In recent years, research on normatively positive social tipping dynamics in response to the climate crisis has produced invaluable insights. In contrast, relatively little attention has been given to the potentially negative social tipping processes that might unfold due to an increasingly destabilized Earth system and to how they might in turn reinforce social and ecological destabilization dynamics and/or impede positive social change. In this paper, we discuss selected potential negative social tipping processes (anomie, radicalization and polarization, displacement, conflict, and financial destabilization) linked to Earth system destabilization. We draw on related research to understand the drivers and likelihood of these negative tipping dynamics, their potential effects on human societies and the Earth system, and the potential for cascading interactions (e.g. food insecurity and displacement) contributing to systemic risks. This first attempt to provide an explorative conceptualization and empirical account of potential negative social tipping dynamics linked to Earth system destabilization is intended to motivate further research into an under-studied area that is nonetheless crucial for our ability to respond to the climate crisis and for ensuring that positive social tipping dynamics are not averted by negative ones.

Background: The NORDeHEALTH project studies patient-accessible electronic health records (PAEHRs) in Estonia, Finland,Norway, and Sweden. Such country comparisons require an analysis of the sociotechnical context of these services. Althoughsociotechnical analyses of PAEHR services have been carried out in the past, a framework specifically tailored to in-depthcross-country analysis has not been developed. Objective: This study aims to develop and evaluate a method for a sociotechnical analysis of PAEHRs that advances a frameworkfor sociotechnical analysis of eHealth solutions first presented by Sittig and Singh. This first article in a series presents thedevelopment of the method and a cross-country comparison of the contextual factors that enable PAEHR access and use. Methods: The dimensions of the framework for sociotechnical analysis were thoroughly discussed and extended in a series ofworkshops with international stakeholders, all being eHealth researchers focusing on PAEHRs. All countries were representedin the working group to make sure that important national perspectives were covered. A spreadsheet with relevant questionsrelated to the studied services and the various dimensions of the sociotechnical framework was constructed and distributed to the4 participating countries, and the project participants researched various national sources to provide the relevant data for thecomparisons in the 10 sociotechnical dimensions. Results: In total, 3 dimensions were added to the methodology of Sittig and Singh to separate clinical content from featuresand functions of PAEHRs and demonstrate basic characteristics of the different countries regarding national and regional steeringof health care and information and communications technology developments. The final framework contained the following dimensions: metadata; hardware and software computing infrastructure; features and functions; clinical content shared withpatients; human-computer interface; people; workflow and communication; the health care organization's internal policies,procedures, and culture; national rules, regulations, and incentives; system measurement and monitoring; and health care systemcontext. The dimensions added during the study mostly concerned background information needed for cross-country comparisonsin particular. Several similarities were identified among the compared countries, especially regarding hardware and softwarecomputing infrastructure. All countries had, for example, one national access point, and patients are provided a PAEHRautomatically. Most of the differences could be identified in the health care system contextdimension. One important differenceconcerned the governing of information and communications technology development, where different levels (state, region, andmunicipality) were responsible in different countries. Conclusions: This is the first large-scale international sociotechnical analysis of services for patients to access their electronichealth records; this study compared services in Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. A methodology for such an analysis wasdeveloped and is presented to enable comparison studies in other national contexts to enable future implementations and evaluations of PAEHRs.

Previous research has identified sociodemographic inequalities in fire prevention measures. This study examined whether sociodemographic differences persist in the Swedish population concerning fire prevention measures and particularly whether there remains an inverted u-curve related to age in protection habits. Additionally, it investigated whether fire protection practices are influenced by the level of societal protection. The research utilised survey data and register data from The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and Statistics Sweden. A latent class analysis was conducted, dividing respondents into four latent classes, followed by two binomial regression analyses. The study revealed three key findings regarding fire protection measures. First, certain demographic groups, namely the young, women, single and childfree households, low-income and low-education individuals, immigrants, and urban residents, are disproportionately lacking optimal fire safety measures. Second, although a safety maturity curve is still observed, older adults in Sweden today are considerably more protected compared to 15-20 years ago, indicating that safety practices employed during middle age continue into old age. Third, a trend is observed where individuals living in areas with more efficient professional rescue services tend to have lower levels of personal fire protection, suggesting a rational choice based on the perceived level of societal protection.

Background Childhood gender nonconformity is related to psychological distress and behavioral difficulties. Similarly, there is evidence for a link between gender nonconformity, or gender dysphoria in some studies, and autism spectrum disorder and related traits. Our knowledge on those associations mostly originates from clinical populations, which might lead to overestimation. Thus, this study aimed to assess associations between gender nonconformity and behavioral difficulties in a population-based study.Methods In the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study, cross-sectional associations between gender-specific play behavior and behavioral outcomes and autistic traits were investigated among 718 children at 7-years of age. Play behavior was measured using the Preschool Activities Inventory; behavioral outcomes and autistic traits were measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Social Responsiveness Scale, respectively. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed.Results Higher composite play behavior scores (indicating either increased masculine or decreased feminine play behavior) were associated with increased autistic trait scores in girls (beta = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.00, 0.26). Furthermore, higher composite scores were shown to be associated with behavioral difficulties in both girls (beta = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.18) and boys (beta = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.19). Additionally, higher feminine scores were related with increased problems in peer relationships in boys (beta = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.00, 0.07).Conclusions This study suggests a link between gender nonconforming play behavior and autistic traits as well as behavioral difficulties among children in a non-clinical population, which calls attention to the necessity of supporting children with gender nonconformity from early ages.

