Publikationer från Karlstads Universitet
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Two decades of agricultural drought impacts : Remote sensing insights into vegetation productivity and phenological change in semi-arid Botswana
No full textVegetation phenology needs to be considered in the assessment of agricultural drought severity, especially in drylands such as Botswana. Using Remote Sensing time-series data (2000 - 2020), this study evaluated vegetation productivity using the annual sum of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVIsum) and computed changes as trends (EVIsumtrend) in agricultural lands comprising grasslands and croplands. To assess agricultural drought severity, a weighted linear combination was applied to the EVI-based Vegetation Condition Index (VCIwlc) and compared to the conventional Standardized Precipitation Index. To detect how agricultural drought has impacted vegetation phenology, we identified dynamics in vegetation greenup, maturity, peak, senescence and dormancy and correlated these to the EVIsum and VCIwlc. Differentiating between croplands and grasslands, vegetation productivity in grasslands was consistently lower than in croplands during droughts. The seasonal agriculture-related phenology, such as late vegetation greenup - the start of the season - is correlated with reduced vegetation productivity and severe agricultural droughts as evidenced by lower EVIsum and VCIwlc values, respectively. Notable phenology patterns include delayed greenup in grasslands compared to croplands, while the peak period often overlaps between grasslands and croplands. Overall, phenological shifts detected over agricultural lands in Botswana were about 58 days delayed greenup between the earliest and latest detection, whereas for peak, senescence and dormancy, delays were between 60 and 61 days. Findings provide valuable insights into how vegetation responds over time to changing environmental stressors such as drought. Understanding and monitoring how drought impacts agriculture-related phenology in dryland ecosystems is essential to informing national drought policies
The Economic content of educational materials in relation to the Swedish national agency for education´s curriculum documents : A content analysis of four upper secondary social studies textbooks
No full textSyften med denna undersökning är att skapa en förståelse över hur fyra läromedel inom samhällskunskapen på gymnasiet uppfyller styrdokumentens innehåll med fokus på ekonomi. Utifrån läroplanen, samhällskunskap 1b är ämnet ekonomi uppdelad i två delar, samhällsekonomi och privatekonomi, i båda fallen med flera ingående begrepp i varje delområde. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med deduktiv analys så undersöker denna studie om de två områdena samhällsekonomi och privatekonomi samt deras ingående begrepp kan återfinnas i fyra vanligt förekommande läroböcker på gymnasiet. Undersökningen visar att läromedlen till viss del följer styrdokumenten, men till större del inte gör det. Undersökningen finner även att det är stora skillnader mellan hur de olika läromedlen framhäver ämnesområdet ekonomi i samhällskunskap. Detta har betydelse för skolornas val av läromedel för att inte riskera att genom valet av lärobok äventyra elevernas kunskapsutveckling utifrån Skolverkets ställda krav. The purpose of this study is to make a understanding about how four social studies books for the upper secondary education works with the curriculum requirement with a focus in the economics. According to the curriculum for social science 1b, the subject of economics is divided in two parts. Social economics and personal economics, where each are several key concepts. Using a qualitative content analysis with a deductive frame work, this study examines whether the two concepts social economics and personal economics and their sub concepts are represented in four commonly upper secondary school textbooks. Findings in the study indicates that the textbooks are partly adhere to the curriculum, but to a greater extent they are not. The study also finds substantial differences in how the subject of economics within social science textbooks are presented. This has implications of school’s choices of teaching material. Selecting certain textbooks may risk compromising students knowledge development in relation to what the requirements established by Skolverket
Fri lek i förskolan : Förskollärares syn på den fria lekens kännetecken och dess betydelse för barns lärande och utveckling
