Publikationer från Högskolan i Gävle
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Synergistic integration of phase change materials in solar stills for continuous and high-efficiency desalination: a comprehensive review
No full textThe underlying challenge of solar intermittency still undermines the operational lifetime and freshwater output of typical solar desalination systems and, hence, this extensive review was carried out to summarize recent efforts (2020–2025) directed at the incorporation of PCM (and specifically, NEPCM) into solar distillation-based systems. Using a systematic thematic approach, the literature selected for review was classified into four macro areas, NEPCM-based improvements, hybrid solar–thermal systems, advanced absorber and condenser designs and PCM materials, with performance data being extracted and reported to evaluate their synergistic contribution towards desalination efficiency. The integrated results show that NEPCM integration can lead to more than 124.2% increase in freshwater productivity, over 82% thermal efficiency and remarkable nocturnal distillate and these values are achievable by the constant operation of a solar still for full day using this strategy. Economic studies also indicate that the proposed optimal solar stills incorporating PCMs deliver the lowest water production cost to date of ∼$0.0082/L and substantially shortened payback periods as low as 25 days, whilst environmental scenarios reveal CO2 mitigation potentials in excess of 34 tons per year. In summary, this review represents a shift in the design paradigm of sustainable desalination, suggesting orchestrated PCM use as a fundamental breakthrough to realize an affordable water generation solution that operates continually in less developed regions plagued by poor energy infrastructure. These results together narrow the bridge between emerging demonstration and scale device for desalination practice, providing a powerful paradigm to tackle worldwide water shortage with advanced thermal energy storage assembly
Green, Circular, Responsible, and Regenerative (GCRR) Framework for Medical Tourism: A Viewpoint on Advancing Health Equity
No full textMedical tourism has become a major global phenomenon at the intersection of healthcare, mobility, and economic development. While it drives revenue and fosters medical innovation, it also raises significant ethical, equity, and environmental concerns, including unequal access to care, resource diversion from local populations, and ecological impacts. This viewpoint introduces a Green, Circular, Responsible, and Regenerative framework to guide sustainable and socially just medical tourism. Integrating environmental sustainability, resource circularity, and corporate social responsibility, the framework promotes economic viability alongside social justice and planetary health. Grounded in circular economy principles, CSR, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it outlines how policymakers, healthcare providers, and tourism stakeholders can collaborate to advance equitable, sustainable, and regenerative medical tourism systems
Quantifying the fatal and non-fatal burden of disease associated with child growth failure, 2000–2023: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
No full textBackground Child growth failure (CGF), which includes underweight, wasting, and stunting, is among the factorsmost strongly associated with mortality and morbidity in children younger than 5 years worldwide. Poor height andbodyweight gain arise from a variety of biological and sociodemographic factors and are associated with increasedvulnerability to infectious diseases. We used data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk FactorsStudy (GBD) 2023 to estimate CGF prevalence, the risk of infectious diseases associated with CGF, and the diseasemortality, morbidity, and overall burden associated with CGF. Methods In this analysis we estimated the all-cause and cause-specific (diarrhoea, lower respiratory tract infections,malaria, and measles) disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost and mortality associated with stunting, wasting,underweight, and CGF in aggregate. We combined the burden associated with mild, moderate, and severe forms ofCGF: stunting was defined as height-for-age Z scores (HAZ) less than –1, underweight was defined as weight-for-ageZ scores (WAZ) less than –1, and wasting was defined as weight-for-height Z scores (WHZ) less than –1, according toWHO Child Growth Standards. Population-level continuous distributions of HAZ, WAZ, and WHZ were estimatedfor 2000 to 2023 using data from surveys, literature, and individual-level study data. The risk of incidence of, andmortality due to, diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, malaria, and measles was separately estimated in a metaregressionframework from longitudinal cohort data for Z scores less than –1. Finally, fatal outcomes associated withthese diseases were estimated with vital