Mid Sweden University
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Women's experiences of participating in a digital continuity of care model designed for fear of birth in a rural setting
No full textBackground: Midwifery continuity models are highly recommended. Women with fear of birth living in rural areas might have difficulties accessing such care. Technology can play a role in enhancing contact with midwives during pregnancy and childbirth for these women. Objective: The aim of this study was to elucidate women's experiences of participating in a digital continuity of care model designed for pregnant women with fear of birth. Methods: A qualitative interview design, employing interviews with 15 women participating in a midwifery continuity project directed towards women with fear of birth. The participants used e-health tools for communication with midwives during their pregnancy and childbirth. Reflexive thematic analysis was used. Results: The analysis resulted in an overarching theme: ‘A digital continuity model of midwifery care for women with fear of birth in a rural area is attractive’. The model created positive outcomes in terms of sustainability and use of resources. The women reported enhanced autonomy and reduced stress. Continuity of care fostered confidence and security throughout childbirth for the women, supported by a strong relationship with their midwives. The individualised care, which addressed mental health challenges and fears stemming from past childbirth experiences, led to positive outcomes. Conclusion: A model with continuity using digital e-health could be a solution to meet women's needs in rural areas during childbirth, who suffer from fear of birth or have mental health problems. Care models need to be tailored to regional conditions, considering factors such as midwifery availability and geographical challenges.
Gymnasielärares hantering av politisk partiskhet i samhällskunskapsundervisning: : Reflektioner, didaktiska tillvägagångssätt och undervisningsstrategier
No full textDenna studie undersökte hur svenska samhällskunskapslärare reflekterar kring politisk partiskhet och neutralitet i sin undervisning. Syftet var att belysa de strategier lärare använder för att hantera kontroversiella frågor och skapa en lärandemiljö där elever utvecklar kritiskt tänkande. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ ansats, där semistrukturerade intervjuer gjordes med åtta gymnasielärare i Mellansverige. Resultaten visar att lärarna använder olika didaktiska strategier, som faktabaserade, balanserade och värdeorienterade metoder. Flera lärare beskrev utmaningar i att balansera kritiska diskussioner och undvika att projicera sina personliga värderingar. Studien bidrar till en djupare förståelse för hur lärare hanterar partiskhet för att stärka elevernas kritiska tänkande och demokratiska medvetenhet.Godkänt datum: 2025-01-22</p
Var är skolkuratorn? : En diskursanalys av hur professionen framställs i grundskolans likabehandlingsplaner
No full text2025-02-28</p
Privacy-Preserved Authentication & Communication in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks
No full textAs a key component of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) enable real-time data exchange, traffic optimization, and smarter mobility. However, large-scale deployment raises critical security and privacy concerns, including message integrity, user anonymity, and protection against unauthorized access. This thesis proposes lightweight cryptographic protocols for secure and privacy-preserving authentication in both centralized and decentralized VANETs. The solutions are designed for real-time efficiency, scalability, and strong security. A primary contribution is the development of a localized task management system that significantly reduces authentication latency in centralized VANETs, achieving vehicle verification within a fraction of a millisecond. In decentralized settings, the proposed protocols employ advanced cryptographic mechanisms to establish distributed trust without incurring high computational overhead, including elliptic curve digital signatures (ECDSA) and non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs (NIZKPs). These techniques provide strong, provable security while preserving user anonymity during authentication and message exchange. To enhance group communication in VANETs, the thesis introduces efficient group key-sharing schemes that support secure, direct interactions among vehicles. Furthermore, a novel localized revocation mechanism immediately removes malicious vehicles from the network, addressing a key limitation in existing frameworks. This ensures fast, secure authentication for time-sensitive message transfers while limiting the propagation of malicious data. The thesis also investigates the proposed protocol’s performance under dynamic conditions such as high traffic density, large-scale decentralized deployments, and remote authentication scenarios. It introduces an innovative batch verification technique that supports fault-tolerant Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) authentication, capable of maintaining high throughput while accurately identifying faulty messages even when the invalid message rate reaches 42%. Empirical evaluations demonstrate that the proposed solutions outperform existing schemes in terms of latency, computational efficiency, and robustness. The protocols complete single vehicle verifications within 5 milliseconds, making them suitable for dense and time-critical VANET environments. Additionally, all proposed methods align with prevailing vehicular communication standards such as IEEE WAVE and 3GPP C-V2X, ensuring practical applicability. In summary, this research advances the state of the art in VANET security by delivering scalable, privacy-preserving, and efficient authentication protocols that meet the demands of real-time vehicular communication systems.Vid tidpunkten för disputationen var följande delarbeten opublicerade: delarbete 4 inskickat, delarbete 5 accepterat.At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished: paper 4 submitted, paper 5 accepted.</p
Äldre transpersoner i socialt arbete – kunskap och erfarenheter
