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Young and LGBTQIA+ : students’ schooling experiences in Sweden and Denmark
No full textResearch topic/aim LGBTQIA+ students are in many ways a marginalized group in school. Research suggests that a vast majority of LGBTQIA+ students report exposure to homophobia and transphobia in school. Violence and threats related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression often result in mental health issues. Given this background, the aim of the current study is to investigate LGBTQIA+ youths’ experiences regarding mental health issues related to violations in Swedish and Danish schools. Theoretical framework Theories on sexuality and norms about gender and identity frame the study. Methodological design This comparative study draws on individual interviews with LGBTQIA+ students aged 15-18 years in Sweden and Denmark. The interviews are conducted digitally via online meetings or phone calls. During the first phase of the project, we have interviewed young people living in various demographically places across Sweden and Denmark. Expected conclusions/findings Our preliminary findings indicate that a majority of the interviewed LGBTQIA+ students have experienced different forms of vulnerable situations, discrimination, social exclusion, and violations, and in school, which are handled very differently by the schools. Schooling during the lower secondary school years is described as particularly hard. Yet, there are also narratives framed from positive schooling experiences. These narratives draw from experiences from upper secondary school, where the social norms among tend to be more inclusive. Furthermore, the interviewed students call for much more education on LGBTQIA+ issues, preferably integrated into the curriculum rather than being a specific thematic focus. Although there are different policies in Sweden and Denmark, so far the preliminary analyses do not indicate major differences between the Swedish and Danish schools. Relevance to Nordic educational research Today, there is a lack of Nordic research investigating LGBTQIA+ youth’s own experiences of mental health issues related to victimization in school. As a marginalized group, both with regard to vulnerability and minority position in school, LGBTQIA+ students’ schooling experiences are often forgotten and even ignored in research. This study will generate new knowledge about LGBTQIA+ students’ schooling experiences, student victimisation, mental health issues, discrimination processes, and how professionals may find ways to prevent these issues in Swedish and Danish schools. The results will also be important for policy makers in Sweden and Denmark, as well as professionals outside of school who meet LGBTQIA+ youth in their everyday work
Assessing ferrite content in duplex stainless weld metal : WRC ‘92 predictions vs. practical measurements
No full textThe weldability of stainless steels is largely controlled by the chemical composition, and alloys with ferritic or ferritic-austenitic solidification show the highest resistance to hot cracking. As the resulting phase balance also affects the final properties, it may be beneficial to both foresee and measure the weld metal ferrite content. The WRC ‘92 constitution diagram is currently the most accurate prediction tool available, but it does not take the cooling rate into consideration and the precision may be less accurate for stainless steels with high ferrite numbers (FNs). This study aims to assess the reliability of the WRC ‘92 diagram for weld metals with FN > 50. The chemical composition was altered through gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) of UNS S32205 with ER347 filler wire that had been coated using physical vapor deposition (PVD) with either niobium (Nb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), carbon (C), or silicon (Si). The actual ferrite content was evaluated using image analysis, FeriteScope and X-ray diffraction (XRD). While predictions from the WRC ‘92 diagram were deemed acceptable for Ni, Si, and Mn, notable deviations were observed for Nb, Cu, and C. The FeriteScope exhibited a consistent trend with image analysis, albeit with slightly higher FN values, wider scatter, and the conversion factor from FN to vol% is open for discussion. The lowest accuracy and largest spread were obtained using non-contact XRD, rendering it unsuitable for ferrite measurements of welds. These findings underscore the need for improved prediction tools and appropriate measurement methods for assessing ferrite content in duplex weld metals
Teaching in a collaborative mathematic learning activity with and without a social robot
No full textThere is a growing interest in whether social robots, which are embodied and exhibit human-like behaviour, can be used for teaching and learning. Still, very few studies focus on the teacher’s role. This study focuses on how a teacher acted in a learning-by-teaching activity with 20 children. In this small-scale field experiment, the teacher’s interactions and teaching actions were observed when the teacher scaffolded a learning activity where children played a collaborative digital mathematics game to strengthen their mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding of arithmetic. When playing, the children were acting as tutors for a tutee, according to the learning-by-teaching principle. In one scenario, the tutee was a younger child; in the other, the tutee was a social robot. Twenty 30-minute game-playing sessions are observed, video-recorded, and transcribed. The study explores the teacher’s interactions and teaching actions in the two scenarios and discusses the results from the perspective of the teacher’s role, social norms, and teacher digital competence. The interaction and thematic analyses show similarities and characteristic differences in the teacher’s interaction patterns in the two scenarios. The teaching actions are similar on a structural level and differ regarding the types and distribution of teaching actions. In the child-child scenario, the teacher directs most teaching actions to both players, and the actions are didactic (mathematical) scaffolding. In contrast, in the child-robot scenario, the teacher only addresses the tutor, and the scaffolding is socially oriented. Implications for a teaching practice involving social robots as learning companions are discussed regarding teachers’ presence and participation, types of social robot knowledge that go beyond digital competence, and new challenges introduced by using social robots as learning companions in the classroom. The study contributes new insights into the teacher’s role and actions when teaching with a social robot in a collaborative learning situation, which is relevant for educational research and teaching practice.CC BY 4.0This work was supported partly by the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation through the project START (Student Tutor and Robot Tutee) and partly by the Swedish Research Council through the national graduate school GRADE (Graduate School for Digital Technologies in Education)</p
