In the beginning of the 2004 video essay Los Angeles plays itself, the Hollywood critical film theorist Thom Andersen states ‘The city is big. The image is small’. What Andersen refers to, as a long-time citizen of Los Angeles, is the way Hollywood tends to create a romanticised and narrowed image of its city through film. The three-hour long documentary by Andersen is built up mainly by the use of clips from different Hollywood movies through its history of filmmaking. By representing and reproducing these clips, he examines the ways the city has been depicted through decades. Utilizing and disassembling these misinterpreted images and stories, Andersen creates his own story which further reveals what he believes to be the truth. What interests me in Andersen’s case is the way he works with a city and its architecture, displaying the embedded social and political structures, by twisting the perspectives through the use and repetition of these historically recognizable clips. When he takes something that already exists and alters its presence or meaning, other questions might be evoked, making it more visible by exposing its opposites.

Denna studie undersöker anställdas inställning till BA som MFA-metod på svenska SMF, även vilken BA-metod som anses lämpligast för användning. Tidigare studier har främst fokuserat på större organisationer och företag med kvantitativa forskningsmetoder. Därav har denna studie valt att undersöka SMF med en kvalitativ inriktning i formen av en semistrukturerad intervjustudie. Studien genomförde totalt nio intervjuer från varierande företag med respondenter aven mängd olika arbetsroller. Utifrån dessa intervjuer kunde flera teman identifieras, dessa användes för att dra slutsatser kring användarens inställning och vilken BA-metod som föredras i företagskontext. Teman som identifierades utgjorde grunden förde anställdas inställning, exempelvis vilka positiva och negativa aspekter de anställda kunde se med BA som MFA. Resultaten visade att de anställda generellt sett var positivt inställda till BA som MFA-metod och att de flesta kunde tänka sig implementera detta på sin arbetsplats. Av fingeravtryck, röstigenkänning,ansiktsigenkänning och irisskanning föredrog respondenterna fingeravtryck som BA-metod i företagskontext. Studien valde att inte fokusera på företag som redan implementerat BA som MFA. Applikationer och program som anställda använder där BA erbjuds anses inte som att företaget implementerat BA som MFA. / This study examines employees' attitudes towards BA (Biometric Authentication) as an MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) method at Swedish SMEs, as well as which BA method is considered most suitable for use. Previous studies have focused on larger organizations and companies with quantitative research methods. Therefore, this study has chosen to examine SMEs with a qualitative focus by conducting semistructured interviews. The study conducted a total of nine interviews from various companies with respondents from a variety of work roles. Based on these interviews, several themes could be identified, these were used to draw conclusions about the employees’ attitude and which BA method is preferred in a business context. Themes that were identified formed the basis for the employees' attitude, for example what positive and negative aspects the employees could see with BA as MFA. The results showed that the employees were generally positive about BA as an MFA method and that most could imagine implementing this in their workplace. Focusing on fingerprints, voice recognition, face recognition and iris scanning, the respondents preferred fingerprints as a BA method. The study chose not to focus on companies that have already implemented BA as MFA. Applications and programs that employees use where BA is offered are not considered that the company has implemented BA as MFA.

