<p>The purpose of this research study was to look at the effects of perceived discrimination and sexual positivity on relationship and sexual satisfaction of sexual minority couples. The present study hypothesizes that there will be a moderating relationship between sexual positivity and perceived discrimination; higher levels of sexual positivity will predict higher relationship and sexual satisfaction, and perceived discrimination will negatively effect relationship and sexual satisfaction of couples with lower sexual positivity. Individuals who identify as a sexual minority were asked to participate in this study and answer survey questions pertaining to the level of satisfaction they experience in their romantic relationship and their sexual relationship, how sex positive the individuals are, and the amount of perceived discrimination that they experience; all through a minority stress lens. The results suggest that neither perceived discrimination nor the interaction between perceived discrimination and sexual positivity has a significant impact on the relationship and sexual satisfaction of sexual minority populations. However, the results of this study do suggest a statistically significant relationship between sexual positivity and relationship and sexual satisfaction of sexual minority couples.</p>

In this thesis, we first propose a new scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) approach for general dissipative nonlinear systems. This new approach is half computational cost of the original SAV approach, can be extended to high order unconditionally energy stable backward differentiation formula (BDF) schemes and not restricted to the gradient flow structure. Rigorous error estimates for this new SAV approach are conducted for the Allen-Cahn and Cahn-Hilliard type equations from the BDF1 to the BDF5 schemes in a unified form. As an application of this new approach, we construct high order unconditionally stable, fully discrete schemes for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation with periodic boundary condition. The corresponding error estimates for the fully discrete schemes are also reported. Secondly, by combining the new SAV approach with functional transformation, we propose a new method to construct high-order, linear, positivity/bound preserving and unconditionally energy stable schemes for general dissipative systems whose solutions are positivity/bound preserving. We apply this new method to second order equations: the Allen-Cahn equation with logarithm potential, the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equation and the Keller-Segel equations and fourth order equations: the thin film equation and the Cahn-Hilliard equation with logarithm potential. Ample numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the improved efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.

This thesis investigates how body positivity and sustainability are discursively constructed by fast fashion brands. The brand chosen as a case study is H&amp;M, as it describes itself as being both environmentally and socially involved. Yet, despite H&amp;M's claims, during our preliminary research we were able to detect the lack of accessibility of sustainable collections to plus size customers. In this essay, we analyze how H&amp;M communicates body inclusivity in its sustainability reports, website, and YouTube campaigns promoting conscious lines. Drawing on theories of representation, biopolitics, and post-feminism, we sought to critically analyze the previously mentioned material through a multimodal critical analysis. The results show how H&amp;M discursively constructs health communication in different ways depending on which clothing line the brand is promoting and to which consumers it is being advertised. Class discourses were recognized, leading to exclusive access to sustainable clothing for higher income shoppers. We believe this work is relevant to opening up the discussion about democratization and making sustainable items fully accessible to everyone.

Background: There is a ubiquitous societal trend to define one’s self-worth based on externalities such as looks. The visibility of idealised and homogenous, mainly white, ‘perfect’ bodies in mass media contributes to the surge in body dissatisfaction of individuals, especially young women. This is accompanied by ethical problems such as mental diseases and eating disorders. Moreover, it renders young women with a high body dissatisfaction a profitable target group for several industries. Purpose: This paper develops and tests a model on how different levels of Body Image Satisfaction impact young female’s emotional responses and their attitude towards the advertisements and the brand that uses them. It directly compares these effects for Body Positivity (BoPo) advertising (visuals of diversities of physical appearances) and traditional, idealised imagery in an experimental setup. With this, this study aims to prove that a high level of Body Image Satisfaction and thus BoPo content makes economic sense. Method: This study measures the psychological constructs Body Image Satisfaction, experiential emotional response and attitude. It draws on research on how different body types are used to profit from the effects of self-esteem advertising while linking them to research on the Body Image Satisfaction of young females. BoPo commercials are compared to traditional, idealised imagery in commercials and measured consumer reactions to both using a quantitative survey in a representative panel in Germany. Conclusion: High Body Image Satisfaction leads to a more positive experiential emotional response, a more positive attitude towards commercials, and a more positive attitude towards brands for any type of commercials. Commercials with BoPo content are highly accepted. As the exposure to BoPo content leads to a higher Body Image Satisfaction, BoPo content in mass media is ethically desirable and also economically beneficial.

