Truancy is a problem in the Swedish schools today, just as well as in other European and other developed countries where educataion is gratuitous. Teachers all over Sweden go to classes with a clear and well-planned schedule for the day. But some are unable to do their work because of asent students. In this study I have chosen to focus on the perspective of the youths and the main question is: how do students discuss and think about truancy. During the study I have chosen a qualitative approach and have therefore done observation in various classes in a Swedish senior high school in a suburb outside Stockholm during twelve weeks. I have also done twelve interviews with the same number of students, six girls and six boys. The age ranges from 16 to 19 with two students from each grade. The result of the study is that some of the students are indiffirent when it comes to school. They just do not care about attending school all the lessons and all the days. Some of the students are absent when they feel they have lack of time in the prospect of a big examination. But the most astonishing statement from all the twelve students is that they state that their parents mean that the education is the student own responsibility.

Den här avhandlingen belyser hur avverkning och markberedning påverkar markfloran i den svenska barrskogen. Dessutom utvärderas två inventeringsmetoder som används inom växtekologin. Vid arbetet har både rikstäckande inventeringsdata och fältförsök använts och de likartade resultaten tyder på att rikstäckande inventeringar är en underutnyttjad resurs i forskningen. Ju större andel av träden som avverkas desto större blir förändringen av markflorans sammansättning. Vissa arter, som lingon, ljung, etc., verkar dock inte påverkas i nämnvärd omfattning, medan andra, som blåbär, minskar i relation till hur mycket som avverkats. Gräs och mjölkört ökar efter avverkning, dock visar sig vissa gräs och mjölkört inte reagera om inte avverkningen överskrider ett tröskelvärde på ca 80 %. Avverkning har en liten, men signifikant, effekt på antalet arter, medan artomsättning, d.v.s. arters etablering på och/eller försvinnande från provytorna, framförallt påverkas av andel gran innan avverkning, markens produktionsförmåga och först därefter av hur stor andel av träden som avverkas. Det var också uppenbart att markberedning har en stark effekt som skiljer sig från avverkning. Framförallt gynnas björnmossor av markberedning men även vårfryle, kruståtel och mjölkört. Arter som missgynnas av markberedning var bl.a., en levermossa, lingon, väggmossa och kråkbär. I växtekologi är visuell täckningsbedömning, d.v.s. hur stor del av en provyta som täcks av en växtart, och registrering av förekomst/icke förekomst, d.v.s. finns en växtart på en provyta eller inte, de två vanligaste metoderna vid vegetationsinventering. Vid registrering av förekomst/icke förekomst missas upp till en tredjedel av förekomsterna, vanligaste orsaken till missade registreringar verkar vara att man inte upptäcker arten snarare än att den inte kan identifieras. Det var stora variationer mellan arter, där arter med få exemplar på provytan missas oftare. Både den visuella täckningsbedömningen och förekomst/icke förekomst visar sig ha personberoende fel, d.v.s. att olika personer genomgående ger högre eller lägre värden än andra. Trots det personberoende felet visar sig täckningsbedömningar ha ett större informationsvärde än registrering av förekomst/icke förekomst när det gäller att särskilja olika typer av vegetation. Erfarenhet har en förvånansvärt liten effekt på kvaliteten av täckningsbedömningar. / This thesis has two main focuses; first, the response of forest ground layer flora on forestry, mainly harvesting and secondly, the quality of the vegetation assessment methods, cover estimates by eye and presence/absence data. The effect of harvesting intensity was evaluated with survey data from permanent plots as well as vegetation data from a field trial fourteen years after harvesting. Both data sets confirmed that response of ground layer flora increased with increasing logging intensity. Thereby, indicating that survey data is possible to use in research. From the survey data set, existence of a time lag was evident for several species and also a threshold level was evident in cutting intensity needed to affect a number of species. Logging had a modest, but significant positive effect on the change in species number per plot. Species turnover was influenced by the proportion of Picea abies in the tree canopy; site productivity; and logging intensity. In the field trial scarification had a strong effect that was different from the one created by cutting. In plant ecology cover estimate by eye and presence/absence recording are the two most frequent methods used. The methods were evaluated with survey data and a field trial. In the first data set vegetation was recorded independently by two observers in 342 permanent 100-m2 plots. Overall, one third of each occurrence was missed by one of the two observers, but with large differences among species. Species occurring at low abundance tended to be frequently overlooked. Observer-explained variance in cover estimates was <10% in 15 of 17 species. In the second data set, 10 observers independently estimated cover in sixteen 100-m2 plots in two different vegetation types. The bias connected to observer varied substantially between species. The estimates of missing field and bottom layer had the highest bias, indicating that missing layers are problematic to use in analysis of change. Experience had a surprisingly small impact on the bias connected to observer. Analyses revealed that for the statistical power, cover estimates by eye carries a higher information value than do presence/absence data when distinguishing between vegetation types, differences between observers is negligible, and using more than one observer had little effect.

