Annual Estimates of Swedish GDP in 1720-1800

For the period 1800 onwards, annual figures over GDP and GDP per capita for Sweden have been presented in different studies. For the 18th century no such annual series exist. The aim of this paper is to present annual data on GDP and GDP per capita in volume values for Sweden for the whole period 1720-1800. Only very rough estimates are provided, which are not based on any disaggregation of the different components of GDP. To estimate annual fluctuations, four different indicators are used: changes in the official accounts of harvests, marriage rates, the price of rye and import of un-milled grains. When investigating the long-term trends, the conclusion is that there was only a very modest increase in GDP per capita over the studied period. The growth of the GDP per capita became substantial not until the mid 19th century. However, GDP grew significantly during the studied period, but this growth mainly took the form of population growth. This in itself constituted a kind of technological progress, allowing a larger population per unit of land without a significant decrease in per capita production.GDP; 18th century; Sweden; economic growth; national accounts; economic history

Ecology & aesthetics : about the relationship between ecological and aesthetic values in stormwater management

Ekologisk dagvattenhantering, ED, är ett högaktuellt område där det i dag sker en enorm utveckling. Då jag började skriva denna uppsats, 2009/2010, var läget ett helt annat. Jag var frustrerad och förskräckt över att det fanns så mycket kunskap men så lite vilja att arbeta med dessa frågor “på riktigt”. Sedan dess har jag hunnit arbeta som landskapsarkitekt i 12 år och fått uppleva denna positiva utveckling i projekten. Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka kunskapen och medvetenheten kring de ekologiska och estetiska aspekterna av ED i bostadsmiljö och på så vis bidra till utvecklingen mot ett mer hållbart samhälle. Arbetet utreder frågan om huruvida ekologisk dagvattenhantering kan vara både ekologiskt hållbar och estetiskt tilltalande och hur dessa aspekter förhåller sig till varandra. Måste man välja det ena framför det andra, eller kan de till och med förstärka varandra? För att undersöka detta redovisas först ekologisk dagvattenhantering och dess olika metoder, fördelar, problem och möjligheter. Vidare utreds begreppet god design och en rad aspekter fastställs som kriterier för att utvärdera en design. Fokus ligger på ekologisk dagvattenhantering i bostadsmiljö. Tre referensprojekt där ett öppet dagvattensystem har anlagts i bostadsmiljö studeras utifrån designkvaliteterna och deras förhållningssätt till begreppen ekologi och estetik. Slutligen appliceras dessa kunskaper och teorier på ett bostadsområde Steningehöjden i Sigtuna kommun. Där fanns vid arbetets start en grund med gestaltning för hela området, ett tydligt koncept och målbild att utgå från. Jag arbetade vidare utifrån det genom att lägga till ett lager till den ambitiösa målbilden om den ekologiskt hållbara trädgårdsstaden. Ett öppet dagvattensystem med många olika nivåer och kvaliteter, där en rad olika metoder som studerats i teoridelen kunde användas för att skapa det komplexa system som visat sig vara det absolut mest effektiva ur ett ekologiskt perspektiv. Även ur det estetiska perspektivet kunde jag använda det öppna systemets kvaliteter till att skapa en tilltalande och variationsrik bostadsmiljö. Slutsatsen blev att det är möjligt att låta ekologi och estetik samverka och till och med förstärka varandra i ett större perspektiv, men att det i de specifika valen av metod och gestaltningsgrepp kan finnas vissa motsättningar mellan det synliga, gestaltade vattnet och de ekologiska vinsterna med att låta fördröjning, rening och infiltration ske på naturens premisser. Uppsatsens resonemang uppmuntrar även till att använda dessa tankesätt kring ekologisk dagvattenhantering för att vidga perspektiven kring vad som är möjligt att åstadkomma i projekten, nu och i framtiden.Sustainable stormwater management is a very current topic where in recent years there has been, and seemingly continues to be, significant development taking place in the field of today´s landscape architecture. At the point of time of commencing writing this essay, in 2009/2010 the situation was very different. In the face of growing environmental concerns at the time, it was frustrating that even though the knowledge and theories regarding sustainable stormwater management were readily available, few of these were converted into practice on a larger scale. Now, after twelve years of working as a landscape architect there has been tremendous growth in this area. We consider stormwater management in new ways, use open solutions, and take a more sustainable approach in all projects which puts this essay in a new context. The aim of this essay is to increase awareness and spread knowledge about sustainable stormwater management and the ecological and aesthetic aspects of it; thereby contributing to a more sustainable development of our cities. This essay elaborates on the topic whether it is possible to find a solution where stormwater systems are designed with ecology and aesthetics as equal parts that improve on and enrich each other, or whether they are to be considered in isolation of each other, or at best a balance between the two where both aesthetics and ecology are compromised rather than complementing each other. Firstly, the essay describes the background and elaborates on why sustainable stormwater management is so important. Further describing different methods and techniques of sustainable stormwater management and how they are used. Also, the term “good design” is investigated, and a number of aspects are established as criteria in order to evaluate a design, focusing on sustainable stormwater management in residential areas. Furthermore, three projects where studied in how they succeeded in creating a design that is of both ecological and aesthetical value. Hence analysing how they met the design criteria and how the ecological and aesthetic aspects of sustainable stormwater management relate to each other at each site. The last part of the scope of work is further developing a program for sustainable stormwater management in the residential area of Steningehöjden in Sigtuna. At the onset of this project, there already existed a design for the entire area. Based on the original concept, a proposal was defined on how to integrate the stormwater into the design in a way that would emphasize the concept and design ideas of the original design as well as generating more value to the residents of Steningehöjden in the form of more pleasing aesthetics, as well as enhancing the environmental efficiency. The conclusion from these studies is that it is possible to create a design with ecology and aesthetics as two equal components and even enable them to complement each other in a way that further enhances the design and functionality of the stormwater management system. However, through specific choices of methods and design there may be certain contradictions between water as a visible design feature and the ecological gains of natural purification, delay, and infiltration. This essay encourages the use of this mindset in sustainable stormwater management to broaden the perspective of what is possible to accomplish in projects today and in the future

