It's an everyday experience shared by many that nature can be of help in relieving pain, reducing stress, support mental recovery etc. In the last three decades or so this experience has also found support in a large number of scientific investigations. Among other things the experience of nature has been shown to reduce stress and pain in patients and to boost concentration and reduce impulsive behavior in children. Most of this research however has mainly been concerned with the visual modality. In this thesis the aim has been to focus on the auditory modality in this context by trying to reveal some effects on people from the exposure of nature sounds played indoors in three different environments: a grammar school class room, a kindergarten play room and a post-surgery wake up room at an intensive care unit.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that idealised body images found in media have on the body-image and wellbeing of young men and women. The study was carried out using questionnaires based on the BAQ and HAD scales to examine the participants' views of themselves as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. Time spent by the participants using different kinds of media, as well as their degree of social support, was used with the purpose of examining relations and differences in body-image between men and women. The questionnaire contained advertising images to examine whether short time exposure had any impact on the participants. In order to determine this, one half of the questionnaires contained idealised body-images, whilst the other half contained images without human objects.

ABSTRACTOur work deals with antisocial behavior among elementary school students between 7 and 16years in the school environment. The aim of our study was to examine how school personnelare experiencing antisocial behavior among students from a gender perspective. We were alsointerested to find out what the school's staff has of the experience of the differences andsimilarities between girls 'and boys' antisocial behavior. We used gender theory, when weanalyzed our individual responses to interview questions. We made six qualitative interviewswith low-and high school teachers, assistant principals, counselors and special educationteachers training in Kalmar County.

ABSTRACTOur work deals with antisocial behavior among elementary school students between 7 and 16years in the school environment. The aim of our study was to examine how school personnelare experiencing antisocial behavior among students from a gender perspective. We were alsointerested to find out what the school's staff has of the experience of the differences andsimilarities between girls 'and boys' antisocial behavior. We used gender theory, when weanalyzed our individual responses to interview questions. We made six qualitative interviewswith low-and high school teachers, assistant principals, counselors and special educationteachers training in Kalmar County.

The purpose with our research in Varbergs Kurort is to study how persons that have been a part of the individual adjusted rehabilitation program First Step have found their stay during their program. The program holds a team of professionals that together work with the individual?s physical and mental health. In our study we have included eight women and to men in the age between 35-65 years who all suffered from a slight mentally illness. Out of a social psychological perspective we have based our study from the social and room environment and how their self-recovery has affected their wellbeing during their rehabilitation.

When performing studies that test the reactions of horses in different situations, important information may be available about the horse?s reactivity level. With information from these tests, accidents and dangerous situations may be prevented. When the behaviours from tests are compared with race performance it may be possible to evaluate if some behaviours are more desirable at the race track than others. The aim of this study was to see if behavioural responses correlated with physiological parameters (heart rate, cortisol), the trainer?s opinions and actual race performance.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are common in individuals with computer based work. Thecurrently known risk factors for these disorders is in the literature derived to physical,organizational and individual factors. A recent survey of three working groups at a companyin Stockholm explored that more than 50% of the employees had neck and shoulder problems.Aim: The study aims to create a better understanding for the current musculoskeletalproblems at the company. Such an understanding is created by examining the physical,organizational and individual risk factors in the workplace and the result can provide a goodbasis for intervention proposals.Method: In order to answer the aim of the study the authors chosed to use both qualitativeand quantitative methods of data collection through interviews and questionnaire survey. Theinterview and questionnaire was designed to create both a specific and comprehensive pictureof the physical, organizational and individual risk factors having a bearing effect on theexisting MSD problem.Result: Seven categories were compiled from interviews, which largely deals with the factthat high demands can lead to behaviors that may pose a significant risk for the occurrence ofMSD.

This study was performed at Thomas Arena in Strängnäs, Sweden. The reason ofthe study was to see how to perform an enhancement in the orientatabilitybetween the entrance and the locker rooms. By looking at how the environmentinteract with the users when it comes to orientatability, the study should give agreater understanding in how the entrance should be evolved to enhance theorientatability. A qualitative study was performed, where observations andinterviews studies was used to collect the data. By the result you could see that theenvironment between the entrance en the looker rooms was hard to understand,and was affecting the users in their orientation.

ABSTRACTOur work deals with antisocial behavior among elementary school students between 7 and 16years in the school environment. The aim of our study was to examine how school personnelare experiencing antisocial behavior among students from a gender perspective. We were alsointerested to find out what the school's staff has of the experience of the differences andsimilarities between girls 'and boys' antisocial behavior. We used gender theory, when weanalyzed our individual responses to interview questions. We made six qualitative interviewswith low-and high school teachers, assistant principals, counselors and special educationteachers training in Kalmar County.

One way of signalling commands to the horse during riding is through applying tension on the reins to create bit pressure in the horse?s mouth (Terada et al., 2006; Clayton et al., 2011). The skilfulness of the rider in using the hands when applying bit pressure has consequences both for the horse?s performance and welfare (Manfredi et al., 2010). At the trot there are large vertical deviations of the horse?s body which the rider must adjust and adapt to (Terada et al., 2006) and an unsteady hand due to inability to follow the horse?s movement can be a source of discomfort and conflict behaviour in the horse (Heleski et al., 2009).

Aquatic organisms are usually not exposed to single substances but rather to mixtures of toxicants in streams located in agricultural areas. The transport of pesticides used in the agricultural area in Sweden is monitored with continuous environmental supervision every year. During 2002-2008 an average of 10 pesticides were found in each sample and 40% of the samples contained substances with concentrations higher than the Water Quality Standards. Chemical risk management is normally based on single-test evaluations. A problem when assessing mixture toxicities is that the constituents and concentrations of pollutants in the environment vary greatly.

Endocrine disruptive chemicals (EDCs) are found in many everyday products and can cause adverse effects on human health. Small children are particularly sensitive to EDCs and they are also exposed to them in a greater extent than adults. Despite this, EDCs are only banned in a few toys and childcare products. There are many sources of exposure and if no steps are taken to reduce the incidence of EDCs we may face an increasing number of people diagnosed with obesity, diabetes type 2 or various types of cancer.The Swedish Government has set a number of environmental objectives, one of which is calleda non-toxic environment. The Swedish Chemicals Agency was instructed to produce and conduct a national action plan to achieve this goal.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the adherence to basic hygiene routines among staff and to investigate if there is any difference between the adherences in diverse professions. The purpose was also to study how staff rates their own adherence to current guidelines. Data for the study were collected through observations and questionnaires. Altogether 35 people were observed and 15 answered the questionnaire. Maximum adherence was found in the category of "hand disinfection after patient contact" with a score of 96%.

Various electromagnetic (EM) treatments has been investigated for their potential in improving crop productivity over the past century. There is today an increasing amount of scientists advocating EM treatments as an organically compatible method for improving plant growth and yield. However, failure to produce repeatable effects and defining causal mechanisms has made it a study of much controversy and debate. The subject requires indepth interdisciplinary knowledge, making it inaccessible for the majority of biologists, horticulturists and growers. In this combined literature review and pilot study, these issues are addressed by providing a comprehensive introductory review of the topic plant bioelectromagnetics and its potential horticultural usability.

The purpose of this study was to follow a research-oriented design process and to develop a design draft for a digital service that supports users to make more environmentally conscious choises in their everyday life. By following an interaction design process from start to final delivery, the study aims at creating a broad understanding of the process. Therefore, many userrelated activities were implemented in the study: eg. personas, scenarios, sketching and user testing. The project resulted in digital wireframes for an iPhone application using embedded GPS to identify and locate environmentally friendly businesses.