This is a study of foster homes. The focus is at the methods, used at foster homes evaluations and at guidance/support the foster homes are offered.En questionnaire is made in Skåne, on this theme.Except that, it contains a fairly lot of useful information for families who are interested in becoming foster home.The questionnaire is made among public and private participants who evaluates new foster homes and places children (under 18 years) in Skåne.Because of the low answer frequency, we can?t generalize the result of the questionnaire. But the result we have obtained indicates that Kälvestens evaluation method is used frequently.In the subject of support/guidance we can?t see any specific methods used.

This master?s thesis describes the development of a model of the catalystsystem aiming at control by an MPC. A well functioning model, which is suitable in control purpose, is important while emission legislation become more and more hard to fulfill for the car manufacturers. Much research has been done in the field of physical modeling of the system, but in this work a linear adaptive time discrete ARX-model is developed and validated.The systems tendency to change its dynamic during usage implies that the model must be adaptive. The developed model proved to be well functioning and shows promising conditions for the MPC design.

According to international and national literacy studies (PISA, PIRLS) Swedish boys are inferior to Swedish girls when it comes to reading. There can be numerous reasons to that statement. One is that Swedish teachers require more knowledge about communication as an important component in literacy. In spite of this shortcoming, Swedish girls manage to gain sufficient literacy. Why is that? The aim of this survey was to examine if there were any differences between girls and boys regarding communication skills when they begin in school.The main questions taken in account were:Which differences and/or similarities in communication skills are discernible between boys and girls this particular preschool?How do boys and girls communicate with each other in different room contexts on this particular preschool?           To be able to answer the questions, I adopted observations and audio recordings from children aged five.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how students in higher education use talking books. This has been inves-tigated through qualitative interviews with nine students. The intention has been to find out how they use talk-ing books and why they have chosen to do it in the way they have, looking specifically on whether there are strategies shared by most of the interviewees.As a theoretical basis of the thesis I have chosen a study, described by Sigrid Hongset, where dyslectic pu-pils tried using printed text and text on tape, as well as both simultaneously. George Kingsley Zipfs ?Principle of least effort? will act as a supplemental theory.The interviews show that the students use talking books in different ways.

The interest in tiny wireless applications raises the demand for an integrated reference oscillator with the same performance as the macroscopic quartz crystal reference oscillators. The main challenge of the thesis is to prove that it is possible to build a MEMS based oscillator that approaches the accuracy level of existing quartz crystal oscillators. The MEMS resonator samples which Philips provides are measured and an equivalent electrical model is designed for them. This model is used in the simulations of the Pierce oscillator and the transresistance amplifier oscillator that are evaluated in this thesis. Finally the Pierce oscillator is implemented in the A BCD2 process and manufactured at Philips Semiconductors in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Samtalsmöten är en viktig del i människors kontakter med myndigheter. De sätt som dessa samtalsmöten sker på kan påverka den enskildes medverkan, kunskaper och utfall från dessa möten, på olika sätt.Studiens syfte är att analysera och beskriva hur asymmetrier mellan handläggare och klient konstrueras i samtalsmöten om bistånd för äldre och ekonomiskt bistånd samt handläggarens hantering av dessa.Genom att använda diskursiv analysmetod analyseras tio audio-inspelade samtalsmöten och den samtalsinteraktion som sker i dessa när det gäller handläggarnas biståndsbedömning av så väl bistånd för äldre som ekonomiskt bistånd.Resultatet visar att det är av vikt att handläggarna är medvetna om de inneboende asymmetrierna i dessa samtalsmöten som kommer av deras institutionella karaktär. Detta, då handläggaren genom sin hantering av dessa har en stor möjlighet att påverka huruvida asymmetrierna förstärks i samtalsmötet och hur det i sin tur påverkar klienten och deras relation. Resultatet tyder också på att handläggarens hantering av de olika asymmetrierna som framträdde kan äventyra rättssäkerheten för klienten.Resultatet lyfter fram betydelsen av att det är handläggarens medvetenhet eller omedvetenhet om dessa asymmetrier som är avgörande för hur de hanteras och vad det får för effekter för klienten. Studien kan användas för vidare förståelse i praktiska sammanhang om vilka kommunikativa asymmetrier som finns mellan handläggare och klient och hur handläggarens hantering av dessa påverkar interaktionen och relationen dem emellan, samt det utfall som det kan ha för klienten..

Our aim is to analyse and discuss Swedish sport federations´ view about talent. We are analysing material, mainly in digital form, with focus on the identification of talents, development of talents and talents in a wider perspective. The first one is about when and how federations identify talents. The second one is about how they work with development of talents, for example, what is the most significant aspect to develop young people to become successful athletes. The third one is about organizations questions, how they work to create an environment that enables Swedish athletes to become great in sports.

Diseases associated with monocytosis in Swedish dogs - a retrospective study. The purpuse of this retrospective study is to determine which diseases are associated with pronounced monocytosis in Swedish dogs. Records of 153 dogs with monocytosis were evaluated. The most common cause was infectious diseases (49%) of which pyometra was seen in 23% of the cases, cystitis and fever of unknown origin each in 13% and gastroenteritis in 12%. Cortison treatment was the second most common cause with 29%. A sixth of the dogs had non inflammatory diseases such as neoplasia, renal- and heartfailure.

