The thesis presents an optimally designed kinematic structure for a new 6-DOF haptic devicebased on TAU configuration. The configuration of the TAU-2 proposed by Suleman Khan andKjell Andersson [1] was modified and its mobility was verified by using Grübler criterion tohave a 6 DOF. Analytical kinematic models for the inverse and forward kinematics weredeveloped for the haptic TAU configuration to determine a set of optimal design parameters.Kinematic performance indices such as volume of the workspace, kinematic isotropy and payload index, were defined based on the singular values of the Jacobian matrix. The Jacobianmatrix was scaled to homogenize the physical units. The Jacobian matrix dependent on theposition and orientation of the end-effector gives local isotropy and pay load index, so globaldesign indices were defined, which represent the performance of the mechanism in the wholeworkspace.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate mindfulness as a New Age phenomenon in the modern western society. Since a religious phenomenon does not exist in a vacuum, but is dependent on its historical and cultural context, my aim is to give a broad depiction of mindfulness and New Age in its wider context, the historical background and the societal implications of common values, themes and concepts that are frequent in the literature, how mindfulness is presented by the authors of popular literature and also how it is presented in science. In order to bring forward a deeper understanding of New Age and mindfulness? role in the modern western society, my intention is to see how the authors of mindfulness claim validity of their doctrines in the discourse. Mindfulness attracts a wide range of perpetrators and is used in many areas in the society today.

Syftet med studien är att är att studera skillnader i mottaglighet för emotionell smitta, anknytningsstilar och personlighets drag så som temperament och karaktär är hos personer diagnosticerade med Asperger jämfört med personer som inte har någon diagnos. Ett annat syfte är att studera samband mellan emotionell smitta, anknytningsstilar samt personlighetsdrag såsom temperament och karaktär. Åttioåtta försökspersoner deltog i enkät studien varav femton personer hade en Asperger diagnos och resterande sjuttiotre inte hade någon diagnos, i enkäten fick de svara på 293 påståenden som involverade emotioner, anknytning och personliga temperaments och karaktärsdrag. Samband och skillnader mellan grupperna undersöktes sedan. Resultatet visar att det existerar skillnader mellan grupperna.

AbstractThe aim of this essay is to understand the view of man as a creature in the Norse culture by studying rituals and ritual actions in conjunction with homicide. The material on which the study is based is called the Icelandic sagas, which are important source of information to the Norse culture. To achieve the purpose, I used a qualitative content analysis and qualitative narrative analysis along with ritual theories based on Roy A Rappaport among others. The questions are for instance:- What ritual actions occur in connection with the homicide, according to the Icelandic sagas? - What are the differences in how individuals are treated in passages where the ritual actions in relation to homicide and homicide cases investigated and why?The results show four different types of ritual acts in relation to homicide.

As the number of people owning a smartphone rapidly increases so too does the opportunity for various researchers to exploit this technology. The possibility to recruit people to participate in research studies improves and with it the chance to get more diversified target groups in terms of age, socio-economic status, geographical location, etc.In this essay, I argue that the opportunities smartphones offer in terms of collecting research material is vastly underestimated in several areas, bearing in mind the advantages they present. In order to support my argument, I shall present a case study carried out in the research area of happiness ? an area where the use of smartphones has provided significant opportunities for research.In order to gather the advantages and disadvantages of this method of study from the participants? perspective, I have followed a happiness research study which is a collaboration between Umeå University and The University of Stockholm. I have interviewed the participants of this study in order to assess the advantages and opportunities that smartphones offer in research programs.Overall, the participants? opinion of this research method was generally positive and it was considered to be quite easy to participate in the study and respond to the questions asked.

AbstractThe aim of this essay is to understand the view of man as a creature in the Norse culture by studying rituals and ritual actions in conjunction with homicide. The material on which the study is based is called the Icelandic sagas, which are important source of information to the Norse culture. To achieve the purpose, I used a qualitative content analysis and qualitative narrative analysis along with ritual theories based on Roy A Rappaport among others. The questions are for instance:- What ritual actions occur in connection with the homicide, according to the Icelandic sagas? - What are the differences in how individuals are treated in passages where the ritual actions in relation to homicide and homicide cases investigated and why?The results show four different types of ritual acts in relation to homicide.

Within all industries, there is a change in working time required; this also includes the construction sector. However, the way construction sectors are differentiated is by not having been given the opportunity to be practiced or tested.  The aim of this thesis that we have done in collaboration with the Concrete Industry was to investigate the possibility of developing an automated method for quality assurance of SKB at the site. The idea is to make the O-funnel to be more utilized and therefore ensuring that the appropriate concrete quality is provided which eventually would lead to a better development in the production process.The project has involved theoretical work and laboratory experiments. The theoretical work gave us a good foundation at the beginning of the project. After gathering the information and material, the laboratory experiments began by SCC in their laboratory in Hammarby. The collected data from the various laboratory tests formed the foundation for trying to relate measurements for consistency of SCC with each other and therefore find out how measurements from O-funnel varies with different concrete mixtures.

