The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate an instrument for measuring the impact from chronic pain on daily life. Traditionally psychometric evaluation is done with parametric methods even if the items are ordinal data. In this study the instrument to be developed is solely based on ordinal data, and the psychometrically evaluation is done with both traditional methods (i.e. parametric statistics) as well as with non-parametric methods. These two different ways of psychometrically evaluation are then compared with each other.

There are certain organizations that manage to handle risk in such a successful way that they almost stay error-free, in spite of the fact that they daily face the risks of accidents. These organizations are usually given the name High Reliability Organizations (HRO). While the most common example is that of a nuclear plant the variety of what organizations can fit into the category is extensive.The purpose of this study is to describe safety culture and theories about HRO and how these can be found in practise within an organization.This qualitative research uses influences of ethnography in its method. The ethnographical approach was picked due to the field of the study and the cultural context in which it is set.The results of the study identify a number of elements sorted into four themes. These themes are deemed compatible or non-compatible with relevant existing theories.

Aim is to investigate from a criminological perspective how the safety questionnaire in Älvsborg police district can be improved theoretically and methodologically, in order for the questionnaire to effectively measure criminal victimisation, concern about crime, safety and confidence in the police.1. What should a good questionnaire contain?- Which methodological problems are related to measuring criminal victimisation, concern about crime and confidence in the police?- Which criminological theories are interesting in this context and how can questions be designed from these theories?2. How will the themes now represented in the questionnaire be measured in the best possible way? Are there any reasons to remove, The material consists of questions from the safety questionnaire, the total analysis report and individual reports for the local authorities, as well the results and technical information from Mind Research.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how investments are justified in the Swedish data center industry, with a focus on cooling equipment. This is achieved through semi-structured interviews with 20 different interviewees. These interviewees represent different facets of the industry and facilitate an understanding of which factors, such as: investment costs, operating costs, reliability, environmental impact and the influence of external and internal actors, come into play and to which degree they impact the investment decision-making process. The results show that primarily low operating cost in the form of low energy consumption is the driving factor when it comes to the procurement of new equipment. A lower environmental impact is a positive side-effect of lower energy consumption.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how investments are justified in the Swedish data center industry, with a focus on cooling equipment. This is achieved through semi-structured interviews with 20 different interviewees. These interviewees represent different facets of the industry and facilitate an understanding of which factors, such as: investment costs, operating costs, reliability, environmental impact and the influence of external and internal actors, come into play and to which degree they impact the investment decision-making process. The results show that primarily low operating cost in the form of low energy consumption is the driving factor when it comes to the procurement of new equipment. A lower environmental impact is a positive side-effect of lower energy consumption.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how investments are justified in the Swedish data center industry, with a focus on cooling equipment. This is achieved through semi-structured interviews with 20 different interviewees. These interviewees represent different facets of the industry and facilitate an understanding of which factors, such as: investment costs, operating costs, reliability, environmental impact and the influence of external and internal actors, come into play and to which degree they impact the investment decision-making process. The results show that primarily low operating cost in the form of low energy consumption is the driving factor when it comes to the procurement of new equipment. A lower environmental impact is a positive side-effect of lower energy consumption.

During the 8th and 9th of January 2005 a devastating storm named Gudrun entered the south of Sweden and a big part of the forest owners got their forests damaged. The study objective was to investigate on which basis and how the affected forest owners made their managment decisions immediately after the storm and if there are any differences between different categories of forest owners. - Members ? non members in a forest owner association (FOA) - Resident owners ? non resident owners - Female and male forest owner The study is based on a questionnaire survey with the purpose to examine the most important counsellor and information channels of the forest owners. A total of 450 forest owners participated in the survey. Results show that all categories of forest owners prefer professional counselling rather than personal counselling.

Intelligibility is a central concept in speech-language pathology regarding assessment and treatment of speech. At present, there is no reliable or valid Swedish test for measuring intelligibility. The main purpose of the current study was to conduct a clinical trial of the computer-based intelligibility test ?Swedish test of intelligibility for children? and to investigate the test?s reliability. Another purpose was to investigate the reliability of the rating form ?Intelligibility in context scale?.

AimThe aim of this study was to develop and perform a reliability test of a questionnaire regarding side dominance in order to identify the dominant/non-dominant side in students at the Swedish alpine ski high school.MethodA questionnaire of side dominance of the upper and lower extremity was developed, and its reliability was tested according to the test-retest design. A total of 121 subjects answered the questionnaire twice. The questionnaire included five questions about side dominance, i.e. what hand/arm or foot/leg (left /right) that one prefers to use as a first choice when writing, throwing, kicking a ball, jumping over a fence and stair climbing. Furthermore, there was a question whether the responder has a safer/better ski turn to the left or to the right.

Vattenfall AB is a large producer of electric energy where approximately half of the energy comes from hydropower. Vattenfall Hydropower has got almost a 100-year old history and the company has developed a lot since 1909. After that the number of power plants increased and the competition got more intense, there were higher demands on the reliability. One way to secure the reliability with a good satisfaction at the power plants is to implement a maintenance method named Reliability-Centred Maintenance. RCM is a result of the introduction of the complex aeroplane Boeing 747 in the 1960?s.

The aim of the study was to examine experiences and attitudes to dental hygienist treatment in a group of patients by using the assessment tools Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Dental Hygienist Beliefs Survey (DHBS) at the dental hygienist clinic, the university of Kristianstad. Another aim of the study was to test the reliability of the assessment tools. Methods: Fifteen respondents answered the two questionnaires at two different occasions before dental hygienist treatment. The results showed that nine respondents reported that they are absolutely calm when their dental hygienist is going to remove tartar, while six are a little bit worried or tensed. The categories ethics, communication, trust and control in DHBS had a positive agreement (mean value 1.1 and 1.2).

This thesis studies the way valuation of investment properties is conducted in accordance with IAS 40 and how reliable these valuations are. This has been conducted by studying ten Swedish real estate companies listed on the NASDAQ OMX, during the period 2005-2008. The study shows that all companies use valuation models to determine the fair value of investment properties. Two different types of models have been identified. Companies that use the cash flow model show inconsistencies in time horizon, and how they determine the horizon value.

Risk management has become a key ingredient for businesses all over the world. High Reliability Organizations (HRO) has distinguished themselves as experts in this area. By continuously focusing on improving their ability to manage risks they?ve been able to successfully avoid catastrophes in environments where normal accidents can be expected due to complexity and risk factors.The aim of the thesis is to improve the risk management at Apotekens Service by applying theories from HRO and safety culture. In July 2009, following the re-regulation of the Swedish pharmacy market, Apotekens Service AB was appointed national pharmacy infrastructure supplier for the Swedish health care system.

Intelligent IT-based solutions, often called Smart Grids, are considered to be the future balancers of renewable energy sources. One area within the Smart Grid concept is called demand response, which is focused on making customers more consumption flexible by making them more active in their consumption. In this thesis the aim is to analyze a business model by investigating the income potential for a demand response solution as well as its market potential. This has been done through literature studies, interviews and development of a computational model.The use of 5000 households with flexible consumption can provide a cost reduction of 17.2% or 2.4 million SEK for a balance responsible party during an average year. If the solution is used to make strategic bids on the regulation markets the study indicates that the largest potential for revenues lies within this strategy.

This project was started within the Market-Design programme of Elforsk, with the aim of developing representative test systems of Swedish distribution networks. Using such test systems as a basis for reliability and customer interruption cost calculations makes it feasible to analyse the network tariff regulation of Swedish power  istribution companies. In particular, it enables studies of the incentives for companies to invest in system reliability. Until now, the available test systems are either not representative of Swedish conditions, or too small in scale and limited in function.Within this project we have created two test systems. In order to represent the diversity of actual Swedish distribution networks, we have created one test system for urban environments and another for rural environments.