Public services, particularly in sparsely populated areas, are increasingly required to demonstrate their value-especially in terms of the public benefits they provide to local communities. In Scandinavia, local civil society organizations have long been overlooked as key partners in creating public value together with municipalities. Since 2010, Sweden has been experimenting with collaborative co-creation models that involve both municipal and third sector service providers. This article explores the specifics and reception of such models in rural areas of Finland and identifies the key lessons learned. It delves into the impact of legal frameworks and entrenched public sector norms on the success of these initiatives. The aim is to enhance the understanding of the prerequisites for applying this model among public and civil society actors. The article explores the spread of an innovative model for state-third sector partnerships used in Sweden among local governments in Finland. The study employed action-based research to generate and analyse data from four self-selected municipalities. The study reveals major facilitators and obstacles in spreading and adopting collaborative cross-sector models as they go beyond simple methodological or legal issues and require a shift in public sector logics and identities. The results suggest that resistance is more 'in the heads' of municipal managers and politicians and engrained in administrative traditions than in legal paragraphs or financial shortages.

A high-alloy (Cr-Mo-V) cold-work tool steel was manufactured by laser powder-bed fusion (PBF-LB) without preheating and by electron-beam powder-bed fusion (PBF-EB) with the build temperature set at 850 degrees C. The solidification rates, cooling, and thermal cycles that the material was subjected to during manufacturing were different in the laser powder-bed fusion than electron-beam powder-bed fusion, which resulted in very different microstructures and properties. During the solidification of the PBF-LB steel, a cellular-dendritic structure was formed. The primary cell size was 0.28-0.32 mu m, corresponding to a solidification rate of 2.0-2.5 x 106 degrees C/s. No coarse primary carbides were observed in the microstructure. Further rapid cooling resulted in the formation of a martensitic microstructure with high amounts of retained austenite. The high-retained austenite explained the low hardness of 597 +/- 38 HV. Upon solidification of the PBF-EB tool steel, dendrites with well-developed secondary arms and a carbide network in the interdendritic space were formed. Secondary dendrite arm spacing was in the range of 1.49-3.10 mu m, which corresponds to solidification rates of 0.5-3.8 x 104 degrees C/s. Cooling after manufacturing resulted in the formation of a bainite needle-like microstructure within the dendrites with a final hardness of 701 +/- 17 HV. These findings provide a background for the selection of a manufacturing method and the development of the post-treatment of a steel to obtain a desirable final microstructure, which ensures that the final tool's performance is up to specification.

The limited operational lifetime of organic solar cells remains an obstacle to their commercial development and is largely due to the poor intrinsic photostability of the conjugated molecules that constitute the photoactive layer. Here, we selected a series of state-of-the-art donor and acceptor materials including PBDB-T, Y5, PF5-Y5, and PYT to study their photostability under AM1.5 simulated sunlight in ambient conditions. Their properties are monitored over time, using various spectroscopy techniques, including UV-Vis absorption, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS). We found that the absorption spectra of Y5 and PYT films remain almost intact even after 30 hours of light exposure in air, while the PF5-Y5 and PBDB-T films undergo rapid photobleaching. The absorption losses observed in blend films of PBDB-T with Y5 and with PF5-Y5 can be understood as composed of contributions from the separate blend components that are similar to the absorption losses in neat films. The new peaks emerging in the FTIR spectra of PBDB-T, PF5-Y5, and their blend films witness the formation of new carbonyl groups, while these are absent in the spectra of the Y5 and PYT films. The XPS C 1s spectra of the PF5-Y5 and PBDB-T films confirm this carbonyl formation and the S 2p spectra reveal that sulphone groups are formed after 30 hours of exposure of these films. These results confirm that films of Y5 and the copolymer PYT are significantly more resistant to photooxidation, compared to the copolymer PF5-Y5. The comparison of these results suggests that the benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b ']dithiophene moiety with alkylated thiophenes as side chains (BDT-T) accelerates the photodegradation of PBDB-T and PF5-Y5. The replacement of the BDT-T unit by thiophene contributes to the enhanced stability of PYT, demonstrating that the nature of the co-monomer has a significant effect on the intrinsic photostability of Y5-based copolymers. These new insights are expected to stimulate the design of stable donors and acceptor polymers for the development of long-lived OPV devices. Absorption spectra show the photobleaching of acceptor copolymer PF5-Y5. The replacement of BDT-T by thiophene strongly improves the photostability.