No full textAvhandlingen har ett tvådelat syfte, dels undersöks vilken kunskap som finns om äldre transpersoner i forskning och inom det sociala arbetets profession, dels undersöks äldre transpersoners livserfarenheter av kontakter med samhällets välfärdsinstitutioner och hur gruppen ser på liknande framtida möten. Med hjälp av en kvalitativ design genomfördes tre delstudier. Den första delstudien är en kartläggande systematisk litteraturöversikt som analyserats med hjälp av tematisk analys. Den andra delstudien bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med 16 socialsekreterare och empirin har analyserats med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Den tredje delstudien baseras på berättarfokuserade intervjuer med åtta transpersoner över 65 år och empirin har analyserats med narrativ analys. Avhandlingen har en kritisk socialkonstruktivistisk ansats och det tillämpade teoretiska ramverket omfattar begreppen kön, ålder, livslopp och handlingsutrymme. Resultatet visar att det finns begränsad kunskap om äldre transpersoners erfarenheter och behov, både i socialt arbete som forskningsfält och som profession. Denna omständighet kan påverka socialsekreterares professionella beredskap att möta äldre transpersoners behov. Ytterligare resultat visar att de äldre transpersonernas erfarenheter av möten med välfärdsinstitutioner påverkar deras inställning till att söka stöd i framtiden. När avhandlingens resultat sammanförs, och perspektiven från socialarbetare och äldre transpersoner integreras, framträder osäkerhet som något som delas av båda grupperna. Om både socialsekreteraren och den äldre transpersonen upplever osäkerhet i mötet kan det leda till att frågor som ställs liksom svar som ges inte bidrar till att ge en korrekt bild av behovet av stöd liksom att fel insats beviljas. Vid tidpunkten för disputationen var följande delarbete opublicerat: delarbete 4 inskickat.At the time of the doctoral defence the following paper was unpublished: paper 4 submitted.</p
High temperature testing of PEEK and PPS coatings on copper wires
No full textThis study examined the high-temperature stability of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) in an oxygenated environment. Both polymers were extrusion-coated onto copper wires for electrical insulation in traction motors. Accelerated testing using thermogravimetry and calorimetry showed that copper catalyzed thermal oxidation of PEEK (at very high temperature), which was accelerated by a lower molar mass of the PEEK and an increased copper-polymer contact area. Both techniques indicated a complex thermal oxidation pattern for both polymers. Notably, the presence of copper seemed to reduce/retard the degradation of PPS. Overall, both polymers demonstrated high oxidation resistance at elevated temperature in an air environment, indicating long service life in electric motor, excluding factors like moisture, oil spray cooling and Joule heating
Design and development of pH-sensitive nanocarriers using molecularly imprinted polymers for the targeted delivery of sodium thiopental
No full textSodium thiopental (STL) is an ultrashort-acting barbiturate that acts quickly on the brain, reduces levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine, and has neuroprotective properties. However, its side effects, especially in high doses, can be severe, including respiratory failure and cardiac complications. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are three-dimensional polymeric networks that mimic the structure and functionality of target molecules. MIPs include benefits such as stability, selectivity, and cost-effectiveness. Combination with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) not only enhances their stability and biocompatibility but also provides magnetic separation capabilities. This research introduces the design and synthesis of pH-sensitive MIPs as targeted nanocarriers for the selective uptake and controlled release of STL molecules. The MIPs were synthesized in various forms, including magnetic core MIPs (MMIPs), standard MIPs (MIPs), and fiber-shaped MIPs (MIPF), to explore their comparative efficiency and structural advantages. Bemegride (BMG), an antidote structurally similar to STL, was utilized to evaluate the selectivity of these MIP systems. The formation of specific binding sites of STL on MIPs during the polymerization process leads to selective recognition and matches STL's shape, size, and functional groups. In this regard, all types of MIPs exhibited significant rebinding affinities over their non-imprinted polymer (NIP); specifically, MMIPs displayed a high affinity for uptake of STL (393.8 +/- 1.328%) against BMG (360.72 +/- 6.72%) over 24 h. The pH sensitivity of the nanocarriers was investigated in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluids (SIF) environments. The quantitative results indicated that the prepared nanocarriers showed a controlled release in SIF environments. MMIPs achieved a release efficiency for STL and BMG of approximately 57.7 +/- 0.6% and 85.4 +/- 4.6%, respectively, over a 78-hour period. These findings highlight the potential of MMIPs for dual-uptake and targeted release applications of STL in specific pH environments
Assessing reliability and factorial validity of the Swedish version of the recovery experience questionnaire adapted for at-work recovery
No full textRecovery from work stress is crucial for health and well-being. While research has strongly focused on recovery processes after the workday, there is increasing recognition of the importance of such processes during work. A challenge in investigating recovery processes at work has been the absence of validated measurement tools. This study developed and examined the psychometric properties of a work context-adapted version of the Swedish version of the Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ). Data were collected by means of an online survey, consisting of 481 employees at a large-sized company located in a medium-sized community in Sweden, in which the questionnaire was completed at two occasions (269 completed the questionnaire on the first or the second occasion, and 105 participants on both occasions). To determine the best-fitting model, we first conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the a priori model. Both the EFA and the CFA supported the proposed four-factor structure of the scale, consisting of the factors Control, Relaxation, Mastery, and Psychological detachment. High reliability estimates were demonstrated for both internal consistency of the total measure and of each subscale, and test-retest consistency. Furthermore, the measure proved to have good convergent validity and discriminant validity for all factors, except some concern regarding convergent validity for Mastery. Despite the limitations discussed, the findings provide support for the use of the Swedish version of the REQ-W and suggest the development and psychometric testing of translated versions of the REQ-W in other languages
