Browsing by Author "Larsson, Simon"

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Är sportsändningar - jämställda eller representativa? - En kvantitativ innehållsanalys av hur mycket tid manliga och kvinnliga idrottare får i sportsändningar
(2020-02-13) Katiyar, Samarth; Larsson, Simon; University of Gothenburg/Department of Journalism, Media and Communication; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för journalistik, medier och kommunikation; University of Gothenburg/Department of Journalism, Media and Communication; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för journalistik, medier och kommunikation
In the past, the reported research indicates that the reporting in the television medium, in the fields of sports, historically, has been dominated heavily by men, both as athletes and as journalists. In this way, television is creating a male norm and, therefore, it is important to measure the amount of time men and women receive in Swedish television (SVT) and TV4 sports news. The study explains how air time is divided between male and female athletes as well as which sports, male or female, get the most air time. Moreover, this study, also, shows how much of the time respective sport receives. The sports are also categorized according to statistics from The National Sports Association (Riksidrottsförbundet) about the sports being masculine, feminine or neutral. In this way the study also shows the categories of sports that are given the most airtime. The theories that we have chosen for this study are news framing theory and gender theory. The reason is that they are relevant to answer the questions and explain why the broadcast time differs between male and female athletes. To answer our questions we decided to use a quantitative content analysis. This method has been chosen because it is about to collect information and later answering the questions in the study. To analyse the sport news, a coding scheme was designed that had several different variables, including how long an athlete may be allowed to speak in order to get an answer to what the distribution looks like between male and female athletes. The results show that male athletes get more air time than female athletes on both channels, despite the fact that Swedish television (SVT) has to be more equal in air time between gender. Moreover, the study indicates that male-dominated sports have more air time than female sports and is not representative according to the statistic from The National Sports Association (RF). Not even sports with gender equality has equal air time. In fact, female athletes dominated in these type of sports.
Att bygga ett samhälle vid tidens slut: Svenska Missionsförbundets mission i Kongo 1881 till 1920-talet
(2016-10-06) Larsson, Simon
This dissertation is situated in an interdisciplinary academic discourse on missionary work in colonial states. The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden’s mission in Congo between 1881 and the 1920s was aimed at converting those considered heathens to the Christian faith, founding local Christian congregations, and-, in particular, changing the structures of the local society. This dissertation examines the missionaries’ ideal of a modern future society and the manifestations of these efforts at the missionary stations. The study’s empirical sources comprise missionaries’ own documents, letters, and published articles and books. The main theoretical framework is ‘governmentality’, stemming from Michel Foucault’s ideas on discourses, power structures and control over a population’s understandings, thoughts, and actions. From this theoretical perspective the state and its institutions cannot alone explain how modern liberal, as well as colonial states, are governed. Changes in interpersonal relationships and individuals’ self-image, shaped by collective experiences of organising economic distribution, family, sanctions, leadership, and knowledge create the conditions for effective modern governance. This theoretical framework provides tools for analysing and understanding the missionaries’ work with establishing schools, orphanages, nuclear families, and, in particular a protestant work ethic. Governmentality is also used to frame the work of the mission in relation to modern ideals of economy and the state. Furthermore, the governmentality perspective provides a starting point for discussing the missionaries’ own Christian self-image and how it relates to modern ideals, and enables an understanding of the mission as techniques for fostering subjects for a modern society. The empirical analysis suggests that, even if the work of the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden took certain Christian protestant values as its starting point, the ideals of the Congo mission and its projects around education, family and work, were essentially modern. The mission required replacement of pre-colonial political and social organisation and a new political order to establish social institutions which would function alongside the ideal Christian life. The mission depended on, and therefore collaborated with, the colonial state. However, the relation was not without tension as missionaries sometimes found their Christian ideals in dissonance with the brutality of the colonial state in Congo. The dissertation suggests that the mission’s ideals of society are central to understand how the mission project was executed. The study also shows that the mission was unable to put its own ideals into practice. The vision had to be implemented in dialogue and negotiation with Congolese Christians. Furthermore, the missionaries had scant and sometimes insufficient resources to carry out the planned social changes. They faced a host of practical problems and difficulties when it came to establishing and running the missionary stations, which consequently put the ideals of a Christian (modern) social organization under severe strain.