registration, verbal autopsy, and case-fatality data, while non-fatal outcomeswere estimated with surveys as well as health-care utilisation and case reporting data. The exposure prevalence andrelative risk estimates were from continuous distributions, allowing for direct assessment of the attributable fractionsfor mild, moderate, and severe stunting, underweight, wasting, and the combined impact of child growth failurewithin populations. All estimates were age-specific, sex-specific, geography-specific, and year-specific. Findings We estimated that, in children younger than 5 years in 2023, CGF was associated with 79·4 million(95% uncertainty interval [UI] 47·0–106) DALYs lost and 880 000 (517 000–1 170 000) deaths. This represented17·9% (10·6–23·8) of 444 million (434–457) total under-5 DALYs and 18·8% (11·1–25·0) of all 4·67 million(4·59–4·75) under-5 deaths. Compared to stunting (33·0 million [24·1–42·2] DALYs, 373 000 [272 000–477 000]deaths) and wasting (39·2 million [23·8–53·0] DALYs, 428 000 [256 000–583 000] deaths), childhood underweight wasassociated with the largest share of CGF-related disease burden: 52·2 million (21·9–75·1) DALYs and 573 000(236 000–824 000) deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2023. Interpretation CGF remains a leading factor associated with death and disability in children younger than 5 years,despite global attention and focused interventions to reduce the prevalence of associated CGF indicators. Our findingsunderscore the need for policies, strategies, and interventions that focus on all indicators of CGF to reduce itsassociated health burden
Exploring Swedish nurses’ experiences on paediatric postoperative pain : an empirical study with a qualitative approach
No full textBakgrund Postoperativ smärta hos barn fortsätter att utmana trots medicinska framsteg. Det ingår i anestesisjuksköterskans ansvarsområde att planera och hantera smärta, både perioperativt och postoperativt. Postoperativa avdelningar bemannas dock inte alltid av personal som är specialiserade inom anestesi. Syfte Studien syftade till att utforska hur sjuksköterskor som arbetar på en svensk pediatrisk postoperativ avdelning upplevde barns postoperativa smärta, smärtlindrande behandlingar och rådande riktlinjer. Metod Studien använde en deskriptiv kvalitativ ansats. Fem sjuksköterskor verksamma vid en pediatrisk postoperativ avdelning på ett universitetssjukhus i Sverige valdes ut genom ett bekvämlighetsurval. Materialet samlades in genom individuella semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna analyserades med en innehållsanalys. Resultat Måttlig till svår postoperativ smärta rapporterades vara vanligt förekommande, men förväntad, särskilt efter specifika kirurgiska ingrepp. Trots att smärtskattningsverktyg användes rutinmässigt förlitade sig sjuksköterskorna främst på klinisk erfarenhet och intuition. Deltagarna diskuterade olika individuella och organisatoriska hinder mot effektiv smärtlindring, vilket kan betraktas som ett vårdlidande. Slutsats Slutsatsen visar att den primära bedömningsfaktorn av barns postoperativa smärta är sjuksköterskans erfarenhet, snarare än skattningsverktyg. Barns smärtlindring påverkas negativt av organisatoriska och individuella hinder. För att förbättra barns postoperativa smärtbehandling och upplevelse krävs en satsning på internutbildning och intraprofessionella kommunikationsvägar.Background Paediatric postoperative pain remains a challenge despite medical advancements. It is within the nurse anaesthetists’ purview to plan and manage pain both peri- and postoperatively. However, postoperative wards are typically staffed by non-anaesthesia personnel. Aim This study aimed to explore how nurses working at a Swedish postoperative ward experienced children’s postoperative pain, pain relief treatments, and current guidelines. Method The study used a descriptive qualitative approach. Five nurses working at a specialised paediatric postoperative ward at a university hospital in Sweden were chosen by convenience to participate. Material was gathered using individual semi-structured interviews. A content analysis approach was used to analyse the interviews. Results Moderate to severe postoperative pain was reportedly common, but particularly anticipated following specific surgical procedures. Despite the routine utilisation of pain assessment tools, nurses would primarily rely on clinical experience and intuition. Participants discussed various individual and organisational barriers hindering pain relief, which can be viewed as suffering related to care Conclusion The study demonstrated that nurses’ clinical experience, rather than standardised assessment tools, served as the primary factor when assessing children’s postoperative pain. Paediatric pain management is negatively impacted by organisational and individual barriers. To improve children’s postoperative pain management and overall experience, there is a need for investments in internal training and improved intraprofessional communication.
