Promoters are genetic elements that facilitate the transcription of a gene and they have been found in front of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes in different organ-isms, e.g. the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. A similar element, DUSE, has been found in front of ncRNAs in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and a part of this project has been to analyze the function of this putative promoter element through cloning and expression studies. A construct to analyze the func-tion of DUSE was successfully designed and introduced into D. discoideum but full expression studies were not finished because of shortage of time.

 Den socialt kompetente har hög social status, många vänner, ett funktionellt beteende och sociala förmågor så som empati och hjälpsamhet. Avsaknad av social kompetens innebär bland annat känslomässiga och beteendemässiga problem. I denna studie medverkade totalt 30 gymnasieelever som genomgick två arbetsminnestest samt fyllde i en självvärderingsenkät som mäter social kompetens. Syftet var att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan en tonårings arbetsminne och sociala kompetens. Studien begränsades till att mäta arbetsminnets fonologiska och visuellspatiala lagringsenheter samt två sociala förmågor; prosocialt beteende och initiativtagande.

AbstractThe debate on grammar has been on the agenda for thousands of years. Several different arguments and theories have been used in order to explain the importance of grammar in school. Some newer arguments have been added, while others have stayed, either in their original version, or in a modernised one.This essay aims to clarify the role grammar play in school. In order to do that we have looked into its history, the curriculum, modern research and interviews made with active teachers.The results of the literary studies, the studies of the curriculum and the field studies show that the very presence of grammar in school is disputed. The curriculum of today speaks of an orientation in language, with grammar as a part of it, based on the students? own language.

Our common future involves many important challenges. People and nature need to improve the relationship in order to reach an ecologically sustainable development. In a society where consumption of products steadily increases, the consumer awareness about social and environmental issues connected to the products becomes an importent factor. More and more companies choose to work more actively with these issues and more and more products get labelled by some of the eco labelling organisations. From the cradle to the gate means that a study has been done on a part of a products life cycle.

Arbetet utgör en litteraturundersökning avseende utvärdering och styrning av dagens svenska gymnasieskola. Perspektivet är kritiskt granskande och intresset för frågorna har väckts genom egna erfarenhet som gymnasielärare.Centralt för sambanden mellan målstyrning, konkurrens och utvärdering är förståelsen för tester och utvärdering, avseende testmetodik, tolkning av testresultat och påverkan på den pedagogiska processen, samt förutsättningarna för att målstyra den pedagogiska verksamheten i skolan.I syfte att erhålla ett brett perspektiv på tester och utvärderingar, har två vitt skilda områden närmare studerats. Dessa har valts så att det ena (testning av ämneskompetens och betygssättning) utgör en relativt formaliserad testning av specifika ämneskunskaper, som regelbundet utvärderas; medan det andra (utvärdering av den gemensamma värdegrunden) utgör ett ämnesövergripande område, vars testning inte är formaliserad och inte sker regelbundet.Genom att undersöka hur utvärdering sker inom två olika och vitt skilda områden, har generella slutsatser dragits rörande de komplexa sambanden mellan målstyrning, konkurrens och utvärdering.Några slutsatser som dras är att det föreligger en samverkan mellan målstyrning, utvärdering och konkurrens, samt att tolkningsutrymmet i betygskriterierna i kombination med en press för högre betyg, är en orsakskombination som kan förklara den rådande betygsinflationen..

AbstractThis paper is a comparative study of the final reports of the Norwegian and Danish power studies performed in 2003. While the Danish study found that democracy is thriving, the conclusion of the Norwegian power study was that democracy is in a crisis. The purpose of this paper is to find explanations to why the studies in two Nordic countries arrived at such different results.Methodologically, the paper consists of an ideological text analysis and critical analyses of the discourse. In order to study how the results of the power studies can differ so considerably, the following aspects have been surveyed; 1) external contexts (government inquiries); 2) work process (the researchers? background, role and co-operation); 3) the problem areas and themes studied; and 4) power perspectives.

Foreign aid is a very debated and controversial topic. The most recent studies have focused more on GDP growth and foreign aid correlation, however not much of the debate has focused on what kind of foreign aid should be given. The most common foreign aid is budget support, often a bilateral funds transfer between two countries. This kind of foreign aid can be both conditional and unconditional from the donors? perspective.