Attitudes towards nanomaterials and nanotechnology among Swedish expert stakeholders: Risk, benefit and regulation
(2017-12-06) Larsson, Simon; Boholm, Åsa; Magnus, Jansson; Gothenburg Research Institute
The aim of this study is to investigate attitudes towards nanomaterials and nanotechnology among Swedish expert stakeholders. The study explores the views of these experts on a number of topics in connection to nanotechnology innovation with a focus on perceived risk, perceived benefits, risk regulation, and risk management. In January 2017, we distributed a web-based questionnaire to 237 individual experts at government agencies, business corporations, and other relevant organisations. The experts had a self-rated interest in, or connection to, nanomaterials and nanotechnology in their work at their organisation. This study contributes to a multidisciplinary research field addressing questions about innovation and foresight, risk perception, and regulation of nanomaterials and nanotechnology in the public domain. This study makes several claims. 1. The topic of nanomaterials and nanotechnology engages a broad range of Swedish stakeholders in many different ways, including, but not limited to, research and research funding, risk assessment, product development, as well as regulation and legislation. 2. Experts generally emphasize the benefits of nanotechnology and nanomaterials, but perceived benefit and perceived risk varies with educational background and organizational affiliation. 3. How experts assess risk and benefit varies depending on area of application (for example medicine, cosmetics, coatings, electronics, agriculture and food). 4. Experts are generally supportive of further regulation of nanomaterials and nanotechnology. They are relatively negative to taxation and self-regulation as regulatory measures and relatively positive to selective prohibition. There is also disagreement over appropriate regulatory measures among respondents. 5. High perceived risk correlates with a more positive attitude to regulation, and high perceived benefit correlates with lower support for regulation. 6. A common and shared belief is that regulation should be based on science, and that public involvement is undesirable.
Enabling human-robot collaboration and intelligent automation in the automotive industry: a study of stakeholders perspectives
(Gothenburg Research Institute, 2022) Larsson, Simon; Bengtsson, Kristofer; University of Gothenburg; School of Business, Economics and Law
Introduction Intelligent and flexible robots using sensors and adaptable programming are promoted as state-of-the-art technology with great potential of improving industrial production. It is commonly associated with concepts such as artificial intelligence, smart factory, agile manufacturing, and industry 4.0. Providing flexible solutions is said to facilitate the automation of complex tasks that are done manually today and enable humans and robots to work simultaneously with a task. It is argued that this will allow a flexible production that can cater to shorter product cycles and increased demand for customized products. Large manufacturers showcase such installations in their factories to demonstrate that they are keeping up to speed with technological development. While the technology is associated with promises to improve production, the benefits over classic high-speed and high-volume automation are yet to be proven. Previous research into the functionality of various types of collaborative robotics is mainly concerned with evaluating the technology in experimental settings. Consequently, while various installations are evaluated in laboratories, little research is done to understand how such automation might work in complex organizations with an established production. Through in-depth interviews with stakeholders connected to the automotive industry, this report aims to fill such a gap and discuss under what circumstances such technologies can bring added value to industrial production.
Geo-temporal Online Analysis of Traffic Rule Violations
(2020-10-30) Davidsson, Adam; Fatih, Dyako; Larsson, Simon; Naarttijärvi, Jesper; Nilsson, Daniel; Svensson, Marcus; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för data- och informationsteknik; University of Gothenburg/Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Due to inattention and not complying with traffic regulations, human error accounts for roughly 94% of all traffic accidents. To counter this, the need to develop systems that can identify traffic rule violations and calculate the risk of collisions. The information reported can then be used to implement preventive measures. Modern vehicles are equipped with sensors and cameras thus making this possible, but it comes with the complication of not violating the privacy of individuals when gathering information. This project presents a prototype system comprised of three subsystems with the intention of reducing traffic accidents. The first two revolve around the detection of traffic violations with the use of real-time object detection and intention aware risk estimation. The purpose of the third subsystem is to detach personal information from the data gathered by the previously mentioned subsystems. This makes it possible to use the data to pinpoint problematic areas in a traffic environment. Evaluation of the system was performed in both a simulation environment and with analysis of video feeds from a lab environment. The results of the evaluation show that the prototype system developed in the project is sufficiently accurate to be further developed and implemented for use in real vehicles.
