Pediatric obesity is skyrocketing nowadays worldwide. Therefore, helping and supporting clinicians in curing children is needed. As Health IT is soaring thanks to the emergence of a cutting-edge technology, treatments can now be followed closely and daily to give a personalized therapy. Thus, this thesis investigates how to build a clinical decision support tool to address this issue. The study was carried with the company Evira by following the user-centered design thinking method. The user research, carried out with semi-structured interviews at Martina Barnsjukhuset and Capio Vårdcentral Zinkensdamm, provided the users needs. A prototype was developed with considering this user research and requirements. Next, it was tested by experts during task-based and semi-structured interviews. This evaluation phase concluded that the prototype was intuitive and effective. By using different metrics, it allowed clinicians to see the activity of the patients, the irregularities and variation of their weight, their weighting habits, and the gender distribution of the patients. The final tool corrected some of the requests obtained during the evaluation. Thus, the proposed interface could support the decision of clinicians to improve treatment effectiveness and enable better resource planning. Further research can still be carried out in order to fine-tune this tool. / Fetma hos barn ökar kraftigt i dag över hela världen. Därför behövs det hjälp och stöd till kliniker för att behandla barn. Eftersom hälso- och sjukvårdsinformatik är på frammarsch tack vare framväxten av en banbrytande teknik kan behandlingar nu följas noga och dagligen för att ge en personlig behandling. I denna avhandling undersöks värdet av ett kliniskt beslutsstöd för att lösa detta problem. Studien genomfördes tillsammans med företaget Evira genom att följa metoden för användarcentrerat designtänkande. Användar- forskningen, som genomfördes med semistrukturerade intervjuer på Martina Barnsjukhuset och Capio Vårdcentral Zinkensdamm, gav användarnas behov. En prototyp utvecklades med hänsyn till denna användarundersökning och dessa krav. Därefter testades den av experter under uppgiftsbaserade och semistrukturerade intervjuer. I denna utvärderingsfas konstaterades att prototypen var intuitiv och effektiv. Den gjorde det möjligt för kliniker att se patienternas aktivitet och effektiviteten i behandlingen. Det slutliga verktyget korrigerade några av de önskemål som framkom under utvärderingen. Det föreslagna gränssnittet ökade således behandlingseffektiviteten och möjliggjorde bättre resursplanering. Ytterligare forskning kan fortfarande utföras för att finslipa detta verktyg.

<p dir="ltr">Climate change hazards are becoming more frequent and severe and their impact on Department of Defense installations has become a matter of national security. This thesis investigates the intricate relationship between climate change hazards and the Department of Defense (DoD) by examining the multifaceted impacts of environmental shifts on military operations, infrastructure, and strategic planning. As the global climate continues to undergo unpredictable changes, the DoD faces evolving challenges that extend beyond traditional security concerns.</p><p dir="ltr">The research employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating environmental science and analysis with military strategy to assess the current and anticipated hazards posed by climate change. As the beginning of a multi-year project, this thesis examines extreme weather events in relation to their potential to disrupt critical military assets and installations in Yuma County Arizona.</p><p dir="ltr">Additionally, decision support systems were created and analyzed as part of this thesis in order to provide Department of Defense decision-makers with a tool to create personalized and up to date visuals and data. This support tool could have positive implications for force readiness, mission effectiveness, and strategic planning, recognizing climate change as a pervasive and dynamic threat.</p><p dir="ltr">The study also delves into the strategic response of the DoD to climate change hazards, evaluating adaptation measures, resilience-building initiatives, and the integration of climate considerations into defense planning processes. By examining historical and future conditions, the research identifies areas where these installations could implement changes in order to enhance climate resilience and efficiency within the defense framework.</p><p dir="ltr">In conclusion, this thesis provides an understanding of the intricate interplay between climate change hazards and national security, focusing on their direct and indirect impacts on two military installations in Arizona. By shedding light on the complexities of this relationship, it contributes to the growing body of knowledge essential for developing adaptive strategies and policies that ensure the readiness and effectiveness of the military in the face of a changing climate.</p>

