Södertörns högskolas Publications
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Open Weight Large Language Models as a design material in RPGs
No full textWith the advance of Large Language Models in recent years, there has been a lot of interest in using them as a design material. Games with a large quantity of text, such as Role-playing Games, have been one area with a lot of interest in the gaming industry. This study aims to explore how open-weight models can perform as a design material, running locally on an end user’s machine. The exact use of the Large Language Model as a design material is as a personalization tool of a game’s dialogue scripot. This is explored through participant studies on a custom-made artefact, where participants provide data through semi-structured interviews and Likert scale metrics. Additionally, the outputs of the Large Language Model are evaluated with a simplified Natural Language Processing quality measurement protocol, allowing the researcher to also evaluate output quality, and explore links between participant data and output quality in the scope of text rewriting of game dialogue. The study’s results finds that different aspects of game dialogue benefit unequally from personalization, and that results for areas where they perform worse differ highly depending on what type of personalization the model is asked to perform. The results show that without further development or more constraints, the technology is not ready for deployment on a full game, but shows promise in specific parts of a game
Räntebindning och finansiell exponering: En analys av svenska kontra amerikanska bostadsbolags sårbarhet under ränteuppgångar. : “Den svenska räntebindningsmodellen i ett internationellt perspektiv”
No full textDenna studie undersöker hur ränteförändringar påverkar finansiella risker för allmännyttiga bostadsbolag i Sverige och public housing-organisationer i USA, med särskilt fokus på räntebindningstid. Syftet är att analysera hur olika räntebindningsstrategier påverkar kostnadsstruktur, kapitalstruktur och riskexponering vid ränteuppgångar. Studien bygger på en kvantitativ metod där historisk data samt Monte Carlo simulering analyseras för att jämföra hur det finansiella utfallet ser ut över tid. Det historiska datamaterialet omfattar perioden 2019-2023 och inkluderar uppgifter om räntekostnader, skuldsättningsgrad, och bindningstider ur ett urval av större bostadsbolag ur respektive land. Resultatet visar på att amerikanska bostadsbolag innehar längre genomsnittliga räntebindningstider, uppvisar lägre volatilitet i räntekostnader och större motståndskraft vid ränteuppgångar jämfört med deras svenska motsvarigheter. En kortare bindningstid som är vanligt i Sverige uppvisar sig medföra högre känslighet för ränteförhöjningar men kan samtidigt ge en större flexibilitet vid räntesänkningar. Slutsatsen är att valet av räntebindningsstrategi är en central komponent i bostadsbolagens riskhantering, där en balans mellan stabilitet och flexibilitet är avgörande för framtida finansiell hållbarhet.This study examines how interest rate changes affect financial risk for public housing companies in Sweden and public housing authorities in the United States, with a focus on interest rate fixation periods. The aim is to analyze how different interest rate fixation strategies influence cost structures, capital structures and risk exposure during periods of rising interest rates. Using a quantitative approach based on historical financial data and Monte Carlo simulations, the study compares financial outcomes over the period 2019-2023 for a selection of major housing companies in both Sweden and the U.S. The results indicate that U.S. housing authorities, with longer average fixation periods, exhibit lower volatility in interest expenses and greater resilience to rising interest rates compared to their Swedish counterparts. In Sweden, shorter fixation periods increase sensitivity to rate fluctuations but may provide flexibility during interest rate cuts. The findings highlight that interest rate fixation strategy is a key component of housing companies’ risk management, balancing stability and flexibility to ensure long-term financial sustainability
Exploring archival absence : silences, imagined records and materiality in nineteenth-century Europe
No full textThis article analyses archivists’ and historians’ experiences of archival absence innineteenth-century Europe. It takes off in well-known processes of centralisation,nationalisation and dislocations of archives to discuss how experiences of missingdocuments and holdings have shaped historiographical practice and thought. Drawingon theorisations of archival silences, imagined records and materiality, the articleargues that although ideas about the past are immaterial, archivists’ and historians’perceptions of history relied on archival materiality. This is illustrated by twocase studies of fragmented, supranational holdings: the establishment of the CentralArchive of the Teutonic Order in Habsburg Vienna, and lost archives in the Balticprovinces of Romanov Russia. The article shows how practices such as mappings ofholdings, negotiations of restitutions and provenance, and publications of source editionsmaterialised absence. Enquiries into absence certainly generated new knowledgeabout archives, past dislocations and loss. However, the article also demonstratesthat investigations of absence have produced ignorance and further absences.In conclusion, the article argues the benefits of absence studies. The cases illuminatethat absence was a material issue with an intricate relationship to imagineddocuments and holdings. Moreover, the article recognises a long history of archivalsilences, which may take different forms and affect different groups throughout history.Lastly, the article addresses the issue of representation and argues the valueof disregarding the nation when historicising theoretically pressing issues such asarchival absence and its materiality.Provenance in 19th-century Europe: Research practice and concep
Hållbara transporter och Marknadsföringsstrategier inom B2B
