Emotional regulation is necessary to live psychologically and physically healthy. In this study I explored the associations between emotional regulation and two major constructs of cognitive sciences, time perspective and cognitive flexibility. For this purpose, I collected data online from different social media platforms. Eighty participants participated by filling in three questionnaires, Emotional regulation questionnaire, cognitive flexibility inventory and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. The age range of participants was between 18 to 50 years with varying educational and occupational backgrounds. The results revealed that cognitive flexibility has a significant positive relationship with emotional regulation and the Present Hedonistic subscale and Future subscales found correlated positively with emotional regulation. In Line with the predictions, linear regression analyses showed that cognitive flexibility predicts emotional regulation while an aggregated measures of deviations from a balanced time perspective (DBPT) did not predict emotional regulation. A mediation analysis also suggested that cognitive flexibility has no mediating role between DBTP and emotional regulation.

In the area of steering behaviours of autonomous agents and crowd simulations, there is a plethora of methods for executing the simulations. A very hard-to-achieve goal of crowd simulations is to make them seem natural and accurately reflect real-life crowds. A very important criterion for this goal is to have the agents avoid collisions, both with each other and with the environment. A less important, but important nonetheless, criterion is to not let the time taken or distance covered to reach the goal in the simulation be too high, compared with when not implementing collision avoidance. This paper proposes and explores a novel method of enhancing vector field-based steering with rule-based deviations to implement collision avoidance. This method is called ’DevVec’ (’Deviation + Vector Field steering’). The rules which are used for the deviations are extracted from a user survey, and they describe what the agent should do in different collision avoidance scenarios. The viability of DevVec is tested by comparing it with another already established method, called ’Gradient-based Steering’, in terms of fulfilling the criteria mentioned above. Both methods are used to simulate pedestrians moving throughout different scenes. The results suggest that DevVec has potential, but would require additional time and resources, and perhaps a few changes in future works to be presented in its best possible version. / Inom ämnesområdet för styrbeteenden hos autonoma agenter och simuleringar av folkmassor finns det många metoder för att framställa dessa simuleringar. Ett väldigt svåruppnåeligt mål för denna typ av simuleringar är få dem att verka naturliga och verklighetstrogna. Ett viktigt kriterie för detta mål är att få agenterna att undvika kollisioner, både med varandra och med den kringliggande omgivningen. Ett mindre viktigt, men viktigt oavsett, kriterie är att inte låta en agent ta för lång tid eller gå för långt för att nå sitt mål i simuleringen, i jämförelse med när de inte försöka undvika hinder. Denna studie presenterar och utforskar en ny metod som utökar en vektorfältsbaserat styralgoritm med regelbaserade avvikelser för att ta hänsyn till att undvika kollisioner. Denna nya metod kallas för ’DevVec’ (’Deviation + Vector Field steering’). Reglerna som används för avvikelserna är framtagna från en enkät, och de beskriver vad en agent borde göra vid olika kollision-scenarion. Användbarheten av DevVec prövas genom att jämföra den med en redan etablerad metod som kallas för ’Gradientbaserad styrning’, med avseende på de ovan nämnda kriterierna. Båda metoderna används för att simulera fotgängare i olika omgivningar. Resultaten antyder att DevVec har potential, men att det krävs ytterligare tid och resurser, och troligtvis några ändringar i framtiden för att framställa den bästa möjliga versionen.

Работа над теоретическими основами профилактики социальных отклонений, а также анализ практик по решению проблем социально-психологической безопасности студентов. Автор представил результаты эмпирического исследования потенциала социально-психологической безопасности студентов в общежитии №8 Уральского федерального университета имени первого Президента России Б.Н. Ельцина. Результаты исследования были положены в основу проекта по формированию социально-психологической безопасности студентов в общежитии. / Work on the theoretical foundations of the prevention of social deviations, as well as the analysis of practices for solving the problems of the socio-psychological safety of students. The author presented the results of an empirical study of the potential of socio-psychological security of students in the hostel number 8 of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin. The results of the study were the basis of the project on the formation of the socio-psychological safety of students in the dormitory.

