DiVA - Academic Archive On-line

"Jag är baserad på verkliga personer" : Ironi och röstgivande i Kristina Lugns författarskap

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:07:00 +0200

”I am based on real people,” Kristina Lugn writes in the foreword to her play Nattorienterarna (1999). This quotation summarises the ever-changing concept of the ego which finds expression in Lugn’s writing and which is the focus of this study. Special emphasis is placed on the way in which Lugn tackles the concept of the ego in both her work and her appearances in the media, and also how in recent years she has taken to greater depths this playing with the ego’s changing forms and has, in an ironic way, created different egos which are constant in neither time nor space. The thesis is in part a text analysis of Lugn’s lyrics and drama and in part an examination of Lugn’s appearances in the media – and, in the case of the latter, it touches on intermedial aspects.

The analysis discusses how Lugn expresses in different ways in her appearances in the media pathos for groups seen as potentially isolated and vulnerable, of which children constitute a particularly charged category. One argument in this reasoning is that Lugn’s constant nods at and incorporating of the exposed and solitary child’s experience of society’s norms and power order structures is a basis and a reason for the explosive power in her ironic delivery of a critique of power, in her questioning and shaking up of the ordered roles of gender.

The purpose of the thesis is to examine the irony and what can be characterised as “the giving of voice” in Kristina Lugn’s literary production, and also how these devices hang together. One chief question is whether it can be viewed that Lugn’s irony is used both as a means of style and as a (literary) political strategy.

The concept of the giving of voice is used to illustrate the way in which Lugn as author and role player allows her personae and characters to speak, often in situations of her devising where they are, and feel they are, powerless in different senses, even though she has inevitably, in her capacity as author, the power to edit and dictate.

A secondary aim is to present a more nuanced and in-depth picture of Lugn’s writing than that done so far in the reception given Lugn in the media. The study focuses attention on Lugn’s ironic stage-setting of ego positions and the constant playing with fiction and reality which characterises her writing. This is in contrast to the early reception of Lugn as a depressive confessional lyricist, where the fictitious personae were very much likened to the biographical figure of Lugn. Part of this revisionist picture includes a discussion about how central the position of the child is in both Lugn’s work and her appearances in the media.

Irony and the giving of voice in her writing is discussed and illustrated with examples from a selection of Lugn’s literary works. Focus is placed on the poetry collections Om ni hör ett skott… (1979), Percy Wennerfors (1982) and Hundstunden. Kvinnlig bekännelselyrik (1989), and also on the theatre scripts Tant Blomma (1993), Idlaflickorna (1993), Nattorienterarna (1999) and Stulna juveler (2000). The selection of the material in the media consists of TV and radio programmes in public service broadcasting and also daily newspapers, evening papers and weekly magazines. An examination of this material is made on the basis of three points in time: that of Lugn’s literary breakthrough as a lyricist; i.e. 1983 and the period around then, the 1990s in connection with Lugn’s transition from primarily that of lyricist to that of dramatist, and the period around the turn of the millennium in connection with the première performance of the play Stulna juveler.

Framing the water and sanitation challenge : A history of urban water supply and sanitation in Ghana 1909 - 2005

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 12:07:00 +0200

This thesis analyses the development of urban water supply and sanitation services in Ghana from 1909 to 2005. Special focus is put on institutional arrangements with regard to networked, large scale and centrally managed water and sewerage services. The national and international historical context is highlighted as a way to understand policy redirections in the sector. Further on, the concept of frames is used as an analytical tool in order to put light on the assumptions, arguments and reasons behind institutional reforms.

The thesis finds that it was not until the water and sanitation challenge was framed from a productivity perspective, as opposed to a pure humanitarian “health frame”, that funds were released for investments in WSS infrastructure. To begin with, development strategies were largely focussed on “filling the gaps” in terms of manpower, technical and financial resources. As the water challenge was increasingly framed as a matter of managing scarcity, a new thinking gradually emerged which emphasized entrepreneurship, business mindedness and management skills as a way to achieve more efficiency within the sector. This development was also paralleled by a shift in the favoured organisational structure from an extremely centralised state utility model to a gradual focus on decentralisation and unbundling of the sector. Here a strong focus was put on private sector participation in urban water supply whereas the non-commercially viable task of sewerage development was decentralised to local authorities. The study finds that formal institutional change in the sector has been largely donor driven. However, the privatisation element of the recent urban water sector reform did not go unquestioned and a strong opposition movement concerned with the possible negative effects of privatisation was formed. Eventually the initial lease arrangement was transformed into a management contract where its signing was brought to closure in 2005.