Natriuretic Peptides and the Microcirkulation in Heart Failure Patients

The increased prevalence of chronic congestive heart failure (HF) is a tremendous challenge for society. In spite of effective medical treatment for acute HF, better pharmacological treatment for specific neurohormonal intervention and better diagnostic tools, e.g. biomarkers of natriuretic peptides, the morbidity and mortality due to this disease are still prominent. HF leads to vascular dysfunction in the general circulation but the interpretation of this is not clear. In our studies we have focussed on defining endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction in the microvasculature of HF patients and correlating this dysfunction with the disease state. This thesis addresses studies of elderly patients with varying degrees of HF. We determined blood levels of homocysteine and the natriuretic peptide precursor, NT-proBNP which is released by the failing heart. We also investigated vasoreactive response of the cutaneous microcirculation to different stimuli using a non-invasive iontophoresis-Laser Doppler probe method. Paper I: We investigated the prognostic value of NT-proBNP for monitoring progression of HF. High blood levels (>5000) were found to indicate a poor prognosis of HF. Paper II: An open study,- in which we evaluated the function of the cutaneous peripheral circulation of patients with chronic HF. We found that vasoreactivity declines with increasing age and HF. Paper III: We evaluated vasoreactive responses in HF patients with homocysteinemi, before and 6 weeks after supplementary by B vitamin treatment. Homocysteine levels where then normalized and the cutaneous responses improved. Paper IV: A controlled study in which, we investigated the microcirculation in chronic HF patients with different degrees of HF. We saw that the degree of severity of congestive HF did not correlate with decrease in vasoreactive responses. Paper V: The effect of BNP in the microcirculation was studied in patients with severe congestive HF and compared to healthy, matched controls. The result shows that BNP has a significantly weaker vasodilation in HF patients and this is probably due to down regulation at the receptor-coupling level

Differentierande landskap i skolor : en geografisk analys av socio-rumslig segregering av skolområden och utbildningsresultat från grundskolor i Nylands regionen

