Högskolebiblioteket i Halmstad Publikationer
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Att skapa engagemang för folkhälsoarbete i kommunal verksamhet : En kvalitativ studie om hur personal på strategisk nivå upplever arbetet med styrdokument
No full textDet strategiska arbetet med folkhälsa uppges ha begränsade resurser i flera kommuner. Samtidigt riskerar folkhälsofrågor att inte bli en integrerad del i kommunernas strategiska planering. Samarbete är avgörande för ett framgångsrikt folkhälsoarbete inom kommunerna. Däremot finns det spänningar mellan strategisk och operativ personal inom folkhälsoarbetet i Sverige. Syftet med studien är att belysa hur personal på strategisk nivå upplever arbetet med styrdokument inom folkhälsa i kommunal verksamhet. Studien genomfördes genom kvalitativa intervjuer med 11 respondenter som arbetar på strategisk nivå. Resultatet visade att personal på strategisk nivå upplevde utmaningar mellan olika nivåer i organisationen gällande styrning, handlingsplaner och uppföljning. Styrdokument upplevdes som ett stöd och verktyg. Förutsättningar för att lyckas med implementering var samverkan, stöd uppifrån, motivation och att skapa förståelse ute i verksamheterna. Resultatet visade även betydelsen av tid och prioriteringar. Det framkom att det var viktigt att involvera operativ personal genom kontinuerlig dialog och kunskapsutbyte. Styrdokument bidrog inte alltid med någon ny kunskap utan bidrog snarare med riktning och struktur för respondenterna. Den slutsats som kunde dras var att engagemang och motivation var centralt i arbetet med styrdokument.There is a risk of public health issues not becoming an integrated part of the municipalities' strategic planning. While collaboration is essential for successful public health efforts within municipalities, tensions persist between strategic and operationallevel staff within Sweden's public health sector. The purpose of this study is to explore how staff at strategic levels experience working with public health policy documents within municipal services. The study was conducted using qualitative interviews with 11 respondents working at a strategic level. The results showed that staff at the strategic level experienced challenges between different levels within the organization regarding management, action plans and monitoring. Policy documents were perceived as both a support and a tool. Some factors that contributed to the success of implementation were collaboration, support from management, motivation and creating comprehension in the operations. The results also showed the significance of time and priorities. It became apparent that it was important to involve staff at the operational level through dialogue and knowledge exchange. Policy documents did not always contribute to new knowledge but rather they contributed with direction and structure for the respondents. The conclusion was that engagement and motivation were central to the work with policy documents
A Piece of Cake : A Coursebook Study of Idiomatic Expressions
No full textSince idiomatic expressions are strongly connected to the culture of specific languages, they are significant to teach and learn in English education in Swedish lower secondary school, as the communicative goals presented in Lgr22 reaches for students being able to participate in various social and cultural contexts. Previous research has revealed that material writers often design teaching materials based on intuition, which leads to less authentic language being taught. Therefore, this study investigates the quality of idiom teaching/learning materials included in two series of coursebooks. This was done by conducting a corpus study in the Contemporary Corpus of American English (COCA) and the British National Corpus (BNC) to reveal the frequency levels of the included idioms. Additionally, coursebook analyses were completed to examine the quality of the definitions and tasks concerning idioms. The findings revealed that the definitions of idioms in the coursebooks are vague, that idioms with no frequency in corpus are included, and that the chosen activities and exercises should be improved for them to fully support idiom acquisition. To help students reach the required proficiency level of Lgr 22, teachers need to be aware of these shortcomings when using coursebooks for idiom teaching
Organizing complexity - project portfolio management in healthcare