Transforming family dynamics : unexpected positive effects of treatment for adolescent gaming problems on family relationships
No full textIntroduction: While parenting is important for the development of adolescent problem gaming, it is unknown whether treatment of such problems in adolescents has a bearing on parenting. This study aims to explore the effects of individual relapse prevention (RP) treatment for adolescent problematic gaming on parenting practices and family dynamics. Methods: A total of 72 adolescents (74% male; Mage = 14.5 SD = 1.4), participated in the study, with n = 39 in the intervention group and n = 33 in the control group. Pre- and post-treatment data were collected on parenting practices (e.g., monitoring and communication) and family dynamics. Changes in parenting measures were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Svensson's method of change analysis. Results: Adolescents in the intervention group reported reduced family conflict and changes in specific parenting practices, including less inquiry, fewer rules and intrusion regarding gaming post-treatment. In contrast, the control group reported a decline in family cohesion at post-treatment assessment. Discussion: The results highlight adolescents' active role in shaping family dynamics and underscore the positive spillover effects of treating adolescent problematic gaming on parenting practices and family relationships. These findings are relevant to clinical practice and deepen our understanding of the relationship between adolescent gaming, parent-child interactions, and treatment spillover effects.CC BY</p
The role of perceived organizational support for nurses' ability to handle and resolve ethical value conflicts : A mixed methods study
No full textAim: To explore if and how nurses' perceived organizational support affects their ability to handle and resolve ethical value conflicts. Design: A mixed methods design with a longitudinal questionnaire survey and focus group interviews. Methods: A questionnaire survey in six hospitals in two Swedish regions provided data from 711 nurses responding twice (November–January 2019/2020 and November–January 2020/2021). A cross-lagged path model tested the mutual prospective influence between the organizational climate of perceived organizational support, frequency of ethical value conflicts, and resulting moral distress. Four focus group interviews were conducted with 21 strategically selected nurses (April–October 2021). Qualitative data collection and analysis were inspired by Grounded Theory. Results: A climate of perceived organizational support was empowering, contributing to role security. It prospectively decreased the frequency of ethical value conflicts but not the moral distress when conflicts did occur. Conclusion: It is important to facilitate the development of perceived organizational support among nurses, but also to reduce the occurrence of ethical value conflicts that the nurses cannot resolve. Implications for the Profession: By ensuring a shared care ideology, good interprofessional relations within the entire care organization, providing clear and supportive organizational structures, and utilizing competence adequately, healthcare managers can facilitate and support the development of perceived organizational support among nurses. Nurses who are empowered by perceived organizational support are stimulated by and take pride in their work and experience the work as meaningful and joyful. Impact: The study addressed the question of whether healthcare organizations could support nurses to resolving ethical value conflicts, and thus reduce moral distress. Perceived organizational support is related to factors such as ideological caring alignment and supportive organizational preconditions. This study contributes specific knowledge about how healthcare organizations can empower nurses to effectively resolve ethical value conflicts and thereby reduce their moral distress. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.CC BY 4.0</p
The travelling and embedding of discourses on quality in early childhood education and care
No full textThe present article is a meta-ethnographic analysis of 15 first-order ethnographic studies with a focus on quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The aim of the study is to investigate how neoliberal policy discourses on quality in early childhood education and care travel between global and local contexts and how they become embedded in local preschool practices. Central concepts in the analysis are institutional strategic responses, social reproduction and change in relation to how neoliberal discourses on quality become embedded in local preschool practices. The findings show how neoliberal policy discourses on quality are transformed and embedded in local preschool practices with different results and responses. The analysis uncovers five strategic,institutional responses: Acquiescence, Avoidance, Manipulation, Compromise, and Defiance. Acquiescence and Avoidance show patterns of social reproduction and Manipulation, Compromise, and Defiance reveals a potential opportunity for social change.CC BY 4.0</p
Friction Stir-Based Techniques : An Overview
