School Desegregation and Community Social Change

Through a review of current research, this article analyzes the dynamic process in which the community and the schools interact during school desegregation

Det skärpta amorteringskravet : En kvantitativ studie om amorteringskravets påverkan på bostadspriser och hushållens skuldsättning

In March 2018 an expanded amortization requirement was introduced in Sweden with the purpose of tapering off the continual growth in household debt and the rapidly rising housing prices. Growth in household debt has been a recurring topic of discussion by the Financial Department in recent year as it is seen as a macroeconomic risk and a threat to the financial stability. The amortization requirement has received mixed reactions from actors in the housing industry and financial sector, they argue whether the amortization requirement is the best measure to reduce growth in household debt. Most of the sceptics claim the amortization requirement have major negative impacts that surpasses the actual purpose and upsides of the action This study aim to investigate how the housing prices and household debt has changed in connection with, and after , the expanded amortization requirement. In order to investigate the purpose of this study a quantitative method based on statistical analysis was used. The results indicates that the expanded amortization requirement had impact on the housing prices and household debt to some extent. The average housing prices has initially gone down but there is no evidence of a decrease in growth rate. The household debt seems to be more stable due to the stagnated growth but the long term effects is yet to be investigated. In conclusion the amortization requirement seem to have both affected the housing prices and household debt in the short term and has somewhat fulfilled its purpose. But a further investigation of the long term effects, positive and negative, needs to be done to draw more exhaustive conclusions of the effects of the amortization requirements.I mars 2018 infördes det skärpta amorteringskravet i Sverige i syfte att dämpa tillväxten av hushållens skulder och de snabbt växande bostadspriserna. Tillväxten av hushållens skulder har varit ett återkommande diskussionsämne av Finansinspektionen de senaste åren på grund av att det anses vara en makroekonomisk risk och ett hot mot den finansiella stabiliteten. Amorteringskravet har mottagits med blandade reaktioner av aktörer i bostadsbranschen och den finansiella sektorn, de argumenterar främst om amorteringskravet är den bästa åtgärden för att minska utvecklingen av hushållens skulder. De flesta skeptikerna till amorteringskravet anser att det har stora nackdelar som överväger syftet och de faktiska fördelarna med åtgärden. Syfte med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur bostadspriserna och hushållens skulder har förändrats i samband, och efter, det skärpta amorteringskravet. För att undersöka detta användes en kvantitativ metod som baseras på statistisk analys. Resultatet indikerar att det skärpta amorteringskravet har haft en inverkan på bostadspriserna och hushållens skulder till viss del. De genomsnittliga bostadspriserna har initialt gått ner men det finns inga bevisa på att tillväxttakten har avtagit. Hushållens skulder verkar vara mer stabil på grund av den stagnerade tillväxten men de långsiktiga effekterna behöver fortfarande undersökas. Sammanfattningsvis så verkar amorteringskravet haft en påverkan på både bostadspriserna och hushållens skulder på kort sikt och det har till viss del uppfyllt dess syfte. Men en fortsatt undersökning av de långsiktiga effekterna, både positiva och negativa, behövs göras för att dra mer omfattande slutsatser om effekterna av amorteringskravet

AI–driven operationell effektivitet och AI adoptering inom fastighetsbranschen i Sverige

Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained tremendous popularity in recent years, influencing the majority of industry sectors worldwide with its automation, generative, and analytical abilities. However, the real estate industry has been slow to adapt compared to others. This cautious approach is due to worries about costs, integrating new systems, and keeping data secure. As a result, real estate firms often take their time to adapt to these changes in a rapidly evolving market.  This study investigates the challenges and opportunities for the use of AI in Sweden’s real estate market. It is a qualitative research based on existing literature and interviews with representatives from 11 well-known Swedish companies connected to the real estate industry in different ways. The collected data provides an overview of the present level of AI application, outlining both the challenges that the industry faces and the opportunity for technological adaptation. The study dives deeper into these integration problems, highlighting important roadblocks such as cultural skepticism, reluctance to change, and worries about data protection. These issues highlight the complexity of incorporating new technologies into traditional real estate procedures, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach to technology adoption.  Several strategic recommendations are made, including encouraging strategic collaborations, instituting strong data security measures, and undertaking ongoing training programs to improve workforce proficiency. These measures are intended to make AI integration more seamless and to fully realize its potential in the industry. Overall, the thesis argues that AI can improve the operational efficiency of Sweden’s real estate market. However, attaining its full potential necessitates overcoming the hurdles by strategic interventions and cultural changes.Artificiell intelligens (AI) har blivit mycket populärt de senaste åren och påverkar de flesta branscher globalt med sina automatiserings-, generativa och analytiska förmågor. Fastighetsbranschen har dock varit långsam med att anpassa sig jämfört med andra. Denna försiktiga inställning beror på oro för kostnader, integrering av nya system och datasäkerhet. Som ett resultat tar fastighetsföretag ofta lång tid på sig att anpassa sig till dessa förändringar i en snabbt föränderlig marknad.  Denna studie undersöker utmaningarna och möjligheterna för användning av AI på den svenska fastighetsmarknaden. Studien är en kvalitativ forskning baserad på befintlig litteratur och intervjuer med representanter från elva välkända svenska företag kopplade till fastighetsbranschen på olika sätt. Den data som samlats in ger en översikt över den nuvarande nivån av AI-tillämpning och beskriver både de utmaningar som branschen står inför och de möjligheter som finns för teknologisk anpassning. Studien fördjupar sig i dessa integrationsproblem och lyfter fram hinder som kulturell skepsis, mot-vilja mot förändring och oro över dataskydd. Dessa hinder belyser komplexiteten i att införliva ny teknik i traditionella fastighetsprocesser, vilket betonar behovet av ett nyanserat förhållningssätt till teknikanvändning. Flera strategiska rekommendationer ges, inklusive att uppmuntra strategiska samarbeten, införa starka dataskyddsåtgärder och genomföra pågående utbildningsprogram för att förbättra arbetskraftens kompetens. Dessa åtgärder syftar till att göra AI-integration mer smidig och att fullt ut realisera dess potential i branschen. Sammanfattningsvis landar studien i att AI kan förbättra den operativa effektiviteten på Sveriges fastighetsmarknad. Att uppnå dess fulla potential kräver dock att man övervinner de nämnda hindren genom strategiska insatser och kulturella förändringar