No full textSyftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om förskollärares syn på barns fria lek i förskolan. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ ansats, där semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex verksamma förskollärare har använts som datainsamlingsmetod. Resultatet visar att förskollärarna upplever den fria leken som en barninitierad aktivitet präglad av barns självbestämmande, engagemang och motivation. Den fria leken framställs som en central arena för barns språkutveckling, deras bearbetning av tidigare erfarenheter samt utvecklingen av sociala färdigheter, såsom konflikthantering och samarbete. Pedagogens roll framstår som central men situationsberoende och innebär att kunna växla mellan att observera, att vara en aktiv deltagare och att ingripa när behovet uppstår. Resultaten visar även att fri lek påverkas av förskolans organisatoriska förutsättningar och dess fysiska miljö, samtidigt som leken kan innebära sociala utmaningar såsom exkludering och makthierarkier, vilket understryker vikten av närvarande och flexibla pedagoger som kan skapa inkluderande lekmiljöer. Analysen har genomförts med stöd i Vygostkijs sociokulturella teori, vilket synliggör hur barns lärande och utveckling sker i samspel med andra. Studiens viktigaste slutsatser är att fri lek är ett komplext fenomen som formas i samspel mellan barn, pedagoger och förskolans strukturella ramar.The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about preschool teachers’ views on children’s free play in preschool. The study is based on a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with six practicing preschool teachers as the method of data collection. The results show that preschool teachers perceive free play as a child-initiated activity characterized by children’s autonomy, engagement, and motivation. Free play is described as an important arena for children’s linguistic development, their processing of previous experiences, and strengthening of their social skills such as conflict management and cooperation. The role of the teacher emerges as central yet situational, involving a need to shift between observing, actively participating, and intervening when necessary. The results also indicate that free play is influenced by the preschool’s organizational conditions and physical environment, while simultaneously posing social challenges such as exclusion and power hierarchies, highlighting the importance of present and flexible teachers who can create inclusive play environments. The analysis was made using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which illuminates how children’s learning and development occur through interaction with others. The study’s main conclusion is that free play is a complex phenomenon shaped through interaction between children, teachers, and the structural conditions of the preschool
Social interaktion som en del av lärandet för elever som läser ämnesområden i anpassade skolformer : En kvalitativ fokusgruppsstudie om lärares gemensamma upplevelser av möjligheter och hinder för social interaktion
No full textSyftet med studien är att få förståelse för hur lärare i anpassade skolformer, som undervisar elever som läser ämnesområden, tillsammans skapar en gemensam förståelse för hur de kan främja social interaktion mellan elever med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning (IF) som en del av elevernas lärande. Kopplat till syftet formulerades två frågeställningar. Hur upplever lärare sin roll i att stötta elevers sociala interaktion i undervisningen? Vilka möjligheter och utmaningar upplever lärare med att skapa förutsättningar för social interaktion för eleverna? För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar valdes en kvalitativ ansats med fokusgruppsintervjuer som metod. Sammanlagt deltog tre grupper med totalt 16 deltagare. Analysprocessen startade inledningsvis induktivt. Resultatet tematiserade för att sedan tolkas i ljuset av sociokulturellt perspektiv och scaffolding. Resultatet visar att social interaktion mellan elever främjas genom ett kommunikativt tillgängligt och bekräftande förhållningssätt, där lärarens placering och arbetslagets gemensamma insats är centrala. Samtidigt framträder att elever ofta använder personalen som mellanled i kommunikationen, vilket både stödjer och begränsar deras sociala interaktioner. Därför betonas vikten av att uppmuntra direkt elev-elev-interaktion och att personalen fungerar som förebilder genom sitt eget samspel. Undervisningen planeras och anpassas för att skapa meningsfulla aktiviteter som stärker social interaktion. Tillgängliggörandet av alternativ kompletterande kommunikation (AKK) framhålls som grundläggande för elevernas rätt till kommunikation. Dessutom lyfts strukturella begränsningar, olika kommunikationssätt och dagsform som faktorer som påverkar interaktionen. Sammanfattningsvis framträder att lärarnas engagemang, gemensamma förhållningssätt och medvetna användning av kommunikativa verktyg är avgörande för att skapa förutsättningar för elevernas delaktighet i sociala gemenskaper, trots de utmaningar som funktionshinder och organisatoriska faktorer medför
Den omöjliga helheten : En jungiansk analys av Oscar Wildes novell The Fisherman and his soul
