Hur uppfattar den svenska lantbrukarkåren den digitala utvecklingen inom AI?

Den här uppsatsen ämnar undersöka svenska lantbrukares uppfattning av AI och ny teknik. Dagens lantbruk står inför många utmaningar, bland annat miljöomställningar, en åldrande lantbrukskår och snabb utveckling av teknik. För att bevara svenskt lantbruk konkurrenskraftigt krävs det ny teknik och hjälpmedel att rationalisera verksamheten. De innovationer som utvecklas måste dock ta hänsyn till lantbrukarnas behov för att dessa innovationer ska kunna uppfattas som användbara. För att kunna undersöka uppfattningen kring dessa har ett teoretiskt ramverk bildats. Teknik acceptansmodellen (TAM) appliceras för att se vad för faktorer som påverkar lantbrukarnas benägenhet att använda det. Även legitimitetsteorin används för att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar uppfattningen av företagen som står för utvecklingen av AI och andra digitala hjälpmedel. Utöver dessa två teorier kommer även innovativ diffusionsteori bidra till att skapa en förståelse för vilka informationskanaler som påverkar lantbrukarna, samt i vilken mån de olika källornas vikt influerar uppfattningen och beslutsprocessen. De slutsatser som uppsatsen funnit är att de svenska lantbrukarnas uppfattning inför ny teknik är positiv. Uppfattningen är att AI kommer underlätta i det vardagliga arbetet med minskning av löpande kostnader, främst av besparingar av insatsvaror. Även arbetsbördan uppfattas minska genom rationalisering och effektivisering av AI. Ytterligare en slutsats som framkom var benägenheten att implementera ny teknik. Lantbrukarna var positiva till att applicera AI men en ovilja fanns att vara först. Andra slutsatser som togs var att en viktig faktor för uppfattningen var välkända återförsäljare och märken, dessa hade hög legitimitet och även olika roller i beslutsprocessen och uppfattningen.This essay intends to examine Swedish farmers perception of AI and new technologies in the agricultural field. Modern agriculture stands before a plethora of challenges ranging from environmental changes, an aging population of farmers and a rapid development in the field of technology. To preserve Swedish agriculture competitive on a global market there is a need for new technology and tools for the rationalization of farming operations. The innovations currently being developed needs to take into consideration the needs of the farmers to be perceived as useful. To examine the perception of usefulness for new technology a theoretical framework has been constructed. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) will be applied to determine which factors affects farmers inclination to apply new technology. Furthermore, the legitimacy theory helps to study which elements plays a role in farmers perception and tendency to put their trust in the companies developing AI and new technologies. Besides the two previously mentioned theories Innovation Diffusion Theory will be used to create a picture of which communications channels affects farmers the most, as well as in which extent the different channels influence the perception and decision-making process. The conclusions of the study determined that Swedish farmers perception of AI and new technology is positive. The perception is that AI will simplify everyday work for the farmers by decreasing external costs, primarily in the saving of input materials. Also, the workload is expected to decrease by rationalizing and streamlining using AI. Another conclusion that emerged was the inclination to implement new technologies. The farmers were positive towards applying AI but an animosity towards being an early adopter was present. Other conclusions were that an important factor in the perception of new technology was well known retailers and brands, these actors had a high legitimacy and played different roles in the decision-making process and perception

Hur påverkas investeringsbeslut i ny teknik inom lantbruk?