Besides changing frames strong elements of continuity in the urban water supply and sanitation sector development in Ghana are identified. Historical evidence demonstrate that urban water delivery was a highly political issue in Ghana already during colonial times which, just as today, was closely connected to the framing of water as independence and national integrity. The issue of finance and pricing has remained a constant concern and so the debate cannot be categorized as a novel issue that solely emanates from neo-liberal political trends during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The thesis argues that a legacy of a colonial frame tends to continue normalising inequalities in access and consumption. Continuity can also be found in a neglect of the issue of sanitation which persistently lags behind the development of water distribution. The dissertation concludes that the perceived space for policy alternatives in Ghanaian WSS sector development has been largely constrained by the historical context and contemporary development theories. Therefore, to constantly strive towards a frame reflective policy dialogue is strongly encouraged as a way for policy planners and decision makers to make well informed decisions for the future.

Organizing boundaries in early phases of product development : The case of an interorganizational vehicle platform project setting

Fri, 28 May 2010 10:42:00 +0200

This dissertation concerns the development of a new interorganizational vehicle platform in the truck industry. The studied project setting was large, and can be referred to as a mega project. I ask the question How are boundaries organized in an interorganizational vehicle platform project setting, and how can we understand the tensions which arise when such organizing is performed? I assume that tensions arise in relation to questions concerning novelty, interdependencies, and differences. Tensions should therefore not be seen as something bad, tensions are rather a prerequisite for achieving change.

The overall aim is to create insights in how boundaries in an interorganizational platform project setting are organized between: projects and governing actors, projects and permanent organizations, projects and external organizations, projects and projects, and finally inside projects (between different functions). A secondary aim is to understand the roles which actors, activities and objects play, and the tensions which are experienced, when boundaries are being challenged and organized.

The study was performed during the concept phase, and a practice approach was used in order to capture the inner life of projects. A project setting with three projects was studied for three months, where I performed 68 interviews and observed 32 meetings. I have used a mix of narrative and alternate templates strategies and induced themes which constitute the base for the analysis.

I assume that boundaries are socially constructed and I argue that traditional normative findings in project management studies should be complemented with findings from organizational theory, and therefore use a multidisciplinary theoretical base. I have combined theories relating to; boundary construction, projects, boundary actors, activities, objects, and coordination/integration.

My analysis consists of two parts, in the first part I analyze value-, mandate-, and structural tensions and finds that actors in the setting; organize a commonality balancing area where decisions are affected by a mandates filter and need to be understood in relation to a coopetitive tensions model. In the second part of the analysis I have found that actors in the setting balance tensions and organize boundaries by performing four major Quality improvement loops based on a fragmented value base where boundary activities should be seen as having three dimensions; administrative, sharing, and political.

The creation of the shared platform is simultaneously affected by strategic, operational, and functional efforts. This fact in combination with the size and uniqueness of the project setting, leads to the insight that technological innovation must be accompanied by organizational innovation. Therefore I have suggested that organizing of boundaries in interorganizational vehicle project settings should be understood as being performed through Concurrent Boundary Enactment.

Att främja medverkan : Utmaningar och möjligheter för barns och ungdomars delaktighet vid design av digitala edutainmentproduktioner

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:33:00 +0200

Denna avhandling inom interaktionsdesign handlar om användarmedverkan vid design av digitala edutainmentspel. Arbetet omfattar en aktionsorienterad forskningsansats där barns och ungdomars medverkan har främjats i tre tillämpade designprojekt. Genom observationer och intervjuer har utmaningar och strategier för användarmedverkan dokumenterats. Därtill även de bidrag som barnens och ungdomarnas medverkan innebar för design av edutainmentspel.

