Data imbalance has been a challenge in many areas of automatic classification. Many popular approaches including over-sampling, under-sampling, and Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) have been developed and tested in previous research. A big problem with these techniques is that they try to solve the problem by modifying the original data rather than truly overcome the imbalance and let the classifiers learn. For tasks in areas like remote sensing and depression detection, the imbalanced data challenge also exists. Researchers have made efforts to overcome the challenge by adopting methods at the data pre-processing step. However, in remote sensing and depression detection tasks, the main interest is still on applying different new classifiers such as deep learning which has powerful classification ability but still do not consider data imbalance as prime factor of lower classification performance. In this thesis, we demonstrate the performance of K-CR in our evaluation experiments on a urban land cover classification dataset and on two depression detection datasets. The latter two datasets consist in social media texts (tweets), therefore we propose to adopt a feature selection technique Term Frequency - Category-Based Term Weights (TF-CBTW) and various word embedding techniques (Word2Vec, FastText, GloVe, and language model BERT). This feature selection method was not applied before in similar settings and we show that it helps to improve the efficiency and the results of the K-CR classifier. Our three experiments show that K-CR can achieve comparable performance on the majority classes and better performance on minority classes when compared to other classifiers such as Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbour, Support Vector Machines, Multi-layer Perception, Convolutional Neural Networks, and Long Short-Term Memory.

This thesis explores the dimensions of an emerging vulnerable design space in the context of COVID-19 pandemic through a design process that rethinks designer's presence and power in a context of remote exploration and embraces diary as a method and prototype to integrate interdisciplinary research in exploring different temporalities to record the past, to deal with the present and to speculate about what can happen afterwards.

The ways film can be studied are many. The academic area of film science is very fragmented due to a lack of unity in its consensus and the overarching understanding of what its field entails. This situation warrants the evaluation of alternative pathways and tools for students to better understand the field of film science. The usage of gamification, an alternative approach to academic study, was chosen for this work due to its growing in interest, potential and usage. The method used to determine the validity of this concept was based on principles and methodology found in design science. The produced prototype showcased the concept of a gamified platform for film students to use in their studies. The study performed was an interactive lesson and test of the prototype where twelve participants used and experienced its intended purpose, with additional data collected using qualitative interviews and a questionnaire. The results of this work found that gamified interfaces can aid students but cannot be the sole source for an academic course or program. Partial aspects were found to be effective, but more research is necessary to fully see the effects of its implementation.

Transportsektorn är en av de sektorer som står för en stor andel utsläpp. Transporter står för cirka en tredjedel av Sveriges utsläpp av växthusgaser. För att minska denna siffra har flera kommunala samt privata initiativ startats. Ett av dem är företaget i fråga som detta arbete är gjort tillsammans med.Huvudsyftet med vårt arbete var att ta fram faktisk data i form av en simulering för att kunna styrka att detta privata initiativ faktiskt var ett grönare alternativ samt att kunna förmedla detta på ett bra och metodiskt sätt för användaren via en prototyp. Simuleringen gjordes på äldre data från företaget på faktiskt körda transporter. Prototypen är ett interaktivt verktyg för användaren för att se vilka effekter deras tänkta agerande kan åstadkomma. Kan man nu med denna prototyp få användare att bli mer villiga att använda sig utav tjänsten? Och är de beredda att betala mer när de ser vilka effekter det skulle ge? Detta undersöktes i form utav en användarundersökning. Vad simuleringen visade var att samlastning av gods är avsevärt mycket bättre gällande Co2-utsläpp, än att transportera godset själv. Utöver detta visade prototypen i samarbete med användarundersökningen att slutanvändare tyckte om utformningen utav prototypen samt att budskapet förmedlades, dvs vilka minskade Co2 utsläpp som kunde göras. Våra resultat visar på att budskapet om Co2:s påverkan hade tagit emot av användarna. Samt att de var villiga att betala 21% högre belopp för dessa typer av tjänster, med motivering att det skulle vara bra för miljön. / The transport sector is one of the sectors that accounts for a large proportion of emissions. The transport sector accounts for about one third of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this figure, several municipal and private initiatives have been started. One of them is the company in question with which this work has been written.The main purpose of our work was to produce actual data in the form of a simulation in order to prove that this private initiative was actually a greener alternative, and to be able to convey this in a good and methodical way for the user via a prototype. The simulation is done on older data from the company on actual transports. The prototype is an interactive tool for the user to see what effects their intended actions can bring. With this prototype, can users now be more willing to use the service? And are they prepared to pay more when they see what effects it would give? This was tested in the form of a user survey. This meant that the user was first asked about why they would like to use this form of service and what sums they were prepared to pay for a specific transport.Then they sat down and tested the prototype and entered various transports and goods to transport then saw what effects they had. Then they were asked what they thought of the prototype and the information they received, and what motivations they had to use the service or similar services. Lastly they were asked what amounts they were prepared to pay for this form of service.What the results show is that the simulation resulted in the collective transportation of goods being considerably much better with respect to Co2 emissions, than if it were to be transported by itself. In addition to this, the prototype in collaboration with the user survey showed that end users liked the design of the prototype and that the message that was conveyed, ie which reduced Co2 emissions could be done. This ended with the users' motivations for using this or similar services were similar to before, but this turn Co2 jumped up to one of the leading reasons, even when it wasn't a motivation at all before when they stated before they tested the prototype. As well as they were now willing to pay up to 21% higher amount for these types of services, justifying that it would be good for the environment.