Världsbefolkningen ökar och med den även efterfrågan på mat. För en minskande lantbrukarkår innebär detta högre krav på effektivitet och avkastning för att kunna tillgodose en växande befolkning. Utöver detta står världen även inför klimatförändringar vilket innebär mer extrema väderomslag och större skillnader mellan växtodlingsåren än förut. För att kunna möta detta krävs det att lantbruksbranschen ställer om till mer avancerade tekniska lösningar. Detta innebär intensivare och större investeringar som i sin tur ställer högre krav på lantbrukare att vara pålästa och kunniga om olika tekniska lösningar på en marknad som ständigt förnyas och utvecklas. Inom det svenska lantbruket har den tekniska utvecklingen accelererat under de senaste generationerna och teknik blir förlegat i snabb takt i dagens klimat. Det är även en skillnad i hur anpassade lantbruken är till modern teknik och vart i den teknologiska utvecklingen de är. Med detta omväxlande klimat krävs det att lantbrukarna tar välgenomtänkta och underbyggda beslut för att välja de mest hållbara investeringarna. Den här studien är baserad på prospektteorin och den kumulativa prospektteorin vilka ämnar förklara beslutsfattande genom att uppföra prospekt som sedan utvärderas för att finna det alternativ med högst nyttokapacitet. Dessa teorier bidrar med att förklara tillvägagångsättet vid investering hos lantbrukare och hur deras tankar går om olika investeringsmöjligheter. Genom att undersöka vad som påverkar investeringsbeslut av ny teknik inom lantbruksbranschen kan producenter av lantbruksteknik enklare och effektivare erbjuda just den teknik som lantbrukare efterfrågar och behöver för att kunna bedriva ett hållbart lantbruk i framtiden. Det bidrar även med att ge en insikt i vad som driver näringsverksamheter inom de gröna näringar och vad de anser är effektivitet och framtidens lantbruk. Skillnaden mellan maskinstationer och familjelantbruk som denna studie speglar uppvisar även skillnader i hur två aktörer inom samma bransch kan ha skillnader i sin driftsplanering. Sammanfattningsvis speglar denna studie hur teknisk förnyelse är framtiden för ett hållbart lantbruk och vad branschens utövare efterfrågar för att kunna uppnå framtidens mål. Resultatet av studien är att det finns tre parametrar som påverkar lantbrukare i deras investeringsbeslut. Parametrarna är; riskaversion, effektivisering samt fria eller forcerade investeringar.The global population and its’ demand for nutrient is steadily increasing. This requires an increased efficiency and agricultural output from a dwindling number of farmers. Furthermore, our planet stands before climate change which in turn means more extreme fluctuations in weather and greater disproportions between planting seasons. To be able to face these perils the agricultural industry needs to adapt and implement more advanced technical solutions. This entails more intensive and larger investments which in turn creates greater demands on the farmers to be more knowledgeable on different technical solutions in a market that is ever evolving and renewed. In the Swedish agricultural sector, the technical advancements have accelerated during the last couple of generations and technology quickly becomes obsolete in today's climate. There’s also a difference in how well-adapted the agriculture is and where in the technical development they are. This alternating climate requires farmers to make well-founded decisions into sustainable investments. This study is based on the prospect theory and the cumulative prospect theory which aims to explain decision making by constructing prospects to later evaluate in the strive of finding the alternative with the highest benefit. These theories contribute with explaining how investment decisions are made by farmers and their reasoning behind different investment opportunities. By researching what affects investment decisions regarding new technology in the agricultural sector producers of agricultural technology can more easily and effectively offer precisely the technology farmers demand and need to be able to drive sustainable farming into the future. It also contributes by giving insight into what drives these businesses in the agricultural sector and what they believe is effectiveness and the future of farming. The difference between agricultural contracting businesses and family farms as this study show is the different perspective on operations that two actors in the same sector can have. In conclusion this study shows how technical innovation is the future of sustainable farming and what the sector demands to achieve the goals of the future. The results of the findings in this study are that there are three parameters that affects farmers in their investment decisions. The parameters are; risk aversion, effectiveness and free or forced investments

Spitzer spectral line mapping of protostellar outflows: I. Basic data and outflow energetics

