The research in this thesis attempts to understand what happens when children (3-6 years of age) interact with each other in the context of free play in two pre-school settings when adults are not involved. The aim of the study was to get a closer look at how children create relationships and how they protect and defend their interactional spaces. Data was gathered through ethnographically inspired methodology, using video observation to capture the everyday interactions of the children. Results were analyzed using a phenomenological approach to peer cultures. Previous research suggests that it is very important for children to maintain their interactions with peers and gaining access to play.

Nowadays Wireless LAN is playing a more and more important role in network systems. After 1999, in which the IEEE organization published its Wireless Local Network standard 802.11[1], many people saw the advantages of the standard but also the lack of support for multimedia streaming. A lot of research work has been done on the proposed IEEE 802.11e standard draft during the past 4 years. It is supposed to be able to fully support Quality of Service. The final version will be published early in 2004.

Jag har gjort fem kvalitativa intervjuer med ett idrottsledare om deras upplevelser av diskriminering inom idrotten. Få studier har gjorts om diskriminering inom idrotten och det är på grund av detta som den här uppsatsen kom till. Syfte är att belysa några idrottsledares upplevelser av diskriminering inom idrotten och vilka konsekvenser diskrimineringen kan leda till. Jag har utgått från diskrimineringslagens sju aspekter på diskriminering. Jag har använt mig av Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) med ett semistrukturerat upplägg på intervjuerna där jag försökt få fram respondenternas livsvärld det vill säga hur respondentens vardagssituation ser ut.

The purpose of this study was to bibliometrically investigate and describe the research area called ?extrasolar planets?. The research questions were: Which authors were mostly cited within the area when the first authors (and their co-authors) were considered? Which authors were found in most co-occurrences? Did particular author collaborations emerge? To which institutions were most authors affiliated and did the size of the institution have an influence on whether an author was cited? What was the geographic distribution of authors and institutions and were there any patterns of collaboration?Did the image of dominating institutions and countries depend on the viewpoint?How applicable was Lotka?s law on the collected data? The data was collected from citation lists in documents from the database Arxiv.org. The documents were extracted by using the search term ?extrasolar planets?.

This thesis represents my individual final research in Societal Risk Management. The aim of the study is to research whether the method called Responsible Beverage Serving has had the desired effect of diminished alcohol-related violence in Karlstad City, after its implementation into the ordinary operational agenda for Karlstad district in the county of Wermland. According to the method, the alcohol-related damages as well as alcohol-related violence in a society can be reduced by refusing to serve minors and clients who are excessively intoxicated.In order to be able to reach the aim of the thesis, the subsequent questions must be answered;Has excessive drinking reduced in the bars and clubs in Karlstad City?Has it become more difficult for minors to be served alcohol in the bars and clubs in Karlstad City?Has the police reported amount of assaults outdoors diminished regarding the alcohol-related violence in Karlstad City?This research is an intervention study and uses a quasi-experimental design. The intervention itself is the method called Responsible Beverage Serving.

Value stream mapping is a tool that is frequently used by many different companies. It is a great tool used to achieve the work that follows the theories of lean production. The tool is used, however, only frequent on the factory floor and the method is also designed based on this type of use.An interest of applying the method on administrative parts of the company has occurred lately. Administrative parts of the company refers to the part that does all the planning such as purchasing, receiving orders, customer contact, contact with factory floor and other work that is made around the actual manufacturing. But the knowledge about applying value stream mapping on the planning part of the company is lacking because the method is relatively new.In this work, a comparison is made between the introduction of value stream analysis on production and planning.

Scintigraphic examination of the esophagus has for some time been the method of choice for the study of motility dysfunction in humans. The method has not yet been described for horses hence the lack of reference values for passage time for a bolus through the esophagus in healthy subjects. The purposes of this study were to measure passage velocity and time for a bolus to pass through the esophagus in healthy subjects, as well as to evaluate the reproducibility of the method. Eight warm-blooded trotters were used in the study. The horses were sedated with a low dose of Acepromazine prior to onset of the study.

