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This thesis project explores combining interactive technology and the natural world, through a more-than-human design approach. This project aims to step away from an industry-driven design by valuing plants as equal in the design process. Throughout this report, an overview of the relevant theory and examples are elaborated on. This overview has informed the project in two ways. It formed the foundation of a concept aiming to improve the user’s interconnectedness with nature and it formed the foundation of an evaluation tool developed for aiding designers in design for plants by addressing three design fields: Design for Care, Design for Cohabitation, and Design for Noticing. The concept and the evaluation tool have been developed in parallel and informed each other throughout the project. The final concept contributes to the discussion about addressing more-than-human actors in design. In this case by addressing plant blindness. The evaluation tool contributes to more-than-human design as a tool to evaluate ideas and projects. This project included an extensive analysis of a design collection, workshops regarding the materiality of living plants and assessment of the evaluation tool, an interdisciplinary design approach, and a prototyping phase during which assumptions regarding the concept were tested.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the vision-threatening characteristic of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of blindness affecting almost 2 million elderly Americans. The current approved treatments target the dominant angiogenic mediator, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, repeated injections of anti-VEGF drugs can cause ocular and systemic side effects, and about 30% of wet AMD patients are non-responsive. There is thus an unmet need to develop VEGF-independent antiangiogenic molecules to complement or combine with existing medications. I studied SH-11037, a novel homoisoflavonoid with potent and selective antiangiogenic activity against human retinal endothelial cells. Intravitreal SH- 11037 dose-dependently suppressed angiogenesis in the laser-induced CNV (LCNV) mouse model. These effects were prominent as early as 7 days post-laser treatment as measured by a novel ellipsoid quantification method of optical coherence tomography images in vivo. A supratherapeutic dose of 100 μM SH- 11037 was not associated with signs of murine ocular toxicity, and did not interfere with pre-existing retinal vasculature or retinal function. SH-11037 synergized with anti-VEGF therapy in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a VEGFindependent mechanism. By photoaffinity pulldown, I identified soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) as an SH-11037-binding target. sEH is a key enzyme in ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acid metabolism. sEH levels were dramatically upregulated in retinal sections from L-CNV mice and a specific sEH inhibitor, t-AUCB, significantly suppressed L-CNV lesion volume. Additionally, SH-11037 inhibited sEH enzymatic activity in vitro and in vivo in L-CNV mice. Given the role of sEH in the metabolism of docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), inhibition of sEH using small molecules like SH-11037 would enhance ocular DHA levels, with beneficial antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. SH-11037 is thus a novel sEH inhibitor, which could make it an alternative or additive therapy to existing anti- VEGF drugs for treatment of neovascular diseases in the eye and other tissues.

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This thesis aims to understand Sinophobia in the context of post-racial, anti-racist and color-blind Sweden, specifically concerning news representations of China and racial caricatures of Chinese and other East-Asians through “Gook humor”. Sinophobia is examined through race humor and public engagement with satirical race representations using the controversial case of news satire of China produced by Swedish public television SVT in 2018. A reflexive thematic analysis is conducted to analyze the news satire as transcripts from a YouTube video, and public engagement as relevant YouTube comments in Swedish. The findings of the analysis are situated within a critical race theoretical framework based on the concept of liquid racism, color-blindness, Yellow Peril narratives and critical humor theories. The result shows that the news satire contains liquid race representations of Chinese as ironic yet exaggerated racial caricatures, while portraying China as a powerful yet threatening authoritarian state, alluding to Yellow Peril narratives. Mediated through humor, these representations implicitly promote liquid racism in public engagement, in which racist interpretations could exist in the context of white liberal anti-racism. This paper coins the term liquid Sinophobia to describe how covert racism has adapted to exist in post-racial and color- blind Sweden by primarily negating accusations of racism by Swedish-Chinese minorities. Explicit Sinophobia was also found in the public engagement rooted in cultural racism, nationalism and counter-PC culture. This thesis has major implication for Sinophobia research in Asian critical race studies in Sweden, being the first of its kind to focus on this topic at the nexus of news satire and public engagement. Further research is required to study liquid Sinophobia and anti-Asian racism based on the general and intersectional experiences of Swedish-Asian communities.