This article explores the formation of and future avenues for geomedia studies. Drawing on a citation network analysis, we map the development of the interdisciplinary research terrain from its origins and identify central citation clusters. The term "geomedia" has been used in the humanities and social sciences since at least the early 2010s. Subsequently, geomedia studies have been advanced through an interdisciplinary scholarship from human geography, media and communication studies, and other related research areas, assessing the increasingly complex interplay between media technologies and the production of space. To detect the origins and growth of geomedia studies as an emerging field, we conduct a bibliographic citation and keyword analysis of 57 references from the Web of Science core collection. The generated charts and network graphs reveal that research on geomedia has mainly evolved within media and communication studies. A citation cluster analysis shows how two sub-communities and approaches have emerged, tentatively called "visual geomedia studies" and "urban-sociological geomedia studies." A keyword cluster analysis reveals how the approaches are entangled with different theoretical perspectives. Given the societal relevance and the growing vitality of present-day geomedia studies, this article discusses the prospects of both approaches.

The idea of conceptualizing services as a type of discrete entity that are different from goods provided the initial conceptual foundation of service research. Today, this foundation has been denounced and replaced by the service-dominant logic (SDL), which suggests that service is a logic reffering to how resources are integrated by actors in order to cocreate value-in-use. However, researchers and practitioners still commonly refer to services as a type of discrete entity. To facilitate the understanding of services, this paper develops a services-as-practices (SaP) framework consisting of six propositions. Key to the SaP framework is the fact that services are conceptualized as bundles of value cocreation practices (VCPs). These VCPs are organized and recurring activities that are intended to cocreate value, but they can also codestroy (i.e., diminish) value when performed. The SaP framework contributes to service research by developing: (1) a novel conceptualization of services that realizes the long-lasting opportunity to understand services-as-activities, (2) a novel conceptualization of value that aligns theoretically with this understanding of services, and (3) the service research discipline as a whole. The latter contribution is accomplished by revising the notion of services as a type of discrete entity in such a way that a fruitful alternative perspective to focusing on service as a logic along the lines of the SDL is achieved. The SaP framework also provides practitioners with a novel perspective as regards understanding, managing, and developing services.

This article presents a study of how and to what extent gig workers in Sweden experience a mediatization of work. We contend that previous mediatization research has assumed extensive and unified effects of mediatization, and that previous gig work research has focused on users of large-scale, transnational platforms. We conducted a set of qualitative, semi-structured interviews (N = 28) with Swedish users of four different gig apps (all produced by very small companies active only in Sweden). We analyzed their experiences of mediatization along five dimensions: extension, substitution, amalgamation, accommodation, and datafication. We found that our respondents had much more varied, far less all-encompassing, experiences of mediatization than indicated in previous research. We also found respondents' experiences clearly framed by the smaller size of the local, Swedish gig work companies.

Conformational isomerism of organic photovoltaic materials has a profound impact on their molecular packing and therefore performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs). However, the conformations of oligomeric acceptors (OAs) are mostly predicted by simulations rather than experimental determinations. Herein, the stereochemical S-shaped structure of two dimeric-type acceptor molecules, V-DYIC and V-DYIC-4F, is first confirmed with different end groups (IC for V-DYIC and IC-2F for V-DYIC-4F), incorporating vinylene linkage for connecting the distinct state-of-the-art small molecule acceptor Y-segments. Through the synthetic control of fluorination sites adjacent to the vinyl-linker, S-shaped the conformation by NMR experiments is validated. Compared to the O-shaped dimer, S-shaped conformation results in enhanced lamellar order and reduced nonradiative recombination losses. The optimal acceptor, V-DYIC-4F, achieved a champion efficiency of 18.10% with the lowest energy loss of 0.556 eV in its devices paired with PM6 due to their efficient carrier transport, and suppressed recombination compared to other devices, being attributed to the synergistic effect of conformation and end group fluorination. The insights gained in this work contribute valuable knowledge of both synthetic control and structural determination of OAs, providing strategic design guidelines for the future development of dimeric acceptors toward high-efficiency PSCs. Two dimeric-type acceptors, namely V-DYIC and V-DYIC-4F with vinylene linkage, are synthesized and reported to have a rigid and coplanar S-shaped conformation via NMR and DFT calculations. The S-shaped V-DYIC-4F-based solar cell demonstrated an excellent PCE of 18.10% with lower nonradiative recombination loss when compared to DIBP3F-S with an O-shaped conformation. 

