University West
Not a member yet
5762 research outputs found
Sort by
Ore extensions of abelian groups with operators
No full textGiven a set A and an abelian group B with operators in A, in the sense of Krull and Noether, we introduce the Ore group extension B[x; σB, δB] as the additive group B[x], with A[x] as a set of operators. Here, the action of A[x] on B[x] is defined by mimicking the multiplication used in the classical case where A and B are the same ring. We derive generalizations of Vandermonde’s and Leibniz’s identities for this construction, and they are then used to establish associativity criteria. Additionally, we prove a version of Hilbert’s basis the oremfor this structure, under the assumption that the action of A on B is what we call weakly s-unital. Finally, we apply these results to the case where B is a left module over a ring A, and specifically to the case where A and B coincide with a non-associative ring which is left distributive but not necessarily right distributive.CC BY 4.0</p
Wire arc additive manufacturing : A review on quality enhancement using nano-particle reinforcement
No full textWire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) has emerged as a promising metal additive manufacturing technique due to its high deposition rate, cost-effectiveness, and ability to build large-scale components. However, challenges such as porosity, poor mechanical properties, limited microstructural control, and residual stress hinder its full potential. Incorporating nanoparticles into the WAAM process has recently gained significant attention as a strategy to enhance material performance. This review provides a detailed and systematic analysis of the various types of nanoparticles used in WAAM, their methods of incorporation, effects on microstructure, mechanical performance, and functional properties of the built components. This review provides the first comprehensive classification and quantitative analysis of nanoparticle incorporation strategies in WAAM, systematically categorising 72 research articles across four distinct deposition strategies, including feedstock modification, interlayer application, direct melt pool injection, and ultrasonic dispersion. This work presents a comparative framework analysing the relative efficacy of different nanoparticle types (carbides, nitrides, and oxides) across multiple alloy systems, revealing that TiC emerges as the most extensively studied reinforcement. The review establishes that nanoparticle addition demonstrates positive influence on yield strength and ultimate tensile strength up to optimal concentrations, beyond which agglomeration-induced property deterioration occurs. Furthermore, the review identifies future perspectives for the optimized integration of nanoparticles in WAAM for high-performance manufacturing, design of multifunctional and hybrid reinforcement strategies, and adoption of AI-driven predictive modeling. The review discusses the industrial adoption barriers of the process. This systematic framework provides practical guidance for nanoparticle selection and process optimization, accelerating the industrial deployment of nanoparticle-reinforced WAAM technology.CC-BY 4.0</p
Rebuilding of stationary shoulder friction stir welding MP 159 probes by laser metal deposition using stellite 6 powder
No full textLaser Metal Deposition with Powder (LMDp) is an established additive manufacturing (AM) technique with great potential for repairing and remanufacturing high-value tools. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the successful remanufacturing of worn MP159 stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SS-FSW) probes using LMDp and Stellite 6 alloy. Two deposition strategies were investigated: continuous deposition and deposition with a 10-second interlayer cooling interval. The effects on microstructural evolution, bonding integrity, and mechanical performance were evaluated. The cooling-assisted process enabled the deposition of six homogeneous and geometrically precise layers, compared to four in the continuous build, while significantly reducing thermal accumulation. Microstructural characterization revealed dense, crack-free deposits with strong metallurgical bonding between Stellite 6 and the MP159 substrate. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) exhibited recrystallization and grain coarsening accompanied by a BCC→FCC phase transformation in the substrate, forming a ductile buffer that enhances durability. Interlayer cooling refined the dendritic morphology, minimized remelting, and reduced HAZ thickness from 80 µm to 30 µm, indicating improved thermal control. Microhardness profiles showed consistent values (500–550 HV) across deposited layers, with localized softening (300 HV) in the HAZ due to tempering. These results confirm that LMDp with controlled cooling provides a sustainable, high-integrity, and cost-effective approach for restoring cobalt-based FSW tools.CC-BY 4.0</p