No full textThis thesis examines the function of symbolism in Oscar Wilde’s novella The Fisherman andhis Soul and how symbolic motifs contribute to the text’s psychological and thematicstructure. Through a close reading informed by a selective use of Jungian archetypal theory,the study analyzes how Wilde employs mythic and fairytale elements to articulate conflictsconcerning identity, desire, and the relationship between body and soul. The Analysiscombines close reading with a Jungian symbolic framework, drawing in particular onMarie-Louise von Franz’s interpretation of fairy tales as expressions of psychologicalprocesses.The analysis focuses on central symbols such as the sea, the mermaid, and the soul,exploring how these motifs interact to structure the narrative’s central conflict. Drawing onJungian concepts such as anima, shadow, and individuation, the thesis interprets thefisherman’s development as a process marked by psychological division rather thanintegration. The mermaid is read as an animaprojection associated with idealization andregression, while the soul functions as a symbol of self-reflection and moral orientation that,when rejected, returns in distorted form.Rather than treating Jungian theory as a psychological explanatory model, the thesisuses it as a literary interpretative framework to illuminate how symbolic structures operatewithin the text. In dialogue with previous scholarship on symbolism, fairy tales, and mythicmotifs, the study demonstrates that The Fisherman and his Soul can be read as a cohesivesymbolic exploration of the consequences of denying inner conflict. The novella raises thequestion of whether wholeness can be achieved through separation from inner conflict, orwhether such attempts instead lead to psychological fragmentation
Ecosystem Engineering by Mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) Influences the Behaviour of Their Host Fish Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) Under Various Flows
No full textEcosystem engineers modify habitats in many ways with consequences for other species. Aggregations of autogenic ecosystem engineers in lotic systems, such as unionid mussels, can increase habitat complexity and change water flow, affecting the diversity and abundance of other benthic species. The effects of unionid mussel aggregations on mobile species, such as their host fishes, are less well-studied, but the increase in habitat complexity caused by mussels may provide refuges from water flow and may change fish behaviour. Using stream flumes, we examined how the presence and density (zero/low density/high density) of the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) and water flow (low/high) affected behaviour of three different size classes of young-of-the-year brown trout (Salmo trutta) in May, June and August 2023, respectively. We found that small-sized trout were more likely to reside on the bottom at high than at low water flow but increased the likelihood to swim when mussel density increased. Medium-sized trout were more likely to reside on the bottom during high flow at zero to low mussel densities, while the proportions of swimming individuals increased regardless of flow at high mussel density. Large-sized trout were instead more likely to reside on the bottom when mussel densities were high, and in contrast to the small- and medium-sized trout, positioned themselves within the mussel zone more often. Our results demonstrate that freshwater pearl mussels can influence juvenile trout behaviour, probably by modifying habitat structure and flow conditions in the downstream area nearest to the mussels, particularly under hydrological stress. These findings underscore the role of mussels as ecosystem engineers and highlight potential feedback loops between freshwater pearl mussel presence and the behaviour of juvenile brown trout, which may be highly relevant for conservation strategies targeting both species. Artikeln tidigare publicerad som manuskript i Gals (2025) doktorsavhandling Ecosystem Engineering by Freshwater Mussels: Effects on Macroinvertebrate Communities, Decomposition Processes and Fish Behaviour</p
A high resolution urban and rural settlement map of Africa using deep learning and satellite imagery
No full textAccurate and consistent mapping of urban and rural areas is crucial for sustainable development, spatial planning, and policy design. It is particularly important in simulating the complex interactions between human activities and natural resources. Existing global urban-rural datasets such as such as GHSL-SMOD, GHS Degree of Urbanisation, and GRUMP are often spatially coarse, methodologically inconsistent, and poorly adapted to heterogeneous regions such as Africa, which limits their usefulness for policy and research. Their coarse grids and rule-based classification methods obscure small or informal settlements, and produce inconsistencies between countries. In this study, we develop a DeepLabV3-based deep learning framework that integrates multi-source data, including Landsat-8 imagery, VIIRS nighttime lights, ESRI Land Use Land Cover (LULC), and GHS-SMOD, to produce a 10 m resolution urban-rural map across the African continent from 2016 to 2022. The use of Landsat data also highlights the potential to extend this mapping approach historically, reaching back to the 1990s. The model employs semantic segmentation to capture fine-scale settlement morphology, and its outputs are validated using the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) dataset, which provides independent, survey-based urban-rural labels. The model achieves an overall accuracy of 65% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.47 at the continental scale, outperforming existing global products such as SMOD. The resulting High-Resolution Urban-Rural (HUR) dataset provides an open and reproducible framework for mapping human settlements, supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities-and enabling more context-aware analyses of Africa's rapidly evolving settlement systems, which indirectly support other SDGs, such as SDG 1 (No Poverty), by distinguishing human settlement types. We release a continent-wide urban-rural dataset covering the period from 2016 to 2022, offering a new source for high-resolution settlement mapping in Africa.oxy_aqreply_en