For any animator either working in stop-motion or 3D-animation the knowledge of the first animation techniques are most important. For it is based on these principles that animation today can create such vibrant characters. With the extreme development 3D-animation has undergone the last twenty years it is easy to lose track of the old ways. But with this thesis a hope to show that it is these old ways that will take animation to its next stage. My aim with this thesis is to find out if it is possible to identify the characteristic features of stop-motion and apply these onto 3D-animation with purpose to create a more expressive style of animation.

The following project has been made in collaboration with, Denator AB, a biotechnology enterprise. One-dimensional electrophoreses have been used to analyze protein contents of tissue samples. Tissue samples have been either treated according to the company´s newly developed tissue treatment technique or not treated at all and comparisons between these samples have been made. In order to see differences in protein patterns between samples more clearly, a conversion method has been developed where electrophoresis gel visual patterns are used to produce curves, similar to densitometer curves.Denator AB would like to know if the proteins in their treated samples will change visibly over 48 h when incubated at room temperature. This has been investigated using the above mentioned method.

Train travel has increased in Sweden, and future increase of train transports putdemands on the already vastly exploited railroad net. The increased need of capacitycan be seen in the ongoing and planned expansions of the railway track. One part ofthe railroad infrastructure which is affected by an increase of travellers is the design ofthe station platform. Since the platform is the place where the traveller meets thetrain, dangerous situations can occur in this environment. A number of studies focuson single safety risks, albeit there is no research to show the full picture of safety inthe platform environment.This study aims to treat and put together a compilation of risks for the traveller in theplatform environment in the form of a checklist, which can be used as support inplanning and design of a safer platform environment for existing or planned platforms.The thesis has, through case studies of five ongoing projects within the NationalRailroad Administration (Banverket), interviews with train company personnel andinternational railroad administrators, identified and treated safety (and security) risksin the platform environment.The conclusion of the study is that the relations between the traveller, the physicalplatform environment and the project organisation are important to explore andexploit when designing effective safety measures.

SammanfattningSyftet med denna studie är att undersöka relationen mellan några av de engelska texter elever på grundskolan i årskurs 8 möter i sin vardag och de texter de möter i skolans engelskundervisning och vad det kan få för betydelse för undervisningen i skolan.Följande frågeställningar ligger till grund för undersökningen:? Vilka olika slags engelska texter möter elever i sin vardag?? Vilka slags texter möter de i skolans undervisning?? Vilka likheter och olikheter finns det mellan den engelska eleven möter utanför skolan med den engelska de möter i skolan?? Vilka fördelar och nackdelar finns det med att eleverna möter mycket engelska utanför skolan? ? Vilka kan konsekvenserna tänkas bli för undervisningen i engelska i skolan? Den metod jag använde mig av var en enkätundersökning med 22 elever från ?Fast Track-klass? årskurs 8 klass och sedan jämföra resultat med en undersökning som Skolverket genomfört och som heter English ? here and there and everywhere.De resultat jag kom fram till var att eleverna har väldigt mer kontakt med engelska utanför skolan än i skolan. Eleverna ser mycket ofta på engelskspråkig TV/video, kassetter/CD och film med eller utan svensk textremsa. Eleverna lyssnar på enormt mycket musik med engelska texter varje vecka. Engelska är också det dominerande språket på Internet och i dataspel vilket spelar en stor roll i ungdomarnas kultur idag..

In this thesis, the Train Power System Simulator (TPSS) has been compared and verified with the commercial simulator TracFeed® Simulation (TracFeed). The basis for the comparison was a given part of the Swedish railway system, with steel transportation trains. Primarily, emphasis was placed on running time and energy consumption in simulation results. Two transformer systems were analyzed, booster and auto transformers. The high voltage transmission line, parallel to the railroad track, was disconnected in some simulations.

In recent years, global organizations safeguarding financial stability has started to track commercial property markets. One of the reasons for this refers to the fact that commercial property constitutes a large share of bank lending. Simultaneously, bank exposures to commercial property are extensive and risky since collateral values are strongly correlated to borrowers cash flows. Since banks are viewed to play a key role for financial stability, studying the relationship is well motivated. To better understand how commercial property markets interact with financial stability, this paper develops an econometric model for studying the commercial rental market.

The aim in this thesis is to use carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope analysis on teeth and bone to track diet and mobility of the population as well as the individual level from the articulated and disarticulated individuals from the passage grave Frälsegården, situated in Gökhem parish in the region of Falbygden, western Sweden.50 human samples were analyzed from tooth, mandibula and femur, together with 11 faunal samples from different bone elements of local wild and domestic animals.The results fall well in line with earlier stable isotope work done on passage grave individuals from Falbygden in stable isotopes: A homogenous group with a diet which was clearly terrestrial and lived on a pretty high trophic level. It also seems that the analyzed individuals deliberately focused their food intake to the cultural and natural, megalith and limestone landscape of Falbygden, and not to its surroundings, even if the passage grave is situated in the outermost areas of the region.A small study compares the sulfur results to with earlier work done on strontium isotopes. The results show that the different methods might provide a deeper understanding in the interpretation of the methods, and therefore suggesting that further work should be done to compare the methods..