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Denna studie är en kandidatuppsats inom området Informationsdesign med fokus på rumslig gestaltning. Arbetet syftar till att undersöka hur man kan underlätta den självständiga navigeringen i vår offentliga miljö för personer med synnedsättning. Hur man kan skapa en tryggare miljö genom informationsdesign i form av taktil wayshowing och färgkodning.  Att självständigt förflytta och röra oss i vår offentliga miljö ser de flesta som en självklarhet. Att sätta sig på tåget, tunnelbanan, eller bussen på väg till jobbet eller skolan, till vänner eller familj, eller bara göra en spontan resa dit du aldrig tidigare åkt inte är något hinder. Denna frihet skapar en gemenskap och tillhörighet i samhället som vi inte reflekterar nämnvärt över. Det finns dock personer som inte känner samma inkludering och trygghet i att göra samma typer av resor som du och jag – bland annat personer med synnedsättning. I dagsläget uppnår denna målgrupp ca 1% av Sveriges befolkning. Här finns dock ett mörkertal, men det är ungefär 100 000 personer som är inskrivna på syncentralen i dagsläget.Urbaniseringen och de växande städerna runt om i världen bidrar till den ekonomiska tillväxten, men även till sociala klyftor. Enligt FN:s hållbarhetsmål nr 11 - Hållbara städer och samhällen, så strävar man efter hållbar stadsutveckling för att skapa en trygg och inkluderande miljö – även för personer med funktionsnedsättningar. I Sverige har vi en arkitekturpolicy, som regeringen tagit fram. Den säger att vår offentliga miljö skall vara anpassad och utformad efter våra behov oavsett funktionsnedsättning och kognitiva förmåga. / This study is a bachelor thesis in the field of Information design with focus on spatial design. The work aims to investigate how to facilitate the independent navigation in our public environment for people with visual impairment. How to create a safer environment through information design in the form of tactile way showing and color coding.Most people take it for granted to move and move independently in our public environment. Getting on the train, subway, or bus on the way to work or school, to friends or family, or just making a spontaneous trip where you have never travel before is no obstacle. This freedom creates a community and belonging in society that we do not reflect significantly on. However, there are people who do not feel the same inclusion and security in making the same types of trips as you and me – people with visual impairment. At present, this target group reaches about 1% of Sweden's population. However, there is a dark figure here, but there are approximately 100,000 people who are currently registered at the vision center. Urbanization and the growing cities around the world contribute to economic growth, but also to social gaps. According to UN Sustainability Goal No. 11 – Sustainable cities and communities, sustainable urban development is strived to create a safe and inclusive environment – even for people with disabilities. In Sweden, we have an architecture policy that the government has developed. It says that our public environment must be adapted and designed according to our needs, regardless of disability and cognitive ability.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Community and Continuing Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / This study is an exploration of the educational needs and assets of the visual impaired undergraduate students at a Rural-Based University in South Africa. The research question addressed is What are the educational needs and assets of the visual impaired Undergraduate students at a Rural-Based University in South Africa. The study is underpinned within the interpretivist paradigm. A qualitative research approach was adopted, utilising a case study design. Data was collected through document analysis, semi-structured interviews and observations. Analytic induction in which themes, patterns and categories emerged from the data was deemed appropriate. The study sample was composed of the Director of Reakgona Disability Centre, four the visual impaired undergraduate students from the three faculties of the University of Limpopo (Humanities, Management and Law, and Science and Agriculture), as well as four academic staff members teaching the sampled students. The total study sample comprised nine participants. The study has revealed the existence of a highly inflexible curriculum, lack of assistive devices, poor teaching and assessment strategies, untrained academic staff, poor support from the majority of academic staff members, poor support from a few of the peers with normal sight, difficulties during transition from secondary school to university, and limited library services that led to the marginalisation of the visual impaired undergraduate students. The study also found that the visual impaired undergraduate students possess the following educational assets: the availability of Reakgona Disability Centre, support from the majority of peers with normal sight, support from a few academic staff members, availability of associations and institutions that offer financial assistance to the visual impaired students, and the health clinic that provides health care. Based on the findings of the research some conclusions were drawn. Several recommendations are made to address the educational needs and assets of the visual impaired undergraduate students at a Rural-Based University in South Africa. Suggestions for future research are made to close the gap that exists in research on the education of students with visual impairments