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The research presented in this thesis investigates the motoric versus perceptual basis of bimanual coordination stability. A general introductory section provides an overview of Parkinson's disease, upper limb coordination in healthy younger and healthy older adults and individuals with Parkinson's disease, and the current views of the basis of bimanual coordination stability. Following the general introductory section are two manuscripts for the two experiments. Both experiments followed similar paradigms. Healthy young adults participated in the first experiment and individuals with Parkinson's disease and healthy older adults participated in the second experiment. Following the presentation of the empirical work is a general discussion section. This section is intended to summarize the two experiments, to discuss potential methodological issues and to provide ideas for future experiments. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

The research presented in this thesis investigates the motoric versus perceptual basis of bimanual coordination stability. A general introductory section provides an overview of Parkinson's disease, upper limb coordination in healthy younger and healthy older adults and individuals with Parkinson's disease, and the current views of the basis of bimanual coordination stability. Following the general introductory section are two manuscripts for the two experiments. Both experiments followed similar paradigms. Healthy young adult~ participated in the first experiment and individuals with Parkinson's disease and healthy older adults participated in the second experiment. Following the presentation of the empirical work is a general discussion section. This section is intended to summarize the two experiments, to discuss potential methodological issues and to provide ideas for future experiments. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Mining is at the base of green technologies for a more sustainable future; however, responsible mining is not often achieved. This exploratory case study focuses on the case of the agreement between the US American mining company Albemarle and the local Indigenous communities that formed the Council of the Atacameño People, in Northern Chile. This agreement is part of Albemarle’s Corporate Social Responsibility approach and is seen as one of the positive examples of practices working towards mining that benefits the local community and limits the effects on the local environment. This case is explored through a deductive thematic analysis to explore and define the nature of the agreement: whether it can be classified as a cooperation or collaboration, after which the experiences of the Indigenous communities will be studied in a summative content analysis of social media posts which is visualized in a word cloud. The analysis shows that the agreement can be classified as a collaboration, however with important elements that are cooperative. Although this means that the agreement aims to include the Indigenous communities in several ways, it also highlights the fact that the Indigenous communities are not equal in the agreement and their goals are considered less in the process. The studied social media posts show that the Indigenous communities have shifted their perspective of Albemarle seemingly positively, notwithstanding that there are increasing expressions of worry about the future existence as communities. This thesis concludes that even though the agreement sounds promising on paper, the experiences of the Indigenous communities in the area are still that they are risking losing their culture and ecosystem. The local communities have formally consented to the mining practices by signing the agreements, but there is dissent among community members regarding their true attitudes. This is extremely worrisome as this thesis is focused on one of the most positive examples of CSR efforts within mining companies.

AbstractThe study aims to hear and represent the experiences of Afghan immigrant mothers in Malmö, Sweden. By focusing on the individual level, the research seeks to investigate the challenges of raising children and the strategies developed to overcome those challenges.  A qualitative research design was chosen for the study, using data from five semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The research is theoretically framed by Berry's acculturation theory and concepts of parenting. The finding indicates that Afghan immigrant mothers face challenges as individuals and as parents during their integration process. The key challenges include adapting to a new way of living, overcoming language barriers, changes in social position and lack of social networks. Additionally, Cultural influence on parenting, the difference between the collective and individualistic parenting styles in Swedish society, and differences in acculturation levels, authority and discipline were significant factors. Finally, the thesis implies immigrant mothers need structural support through access to language classes and community programs to navigate the Swedish system and professional support to integrate successfully into the Swedish community.