No full textPublic healthcare is a complex environment characterized by overlapping professional domains, distributed authority, and continual reform. Projects, while intended to drive innovation and adaptation, are often managed in isolation. This fragmented approach leads to duplicated efforts, misaligned priorities, and missed opportunities for strategic coherence. Despite growing interest in project portfolio management (PPM), effective tools for handling interdependencies and systemic complexity remain scarce. This thesis explores how multi-project environments in public healthcare can be better organized through a complexity-informed, strategic perspective. It integrates theory on project, program, and portfolio management (P3M), organized complexity, and professional organizations. The research employs a participatory action research (PAR) methodology, working closely with Region Halland and other Swedish public healthcare bodies. Three longitudinal case studies were conducted: VAS+, a complex hospital IT project, where DSM and DMM tools were used to restructure subprojects and improve coordination. NPÖ, involving seven organizations, where shared work packages were identified to enable joint planning and reduce duplication. KFP, a hospital-wide portfolio of 21 projects, where DSM mapping supported the creation of program structures and a governance function. These cases highlight the limitations of traditional top-down PPM approaches in complex adaptive systems. Instead, the research supports a bottom-up method using DSM and DMM to map dependencies and enable strategic coordination. A Strategic SOP Framework was developed to guide managers in navigating multi-project complexity. It emphasizes acknowledging interdependencies, applying suitable tools, aligning projects with strategic goals, and adapting to institutional contexts. The thesis advocates a shift from control to coordination and from isolated planning to strategic participation, offering a new model for managing change in complex healthcare settings
Jämförelse av kostnad och miljöpåverkan för två byggnader med olika betonghållfasthetsklasser
No full textThis study investigates the environmental and economic impacts of using two different concrete strength classes, C20/25 and C32/40, in the structural design of a four-storey residential building. The analysis was conducted according to Eurocode 2, using manual calculations in Excel and complemented with Bidcon software for life cycle assessment(LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) analyses during the production phase (A1–A3). The results indicate that C32/40 requires approximately 17.9% less concrete volume compared to C20/25, particularly due to reduced dimensions of slabs, beams, andcolumns. This reduction leads to a marginal decrease in total CO₂ emissions (0.53%), despite the higher cement content in C32/40. Furthermore, the total material cost for C32/40 is about 1.9% lower than for C20/25. The findings suggest that higher-strength concrete can contribute to more material-efficient and cost-effective building solutions, while also slightly reducing climate impact. Future studies should expand the scope toinclude additional concrete classes, such as ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), and consider the full life cycle perspective.
Multi-Sensor Fusion for Classifying Challenging Weather Conditions in Autonomous Driving
No full textThis thesis explores multimodal deep learning approaches for weathertype classification in autonomous systems by fusing LiDAR,radar, and RGB sensor data. A range of fusion strategies were implemented and evaluated across two distinct frameworks: one based on the 3D point cloud encoder PointPillars, and the other on the lightweight image-based EfficientNet-B0 architecture. Both early and mid-level fusion combinations were tested to assess the complementary value of spatial and semantic features. Experiments were conducted on the Michigan State University Four Seasons (MSU-4S) dataset, which provides synchronized data from all three modalities. Among several fusion configurations, the most effective results were achieved through early fusion of LiDAR and radar features, followed by gated mid-level fusion with RGB. The PointPillars-based model attained the highest performance with 87.77% test accuracy and a macro-averaged F1 score of 0.870, while the EfficientNet-B0-based model achieved comparable accuracy(86.77%) and F1 score (0.8452) with significantly lower computational cost and faster inference.These results highlight the effectiveness of multimodal gated fusion and underscore the trade-offs between spatial precision and computational efficiency, offering valuable insights for real-time weather classification in autonomous perception systems
"Får man lyssna på musik?" : En undersökning om bakgrundsljudets påverkan på läsförståelse.