No full textFriction stir-based techniques (FSTs), originating from friction stir welding (FSW), represent a solid-state processing method catering to the demands of various industrial sectors for lightweight components with exceptional properties. These techniques have gained much more attraction by providing an opportunity to tailor the microstructure and enhance the performance and quality of produced welds and surfaces. While significant attention has historically been directed towards the FSW process, this review delves into the working principles of FSTs, exploring their influence on mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of various materials. Additionally, emphasis is placed on elucidating the advancement of hybrid FSW processes for both similar and dissimilar metal components, aimed at enhancing welding quality through meticulous control of grain textures, structures, precipitation, and phase transformations. Finally, the review identifies current knowledge gaps and suggests future research directions. This review paper synthesises academic literature sourced from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases, supplemented by additional sources such as books from the last 15 years. CC-BY 4.0</p
A Methodology for Shielding-Gas Selection in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing with Stainless Steel
No full textThe main objective of this work was to propose and evaluate a methodology for shielding-gas selection in additive manufacturing assisted by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) with an austenitic stainless steel as feedstock. To validate the proposed methodology, the impact of multi-component gases was valued using three different Ar-based blends recommended as shielding gas for GMA (gas metal arc) of the target material, using CMT (cold metal transfer) as the process version. This assessment considered features that potentially affect the building of the case study of thin walls, such as metal transfer regularity, deposition time, and geometrical and metallurgical characteristics. Different settings of wire-feed speeds were conceived to maintain a similar mean current (first constraint for comparison’s sake) among the three gas blends. This approach implied different mean wire-feed speeds and simultaneously forced a change in the deposition speed to maintain the same amount of material deposited per unit of length (second comparison constraint). The composition of the gases affects the operational performance of the shielding gases. It was concluded that by following this methodology, shielding-gas selection decision-making is possible based on the perceived characteristics of the different commercial blends. © 2024 by the authors.CC BY 4.0</p
Systematic analysis of the effect on the simulated melt pool of different approaches for modelling arc pulsation
No full textThe present work investigates thoroughly the approaches used to model the effect of pulsing the heat source in computational fluid dynamics simulations of melt pools produced with electric arcs. Pulsed arcs are commonly utilized in metal additive manufacturing, welding, and cladding, especially pulsed gas metal arcs to control the metal transfer. They are characterized by periodic changes over time that act on the melt pool through arc heat flux, arc pressure, and electromagnetic force. Different approaches are being used in the literature to close the modelling of these terms with respect to arc pulsation: time-averaged without calibration, with calibration of the electromagnetic force, and time-dependent. Nonetheless, their effects on melt pool predictions remain to be understood. Therefore, the present work analyses those effects systematically through the arc heat flux, the arc pressure, and the electromagnetic force taken one by one. The simulated cases are based on experimental tests with a pulsed gas metal arc that did provide validation data. The obtained results show that these approaches predict thermal flows with significant differences at the free surface and in the melt bulk. They also highlight that the deviations extend beyond the melt pool area underneath the heat source and give rise to significant dissimilarities in melt pool geometry. We conclude by proposing recommendations for the use of these closure approaches. © 2024CC BY-NC-ND 4.0This research work is supported by grants from the EU project - Horizon 2020: INTEGRADDE (ID.820776), and by the KK-project DEDICATE (Dnr.20210094) which are gratefully acknowledged. The computations were performed on resources provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at NSC which is gratefully acknowledged.</p
Exploring Multi-Armed Bandit (MAB) as an AI Tool for Optimising GMA-WAAM Path Planning
No full textConventional path-planning strategies for GMA-WAAM may encounter challenges related to geometrical features when printing complex-shaped builds. One alternative to mitigate geometry-related flaws is to use algorithms that optimise trajectory choices—for instance, using heuristics to find the most efficient trajectory. The algorithm can assess several trajectory strategies, such as contour, zigzag, raster, and even space-filling, to search for the best strategy according to the case. However, handling complex geometries by this means poses computational efficiency concerns. This research aimed to explore the potential of machine learning techniques as a solution to increase the computational efficiency of such algorithms. First, reinforcement learning (RL) concepts are introduced and compared with supervised machining learning concepts. The Multi-Armed Bandit (MAB) problem is explained and justified as a choice within the RL techniques. As a case study, a space-filling strategy was chosen to have this machining learning optimisation artifice in its algorithm for GMA-AM printing. Computational and experimental validations were conducted, demonstrating that adding MAB in the algorithm helped to achieve shorter trajectories, using fewer iterations than the original algorithm, potentially reducing printing time. These findings position the RL techniques, particularly MAB, as a promising machining learning solution to address setbacks in the space-filling strategy applied. CC-BY 4.0This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development—CNPq (306053/2022-5) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—CAPES (88887.696939/2022-00).</p