21st Century Media and Female Mental Health

This open access book examines the conversations around gendered mental health in contemporary Western media culture. While early 21st century-media was marked by a distinct focus on happiness, productivity and success, during the 2010s negative feelings and discussions around mental health have become increasingly common in that same media landscape. This book traces this turn to sadness in women’s media culture and shows that it emerged indirectly as a result of a culture overtly focused on happiness. By tracing the coverage of mental health issues in magazines, among female celebrities, and on social media this book shows how an increasingly intimate media environment has made way for a profitable vulnerability, that takes the shape of marketable and brand-friendly mental illness awareness that strengthens the authenticity of those who embrace it. But at the same time sad girl cultures are proliferating on social media platforms, creating radically honest spaces where those who suffer get support, and more capacious ways of feeling bad are formed. Using discourse analysis and digital ethnography to study contemporary representations of mental illness and sadness in Western popular media and social media, this book takes a feminist media studies approach to popular discourse, understanding the conversations happening around mental health in these sites to function as scripts for how to think about and experience mental illness and sadnes

Nonlinear analysis of crack widths in reinforced concrete

Former research indicates that the crack width close to the bar can be a better indicator for the risk for reinforcement corrosion than, as current concrete codes impose, the crack width at the concrete surface. In this paper a finite-element model is used to increase the understanding of how the crack width varies at different levels from the reinforcement and how different mechanisms control this behaviour. Concrete and reinforcement are modelled with solid elements, where nonlinear fracture mechanics is used for the concrete material and a model, which has been modified for this purpose, describes the bond between steel and concrete. The results of the finite-element calculations of the crack widths are compared to earlier experimental studies. Both the finite-element analysis and experimental studies are performed on axially loaded concrete prisms with a central 16 mm reinforcement bar and concrete covers of 30, 50 and 70 mm. The finite-element analysis verifies the results from former experimental research, where the crack widths close to the reinforcement bar are affected only slightly, or not at all, by the concrete cover. This can lead to new possibilities of enlarging the concrete cover and increasing the durability of concrete structures in future

Robustness of timber structures in seismic areas

Major similarities between robustness assessment and seismic design exist, and significant information can be brought from seismic design to robustness design. As will be discussed, although some methods and limitations considered in seismic design can improve robustness, the capacity of the structure to sustain limited damage without disproportionate effects is significantly more complex. In fact, seismic design can either improve or reduce the resistance of structures to unforeseeable events, depending on the structural type, triggering event, structural material, among others. Based on a case study, the influence of redundancy and ductility on the seismic behavior and robustness of a long-span timber structure is assessed.COST E 5

Efter krig kommer fred : att planera för återuppbyggnad i en krigsdrabbad stad

This paper intends to provide a better understanding of how to rebuild a crisis affected area and how to plan for the inhabitants of a wounded city. It will also examine the landscape architect's tasks in this work to provide a planning perspective. The discussion of reconstruction is significant because the insight and knowledge in the subject is needed in order to help nations after a disaster. Bosnia-Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo is a city recovering from a civil war where the city's situation was complicated by an ethnic conflict that has been segregating it. The restoration of the city's structure can free people from their tragedy and make them live again. The study describes the subject of reconstruction and finds out what has been done in Sarajevo and how the discussions on this went, and also how to take on the task when planning for the victims of the conflict. Sarajevo siege in 1995 left the city in tatters and the non-profit organizations made a heavy reconstruction work possible. The city has been able to reconstruct the landmarks and buildings through external donations, which gave funds to the selected cultural heritage. The difficulty lies in integrating these with existing settlements and in the broader context of the changing culture war meant. There is also a problem that external organizations have made the choices restoring even though they are not fully aware of the city's culture. Politicians have a big impact on the planning of the reconstruction area where people are left outside and quickly composed master plans does not maintain a sustainable structure in the city. This is a landscape design issue that is rarely discussed but is highly relevant to the active addressing. Landscape perspective must be addressed when a war-torn city is to be rebuilt because the reconstruction affects the landscape

"En skör människas verklighetsuppfattning" : en teoretisk diskussion kring positioner, sanningsanspråk och subtiliteter utifrån Maja Lundgrens bok Myggor och Tigrar

Genom en textanalys av författaren Maja Lundgrens bok Myggor och Tigrar undersöker uppsatsen skönlitterära texters möjlighet att förändra kvinnors positioner och potentialer. I den teoretiska bakgrunden redogörs för såväl historisk som nutida självbiografiforskning med fokus på diskussioner kring sanningsanspråk, textens konstituerande karaktär och specifikt feministisk forskning på området. Med betoning på hur förtryck kan beskrivas på alternativa och komplexa sätt för att i förlängningen skapa nya förståelser för kvinnliga subjektspositioner, undersöks Lundgrens försök att skildra subtila maktutövanden