No full textThis study examines how B2B companies work with sustainable transportation in practice and how these practices affect their marketing strategies. The study focuses both on the company's sustainability work itself and on its relation to marketing. This arises from the growing demand for sustainable transport solutions from customers, legislators, and stakeholders. The research question investigated in this study is: “How do B2B companies work with sustainable transportation in practice, and what significance does this have for their marketing strategies?” The study applies the theories of Resource Based View (RBV), Institutional Theory, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) to answer this research question and to analyze the survey results. A quantitative method was used through a survey. The survey was distributed to 150 companies based on the criteria of being B2B and actively using sustainable transportation. The selection of companies was made through the researchers own networks as well as through internet searches where emails were sent to the companies. The conclusion of the study is that sustainable transportation has an important significance for B2B companies sustainability work and marketing. The study shows that from a marketing perspective, sustainable transportation plays a central role for B2B companies, but its significance is influenced by internal resources and external pressures. Even if not all B2B companies view sustainability as a central issue in their marketing strategies, the work with sustainable transportation is still important due to external requirements and expectations
The reading child in an unimaginative world : A qualitative study of children's reading practices and experiences in a context of reading promotion
No full textThere has long been a commitment from society regarding reading among children and youth. Too much focus on different goals and results in children's reading combined with a lack of imagination in reading promotion efforts can make us forget that children are their own individuals with previous experiences. By proceeding from children's reading practices and a clear child perspective, this study aims to contribute to the discussion about how reading promotion for children and youth can be conducted. In this study, children's voices will come forth through workshops inspired by semi-structured interviews, focus groups and visual methods. Children's reading practices have been generated through stories in both words and drawings. In the results section, the empirical material is presented from one child at a time to create narratives around each child's statements and drawings. Based on Michel de Certeau's theory of everyday practices, the children's narratives have been analyzed using de Certeau's poacher together with the concept of hideaway which is borrowed from child and youth studies. The study's choice of a narrative analysis together with de Certeau's theory aims to show that children find their spaces and approaches in everyday life. The central conclusions of the study show the complexity in children's reading practices as well as the readingpromotion aimed at children. There is no set path to take to promote reading among children and youth, but a starting point can be to emphasize children's perspectives. Länge har det funnits ett engagemang från samhällets sida gällande läsandet bland barn och unga. Ett för stort fokus på olika mål och resultat i barns läsning tillsammans med en avsaknad av fantasi i läsfrämjande insatser kan leda till att det glöms bort att barn är egna individer med tidigare erfarenheter. Genom att utgå från barns läspraktiker och ett tydligt barnperspektiv ämnar denna studie att bidra till diskussionen om hur läsfrämjandet för barn och unga kan bedrivas. I denna studie kommer barnens röster träda fram med hjälp av workshoppar med inspiration av semistrukturerade intervjuer, fokusgrupper och visuella metoder. Barnens läspraktiker har således framställts genom berättelser både i form av ord och teckningar. I resultatdelen presenteras det empiriska materialet utifrån ett barn i taget för att skapa narrativ kring varje barns utsagor och teckningar. Utifrån Michel de Certeaus teori om vardagspraktiker har barnens narrativ analyserats med hjälp av de Certeaus begrepp smygskytt tillsammans med begreppet gömställe som är lånat från barn och ungdomsvetenskapen. Valet med studiens narrativanalys tillsammans med de Certeaus teori syftar till att visa att barn hittar sina utrymmen och tillvägagångsätt i vardagen. De centrala slutsatserna för studien visar komplexiteten i barns läspraktiker såväl som i det läsfrämjande arbetet riktat mot barn. Det finns ingen utstakad väg att ta för att främja läsningen bland barn och unga men en början kan vara att lyfta fram barns perspektiv
“What?” : – The Q-drop Corpus’s Usage of Rhetorical Questions to Refer to Independent Information Retrieval
No full textThe communications from the source "Q" are regarded by the QAnon movement, a political and conspiracy theory group that rose to prominence in the early months of 2021 after storming the Capitol in Washington, D.C., as their primary information source. Between November 2017 and November 2022, "Q" posted brief remarks on many message boards, including 4Chan, 8Chan, and others. The messages make predictions about future political developments and offer commentary on current political happenings (OperationQ 2025). The Q-drop corpus—the 4,966 posts made by the poster Q—is full of rhetorical questions with the purpose of inciting the reader to "Do your own research." Relating to earlier research, I have made a collection of all Q-drops in .txt format, which makes it possible to search through all posts using the program Grep (Grep 2025). In this poster I will map and analyse the use of rhetorical questions in the corpus; Especially such rhetorical questions that invite the reader to do their own research using a search engine. Purpose “Do your own research” or DYOR has been trending in social media for a couple of years. It is often used in connection to the spread of conspiracy theories and by authors on the subject described as: “The basic idea behind DYOR is that laypeople should not follow the conclusions of experts but instead seek out information on their own to arrive at their own conclusions.” (Ballatyne et al 2022). Using a known corpus of conspiracy theory as the Q-drops to investigate the use of