Gyllene snittet och geometriförståelse på gymnasiet
(2015-05-08) Larsson, Simon; University of Gothenburg/Department of Mathematical Science; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper
Abstrakt Examensarbete i matematik för lärare, Titel: Gyllene snittet och geometriförståelse på gymnasiet. Författare: Simon Larsson Termin och år: VT 2015 Kursansvarig institution: Matematiska Vetenskaper Handledare: Jonny Lindström Examinator: Laura Fainsilber Rapportnummer: Nyckelord: Matematik, geometri, gyllene snittet, matematiska begrepp, Van Hiele-nivåer, förståelse, inlärning. Syftet med mitt arbete är att utreda vad det gyllene snittet innebär, samtidigt som detta förhoppningsvis ger mig en grund för att senare i arbetslivet kunna använda mig av denna kunskap för att konstruera matematikuppgifter som dels innefattar den mystik som finns kring gyllene snittet, men även ta ut eleverna mer i verkligheten och genom gyllene snittet visa hur matematik dyker upp på oväntade platser omkring oss där deras förmåga att analysera geometri blir bättre. Speciellt som både matematik- och naturkunskapslärare är det av intresse för mig, då naturen är en vanlig plats där detta snitt dyker upp. Den andra delen av uppgiften går dels ut på att undersöka hur elever i gymnasiet, årskurs två tolkar och utför geometri men även hur lärare utför och förhåller sig till geometriundervisningen. Uppgiften som eleverna löste var i grupper av tre, där jag spelade in elevernas samtal för att sedan kunna analysera dem. Jag kommer med hjälp av Van Hielenivåer försöka kategorisera var deras förståelse ligger samtidigt som jag isolerar vilken nivå som det möjligtvis finns kunskapsbrister på och föreslå vad som kan göras för att åtgärda dessa brister. Det framkom tydligt hur elevernas förmåga att ta fram tidigare inhämtad kunskap i en situation utan instruktioner var svårt för dem, där brist i deras analytiska förmåga var mest framträdande.
Hepatitis B virus replication and integration
(2014-04-11) Larsson, Simon
Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects 240 million people worldwide and may cause liver disease including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Initially patients have high levels of HBV DNA in their blood, no liver disease and express the e antigen (HBeAg). At some point an immune response is mounted and the viral load decreases with several log10 copies/ml, they lose HBeAg and severe liver damage may follow if the virus is not cleared efficiently. Meanwhile, the circulating levels of the surface antigen (HBsAg), not bound to viral particles, remain high. In the liver, the viral DNA might integrate in the genome of hepatocytes. This has been proposed as a mechanism potentially promoting cancer development. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the mechanisms behind the great decline in HBV DNA at loss of HBeAg while the HBsAg levels remain relatively stable, to evaluate the utility of quantification of HBsAg in serum as a marker for liver damage, and to assess the extent of integrated HBV DNA in liver biopsies. The main methods used in this thesis are various types of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The material was blood samples and liver biopsies from chronic carriers of HBV. Viral load in the liver, both DNA and RNA, was quantified by real-time PCR and integrated HBV DNA sequences were identified using Alu-PCR. Serum levels of HBV DNA and HBsAg correlated with intrahepatic levels of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), the template for new viral particles and antigens. By comparing viral load between patients positive or negative for HBeAg it was found that the 3-5 log10 decline of HBV DNA at HBeAg seroconversion mainly is explained by decrease in cccDNA and reduced transcriptional efficiency of pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), the template for virus DNA. However, retention of viral particles and decreased half-life of virions seem to have an additional impact. By comparing results of serum levels of HBsAg and histological examination of liver biopsies it was concluded that a cut-off of <3.0 log10 IU/ml of HBsAg and <4.0 log10 copies/ml could identify patients with low liver damage with a specificity of 96%. With Alu-PCR integrated sequences were detected in 36 of 48 liver biopsies examined. In total 45 integrated sequences were analysed from 32 different patients. Integration of HBV DNA was thus a very common event in the chronic HBV carriers. In summary, this study contributes to the understanding of the replication and integration of the hepatitis B virus.