Avhandlingen visar på två tydliga resultat. För det första, genom de utmaningar för användarmedverkan som designprocessen innebar och hanterandet av dessa utmaningar, så påvisas hur motiv till användarmedverkan kan förändras hos designteamet. Denna förändring är en pågående process som sker före, under och efter ett designprojekt. Motiv till användarmedverkan förändras med stöd av en förmedlare. En förmedlare bibringar synpunkter och designförslag mellan användare och designers. Förmedlaren anpassar även användarmedverkan till det sammanhang inom vilket designprojektet genomförs. Genom att delge designteamet dokument om och resultat av användarsessioner, så omvandlas förmedlarens kunskap om och erfarenhet av användarmedverkan till designteamets egen. Kunskap och erfarenhet vilka därefter förändrar motiv till design av fördel för användarmedverkan.

För det andra så dokumenteras i avhandlingen betydelsen av att barn och ungdomar medverkar vid design av edutainmentspel. Dessa spel har under en längre tid utmanats av att finna balans mellan lärande och underhållning. Genom sin erfarenhet av målgruppens förväntningar på tekniken, samt av att bidra inom områden för design så som; koncept och innehåll, interaktionslösningar, samt utseende och känsla, så medförde barnens och ungdomarnas medverkan ett stöd för designteamet i att finna balans mellan lärande och underhållning. I resultaten framkommer att barnen och ungdomarna deltog i projekten i egenskap av informanter. Eftersom de inte hade ansvar för den utvecklade produktionen betraktades de inte heller som medlemmar i designteamet.

Med sina resultat medverkar avhandlingen i diskursen om hur traditionella designperspektiv kan tillämpas vid design av digitala edutainmentproduktioner.

Kamp för bygden : En etnologisk studie av lokalt utvecklingsarbete

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:48:00 +0200

When collective action for community is defined as local development or as a struggle for survival different understandings are in focus. Politically, this kind of community action is defined as local development and understood in terms of growth and economics. An economic approach to community action is also emphasised in the EU-programmes that support local development groups and projects. On the other hand local groups describe their activities as a struggle for community and community survival.

Inspired by feministic research approaches and with an interest in human aspects and values this study investigates meanings of community action as experienced and expressed by rural inhabitants and activists. The study is based on fieldwork that was carried out in a small rural community in the northern inlands of Sweden: Trehörningsjö. Since the middle of the 1990s, the women in Trehörningsjö have driven collective action to uphold the community. With its point of departure in the community and expanding into the arenas of reserach and politics, the study takes on the form of a reflexive research process in which the researcher's former knowledge and new understandings are made visible and discussed parallel with the interpretations made. The main focus of the study is the activist's demand of voice, visibility and worth.

The first chapter presents the local community and provides a background to the study. The chapter includes an account of the reflexive approach that widened the field of research from a local to a translocal study of community action. In chapters two, three, four and five the struggle for community is reflected through fieldwork experiences in Trehörningsjö and other arenas beyond the village. Situated events and instances of collective action such as the fight for the local health care centre, are analysed as symbolic expressions of community values and rural importance. From chapter two and onwards, the study follows the footsteps of the leading female activist in and beyond the community itself; that is, the day-to-day work, meetings, conferences and other places where community action is acted out. The struggle for community is proven to focus on translocal rather than local action. In chapter six the fieldwork experiences - that tell about resistance and a struggle for community values and perspectives - are placed in the wider context of the rural development movement, local development research and governmental rural policy in Sweden. On all these arenas community action tend to be interpreted as local development in line with a growth perspective, rather than as community protests and struggles that expresses other meanings. Chapter seven takes the analyses and discussion further, and relates community struggle to concepts such as civil society and social economy. Anthony Giddens concept of life politics and Alberto Meluccis concept of collective action are used to deepen the analysis on how humane meanings and relation based aspects of community action are made invisible on the political "growht and development" agenda. Community struggle presents a possibility for rural inhabitants to (re)define and reclaim their community and themselves as important and valuable. However, to be able to understand what the concept of community struggle expresses, and demands, it needs to be acknowledged as a form of action that has the potential to challenge established bureaucratic and political defintions, which, in practice, proves to be difficult.