Socio-economic segregation has been increasing in Helsinki for decades and the relation between socioeconomic factors and educational outcomes have been discussed frequently recently and have been an important topic for politicians and researchers. An increasing segregation and dwindling school results in the more disadvantaged areas of Finland have been connected in various reports. The main objective in this master’s thesis is firstly to investigate the spatial socio-economic differences between school catchment areas of the 26 municipalities in the Uusimaa region. And secondly, the relationship between educational outcomes and socio-spatial segregation in Uusimaa, as the former research evidence has only documented the socio-spatial differentiation within the municipalitan core of the region. The aim is to analyze the relationship of the four different socio-economic variables of basic level education, higher education, unemployment and low income households in each school catchment area and present them with help of four different maps created in GIS. Lastly data consisting of educational outcomes from first year pupils (N=1 920) from 41 different schools in the Uusimaa region provided by Kansallinen koulutuksen arviointikeskus were analysed. The data consisted of two standardized tests, one regarding mathematics and one about the finnish language. These two tests were part of a longitudinal evaluation which started in the fall of 2018. The core finding of this study is that Helsinki is by far the area with the largest socio-economic differences between the school catchment areas in the Uusimaa region, where eastern Helsinki often displayed low socio-economic levels and where western Helsinki and southern Espoo often presented a high socio-economic level compared to the rest of the Uusimaa region. And that the educational results regarding the Finnish language had a stronger correlation with the socio-economic data compared to the mathematical educational outcomes. These findings offer new insights for Finnish educational policies and demonstrate the need for supporting schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in different types of urban and rural areas.Socioekonomisk segregation har ökat i Helsingfors under de senaste decennierna och relationen mellan socioekonomiska faktorer och utbildningsresultat har diskuterats frekvent den senaste tiden och har varit ett viktigt ämne för politiker och forskare. En ökande segregation och fallande skolresultat i de mer missgynnade områdena i Finland har blivit kopplade i flera olika rapporter. Huvudmålet för den här magisteruppsatsen är för det första att undersöka de rumsliga socioekonomiska skillnaderna mellan skolupptagningsområden i de 26 kommunerna i Nyland. Och för det andra, att undersöka relationen mellan utbildningsresultat och den rumsliga socioekonomiska segregationen inom Nyland, då tidigare forskning bara har dokumenterat den sociogeografiska differentieringen i kommunernas kärna inom Nylands regionen. Målet är att analysera de fyra socioekonomiska variablerna grundläggande utbildning, högre utbildning, arbetslöshet och låginkomsthushåll undersöktes i varje skolupptagningsområde och presenterades med hjälp av fyra kartor som var skapade i GIS. Slutligen data innehållande skolresultat från första årselever (N=1 920) från 41 olika skolor inom Nyland tillhandahållna av Nationella centret för utbildningsutvärdering blev analyserade. Datan bestod av två standardiserade prov, en gällande matematik och den andra om finska. Dessa två prov var en del av en longitudinell utvärdering som startade under hösten av 2018. De viktigaste resultaten från denna studie är att Helsingfors är med stor marginal det område med de största socioekonomiska skillnaderna mellan skolupptagningsområden i Nyland, där östra Helsingfors ofta visade på låga socioekonomiska nivåer och där västra Helsingfors och södra Esbo ofta presenterade höga socioekonomiska nivåer jämförelsevis mot resten av Nylands regionen. Och att skolresultaten gällande finska hade ett starkare samband med den socioekonomiska data jämfört med de matematiska skolresultaten. Dessa resultat ger ny insikt om finsk utbildningspolitik och visar behovet av att stödja skolor i missgynnade stadsdelar i olika stads- och landsbygdsområden

Teacher code-switching in secondary ESL classrooms in Sweden

This paper explores how and why one teacher’s code-switching arises, as well as for what purpose, in upper secondary English as a second language (ESL) classrooms in Sweden. Code-switching is defined as a switch between different languages, between the first language (L1), and second language (L2) or target language (TL), within the same speech situation. To be able to understand and investigate the teacher’s code-switching practices an outline of key terms such as language policy, code-switching and translanguaging are presented, along with previous studies made by other researchers. The data was collected through audio-recordings of one 45minute English 5 lesson, where 25 16-19year old students from a handicraft program participated. Relevant excerpts were teacher’s code-switching arose were then transcribed with the help of Jefferson’s transcript convention. Auer’s Sequential approach with a Conversation analysis framework was then applied to illuminate what precedes and follows teacher’s code-switching. The study showed that the teacher mainly code-switched when conducting classroom management by giving orders or explaining procedures, such as filling in the attendance list. Also, code-switching was used as a scaffold for learning where cognitively demanding concepts were explained, new words introduced or instructions were clarified. Lastly, code-switching was used to initiate a move to another discourse, for instance between a more formal school discourse and a less formal social discourse. The paper concludes with code-switching implication for practice and future research

