In a complex manufacturing system such as the multistage manufacturing system, maintaining the quality of the products becomes a challenging task. It is due to the interconnectivity and dependency of factors that can affect the final product. With the increasing availability of data, Machine Learning (ML) approaches are applied to assess and predict quality-related issues. In this paper, several M

Background: This research aims to identify how blockchain technology could support the ecological embeddedness of the coffee supply chain. Ecological embeddedness is a subset of the circular economy (CE) that demands legitimacy through design changes to product, production and/or packaging for benefits to economic actors and the environment. This is in contrast with legitimacy as a public relation

How does elite communication influence affective polarization between partisan groups? Drawing on the literature on partisan source cues, we expect that communication from in- or outgroup party representatives will increase affective polarization. We argue that polarized social identities are reinforced by partisan source cues, which bias perceptions of elite communication and result in increased

Polylactic acid nanoparticles (PLA NPs) according to food and drug administration are biodegradable and biocompatible polymers that have received a lot of attention due to their natural degradation mechanism. Although there is already available information concerning the effects of PLA microplastic to aquatic organisms, the knowledge about PLA NPs is still vague. In the present study, we analyzed

This doctoral dissertation consists of three self-contained essays covering different aspects of household finance. The first paper, Bank Competition and Household Non-Housing Debt: Evidence from U.S. Bank Deregulation, examines the effect of bank deregulation in the U.S. on household non-housing debt. Using household level data from 1984 to 2000, I find that deregulation increases non-housing deb

Currently, the inner dynamics of teacher identity transformations remain a “black box.” Conceptualizing preservice teacher identity as a complex dynamic system, and the notion of “being someone who teaches” in dialogical terms as involving shifts between different teacher voices, the study investigates the dynamical processes at play when transitions between identities occur. Using a single-case d

Nature-based solutions (NBS) is a relatively novel concept and real-world application has only started to proliferate in cities, which motivates addressing early attempts of cross-boundary collaboration for implementing NBS. The aim of this paper is to reflect about the process of transdisciplinary research-practice collaboration on NBS and its associated learnings, potentials and challenges. To d

Meat 4.0 refers to the application the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) technologies in the meat sector. Industry 4.0 components, such as robotics, Internet of Things, Big Data, augmented reality, cybersecurity, and blockchain, have recently transformed many industrial and manufacturing sectors, including agri-food sectors, such as the meat industry. The need for digitalised and automat

In Dupuytren disease, little is known about the long-term outcomes of collagenase injection or risk factors for contracture recurrence. In this prospective study, 159 patients (242 fingers) with Dupuytren disease and active extension deficit (AED) ≥20° in a metacarpophalangeal (MCP) or proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint were treated with collagenase injection during a 14-month period. At 5 years

Similarity measurement has been a prevailing research topic in geographic information science. Geometric similarity measurement in scaling transformation (GSM_ST) is critical to ensure spatial data quality while balancing detailed information with distinctive features. However, GSM_ST is an uncertain problem due to subjective spatial cognition, global and local concerns, and geometric complexity.

This study investigates the possibility of implementing a machine monitoring system on IBAS2, a production machine responsible for aligning an optical lens with an image sensor. A machine-monitoring system could possibly reduce downtime, costs, and production recalls. After examining IBAS2, vibration analysis emerged as a promising monitoring approach. The research aimed to capture the natural vib

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore in what way gradually increasing teachers’ theory-based instruction affects the students’ learning outcomes, illustrated by the example of learning how to regulate body tension in the upper secondary school. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 72 students from four classes participated in the study. The way the students were offered to understa

Why do political parties negotiate coalition agreements? Many coalition cabinets negotiate lengthy coalition contracts outlining the agenda for the time in office. Negotiating such an agreement not only takes time and resources, but compromises have to be made which may result in cabinet conflicts and electoral costs. We argue that coalition agreements are important control devices that allow coal

Food quality has recently received considerable attention from governments, researchers, and consumers due to the increasing demand for healthier and more nutritious food products. Traditionally, food quality is determined using a range of destructive and time-consuming approaches with modest analytical performance, underscoring the urgent need to develop novel analytical techniques. The Fourth In

The parliamentary energy agreement of 2016 is a milestone in Sweden’s ambition to reach a renewable energy system, yet it explicitly states that it does not constitute a ban on nuclear power. The thesis examines how nuclear power as a policy alternative has been framed by different actors in the medial and political debate from 2014 up until the energy agreement was reached. The thesis makes use o