Background and AimsSeveral factors exist regarding the risk for, healing and prevention of pressure ulcers (PUs). A mobile PU team with an individualized holistic approach adapted to the home or outpatient clinic setting could be beneficial for the prevention, and management of PUs.AimsTo describe the mobile PU team's interventions among individuals who had deep PUs and were living at home. Another aim was to describe the patients' perceptions of the quality of the care and having a deep PU.MethodsA quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. At an outpatient clinic, a mobile PU team was established to perform and follow up PU prevention interventions and advanced wound care treatment at home and at the outpatient clinic. All adult patients with existing deep category four PUs remitted to the outpatient clinic were asked to participate, and 16 out of 24 individuals consented. Instruments used for data collection were "Quality from the Patient's Perspective," "Wound-Quality of Life," "Modified Norton Scale," and a study developed protocol for the mobile team's PU interventions.ResultsThe patients chose home visits 20 times and outpatient clinic visits 89 times. In total, 8-13 interventions per participant were performed by the mobile team. The results show that having PUs affected the participants' perceptions of care and general well-being. The PUs did not heal completely but they did improve, six patients underwent flap surgery.ConclusionWhen organizing care regarding patient safety for patients with deep PUs, it is important to consider the patient's perspective and well-being and to involve patients in their care plans. Home care is perhaps not the only way of caring; other aspects, in addition to telemedicine, could be an option.

PurposeThis paper aims to address third actor introductions to interaction episodes aiming at fast-forwarding the continuous development of business relationships of new firms.Design/methodology/approachThe study is qualitative, collecting data from 30 interviews from 28 informants associated with creation of new ventures and business network development in the context of a novel type of third actor called venture builder. Venture builders are privately owned organizations devoted to new firm creation in a factory-like mode, collaborating with individual entrepreneurs.FindingsThe findings suggest that interaction episodes, central to the development of new relationships, may be triggered by introductions managed by third actors using different types of involvement depending on the location and focus of the potential relationship. A framework is presented including four types of introductions to interaction episodes, aiming at saving time by removing the perceived distance between new firms and their counterparts in the initiation of business relationships. The framework describes four types of introductions of interaction episodes: Managed, Advised, Facilitated and Monitored.Originality/valueTriggers and introductions of interaction episodes for new firms has previously been sparsely addressed. This paper presents how third actor involvement, by the introductions of interaction episodes with internal and external counterparts is managed with an aim of fast-forwarding relationship development.

This workplace-based mixed methods case study at a Swedish university explores the changed roles and positions of departmental administrators due to changes in internal work processes and organization, influenced by new public management doctrines and gender. It finds them to be in an indeterminate position in between different actors, expectations and organisational logics, which brings tensions as well as increased room for agency.

This compilation thesis consists of four research papers, deploying different conceptual lenses to explore the position of the departmental administrators and how they relate to other actors in the organisation. The individual papers highlight different aspects of the relations within organisations, contributing to different debates within worklife science and sociology of work. Paper 1 focuses on loyalties, paper 2 on the impact of new technology 2, paper 3 focuses on the role of belongings in an organisation and paper 4 discusses the effects of workplace visibility in terms of recognition and control.

While the four papers highlight different aspects of the departmental administrators’ job and workplace relations, they provide a picture of an indeterminate position in-between different actors, expectations and logics. This position comes with both risks related to tension between management and professionals and the different expectations of what the job should be, and possibilities in terms of increased agency as individuals and as a group.

This case study is situated within broader trends in society, such as new public management, and the transformation of gendered occupations. While set within a university, the transformation of management doctrines and administrative work is also well known to be occurring in other sectors, such as healthcare, education, and law enforcement (Forssell & Westberg, 2014; Hall, 2012; Hasenfeld, 2009), making the findings in this study relevant to other settings.

In the spring of 2018 a study by Stefan Sellbjer at Linnaeus University showed on one hand that several professors did not believe they could meet the school's knowledge requirements in their own subjects. Parents, on the other hand, thought that the knowledge requirements were so abstract and complex that they could no longer question their children about the homework. The purpose of this study is to provide a theory-testing and tentative explanation of the professors’ and parents’ experiences with the help of interviews. How do teachers in history view the relevance of the subject of history and its goals? A hypothesis, that is confirmed in the interviews, is that teachers at the university level to a greater extent describe the relevance of the history subject in terms of the historical past and that the teachers at the upper secondary level to a greater extent describe the relevance of the history subject in terms of the practical past. The teachers’ answers can be described in terms of four different learning processes. According to both upper secondary school and university teachers, knowing history is about something qualitatively different from learning about history. A hybrid form of learning history in history can be discerned in the upper secondary school teachers’ answers: that a developed learning is about learning history in the present.

In this article, we analyse how gendered subject positions during the Middle Ages are talked about in the history education classroom in primary school. Discourses about gender norms in the past were followed by discourses about how to interpret these differences and injustices, where we see that: i) the interpretations are constructed as being linked to biology, ii) teacher and pupils construct a present ‘us’ who understand better than a past ‘they’, an us who have greater freedom of action to choose for ourselves how to live our lives, and where iii) this is explained by the view that mediaeval people did not understand very well. It is between these discourses that the negotiation of how to interpret gender norms and gendered positions takes place. Negotiations result in a discourse that stresses today’s society as one of equality and equity. These discourses also enable various counter-discourses in which pupils challenged the constructions of women in the past offered by the teacher and textbook in the classroom.