Social fobi är vanligt förekommande och tenderar att föregå andra diagnoser såsom depression. Huvudsyftet med föreliggande studie är att utvärdera KBT-behandling baserad på Clark och Wells (1995) förklaringsmodell för social fobi, genom att pröva behandlingsresultatet från en öppenpsykiatrisk klinik gentemot randomiserade kontrollerade studier. Studien baserades på data från 36 tidigare patientbehandlingar utförda av psykologer vid WeMinds specialistklinik. Som huvudutfallsmått användes förändringspoäng på skalor för social fobi som visade stark effekt, i nivå med jämförda studier. Därutöver uppnådde totalt 78 procent av patienterna kliniskt signifikant förbättring och 75 procent bedömdes vara i remission efter behandling.

In the light of the criticism from the Swedish Consumers? Association towards the actions of modern fund managers on the Swedish Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) market, discussions of change has increased. The reasons underlying a change and communication process are scarcely focused on. Thus, grounded on theories in the fields of Critical Management Studies (CSR), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), change and communication, this study analyses how a change of implementing revised SRI communication is carried out at Handelsbanken Asset Management, existing motives for the change in communication, and how key actors can affect the process. A participant observation and in-depth interviews were carried out enfolding a discussion that contributed with a critical analysis and discussion, concluding external motives to be dominant and that key actors of the change process are influential to a various extent.

The purpose of this study was to find out why the law that regulates downloading copyrighted material does not work and which of the most important main reasons lies behind downloading behaviour. The phenomenon being well investigated earlier has actualized a new demand for normative investigation in connection with the hot debated IPRED-law.Using qualitative method comprising of interviews with three typical file sharers and anchored in Max Webers action typology, rational choice theory and the norm model followed by two assessment models, we found that four important reasons lies behind downloading behaviour: 1) economical reasons was the most central and frequent determinant followed by 2) accessibility and comfort, and 3) social acceptance and moral and also 4) habits. Although the content of the law was correctly provided by the interviewees, it was clear that they did not perceive the impact of the law as meaningful or threatening.The results, being compatible with previous research, are discussed in terms of the named theories and assessment models. We suggest further research to take into account peoples norms as the new IPRED-law soon will be functional as well as studies from a perspective of the legal rights of the individual..

The aim of this study was to illuminate how social workers in social services work with the social phenomenon, homelessness in two municipalities. The study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with interviewees from a department of social services. Our theories that we used was resistant inequality, structural discrimination, exclusion, empowerment and representation. After compilation of our empirical our conclusions are that homelessness is a complex phenomenon. Social workers handles homelessness based on client?s needs and the work is individualized.

The study will examine how teachers relate to religious studies for middle school students. Religious studies are the oldest but also the most contested subject undergoing the most changes over time. The subject is far from being obvious. Politicians and people within the school community disagree about the subject?s content and its name, some within the school system but also politicians like to call it topic of life studies or belief studies, while others want to keep the name religion studies.

The aim of this study was to reach a deeper understanding of the process that occurs within the social services after receiving a notification according to Chapter 14, section 1, The Social Services Act. More specifically the focus of this study was to illustrate how social secretaries reason about children?s participation in the process, as well as to examine whether the legislative change, Chapter 11, section 1 a, The Social Services Act, has affected the process in any way. The study?s results reflect interviews with five social secretaries who are active in four different municipalities in southern Sweden.

Retiring from elite sport can be a difficult and disruptive process for an elite athlete. To improve the quality of the transition after retirement, elite athletes are recommended to have dual careers which mean they combine their sport with education to be prepared for a new career when they retire from elite sport. To help elite student-athletes with this combination, universities and sport organizations provide different kind of support. This study was conducted and aimed to investigate elite athletes? perceptions of support offered by a university in Sweden and the elite athletes? perceptions of combining top level sport and academic studies.

AbstractAuthor: Josefin Gustavsson, Moa OsbäckTitle: School social workers view on young people using social media ? a study with a discourse theoretical approach [Skolkuratorers syn på ungas användande av sociala medier ? en studie med en diskursteoretisk ansats]Supervisor: Anders GiertzAssessor: Jan Petersson The aim of this study is to investigate school social workers view on young people using social media. With this study we are intended to understand how discourses affect the interventions of school social workers. This study has a qualitative approach and contains seven interviews with school social workers and one social worker who responded through a written response document. The interviews were semi-structured to enable spontaneous reflections and to catch the essence of the respondent?s language in the context as a school social worker.