A 1-acetamido derivative of 6-epi-valienamine: an inhibitor of a diverse group of β-N-acetylglucosaminidases

The synthesis of an analogue of 6-epi-valienamine bearing an acetamido group and its characterisation as an inhibitor of β-N-acetylglucosaminidases are described. The compound is a good inhibitor of both human O-GlcNAcase and human β-hexosaminidase, as well as two bacterial β-N-acetylglucosaminidases. A 3-D structure of the complex of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron BtGH84 with the inhibitor shows the unsaturated ring is surprisingly distorted away from its favoured solution phase conformation and reveals potential for improved inhibitor potency

“Så länge det finns sverigefinnar så ska det finnas ett behov” : En kvalitativ studie av finsk revitalisering initierad av Sverigefinska ungdomsförbundet

Young people are a central group in revitalisation efforts that aim to turn the tide of language shift for speakers of endangered languages. In the context of the five national minorities of Sweden, this thesis looks at the motivation of young Sweden Finns to participate in or lead revitalisation efforts for Finnish in Sweden. The study circles in beginner’s Finnish organised by the Sweden Finnish Youth Organisation provide a point of entry into the way young people plan and adapt revitalisation efforts to the needs of other young people. Along with a study of materials pertaining to the study circles, five young people have been interviewed about their participation in or leadership of the study circles, or their involvement in the Sweden Finnish Youth organisation. Grin’s (1990) COD model has been used to explore the relationship between motivation (Desire) and the Sweden Finnish context. The study found that the study circles have been adapted to the needs and desires of young people on several levels. It also found that identity, a practical and emotional need for the Finnish language, an awareness of the situation for the national minorities in Sweden, and the acceptance of varying goals and non-standard varieties of Finnish, play important roles in young people’s motivation to learn Finnish and participate in or lead revitalisation efforts

“Så länge det finns sverigefinnar så ska det finnas ett behov” : En kvalitativ studie av finsk revitalisering initierad av Sverigefinska ungdomsförbundet

Young people are a central group in revitalisation efforts that aim to turn the tide of language shift for speakers of endangered languages. In the context of the five national minorities of Sweden, this thesis looks at the motivation of young Sweden Finns to participate in or lead revitalisation efforts for Finnish in Sweden. The study circles in beginner’s Finnish organised by the Sweden Finnish Youth Organisation provide a point of entry into the way young people plan and adapt revitalisation efforts to the needs of other young people. Along with a study of materials pertaining to the study circles, five young people have been interviewed about their participation in or leadership of the study circles, or their involvement in the Sweden Finnish Youth organisation. Grin’s (1990) COD model has been used to explore the relationship between motivation (Desire) and the Sweden Finnish context. The study found that the study circles have been adapted to the needs and desires of young people on several levels. It also found that identity, a practical and emotional need for the Finnish language, an awareness of the situation for the national minorities in Sweden, and the acceptance of varying goals and non-standard varieties of Finnish, play important roles in young people’s motivation to learn Finnish and participate in or lead revitalisation efforts

Constructing the Suburb : Swedish Discourses of Spatial Stigmatisation

By exploring representations of place, this thesis treats practices of spatial stigmatisation in the context of segregated Swedish cities. In three papers, different aspects of stigmatisation and place-making are discussed and analysed, where the overarching ambition is to identify and critically deconstruct the ideology behind stigma as well as suggest ways of making representation positive. In other words, this thesis takes issue with the negative labels attached to certain urban areas by exploring dominant discursive trends and mechanisms, or techniques, of creating spatial stigma. Theoretically, the analysis is informed by postcolonial critical research on segregation and representations of people and place, where place-making is of particular importance. The case study consists of printed news media and political discourse concerning stigmatised urban areas in Sweden, and the method is inspired by critical discourse analysis. The empirical material covers a period of twenty years, and the analysis is particularly focused on constructions of ‘race’ and poverty and how these two dimensions intertwine. The main findings point to a dominant trend of representing stigmatised neighbourhoods as failed and miserable places that are not considered part of Sweden. They become racialised both through representations of the neighbourhoods as foreign and unintegrated places and through representations of the residents, usually categorised as the ‘immigrants’, as culturally different from ‘Swedes’.  There are signs of a more critical discourse which challenges the negative representations, but it remains weak compared to the predominance of the negative reporting

Preschool Evolved : Communication With Preschool Through Mobile Services

Technological advancements in the fields of communication and information sharing and usage are coming forth more and more rapidly. Information technologies are being introduced in fields that traditionally have been quite isolated in the technological sense. While previously not very distinguished by technological standards, the preschools are now in a process of evolution. A new information technology system for expanding communication possibilities between preschools and caregivers is being developed and tested in a pilot project in Stockholm, Sweden. This system, presently called the Preschool Portal, uses existing technologies like computers, mobile phones and the Internet with the aim of easing information access for both caregivers and preschool employees. The core of the system is an Internet portal where information related to participating preschools is stored. The portal provides both parts with functions to retrieve as well as share information and is online-based which means that it can be accessed from any Internet-connected computer. Using surveys and interviews as the main methods this thesis work strives to answer the question of how this previously non-technological workplace will handle the transition to this advanced and highly integrated information technology system. The preschools in focus in this project are used to work mainly with paper notes and lighter document handling on a computer, with information gathered from telephone and face-to-face conversations. It also looks at the relationship between the caregivers and the preschool employees partly to find out how the caregivers will use the system via their mobile phones, partly if and how that will change the way of work for the preschool employees. The results from the work are presented as a prototype for an iPhone application connecting to the Preschool Portal, and valuable knowledge about how non-technologically based workplaces are affected by the introduction of a system like the Preschool Portal

Constructing the Suburb : Swedish Discourses of Spatial Stigmatisation

By exploring representations of place, this thesis treats practices of spatial stigmatisation in the context of segregated Swedish cities. In three papers, different aspects of stigmatisation and place-making are discussed and analysed, where the overarching ambition is to identify and critically deconstruct the ideology behind stigma as well as suggest ways of making representation positive. In other words, this thesis takes issue with the negative labels attached to certain urban areas by exploring dominant discursive trends and mechanisms, or techniques, of creating spatial stigma. Theoretically, the analysis is informed by postcolonial critical research on segregation and representations of people and place, where place-making is of particular importance. The case study consists of printed news media and political discourse concerning stigmatised urban areas in Sweden, and the method is inspired by critical discourse analysis. The empirical material covers a period of twenty years, and the analysis is particularly focused on constructions of ‘race’ and poverty and how these two dimensions intertwine. The main findings point to a dominant trend of representing stigmatised neighbourhoods as failed and miserable places that are not considered part of Sweden. They become racialised both through representations of the neighbourhoods as foreign and unintegrated places and through representations of the residents, usually categorised as the ‘immigrants’, as culturally different from ‘Swedes’.  There are signs of a more critical discourse which challenges the negative representations, but it remains weak compared to the predominance of the negative reporting