An important question is what to teach concerning how students may influence and contribute to a sustainable future. At the Nordic level we have several important contributions that elaborate on this. The research question for this theoretical article is to what extent these contributions define an action competence that may facilitate and help students to engage politically for a sustainable future. Such competence includes taking a stand in policy issues and an ability to work politically for preferred policies. The literature is more concerned with taking a stand on policy issues than on working politically, but also the policy assessment part is problematic because it is not sufficiently related to the political system and how policies are developed.  In the article, core Nordic contributions are discussed and some possible developments of the sustainability didactics are suggested, in order to make it more politically relevant. 

School subject skills have been increasingly actualized in the past years, believed to make subjects more useable. In social studies didactics, there are problems understanding and operationalizing skills in research, curricula, and teaching. To get a better understanding on this topic, I use Luc Boltanski og Laurent Thévenot’s theory to look at how pupils’ skills are understood and valued. I analyse perspectives in the Nordic research literature, and identify three traditions: Citizenship Education, Bildung, and Literacy, and discuss ten facets. Although skills are sparsely discussed in the literature, I find a variety of skills related to opinions about what an ideal pupil must be able to do which are heterogeneous despite commonalities. While analysing theory, in practice one can imagine that students are presented with several ideal student dispositions and choose approaches that suit them. Different perspectives have limitations and problems that are important to consider, because choice of subject facilities has academic and political implications. The article contributes to a broader understanding of subject-specific skills.

This article explores lower secondary students’ perceptions of how their experiences in the social studies classroom might affect their sense of internal political efficacy (IPE). The qualitative data underlying the research are group interviews with 13- and 14-year-old Norwegian students, which were analyzed using a constant-comparative method. The students’ responses indicate that there are three obstacles to IPE facing the students in the social studies classroom: (1) the reactions of their peers in political discussions, (2) the perception that adolescents are not respected due to their young age, and (3) a view of opinions as fixed and hence unchangeable. The possible solutions given by the students are to work to enhance the level of respect and support that they experience in the classroom, to practice politics through carefully structured discussions, and to work in smaller groups. In analyzing the findings, Albert Bandura’s theory of how efficacy develops as a consequence of experiences in a person’s environment has been useful. The article also draws on Gert Biesta’s framework, describing how one central aim of education is to enable students to function as subjects in a world that brings both possibilities and limitations to their preferred actions. The main implication is that the social studies teacher should aim for critical analysis and raising awareness of different perspectives instead of focusing solely on the students' personal opinions. 

This paper presents findings from a 2022 survey that assessed the religious literacy of Estonian basic school graduates. The goal was to explore their attitudes toward various religious phenomena and their ability to navigate situations related to religious matters. The study involved 392 participants from large urban and small rural schools across Estonia. To conduct the survey, an original instrument was developed, taking into account the Estonian religious landscape, the National Curriculum for Basic Schools, the educational model of religious literacy by Matthew Francis and Adam Dinham, the characterization of religious literacy by Diane Moore, Francis, and Dinham, and Robert Jackson’s definition of religious competence. The results highlight the state of religious literacy in Estonia, one of the world’s least religious countries, with minimal public education on religions and worldviews. The survey indicates that part of Estonian basic school graduates lack the competencies to operate in situations requiring religious literacy.

Hormones are molecular messengers in the body?s metabolism. They regulate, for instance, reproduction, digestion, organ systems and gene expression. The past century brought with it a proliferation of synthetic substances and other industrial chemical compounds, generally referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These chemicals interfere with the hormonal systems of human and animal bodies alike and are able to, among other things, fundamentally disrupt, mimic or block the functioning of the hormonal system. In this article I investigate the forces of chemical toxicity and its impact on all living bodies on this planet from a queer and trans perspective. EDCs and specifically EDC discourses have a particular effect on queer- and transness. Applying queer reading and autoethnography, I want to think here with two performances by Finnish artist Teo Ala-Ruona about the impact of EDCs on our human bodies, our planet and the relations and imaginaries that emerge in Ala-Ruona?s work, blending transness and endocrine disruptors in ways different to those currently being suggested by life science and populist discourses. In my engagement with Ala-Ruona?s work I consider that his work not only materializes a new imaginary of embodiment but also demonstrates a multi-molecular, rebellious becoming with and through toxins that intervenes in the risk narratives commonly flanking EDC discourses.

In the contemporary landscape of public care, digital data has emerged as a fundamental prerequisite, increasingly influencing not only the operational practices of care providers but also the very subjects of those receiving care. 

This study delves into the intricate process of datafication within Swedish public care, focusing on how data is produced, processed, and utilized across various care environments. The research adopts an ethnographic approach, rooted in the theoretical framework of assemblage as articulated by Deleuze and Guattari, to investigate the multifaceted and socio-technical dimensions of datafication. By closely examining the daily, often unnoticed practices related to data and data-driven system, this study uncovers how seemingly minor actions collectively contribute to broader socio-political ramifications within Swedish public care. 