We report the results of spectroscopic mapping observations carried out toward protostellar outflows in the BHR71, L1157, L1448, NGC 2071, and VLA 1623 molecular regions using the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) of the Spitzer Space Telescope. These observations, covering the 5.2 - 37 micron spectral region, provide detailed maps of the 8 lowest pure rotational lines of molecular hydrogen and of the [SI] 25.25 micron and [FeII] 26.0 micron fine structure lines. The molecular hydrogen lines, believed to account for a large fraction of the radiative cooling from warm molecular gas that has been heated by a non-dissociative shock, allow the energetics of the outflows to be elucidated. Within the regions mapped towards these 5 outflow sources, total H2 luminosities ranging from 0.02 to 0.75 L(solar) were inferred for the sum of the 8 lowest pure rotational transitions. By contrast, the much weaker [FeII] 26.0 micron fine structure transition traces faster, dissociative shocks; here, only a small fraction of the fast shock luminosity emerges as line radiation that can be detected with Spitzer/IRS.Comment: 38 pages including 17 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

The complex radio and X-ray structure in the nuclear regions of the active galaxy NGC1365

We present a multiwavelength analysis of the prominent active galaxy NGC1365, in particular looking at the radio and X-ray properties of the central regions of the galaxy. We analyse ROSAT observations of NGC1365, and discuss recent ASCA results. In addition to a number of point sources in the vicinity of NGC1365, we find a region of X-ray emission extending along the central bar of the galaxy, combined with an emission peak near the centre of the galaxy. This X-ray emission is centred on the optical/radio nucleus, but is spatially extended. The X-ray spectrum can be well fitted by a thermal plasma model, with kT=0.6-0.8keV and a low local absorbing column. The thermal spectrum is suggestive of starburst emission rather than emission from a central black-hole. The ATCA radio observations show a number of hotspots, located in a ring around a weak radio nucleus. Synchrotron emission from electrons accelerated by supernovae and supernova remnants (SNRs) is the likely origin of these hotspots. The radio nucleus has a steep spectrum, indicative perhaps of an AGN or SNRs. The evidence for a jet emanating from the nucleus is at best marginal. The extent of the radio ring is comparable to the extended central X-ray source.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, to be published in MNRA

Herschel observations of interstellar chloronium

Using the Herschel Space Observatory's Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), we have observed para-chloronium (H2Cl+) toward six sources in the Galaxy. We detected interstellar chloronium absorption in foreground molecular clouds along the sight-lines to the bright submillimeter continuum sources Sgr A (+50 km/s cloud) and W31C. Both the para-H2-35Cl+ and para-H2-37Cl+ isotopologues were detected, through observations of their 1(11)-0(00) transitions at rest frequencies of 485.42 and 484.23 GHz, respectively. For an assumed ortho-to-para ratio of 3, the observed optical depths imply that chloronium accounts for ~ 4 - 12% of chlorine nuclei in the gas phase. We detected interstellar chloronium emission from two sources in the Orion Molecular Cloud 1: the Orion Bar photodissociation region and the Orion South condensation. For an assumed ortho-to-para ratio of 3 for chloronium, the observed emission line fluxes imply total beam-averaged column densities of ~ 2.0E+13 cm-2 and ~ 1.2E+13 cm-2, respectively, for chloronium in these two sources. We obtained upper limits on the para-H2-35Cl+ line strengths toward H2 Peak 1 in the Orion Molecular cloud and toward the massive young star AFGL 2591. The chloronium abundances inferred in this study are typically at least a factor ~10 larger than the predictions of steady-state theoretical models for the chemistry of interstellar molecules containing chlorine. Several explanations for this discrepancy were investigated, but none has proven satisfactory, and thus the large observed abundances of chloronium remain puzzling.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Impaired Heat Shock Response in Cells Expressing Full-Length Polyglutamine-Expanded Huntingtin