Purpose/Aim: The aim with my study is to reveal changes in the construction of gender in weekly press over time. To do so I study the picture of the woman on front pages of the Swedish magazine Veckorevyn.Material/Method: Qualitative research method, semiotic picture analysis.Main results: There have been a lot of changes in the picture of the woman in Veckorevyn over the years and the results points to a more objectifying picture. The woman has gone from doing something and actually having a role, to simply being there to be looked at, all passive..

The aim of this study was to reach a better understanding of voluntary work and its possible influence on the work role. Based on a phenomenological approach, five voluntary workers from the leisure field were interviewed. The interpretation of the empirical data was based on the Humanistic psychology and its theories about personality, self-realization, motivation and emotion. The results show that the motive behind the voluntary engagement varied amongst the participants and all of them stated more than one motive. However, social motives, wanting to learn more and develop their skills and also wanting to help others, were the most frequent motives among the participants. In the light of the theoretical background for this study, these motives can be understood as being due to the need of self-realization and appreciation from others, and also a wish to reach an ideal self.

In this report we describe an adaptive simulated annealing method for sizing the devices in analog circuits. The motivation for use an adaptive simulated annealing method for analog circuit design are to increase the efficiency of the design circuit. To demonstrate the functionality and the performance of the approach, an operational transconductance amplifier is simulated. The circuit is modeled with symbolic equations that are derived automatically by a simulator..

The theologian Sarah Coakley has developed a theological method, which she calls théologie totale.This essay examines the methodological criteria for this method. To understand how its anthropology, epistemology and theology are shaped, the criteria are analyzed within a theoretical framework, in which mainly David F. Ford's theological typology and Stephen Bevans models of contextual theology play parts. The material consists of Coakleys texts, essentially the first part of Coakley?s projected systematic theological work.

Purpose/Aim: The aim of this essay is to study the expectations towards the launch of an intranet in a large organisation.Material/Method: A qualitative method has been used to fulfil the purpose of this essay. Indepth interviews have been made with eight informants of dioceses.Main Results: The study shows that the eight informants of dioceses all are positive towards the launch of an intranet in the organisation. They believe that it in time will lead to a more effective intern communication with less channels and more efficient messages..

Physiotherapists treat people with different views of the world and medical beliefs, which require a good understanding of cultural differences. One way to achieve cultural understanding is through self-reflection in a new context. During five weeks the authors, two physiotherapy students, completed a clinical practice at the rehabilitation center Pina Palmera, Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico. At the beginning of the period a critical incident was chosen, when the head physiotherapist for the ward Cuidados Especiales intended to sell jewellery to the authors during a treatment of a patient. The authors have by using the reflection framework "Framework to guide reflective process", and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) for analysis, discussed different ways of communication, adherence, education, and self-reflection and critical thinking.

Physiotherapists treat people with different views of the world and medical beliefs, which require a good understanding of cultural differences. One way to achieve cultural understanding is through self-reflection in a new context. During five weeks the authors, two physiotherapy students, completed a clinical practice at the rehabilitation center Pina Palmera, Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico. At the beginning of the period a critical incident was chosen, when the head physiotherapist for the ward Cuidados Especiales intended to sell jewellery to the authors during a treatment of a patient. The authors have by using the reflection framework "Framework to guide reflective process", and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) for analysis, discussed different ways of communication, adherence, education, and self-reflection and critical thinking.

Background: Sleep-disturbances in persons with Alzheimer´s disease are prevalent. They are characterized as increased frequency and duration of awakenings, decreased slow-wave sleep, REM-sleep and increase of day-time napping. Depression and lower quality of life are associated with sleep-disturbances. Altogether a significant source of stress for caregivers and an important factor in institutionalization. Non-pharmacological treatment alternatives are rare.Method: Single-case A-B-C design, with non-concurrent multiple baselines, a pilotstudy.Aim: To explore if an educational program on sleep, sleep disturbances and behavioural change directed towards caregivers improved sleep, depression and quality of life in persons with Alzheimer´s disease living at home.