Work is not enough! : Addressing mid-career professionals' needs for leadership development
No full textBusiness schools face growing pressure to develop socially responsible and effective leaders, particularly among mid-career professionals. This study explores a reversed work-integrated learning (WIL) model, with a starting point in participants’ real-world leadership practices, integrating theory and continuous structured reflection. This contrasts with traditional WIL models that start with academic theory and rely on formal partnerships between academia and industry for work placements. Drawing on five years of qualitative data from 99 participants in a master's level leadership program, the study explores how this contract-free, practice-first approach supports leadership development by leveraging participants' ongoing professional experience. The pedagogical design emphasizes contextualized, lifelong learning through continuous individual and peer reflection. Reflexive thematic analysis reveals that the reversed WIL model effectively addresses leadership development gaps, enhances workplace impact, and offers a strong return on investment for individual participants and organizations. The study contributes a novel framework for leadership development education tailored to experienced professionals based on five key design principles: learner adaptation, contextualization, self-efficacy building, flexible structure, and peer-based learning.CC BY 4.0</p
Teachers’ articulations of digital resources in an upper secondary programme for newly arrived migrants
No full textThe highly digitalised nature of contemporary society has made digital literacy important for newly arrived migrants. However, for teachers, the use of information and communication technologies can be challenging. The aim of the present study is to gain a deeper understanding of how teachers perceive digital resources as useful for teaching migrants language and subject skills. The research question is, In what way do teachers at the language introduction programme for newly arrived migrants in Sweden articulate the use of digital resources in relation to language teaching and in relation to subject teaching? This qualitative study is based on observations of 28 lessons in different subjects in the language introduction programme, as well as interviews with the observed teachers. In analysing the material, we first used the TPACK in situ model (Pareto & Willermark, 2019) to organise the data on the use of digital resources, and thereafter discourse theory (Howarth, 2005) was used to analyse the data. The results show that the teachers limited their students’ use of digital resources during the lessons, which is apparent in two discourses: distrust and dichotomy. In the discourse on distrust, digital technology is seen as an obstacle to teaching, and the discourse dichotomy is about the opposition between the digital and the physical. Moreover, articulations were often expressed in terms of identity; the teachers talked about themselves in relation to digital resources, rather than talking about how they use digital resources in their teaching.CC BY 4.0</p
From Next of Kin to Caregiver : Next of Kin’s Experiences with Palliative Home Care
No full textBackground: Palliative care is an approach that includes both patients with incurable illnesses and their next of kin. Next of kin, in this context, may include a family member, a partner, a neighbor, or a close friend. The needs of the next of kin in palliative home care are often overlooked and it is the nurse’s responsibility to offer them support, especially since many next of kin take on the role of family carers. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe next of kin’s experiences of palliative home care. Method: The method used was a literature-based study based on an integrative synthesis of qualitative research, inspired by meta-synthesis. The analysis of ten scientific articles resulted in three themes and seven subthemes. Results: The three themes identified were: a lack of continuity creates insecurity, taking on the role of a family carer and next of kin’s need for support. The results indicate that the next of kin of patients in need of palliative home care often feel insecure and unprepared in the role of family carer and have a significant need for support from family members, friends, and healthcare services. However, they perceive the role as important and meaningful. Conclusion: By ensuring that the next of kin feel acknowledged, are well-informed and prepared regarding the practical aspects of taking on the role of family carer, and receive adequate support, their experience of palliative home care can be significantly improved. Educating and supporting the next of kin is an essential part of the nurse’s responsibilities.Palliativ vård är ett förhållningssätt med målet att optimera livskvaliteten för