This study has been carried out in cooperation with Unilever and partly with the EC founded project, Smartdoc IST-2000-28137. In areas of statistics and image processing, both the amount of data and the dimensions are increasing rapidly and an interactive visualization tool that lets the user perform real-time analysis can save valuable time. Real-time cropping and drill-down considerably facilitate the analysis process and yield more accurate decisions. In the Smartdoc project, there has been a request for a component used for smart filtering in multidimensional data sets. As the Smartdoc project aims to develop smart, interactive components to be used on low-end systems, the implementation of the self-organizing map algorithm proposes which dimensions to visualize.

The aim of this study was to increase the knowledge about and deepen our understanding for people who are treated with dialysis in aspects of quality of life and coping strategies. The research questions were: How does the scientific literature describe quality of life and coping strategies from people?s perspective who are treated with dialysis? How does dialysis affect patients and their lives? How/what can the nurses do for people who are treated with dialysis to keep or improve their quality of life. The result is based on eight scientific articles and after interpretation of the result we found six themes that describes how patients have to restructure their lives to a new normal life, how they adapt to a life with dialysis treatment, how dialysis affect their physical condition, witch meaning does the family and others have, how they keep their self-esteem in relation to the dependence of dialysis treatment and which factors are associated with a long life with dialysis..

Benchmarking is an established method of working which is often used in order to develop the quality of the organization. However, almost 70% of the organizations with benchmarking fail due to the lack of planning and structuring of the benchmarking exercise. Maintenance sections in the paper and pulp industry are one of those who have decided to conduct benchmarking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain knowledge of how the maintenance sections in the paper and pulp industry deliberately structure and plan to use benchmarking as a driving force for quality development in the maintenance sections.The study is a hermeneutic case study. Telephone interviews and document analysis have been used as data acquisition methods.The results show that there is a lack of both planning and structuring in the benchmarking process, and lack of management commitment for quality improvements within industrial maintenance.

Most Swedish Warmbloods are bred by artificial insemination (AI). Quality control of the semen consists of the subjective evaluation of motility. There is a need for a more accurate and objective method of rating the semen. In this study we compared fluorometry with flowcytometry as a method for evaluating sperm viability. Semen was collected from three stallions, stationed at Markebäcks Gård, Askersund, three times during week 15 and week 34, 2008.

This paper analyzes the auditor choices for a sample of 300 predominantly small Swedish firms, all located in Umeå. Our hypothesis was based on the complexity of a firm, the need of external financing, leverage, and the need of extra consultance from the auditfirm. Our definition of auditor quality is based on prior studies, and is frequently used by authors in this area. The assumption is based on that the auditor quality increases with the size of the auditfirm and the degree of the auditor. The auditor quality is therefor depending on the choice between an auditor from the group ?Big 5? or not, and the choice of an auditor with an higher degree.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Postoperative wound infection is the third most common nosocomial infection in Sweden. The ever-growing problem of antibiotic resistance provides surgical departments a big challenge when it comes to preventing the spread of infection. Operating theatre nurses have a vital role in the prevention of infection. In addition, correct ventilation in the operating theatre is of great importance. The caregiver is responsible for quality assurance of ventilation in the operating theatre, but the work can be delegated to other staff within the department.

Purpose: To contribute to the understanding of the relationship between private labels and the retailer brand in grocery retailing. Methodology: We use structured interviews as a cross-sectional method for quantitative data collection. The existence of the relationship is tested through correlation analysis and regression analysis. Theoretical perspective: Perceived quality of private labels and of retailers are the main theoretical concepts for this thesis. Additionally, we introduce the concept of loyalty to show the benefits of a positive consumer image.

This study describes and reviews horse stable equipment from companies who builds and sells the equipment. In the study the companies various equipment was compared with regulations in the law of prevention of cruelty to animals. The purpose with this study was to find out if the companies stable equipment are approved according to the regulations within this area. The study used at five randomly picked companies.This study showed that three of the five examined companies refered, in one way or another, to the law of prevention of cruelty to animals on their website. Unfortunately not any of the companies referred to todays existing law of prevention of cruelty to animals.

AbstractIn 1997 a regulation were introduced to the swedish school system, Förordning om kvalitetsredovisning i skolor m.m SFS 1997:702 (Regulation about account of quality works whithin the school system). The preceding discussion noticed that municipalities and schools lacked in their progresive quality work. Messures had to be taken. Since the introduction of the regulation the government has decreed changes and additions to the original regulation. This has led to changes of substance and form in the quality work account to the administration during time.

The purpose of this literature study was to describe how patients experience their quality of life while undergoing a pacemaker implantation. Searches were carried out in the databases Academic Search Elite, Ebsco Host, Pub Med, Pub Med Central, Science Direct and manually. Keywords used were quality of life, treatment outcomes, emotions, pacing and life. This resulted in nineteen peer rewieved articles that were selected for the study results. The results showed that patients undergoing a pacemaker implantation experienced an improvement in their physical health with increased functional status, more energy and strength.

Annedal is a brand new neighborhood in the Bromma part of Stockholm. The neighborhood construction has now reached its halfway point. When finished, 5000 people are estimated to live in Annedal. The focus for the new area is variation. Both housing co-operatives and rented apartments have been built and more are under construction.A study about the valuation of town quality in the Stockholm region was produced by the Stockholm County Council in 2011.

AbstractBackground: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths, about 13% of all deaths, in 2008. Several factors can affect patients' quality of life such as physical and psychological symptoms, relationship to people around and the environment. In palliative care professionals need to have good knowledge in order to improve patient quality of life and to give them as good a life as possible in the final stages of life.Aim: The purpose of this overview study is to describe the experiences of quality of life in patients with incurable cancer.Method: We conducted an overview study that was based on ten scientific articles. All articles are qualitative studies, from the year 1995 - 2011, and are from Sweden, Finland, UK, Canada and the USA. Qualitative analysis was used to group the various themes and subthemes for overview study purpose.

Swedish pre-school teachers are in the middle of a debate regarding a form of general school competence that today is criticized by mass media. The training and skill development that is used today is an important tool in the development of the organization as well as the people that work in them. This study aims to explain how this training actually is performed and the opinions of the pre-school teachers that actually finish the training. Previous research in this area has primarily been focused at the types of methods that exists from an executive standpoint. This study, instead, aims to shift that focus to the individual worker.

The purpose of this Master Thesis is to investigate whether the technical service available in the "Reading and Writing Corner" has an influence on the total quality of service in a public library. This service is intended to give sensory/print-handicapped persons access to information. The title KOM LOSS is a Swedish expression for "come on" and LOSS is short for reading and writing support. I have chosen to study three libraries in the region of Västra Götaland, Sweden. The thesis examines total quality from the aspects of goal steering, accessibility, education and marketing.

During the 1970?s the interest for quality management and the concept of quality costs increased considerably. Business leaders noticed that there was a great potential for reducing costs of poor quality. Since up to 10-30% of a company?s total turnover may consist of poor quality costs some consider them as an unexploited goldmine.