DYOR-inciting will put new light on the reciprocative nature of conspiracy theory. Method The investigation is performed in two phases. First a mapping phase, in which the material is reviewed through a hermeneutic method and categories of injunction towards “do your own research” are created. Then an analytical phase in which a search for these different categories in the material is performed. This will form the basis of an analysis of how the Q-drops urges the followers to “Do their own research.” The research process and the results are presented in the form of a poster. Results There will be two types of results. First, a variety of categories that describe the settings in which DYOR is employed are the outcomes of the mapping process. The second is the frequency of occurrence of each category in the corpus. References Ballantyne, N., Celniker, J., &Dunning, D. (2022). “Do Your Own Research”. Social Epistemology, 38(3), 302-317. Grep (2025), Grep Manual Page, Retrieved January 27, 2025 from https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/grep.1.html OperationQ (2025). Intelligence drops. Retrieved January 27, 2025 from https://operationq.pub/
Spela, Dela, Bli Viral : En studie av TikTok som plattform för musikens spridning och marknadsföring
No full textDenna studie undersöker hur TikTok fungerar som en strategisk plattform för musikmarknadsföring, med särskilt fokus på användargenererat innehåll och algoritmers påverkan på en låts spridning. Genom en tematisk analys av låtarna En av En av Naod och Anxiety av Doechii analyseras hur artister och publik samverkar för att skapa virala fenomen. Studien tillämpar Stuart Halls Encoding/Decoding-modell för att förstå hur musik kodas av producenter och sedan avkodas, omformas och sprids av publiken på TikTok. Vidare används Henry Jenkins teori om participatory culture för att belysa hur användarna fungerar som både konsumenter och producenter av musikrelaterat innehåll, vilket förändrar den traditionella maktbalansen mellan artister och publik. Resultaten visar att användargenererat innehåll är avgörande för en låts spridning, där användare genom danstrender, memes och narrativ storytelling bidrar till att skapa engagemang och synlighet. Studien identifierar att en låts framgång på TikTok beror på flera faktorer, artistens initiala marknadsföringsstrategi, publikens interaktion och algoritmens prioritering av visuellt engagerande innehåll. Vidare undersöks hur olika tolkningar av låtarna uppstår på TikTok. Halls modell visar att användarna antingen tolkar låtarna enligt artistens avsikt (dominant-hegemonisk tolkning), anpassar dem till egna syften (förhandlad tolkning) eller omformar dem genom satir och ironi (oppositionell tolkning).
Dancing as Sustainably Being and Moving through the World
No full textThis chapter approaches sustainability from an educational and artistic angle, notably through the dance educator’s gaze, as a contribution to conceptualizing sustainability education. In this, education and the arts generally are viewed as spaces for young people’s efforts to enter into dialogue with the world – past, present and future. Providing space to work in an art mode like dance is seen as essential to education’s existential remit, a task the chapter explores as owning a dimension of sustainability in itself, in terms of catering for a sensitive dialogue between the self and the natural and social world, calling for survival. The chapter is written as an essay, tentatively conceiving dance teaching as aesthetic teaching and pleading for an aesthetic turn in education. At its core is the capability and willingness to be permeated, through the senses, by what the world offers. The dancing young person is seen as an agentive subject coming into being by submitting to movement and imagination, vulnerable and receptive to what comes from ‘outside’. In the concept, teaching is seen as allowing the world with its phenomena to reveal itself aesthetically, offering its gifts and lending its heritage to us to take care of and live in balance with before passing it on to new generations. In the chapter ethical and relational, existential and sustainability aspects of dance and education are brought to the fore, reminding us of what education essentially is all about, what dance as primordial interhuman and world-human interaction can teach us about these fundamentals, and, hopefully, what dancing together can teach us about sustainability education. The arguments are informed by Gert Biesta’s ideas on art as education, subject-ness and democracy in a world-oriented education, in dialogue with John Dewey’s and Maxine Greene’s thinking of art as experience, aesthetic literacy and education, and dance scholar and educator Susan Stinson’s stances on dance education and dancing as becoming.Sustainability, World Heritage, phenomenon-based learning and multilingualism are the central issues woven together in this book. The four themes are the cornerstones of the research and development project entitled Sustainable World Heritage Learning through a Phenomenonbased Approach (SveaSus, 2017–2024). Through the 16 contributions we wish to contribute to an in-depth discussion about why and how the four areas are relevant in contemporary educational contexts.Our group of researchers and teacher educators have explored large entities of subject matter, teaching outside the campus and collaboration with experts and units outside the university, conceiving a teacher education that surprises, challenges, and encourages holistic and sustainable thinking and being. It led to a university course, collaborations with a diveristy of educators and artists, to analyses, publications, and eventually the development of methods applicable in teacher education. This book summarises findings of the endeavour and further outlooks.With sustainability as the focus, phenomenon-based learning as the method, and World Heritage as both the goal and the learning environment, SveaSus is a unique teaching and learning experiment that promotes the goals of the Finnish core curriculum. At a higher level, SveaSus relates to many of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (the SDGs) as they are formulated in Agenda 2030.The SveaSus Project, Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsink
