The primary purpose of this thesis is to investigate the operation of membership criteria, which are applied against countries that wish to join the European Union (EU). More specifically, the importance of some criteria in comparison to others is considered. To answer this proposal, three questions are posed: What are the EU membership criteria? Are some criteria more important than other criteria? Does the EU treat candidate countries differently in applying the membership criteria? Three countries are used in this analysis, each country representing one recent enlargement round: Poland (2004), Romania (2007), and current candidate country Turkey. Both official documents, such as EU treaties, and unofficial documents such as statements from EU leaders are used to analyze the application of membership criteria.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the removal of biomass in connection with thinning operations in young stands that are dominated by small diameter trees. The economy of such operations depends on the products generated as well as the performance of the harvesting systems. Conversion tables designed to predict the outcome based on harvesting method was another goal of this study. Removal of biomass affects the nutrient composition of the site. Therefore it is a purpose that this study will provide researchers with some variables that can be utilized when studying this aspect. Trees were harvested and divided into bunches based on diameter.

Background: Bone anchored hearing system is a surgically implantable system for treatment ofindividuals with hearing loss. The Softband is intended for patients who can benefit from a boneanchored hearing system but who are not yet suitable for implant surgery.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether an adhesive bone conductor, Adjoin, canbe used as an alternative to Softband.Material and Method: Twenty adult subjects with normal hearing participated in the study.Measurement of functional gain and speech intelligibility was performed with Softband and Adjoinwhich then were compared. A questionnaire was answered by the participants after the measurementsthat Treated their subjective experiences with each option.Results: The objective measurements yielded no overall difference between Softband and Adjoin forthe group studied. The subjective results showed differences in the perceived comfort as well as whichof the two bone conductors that would be preferred to use in everyday life, with Adjoin being thepreferred option. No difference was detected on participants perceived gain, sound quality and speechintelligibility.Conclusion: Based on the measured results, Adjoin seems to be a suitable alternative to Softband.However, there are questions about how Adjoin works with long-term use..

The purpose of this master's thesis is to examine how the public library communicates with young users through the library web sites. Four Swedish public library web pages for children are analysed. In the analysis the web pages are Treated as a combination of semiotic resources that, communicating as a whole, hold a meaning potential. In order to identify the underlying meaning of the whole I have applied the tools of Kress' & van Leeuwen's visual social semiotics to the chosen web pages.The information value, the framing and the salience of each composition is examined and analysed, as is the size of frame, the perspective and the vertical angle of a selection of images from each web page. The results of the semiotic analysis are then discussed and related to Jochumsen et al:s four space-model and the notion of ?child perspective? and ?empowerment?.The results show that the child perspective is strongest on the web pages that represent the performative space as dominating and that empowerment is mainly represented as ?doing?, ?participating? and the ?free choice?.

Domestic weekly magazines in Sweden are characterized by an emphasis on practical editorial material such as cooking recipes and knitting patterns, and also contain a comparatively large share of reader material. This makes it possible to study the readers through texts produced by themselves. The aim of this study of columns of readers' tips on domestic work is to analyze how readers embody a specific femininity centered around the woman as responsible for the home, in the sense of everyday maintenance as well as aesthetic development. The author defines this femininity as "home maker". The theoretical framework for the analysis is the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu, and Jonathan Potter's and Margaret Wetherell's model of interpretive repertoire is also used where modality is discussed.

The aim of this work is to develop new conceptual designs for the fairings that are situated between the fin and the rear fuselage on the new version of the JAS 39 Gripen aircraft, called the Gripen E/F. The designs presented should show a profit in the form of lower weight. To achieve weight loss, the possibilities of using other construction materials other than those which are available at Saab today were studied. Therefore, a material survey was carried out in which the market for modern construction materials was studied to get an idea of today?s level of technology.

How do probation inspectors describe their female clients and female offenders? Are there any discrepancies in treatment between male and female clients? In what way is the social interaction between female clients and inspectors constructed and described?  These are the issues we have explored in this study. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with a total of nine probation inspectors; six women and three men, were used in order to examine the probation inspectors? constructions of clients and the construction of interaction between them. By applying Foucault?s theory of power relations, Hirdman?s gender theory and Olsson?s theory of preconceptions when analyzing the results five themes were identified; descriptions of the work of the female client, descriptions of the interaction with the female client, descriptions of the female offender, descriptions of backgrounds why women commit crimes and descriptions of society's view on the female offender.

Background: Documents and legislation inform us that parts of the public health service of Sweden, at a political level, aim to support people?s sexual health. Statistics show there has been an increase among young woman, seeking help for sexual pain during intercourse. The diagnosis that the media has come to observe lately is vulvar vestibulitis. In general there is a lack of knowledge about the existence of this state of pain and its causes, which impacts woman to get appropriate help and support in time.

This is a qualitative study, whose purpose is to examine if night shelters effects homeless peoples self-perceived psychosocial health. In Sweden alone there are almost 18000 homeless people, and 12% of them uses a night shelter. The homeless can?t be seen as a heterogeneous group but instead homelessness counts as a state of being in. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare have done mapping over the homelessness since 1993 and the problem is an important part of what the welfare system has to fight against.

This paper is about research carried out at a hospital at which managers had taken a course in gender equality. The aim was to get a deepened understanding of them and their work on gender equality. I wanted to find out if they themselves felt that they had obtained any new knowledge and if they had changed anything at their workplace because of this new knowledge. I also wanted to know if they had experienced any problems in this process. I found that the course has been more or less decisive in order for them to start working with questions concerning gender equality.

The aim of this study was to investigate if a mechanical recruitment process could be a useful tool for employers to avoid discrimination. National and international law protect jobseekers from discrimination during the recruiting process. Despite this individuals frequently report that they are Treated unfairly when they apply for a job. In line with this research shows that some individuals do not have the same opportunities in the labour market as the rest of the population. This study focus on discrimination based on ethnicity, age, gender or disability.Today most of the hiring decisions are based on employers professional judgement.

Objective ? To study the requirement of nursing care of the equine patient during eye treatment with a lavage system together with a constant rate infusion pump. Procedures ? Three veterinary nurses at ATG: s Hästsjukhus in Skara were asked nine questions at individual interviews. Inclusion criteria for participation in the interview were that the nurse should have Treated equines with and without the infusion pump to the lavage system, but also traditionally with eye drops. Results ? The equine had a higher well-being since it experienced less stress during eye treatment with the infusion pump compared to treatment given by hand through the lavage system. The treatment would be more effective with constant rate infusion and save costs for the owner.

The aim of the study was to map the extent of Fe, Cu, Pb, As, Zn and S contamination in the area surrounding the Nasa silver mine. The mine operated between 1635 and 1810 with some prospecting performed in 1889, and has become infamous for the gruesome ways that the indigenous people were Treated during the early years of operation. This study tested three hypotheses through a geochemical survey: 1) sulfide oxidation is still active in the abandoned mine, 2) the soil downslope of the mine is contaminated by mine drainage, and 3) the stream downslope of the mine is affected in the same way. All three hypotheses were valid, as the results showed that still, >200 years after mining operations ceased, signs of the historical mining are clearly visible in the surrounding environment. Acidic conditions were discovered in surface waters close to the waste rock piles, which indicates active sulfide oxidation.

In Sweden, a big part of the energy use is used in the housing sector. Political goals and targets are set up which the housing sector needs to work towards. Apartment buildings are a major part of the housing sector in Sweden and therefore reduction of energy use in these kinds of buildings are key to lower the energy use in Sweden. But there are not only political incentives to reduce the energy use. Some energy?saving measures are directly profitable and should thus be performed.

The aim of this literature review was to elucidate how suicidal and self-harming patients should be Treated and cared for, mainly in the acute phase in somatic care. Searches were conducted in databases with relevant keywords. Qualitative and quantitative articles were included, would not be more than 20 years, be written in Swedish or English, and match the aim of the study. Results showed that nurses and patients felt that the treatment would be respectful, non-judgmental and characterized by active listening and clear communication. Poor care was described as disrespect and lack of understanding.