Blekinge Institute of Technology
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Volvo Cars : Eco driving mot nollvisionen
No full textDetta examensarbete undersöker om en statistikfunktion i Volvo Cars-appen, liknande Volvo Connect, kan bidra till att främja trafiksäkerhet och hållbar körning i enlighet med Volvos Nollvision: målet att ingen ska dödas eller skadas allvarligt i en ny Volvo. Studien bygger på en kombination av litteraturstudie, enkätundersökning, intervju samt en prototyputveckling i Figma. Resultatet visar att digital återkoppling, såsom den som erbjuds via Volvo Connect i yrkestrafiken, har en positiv inverkan på förarens körbeteende och kunskap om EcoDriving. Självskattad kunskap om hållbar körning ökade från ett medelvärde på 3,3 före användning till 4,6 efter. En intervju med en erfaren yrkesförare stärkte bilden av att digitala verktyg kan fungera som en pedagogisk spegel för föraren. Studien drar slutsatsen att en liknande funktion i Volvo Cars-appen kan bidra till säkrare och mer hållbar körning, under förutsättning att återkopplingen är tydlig, relevant och motiverande.This thesis investigates whether a statistics feature in the Volvo Cars app, similar to Volvo Connect, can help promote traffic safety and sustainable driving, in line with Volvo’s Vision Zero: the goal that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo. The study combines a literature review, a survey, an interview, and a prototype developed in Figma. The results show that digital feedback, such as that offered through Volvo Connect in the professional transport sector, has a positive effect on drivers’ behavior and knowledge of EcoDriving. Self-assessed knowledge of sustainable driving increased from an average score of 3.3 before using Volvo Connect to 4.6 after. An interview with an experienced professional driver supported the idea that digital tools can serve as an educational mirror for drivers. The study concludes that a similar feature in the Volvo Cars app could contribute to safer and more sustainable driving, as long as the feedback is clear, relevant, and motivating
Den moderna kvartersstaden : Alternativet för urban förtätning
No full textDetta arbete undersöker ämnet förtätning med fokus på kvarterstaden som stadstypologi i stadsmiljöer. Syftet med arbetet är att identifiera och analysera negativa aspekter i kvarterstaden och integrera det modernistiska planeringsidealet med fokus på ljus, luft och vegetation för att skapa en hållbar stadsutveckling. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ fallstudie som forskningsstrategi och dokumentstudie, systematisk observation samt platsanalys som datainsamlingsmetoder. Två fall har valts; Sockerbruksområdet i Lund och Barbican i London för att studera en modern kvarterstad i svensk stadsmiljö samt ett välutvecklat modernistiskt område. Resultatet visar att det finns många för- och nackdelar med kvartersstaden, men huvudsakligen att det brister i ljusinsläpp, sämre luftkvalitet samt begränsade ytor för vegetation. Resultatet visar även att det är möjligt att integrera modernistiska element i kvarterstaden. Slutsatsen är att stadsplanering som kombinerar kvarterstad med modernistiska element kan skapa platser som främjar hållbarhet utveckling
The Attribution Story of WhisperGate : An Academic Perspective
No full textThis paper explores the challenges of cyberattack attribution, specifically APTs, applying the case study approach for the WhisperGate cyber operation of January 2022 executed by the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) and targeting Ukrainian government entities. The study provides a detailed review of the threat actor identifiers and taxonomies used by leading cybersecurity vendors, focusing on the evolving attribution from Microsoft, ESET, and CrowdStrike researchers. Once the attribution to Ember Bear (GRU Unit 29155) is established through technical and intelligence reports, we use both traditional machine learning classifiers and a large language model (ChatGPT) to analyze the indicators of compromise (IoCs), tactics, and techniques to statistically and semantically attribute the WhisperGate attack. Our findings reveal overlapping indicators with the Sandworm group (GRU Unit 74455) but also strong evidence pointing to Ember Bear, especially when the LLM is fine-tuned or contextually augmented with additional intelligence. Thus, showing how AI/GenAI with proper fine-tuning are capable of solving the attribution challenge
Strategic Leadership and Financial Sustainability in Higher Education : A Qualitative Study of Pakistani Universities
No full textBackground. Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan face persistent financial challenges due to limited state funding, rising operational costs, and bureaucratic constraints. In this environment, institutional leadership plays a critical role in navigating fiscal pressures and sustaining core academic functions. However, there is limited empirical research exploring how leadership styles shape financial decision-making in such contexts. Purpose. This study investigates how different leadership styles influence financial sustainability in Pakistani HEIs. It aims to identify which leadership qualities most effectively support financial stability and how these behaviors can be integrated to enhance institutional resilience. Method. A qualitative case study design was employed, using in-depth semi-structured interviews with four senior university leaders—Vice Chancellors and Directors Finance—from selected public sector institutions. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in leadership practice, financial strategy, governance dynamics, and institutional culture. Results and Analysis. The findings reveal that leadership style significantly influences financial governance. Transformational leaders emphasized strategic vision, transparency, and stakeholder engagement, while transactional leaders focused on budget control, compliance, and efficiency. The most effective financial leaders adopted a hybrid style—blending vision with pragmatism—to manage both long-term strategy and short-term constraints. Part`icipants also highlighted the importance of trust, the limitations imposed by external governance (e.g., HEC regulations and political appointments), and the lack of structured leadership training in financial management. Conclusions. Effective financial leadership in Pakistani HEIs is adaptive, situated, and context-sensitive. Transformational elements foster institutional change, while transactional competencies ensure operational control and accountability. Institutions with leaders who combined both approaches demonstrated greater resilience, innovation, and financial adaptability. Recommendations for Future Research. Future studies should expand the sample size across different institutional types (e.g., private universities), adopt mixed-method approaches for triangulation, and assess the longitudinal impact of leadership development interventions on financial outcomes.Bakgrund. Offentliga högre utbildningsinstitutioner (HEI) i Pakistan står inför ihållande ekonomiska utmaningar till följd av begränsade statliga anslag, stigande driftskostnader och byråkratiska hinder. I detta sammanhang spelar institutionellt ledarskap en avgörande roll för att hantera finansiella påfrestningar och säkerställa den akademiska verksamhetens kontinuitet. Det finns dock begränsad empirisk forskning om hur olika ledarstilar påverkar finansiellt beslutsfattande i sådana miljöer. Syfte. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur olika ledarstilar påverkar den finansiella hållbarheten inom pakistanska HEI. Studien syftar till att identifiera vilka ledaregenskaper som mest effektivt stödjer ekonomisk stabilitet och hur dessa kan integreras för att stärka institutionell motståndskraft. Metod. En kvalitativ fallstudie har genomförts baserad på djupintervjuer med fyra högre universitetsledare – vicekanslerer och ekonomichefer – från utvalda offentliga universitet. Tematisk analys användes för att identifiera mönster i ledarskapspraxis, finansiella strategier, styrning och organisationskultur. Resultat. Studien visar att ledarskapsstil har en tydlig påverkan på finansiell styrning. Transformativa ledare betonade strategisk vision, transparens och delaktighet, medan transaktionella ledare fokuserade på budgetkontroll, efterlevnad och effektivitet. De mest framgångsrika ledarna kombinerade båda stilarna för att balansera långsiktig strategi med kortsiktiga begränsningar. Betydelsen av förtroende, brist på strukturerad ledarskapsutbildning samt externa hinder som politiska utnämningar och regleringar framkom tydligt. Slutsats. Effektivt finansiellt ledarskap i pakistanska HEI kräver anpassningsförmåga och kontextmedvetenhet. Institutioner med ledare som integrerade transformativa och transaktionella egenskaper visade större innovationsförmåga, motståndskraft och finansiell flexibilitet.
Exploring the Relationship between Technical Debt and Lead Time : An Industrial Case Study
No full textBackground: Software companies must balance fast delivery and quality, a trade-off that often introduces technical debt and wastes developer's time. Technical debt tends to increase as software evolves, which is assumed to slow down development and maintenance activities. However, the potential relationship between technical debt and lead time lacks empirical evidence. Objective: This paper reports an empirical study to explore the potential relationship between technical debt and lead time in resolving Jira tickets. We further aim to measure the extent to which technical debt can explain the variation in lead time. Method: We conducted an industrial case study to explore this relationship in six components, each of which was analyzed individually. Technical debt was measured using SonarQube and normalized with the component's size. Lead times to resolve Jira tickets were collected from Jira and averaged monthly. Results: The study found little to no correlation between technical debt and lead time to resolve Jira tickets in five components, with technical debt explaining a variation in lead time ranging from 0% to 41%. However, it is less than 30% in most of the components. Conclusion: Technical debt alone does not fully explain the variation in lead time. There should be some other confounding variables (e.g., size and complexity of the changes, number of teams involved, priorities, component ownership) affecting lead time or a residual effect, i.e., interest, that might manifest later. Further investigation into those confounding variables is essential.
On Quantifying Software Craftsmanship Concepts
No full textBackground: Books on software craftsmanship typically focus on small teams or individual behavior, and are seldom associated with large, globally distributed organizations that develop and maintain long-lived software systems. Objective: This thesis aims to quantify the effects of systematically derived aspects of software craftsmanship in industrial settings involving large-scale organizations, with developers spread around the globe. Method: We employ mixed-methods studies, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR), together with a longitudinal industrial case study, is used to derive an initial anatomy of software craftsmanship, and we use case studies, experience reports and action research to explore and quantify aspects of this anatomy. We use Bayesian methods to analyze data obtained via archival analysis, as well as Likert-scale data obtained froma survey using the Technology Adoption Model (TAM). Qualitative data has been analyzed using thematic coding, and we use focus groups to validate our conclusions with the studied subjects. Results: Based on the SLR results and a industrial case study, we derive an anatomy of software craftsmanship, based on four themes, 17 principles and 47 practices. The effects of some practices from this anatomy are then quantified in subsequent articles in the thesis. Conclusion: Based on literature and case study results, we have found a usable conceptual map of software craftsmanship. However, it remains to be seen how this map will stay relevant, in the face of how cloud migrations and AI-powered Large-Language Model tools will impact future software engineers
A Personalized and Explainable Federated Learning Approach for Recommendation Systems
No full textThe growing adoption of wearable fitness devices and health applications has led to an exponential increase in fitness recommendations. However, privacy concerns remain significant barriers to user trust and regulatory compliance. Federated Learning (FL) offers a privacy-preserving paradigm by training models across decentralized devices without exposing raw data. However, FL introduces new challenges, including data heterogeneity, computational overhead, and the need for explainable AI (XAI). This work presents XFL, an integrated, explainable FL approach for personalized fitness recommendation systems. Our approach integrates FL with XAI techniques, SHAP, and LIME, to enhance transparency and interpretability while preserving privacy. By leveraging global and client-specific explanations, our framework empowers users to understand the rationale behind personalized recommendations, fostering trust and usability. Experimental results demonstrate that XFL performs better than centralized models while maintaining strong privacy guarantees. Furthermore, we evaluated the computational impact of integrating XAI in FL environments, providing insights into the efficiency of different explainability techniques. Our findings contribute to developing user-centric, privacy-aware, and interpretable AI-driven fitness solutions.