The findings highlight the pivotal role that data plays in shaping the structure and delivery of care, and emphasize the need for a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the broader consequences of datafication in public health and social services. This research thus contributes to the ongoing discourse on the impact of digital technologies on public care systems, offering critical insights into the balance between technological advancement and the human aspects of care.

Under 2000-talet har digitala teknologier tagit en alltmer självklar plats inte bara i den mänskliga-teknologiska tillvaron, utan även i barn- och ungdomslitteraturens gestaltningar av den. I sin avhandling belyser Jakob Olsson hur digital teknik såväl representeras som didaktiseras i samtida litteratur för unga läsare, samt hur dessa böcker kopplar upp sig mot en vidare, digital diskurs där ungas relation till tekniken ofta står i centrum. I särskilt fokus står samtidens mediestrider och vuxenvärldens många och delvis motstridiga budskap, där unga människor samtidigt ska omfamna tekniken och hålla den på armlängds avstånd.

I avhandlingen kombineras kvantitativa metoder med läsningar för att inventera och analysera de tekniska och teknikanvändande gestalterna i böcker utgivna under perioden 2000–2019. Där framträder en komplex och spänningsfylld bild av det som vuxenvärlden tror att unga vill och behöver läsa om den digitala tekniken.

I denna artikel beskrivs de svenska ”nedläggningsstudierna” under 1970- och 1980-talen i relation till det internationella forskningsläget inom Deindustrialisation Studies.

This study addresses the critical need for a constitutive model to analyze the cyclic plasticity of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel. The anisotropic behavior at both room temperature and 300 degrees C is investigated experimentally based on cyclic hysteresis loops performed in different orientations with respect to the build direction. A comprehensive constitutive model is proposed, that integrates the Armstrong-Frederick nonlinear kinematic hardening, Voce nonlinear isotropic hardening and Hill's anisotropic yield criterion within a 3D return mapping algorithm. The model was calibrated to specimens in the 0 degrees and 90 degrees orientations and validated with specimens in the 45 degrees orientation. A single set of hardening parameters successfully represented the elastoplastic response for all orientations at room temperature. The algorithm effectively captured the full cyclic hysteresis loops, including historical effects observed in experimental tests. A consistent trend of reduced hardening was observed at elevated temperature, while the 45 degrees specimen orientation consistently exhibited the highest degree of strain hardening. The applicability of the model was demonstrated by computing energy dissipation for stabilized hysteresis loops, which was combined with fatigue tests to propose an energy-based fatigue life prediction model.

Digital technologies and the practices that follow, from reviews and recommendations on websites to content on social media platforms characterised by real-time connectivity are now inseparable from tourist experiences. Further, the technological, and infrastructural configurations that underpin digital practices in tourism are increasingly impinged upon by non-human actors (such as algorithms and data governance and regulatory measures). This special issue considers the ways in which data in the form of content, digital infrastructures and algorithmic governance shape and transform knowledge generated within and about tourism destinations and the populations who inhabit them. We focus on digital technologies as part of emerging media technologies to emphasise the material and regulatory assemblages that are increasingly inseparable from automated processes that facilitate the collection and appropriation of data on behalf of digital platform corporations. Emerging media technologies in the tourist encounter consider such engagements across different sensory exchanges, where tourists experience other places, landscapes, weather, people, sights and knowledge. Significant issues related to the role of digital technologies such as the inequalities they may perpetuate through the platformization of tourist destinations, the impacts of ‘smartness’ and the ways in which digital infrastructures are embedded in wider geopolitical relations of territorialization and contestation have been increasingly recognised in tourism geographies, yet comparative regional studies are still limited. We establish a research agenda to call for further, comparative research into the unfolding consequences of the role of digital infrastructures and algorithmic governance in the shaping of tourism destinations and the practices that follow.

This study highlights the conservation problems faced by the tiny freshwater bivalves of the family Sphaeriidae, also known as pea, pill, or fingernail clams (or mussels) in Europe. Despite their global distribution, assumed ecological importance, and potential uses, basic knowledge about their taxonomy, biology, and ecology is very limited and much lower than for the larger freshwater bivalve taxa. Immediate scientific priorities are required to fill knowledge gaps regarding their taxonomy, genetic diversity, distribution, reproductive cycle, ecosystem functions, and population trends. Such fundamental knowledge is necessary to identify specific threats and develop appropriate conservation actions. Deploying environmental DNA analysis at a large scale could be a valuable way to fill gaps in distribution and strengthen monitoring in areas where local taxonomic knowledge is lacking. Until taxon-specific management plans can be developed, we recommend that efforts concentrate on the general protection and restoration of wetland habitats, implementing pollution control measures, and managing invasive species. These actions should be complemented by community engagement through citizen science initiatives. Additionally, prioritising data collection to fill existing knowledge gaps and updating conservation statuses (Red Lists) based on comprehensive assessments will be crucial. Implementing these actions will provide a starting point for the broader protection of freshwater ecosystems, thus benefiting pea clams and other interconnected species within these habitats.