Klimatrelaterade frågor har fått större uppmärksamhet i byggprojekt och det ställs krav och sätts mål för att minska miljöpåverkan. Fastighets- och byggbranschen bidrar till en femtedel av världens utsläpp av växthusgaser. I Sverige har idén om att öka användningen av trä i flerbostadshus som en klimatåtgärd fått stor uppmärksamhet i och med FN:s målsättning att bygga med nettonollutsläpp. I regeringens klimathandlingsplan uppmuntras ett ökat byggande i trä. En litteraturstudie har genomförts vilken visar att det finns miljömässiga fördelar med trä som stommaterial avseende koldioxidutsläpp. Vad gäller ekonomi och sociala aspekter är resultaten tvetydiga. Tidigare studier har pekat på att hållbarhet är ett val mellan trä och betong, där valet främst kvantifieras utifrån koldioxidutsläpp och ekonomi. Litteraturstudien visar att intressenters uppfattningar i byggbranschen påverkar valet att bygga flerbostadshus med stomme i trä eller betong. Denna studie syftar därför till att granska intressenters möjligheter att påverka valet mellan trä och betong och hur det förhåller sig till hållbar utveckling.Genom att tillämpa en kvalitativ forskningsmetod, i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer, väljs två olika flerbostadshus ut, ett med stomme i betong och ett med stomme i trä. Från båda projekten intervjuas intressenter med olika roller, dessa innefattas av beställare, arkitekt och projektchef. Ett urval av intressenter utanför projekten väljs också för att vidga projektperspektivet. Studien kompletterar tidigare forskning om intressenters uppfattningar om flerbostadsbyggande med stomme i trä och betong ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv och undersöker skillnader mellan två olika projekt. I studien används en intressentmodell för att identifiera intressenter och genom att komplettera denna med salience model kan de olika intressenternas möjlighet att påverka utvärderas.Med stöd av det teoretiska ramverket kan de olika intressenterna kategoriseras efter möjlighet att påverka. Studiens resultat visar att den intressent som har störst möjlighet att påverka valet av stommaterial vid byggandet av flerbostadshus är beställaren. Arkitekten har möjlighet att styra beställaren vid valet av material och entreprenören är beroende av beställarens val. Resultatet belyser både utmaningar och möjligheter med de två olika materialen och att dessa är avgörande för hur respektive intressent arbetar med hållbar utveckling. Generellt anser respondenterna att politiken inte ska styra val av material med detaljkrav, i stället bör funktionskrav styra valet som reglerar vad som ska uppnås och inte hur. Studien konkluderar att de ekonomiska förutsättningarna och den verksamhet ett fastighetsföretag bedriver är avgörande för valet av material. Beroende på vilken roll en intressent har, arbetar de med hållbarhet på olika sätt. Rätt material på rätt plats är ledorden för att optimera huskonstruktioner och frågan om att bygga hållbart handlar inte om att välja det ena eller det andra materialet utan om att kombinera material, metoder och system. / Climate-related issues have received greater attention in construction projects, with requirements and goals being set to mitigate environmental impact. The real estate and construction industry contributes to one-fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In Sweden, the idea of increasing the use of wood in multi-family houses as a climate measure has garnered significant attention due to the UN's goal of building with net zero emissions. The government's climate action plan encourages increased wood construction. A literature review indicates that there are environmental benefits of using wood as a structural material in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. However, the results regarding economic and social aspects are ambiguous. Previous studies have suggested that sustainability is a choice between wood and concrete, primarily quantified based on carbon dioxide emissions and economics. Furthermore, the literature review shows that stakeholders' perceptions in the construction industry influence the choice to build multi-family houses with either wood or concrete frames. Therefore, this study aims to examine stakeholders' ability to influence the choice between wood and concrete and how it relates to sustainable development.By applying a qualitative research method in the form of semi-structured interviews, two different multi-family houses are selected, one with a concrete frame and one with a wood frame. Stakeholders with different roles from both projects, including the client, architect, and project manager, are interviewed. A selection of stakeholders outside the projects is also chosen to broaden the project perspective. The study complements previous research on stakeholders' perceptions of multi-family construction with wood and concrete frames from a sustainability perspective and examines whether it differs between two different projects. A stakeholder model is used in the study to identify stakeholders, and by complementing this with the salience model, the different stakeholders' ability to influence can be evaluated.The study's results show that the stakeholder with the greatest ability to influence the choice to build with a concrete or wood frame for multi-family houses is the client, while other stakeholders have the opportunity to influence the client in their choice. With the support of the theoretical framework, the different stakeholders can be categorized based on their ability to influence. The results highlight both challenges and opportunities with the two different materials, which are crucial for how each stakeholder works with sustainable development. All respondents except one believe that detailed regulation from politics regarding which materials should be used is wrong and that it should instead be governed by functional requirements that can be achieved with different methods. The study concludes that the economic conditions and the type of business a property company conducts are decisive for the choice of material. Depending on the role a stakeholder has, they work with sustainability in different ways. The key words for optimizing house constructions are the right material in the right place, and the issue of building sustainably is not about choosing one material over the other but about combining materials, methods, and systems.

Defects in materials significantly influence their properties and enhance functionality. Hybrid functionals like HSE06, though effective for describing defects, face challenges in geometry optimization for large supercells. The r2SCAN+rVV10+U+Ud method provides a computationally efficient alternative. By selecting appropriate U and Ud values for the d orbitals of host and defect atoms, this method accurately describes defects in materials. Our study on small polaron defects in layered transition-metal oxides demonstrates this. Using literature values for U and Ud, we investigated birnessite (KnMnO2, n = 0.03) and KnNiO2, n = 0.03. With one K atom intercalated in a supercell, both materials show a localized eg polaronic state on the transition metal ion reduced by the K atom, when the geometry is calculated using published U values. The expected Jahn-Teller distortion is not observed when U=Ud=0. In layered cobalt oxide with additional potassium ions (KnCoO2, n = 1.03), a single extra K atom in the supercell leads to four localized electrons in the band gap, using standard U values, and even for U=Ud=0. Monolayer MoS2 exhibits intriguing properties and potential technological applications when subjected to strain. A recent experimental study reported that the bandgap of monolayer MoS2 on a mildly curved graphite surface decreases by 400 meV/% strain under biaxial strain with a Poisson’s ratio of 0.44. We conducted density functional theory (DFT) calculations on a free-standing MoS2 monolayer using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) PBE, the hybrid functional HSE06, and many-body perturbation theory with the GW approximation using PBE wavefunctions (G0W0@PBE). Our findings indicate that under biaxial strain with the experimental Poisson’s ratio, the bandgap decreases at rates of 63 meV/% strain (PBE), 73 meV/% strain (HSE06), and 43 meV/% strain (G0W0@PBE), which are significantly lower than the experimental rate. Additionally, PBE predicts a reduction rate of 90 meV/% strain for a Poisson’s ratio of 0.25. Spin-orbit correction (SOC) has minimal impact on the bandgap or its strain dependence. We also observed a semiconductor-to-metal transition at 10% tensile biaxial strain and a shift from a direct to an indirect bandgap, aligning with previous theoretical studies. / Physics

No / The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the intake of sugar-sweetened (SS) and artificially sweetened (AS) cola beverages during pregnancy and the risk of preterm delivery (PTD). At baseline (2007–2010), 8914 pregnant women were recruited to the Born in Bradford birth cohort study at 24–28 weeks of pregnancy. Women completed a questionnaire describing their health and lifestyle behaviours, including their consumption of AS and SS cola beverages reported as cups per day, which were then linked to maternity records. The relationship between SS and AS cola beverage consumption was examined using logistic regression analyses. No relationship was observed between daily AS cola beverage consumption and PTD. Women who drank four cups per day of SS cola beverages had higher odds of a PTD when compared with women who did not consume these beverages daily. We conclude that high daily consumption of SS cola beverages during pregnancy is associated with increases in the rate of PTD.