No full textResearch suggests that students’ declining interest in literature is contributing to a broader decline in reading proficiency. While many students do not oppose reading itself, they often prefer to combine it with listening to music. To address this issue, the present study explores whether reading comprehension can be influenced by different auditory environments. A total of 105 upper secondary students, aged 17–18, participated in a classroom experiment in which they read three excerpts from The Kite Runner (2003) by Khaled Hosseini under three distinct sound conditions: ocean sounds, self-selected music, and silence. After each reading, participants answered ten related reading comprehension questions. The results indicate that while a minority of students may benefit from music or ambient sounds, reading performance was generally strongest in silent conditions
Resilience Strategies in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
No full textBakgrund: Under de senaste fem åren har världen präglats av kriser som skapat nya förutsättningar för företag att bedriva verksamhet internationellt. Marknaden präglas av utmaningar för företag där geopolitiska spänningar är en av dem. Osäkerheter i omvärlden och oförutsägbara händelser skapar en risk för företag. I dessa tider måste företag kunna överleva vilket gör resiliensstrategier allt mer aktuellt. Syfte: Syftet med arbetet är att förklara hur försörjningskedjor ändrats med fokus på leverantörsval och eventuell påverkan av geopolitiska spänningar. Frågeställningar: Hur har SME företags försörjningsskedjor förändrats senaste fem åren när det kommer till beslut om leverantör och geografisk spridning? Vilken roll spelar geopolitiska spänningar i företages val av leverantörer och geografiska spridning? Metod: Studien grundar sig i en kvalitativ forskningsmetod där semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med representanter från sex svenska SME-företag inom olika branscher. Forskningsdesignen bygger på en tvärsnittsmodell med deduktiv ansats. Intervjudata har analyserats med tematisk analys för att identifiera mönster och sammanhang. Resultat: Studien visar att SME-företag, under de senaste fem åren, blivit mer medvetna om sårbarheten i deras försörjningskedjor Företagen redogör att relationer, långsiktighet och ökad geografisk spridning blivit centrala delar i valet av leverantörer. Vidare framkommer det att geopolitiska händelser inte längre ses som ett undantag utan som en realitet som kräver löpande riskbedömning. Det blir tydligt att företagsstorlek, resurser och branschförutsättningar avgör vilka åtgärder som är möjliga att genomföra. Slutligen tyder resultatet på att företagens anpassningar bidrar till en ökad beredskap där resiliens blir en effekt snarare än en uttalad strategi. Background: Over the past five years, the world has experienced a series of crises that have reshaped the conditions for companies to operate internationally. The market is characterized by challenges, among which geopolitical tensions are prominent. Uncertainties in the global environment and unpredictable events pose significant risks to businesses. In such times, companies must be able to survive, making resilience strategies increasingly relevant. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain how supply chains have changed, with a focus on supplier selection and the potential impact of geopolitical tensions. Research questions: How have the supply chains of SME changed over the past five years with regard to supplier selection and geographical distribution? What role do geopolitical tensions play in companies´ decisions regarding supplier selection and geographical distribution? Method: This study is based on a qualitative research method in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from six Swedish SME, operating in different industries. The research design is built on a cross-sectional model with a deductive approach. Interview data has been analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns and connections. Results: The study shows that, over the past five years, SME have become increasingly aware of the vulnerability within their supply chain. Companies report that strong relationships, long-term partnerships and increased geographical diversification have become key factors in supplier selection. Furthermore, geopolitical tensions are no longer viewed as exceptions but rather as an ongoing reality that requires continuous risk assessment. It becomes clear that company size, resources and industry conditions determine which measures are feasible. Finally, the result suggests that the adjustments made by companies contribute to greater preparedness where resilience emerges as a consequence of strategic choices rather than as an explicitly stated objective.