About hyaluronan in the hypertrophic heart : studies on coordinated regulation of extracellular matrix signalling

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:16:00 +0200

Background. Myocardial hypertrophy is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Independent of underlying disease, the cardiac muscle strives in different ways to compensate for an increased workload. This remodelling of the heart includes changes in the extracellular matrix which will affect systolic and diastolic cardiac function. Furthermore, signal transduction, molecular diffusion and microcirculation will be affected in the hypertrophic process. One important extracellular component is the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan. It has been shown to play a major role in other conditions that feature cellular growth and proliferation, such as wound healing and malignancies. The aim of this thesis was to investigate hyaluronan and its role in both an experimental rat model of cardiac hypertrophy as well as in cultured mouse cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts.

Methods. Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in rats by aortic ligation. Hyaluronan concentration was measured and expression of genes coding for hyaluronan synthases were quantified after 1, 6 and 42 days after operation, in cardiac tissue from the left ventricular wall. Localization of hyaluronan and its receptor CD44 was studied histochemically. Hyaluronan synthesis was correlated to gene transcription using microarray gene expression analysis. Cultures of cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts were stimulated with growth factors. Hyaluronan concentration was measured and expression of genes coding for hyaluronan synthases were detected. Hyaluronan size was measured and crosstalk between cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts was investigated.

Results. Increased concentration of hyaluronan in hypertrophied cardiac tissue was observed together with an up-regulation of two hyaluronan synthase genes. Hyaluronan was detected in the myocardium and in the adventitia of cardiac arteries whereas CD44 staining was mainly found in and around the adventitia. Hyaluronan synthesis correlated to the expression of genes, regulated by transcription factors known to initiate cardiac hypertrophy. Stimulation of cardiomyocytes by PDGF-BB induced synthesis of hyaluronan. Cardiomyocytes also secreted a factor into culture media that after transfer to fibroblasts initiated an increased synthesis of hyaluronan. When stimulated with hyaluronan of different sizes, a change in cardiomyocyte gene expression was observed. Different growth factors induced production of different sizes of hyaluronan in fibroblasts. The main synthase detected was hyaluronan synthase-2. Cardiomyocytes were also shown to secrete microvesicles containing both DNA and RNA. Isolated microvesicles incubated with fibroblasts were observed by confocal microscopy to be internalized into fibroblasts. Altered gene expression was observed in microvesicle stimulated fibroblasts.

Conclusion. This study shows that increased hyaluronan synthesis in cardiac tissue during hypertrophic development is a part of the extracellular matrix remodelling. Cell cultures revealed the ability of cardiomyocytes to both synthesize hyaluronan and to convey signals to fibroblasts, causing them to increase hyaluronan synthesis. Cardiomyocytes are likely to express receptors for hyaluronan, which mediate intracellular signalling causing the observed altered gene expression in cardiomyocytes stimulated with hyaluronan. This demonstrates the extensive involvement of hyaluronan in cardiac hypertrophy.

Strategies for exercise assessment and training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:35:00 +0200

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not only a common lung disease but is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) helps optimize function and independence by increasing exercise capacity, reducing symptoms and improving health related quality of life (HRQL). Exercise training is certainly a key component of the PR programs; however, many of its aspects still need to be better defined such as optimal exercise assessment and training modality for these patients. The general purpose of this thesis was to generate new knowledge that could contribute to new strategies for exercise assessment and training in patients with COPD.