Municipal sewage sludge (MSS) management varies widely between countries and legislative regimes. Within the European directive for sewage treatment France applies over half of MSS to arable land, while The Netherlands has banned the practice (Kelessidis et al, 2012). In Sweden, 34% of MSS is applied to agricultural lands; despite this, ocial government reports recommend banning the practice over pollution concerns, alongside the most common alternative of land reclamation (Ekane et al, 2020). This is the result of two decades of disagreement, complicated by dual perceptions of MSS as a valuable resource to be returned to the ecocycle vs an unsanitary waste product requiring careful disposal (Ekman Burgman, 2022).  Previous studies have analyzed novel treatment technologies including multiple forms of phosphorus and nitrogen extraction from various stages of MSS treatment, but holistic system analyses are scarce (Bagheri et al 2023). Based on literature review and emerging technologies in Sweden, hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is identified as a keystone technology, and can be supported by secondary treatment via nitrogen stripping and phosphorus extraction from liquid and ash waste streams respectively. HTC is an anaerobic thermal treatment of wet organic waste resulting in solid hydrochar and liquid process water products. To address the lack of holistic assessments, an environmental and techno-economic assessment framework (ETEA) is applied to model three MSS treatment scenarios. Each scenario models treatment of MSS by anaerobic digestion (AD) and mechanical dewatering of digested sludge followed by:  REF: A reference case of storage and arable land application of dewatered digested sludge (DDS)  ALT1: DDS treatment by Oxypower HTC with Aqua2N nitrogen recovery from process and reject water.  ALT2: The treatment described by ALT1, followed by hydrochar mono-incineration and Ash2Phos phosphorus extraction.  ETEA is conducted in four stages using data collected from literature and public and private partners. Qualitative and quantitative process flow mapping defines the scenarios and models material and energy flows through the systems. An attributional comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) alongside techno-economic analysis (TEA) follows. The LCA has a gate to grave scope with a functional unit of one ton of total solids treated. Finally, results are evaluated using sensitivity and data uncertainty analysis to identify hotspots and knowledge gaps in the system.  Results combining alternative scenarios based on current trends show the potential of emerging technologies to multiply WWTP nitrogen and phosphorus recovery by five and two times respectively, while simultaneously improving net energy recovery by three times. LCA results show reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by between 60-70%. Considering emerging MSS technologies from a systems perspective provides critical context that can improve their economic viability. Combining intelligent systems design with these technologies, the models demonstrate how future MSS treatment can provide both good sanitation and recovery of nutrient and energy resources. Integration of these systems will accelerate the transition from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) to water resource recovery facilities (WRRF). / Hanteringen av kommunalt avloppsslam (MSS) varierar kraftigt mellan länder och lagstiftande regimer. Inom det europeiska direktivet för avloppsrening tillämpar Frankrike över hälften av MSS på åkermark, medan Nederländerna har förbjudit detta (Kelessisdis et al, 2012). I Sverige tillämpas 34 % av MSS på jordbruksmark; Trots detta rekommenderar ociella regeringsrapporter att man förbjuder praxis på grund av föroreningsproblem, vid sidan av det vanligaste alternativet med landåtervinning (Ekane et al, 2020). Detta är resultatet av två decennier av oenighet, komplicerat av dubbla uppfattningar om MSS som en värdefull resurs som ska återföras till kretsloppet jämfört med en ohälsosam avfallsprodukt som kräver noggrann hantering (Ekman Burgman, 2022).  Tidigare studier har analyserat nya reningstekniker inklusive flera former av fosfor- och kväveextraktion från olika stadier av MSS-behandling, men holistiska systemanalyser är få (Bagheri et al 2023). Baserat på litteraturgenomgång och framväxande teknologier i Sverige, identifieras hydrotermisk karbonisering (HTC) som en nyckelstensteknik, och kan stödjas av sekundär rening via kvävestrimning och fosforextraktion från flytande respektive askavfallsströmmar. HTC är en anaerob termisk behandling av vått organiskt avfall som resulterar i fast hydrochar och flytande processvattenprodukter. För att komma till rätta med bristen på holistiska bedömningar, tillämpas ett ramverk för miljö- och teknikekonomisk bedömning (ETEA) för att modellera tre MSS-behandlingsscenarier. Varje scenario modellerar behandling av MSS genom anaerob rötning (AD) och mekanisk avvattning av rötslam följt av:  REF: Ett referensfall av lagring och applicering av åkermark av avvattnat rötslam (DDS)  ALT1: DDS-behandling av Oxypower HTC med Aqua2N kväveåtervinning från process- och rejektvatten.  Behandlingen som beskrivs av ALT1, följt av monoförbränning av kolväte och fosforextraktion av Ash2Phos.  ETEA genomförs i fyra steg med hjälp av data som samlats in från litteratur och oentliga och privata partners. Kvalitativ och kvantitativ processflödeskartläggning definierar scenarierna och modellerar material- och energiflöden genom systemen. En attributionell jämförande livscykelanalys (LCA) tillsammans med teknisk-ekonomisk analys (TEA) följer. LCA har en grind till graven omfattning med en funktionell enhet på ett ton av totalt behandlat fast material. Slutligen utvärderas resultaten med hjälp av känslighets- och dataosäkerhetsanalys för att identifiera hotspots och kunskapsluckor i systemet.  Resultat som kombinerar alternativa scenarier baserade på nuvarande trender visar potentialen hos framväxande teknologier för att multiplicera reningsverkens kväve- och fosforåtervinning med fem respektive två gånger, samtidigt som nettoenergiåtervinningen förbättras med tre gånger. LCA-resultat visar minskningar av växthusgasutsläpp (GHG) med mellan 60-70%. Att överväga framväxande MSS-teknologier ur ett systemperspektiv ger ett kritiskt sammanhang som kan förbättra deras ekonomiska bärkraft. Genom att kombinera intelligent systemdesign med dessa teknologier visar modellerna hur framtida MSS-behandling kan ge både bra sanitet och återvinning av närings- och energiresurser. Integration av dessa system kommer att påskynda övergången från reningsverk för avloppsvatten (WWTP) till anläggningar för återvinning av vattenresurser (WRRF).

