How is the citizen dialogue perceived? : a study regarding how citizen dialogues are perceived by landscape architects in relation to their design process

Arbete med fokusgrupper, genom medborgardialoger, i gestaltningsprocesser av offentliga utemiljöer är ett verktyg som idag används av landskapsarkitekter. Det finns emellertid inget övergripande ramverk för hur dessa ska genomföras. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka landskapsarkitekters syn på hur gestaltningsprocessen förhåller sig till verktyget fokusgruppsbaserad medborgardialog, samt vilka aspekter från medborgardialogerna som beaktats i ett antal valda gestaltningsprocesser. Intervjuer med fyra landskapsarkitekter som medverkat i fokusgruppsbaserade medborgardialoger ligger till grund för undersökningen. Intervjusvaren diskuteras sedan utifrån vald litteratur som berör både förhållandet mellan gestaltaren, gestaltningsprocessen och dialogen samt medborgardialogens roll i gestaltningsprocessen. Resultat och diskussion inkorporeras därmed i ett avsnitt och visar att samtliga intervjurespondenter uppfattade medborgardialogen som givande men att där också fanns utmaningar. En del av dessa utmaningar anses svåra att undvika i och med hur samhällsplanering idag är uppbyggd, en medvetenhet om detta är positivt då det möjliggör hantering av dem på bästa sätt. Andra utmaningar kan antas ha potential att undvikas om en övergripande struktur över processen utformas. Sammanfattningsvis kan det konstateras att medborgardialoger med en fokusgrupp som ofta inte hörs i offentliga sammanhang är ett viktigt verktyg för landskapsarkitekternas arbete mot jämlika offentliga utemiljöer och bör därför uppmuntras och en övergripande struktur bör utvecklas.Citizen dialogue with focus groups is a method that occurs in design processes of public spaces today. However in this study an overall used framework could not be identified for how these should be executed. The purpose of the study is to investigate landscape architects view on how design processes relates to the instrument of citizen dialogue with a focus group. Additionally which aspects that are considered from the citizen dialogue in a chosen number of design processes. Interviews with four landscape architects that has participated in citizen dialogue with a focus group form the basis of this study. Literature touching both the relationship between the designer, the design process and the dialogue as well as the roll of the citizen dialogue in the design process are used to discuss the answers from the interviews. Thus is the result and discussion assorted and indicates that all interviewees perceived the citizen dialogue as rewarding, at the same time as there were challenges. Some of the challenges are hard to avoid in the way the community planning looks today, this causes for an awareness to be able to handle them in the best way possible. Other challenges can be expected to have the potential to be evaded if an overall structure over the process were to be formed. In conclusion it can be stated that citizen dialogue with focus groups is an important method for landscape architects in their work towards equal sustainable public spaces, it should therefore be encouraged and a development of it’s structure should be worked towards

The impact of thermomechanical pulp fiber modifications on thermoplastic lignin composites

Peer reviewe

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Casemetodik och geografi : En studie av elevers och lärares syn på casemetodik i geografiundervisningen

The case method is a relatively new pedagogical method in Sweden that is based on students exercising their skills in the analysis of complex situations and problems that are based in reality and that help students to see a broader perspective and context. The purpose of this study has been to investigate, through interviews with students and teachers, the advantages and disadvantages of the case method in teaching geography. The results of the study show that both teachers and students share almost the same opinion. The conclusion is that the case method is a didactic method that is well suited for teaching geography, as it is based on reality and develops the students’ ability to analyze, argue and find solutions in several areas within the subject of geography. If a student is strong in these skill areas they can really benefit from the application of the case method in the teaching of geography, but for students who are weaker in these skills, the case method can be a disadvantag

Varför klarar jag inte det jag vet att jag kan? : En kvalitativ studie om svårigheter och stödinsatser för elever med ADHD i högstadiet och vilka konsekvenser det får.

Elever med ADHD upplever fler svårigheter i skolan än elever utan ADHD vilket leder till mer stress och i förlängningen ökad risk för psykisk ohälsa. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka hur unga vuxna med ADHD upplevde sin tid i grundskolans senare år. Undersökningen genomfördes med semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades med innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet visade på hur kognitiva svårigheter förknippade med ADHD uppstår i den miljö eleven befinner sig i, i relation till skolans struktur och undervisningens upplägg. Stödinsatserna varierade och ledde ibland till att eleven inte fick lärarstöd. Detta ledde till stress som berodde på de upplevda svårigheterna och att det under dessa omständigheter var svårt att prestera i enlighet med skolans mål och egna krav. Undersökningen visade också att det var svårt att få hjälp av skolan och ofta krävdes att föräldrar hjälpte till. Att byta skola i hopp om att få hjälp var vanligt. Slutsats: Pedagoger behöver mer kunskap om diagnosen ADHD, vilka svårigheter och pedagogiska behov dessa elever har. Detta skulle kunna leda till mindre stress för dessa elever, ökad måluppfyllelse och bättre förutsättningar till god hälsa. Detta är speciellt viktigt då individer med ADHD har större risk för psykisk ohälsa än befolkningen i övrigt.Betyg i Ladok 2022-06-02.</p

Cultural Heritage in Regional Strategic Documents – The Heritage Field in a Societal Context

The following essay aims to examine how cultural heritage is used in regional strategic documents and to put that result in a societal context, both concerning past and present paradigms in the cultural heritage sector. Firstly, a literature study was done in order to give a background to the cultural heritage sector’s past fifty years, in terms of shifting paradigms, political incitements etc. The outline thereof is the fact that the cultural heritage field has shifted both focus and scope over the last half century. New demands on the sector is held in terms of being a part of the overall regional development work with democratic claims, comprehensive view and not least economic growth as a contemporary norm. Secondly, regional strategic documents were examined to identify relevant ones for the heritage field. The strategic documents of Sweden’s 21 regions were surveyed and three regional case studies were chosen. A content analysis was then applied for the documents of the case studies and an analysis scheme based on the procedure of Grounded theory was made. The result is that two out of the three examined regions holds a very much outgoing approach when discussing cultural heritage. The focus is held on an instrumental use of cultural heritage in order to provide growth and to bring places attractiveness. The third region talks about cultural heritage primary in terms of identity. Both aspects of providing the region with identity by cultural heritage and a heritage developing for its own sake. Lastly, four qualitative interviews were performed with professionals within the cultural heritage field in the three examined regions. The interviewed persons confirmed the overall vagueness of the strategic documents, which makes them unused in the work of the consulted. The interviews also confirmed the ideological shift which is happening in the sector at present. The conclusion of this thesis is that the comparatively new concept of growth is still difficult to use and to unite the cooperative sectors in regional strategic work. Furthermore it seems to be an institutional inertia between national and regional aims on the one hand, and the cultural heritage practice on the other.Uppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen i Kulturvård, Bebyggelseantikvariskt program 15 hp Institutionen för kulturvård Göteborgs universitet 2014:0