Тема магистерской диссертации - "Технологии профилактики политического экстремизма в молодежной среде". В первой главе проведено исследование сущности политического экстремизма, выявление его признаков и классификации видов политического экстремизма. Кроме этого, определены особенности политического экстремизма в молодежной среде, выявлены основные направления в современном российском молодежном политическом экстремизме. Во второй главе диссертационной работы представлены результаты исследования эффективности использования технологий таргетинга в профилактике политического экстремизма среди молодежи и разработаны конкретные предложения по их использованию. / The topic of the master's thesis is "Technologies for the Prevention of Political Extremism in the Youth Environment". The first chapter examines the essence of political extremism, identifies its signs and classifies the types of political extremism. In addition, the features of political extremism in the youth environment have been identified, and the main trends in contemporary Russian youth political extremism have been identified. The second chapter of the dissertation presents the results of a study of the effectiveness of the use of targeting technologies in the prevention of political extremism among young people and developed specific proposals for their use.

To stay competitive in today's market, organizations focus on efficiency to reduce costs. Since there are still processes that are manually handled, there is a risk of affecting workers health during streamlining. Volvo CE Braås are currently working with a takt time of 35 minutes throughout their facility. They are looking to implement a takt flow system on their Pallet breakdown disassembly line to unify the systems within the company. The current situation of the pallet breakdown consists of variation, ergonomic issues, inconsistencies, disturbances and lay-out problems. Main problems have remained unidentified. The goal of the thesis has been to determine how optimization as well as, takt time implementation affects the workers. The aim of the thesis has been to analyze their current situation, present relevant changes to be made and to improve the ergonomics of the employees. Methods such as flow mapping, surveys, gemba walks and interviews have contributed to a basis of understanding. The methods have, together with selected theory, contributed to important knowledge and understanding of the disassembly system, that has led to conclusions and recommendations regarding the impact of optimization and takt time implementation on ergonomics. By using ergonomic guidelines together with discrete event simulation, an identification of human factors when optimizing has been detected. For Volvo CE to successfully implement takt time, several optimizations are needed together with relevant investments to ensure that the ergonomic values are kept on an appropriate level when the frequency of tasks increases. As a conclusion, to optimize a system which has a direct impact on the employees, there is a need to investigate the ergonomic values of today together with values after optimization. Optimization can not occur without investing in tools.

In a period marked by escalating demands for defense equipment, this master thesis aims to explore deviation management practices within HMLV (High-Mix Low-Volume) productions, a common practice among firms operating in the defense sector. To achieve this objective, a case study methodology has been employed, drawing insights from a representative company within the industry. The study adopts a qualitative approach, incorporating internal interviews and on-site observations, thereby grounding its findings in firsthand data. Concurrently, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to contextualize the findings, examining theories such as ISO standards, lean principles, and Smart Manufacturing in the specific context of HMLV productions, facilitating the derivation of informed conclusions. The analysis of gathered data revealed four primary areas posing challenges to effective deviation management within the case company: process development, organizational development, resource management, and data management and analysis. Building upon these identified challenges, an action plan was developed to ensure deviations are addressed in proportion to their impact on production, emphasizing a proactive stance. Drawing from the current state of affairs within the case company, the study underscores the imperative to prioritize deviation management, particularly given the heightened production demands within the defense industry. Furthermore, it suggests that many of the identified issues across the aforementioned areas could be mitigated by fostering a culture of continual improvement. By implementing strategies aligned with this and enhancing their deviation management practices, the company can transition from a reactive to a proactive approach, leading to increased efficiency and quality within the HMLV-production.