Methods and results: This thesis is comprised of four independent studies. Thigh muscle strength, endurance and fatigue were compared between 42 patients with moderate to severe COPD and 53 healthy controls (Study I). Impaired thigh muscle strength and endurance in patients with COPD was found, except for muscle strength in knee extension in male patients. Female patients had higher fatigue index than female controls while no difference was found between male patients and controls. The six-minute walk test (6MWD) performed on a non-motorized treadmill (6MWD-T) was compared with the 6MWD performed in a corridor (6MWD-C) in 16 healthy elderly subjects (Study II). They performed twelve tests (six 6MWD-C and six 6MWD-T) on two different days in a randomized order. An average discrepancy was found between the two methods with the subjects walking a shorter distance on the non-motorized treadmill. However, the results showed good test-retest reliability between days and test repetitions. A systematic review (Study III) was done of studies that investigated the effects of an arm training program in patients with COPD. The findings of this review indicated that there is evidence that an arm training program improves arm exercise capacity, but its effects on dyspnea, arm fatigue and healthy-related quality of life is unclear. Finally, a two-armed randomized controlled trial examined the effects of an arm training program on arm function, arm exercise capacity, muscle strength, symptoms and HRQL in patients with COPD (Study IV). The groups were randomized to arm training or sham. Compared with the changes observed in the control group, the magnitude of change in the intervention group was greater for arm function, arm exercise capacity and muscle strength. There was no difference between groups in HRQL or symptoms.

Conclusions: Upper extremity resistance training improves arm exercise capacity, arm function and muscle strength in patients with COPD. Training and assessment of upper and lower limb muscles should be included into PR programs. The 6MWD performed on a non-motorized treadmill may offer an alternative option to the standard 6MWD when a 30-meter corridor is not available.

Nerve gap repair by the use of artificial conduits and cultured cells

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:47:00 +0200

Peripheral nerve injuries are often associated with loss of nerve tissue and require autologous nerve grafts to provide a physical substrate for axonal growth. This thesis investigates the use of fibrin as both a tubular conduit to guide nerve regeneration and also as a matrix material to suspend various regenerative cell types within/on poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) nerve conduits. Adipose derived stem cells (ASC) are found in abundant quantities. In this thesis the ability of rat ASC to differentiate into Schwann cells was determined and a preliminary study of the neurotrophic potential of human ASC was also investigated.

Rat sciatic nerve axotomy was performed proximally in the thigh to create a 10-mm gap between the nerve stumps and the gap was bridged using the various conduits. At early time points the nerve grafts were harvested and investigated for axonal and Schwann cell markers. After 16 weeks the regenerative response from sensory and motor neurons was also evaluated following retrograde labelling with Fast Blue fluorescent tracer. Stem cells were treated with a mixture of glial growth factors and after 2 weeks in vitro the expression of Schwann cell markers was analysed by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting. ASC were cocultured with the NG108-15 neuronal cell line to determine their ability to promote neurite outgrowth. Human ASC were isolated from the deep and superficial layers of abdominal fat tissue obtained during abdominoplasty procedures. RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression of neurotrophic factors.

Immunohistochemistry showed a superior nerve regeneration distance in the fibrin conduit compared with PHB. The fibrin conduit promoted regeneration of 60% of sensory neurones and 52% of motor neurones when compared with an autograft group at 16 weeks. The total number of myelinated axons in the distal nerve stump in the fibrin-conduit group reached 86% of the graft and the weight of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles recovered to 82% and 89% of the controls, respectively. In vitro studies showed that rat ASC could be differentiated to a Schwann cell phenotype. These treated cells enhanced both the number of NG108-15 cells expressing neurites and neurite length. In the same coculture model system, human superficial fat layer ASC induced significantly enhanced neurite outgrowth when compared with the deep layer fat cells. RT-PCR analysis showed ASC isolated from both layers expressed neurotrophic factors.

These results indicate that a tubular fibrin conduit can be used to promote neuronal regeneration following peripheral nerve injury. There was also a beneficial effect of using a fibrin matrix to seed cells within/on PHB conduits which should ultimately lead to improved functional recovery following nerve injury. There might also be an advantage to use a simple strip of PHB rather than a conventional tube-like structure implying that single fascicle nerve grafting could be advantageous for nerve repair. The results of in vitro experiments indicate adipose tissue contains a pool of regenerative stem cells which can be differentiated to a Schwann cell phenotype and given that human ASC express a range of neurotrophic factors they are likely to be of clinical benefit for treatment of peripheral nerve injuries.