Physical activity among adolescents in Vava’u, Tonga - A Rapid Assessment study
(2014-10-10) Larsson, Simon; University of Gothenburg / Institute of Medicine; Göteborgs universitet / Institutionen för medicin
Master Thesis, Programme in Medicine. TITLE: Physical activity among adolescents in Tonga- a Rapid Assessment study. AUTHOR: Simon Larsson, 2014, Department of Public Health, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden. Supervisors: Gianluca Tognon, Reynold ‘Ofanoa. Introduction: Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for mortality globally. The Southern Pacific region is worst struck by the associated obesity epidemic and in Tonga 92.1 % of the adults are overweight or obese. The sedentary lifestyle is established in adolescence and is considered a combination of globalization and sociocultural factors- which especially disfavors women to conduct physical activity. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of physical activity among adolescents in Tonga to identify possible barriers and facilitators. Methods: The study was set in the town of Neiafu, in the Vava’u island group of Tonga. Data was mostly collected from students, aged ~ 15 years, and their teachers. A Rapid Assessment methodology was used and collection methods mainly consisted of Semi-Structured Interviews (n = 19) and Focus Group Discussions (n = 6, participants n = 46). Results and discussion: Team sports are the most popular among the students: for girls netball and soccer, for boys rugby and soccer. The Tonga Health Promotion Foundation was well-known among both students and teachers. Barriers were by students mostly identified at an environmental level. Teachers mostly identified barriers on a more general Social-Ecological level. Facilitators were mostly identified on an individual level. The suggestions proposed were mostly on a more general community and societal level. This is an explorative study and conclusions are also limited by the small sample size. Conclusion: Physical activity among adolescents is influenced by many factors on different levels. The lack of opportunity for continuous physical activity is evident and sociocultural factors are especially important to address the issue.
Professionella svenska investerares värderingsmetoder för nordiska noterade medicinteknikbolag
(2021-06-28) Erlandsson, Kristian; Larsson, Simon; University of Gothenburg/Department of Economics; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för nationalekonomi med statistik; University of Gothenburg/Department of Business Administration; Göteborgs universitet/Företagsekonomiska institutionen
The purpose of this thesis is to study Swedish professional investors and their valuation methods for listed nordic medical technology (medtech) companies. Theories such as the Effective Market Hypothesis (EMH), Institutional Theory and Decision Theory were used to put the valuation methods into a broader context. A qualitative interview method has been used to capture the investors’ valuation processes. The thesis concludes that investors with a focus on medtech companies rather look at what they call soft factors than traditional valuation methods based on trailing multiples. They evaluate soft factors in order to be able to make the most sophisticated financial forecasts for each company. From the forecasts, the investors use different kinds of valuation methods depending on their occupation. According to the respondents, in order to estimate the value of medtech companies, the above mentioned soft factors as well as financial forecasts are necessary. This is, according to the respondents, because they by far outweigh the importance of a reasonable momentary valuation of the company.
