Note From the Editor

Denna rapport är en examensarbetsavhandling utförd vid KTH, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, under mars-augusti 2013. Arbetet har gjorts i samarbete med Nexus Marine som är en ledande tillverkare av marin navigationsutrustning för segelbåtar. Syftet med examensarbetet var att utveckla en ny konstruktionslösning för en vattentät kapsling till företagets instrument. Kapslingen skulle gå att öppna och stänga och skruv eller lim skulle inte användas i konstruktionen. Arbetet innefattade inte kapslingens yttre design som skall utföras i ett senare skede. Kapslingen skulle uppfylla de krav som finns uppställda för klassningen IPX7. Nexus Marines navigationssystem och nuvarande sortiment studerades för att ge en bild av vilka funktioner som kapslingen skulle innefatta och i vilken miljö den skulle användas. Befintliga vattentäta produkter på marknaden studerades även för att hitta olika lösningar för vattentäta konstruktioner. Studiebesök genomfördes på Plastsystem AB i Anderstorp, en av Nexus Marines tillverkare av plastdetaljer. Information om plastformsprutning, verktygsutformning och plastval samlades in. Telefonintervjuer hölls även senare under konstruktionsarbetet för frågor angående materialval etc. Standarden SS-EN 60529 studerades för att se vilka krav som skulle uppfyllas för klassningen IPX7 samt hur tester för att undersöka om de aktuella kraven är uppfyllda skulle gå tillväga. Ett antal koncept togs fram och visualiserades med 3D-modeller. Koncepten utvärderades med hjälp av en Pugh-matris. Det slutgiltiga konceptvalet diskuterades vid en workshop med anställda på företaget. Den slutgiltiga konstruktionen sammanfogas med snäppen längs instrumentets sidor. En front i transparent plast snäpps ihop med ett bakstycke. En yttre front snäpps sedan på för att dölja resterande delar av instrumentet. Mellan bakstycket och fronten placeras en skumgummitätning för att ge en vattentät sammanfogning. En prototyp togs fram i samarbetet med företaget Prototal AB för att utföra funktionstester av konstruktionen. Tester utfördes under vatten samt med tryckluft för ett antal olika tätningsmaterial. Slutligen togs förslag fram för hur konstruktionen skulle kunna förbättras utifrån resultatet av de prototyptester som genomförts.This report is a Master’s Degree Thesis written at KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, during March to August 2013. The project was done in collaboration with Nexus Marine, a leading developer of marine navigation systems for sailboats. The aim of this project was to develop a new design for a waterproof enclosure for the company’s equipment. The enclosure should be able to open and close and screws or glue should not be used in the design. The work did not include the outer design of the housing which should be done at a later stage. The enclosure should meet the requirement that is stated for IPX7. Nexus Marines navigation systems and current products were studied to give an idea of which features that should be included in the enclosure and in which environment it was supposed to be used. Existing waterproof products on the market was also studied to find different solutions for waterproof designs. A visit was made to Plastsystem AB in Anderstorp, one of Nexus Marines manufacturers of plastic details. Information about injection molding, design of manufacturing tools and plastic materials were collected. Telephone interviews were also held at a later stage in the design process regarding choice of materials etc. The standard SS-EN 60529 was studied to give information on which requirements that has to be met for IPX7 and how tests to see if these requirements are fulfilled should be conducted. A number of concepts were developed and visualized with 3D models. The concepts were evaluated using a Pugh matrix. The final concept selection was discussed at a workshop with employees at the company. The final design is joined with snap fits along the instruments sides. A front in a transparent plastic is snapped on to a back cover. An external front is then mounted to hide the rest of the instrument. A foam rubber gasket is placed between the back and front cover to give a waterproof joining of the parts. A prototype was developed in cooperation with Prototal AB to perform functional test of the design. Tests were done under water and with compressed air with a variety of different sealing materials. Proposals for how the design could be improved based on the results from the prototype tests were then presented

The first nine years of \u27accounting history\u27 : 1996 to 2004

This paper adds to the prior literature examining publishing patterns in the accounting history discipline by undertaking a content analysis of publications in the first nine years of the new series of the journal Accounting History. The paper commences by providing an historical background to the introduction of the new series of the journal and the journal\u27s editorial team. This is followed by an authorship analysis of the journal\u27s research publications. This analysis examines patterns of authorship (single and multi-authored papers), the journal\u27s most published authors, institutional and geographical affiliations of authors (including international collaboration and changes over the nine year period) and author gender.<br /