dNTPs : the alphabet of life

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:32:00 +0200

From microscopic bacteria to the giant whale, every single living organism on Earth uses the same language of life: DNA. Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates––dNTPs (dATP, dTTP, dGTP, and dCTP)––are the building blocks of DNA and are therefore the “alphabet of life”. A balanced supply of dNTPs is essential for integral DNA transactions such as faithful genome duplication and repair. The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) not only synthesizes all four dNTPs but also primarily maintains the crucial individual concentration of each dNTP in a cell. In this thesis we investigated what happens if the crucial balanced supply of dNTPs is disrupted, addressing whether a cell has a mechanism to detect imbalanced dNTP pools and whether all pool imbalances are equally mutagenic.

To address these questions, we introduced single amino acid substitutions into loop 2 of the allosteric specificity site of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNR and obtained a collection of yeast strains with different but defined dNTP pool imbalances. These results directly confirmed that the loop 2 is the structural link between the substrate specificity and effector binding sites of RNR. We were surprised to observe that mutagenesis was enhanced even in a strain with mildly imbalanced dNTP pools, despite the availability of the two major replication error correction mechanisms: proofreading and mismatch repair. However, the mutagenic potential of different dNTP pool imbalances did not directly correlate with their severity, and the locations of the mutations in a strain with elevated dTTP and dCTP were completely different from those in a strain with elevated dATP and dGTP. We then investigated, whether dNTP pool imbalances interfere with cell cycle progression and if they are detected by the S-phase checkpoint, a genome surveillance mechanism activated in response to DNA damage or replication blocks. The S-phase checkpoint was activated by the depletion of one or more dNTPs. In contrast, when none of the dNTP pools was limiting for DNA replication, even extreme and mutagenic dNTP pool imbalances did not activate the S-phase checkpoint and did not interfere with the cell cycle progression. We also observed an interesting mutational strand bias in one of the mutant rnr1 strains suggesting that the S-phase checkpoint may selectively prevent formation of replication errors during leading strand replication. We further used these strains to study the mechanisms by which dNTP pool imbalances induce genome instability. In addition, we discovered that a high dNTP concentration allows replicative DNA polymerases to bypass certain DNA lesions, which are difficult to bypass at normal dNTP concentrations.

Our results broaden the role of dNTPs beyond ‘dNTPs as the building blocks’ and suggest that dNTPs are not only the building blocks of DNA but also that their concentrations in a cell have regulatory implications for maintaining genomic integrity. This is important as all cancers arise as a result of some kind of genomic abnormality.

QED and collective effects in vacuum and plasmas

Wed, 1 Sep 2010 09:48:00 +0200

The theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) was born out of an attempt to merge Einsteins theory of special relativity and quantum mechanics. Einsteins energy/mass equivalence together with Heisenberg's uncertainty principle allows for particle pairs to be spontaneously created and annihilated in vacuum. These spontaneous fluctuations gives the quantum vacuum properties analogous to that of a nonlinear medium. Although these fluctuations in general does not give note of themselves, effects due to their presence can be stimulated or enhanced through external means, such as boundary conditions or electromagnetic fields. Whereas QED has been very well tested in the high-energy, low-intensity regime using particle accelerators, the opposite regime where the photon energy is low but instead the intensity is high is still to a large degree not investigated. This is expected to change with the rapid progress of modern high-power laser-systems.

In this thesis we begin by studying the QED effect of photon-photon scattering. This process has so far not been successfully verified experimentally, but we show that this may change already with present day laser powers. We also study QED effects due to strong magnetic fields. In particular, we obtain an analytical description for vacuum birefringence valid at arbitrary field strengths. Astrophysics already offer environments where QED processes may be influential, e.g. in neutron star and magnetar environments. For astrophysical purposes we investigate how effects of QED can be implemented in plasma models. In particular, we study QED dispersive effects due to weak rapidly oscillating fields, nonlinear effects due to slowly varying strong fields, as well as QED effects in strongly magnetized plasmas. Effects of quantum dispersion and the electron spin has also been included in an extended plasma description, of particular interest for dense and/or strongly magnetized systems.