I riksdagsvalet 2006 fick Sverige en ny regering med borgerligt styre. Förslag som utlovades i valrörelsen, särskilt från folkpartiet, som rör grundskolans senare år var bland annat att man vill införa betyg tidigare, använda sig av ett ordningsomdöme och att den ogiltiga frånvaron ska synas i betyget. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka vad lärare och elever tycker om dessa förslag. Metoden som jag använt mig av har varit en enkätundersökning som genomförts i tre sjätteklasser och tre sjundeklasser samt att intervjua fyra lärare som tjänstgjort olika länge på grundskolans senare år. Resultatet visar att antalet elever är jämnt fördelade om de vill ha betyg tidigare eller inte medan två av tre elever vill att ett ordningsomdöme ska införas och att skolk ska synas i betyget. Någon större skillnad mellan årskurserna och mellan pojkar och flickor kunde ej uppmätas. Resultatet hos lärarna är att de flesta är positiva till att ha betyg tidigare än i årskurs åtta, tycker att förslaget med ett ordningsomdöme är en bra idé medan de är tveksamma till att frånvaro ska stå med i betyget oavsett om den är giltig eller inte. / In the referendum of parliament 2006 Sweden got a new government when the alliance with moderaterna, folkpartiet, kristdemokraterna and centerpartiet won. Suggestions that was promised in the election campaign, especially from folkpartiet, that concerns the elementary school later years, was among others to give grades earlier, make use of a grade in order and that invalid absence shall be noticed in the grades. The purpose with this paper is to examine what teachers and pupils thinks of these suggestions. The method I have used is an opinion poll that’s been carried through in three classes of the sixth degree and three classes of the seventh degree. I also interviewed four teachers who been working varying times in the elementary schools later year. The result shows that the number of pupils are equal divided among them who wants grades earlier or those who don’t. Two of three pupils wants to have a grade in order and the invalid absence shall be noticed in the grade. Any kind of difference between the grades and between boys and girls couldn’t be measured. The result among the teachers shows that most of them are positive to earlier grades compared to today. The most of them think also that the suggestion to have grades in order is a good idea but they are uncertain if absence shall be noted in the grades no matter how it is invalid or not.

This thesis attempts to investigate if national culture still is a factor to consider for large multinational organizations when choosing a supplier, or if the global business environment due to globalization has become so standardized and homogenous that the influence of national culture differences has diminished. Existing academic literature is divided regarding this matter; some studies indicate that the influence of national culture on business relations is subtle while other argues that national culture differences may be a source for potential barriers and problems and therefore still an important factor to consider. The issue of globalization has also divided researchers, some argue that globalization has made it possible for a homogenous business culture to emerge while other argue that globalization is a myth and ‘global companies’ are in reality regional. Empirical information was collected through interviews at head offices from four large Swedish multinational companies and questions were asked to determine the importance of national culture when choosing a supplier, the influence national culture has on organizational culture and to what extent a homogenous business culture has emerged. The study’s findings identified little evidence to support the idea that cultural difference is a significant factor to consider when conducting business relations. None or very little consideration to national cultural differences was paid when choosing a supplier. However, consideration was sometimes taken to organizational culture, which findings indicate is partly influenced by national culture. The interviewed organizations were of the opinion that at high management level a ‘global culture’ has emerged, and therefore the ‘way of doing business’ has become more uniform. The conclusion, which turned into more of a tendency indication, made from this thesis were that although national cultural differences still exist and probably will do so for some time, the influence it has on ‘business-to-business’ relations between multinational organizations at high management levels has diminished due to the emergence of a more homogenous global business culture.

