de kemiska sammansättningarna mellan olika kristaller. Den faktiska orsaken till skillnaderna mellan de två olika ty-perna av moanzitkristallerna är inte säker. En hypotes är att orsaken till skillnaden är en skillnad i ålder mellan de två typerna och resorbtion av de de stora monazitkristallerna i mesosomen.Monazite is a Th-bearing REE phosphate mineral which is present in some igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is a useful mineral for determination of the metamorphic history and age of its host rock because clues to past mineral reactions can be seen in trace element zoning. Monazite has been found in metasediments in Sten-sjöstrand and thin sections have been made from rock samples to study the mineral. Thin sections 3c and 3b repre-sent a migmatite gneiss with two different phases, mesosome and leucosome. The thin sections have been observed using polarization microscopy and two different types of monazite were discovered. The first type appears as small and oval or round crystals, often with distinct compositional domains and is found the leucosome. The second type appears as large, markedly irregular shaped crystals with indistinct compositional domains and is found the meso-some. The chemical compositions as well as the compositional domains of different monazite crystals and the main mineral assemblage have been analyzed using SEM-EDX. The results show a clear difference in mineral composit-ion and texture between the leucosome and the mesosome. Minerals found in the leucosome are quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, zircon and small biotite, ilmenite and monazite crystals. Minerals found in the mesosome are sillima-nite, quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, garnet, zircon, and large biotite (some of them containing symplectites), ilme-nite, hematite and monazite crystals. BSE-images reveal exsolution textures in K-feldspar and ilmenite. Analytical results from different compositional domains of different monazite crystals were inconsistent and not completely accurate and could only be used to compare relative differences in chemical composition between crystals. The acual reason for the difference between the two types of monazite crystals is not certain. It is hypothesized that the difference is due to a difference in age between the two types and resorption of the large monazite crystals in the mesosome

Metamorphic record of monazite in aluminous migmatitic gneisses at Stensjöstrand, Sveconorwegian orogen

Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has been utilised to investigate the age and chemical composition of two texturally different types of monazite in leucosome and mesosome of polymetamorphic aluminous migmatitic gneisses at Stensjöstrand, Halland. Results of radiometric dating are compared with previously published zircon dates. Monazite grains were documented and investigated in three thin sections using polarization microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). Backscatter Electron (BSE) images show that monazite grains in the mesosome have anhedral morphology, embayments, and complex internal zonation. Monazite grains in the leucosome are relatively small, euhedral to subhedral or ovoid, and have relatively distinct internal zoning. Anhedral and ovoid morphologies, embayments, and complex zoning indicate recrystallisation and resorption processes having affected monazite grains during metamorphism. Documented monazite grains were analysed for trace elements Y, Lu, Th, and U, rare earth elements (REE), and radiometrically dated. Results reveal two age groups, c. 1.43 Ga and c. 0.99 Ga, that relate to the Hallandian and Sveconorwegian orogenies, respectively. Both monazite generations occur in leucosome and mesosome, either as single- or double-generation grains. Weighted average calculations of concordant 207Pb/206Pb isotopic dates yield 1434 ± 14 Ma and 988 ± 11 Ma, which can be compared to previously published zircon dates of 1386 ± 7 Ma and 970 ± 5 Ma (Piñán-Llamas et al. 2015). The analytical results may have been affected by data drift owing to downhole fractionation, most distinctly observed in results from Thompson Mine Monazite (TMM) standard as steadily increasing dates throughout the day of analysis. Trends in trace element analyses show relative U enrichment and depletion of Y, Lu, and Th in the 0.99 Ga monazite generation compared to the 1.43 Ga generation, indicating that the bulk of REE content in the rock may have been locked into the Hallandian generation preventing incorporation into the Sveconorwegian generation. In conclusion, obtained U-Pb monazite dates correlate broadly with U-Pb zircon dates, but are c. 50 Ma and c. 18 Ma older, for the Hallandian and Sveconorwegian generations, respectively.Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) har använts för att undersöka ålder och kemisk komposition av två texturellt skilda typer av monazit i leucosom och mesosom i polymetamorf aluminös migmatitgnejs vid Stensjöstrand, Halland. Dateringsresultat jämförs med tidigare publicerade zirkondateringar. Monazitkorn dokumenterades och undersöktes i tre tunnslip med hjälp av polarisationsmik-roskopi och Scanning Electron Mikroskopy kopplat med Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). Backscatter Electron (BSE) bilder visar att monasitkorn i mesosomen har anhedral morfologi med inskärningar och komplex intern zonering. Monazitkorn i leucosomen är relativt små, euhedrala till subhedrala eller äggformiga och har relativt distinkt intern zonering. Anhedrala och äggformiga morfologier, inskärningar samt komplex zonering indikerar att monazitkornen har utsatts för omkristallations- och resorptionsprocesser vid metamorfism. Dokumenterade monazitkorn analyserades för spårelementen Y, Lu, Th och U, sällsynta jordartsmetaller (REE) samt utfördes ratdiometrisk datering. Dateringar visar två åldersgrupper, ca 1.43 Ga och ca 0.99 Ga, som relaterar till den Hallandiska respektive den Sveconorvegiska orogenesen. Båda generationer av monazit förekommer i leucosom samt mesosom, antingen som enstaka eller dubbelgenerations korn. Viktade medelvärdesberäkningar från konkordant 207Pb/206Pb isotopiska datum gav 1434 ± 14 Ma och 988 ± 11 Ma som kan jämföras med tidigare publicerade zirkondata, 1386 ± 7 Ma och 970 ± 5 Ma (Piñán-Llamas et al. 2015). De analytiska resultaten kan ha påverkats av datadrift på grund av s.k. downhole fractionation. Detta syns tydligast i resultat från standarden Thompson Mine Monazite (TMM) i form av stadigt ökande dateringar under dagen som analyserna genomfördes. Trender i spårelementanalyser visar relativ U anriktning samt utarmning av Y, Lu och Th i 0.99 Ga monazitgenerationen jämfört med 1.43 Ga generationen. Detta indikerar att bulkmängden av REE i bergarten kan ha blivit låst i den Hallandiska generationen vilket till följd har förhindrat inkorporering i den Svekonorvegiska generationen. Sammanfattningsvis korrelerar erhållna U-Pb monazitdateringar brett med U-Pb zirkondateringar, men är ca 50 Ma och ca 18 Ma äldre för Hallandiska respektive Svekonorvegiska generationer

Aid, Development and Power: Perceptions and Relations in the Gulu Development Community

International development aid is big business. A flow of funds reaches the Global South each year, creating aid clusters with concentrated implementing development organizations. This study looks closer at development in practice in one of these aid hubs, studying the relations between the development community of Gulu, Northern Uganda, and its clients. In focus are power relations between the organizations and their clients, as well as among the actors in the community. The aim of the study is to look closer at the development community in Gulu to understand how its self-perception and perception of its clients shape the development assistance given. This is driven by a desire to understand the implementation of development policies, thus studying the practice of development field-work. The research question for the study is How do representatives from the Gulu development community perceive their own work and the relation to their clients?, which in turn has been divided into three smaller questions in order to ease the practical study. The study presents a theoretical framework grounded in ideas of development and poverty, and points to how processes of ‗Othering‘ creates and maintain the notions of poor and other marginalized groups. The methodology used is qualitative, with 20 semi-structured interviews and participant observations conducted during two months of field-work in Gulu, and the analysis is done through a discourse analysis. The study finds that the impact of development has led to an inflated local economy, hurting those with the least the most. In the wake of economic globalization and development there is a change of local culture as well, leading to clashes between tradition and modernity. The many interventions have led to a wide-spread dependency of the services introduced, coupled with high expectations of what development can and should provide. The development community itself is very concentrated both geographically and in terms of types of interventions, leading to a need of coordination and both to cooperation and competition over limited resources. This competition leads to a need for visibility, especially for smaller organizations, while many organizations tap into current or even obsolete symbolism in order to attract funding. There are high expectations of aid in the development community, but a frustration over the perceived little impact. This fuels assumptions of inefficiency and corruption of other actors, but one‘s own role is seldom evaluated. The study also finds that development interventions often restrain the agency of clients, as decisions are based on presumptions rather than a dialogue with clients. As development practitioners act as self-proclaimed representatives of the non-privileged, the clients are subject to others‘ decisions and have to accept what is given. This causes a dilemma when it comes to weighting different opinions against each other, leading to sometimes contradicting interventions competing for the same clients