An Economic Philosophy of Production, Work and Consumption

An Economic Philosophy of Production, Work and Consumption presents a new transhistorical framework of defining production, work and consumption. It shows that they all share the common feature of intentional physical transformation of something external to the agent, at some point in time. The book opens with a discussion of various theoretical traditions within economics, spanning mainstream and heterodox perspectives, and problems with production definitions in use today. Next, the author outlines various definitions in a more formal manner and provides a discussion on measurement and the production boundary. Unproductive work is redefined as socially reproductive, i.e. such that would not be performed on a Robinson Crusoe Island. Finally, the volume applies the new conceptual framework to various historical cases and discusses the future of production, work and consumption. This essential volume will be of interest to scholars of economic philosophy and methodology, the history of economic thought, economic history and national accounting

Svensk ekonomisk tillväxt: utveckling och fördelning

Syftet med denna uppsats är att diskutera den svenska tillväxtproblematiken. Tyngdpunkt läggs på Sveriges tillväxt och konjunkturväxlingar i ett längre perspektiv och i jämförelse med andra länder inom OECD. Bla studeras vilken tillväxt som krävs för att Sverige ska få en bättre placering i BNP per capita ligan. Uppsatsen presenterar inga kausala förklaringar, utan är mer av deskriptiv natur.tillväxt; välståndsligan; BNP

New estimates of Swedish GDP by activity 1665-2010

This study revises previous estimates of Swedish GDP in 1800-2000, and a completely new series is presented for the period 1665-1800. For manufacturing, home industries are added, which has previously been excluded. The series of agriculture and real estate is significantly improved by using previously unutilized sources. This study substantially upgrades Swedish GDP per capita in the early 19th century. The estimated annual fluctuations of GDP may be more reliable than for any country in the 19th century. The series for 1665-1800 is based on the relation between harvest fluctuations and annual changes in the newly calculated GDP-series for 1800-1850.GDP; national accounts; Sweden; growth

Swedish monetary standards in historical perspective

This paper classifies the monetary standards in Sweden from the Middle Ages to the present, and gives an overview of the various currencies that were in use. During most of Sweden’s history, a commodity standard was in place, while the fiat standard is a rather late innovation. The classification into monetary standards is also related to the issue of debasement under the commodity standard and the mechanisms behind the rise of multiple currencies.monetary history; monetary standard; Sweden

Cerebral ischemia induces microvascular pro-inflammatory cytokine expression via the MEK/ERK pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebral ischemia from middle cerebral artery wall (MCA) occlusion results in increased expression of cerebrovascular endothelin and angiotensin receptors and activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, as well as reduced local cerebral blood flow and increased levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in the infarct region. In this study, we hypothesised that inhibition of the cerebrovascular inflammatory reaction with a specific MEK1/2 inhibitor (U0126) to block transcription or a combined receptor blockade would reduce infarct size and improve neurological score.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Rats were subjected to a 2-hours middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion for 48 hours. Two groups of treated animals were studied; (i) one group received intraperitoneal administration of a specific MEK1/2 inhibitor (U0126) starting at 0, 6, or 12 hours after the occlusion, and (ii) a second group received two specific receptor antagonists (a combination of the angiotensin AT₁receptor inhibitor Candesartan and the endothelin ET_Areceptor antagonist ZD1611), given immediately after occlusion. The middle cerebral arteries, microvessels and brain tissue were harvested; and the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and phosphorylated ERK1/2, p38 and JNK were analysed using immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed an infarct volume of 25 ± 2% of total brain volume, and reduced neurological function 2 days after MCAO followed by 48 hours of recirculation. Immunohistochemistry revealed enhanced expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and iNOS, as well as elevated levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 in smooth muscle cells of ischemic MCA and in associated intracerebral microvessels. U0126, given intraperitoneal at zero or 6 hours after the ischemic event, but not at 12 hours, reduced the infarct volume (11.7 ± 2% and 15 ± 3%, respectively), normalized pERK1/2, and prevented elevation of the expressions of TNF-α IL-1ß, IL-6 and iNOS. Combined inhibition of angiotensin AT₁and endothelin ET_Areceptors decreased the volume of brain damaged (12.3 ± 3; <it>P </it>< 0.05) but only slightly reduced MCAO-induced enhanced expression of iNOS and cytokines</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study shows elevated microvascular expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and iNOS following focal ischemia, and shows that this expression is transcriptionally regulated via the MEK/ERK pathway.</p