patienter med obotlig sjukdom och deras närstående. En närstående kan vara en familjemedlem, partner, granne, vän eller någon annan som står patienten nära. När den palliativa vården i allt större utsträckning flyttas från sjukhusen till hemmet, ställs samtidigt högre krav på de närstående. Detta eftersom vårdpersonal inte alltid finns tillgänglig i hemmet på samma sätt som på ett sjukhus. Närstående upplever ofta otrygghet som ett resultat av bristande kontinuitet inom hälso- och sjukvården. De främsta orsakerna till bristande kontinuitet är underbemanning, tidsbrist samt otillräckligt informationsutbyte och samarbete. Många närstående känner sig tvungna att ta på sig rollen som vårdare i hemmet för dessa patienter. Att påta sig rollen som anhörigvårdare innebär ett stort ansvar som medför både mental och fysisk påfrestning, samt ofta leder till ekonomiska utmaningar. De flesta närstående har inte tillräckliga kunskaper om de praktiska aspekterna av vård i hemmet eller om den sista tiden i livet. Många närstående upplever dock att det är en meningsfull uppgift att få vårda en person de har en nära relation till. För att kunna hantera denna uppgift behöver närstående stöd från släkt, vänner och samhället. Det är också av stor vikt att sjuksköterskor och övrig vårdpersonal inte enbart fokuserar på patienten, utan också beaktar de närstående som egna individer med unika förutsättningar och behov. Syftet med denna litteraturbaserade studie var att beskriva närståendes erfarenheter av palliativ vård i hemmet. Studiens resultat baseras på tio artiklar som har hämtats från de vetenskapliga databaserna CINAHL och PsycInfo. Närstående har ur ett historiskt perspektiv blivit förbisedda i samband med palliativ vård. I dag är ”stöd till närstående” en av de grundläggande hörnstenarna inom detta förhållningssätt och sjuksköterskan har därför ett ansvar att erbjuda detta stöd. Det finns emellertid flera förbättringsområden inom palliativ vård och stöd till närstående är ett av dem. Tillgången till stöd och god palliativ vård avgörs i dag i stor utsträckning av bostadsort. Avsaknad av stöd kan orsaka lidande och därför är det avgörande att sjuksköterskor, med sin specifika kompetens inom omvårdnad, leder förbättringsarbetet inom detta område framåt
Experiences of participating in a preoperative comprehensive geriatric assessment and care intervention among frail older adults before colorectal cancer resection surgery
No full textBackground Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and care has shown benefts for frail older adults across various care settings. However, its integration into routine care within a surgical context remains limited. An ongoing randomised controlled multicentre study will evaluate the efects of a period of preoperative optimisation (up to eight weeks), involving interprofessional CGA and care, in addition to routine care before colorectal cancer resection surgery. If this approach proves favourable, it could potentially be incorporated into routine surgical care. To facilitate implementation, it is crucial to explore and understand participants’ perceptions of taking part in a preoperative CGA and care intervention. Aim To describe how frail older adults with colorectal cancer experience participation in a preoperative CGA and care intervention.Methods This qualitative, descriptive study was part of a randomised controlled multi-centre study. In total, 20 semistructured interviews were conducted with frail older adults undergoing a CGA and care intervention before colorectal cancer surgery. The data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Results Frail older adults with colorectal cancer experienced participation in preoperative CGA and care as an integral part of an intervention. They adopted an opportunity mindset when deciding to participate. Throughout the intervention, they observed the team working collaboratively and actively involving them in the optimisation process, enhancing their readiness for surgery by the end of the period. Conclusions The fndings indicated that frail older adults with colorectal cancer viewed the preoperative CGA and care intervention as a meaningful opportunity for improvement and a chance to extend life. Their active involvement and the collaborative eforts of the care team during the intervention were crucial in enhancing their understanding, manageability, and readiness for surgery. They valued the opportunity to make active choices when appropriate and appreciated having the right to delegate decisions to healthcare professionals. From a frail older adult’s perspective, team-based approaches in preoperative care, such as CGA and care, ofer benefts in terms of involvement and satisfaction. However, the thorough evaluation of postoperative outcomesCC BY 4.0</p
Att främja socioemotionellt lärande hos barn i förskolan