Enhancing Web-Based Configuration with Recommendations and Cluster-Based Help

In a collaborative project with Tacton AB, we have investigated new ways of assisting the user in the process of on-line product configuration. A web-based prototype, RIND, was built for ephemeral users in the domain of PC configuration

Frequency Analysis of Atrial Fibrillation From the Surface Electrocardiogram

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. Neither the natural history of AF nor its response to therapy are sufficiently predictable by clinical and echocardiographic parameters. Atrial fibrillatory frequency (or rate) can reliably be assessed from the surface electrocardiogram (ECG) using digital signal processing (filtering, subtraction of averaged QRST complexes, and power spectral analysis) and shows large inter-individual variability. This measurement correlates well with intraatrial cycle length, a parameter which appears to have primary importance in AF domestication and response to therapy. AF with a low fibrillatory rate is more likely to terminate spontaneously, and responds better to antiarrhythmic drugs or cardioversion while high rate AF is more often persistent and refractory to therapy. In conclusion, frequency analysis of AF seems to be useful for non-invasive assessment of electrical remodeling in AF and may subsequently be helpful for guiding AF therapy

Cross-Platform Video Management Solutions

With a multitude of platform and operating system combinations available to- day, ranging from laptops and workstations to tablets and smartphones, users want to use their favorite applications regardless of device. Cross-platform development has thus become more important in recent years. When devel- oping a new application the developers must decide what platforms to support and what strategy to use to reach out to them. By developing both native and cross-platform prototypes we try to find advantages and disadvantages of using a cross-platform strategy for video management applications. We show that it indeed is possible to develop cross-platform video management applications for both Windows and OS X and find both advantages and disadvantages of this strategy. The result of this thesis state that the choice of cross-platform or not depends much on the situation and the preferences of the developers

Enhanced electrochromic switching contrast in the blue by 3,4-propylenedioxypyrrole - Implementation on structural colors

Recent advances in nanofabrication technologies have enabled new ways to produce structural colors. By combining nanofabrication methods, it is possible to integrate electrochromic materials with the nanostructures, which enable electrical tuning of the colors and thus new types of reflective displays. Previous work has shown high quality colors and high switching contrast in general. However, so far the intensity modulation has always been more limited in the blue. In this work we prepare blue structural colors and synthesize films of an electrochromic polymer (PProDOP) that is optimized for high contrast in this spectral region. A protocol for electropolymerization of PProDOP on gold surfaces is presented. The polymer films are shown to follow Lambert-Beer behavior and can provide up to 75% contrast (difference in transmittivity). On blue nanostructures, the reflectivity can be modulated with a contrast of 50%, which is a considerable improvement in comparison with previous work. The results presented here should be useful for electrochromic or other electro-optical devices operating in the blue spectral region

Theoretical and Experimental Aspects of Current and Future Research on NbO2 Thin Film Devices

The present research front of NbO2 based memory, energy generation, and storage thin film devices is reviewed. Sputtering plasmas contain NbO, NbO2, and NbO3 clusters, affecting nucleation and growth of NbO2, often leading to a formation of nanorods and nanoslices. NbO2 (I41/a) undergoes the Mott topological transition at 1081 K to rutile (P42/mnm), yielding changes in the electronic structure, which is primarily utilized in memristors. The Seebeck coefficient is a key physical parameter governing the performance of thermoelectric devices, but its temperature behavior is still controversial. Nonetheless, they perform efficiently above 900 K. There is a great potential to improve NbO2 batteries since the theoretical capacity has not been reached, which may be addressed by future diffusion studies. Thermal management of functional materials, comprising thermal stress, thermal fatigue, and thermal shock, is often overlooked even though it can lead to failure. NbO2 exhibits relatively low thermal expansion and high elastic modulus. The future for NbO2 thin film devices looks promising, but there are issues that need to be tackled, such as dependence of properties on strain and grain size, multiple interfaces with point and extended defects, and interaction with various natural and artificial environments, enabling multifunctional applications and durable performance