The molecular mechanisms by which polyglutamine (polyQ)-expanded huntingtin (Htt) causes neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease (HD) remain unclear. The malfunction of cellular proteostasis has been suggested as central in HD pathogenesis and also as a target of therapeutic interventions for the treatment of HD. We present results that offer a previously unexplored perspective regarding impaired proteostasis in HD. We find that, under non-stress conditions, the proteostatic capacity of cells expressing full length polyQ-expanded Htt is adequate. Yet, under stress conditions, the presence of polyQ-expanded Htt impairs the heat shock response, a key component of cellular proteostasis. This impaired heat shock response results in a reduced capacity to withstand the damage caused by cellular stress. We demonstrate that in cells expressing polyQ-expanded Htt the levels of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) are reduced, and, as a consequence, these cells have an impaired a heat shock response. Also, we found reduced HSF1 and HSP70 levels in the striata of HD knock-in mice when compared to wild-type mice. Our results suggests that full length, non-aggregated polyQ-expanded Htt blocks the effective induction of the heat shock response under stress conditions and may thus trigger the accumulation of cellular damage during the course of HD pathogenesis

IT roll-out or IT-related organizational change in focus? : A qualitative study on how perspective differences influence IT-enabled change programs

We have studied a global corporation that is implementing an IT-enabled change program which affect the whole organization. In this change, there exists many different perspectives that we divided into groups to enable analysis. The different perspectives hold differing missions and knowledge bases which in turn affect their respective understanding of the change and its purpose. In this study, we have divided perspectives according to two dimensions: program – project and business – IT. The aim has been to understand how these different perspectives affect change implementation. We have interviewed individuals from multiple positions in the organization to understand their view on what is happening in the organization and how they relate to the various issues found in the change program. We have found that there are many instances where misunderstanding can arise because the stakeholders involved in the change lack mutual understanding of each other’s perspectives. When there is an imbalance between perspectives, IT-enabled change is likely to become an IT roll-out and not an IT-related organizational change. We believe that when stakeholders of change broaden their awareness and understanding regarding the different perspectives that exist, they can enable coordination and cooperation between perspective groups. This will in turn help with successful change implementation

Webbpresentation av Fysikaliska Leksaker

Fysikaliska leksaker is an institution with more than 300 experiments demonstrating physics. Its function is to teach physics in a playful manner. The report shows how Fysikaliska leksakers new web page was created, from the gathering of facts and photos to the design of the page and its future updates. The theory on which the web page is based on can also be found in the report. The new and the old web page are compared in the section containing the results of the report and future improvements are mentioned. Furthermore, a theory on how the web page would differ from its current appearance, given that the experiments were 10 instead of 300, is presented. How Fysikaliska leksakers methods and way of thinking could be applied to university’s of technology is brought forward, this is based on the theory of ”how you learn” and ”how you teach”

Creating the Contemporary Property Management System of Tomorrow

The report details the process of creating a property marketing system, Spaces, for commercial real estate property owners and leasing agents. The system has been developed alongside a startup company, Objektia, in conjunction with their efforts to strengthen their product offerings by providing property marketing as a service. Spaces delivers an easy to use tool for everyday work tasks of the leaser, including creation of unique advertising, supply management, customer relationship management tools and lastly marketing analysis tools. The goal of Spaces is to enable leasers to attract more and better tenants, through high conversion advertising and subsequently improve the sales process through enhanced customer relations. The report describes theory regarding the commercial real estate market and web applications, the agile development process of Spaces, and how the end result will be used by leasers and marketed as a real world application to customers through Objektia. It is concluded that using these methods, a conceptual system and a promising product is created with capabilities for future real world implementation with Objektia

Creating the Contemporary Property Management System of Tomorrow

The report details the process of creating a property marketing system, Spaces, for commercial real estate property owners and leasing agents. The system has been developed alongside a startup company, Objektia, in conjunction with their efforts to strengthen their product offerings by providing property marketing as a service. Spaces delivers an easy to use tool for everyday work tasks of the leaser, including creation of unique advertising, supply management, customer relationship management tools and lastly marketing analysis tools. The goal of Spaces is to enable leasers to attract more and better tenants, through high conversion advertising and subsequently improve the sales process through enhanced customer relations. The report describes theory regarding the commercial real estate market and web applications, the agile development process of Spaces, and how the end result will be used by leasers and marketed as a real world application to customers through Objektia. It is concluded that using these methods, a conceptual system and a promising product is created with capabilities for future real world implementation with Objektia