End-to-end data quality-driven framework for machine learning in production environment
No full textThis paper introduces a novel end-to-end framework that efficiently integrates data quality assessment with machine learning (ML) model operations in real-time production environments. While existing approaches treat data quality assessment and ML systems as isolated processes, our framework addresses the critical gap between theoretical methods and practical implementation by combining dynamic drift detection, adaptive data quality metrics, and MLOps into a cohesive, lightweight system. The key innovation lies in its operational efficiency, enabling real-time, quality-driven ML decision-making with minimal computational overhead. We validate the framework in a steel manufacturing company’s Electroslag Remelting (ESR) vacuum pumping process, demonstrating a 12 % improvement in model performance (R2 = 94 %) and a fourfold reduction in prediction latency. By exploring the impact of data quality acceptability thresholds, we provide actionable insights into balancing data quality standards and predictive performance in industrial applications. This framework represents a significant advancement in MLOps, offering a robust solution for time-sensitive, data-driven decision-making in dynamic industrial environments.
Muslim Sweden : Representation of Islam in Swedish High school Textbooks
No full textThis study examines how Islam and Muslims are portrayed in textbooks for religious education in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The study aims to assess how these textbooks present the rich internal diversity within Islam - to determine whether Muslims are portrayed as a homogeneous entity or as individuals with multiple religious, cultural and social identities. The study focuses specifically on how textbooks emphasize differences in religious traditions, cultural considerations and different religious directions within Islam. This study was conducted based on a qualitative analysis of three upper secondary school textbooks for religious studies: Relief Livsvägar, En människa, Tusen världar and Religion för gymnasiet 1. The analysis is based on epistemological theories that see religion as a socially developing and deeply rooted practice, while also building on previous research on the representation of Islam in Swedish textbooks. The results show that textbooks give varying attention to the diversity among Islam and Muslims. While some books focus on the diverse lifestyles, interpretations and identities of Muslims, others focus on presenting Islam through its common religious beliefs and rituals. This approach sometimes results in a simplistic and generic view of the religion. The study also shows that the differences between religion, culture and personal identity are often not understood, which can affect students’ perception of Islam as a living and multifaceted religion. In conclusion, the study shows that textbooks meet some aspects of the curriculum’s requirements for neutrality and diversity. However, there is scope for improving the representation of Islam and Muslims to be more accurate and comprehensive. Such improvements could help to increase students’ awareness of religious diversity and challenge prevailing stereotypes in a multicultural society.
The contribution of AAC to inclusion in preschool : Children´s right to communication
No full text The aim of this paper was to examine preschool teachers’ experiences of how augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can contribute to an inclusive environment in preschool settings. The study was conducted using a combined qualitative and quantitative survey, which was completed by 52 respondents. The analysis was conducted from a sociocultural perspective, with key words: zone of proximal development, scaffolding, mediating tools and appropriation.The results show that preschool staff primarily use sign-supported speech (TAKK) and visual supports to assist children in their communication, enabling them to understand and express themselves. The findings also indicate that teachers use AAC to structure daily routines as well as to clarify their own communication. Furthermore, all respondents reported that AAC contributed to an inclusive environment for all children and was important for children’s social interaction and language development. The results also highlight that staff need more training and planning time to feel confident in using AAC.The study emphasizes the importance of integrating AAC into preschool practices and highlights the critical role played by teachers and their use of AAC