Twitter as the Second Channel

People share a big part of their lives and opinions on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The companies behind these sites do their absolute best to collect as much data as possible. This data could be used to extract opinions in many different ways. Every company, organization or public person is probably curious on what is being said about them right now. There are also areas where opinions are related to the outcome of an event. Examples of such events are presidential elections or the Eurovision Song Contest. In these events, peoples’ votes will directly reflect the outcome of the elections or contests. We have developed a simplistic prototype that is able to predict the result of the Eurovision Song Contest using sentiment analysis on tweets. The prototype collects tweets about the event, performs sentiment analysis, and uses different filters to predict the ranks of the contestants. We evaluted our results with the actual voting results of the event and found a Pearson correlation of approximately 0.65. With more time and resources we believe that it is possible to create a highly accurate prediction model. It could be used in lots of different contexts. Politicians and their parties could use it to evaluate their campaigns. The press could use it to create more interesting news reports. Companies would be able to investigate their brand appreciation. A system like this could be used in many different fields

An Optimal Partial Ossicular Prosthesis Should Connect Both to the Tympanic Membrane and Malleus: A Temporal Bone Study Using Laser Doppler Vibrometry

Objective: To compare stapes vibrations in different partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP) applications. Methods: Stapedial vibrations were measured on fresh frozen human temporal bones with laser Doppler vibrometry. Eight different types of common ossiculoplasty methods were compared regarding recovery of stapes vibrations in relation with the normal ossicular chain. The PORPs were divided into three groups: 1) PORPs with the lateral contact only with the tympanic membrane, 2) PORPs with lateral contact only to the malleus handle, and 3) PORPs with lateral contact with both the malleus handle and the tympanic membrane. Results: The PORPs with lateral contact only to the malleus handle performed better than the PORPs with lateral contact to the tympanic membrane only at 2 kHZ, but the best recovery was found in the group with contact both to the malleus handle and the tympanic membrane. Conclusion: The best sound transmission might be achieved by placing a PORP in contact with both the tympanic membrane and the handle of the malleus

A New, Promising Experimental Ossicular Prosthesis : A Human Temporal Bone Study With Laser Doppler Vibrometry

Objective:We compared the sound transmission using different types of total ossicular replacement prostheses (TORP); we then studied the performance of a new TORP that we designed inspired by the columella, the single ossicle found in birds.Methods:Stapedial vibrations were measured on nine freshly frozen human temporal bones with laser Doppler vibrometry. We then compared the performances of eight common TORP positions or designs as well as the new silver prototype of bird-type prosthesis, designed also according to our digital holography patterns of the human tympanic membrane (TM).Results:The TORPs placed in lateral contact with both the TM and the malleus handle outperformed, at most frequencies, those placed only in contact with the TM.The new bird-type prosthesis performed equally well or better than all other prostheses.Conclusion:If the malleus handle can be retained when placing a TORP, the best sound transmission can be achieved by placing the TORP in contact with both the distal part of the malleus handle and the TM. The good performance of our bird-type prosthesis suggests that there is still room for future improvement of prosthesis design to further optimize hearing outcomes after surgery

Mortality is not increased in rhGH-treated patients when adjusting for birth characteristics.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether reported high mortality in childhood recombinant human GH (rhGH)-treated patients was related to birth-characteristics and/or rhGH treatment. Design and Setting: We sought to develop a mortality model of the Swedish general population born between 1973 and 2010, using continuous-hazard functions adjusting for birth characteristics, sex, age intervals, and calendar year to estimate standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and to apply this model to assess expected deaths in Swedish rhGH-treated patients with idiopathic isolated GH deficiency (IGHD), idiopathic short stature (155) or born small for gestational age (SGA). Participants:The general population: Swedish Medical Birth Register (1973-2010: 1 880 668 males; 1 781 131 females) and Cause of Death Register (1985-2010). Intervention Population: Three thousand eight hundred forty-seven patients starting rhGH treatment between 1985 and 2010 and followed in the National GH Register and/or in rhGH trials diagnosed with IGHD (n = 1890), ISS (n = 975), or SGA (n=982). Main Outcome Measures: Death. Results: Using conventional models adjusting for age, sex, and calendar-year, the SMR was 1.43 (95% confidence interval, 0.89-2.19), P = .14, observed/expected deaths 21/14.68. The rhGH population differed (P < .001) from the general population regarding birth weight, birth length, and congenital malformations. Application of an Advanced Model: When applying the developed mortality model of the general population, the ratio of observed/expected deaths in rhGH-treated patients was 21/21.99; SMR = 0.955 (0.591-1.456)P = .95. Model Comparison: Expected number of deaths were 14.68 (14.35-14.96) using the conventional model, and 21.99 (21.24-22.81) using the advanced model, P < .001, which had at all ages a higher gradient of risk per SD of the model, 24% (range, 18-42%; P < .001). Conclusions: Compared with the general Swedish population, the ratio of observed/expected deaths (21/21.99) was not increased in childhood rhGH-treated IGHD, ISS, and SGA patients when applying an advanced sex-specific mortality model adjusting for birth characteristics