In recent decades, there has been rapid development in digital technologies for automated assessment. Through enhanced possibilities in terms of algorithms, grading codes, adaptivity, and feedback, they are suitable for formative assessment. There is a need to develop computer-aided assessment (CAA) tasks that target higher-order mathematical skills to ensure a balanced assessment approach beyond basic procedural skills. To address this issue, research suggests the approach of asking students to generate examples. This study focuses on an example-generation task on polynomial function understanding, proposed to 205 first-year engineering students in Sweden and 111 first-year biotechnology students in Italy. Students were encouraged to collaborate in small groups, but individual elements within the tasks required each group member to provide individual answers. Students’ responses kept in the CAA system were qualitatively analyzed to understand the effectiveness of the task in extending the students’ example space in diverse educational contexts. The findings indicate a difference in students’ example spaces when performing the task between the two educational contexts. The results suggest key strengths and possible improvements to the task design. 

This paper explores the ethical challenges and possibilities of conducting responsible and transformative translanguaging pedagogy in adult education for second language learners with limited previous experience of schooling. We identify and explore ethical dilemmas in teachers’ interaction and multilingual teaching practices. The data was produced in a linguistic ethnography and action research project. It consists of classroom observations and interviews with teachers who teach in the programme Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). The teachers express and embody ambivalence in relation to the students’ use of their whole linguistic repertoires and the students are not always treated as competent to make informed decisions about their own use of linguistic repertoires. This touches on issues of citizenship and democracy and here the framework ethics of care offers context-specific ways of understanding and responding to the ethical challenges of multilingual teaching. 

‘Open schooling’ has become in recent years a burgeoning theme in the discourse on how to rethink education for the 21st century. This paper addresses a gap between calls for implementing an open schooling approach in policy papers and international reports and the scarcity of rigorous academic discourse on what open schooling theoretically means and practically entails in terms of school organization and curriculum. To this end, the paper presents an ecological model of school openness that is composed of eight interrelated dimensions: shared governance, ‘open’ curriculum, inner-school communities, learning communities, student participation, social engagement, parental involvement, and community collaborations. These dimensions are organized into three categories, accounting for organizational, pedagogical and communal aspects of school openness. The multidimensional nature of the model presented here provides a more intricate and nuanced account of open schooling that acknowledges the complexities and challenges that the movement towards greater openness yields for school communities. From an educational research perspective, this model functions to inform the understanding and examination of the multidimensionality of opening schools to their community. From an educational practice perspective, it can instigate in-depth and meaningful dialogue within school teams on what open schooling is and its ensuing merits. 

This paper presents findings from a qualitative research project examining the dating narratives of single migrant men residing in Sweden and Italy. The study, analyzing 48 interviews with individuals from Syrian, Polish, Bangladeshi and Romanian backgrounds, along with ethnographic observations, employs a theoretical framework rooted in sexual capital theory and critical studies on men and masculinities. The analysis sheds light on the challenges faced by heterosexual single migrant men in their pursuit of intimate partners, attributing these difficulties to lower levels of social, economic and cultural capital, as well as the influence of their specific masculinities, which may be perceived as less attractive within the host societies. The paper argues that the migrant experience can be viewed as a distinctive sexual field wherein individuals encounter unique dynamics and obstacles in the realm of intimate relationships. The implications of these findings extend beyond the personal experiences of migrant men, offering insights into the broader socio-cultural landscape of host societies and the complex interplay between migration, masculinity and intimate relationships. 

This article reports on findings from a reading project about reader identities carried out in collaboration with a teacher in the school subject Swedish in two classes in traditionally male dominated vocational programmes at an upper secondary school in Sweden. The study is based on the narrative research tradition where narratives and narration are important resources in the work of developing teaching, and on ecological literacy theories that emphasize the mutual interaction between the individual, the context, and reading as a social practice. Life story interviews have been conducted with four students in each class where the focus has been on rural boys’ narrated experiences of the reading instruction provided in the context of their vocational education. The study shows that the reading instruction has initiated a process among the boys of reevaluating what reading can be and themselves as readers. Further, some of the boys position themselves against the dominant discourse about boys and their problematic relationship to reading that they have encountered in various contexts. Through these counter-narratives, the boys also construct alternative narratives about themselves and other boys as readers where they are given space to talk about themselves as readers of different types of texts. The study shows that it is possible to set into play a reading instruction with quite limited efforts through which a group of students who are often described as reluctant readers show agency in their storytelling and both reconstruct and reclaim their reader identities.

The growing connected car market requires mobile network operators (MNOs) to rethink their network architecture to deliver ultra-reliable low-latency communications. In response, Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) has emerged as a solution, enabling the deployment of computing resources at the network edge. For MNOs to tap into the potential benefits of MEC, they need to transform their networks accordingly. Consequently, the primary objective of this study is to design a realistic MEC architecture and corresponding optimal deployment strategy – deciding on the placement and configuration of computing resources – as opposed to prior studies focusing on MEC run-time management and orchestration (e.g., service placement, computation offloading, and user allocation). To cater to the heterogeneous demands of vehicular services, we propose a multi-tier MEC architecture aligned with 5G and Beyond-5G radio access network deployments. Therefore, we frame MEC deployment as an optimization problem within this architecture, assuming 3 MEC tiers. Our data-driven evaluation, grounded in realistic assumptions about network architecture, usage, latency, and cost models, relies on datasets from a major MNO in the UK. We show the benefits of adopting a 3-tier MEC architecture over single-tier (centralized or distributed) architectures for heterogeneous vehicular services, in terms of deployment cost, energy consumption, and robustness. 