Så värderar allmänheten två av Sveriges nationalparker - En betalningsviljestudie för Store Mosse och Söderåsens nationalpark
(2016-07-05) Boije, Martin; Larsson, Simon; University of Gothenburg/Department of Economics; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för nationalekonomi med statistik
Nationalparker är de naturområden i Sverige med starkast skydd. Större delen av svenska folket tycker att nationalparker är viktiga att bevara men en studie på hur befolkningen värderar nationalparker i monetära termer saknas. I denna uppsats skattas betalningsviljan för förvaltningen av Store Mosse och Söderåsens nationalpark genom en enkätundersökning hos allmänheten i Jönköpings och Skåne län. Resultatet visar att Jönköpings läns befolkning har en genomsnittlig betalningsvilja på 33,48 kr/månad för Store Mosse nationalpark och i Skåne län är den genomsnittliga betalningsviljan 34,43 kr/månad för Söderåsens nationalpark. I studien framkommer att betalningsviljan minskar med avståndet och att brukare har en högre betalningsvilja än icke-brukare. Avslutningsvis genomförs kostnads- nyttoberäkningar med olika etisk ingång. Beroende på vems nyttor man väljer att inkludera kan både ökad och minskad välfärd för samhället genereras.
Streamlining the Process of Surveying Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in OT
(2023-03-03) Brahmstaedt, Willem; Höglund, Eira; Kullgren, Caspian; Larsson, Simon; Schaff, Hanna; Thall, Johanna; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för data- och informationsteknik; University of Gothenburg/Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Operational Technology, OT, is the backbone of the 21st-century society since it eases access for managing critical infrastructure like water, transportation, and energy supply. Therefore, the security of such systems is of utmost importance. To aid risk management in OT we introduce Security Standard MANAGER, an application to streamline security compliance processes. Security Standard MANAGER achieves this by providing an intuitive interface for answering questions derived from cybersecurity standards and then generating a report based on the answers given. We will give a full stack explanation of the development, from graphical user interface to backend code and database design. To aid future developers, aside from the application, we also enumerate the obstacles faced, potential improvements and suggest avenues for future work.
”Vi slänger in lite kluringar ibland!” – Om hur problemlösning används i matematikundervisning.
(2014) Görrel, Mimmie; Ståhl, Johanna; Larsson, Simon; Göteborgs Universitet/Institutionen för sociologi och arbetsvetenskap
Sammanfattning Syftet med vårt examensarbete var att se vad verksamma lärare anser att problemlösning är och hur de använder sig utav det i sin matematikundervisning. Vi har genomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med både gymnasielärare och högstadielärare och observerat en lektion för att kunna besvara våra frågeställningar. Vi ville även försöka utreda definitionen av problemlösning. Detta har vi gjort genom att läsa litteratur och berör ämnet. Det visade sig att definitionen av problemlösning tillslut inte var så lätt att besvara då olika forskare har presenterat olika modeller av vad ett problem och vad lösningen av ett problem är. Detta kunde vi även se i våra intervjuer där åsikterna om vad en problemlösningsuppgift var gick isär hos lärarna. Högstadielärarna som har intervjuats har denna termin deltagit i Matematiklyftet och använde sig i större utsträckning av problemlösning i sin undervisning än vad gymnasielärarna gjorde. Vi har jämfört kursplaner tillbaka till 70-talet och speciellt tittat på hur väl de olika kursplanerna belyser just problemlösning. Med tanke på hur de nya styrdokumenten ser ut (Lgr11 och Gy11) så bör även gymnasielärarna se över sin undervisning så de inte missar problemlösning i sin undervisning. Arbetet har gett oss inblick i hur viktigt det är att använda sig av problemlösning i matematikundervisningen. Det är dock svårt att göra bra problemlösningsuppgifter som utmanar eleverna på en lagom nivå och vi kan se att en god kommunikation mellan lärare leder till mer genomtänkta val av uppgifter. Den japanska metoden att använda sig utav problemlösning har vi också studerat närmare och detta sätt att arbeta blir alltmer etablerat och dyker inte minst upp som en del i Matematiklyftet. Lektionen som vi observerade innehöll undervisning genom problemlösning som är en självklar del i den japaninfluerade undervisningen, istället för en lektion om problemlösning.