Ett yrke till sjöss innebär växelvisa borta/hemma perioder vilket innebär en speciell situation för sjöfararen när det gäller att förena yrke och familjeliv. Detta avlösningssystem kan även antas få konsekvenser för den som lever tillsammans med en sjöfarare. Mot denna bakgrund var syftet med denna undersökning att belysa på vilket sätt avlösningssystemet kan påverka partners vardag och relationen till sjöfararen. Undersöknigen omfattar fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem kvinnor till svenska sjöfarare. En kvalitativ medtod användes eftersom jag ville förstå och beskriva respondenten personliga upplevelser och erfarenheter. resultatet visade att upplevelsen bland respondenterna verierade. De problematiska aspekter som framgick var framförallt avsaknad av exakta datum för när sjöfararen skulle mönstra på och av sitt fartyg. Man upplevde det svårt att ha framförhållning och kunna göra gemensamma planer eftersom datum ofta ändrades. De positiva aspekterna som framhölls var bland annat; kvalitetstid tillsammans, egen tid och naturliga pauser i förhållandet vilket kunde tillföra positiva känslor av förnyelse. Nyckeln till att få förhållandet att fungera ansågs vara en positiv inställning och ett gemensamt kompromissande från båda parter. / A profession at sea involves alternating away/home periods, which means a special situation for the seafarer in reconciling profession and family life. This rotation system can also be assumed to have consequences fot those who live with a seafarer. Against this backgrund, the purpose of this study was to illustrate how the rotation system may effect the partners´daily lives ande thier ralationship with the saefarer. A qualitaive approach was used because I wanted to understand and describe the respondents´personal experiences. The results showed that the perception among the respondents varied. The problematic aspects that emerged were above all the absence of acxact dates for the serfarer to sign on and off the vessel. Thay found it difficult to be proactive and make common plans when the dates often changed. The positive aspects that were highlighted included; quality time together, own time and natural breakes in the realtionship which could lead to positive emotions of renewal. The key to getting the relationship to work was seen as a positive attitude and a common compromise from both parties.

L'épilepsie-absence est un syndrome épileptique dont le principal symptôme est une altération transitoire de la conscience, avec décharges pointes-ondes généralisées, qui ont pour origine un dysfonctionnement dans la boucle cortico-thalamique, et naissant dans une sous-population de neurones pyramidaux localisée dans les couches profondes du cortex somatosensoriel. A l'aide d'enregistrements EEG et intracellulaires in vivo dans un modèle animal: les Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg, j'ai examiné comment l'excitation initiale des neurones ictogèniques lors des crises est suivie par une hyperpolarisation synaptique chlore-dépendante, concomitante d'une décharge en bouffées dans les interneurones GABAergiques locaux. Le système GABA exerce un effet strictement inhibiteur et contraint la décharge des neurones ictogéniques dans une fenêtre temporelle étroite. Dans une deuxième étude chez l'homme et chez le GAERS, j'ai exploré comment des informations sensorielles sont traitées au cours des DPO. Chez l'enfant épileptique, des stimulations visuelles résultent en des potentiels évoqués occipitaux, plus amples que chez les sujets non-épileptiques. Des stimulations tactiles chez le GAERS induisent lors des crises des potentiels évoqués dans l'EEG et, dans les neurones pyramidaux sous-jacents, des potentiels synaptiques excitateurs plus amples que dans la condition inter-critique. Les troubles de la conscience lors des absences ne résultent donc pas d'un filtrage des informations sensorielles. L'ensemble des recherches fournit des données nouvelles sur les propriétés fonctionnelles des circuits corticaux exprimant les paroxysmes électriques lors des crises d'absence

I compared the utility of two continuous time-series data measures for applied conservation biology by investigating how well each could predict future local persistence of a diverse set of bird species. I used 37 years of data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey to calculate abundance from yearly point-counts and permanence (i.e., consistent occupancy over time) from yearly presence-absence data in the early portion of the study period, then used the later portion of data to empirically evaluate how well each measure predicted persistence two decades into the future. I found that permanence could only match the ability of abundance to accurately predict local species persistence if multiple within-year repeated observations contributed to its calculation. Neither measure was effective at predicting persistence for regionally rarer species. I suggest the yearly and within-year repeated collection of abundance estimating data for use in applied conservation biology to best ensure biodiversity persistence.