Today we live in an advertised-oriented society and we are constantly exposed to commercialized messages. Most advertising is based on stereotypical portraits of humans. And something that has attracted attention during the last decade is the one-sided representation that appears in these advertisements. This matter has been particularly relevant during the last decade with the emergence of significant societal phenomena and the questioning of power relations in society. Among these, Black Lives Matter, Metoo, and the Body Positivity-movement. This study aims to investigate what stereotypes can be identified in H&amp;Ms advertisement and if these have changed over the last two decades. The theoretic framework consists of representation, the designation of ethnicity, stereotypes, and corporate social responsibility. Semiotic image analysis has been used as the method, and from this tool such as denotation, connotation, and body rhetoric have been implemented for the execution of the analysis. The result that emerged from the analysis showed that the gender stereotypes have changed over the studied years, as well as the amount of diversity of the objects portrayed in H&amp;Ms advertising. The diversity that holds the most significant change is that people of color are more prominent in the later ads. When it comes to diversity in body types and plus-size models a decrease can be identified. Furthermore, the results also left us questioning if it is successful for companies to include diversity and implement the current trends in society in their advertisement

Le domaine des problèmes inverses est une discipline qui se trouve à la frontière des mathématiques appliquées et de la physique et qui réunit les différentes solutions pour résoudre les problèmes d'optimisation mathématique. Dans le cas de la déconvolution 1D, ce domaine apporte un formalisme pour proposer des solutions avec deux grands types d'approche: les problèmes inverses avec régularisation et les problèmes inverses bayésiens. Sous l'effet du déluge de données, les géosciences et la planétologie nécessitent des algorithmes de plus en plus plus complexe pour obtenir des informations pertinentes. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous proposons d'apporter des connaissances dans trois problèmes de déconvolution 1D sous contrainte avec régularisation dans le domaine de l'hydrologie, la sismologie et de la spectroscopie. Pour chaque problème nous posons le modèle direct, le modèle inverse, et nous proposons un algorithme spécifique pour atteindre la solution. Les algorithmes sont définis ainsi que les différentes stratégies pour déterminer les hyper-paramètres. Aussi, des tests sur des données synthétiques et sur des données réelles sont exposés et discuté du point de vue de l'optimisation mathématique et du point de vue du domaine de l'application choisi. Finalement, les algorithmes proposés ont l'objectif de mettre à portée de main l'utilisation des méthodes des problèmes inverses pour la communauté des Géosciences. / The inverse problem field is a domain at the border between applied mathematics and physics that encompasses the solutions for solving mathematical optimization problems. In the case of 1D deconvolution, the discipline provides a formalism to designing solutions in the frames of its two main approaches: regularization based inverse problems and bayesian based inverse problems. Under the data deluge, geosciences and planetary sciences require more and more complex algorithms for obtaining pertinent information. In this thesis, we solve three 1D deconvolution problems under constraints with regularization based inverse problem methodology: in hydrology, in seismology and in spectroscopy. For every of the three problems, we pose the direct problem, the inverse problem, and we propose a specific algorithm to reach the solution. Algorithms are defined but also the different strategies to determine the hyper-parameters. Furthermore, tests on synthetic data and on real data are presented and commented from the point of view of the inverse problem formulation and that of the application field. Finally, the proposed algorithms aim at making approachable the use of inverse problem methodology for the Geoscience community.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studien är att se hur de etiska strömningarna påverkan modeföretags beslut om att utöka storlekarna och implementera större storlekar. Forskningsfrågorna är 1.  Av vilka anledningar väljer svenska modeföretag att utöka sitt storleksutbud med större storlekar? och 2. Vad har sociala medier och etiska strömningar för inverkan på legitimitetsskapande affärsbeslut?   Teoretiskt ramverk: Denna studie använder sociala medier, den kroppspositivistiska rörelsen och konsekvenser av negativ publicitet som teoretisk bakgrund. Studien är även baserad på viktiga begrepp från institutionell teori; legitimitet, decoupling och mimetic isomorphism. Metod: Denna studie är baserad på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod  med hjälp av intervjuer hos två svenska modeföretag. De anställda som blev intervjuade hade alla roller som antingen varit involverade i beslutet om att utöka storlekar eller som har påverkats av det.   Resultat: Resultaten av studien visar att den kroppspositivistiska rörelsen har haft en inverkan på de studerade företagens beslut att utvidga deras storlek. Andra orsaker som hittades var att undvika negativ publicitet samt skapa legitimitet. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to see how ethical currents affect fashion companies' decisions to widen their size range and implement bigger sizes. The research questions are 1. For what reasons do Swedish fashion companies decide to widen their size range with bigger sizes? and 2. What influence does social media and ethical currents have on legitimacy based business decisions? Theoretical foundation: This study uses theoretical background on social media, the body positivity movement and consequences of negative publicity. The study is also based on important concepts taken from the institutional theory; legitimacy, decoupling and mimetic isomorphism. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a qualitative research method involving two Swedish fashion companies. The employees who were interviewed all have roles that are either involved in the decision to widen the size range or have been affected by it. Findings: The results of the study shows that the body positivity movement has had an impact on the companies' of this study’s decision to widen their size range. Other reasons found were to avoid negative publicity and create legitimacy.