Geomedia, representing an epochal shift in spatial mediations and spatialized media, changes daily life. This future-directed thematic issue advocates for contextualized understandings of geomedia that transcend contemporary hegemonic representations of technology. It recognizes the transformative powers of geomediatization processes and asks what “geomedia futures” such processes might bring about. Bridging critical geomedia studies and critical future studies, it challenges dominant narratives about tomorrow’s technological society and promotes the exploration of diverse, equitable, and sustainable futures with and under geomedia. Through numerous methodological approaches, the collected articles examine the role of geomedia in contexts such as urban planning, tourism, surveillance, governance, and policy. The thematic issue emphasizes the importance of envisioning alternative futures that resist technological rationalization and unethical exploitation of geospatial data, supporting more inclusive and human-centered mediatized places. This work contributes to ongoing debates in geomedia studies, highlighting the need for critical and interdisciplinary approaches to understand and shape our technological future.

Den här sammanläggningsavhandlingen undersöker och jämför nordisk skönlitteraturundervisning under elevernas första år på högstadiet. Den syftar till att bidra med kunskap om hur högstadielärare i de nordiska länderna använder skönlitteratur i sin ordinarie undervisning och hur de främjar elevernas utveckling av litterär kompetens.  Två övergripande teoretiska perspektiv, didaktik och litterär kompetens ramar in avhandlingen som bygger på två olika slags data och innefattar både kvantitativa och kvalitativa analyser. Avhandlingen består av fyra forskningsartiklar. Artikel 1–3 bygger på videoobservationer från 71 klassrum med skönlitteratur-undervisning. Dessa klassrum ingår i Linking Instruction and Student Achievement, en storskalig nordisk videostudie. Artikel 4 bygger på en webbenkät som besvarades av 701 lärare. Avhandlingen visar att skönlitteratur spelar en viktig roll i nordisk förstaspråksundervisning. Ett huvudresultat var att lärare i samtliga nordiska länder, särskilt svenska, isländska och finska lärare, framhöll utvecklingen av elevernas läsförståelse som en viktig anledning till att använda skönlitterära texter i undervisningen. Ett annat huvudresultat var att litterära läsningar sällan uppmuntrades, vilket innebar att eleverna sällan fick möjlighet att utveckla sin litterära kompetens. Även i de fall då eleverna förväntades lära sig att identifiera genredrag och litterära verkningsmedel  användes inte denna kunskap för att främja estetisk läsning av skönlitterära texter. Ett tredje huvudresultat var att lärare i samtliga nordiska länder värdesatte läsning av skönlitteratur som ett sätt att ge eleverna positiva läsupplevelser. De gjorde ofta elevanpassade val av texter och lät oftast eleverna läsa berättande texter så som noveller och ungdomsromaner. Sammanfattningsvis pekar avhandlingen på att läsning av skönlitteratur för litteraturens egen skull, inte bara för att utveckla generell läsförståelse, behöver få större utrymme i nordiska klassrum. 

Körsång har långa anor i Sverige. Idag utövas körverksamhet regelbundet i både sakrala och sekulära former som gemensamt antas inberäkna cirka sex procent (600 000 individer) av Sveriges befolkning. Dessa körverksamheter är utbredda och täcker idag hela Sveriges geografiska yta. Körverksamheter kan således inte ses som marginell vare sig i relation till befolkning eller yta. Paradoxalt nog, trots dess omfattning och utbredning, har körverksamhet enbart knapphändigt studerats i Sverige. Avhandlingens syfte är ge ett kulturgeografiskt bidrag genom att belysa och skapa förståelse för relationen mellan körverksamhet och geografi. Plats, urbant – ruralt samt sakralt – sekulärt utgör centrala delar i denna avhandling. Det empiriska underlaget utgörs av primärdata insamlade via enkäter och sekundärdata i form av officiell statistik. I den bemärkelsen lämnar avhandlingen ett kunskapsbidrag till kulturgeografisk forskning om körverksamhet i Sverige och i en vidare bemärkelse även andra kontexter. Avhandlingen har kommit fram till att körverksamhet har en stark relation till plats i Sverige. Denna avhandling presenterar en kartläggning av körverksamheten i Sverige. Avhandlingen problematiserar gängse binära uppfattningar: ruralt – sakralt och urbant – sekulärt. Avhandlingens resultat pekar på att denna binära uppfattning bör nyanseras relaterat till körverksamhet. Fram träder att körverksamhet i Sverige bör belysas ur ett postsekulärt perspektiv.