I compared the utility of two continuous time-series data measures for applied conservation biology by investigating how well each could predict future local persistence of a diverse set of bird species. I used 37 years of data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey to calculate abundance from yearly point-counts and permanence (i.e., consistent occupancy over time) from yearly presence-absence data in the early portion of the study period, then used the later portion of data to empirically evaluate how well each measure predicted persistence two decades into the future. I found that permanence could only match the ability of abundance to accurately predict local species persistence if multiple within-year repeated observations contributed to its calculation. Neither measure was effective at predicting persistence for regionally rarer species. I suggest the yearly and within-year repeated collection of abundance estimating data for use in applied conservation biology to best ensure biodiversity persistence.

Sjukfrånvaron i Sverige ökade kraftigt i slutet av 1990-talet och drabbade även högre utbildade personer som tidigare inte varit sjukskrivna. Många människor tillbringar större delen av livet på att arbeta och arbetsmiljön påverkar medarbetarna på olika sätt, där ledarskapet är en faktor som påverkar hälsan. Arbetsplatsen anses därför vara en av de hälsofrämjande arenor där insatser för att förbättra hälsan kan genomföras. Att ledarskapet påverkar medarbetarnas hälsa anses vara en självklarhet, men det finns inte så mycket forskning inom området. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur medarbetare på en arbetsplats med låg sjukfrånvaro upplever att ledarskap bidrar till hälsa på arbetsplatsen. Studien är av kvalitativ ansats där data samlades in genom telefonintervjuer med fem personer. Arbetsplatsen som studeras har en låg sjukfrånvaro och har sin verksamhet inom ett landsting i Sverige. Resultatet visar bland annat att en bra ledare ska finnas tillgänglig, vara stöttande och tydlig. En ledare som bidrar till hälsa litar på sin personal, hjälper till att prioritera arbetsuppgifter, är lyhörd och omtänksam. En av de slutsatser som kunde fattas utifrån resultatet är att det som kännetecknar ett bra ledarskap även är det som bidrar till medarbetarnas hälsa. / Sickness absence in Sweden increased sharply in the late 20th century and hit the higher educated persons who have not previously been on sick leave. Many people spend most of their lives at work and the work environment affects employees in different ways, where the leadership is a factor affecting the health of the individual. The workplace is therefore considered to be one venue where health promotion interventions to improve health can be implemented. That leadership affects employee health is considered given, but there is not much research in this area. The aim of the study was to examine how employees in a workplace with low levels of sickness absence feel that leadership contributes to health in the workplace. The study was based on a qualitative approach where data was collected through telephone interviews with five persons. The workplace that is being studied has a low absenteeism and is based out of a county council in Sweden. The results show that a good leader should be available, be supportive and clear. A leader who contributes to the health trust their staff, helping to prioritize, is sensitive and caring. A conclusion that can be drawn about the results is that contributing to employee health is the same as good leadership.

The purpose of this thesis is to find out the reasons and perhaps some answers to the problem as we see it, the sickness benefit expiration of those who experience this. By this said we have also taken into account the different laws and adjustments in the long-term sickness benefit, but also major reformation of the security net in the Swedish society. The efficiency of the law on passive long-term sickness absence was added in July 2008, but was later in January 2010 supplemented. The purpose of this law wasn’t only to reduce the long-term sickness absence but also to reduce exclusion. These changes had also been highlighted by the media that people were actually being excluded from the society. It creates marginalization. The aim of this study is to highlight individuals' feelings about the whole performing hedge process. The survey was conducted through semi-structured interviews where we wanted a deeper knowledge of the interviewee’s experiences. In order to give the interviewee the opportunity and possibility to form their own mind and own reflections and express their own thoughts, the questions were open for answers. This allowed us to ask supplementary questions. After collecting the empirical data we did a breakdown in the following three themes: the experiences of the sickness absence, the experiences by the response of the concerned authorities. The theories chosen in this study are stigma, social exclusion, sense of coherence (SOC) and sick role. The economic exclusion creates social exclusion where as the sense of shame among the interviewee’s increase. By this said, the interviewee’s are not able to participate actively in the social activities to the same extent, but also they cannot provide for themselves. This can obviously lead to increased risk for mental illness. In our analysis we aim to discuss our issues based on the experiences for the interviewees’.