As the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, there is an urgent need for largescale investments in green infrastructure and technologies. If we are going to achieve carbon neutrality, significant investments are necessary, and therefore must the entire financial system unite and endorse sustainable investment activities in a market-oriented manner.   A green bond is a relatively new type of bond. It was first introduced in 2007 by the European Investment Bank (EIB). This was followed up by a collaboration between Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) and the World Bank, a group of Swedish investors, pension funds, and SRI-focused investors. They issued their first green bond in 2008 intending to attract more investors. However, this attempt to increase the interest did not work, green bonds were almost nonexistent until 2013. One explanation for the slow development of the green bond market was the financial crisis in 2008. Further, the reason for the low interest in green bonds during this period was that traditional investors deemed these risky and non-profitable.  Using a deductive approach, this thesis investigates how green bonds perform compared to conventional bonds and stocks from the issuing company. The authors sampled green and conventional bonds from 33 companies that matured from 2018 to 2023. The sample data set contains bonds from Asia, Europe, South America, North America, and Australia. The data was tested using multiple hypotheses.  This thesis sets out to answer the research question: How do green bonds perform compared to conventional bonds and stocks?   The results indicated there is a significant difference between the three asset types. First, the stocks yield higher returns and higher standard deviations than green and conventional bonds. Second, the authors found no evidence for a difference in return thus a significant difference in standard deviation. The results also suggest there is a difference in modified duration, convexity, maturity, and yield to maturity. These findings indicate that green bonds performed better than conventional bonds, especially regarding risk and volatility. Therefore, could green bonds be useful when diversifying a portfolio.  The findings suggested that a portfolio composition that combines the three assets could be in line with both shareholder theory and stakeholder theory. The portfolio theory also provides interesting insights into the potential portfolio optimizations since there are differences between green and conventional bonds. Since no difference in the return was found for green and conventional bonds the authors find no reason to support the idea of herding behavior in the trading of green bonds.  However, the difference in standard deviation is interesting from a behavioral perspective, a lower standard deviation indicates that the green bond experiences lower volatility compared to conventional bonds.

In this study within quantitative portfolio optimization, stochastic programming is investigated as an investment decision tool. This research takes the direction of scenario based Mean-Absolute Deviation and is compared with the traditional Mean-Variance model and widely used Risk Parity portfolio. Furthermore, this thesis is done in collaboration with the First Swedish National Pension Fund, AP1, and the implemented multi-asset portfolios are thus tailored to match their investment style. The models are evaluated on two different fund management levels, in order to study if the portfolio performance benefits from a more restricted feasible domain. This research concludes that stochastic programming over the investigated time period is inferior to Risk Parity, but outperforms the Mean-Variance Model. The biggest aw of the model is its poor performance during periods of market stress. However, the model showed superior results during normal market conditions. / I denna studie inom kvantitativ portföljoptimering undersöks stokastisk programmering som ett investeringsbeslutsverktyg. Denna studie tar riktningen för scenariobaserad Mean-Absolute Deviation och jämförs med den traditionella Mean-Variance-modellen samt den utbrett använda Risk Parity-portföljen. Avhandlingen görs i samarbete med Första AP-fonden, och de implementerade portföljerna, med era tillgångsslag, är därför skräddarsydda för att matcha deras investeringsstil. Modellerna utvärderas på två olika fondhanteringsnivåer för att studera om portföljens prestanda drar nytta av en mer restrektiv optimeringsmodell. Den här undersökningen visar att stokastisk programmering under undersökta tidsperioder presterar något sämre än Risk Parity, men överträffar Mean-Variance. Modellens största brist är dess prestanda under perioder av marknadsstress. Modellen visade dock något bättre resultat under normala marknadsförhållanden.

This dissertation is based on the hypothesis that a third dimension, namely investment time horizon, can add value to the more conventional two-dimensional methodology of assessing the relative risk and return attributes of various assets and portfolios in order to enhance investment decisions. This study shows that time horizons should be considered in the investment decision making process and provides concrete evidence that a methodology that is not cognizant of investment time horizon is prone to extensive long-term opportunity cost risk. In addition to providing evidence of investment time horizon relevance, the study makes suggestions as to how time horizons could be incorporated into the risk return assessments of various asset classes and also presents a framework for the more holistic assessment of asset class properties while incorporating time horizons. / Business Management / Thesis (M. Com. (Business Management))

The study makes an analysis of Charles Mungoshi's Shona works from a Modernist perspective. In this study, Modernist literature is shown as full of change and adventure that has seen characters failing to catch up with the speed at which their social lives are going. The change is continuos and has resulted in many characters continuously failing to cope, which in turn has resulted in continuous frustrations, here described as despair. The study also shows how the despair is being nurtured in the circumstances of crumbling social institutions which, in the past, had acted as the haven for devastated individuals. The crumbling social institutions are shown to be triggering the despair and the characters are given no room to recuperate. The study makes an analysis of what brings this despair and how in the end, particular individual characters fight to ward off the despair. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)