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the typical radial pattern of density and microfibril angle within Pinus radiata with respect to structural stability. In order to investigate changes in mechanical stability with different radial patterns, first experimental work was carried out in order to obtain elastic constants, Poisson ratios and limits of proportionality for green corewood and outerwood, these values, a discussion on their accuracy and the implications of the values are included along with a comparison to previous literature. These constants were used to parametrise a finite element model of a tree stem with different radial patterns, including patterns not observed in nature, wind loadings were applied to the stem and failure evaluated. It was found that patterns consisting of high density stiff wood and/or low density high flexibility wood could withstand the greatest wind speeds for a given stem and canopy, while high density flexible and low density stiff profiles generally performed poorly. The analysis was considered at ages 5, 10 and 15 years, each providing similar results. Why these profiles perform best, what errors need to be considered, and other evolutionary pressures which could narrow this list of profiles were discussed. The need for further research, and the directions for this research are suggested.

This thesis explores childhood, relationships, teaching, and god.

This paper assesses world-wide patterns of material extraction, trade, consumption and productivity based on a new data set for economy-wide material flows, covering used materials for all countries world-wide between 1980 and 2009. We show that global material extraction has grown by more than 90% over the past 30 years and is reaching almost 70 billion tonnes today. Also, trade volumes in physical terms have increased by a factor of 2.5 over the past 30 years, and in 2009, 9.3 billion tonnes of raw materials and products were traded around the globe. China has turned into the biggest consumer of materials world-wide and together with the US, India, Brazil and Russia, consumes more than 50% of all globally extracted materials. We also show that the per-capita consumption levels are very uneven, with a factor of more than 60 between the country with the lowest and highest consumption in 2009. On average, each human being consumed 10 tonnes of materials in 2009, 2 tonnes more than in 1980. We discuss whether decoupling of economies' growth from resource use has occurred and analyse interrelations of material use with human development. Finally, we elaborate on key environmental problems related to various material groups.

Black Reparations Film Project: Descendants of Slavery and Institutional Racism is a character driven film that sheds light on the consequences of slavery in the U.S. Through a personal narrative, the viewer comes to understand how these consequences support the argument for slavery reparations. The purpose of the film is to bridge the generational gap in awareness of reparation history. The film can be used to enlighten young Americans of all ethnicities to encourage them to find their purpose in this country, help build better race relations, and work towards building a true democracy.

The thesis focuses on the development of a fully accredited Masters of Fine Arts in Classical Performance degree program for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC). Chapter 1 is a narrative of the author’s experience with CSC’s Young Company, the touring and teaching artist arm of the educational department. This chapter establishes culture of the company and the context of the program, the argument for the thesis. Chapter 2 is an exploration of existing and defunct MFA programs in Classical Performance or related fields of study, the steps toward NAST accreditation and curriculum development. Chapter 3 is a description of the MFA at CSC laid out semester-by-semester, its vision and mission. The thesis is undertaken with complete cooperation with CSC under Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips.

This mixed-use space was designed to celebrate Richmond, Virginia’s arts and design communities. By creating a contemporary Richmond experience in a historic trolley shed, it is a space to create, relax, and inspire. This dynamic platform will showcase Richmond’s talented new creatives, from painters and sculptors to fashion designers and graphic artists. A central retail space featuring the wares of local designers is adjoined by an exclusive art gallery with exhibitions and live performances that change on a regular basis. The space also includes a sit-down restaurant and a smaller, more casual café, where patrons can dine with friends or chat over coffee. This project explores the idea of flexibility as it pertains to architecture and interior design. Strategies such as overlap versus separation, public versus private access, and the use of materiality to delineate hierarchy were all employed in this journey to create a space that remains flexible in both the organization of and interactions amongst its internal occupants and purposes to also serve as a venue for external events.

Evolution of a Smart Girl is a collection of short stories that chronicles the evolution of the modern American female. The stories are arranged in three parts: "Dirty Barbie & Breakable Boys" focuses on adolescent relationships between boys and girls; "Some Things Can't Be Unbroken" centers on Maggie and Charlie Copper's marriage after Maggie is diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of twenty-five; and "Of Apples and Broken Scabs" presents four stories about four very different women who experience heartbreak in love, friendship, and lust. This work explores the ways in which a girl's interactions with others shape her into the young woman she becomes. Through same-sex friendships, romantic relationships, and sibling rivalries, the women in these stories experience intellectual and sexual awakenings.