The development of the web has become an attractive area, with continuously and rapid development in the area it has led to a big change in the way of learning. Learning is a concept with many definitions, but a definition that is many at hand is that learning means that individuals seeking new knowledge and experiences that shape their goals, behavior and environment.With the development of the web a new way of learning emerged, E-learning. E-learning integrates information technology with the traditional learning to offers a flexible way of learning for students where they won't be dependent on time, place or others issues that would prevent their learning. E-learning takes shape of an application, LMS (Learning Management System). Today LMS are widely used in many universities, but with new technique comes new problems. The constant developments of the LMS have made the decision to use LMS difficult.

Shopping for groceries often means that, as consumers, we travel to the grocery store ourselves, by ear, bike or on foot. At the store we pick out the groceries that we want, go the register and pay for them. During the last couple of years consumers in Sweden have been given the opportunity to let someone else select and transport the groceries to their home instead, so called home shopping. As this report is being written, the possibility to buy groceries this way is somewhat limited, but many forecasters believe that in the near future it will increase immensely. Because of the large volumes of groceries that are being transported, there is great transport work being done in the supply chain.

The piglet mortality rates have become a major issue in today?s pig production. While other production traits such as number of born piglets or produced piglets per sow have been improved, the mortality rate has escalated. High mortality rates before weaning does not only affect the economy but must also be looked at as both an animal welfare problem and an ethical issue. The background to this problem has been addressed many times, and its salvation has also been addressed by breeding.

We have chosen to focus on the meaning of long-term income support dependency regarding health, goal setting and motivation for the recipient of economical aid. We have chosen to use semi structurized interviews to achieve our goal of reaching the clients experience of long-term income support dependency. The study consists of interviews of six clients whose answers have been analyzed through appliance of Kielhofner´s Model of human occupation, Scheff´s Shame in self and society.   Our results show regarding, 1) the factor health that long-term income support dependency may elevate the risk of illness and less experienced options of possibilities to act. 2) regarding the factor goal setting, that goals may be inefficiently used during social work with long-term income support dependent clients and may result in a disorganized relationship between client and social worker in the sense of making the parties pull in opposite direction. 3) regarding the factor motivation, that long-term income support dependency and the living with the emotion of shame elevates the risk of maintaining a negative image of oneself that limits the willpower to assimilate new knowledge and/or skills.

Photovoltaic Systems in Sweden has longbeen heavily dependent on subsidies and grants to bring in a profit for the investor. Production of excess electricity is a major reason for this as the compensation for excess electricity today is low. However, there are businesses that have an electricityneed that are particularly suitable for solar electricity. These businesses have an electricity demand when the sun shines the brightest and if the Photovoltaic System is properly scaled, the excess electricity can be minimized. A golf club is that kind of a business and this thesis aims to examinate the solar power potential for golf businesses in Sweden.Nine golf clubs was selected from different locations in Sweden.

Background: Many companies have outsourced their IT-operations and their expectations of what this IT-outsourcing will contribute to the business are high. Cost cuts are not always a natural outcome of IT-outsourcing. Many companies that have outsourced their IT-operations consider it to be problematic and complex to exercise management control and reach cost control which was the purpose of the IT-outsourcing. Purpose: To describe and analyze what affect IT-outsourcing has on a company?s management control system and a company?s possibility to exercise cost control.

Abstract Chronic heart failure is a common disease in elderly, and is the most common reason for hospitalization in patients over 65 years of age. Research on the elderly and heart failure often focus on treatment strategies, less research is available on patients' own experiences of living with chronic heart failure. The purpose of this interview study, was to gain more knowledge about patients´ own experiences of living with chronic heart failure. Nine patients were interviewed and the text was transcribed verbatim and it was then analyzed with a phenomenological hermeneutical method. From the analysis, three main themes emerged.

This study is based on AgroSeas business idea from environmental problems to valuable resource, with the objective to optimize a method to purify the already eutrophicated Baltic Sea by harvesting water plants, mainly reed. The nutrients will then be recirculated to arable land through residues from biogas production. The amount of nutrients that can be removed by harvesting the biomass depends on the amounts of biomass and the nutrient content of it, which in turn is strongly dependent on the nutrient concentration of the surrounding water. Vegetation suggested in the study for an effective nutrient uptake is helophytes: reed, cattails, reed canary grass, reed sweet grass in shallower water and lemnoideaes: duckweed and nymphaeids in the deeper parts. Competitive species has high purification ability but requires regular maintenance to avoid channeling and overgrowth. Regarding time and method of harvest, effectiveness may be improved by: harvesting plants above the water level and after flowering, a border is kept, harvesting twice a season, a bigger machine and a regular maintenance. This literature has illuminated a major environmental problem and it has been suggested optimizations for a method for cleaning the Baltic Sea through harvesting water plants, but to get a definite answer for the optimal method for each site tests should be carried out, this because many factors determine to what is suitable for each, specific environment. .