This study aimed to investigate gender-based evaluation differences in situations that occasionally can be perceptualized as sexual harassing situations. Hypothesis stated that when women are presented as victims in an eventual sexual harassing situation, participants would rate the event as more serious in comparisons when the victims are men. The study used survey-based between-group experimental design with story-based gender manipulation of the victim’s character in fictitious stories that may or may not be attributed with low-, moderate- or high grade of seriousness into a ratio scale (0-10). Four groups (N = 120) were included and separated depending on the victims as well as the participants gender. The assumption homogeneity of variance for one-way analysis of variance was violated when Levene's test was performed. Non-parametric equivalent Kruskal Wallis-test indicated a significant difference between the groups. Further findings were presented from multiple Mann Whitney U-tests for six possible comparisons (α = .008). Five significant differences between the groups were found confirming the first hypothesis despite the strict alpha level. Concluding the results as a potential confirmation of the prototype theory.

Software reuse enhances a programmer's productivity and reduces programming errors. Improving software reuse through libraries and frameworks is a vast problem area. This thesis offers an approach to solve two sub-problems within the problem area- to identify the right library components, and to offer code snippets that use the components correctly. The Java API-Aware Code Generation Engine, or JAGE for short, is a prototype system that demonstrates the feasibility of generating semantically valid code snippets consisting of method calls to classes in the J2SDK library. Developers often search for sample code snippets that describe how to use the library. This thesis describes the design and implementation of JAGE, which allows software developers to use an English sentence to generate helpful code snippets in Java. This thesis also discusses the related concepts in natural-language processing including ontology, Wordnet, and object-orientation in the area of automatic code snippet generation.

<p>Tactile sensing is an essential human ability for understanding their surroundings. It allows humans to detect and manipulate objects that are concealed or difficult to see in low-light settings. Further, tactile sensing enables people to comprehend object and surface properties that cannot be obtained through visual feedback alone. This is achieved with gentle touches, enabling tactile exploration of fragile, sensitive objects, or living organisms. This capability could be transferred to robots through suitable hardware and algorithms. Nevertheless, current tactile sensors and skills for robotics are not comparable to the tactile sense of humans, thus resulting in inferior characterization of scenes and a risk of altering object states.</p> <p><br></p> <p>To address these limitations, this dissertation proposes a novel framework for robot active tactile exploration and object characterization. The framework combines bioinspired soft sensors and minimally invasive tactile exploration strategies to minimize perturbations to objects. This framework was achieved by: (1) an ultrasensitive whisker sensor that enables object characterization with minimal interaction forces; (2) autonomous tactile exploration skills to localize objects and then characterize their shape and surface properties; and (3) machine learning techniques to analyze contact information gathered by our tactile sensors, enabling the understanding of object attributes by tactile sensing alone. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Experiments were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the framework. In terms of object localization efficiency, informative path planners and contour exploration patterns outperformed baseline methods. Furthermore, the whisker sensor was successfully employed to characterize object surface and liquid properties. Finally, the features found through the characterization process allowed for successful classification by machine learning techniques. These results indicate that the proposed framework can effectively gather multimodal features from environments while maintaining the safety of objects. </p>

This thesis offers new input in the field of generating epithets to aid the comprehension of Swedish texts. For whatever reason, a reader might find certain words in a text difficult to understand. For example, they may never have come across the term moussaka before; however, by the simple expedient of assigning an explanatory epithet – in this case, “the dish” moussaka – they can hopefully continue reading uninterrupted. To do this, obscure phrases are identified and extracted based on word class, shallow token features and the Pareto Principle. An algorithm then extracts appropriate epithets for each word using the Wikipedia categorisation system. Although the algorithm developed for the study achieved underwhelming results when extracting obscure phrases, it did prove excellent at assigning appropriate epithets to nouns and proper nouns. With further research, this process can hopefully be utilised as a tool for improving the readability of any text.

Background: Unit nurse managers are in a key position to influence the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing. However, research indicates that nurse managers in China lack the competencies and behaviours to effectively lead implementation. The purpose of this study was to develop a prototype for an implementation leadership training program for unit nurse managers in China, and assess the prospective acceptability of the prototype. Methods: The dissertation was conducted in three study phases using multiple methods: 1) a mixed-methods systematic review of leadership development interventions for managers supervise nurses; 2) a qualitative descriptive study using an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach to develop a prototype for an implementation leadership training program based on the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership in Changsha, China; and 3) a qualitative descriptive study to investigate the prospective acceptability of the prototype among potential program deliverers and participants (n=14) from three tertiary hospitals in Changsha, China. Results: The systematic review analyzed 69 studies and found that leadership development interventions, including lectures, group work, and mentoring, positively impacted managers' leadership competencies in supporting, developing, and recognizing nurses. However, obstacles such as understaffing, time constraints, and lack of support hindered the application of these competencies in practice. In the co-development stage, nurse managers (n=7) identified all 14 O-MILe behaviours as important for EBP implementation, with some behaviours requiring modifications for clarity and cultural relevance. Managers outlined specific actions related to clinical practices, EBP, nurses, patients, interprofessional staff, incentives, resources, organization, and external entities. They emphasized the need for competencies in EBP, professional nursing, and implementation leadership. The training program prototype consisted of five interactive modules to be delivered through multimodal forms such as lectures, group discussions and coaching. Unit nurse managers (n=14) found the prototype acceptable, expecting it to enhance care provision and align with their professional values. Time constraints, the COVID-19 impact, and support from senior leadership were identified as influencing future participation. Conclusion: The prototype for the implementation leadership training program was perceived as acceptable to unit level nursing managers in the hospital context in Changsha, China. Future research is needed to explore the impact of the training program on enhancing implementation leadership competencies and behaviours of unit nurse managers, and the subsequent influence on nursing practice and patient outcomes.

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