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TikTok har blivit en populär plattform under de senaste åren, särskilt bland unga kvinnor. Tidigare forskning har visat att med användningen av sociala medier, särskilt visuella plattformar som TikTok, kan påverka mental hälsa hos kvinnor. TikToks algoritm översvämmar användare med riktat innehåll som fokuserar på utmaningar och trender relaterade till utseendeförändringar genom kosten, träning och försköningsfilter. För unga kvinnor kan detta leda till ökad oro över kroppen och försämrad mental hälsa. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka innehållet som publiceras på TikTok och dess potentiella inverkan på mental hälsa. En kvantitativ enkätundersökning genomfördes för att undersöka unga kvinnor i åldrarna 15-25 år och deras attityder till TikTok och kroppsideal. Genom en kvalitativ tematisk videoanalys av hashtaggen #bodypositivity identifierades strukturer för hur kroppspositivitet framställs på plattformen. Studien har funnit både negativa och positiva effekter av applikationen och vilket innehåll användarna exponeras för i relation till kroppspositivitet. Det framkom att hashtaggen #bodypositivity ibland kan missbrukas. Användarna har en viss grad av kontroll över vilket innehåll de konsumerar, vilket påverkar deras upplevelse och känsla av plattformen. Trots medvetenheten om detta har användare emellertid ibland svårt att distansera sig från negativa påverkningar och fortsätter att exponera sig för innehåll som påverkar dem negativt. / TikTok has become a popular platform in recent years, especially among young women. Previous research has shown that the use of social media, especially visual platforms such as TikTok, can affect the mental health of women. TikTok's algorithm floods users with targeted content that focuses on challenges and trends related to appearance changes through diet, exercise and beautification filters. For young women, this can lead to increased anxiety about the body and deteriorating mental health. This study aims to examine the content posted on TikTok and its potential impact on mental health. A quantitative survey was conducted to investigate young women aged 15-25 and their attitudes towards TikTok and body ideals. Through a qualitative thematic video analysis of the hashtag #bodypositivity, structures were identified for how body positivity is presented on the platform. The study has found both negative and positive effects of the application and the content the users are exposed to in relation to body positivity. It emerged that the hashtag #bodypositivity can sometimes be misused. Users have a certain degree of control over what content they consume, which affects their experience and feel of the platform. However, despite awareness of this, users sometimes find it difficult to distance themselves from negative influences and continue to expose themselves to content that affects them negatively.

Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (M/S TBI) is a growing public health concern with significant impact on the cognitive functioning of survivors. Cognitive control and deficits in awareness have been linked to poor recovery and rehabilitation outcomes. One way to research cognitive control is through awareness of errors using electroencephalogram and event-related potentials (ERPs). Both the error-related negativity and the post-error positivity components of the ERP are linked to error awareness and cognitive control processes. Attentional capacity and levels of apathy influence error awareness in those with M/S TBI. There are strong links between awareness, attention, and apathy. However, limited research has examined the role of attention, awareness, and apathy using electrophysiological indices of error awareness to further understand cognitive control in a M/S TBI sample. The current study sought to elucidate the role of apathy in error awareness in those with M/S TBI. Participants included 75 neurologically-healthy controls (divided randomly into two control groups) and 24 individuals with M/S TBI. All participants completed self-report measures of mood, apathy, and executive functioning, as well as a brief neuropsychological battery to measure attention and cognitive ability. To measure awareness, participants completed the error awareness task (EAT), a modified Stroop go/no-go task. Participants signaled awareness of errors committed on the previous trial. The M/S TBI group decreased accuracy while improving or maintaining error awareness compared to controls over time. There were no significant between-group differences for ERN and Pe amplitudes. Levels of apathy in the M/S TBI group were included in three multiple regression analyses predicting proportion of unaware errors, ERN amplitude, and Pe amplitude. Apathy was predictive of error awareness, although not in the predicted direction. Major analyses were replicated using two distinct control groups to determine potential sample effects. Results showed consistent results comparing both control groups to a M/S TBI group. Findings show variable levels of awareness and accuracy over time for those with M/S TBI when compared to controls. Conclusions include varying levels of attention and awareness from the M/S TBI group over time, evidenced by improving awareness of errors when they are happening, but an inability to regulate performance sufficiently to improve accuracy. Levels of apathy are playing a role in error awareness, however, not in predicted directions. The study provides support for the role of attentional impairments in error awareness and encourages future studies to look for varying levels of performance within a given task when using populations linked to elevated levels of apathy and attentional deficits.