Optimering av problematiskt krossgrus för hållbar betongproduktion
No full textThis thesis addresses the challenges and solutions related to the use of crushed rock in concrete production, with the aim of reducing or maintaining the amount of cement and water. Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world, which means that large volumes of raw materials are required, particularly aggregate, which makes up to 65-70% of the concrete’s volume. Natural gravel has largely been the dominant type of aggregate in concrete production and is mainly extracted from esker. Its rounded particle shape provides low friction, increased flowability and low water demand, which makes it suitable for use in concrete. Due to local restrictions and national environmental goals, the use of crushed rock from rock quarries has increased as a replacement for natural gravel. Unlike natural gravel, crushed rock has more angular and flaky particle shape along with a high amount of filler, which increases internal friction and mechanical interlocking in the cement paste. This results in higher water and cement demand to minimize friction and achieve the desired consistency. In this study, there are three solution strategies that were investigated: mixing with natural gravel, mixing with crushed rock 4/8, and modifying the particle size distribution. The results showed that all methods improved fresh concrete’s workability without increasing the amount of cement or water. The modification of the 0/2 crushed rock had a positive effect on workability, indicating that it is the amount of filler rather than the mineral content that negatively affects rheology. The conclusion is that problematic 0/2 crushed rock can be adapted for concrete production through several practical strategies. Although the 0/2 crushed rock had low mica content, it still exhibited poorer than expected rheological properties, confirming that the filler content and particle shape are the most critical factors for the workability of fresh concrete.Detta examensarbete behandlar utmaningar och lösningar kopplade till användningen av bergkross 0/2 i betongtillverkning, med målet att minska eller bibehålla mängden cement och vatten. Betong är ett av världens mest använda byggmaterial, vilket innebär att stora volymer av delmaterial krävs, särskilt ballast som utgör 65–70% av betongens volym. Naturgrus har i stort sett varit den dominerande ballasttypen i betongproduktion och utvinns främst från rullstensåsar. Dess rundade kornform ger låg friktion, ökad flytbarhet och ett lågt vattenbehov, vilket gör det särskilt lämpligt för användning i betong. På grund av lokala begränsningar och nationella miljömål har det lett till ökad användning av bergkross från bergtäkter som ersättning för naturgrus. Till skillnad från naturgrus har bergkross en mer flisig och kantig kornform samt höga halter av filler, vilket ökar den interna friktion och mekaniska låsningar i cementpastan. Detta medför ett ökat behov av vatten och cement för att minska friktionen och uppnå önskad konsistens. I denna studie undersöktes tre lösningsstrategier: utspädning med naturgrus, utspädning med bergkross 4/8 samt modifiering av partikelstorleksfördelning. Resultaten visade att samtliga metoder förbättrade den färska betongens arbetbarhet utan att öka mängden cement eller vatten. Framför allt visade modifieringen av bergkross 0/2 god effekt på arbetbarheten, vilket indikerar att det är mängden filler snarare än mineralinnehållet som påverkar reologin negativt. Slutsatsen är att problematisk bergkross 0/2 kan göras mer lämplig för betongtillverkning genom olika lösningsstrategier. Trots låg glimmerhalt uppvisade bergkross 0/2 sämre reologiska egenskaper än förväntat, vilket bekräftar att fillerhalt och kornform är de mest avgörande faktorerna för den färska betongens arbetbarhet
The Impact of Endurance Exercise on Sleep Quality in Older Men : A Systematic Review
No full textAbstract Background: Sleep disorders are one of the prevalent health-related issues among older adults, significantly impacting their quality of life. Poor sleep quality can have adverse effects on individuals' health and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, anxiety, stroke, cancer and mortality. Due to the side effects of sleep medications in older adults, exercise and physical activity have been highlighted as non-pharmacological strategies. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of endurance training components on sleep quality in older men. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SID) were systematically searched for studies published between 2010 and 2024. Studies were included if they assessed the effects of endurance exercise on sleep quality in older men (≥60 years) using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Following screening of 761 records, eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized narratively. In total, these studies involved 300 older male participants. Risk of bias was evaluated using appropriate tools based on the study design. Results: Of the eight included studies, six reported statistically significant improvements in sleep quality following endurance training. Moderate-intensity interventions, especially those performed 3 times/week for a duration of 6 to 12 weeks, were the most frequently associated with statistically significant improvements in sleep quality. Moreover, training in structured environments such as elderly centers or gyms also appeared beneficial. One study provided subgroup data on exercise timing, indicating that participants who completed their exercise sessions more than 8 hours before bedtime experienced better sleep outcomes. Conclusion: Findings suggest that endurance exercise may be an effective non-pharmacological strategy to improve sleep quality in older men, particularly when programs are designed with moderate intensity, frequency, and duration. Future research should address sex-specific factors by including and comparing older women and systematically investigate the role of exercise timing to optimize interventions for improving sleep in diverse elderly populations. Keywords: Endurance exercise; Sleep quality; Older men; Aging; Physical activity; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); Systematic revie