Dagens samhälle genomsyras av olika teknologier som påverkar människan, ekonomin och samhället. Numera besitter verksamheter stora datamängder som behöver registreras och struktureras och detta kan göras med hjälp av ett beslutstödsystem som ger underlag till beslutsfattare. I och med den stora och fortsatt ökade datamängden som behöver registreras och analyseras begränsas människans kognitiva förmåga till att hantera all denna data på egen hand. Som en lösning till denna problematik kan Artificial Intelligence (AI) användas. Syftet med denna forskningsstudie är att undersöka hur AI kan påverka beslutstödsystem inom verksamhetsstyrning. Fokuset grundar sig inom tre aspekter- planering, analys och uppföljning. För att besvara forskningsmålet har en djupare analys genomförts i form av en kvalitativ ansats, där sex deltagare intervjuats. Dessa intervjuer var semistrukturerade och enbart personer med välinsatta kunskaper inom beslutsstödsystem och AI har deltagit. Litteraturstudien, som baseras på tidigare forskning om AI och beslutsstödsystem och hur dessa två fungerar tillsammans, gav en grund för analysering, förklaring och diskussion tillsammans med den empiriska insamlade datan. Med hjälp av den insamlade datan kunde sedan intervjuerna analyseras tematiskt. Resultatet visade att AI:ns förmågor medför fördelar hos verksamheter genom ökadprestanda, effektivisering av strukturerad och ostrukturerad data samt frigör tid hosbeslutsfattare. Baserat på resultatet belystes det att beslutstödsystem kan enbart göra relativt enkla analyser på strukturerad data medan den är begränsad på ostruktureraddata. I samband med detta framhäver resultatet att verksamheter behöver även bearbeta extern information såsom omvärldsbevakningen. På så sätt ger teknologin användarna bästa möjliga beslutsunderlag samt då ett bredare beslutsunderlag tas fram och vidare förbättra planering, analys och uppföljning genom att AI kan analysera och samla in data från olika datakällor. Däremot behöver människan alltid vara närvarande i beslutsfattandet då AI besitter också begränsningar vilket kankompletteras med människan. / In today's society there are various technologies which affect people, the economy and society. Nowadays, businesses have large amounts of data that need to be registered and structured and this can be done with the help of a decision support system that provides information to decision makers. With the large amount of data being established even today, the human cognitive ability is limited to handling allthis data on their own. As a solution to this problem, AI can be used. The purpose of this research study is to investigate how AI can affect decision support systems in operations management. The focus is based on three aspects -planning, analysis and follow-up. In order to answer the research aim, a qualitative approach has been used where six participants were interviewed. These interviews were semi-structured and only people with well-versed knowledge in decision support systems and AI have participated. The literature study, which is based on previous research on AI and decision support systems and how the two work together, provided a basis for analysis, explanation and discussion along with the empirical data collected. As a result of the collected data, the interviews were analyzed thematically. The result showed that AI's capabilities bring benefits to businesses through increased performance, efficiency of structured and unstructured data and frees uptime for decision makers. Based on the results, it was highlighted that decision support systems can only perform relatively simple analyzes on structured data while it is limited on unstructured data. In connection with this, the result highlights that businesses also need to process external information such as monitoring of the environment. In this way, the technology provides users with the best possible basis for decision-making. This is because a broader basis for decision-making is produced and therefore improves planning, analysis and follow-up as AI can analyze and collect data from different data sources. However, the human always needs to be present in the decision-making as AI also has limitations which can be supplemented with the human.

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Digital twins (DTs) are digital copies of a physical system that incorporates the system environment, interactions, etc. to mirror the system accurately in real time. As effective decision support systems (DSS) in complex multivariate situations, DTs could be the next step in the digitalization of water management. This study is done in cooperation with the Open Waters project group at the Swedish environmental research institute (IVL). The aim of the project group is to investigate the possibility to realize DTs with the use of open data (OD), and shared design (SD), in Swedish water management while also promoting ecosystems for innovation in virtual environments. This study will aid the project group by bridging the gap between project stakeholders and water managers. A DSS developed by IVL for automatic dosage of coagulants in water treatment which is based on the same industry 4.0 technology as DTs will be evaluated as a possible starting point for DTs, OD, and SD. In depth interviews were held with representatives from water management, and experts in DTs, OD, and SD. This was to identify key opportunities and threats, and to understand water managers perception and opinion of the project. This is complimented by a brief review of Swedish water management, and the international state of DTs. There were 4 main opportunities and threats. Challenges and goals are very similar between different WTPs    Water managers are already collaborating to reach common goals    WTPs are unique in terms of treatment steps and composition/properties of raw water WTPs are objects of national security which raises questions regarding safety when digitalization is discussed. / Digitala tvillingar (DT) är digitala kopior av fysiska system som inkluderar systemets miljö, interaktioner, etc. för att noggrant spegla systemet i realtid. Som effektiva beslutsunderlag i komplexa, multivariabla situationer har DT fått uppmärksamhet inom vattensektorn och kan vara nästa steg i industrins digitalisering. Denna studie utförs i samarbete med svenska miljöinstitutets (IVLs) projektgrupp Open Waters. Syftet är att utforska möjligheten att förverkliga DT med hjälp av öppna data (OD) och delad design (SD) i den svenska vattensektorn, samt att främja innovationsekosystem i virtuella miljöer. Målet med denna studie är att överbygga klyftan mellan projektgruppen och dess målgrupp. Till hjälp kommer den IVL utvecklade DOS-modellen för automatisk dosering av fällningskemikalier för vattenrening. Denna är baserad på samma industri 4.0 teknologi som DT och ses som en startpunkt för DT, OD, och SD. Djupintervjuer hölls med representanter inom vattensektorn, såväl som experter inom DT, OD, och SD. Målet med detta var att identifiera centrala möjligheter och hot för projektet, samt för att förstå vattensektorns bild och åsikt av DT. Detta kompletteras med en övergripande genomgång av den svenska vattensektorn, och DT. 4 huvudsakliga möjligheter och hot identifierades.    Utmaningar och mål är väldigt lika mellan olika vattenverk    Det sker redan samarbeten i vattensektorn när gemensamma mål identifieras    Vattenverk är unika i förhållande till reningssteg och råvatten Vattenverk är skyddsobjekt vilket höjer frågor gällande informationssäkerhet när digitalisering diskuteras.