UK defence news, 1920-1938 : estimates based on contemporary sources

This paper employs the concept of ‘defence news’ proposed by Ramey (2009) to develop a time series of shocks to UK defence spending in the interwar period at a quarterly frequency. ‘Defence news’ is the present value of changes to defence spending plans. Information on this is taken from contemporary sources, in particular, The Economist. The estimates in this paper can be used as an input to assessing the size of the fiscal multiplier in interwar Britain as in Crafts and Mills (2012)

Green Grass, High Cotton: Reflections on the Evolution of the Journal of Advertising

This article reflects on my time as the fifth editor of the Journal of Advertising, makes observations about the evolution of scholarship in the Journal over the past decades, offers suggestions for how JA might advance in the coming years, and provides some “words of wisdom” to advertising researchers. Because it is the first in an invited article series of editor reflections, a bit of historical context is provided

Civil society organizations at the gates? A gatekeeping study of news making efforts by NGOs and government institutions

This article applies a combination of an input-output content analysis and in-depth interviews with NGO communication professionals to determine whether the growing incorporation of press releases in editorial print content could be a new public forum through which international political actors, such as NGOs, could gain wider news access by serving as emerging key players in global civil society. The study indicates that Belgian news coverage of international aid issues is more often based on NGO press releases than government press releases. We also found that the agenda building capacities of NGOs and government institutions are enhanced as journalists present information subsidies as original journalistic work in most cases. Nonetheless, we must tone down prevailing one-sided conclusions, as most press releases are not just copy-pasted. Instead, most are supplemented with additional sources and information. The data, moreover, identify different journalistic roles of NGOs according to their objectives. While some issue press releases to raise short-term public awareness and donations for humanitarian crises (mobilization), others have developed into established expert news source organizations which provide background information and reliable eyewitness accounts to journalists

Niches at the Edges: Price-Value Tradeoff, Consumer Behavior, and Marketing Strategy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the perception of price-value tradeoff is related to overall satisfaction, purchase intention, word-of-mouth advertising, and actual repurchase behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Data on subscribers and single ticket buyers of a major symphony orchestra in the Midwest are used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The ANOVA results show significant differences across the three levels of price-value tradeoff in each of the response variables. Additional analyses of cross-tabulated data show that some of the bivariate relations conform to, as well as depart from, the rational consumer behavior model. Research limitations/implications – Although the hypotheses are supported, bivariate relations examined in this study can mask or overstate true relations due to the omitted variables bias. Future research can explore reasons for favorable behaviors of consumers whose perception is that the value they receive is overpriced, and also for unfavorable behaviors of consumers whose perception is that the value they received is under-priced. Practical implications – The different niches at the edges provide opportunities for marketers to fine-tune segmentation and marketing mix strategies. The use of standardized strategies for these niches with different perception and behavior linkages will yield suboptimal results. Originality/value – While previous research has mostly focused on price-quality linkages, this study extends the body of research by examining the perception of price-value tradeoff and its relation to overall satisfaction, purchase intention, word-of-mouth advertising, and actual repurchase behavior. This adds to our understanding of post consumption behavior, showing how consumers respond to the perception of price-value tradeoff

Comprehensive bee pathogen screening in Belgium reveals Crithidia mellificae as a new contributory factor to winter mortality

Since the last decade, unusually high honey bee colony losses have been reported mainly in North-America and Europe. Here, we report on a comprehensive bee pathogen screening in Belgium covering 363 bee colonies that were screened for 18 known disease-causing pathogens and correlate their incidence in summer with subsequent winter mortality. Our analyses demonstrate that, in addition to Varroa destructor, the presence of the trypanosomatid parasite Crithidia mellificae and the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae in summer are also predictive markers of winter mortality, with a negative synergy being observed between the two in terms of their effects on colony mortality. Furthermore, we document the first occurrence of a parasitizing phorid fly in Europe, identify a new fourth strain of Lake Sinai Virus (LSV), and confirm the presence of other little reported pathogens such as Apicystis bombi, Aphid Lethal Paralysis Virus (ALPV), Spiroplasma apis, Spiroplasma melliferum and Varroa destructor Macula-like Virus (VdMLV). Finally, we provide evidence that ALPV and VdMLV replicate in honey bees and show that viruses of the LSV complex and Black Queen Cell Virus tend to non-randomly co-occur together. We also noticed a significant correlation between the number of pathogen species and colony losses. Overall, our results contribute significantly to our understanding of honey bee diseases and the likely causes of their current decline in Europe