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Predicting Migraine Onset Using Machine Learning and Daily Lifestyle Data
No full textMigraines are a widespread neurological condition with significant personal and societal impact, yet their unpredictability remains a challenge. This thesis investigates whether migraine attacks can be predicted one day in advance using machine learning techniques. The study is conducted in collaboration with Neurawave and utilizes two datasets: the first consists of daily health reports from four individuals overapproximately 90 days; the second comprises daily diary entries from over 60 participants in a Korean migraine study. To address the limitations of the first dataset, additional features such as weather conditions, moon phases, and air pollution are integrated. Temporal patterns are captured through lag features, and Recursive FeatureElimination with Cross-Validation (RFECV) is applied to identify relevant predictors. A range of supervised models, including Support Vector Machines, RandomForest, XGBoost, Logistic Regression, and a Neural Network, are trained and evaluated using AUC-ROC and Brier scores. While the best-performing model on the first dataset achieves an AUC-ROC of approximately 0.69, the results are not sufficient for clinical or commercial use. However, experiments on the alternative dataset show significantly improved results for same-day prediction, with all tested models reaching AUC-ROC values above 0.80 and Brier scores below 0.16. These findings suggest that short-term migraine prediction may be feasible with current data and models, and that improved data collection could further enhance predictive accuracy. This work provides a foundation for future research in personalized migraine prediction systems
Control, Demands, and Recovery: Women’s Experiences of Work-Related Stress During Menopause : A Qualitative Study of Menopause and Occupational Stress
No full textMenopause often coincides with a period in life when work demands are high, while bodily and psychological changes may affect wellbeing and work ability. The aim of the study was to explore how women experience workrelated stress in relation to menopause and which strategies may facilitate coping. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach in which semistructured interviews with eight women undergoing menopause were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The results show that menopauserelated symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, hot flushes, and cognitive difficulties affect stress levels and work ability, particularly in work environments characterised by high workload and limited opportunities for recovery. The findings also indicate that stress does not stem from menopause per se, but emerges through the interaction between bodily changes, workrelated demands, and organisational conditions. This stress is further linked to a shift in professional identity, where a reduced sense of control and competence contributes to an existentially coloured form of stress.Klimakteriet sammanfaller ofta med en period i livet då arbetskraven är höga, samtidigt som kroppsliga och psykiska förändringar kan påverka välbefinnande och arbetsförmåga. Syftet med undersökningen var att undersöka hur kvinnor upplever arbetsrelaterad stress i relation till klimakteriet och vilka strategier som kan underlätta hanteringen. Undersökningen genomfördes med en kvalitativ ansats där semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta kvinnor i klimakteriet analyserades med reflexiv tematisk analys. Resultaten visar att klimakterierelaterade symptom såsom trötthet, sömnsvårigheter, värmevallningar och kognitiva svårigheter påverkar stressnivåer och arbetsförmåga, särskilt i arbetsmiljöer med hög arbetsbelastning och begränsade möjligheter till återhämtning. Resultatet visar också att stress inte beror på klimakteriet i sig utan uppstår i samspelet mellan kroppsliga förändringar, arbetslivets krav och organisatoriska villkor, och är även kopplad till en förändring i yrkesidentiteten där minskad upplevelse av kontroll och kompetens bidrar till en existentiellt färgad stress.