Distributed Adaptive Push-Button Forensics
No full textDigital Forensics (DF) in distributed environments faces significant challenges, ranging from scalability, complexity, and reliance on traditional DF processes. The problem being addressed in this paper, is the lack of effective automated DF analysis across distributed ecosystems. Inspired by the success of peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures, and as a step toward overcoming the limitations of traditional client-server models, a Distributed Adaptive Push-button Forensic (DAPF) System that leverages a decentralized approach is suggested. The DAPF system automates attack data collection and analysis across multiple nodes in an adaptive approach to streamline DF investigations. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated a 30% reduction in analysis time compared to traditional methods. This work highlights the potential of automation, adaptability, and decentralized architectures in modern DF a step towards distributed digital forensics. dAIEDGE: HORIZON-CL4-2022-HUMAN-02-0
The Role of Digital Twins in Building Climate Change Resilience
No full textClimate change is one of the most important challenges for society to solve. However, it cannot be fixed solely through greenhouse gas reductions; it requires proactive efforts. This paper investigates how Digital Twins (DT) can serve as a support for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), which is required to achieve climate resilience. Data was collected from a workshop targeting the role of DT in CCA, which consisted of 92 participants from the public sector in various European countries. The data was analyzed and disseminated to establish guiding principles on how DT can be deployed and designed to best fit the characteristics of CCA work. Firstly, use cases were identified based on cross-examination between CCA activities and stakeholders. Secondly, a list of needs for developing DTs to serve as CCA support was developed. Together, these aspects provide a solid base for more effective DT design in supporting the transition to a more resilient society.Regions for Climate Change Resilience through Innovation, Science and Technolog
Kommunikationens betydelse vid vård av personer med demenssjukdom : En allmän litteraturöversikt ur sjuksköterskans perspektiv
No full textBakgrund: Personer med demens har nedsatt kognitiv förmåga och nedsatt förmåga att kommunicera. En grundläggande handling för att ge god vård är kommunikation. Sjuksköterskans roll är att göra patienten sedd och förstådd. Det finns en svårighet försjuksköterskan att ge personcentrerad vård hos personer med demens. För att utföra personcentrerad vård behövs kommunikation. Kommunikationen är av vikt för att skapa mänskliga relationer och nå meningen med omvårdnaden. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att kommunicera med personer med demenssjukdom inom hälso- och sjukvård. Metod: Studien var en allmän litteraturöversikt med induktiv ansats. Studien baserades på åtta artiklar, sju kvalitativa och en med mixad metod. Analysmetoden var enligt Fribergsanalys att göra en litteraturöversikt av kvantitativ och kvalitativ forskning. Resultat: Resultatet visade att sjuksköterskor hade flera olika erfarenheter av att kommunicera med personer med demenssjukdom inom hälso- och sjukvården. Resultatet sammanfattades i tre huvudkategorier: kommunikationssvårigheter, kommunikationsstrategier och kunskap och erfarenhet har betydelse. Huvudkategorin Kommunikationssvårigheter hade tre underkategorier: Kommunikationssvårigheter beror på ett bortstötande och agiterat beteende, Kommunikationssvårigheter beror på kognitivnedsättning och Kommunikationssvårigheter av att inte tala samma språk. Huvudkategorin Kommunikationsstrategier hade sex underkategorier: Tolka verbala uttryck, Tolka icke-verbala uttryck, Beskyddande strategier, Bibehålla lugnt tonläge och ge begriplig information, Ordlista och närstående som stöd vid kommunikation och Tydlig kommunikation. Slutsats: Det framkom att sjuksköterskor hade flera olika erfarenheter av att kommunicera med personer med demenssjukdom inom hälso- och sjukvården. Det var svårt att kommunicera med personer med demens och detta påverkade utformningen av omvårdnaden. En förutsättning för personcentrerad vård var att sjuksköterskan behövde kunna kommunicera på olika sätt. Detta var betydelsefullt för personer med demens