No full textSocio-emotionellt lärande handlar om att utveckla de färdigheter vi behöver för att till exempel kunna hantera känslor, visa empati och skapa relationer till andra. Det socioemotionella lärandet (SEL) spelar en avgörande roll i allt samspel och har därför stor betydelse i det dagliga livet. Utvecklingen av dessa färdigheter börjar i tidig ålder och tillsammans med andra. För en del barn sker detta utan svårigheter, medan det för andra kan vara utmanande. För dem blir förskolan särskilt viktig, då den ger möjlighet till samspel med barn och vuxna utanför den egna familjen. Det samspel som främjar SEL är en naturlig del av förskolans dagliga verksamhet, men program som systematiskt främjar SEL har ett starkt vetenskapligt stöd. Sådana program är väl etablerade i många länder, men är inte en del av den ordinarie förskolan i Sverige. Därför är det angeläget att de som är verksamma inom förskolan får ökad kunskap om hur man kan arbeta systematisk för att främja SEL och att evidensbaserade insatser som främjar SEL implementeras även svensk förskola.CC BY 4.0</p
Enhancing Wi-Fi 6 spectrum access control with a heuristic OFDMA back-off mechanism
No full textThe IEEE 802.11ax standard, known as Wi-Fi 6, employs a centralized, multiuser, uplink Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based Random Access (UORA) mechanism to improve user efficiency and network capacity in dense environments. In Wi-Fi 6, UORA functions as a contention-based access mechanism within the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, enabling multiple users to transmit simultaneously over shared Resource Units (RUs) in the OFDMA-enabled spectrum. However, the UORA’s random access behavior can lead to increased channel collisions and low spectrum utilization in dense user scenarios. To address these challenges, we propose a Heuristic OFDMA Back-Off (HOBO-UORA) mechanism in Wi-Fi 6 networks. The proposed HOBO-UORA approach leverages configured spectrum bandwidth or RUs to implement global control over the OFDMA Back-Off procedure. The proposed scheme implements an Additive Increase/Additive Decrease (AI/AD) mechanism to dynamically optimize UORA channel efficiency by reducing idle RUs in sparse networks and minimizing collision probability in highly dense environments. Detailed simulation results demonstrate that HOBO-UORA significantly improves Wi-Fi 6 network performance, achieving a 27% throughput increase and an 18% spectrum efficiency gain compared to standard UORA solutions. HOBO-UORA adds minimal overhead—just < 2% computational at the AP and 0.006% spectral in Wi Fi 6 networks.CC BY-NC-ND</p
High-achieving students – ”sometimes we think about them” : Teachers' descriptions of how they support high-achieving students' development of reading comprehension, based on results from assessment tools
No full textBakgrund: Både i skollagen och i läroplanen återfinns beskrivningar av att skolan ska vara likvärdig och att alla elever ska få möjlighet att utvecklas. Forskning visar att läsundervisning i skolan främst riktas till elever i svårigheter, medan högpresterande elever i hög grad får klara sig själva. Resultat från PIRLS och PISA visar att antalet högpresterande elever sjunker och att de högpresterande elevernas läsförståelse försämras. Kartläggningsverktyg används för att åskådliggöra elevers kunskaper, men tenderar däremot att, precis som undervisningen, riktas till elever i svårigheter. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka hur lärare i årskurs 1–3 arbetar för att stödja högpresterande elevers utveckling av läsförståelse, med utgångspunkt i resultat från kartläggningsverktyg. Metod: En kvalitativ ansats användes. Empiri skapades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem lågstadielärare från fyra svenska grundskolor i olika kommuner. Intervjuerna pågick i 35–55 minuter. Urvalet gjordes genom ett generiskt målstyrt urval och ett snöbollsurval. En tematisk analys av empirin gjordes. The Simple View of Reading och Pedagogiskt ABC användes som analysverktyg vid tolkning av empiri, framskrivning av resultat och i diskussionen. Resultat: Lärarna upplevde att kartläggningsverktyg ger dem en överblick över elevers kunskaper inom läsförståelse. Resultaten används formativt för att skapa vidare undervisning, däremot bedrivs denna undervisning ofta på en medelnivå. Lärarna nämnde att verktygen främst används för att identifiera elever i svårigheter, men beskrev att de även kan urskilja utvecklingsmöjligheter hos de högpresterande eleverna. Lärarna differentierar delar av undervisningen för de högpresterande eleverna och ger dem till exempel mer avancerade texter. Högläsning och samtal om text belystes som betydelsefulla arbetssätt. Eleverna får arbeta med läsförståelsefrågor och läsa tillsammans indelade i par efter prestationsnivå. Avkodningsträning i form av till exempel ordbilder och läsning av nonsensord, samt språkförståelseundervisnings om behandlar samtal om ord och ämnesövergripande arbete lyftes. Arbete med elever i högre årskurser förekommer också