When the Dragon Meets the Rulebook : Failure, Learning and Legitimacy in a Small‑Town International Venture
No full textAim: This thesis aims to explore why the original Dragon Gate project failed, what lessons were derived by local actors, and what conditions are required to rebuild. Theoretical Framework & Methodology: The study integrates entrepreneurial failure theory and entrepreneurial learning theory with institutional theory. An interpretivist qualitative single-case study design is employed. The empirical material consists of ten semi-structured interviews with municipal officials, local business representatives, residents, and regional development actors. The data were analyzed using a theory-driven thematic approach informed by the integrated theoretical framework. Findings & Conclusion: The findings indicate that the failure of Dragon Gate can be understood as a multidimensional “failure of fit”, involving a scale–market misalignment, recurrent regulative challenges, and a social and cultural-cognitive misfit that limited local engagement and community embedding. Despite these challenges, the failure generated collective learning among local stakeholders. The study concludes that sustainable redevelopment of international projects in small municipalities requires learning from failure and rebuilding legitimacy across regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive dimensions. Contribution of the Study & Suggestions for Future Research: The study contributes to entrepreneurial failure and learning literature by highlighting collective, place-based learning and the role of institutional legitimacy in post-failure contexts. Future research could compare similar international projects across different small municipalities or examine long-term outcomes of post-failure redevelopment strategies
Willy's America : A Freudian Psychoanalysis of Willy Loman and His interpretation of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman
No full textThis essay aims to analyze how and why Willy Loman, in the play Death of a Salesman, employs defense mechanisms from a Freudian psychoanalytic perspective. Anna Freud’s research on defence mechanisms, along with Sigmund Freud’s original work on psychoanalysis, will be the primary source for the analysis. The psychoanalysis conducted during this essay examined Willy via the defense mechanisms of repression and regression, and concluded that Willy often uses these mechanisms, especially when his interpretation of the American Dream is threatened. The character in question uses these Freudian concepts to protect his ego from realizing that he cannot live up to his own expectations regarding the American Dream. Willy's psyche cannot accept the fact that he is unable to reach the dream. Instead, he attempts to achieve the American Dream via his son, which ultimately fails as well. Willy cannot handle the fact that neither he nor his sons can adequately fulfill Willy’s underlying desires. His mind gradually becomes poisoned by the American Dream, which leads him to have an onset of neurosis and subsequently his death
Inclusion and equality in preschool : A qualitative study of how preschool teachers describe their work with inclusion and equality in preschool
No full textFörskolan har en central roll i att skapa förutsättningar för barns delaktighet, lärande och social utveckling. Under de senaste åren har förskolans verksamhet påverkats av förändrade villkor, såsom större barngrupper, begränsade resurser och en ökad variation av barns behov. Dessa aspekter ställer höga krav på förskollärares arbete med att främja inkludering och jämlikhet. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur förskollärare beskriver sitt arbete med inkludering och jämlikhet i förskolan, med fokus på stödstrategier, förhållningsätt och hur organisatoriska villkor påverkar detta arbete. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ ansats och datainsamlingen bestod utav semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta legitimerade förskollärare i Sverige. Materialet från intervjuerna analyserades utifrån tematisk analys. Resultatet visar att förskollärare ser inkludering som meningsfull delaktighet och känsla av gemenskap, snarare än enbart fysisk närvaro i verksamheten. Jämlikhet beskrivs som rättvisa, där barn ges olika stöd utifrån sina behov. Det framgår även att relationer och trygghet är grundläggande för barns delaktighet. Samtidigt visar resultaten att stora barngrupper, personalbrist och begränsad tillgång till resurser och specialpedagogiskt stöd försvårar möjligheten att arbeta inkluderande. Studien visar att arbetet med inkludering och jämlikhet formas i ett samspel mellan pedagogiska intentioner, relationellt arbete och organisatoriska förutsättningar.
Comprehensive energy modeling and optimization of hybrid PV-Wind systems for Ankara, Türkiye and Fujairah, UAE
No full textThis study develops a robust modelling and optimization framework for a hybrid photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy systems through a comparative techno-economic and environmental analysis of Ankara, T & uuml;rkiye, and Fujairah, UAE, two climatically distinct regions with strong renewable energy potential. Utilizing a multi-tool approach integrating Python-based simulations, HOMER Pro analysis, and PVWatts benchmarking, the study evaluates energy generation, seasonal load matching, economic feasibility, and carbon mitigation. Key metrics, including levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), capacity factors, and system losses, were analysed to identify optimal system configurations under site-specific constraints. Fujairah demonstrated stronger renewable energy potential overall, with both higher solar irradiance and superior wind resources. It achieved approximately 8,902 MWh of annual solar energy (HOMER Pro) with LCOE values ranging from 0.085 to 0.12 USD/kWh. However, system design in Ankara strategically relied more heavily on wind energy due to its relatively lower solar resource, leading to a wind capacity factor of 47.8% and an annual wind energy production of 7,595.83 MWh (HOMER Pro), despite higher associated LCOE values (0.15 to 0.29 USD/kWh). Modelling comparisons revealed that Python-based outputs, 8,126.76 MWh for Ankara and 9,017.15 MWh for Fujairah, tended to overestimate energy production by not fully incorporating real-world derating factors, unlike HOMER Pro's more conservative estimates. Environmental analysis confirmed notable carbon mitigation benefits, with Fujairah achieving 7,729 metric tons of CO2 offset annually, slightly surpassing Ankara due to a higher grid emission factor. This work fills a critical gap in the literature by providing a high-resolution, cross-regional evaluation of hybrid renewable systems. It demonstrates the importance of localized design, real-world constraints, and multi-platform validation to guide efficient renewable energy deployment, providing a reproducible and scalable methodological framework for hybrid energy studies worldwide