Design and evaluation of a RAG-based student assistant for navigating university information resources
No full textUniversities manage large volumes of heterogeneous administrative information, in-cluding regulations, schedules, and procedural guidelines, which are often difficultfor students to access efficiently through traditional keyword-based search or staticweb navigation. Recent advances in large language models offer flexible conversa-tional interfaces, but purely generative systems suffer from hallucinations and lackfactual grounding, making them unsuitable for administrative domains that requirehigh accuracy. This thesis investigates the design and evaluation of an assistant thatcombines information retrieval from university information resources with language-model–based generation. The system follows a Retrieval-Augmented Generation(RAG) approach to support accurate university administrative information access,with a focus on improving retrieval precision while maintaining scalability. A hy-brid retrieval architecture is proposed that combines semantic vector search withkeyword-based filtering, allowing the system to both understand the meaning ofuser queries and precisely match key administrative terms, which addresses commonentity-level lookup problems in academic administration. The system employs mul-tilingual sentence embeddings, a vector database with approximate nearest-neighborsearch, and dynamic query analysis to ground generated responses in authoritativedocuments. The proposed approach is evaluated on a curated benchmark of 30 repre-sentative student queries across 6 administrative categories using standard informa-tion retrieval metrics and the RAGAS framework. Evaluation focuses on two aspects:the performance of document retrieval, quantified using Precision@k and Recall@k,and the quality of generated responses, assessed through faithfulness and answerrelevance. Experimental results demonstrate that the hybrid RAG strategy signifi-cantly outperforms the university’s existing search solution, increasing Context Re-call from 0.37 to 0.98, and improves answer faithfulness to 0.93 while maintaininghigh retrieval coverage. These findings indicate that a schema-free hybrid architec-ture provides an effective middle ground between pure semantic retrieval and highlystructured knowledge-based systems
From Concept to Practice : A Blockchain‐Based Solution for Secure and Efficient Academic Credentials in Higher Education
No full textThe generation and verification of academic credentials, particularly diplomas, is crucial for the secure functioning, enhanced legitimacy, and confidentiality of higher education institutions (HEIs). Digitising the internal services of HEIs is of great importance, as it mitigates the potential abuse of diplomas and other important documents. The prevalence of forgery attempts highlights the need for robust verification methods. In this regard, blockchain technology can be considered as a solution due to its capability to ensure the immutability, decentralisation, security and transparency of all documents stored on the blockchain network or storage. In this paper, we aim to move from concept to practical implementation of a blockchain-based framework for generating and verifying diplomas, named Diploma Integrity Authentication Record (DIAR), which, in addition to the digitalization of diplomas and academic documents, also enables their fast, secure, and cost-effective verification. Through the paper, we describe in detail the process of practical implementation of the DIAR framework, presenting the smart contract for generating and verifying diplomas, the process of encrypting and storing diplomas as non-fungible tokens on the blockchain network or storage. At the same time, the challenges of practical implementation are also described, which are predominantly related to the scarcity of blockchain solutions for generating and verifying diplomas in HEIs. Significant attention and emphasis are placed on the legal matters pertaining to the implementation and safeguarding of students’ identification and data privacy
“It is the child´s right to meet their parent, not the other way around” : A qualitative analysis of the best interests of the child and children´s agency in district court cases concerning visitation.
No full textThe goal of this study was to investigate and create understanding for how the best interest of the child is justified and interpreted and also what kind of space children have to be participating and say their opinion. This is because of the lack of direct guidelines in the legal framework that affects the work with children. This study was based on a qualitative study in the form of a document study of district court cases regarding contact or visitation with a parent. This has been analyzed with a reflexive thematic analysis where there were patterns regarding the reasoning of the district court, consequences for the children, the construction of children's voice, and right of interpretation. The results showed that children's agency differs, often it is the social workers or the parents that express the children's opinions as a fact and not themselves, it also shows how different the district courts motivate case to case of what is in the children’s best interests. Even if previous research and theories support that children should be given the opportunity to participate in situations concerning themselves the result show that it is a complex area, as there are no direct guidelines and the law is left to the discretion of decision-makers to interpret.
Sjuksköterskans upplevelse av att vårda patienter med demens inom sjukhusmiljö : En kvalitativ litteraturstudie