<p>North American suburbs are facing decline and obsolescence. They cannot meet the needs of North America’s ageing society, future climate change, or higher energy prices. Compounded with their negative environmental impact, non-resilient is an appropriate label for North American suburbs.</p> <p>Resilient suburban communities can be realized through retrofitting to meet current and future needs. Community scale retrofitting is in the early stages of development. House-level retrofitting tools exist but must be synthesized into a useable form for homeowners.</p> <p>Homeowners arguably have the largest stake in the future of the suburbs for both financial and social reasons. Empowering them with tools to make their suburban home and community more resilient is considered to be desirable.</p> <p>This thesis empowers homeowners by developing a prototype decision support system (DSS) that will help them (or their contractors) make choices about adapting and retrofitting their home for resilience. This Microsoft Excel-based DSS addresses the following suburban needs: new housing types, reducing the environmental impacts of the home, and decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. The DSS does this through three constituent ‘modules’.</p> <p>The first module, <em>Dividing Suburban Homes</em>, demonstrates the feasibility of dividing large suburban homes into multifamily dwellings. The second module, <em>Sustainable Additions</em>, selects resilient building materials for housing additions. The last module, <em>Reducing the Home’s Environmental Impact</em>, helps homeowners choose methods for reducing the environmental impact and fossil fuel usage of their home.</p> <p>Through these three modules, this DSS addresses a considerable number of the current and anticipated issues facing the suburbs.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Beneath North America's roads lie 1.6 million miles of pipeline that provides users with potable water and carry away wastewater. These buried infrastructure systems have been functioning for duration longer than their intended design life, often with little or no repair. Asset management of pipeline systems pose a major challenge for most municipalities due to budgetary constraints, demand for quality service, and need to preserve existing pipeline infrastructure. The first step in developing and implementing a comprehensive asset management plan is to perform a condition assessment. There is a gamut of inspection and monitoring technologies available to enable the condition assessment of pipelines. All of these have advantages and limitations, which determine the performance quality and effectiveness of an individual technology for particular utility assets. Unfortunately, utilities choose technologies not suitable for their specific assets and collect data that is not useful for understanding the condition of their system. The objective of this thesis is to develop a framework for the effective selection of condition assessment technologies for water and wastewater utilities. A Microsoft-Excel based framework is developed to help the utility managers in selecting condition assessment technologies for their water and wastewater pipeline assets. The recommended tool selection approach uses a multi-step exclusion protocol in which the tools are excluded on the basis of their applicability relating to technical feasibility and technical suitability for a particular situation. Usable tools are then compared against a performance and cost database to determine performance and cost in a given project/ utility condition. This thesis provides a brief description and review of 24 non-destructive commercialized condition assessment technologies, including the principal and implementation considerations. A framework for decision system tool was developed to facilitate utilities in selecting appropriate condition assessment technologies. This framework could facilitate the selection of usable technologies by excluding the options which are not technically feasible and suitable. The user can then further explore the usable tools and determine the most suitable technologies for their assets. The data considered in the research is provided by technology providers, thus it may lack complete understanding of the capabilities and limitations of technology. This thesis also presents a case study which highlights the existing gap between the understanding of capabilities and limitations of various technologies. A program is developed as a part of this thesis, Condition Assessment Selection Tool (CAST), which consists of performance and economic database, a graphical user interface to facilitate user input, and the results of the comparison of each usable technology in the database to the project information provided by the user for their assets. The results are presented as performance indices and economic indices indicating the performance and technology cost of usable technologies. A data reliability index was also developed to provide a scale for comparing the reliability of the existing data in the database. / Master of Science

Decline in both visual acuity and visual performance is a fact of life for older people and their increasing share of the population requires that buildings be designed with their visual needs in mind. As their field of vision decreases, people find it harder to identify an objects location, distance, and orientation. Elderly people with vision impairments usually find it harder to perform daily activities such as navigation through indoor spaces. Functional vision can be improved by modifying the design of spaces, for example, with better lighting. However, architects typically do not know how to take the needs of the visually impaired into account in their design process, or simply do not think of doing so. The researcher designed and feasibility-tested a prototype person-centered tool to help architects judge how appropriate a designed space will be for visually impaired people. The study was conducted as a qualitative mixed-methodology research analysis. The researcher used knowledge from literature interpretation to rationalize the development of a person-centered prototype. The researcher immersed design PhD students and vision science experts to inform the prototyping process. Along with an expert group of design and vision science professionals, the researcher beta-tested the prototype during a mock design-process scenario. The researcher also selected a small group of industry experts to participate in open-ended interviews on post-use demonstrations to qualitatively triangulate the findings on the prototypes usability. The study summarizes the feasibility including the challenges of using the prototype for professional purposes and suggests improvement. / Ph. D.