To stay or to leave? : The significance of long shifts and social support in LSS group homes
No full textSyftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur långa arbetspass, socialt stöd samtkonflikt mellan arbete och privatliv predicerade stress och intention att lämna yrket hospersonal inom LSS-boenden. En kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes via enwebbaserad enkät som besvarades av 83 anställda i en medelstor svensk kommun. Dataanalyserades med multipla linjära regressionsanalyser. Resultatet visade att regelbundnalånga arbetspass utgjorde en signifikant prediktor för både ökad stress och intention attlämna yrket. Socialt stöd uppvisade ett starkt negativt samband med båda utfallen.Vidare var konflikt från arbete till familj den starkaste prediktorn för stress, medankonflikt från familj till arbete predicerade viljan att sluta. Slutsatsen var att strukturellaåtgärder kring schemaläggning och ett stöttande arbetsklimat är avgörande för attminska ohälsa och behålla personal inom LSS-omsorgen.The aim of this study was to examine how long work shifts, social support, andwork-family conflict predicted stress and turnover intention among staff in residentialcare for people with disabilities (LSS). A quantitative cross-sectional study wasconducted using a web-based survey answered by 83 employees in a Swedishmunicipality. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses. The resultsshowed that regular long shifts constituted a significant predictor for both increasedstress and turnover intention. Social support showed a strong negative association withboth outcomes. Furthermore, work-to-family conflict was the strongest predictor ofstress, while family-to-work conflict predicted the intention to leave the profession. Theconclusion was that structural measures regarding scheduling and a supportive workclimate are crucial for reducing ill health and retaining staff within this sector.
La Educación Superior en la defensa de los derechos humanos: El encuadre mediático del activismo académico
No full textLas universidades y otras instituciones de educación superior son uno de los agentes centrales en llevar a la práctica un enfoque de sostenibilidad transformadora basado en la educación sobre, a través y por los derechos humanos. Así pues, este enfoque requiere no solo conocimientos o experiencias concernientes a los derechos humanos en ambientes académicos sino también la ejecución de acciones directas en la lucha por dichos derechos. Si bien este enfoque de educación superior es particularmente imprescindible en los momentos históricos actuales caracterizados por la polarización y la desinformación, no siempre es fácil de interpretarlo y llevarlo a cabo dentro de un marco universitario neoliberal regido por la racionalidad económica de la gestión por ganancias. A fin de contribuir con una mayor compresión sobre el rol de la educación superior por los derechos humanos, esta contribución presenta un análisis temático de 88 artículos de la prensa española y sueca de mayor difusión, enfocado en los encuadres mediáticos sobre el activismo académico en relación con las violaciones de los derechos humanos ejercida por Israel en Gaza. El resultado de esta investigación discute e ilustra marcos categóricos presentes en encuadres mediáticos que problematizan y cuestionan la legitimidad del activismo en el ámbito universitario, y por consecuencia las acciones académicas por los derechos humanos como cuestión educativa. Estos tipos de encuadres mediáticos coexisten y se contraponen con un tipo de encuadres donde se reconoce las manifestaciones universitarias y las demandas de boicot contra Israel como una misión de la educación superior de hacer resistencia y oposición a todo tipo violación contra los derechos humanos.Universities and other higher education institutions are key players in implementing a transformative sustainability approach based on education about, through and for human rights. This approach therefore requires not only knowledge or experience of human rights in academic settings, but also direct action in the fight for those rights.Although this approach to higher education is particularly essential in the current historical moment, characterised by polarisation and misinformation, it is not always easy to interpret and implement within a neoliberal university framework governed by the economic rationality of profit-driven management. In order to contribute to a greater understanding of the role of higher education in human rights, this contribution presents a thematic analysis of 88 articles from the Spanish and Swedish press focusing on the media framing of academic activism in relation to human rights violations committed by Israel in Gaza. The results of this research discuss and illustrate categorical frameworks present in media framing that problematise and question the legitimacy of activism in the university sphere, and consequently academic actions for human rights as an educational issue. These types of media frames coexist and contrast with a type of frames that recognises university demonstrations and calls for a boycott against Israel as part of higher education's mission to resist and oppose all types of human rights violations