No full textBakgrund: Demens är ett globalt hälsoproblem och en av de största dödsorsakerna i världen. Sjukdomen påverkar både samhället och individen. Det finns flera olika typer av demens och de alla påverkar individens minne och tänkande. Sjuksköterskan träffar denna patientgrupp inom olika vårdkontexter inklusive inom sjukhusmiljön. För att uppnå god vård och omvårdnad bör sjuksköterskan ta in patientens livsvärld för att uppnå en helhetssyn och välkomna delaktighet. Syftet: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelse av att vårda patienter med demens inom sjukhusmiljö. Metoden: En litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats där 10 kvalitativa vetenskapliga orginalartiklar söktes fram genom strukturerad sökning i databaserna CINAHL och PubMed. De analyserades sedan enligt Fribergs integrerande analysmetod. Resultatet: Påvisade tre teman av upplevelser i vårdandet som är Organisatoriska förutsättningar som påverkar vårdandet av demenssjuka, Kommunikativ komplexitet i vårdandet av demenssjuka och Beteendemässiga och emotionella aspekter i vårdandet av demenssjuka. Totalt sju subteman utformades. Slutsatsen: Det förekom en rad olika upplevelser från sjuksköterskor av att vårda patienter med demens inom sjukhusmiljö. Dessa tillsammans ökar förståelsen och identifierar utvecklingsområden. Strategier för vårdande bör efterforskas och implementeras i vårdandet av demenssjuka exempelvis strategier för kommunikation. Dessutom bör mer utbildning erbjudas inom ämnet då en bristande kompetens hos sjuksköterskorna har framkommit
What motivates Gen Z in the worklife? : A qualitative interview study
No full textSyftet med studien var att undersöka vad motiverar Generation Z i arbetslivet – vad som får dem att trivas, engagera sig och utföra ett bra arbete. Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ ansats och semistrukturerade intervjuer, samt analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Totalt deltog 10 personer i studien, med varierande yrken och en jämn könsfördelning. Centrala teman som framkom genom den tematiska analysen var: Arbetets sociala kontext, Organisatoriska förutsättningar, Autonomi, Ambitioner och framtid, och Mening och syfte i arbetet. Resultaten visade att Generation Z påverkades av såväl sociala relationer och ledarskap som utvecklingsmöjligheter, flexibilitet, och upplevd mening i arbetet. Studien bidrar till djupare förståelse för vad som motiverar Generation Z i arbetslivet och kunde därmed utgöra stöd för organisationer som ville attrahera, engagera och behålla medarbetare från denna generation. The aim of this study was to investigate what motivates Generation Z in the work life – what makes them thrive, feel engaged, and perform well at work. The study adopted a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and was analyzed through thematic analysis. Ten participants took part in the study, representing a range of professions and an equal gender distribution. The central themes that emerged through the thematic analysis were: The Social Context of Work, Organizational Conditions, Autonomy, Ambitions and the Future, and Meaning and Purposes at Work. The results showed that Generation Z is influenced by both social relationships and leadership, as well as opportunities, flexibility, and a perceived sense of meaning in their work. The study contributed to a deeper understanding of what motivates Generation Z in the work life and can therefore serve as support for organizations seeking to attract, engage, and retain employees from this generation.
”PM me if you need to talk" : A qualitative study on men’s experiences and constructions of involuntary loneliness online
No full textInvoluntary loneliness is a social problem that has received growing attention in recent years. Sweden's national public health agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten) describes involuntary loneliness as a health issue which can contribute to both physical and psychological health problems. Statistics from the agency show that the more severe forms of involuntary loneliness are more common among men, particularly those under the age of fortyfive. This study aimed to investigate and analyse how conceptions of involuntary loneliness and masculinity were negotiated and constructed on the Swedish online-based discussion forum Flashback. The study was conducted through a qualitative method and netnographic approach, the data were analysed using discourse analysis and hegemonic masculinity as theoretical framework. The analysis showed that a majority of forum members who experienced involuntary loneliness also experienced feelings of shame, marginalization and mental health problems. Involuntary loneliness could also be understood as a sign or consequence of lacking masculinity. Interactions in the analysed discussion threads were mainly supportive, including offers such as “PM me if you need to talk”
The aspect of power in Max Frisch's novel Homo Faber
No full textThe analysis is based on a qualitative close reading of the novel, supported by theories from Michel Foucault on biopower and Toni Tholen on masculinity as a dynamic and relational process. By studying Faber's dialogues, thoughts and actions, the dynamics of power and Faber's pursuit of control are explored. The study shows that Faber's exercise of power is manifested through emotional distance, dominance in dialogues and control over the women's actions. At the same time, his hegemonic masculinity is challenged by unexpected events and resistance, especially through Hanna's independence and Sabeth's tragic fate. Finally, Faber's masculinity and power are not static but are renegotiated in light of the challenges he faces. The novel highlights how power and gender roles interact and change in the encounter with resistance and life-defining events
Effective methods for a richer vocabulary : A systematic literature review on teaching vocabulary development for students with language disorders.
No full textStudiens syfte är att sammanställa befintlig forskning om undervisningsmetoder som främjar ordförrådsutveckling hos lågstadieelever med språkstörning. Studien genomfördes som en systematisk litteraturöversikt och resulterade i nio inkluderade artiklar. Genom en innehållsanalys identifierades fem undervisningsmetoder och dessas effekt på kort och lång sikt på elevernas ordförrådsutveckling: interaktiv bokläsning, återkallningsmetod, explicit ordförrådsundervisning, semantisk-fonologisk metod och RVI-metod. Sammantaget visar undervisningsmetoderna till största del positiv effekt för ordförrådsutveckling hos elever med språkstörning. Däremot saknar majoriteten av undervisningsmetoderna belägg för hur den positiva effekten av undervisningen bibehålls långsiktigt