Market Participation and Poverty - Smallholders on the Ugandan Maize Market

Food grain markets are special in the sense that farmers will, likely, be consumers of the crops they produce. This study examines smallholder market participation on the Ugandan maize market, and, furthermore, explores possible connections to rural poverty. A probit model of market participation is employed, and I work with data from a household survey conducted between 1999 and 2000. A number of variables, like literacy, hired labor, specialization, land holdings and access to storage facilities were correlated with a higher probability of market participation. Ownership of livestock was considerably more important to the poor farmers while there are also indications of asset thresholds regarding land and farming assets

Residents’ perception regarding household preparedness in areas prone to sudden natural hazards

The purpose of this case study was to investigate residents’ perception regarding household preparedness in areas prone to sudden natural hazards. The study was conducted in Namacu, Koro Island, Fiji. The main method for data collection was through semi-structured interviews and observations. Many of the factors affecting perception regarding the residents’ household preparedness were connected to values, earlier experience, lifestyle and needs. The residents’ have shown a high ability to cope with disasters despite carrying out few mitigation and preparedness measures on a daily basis. The high ability to cope is affecting the villagers’ willingness to prepare. Previous experience has increased risk and preparedness awareness, but few signs of an increased preparedness have been shown. The respondents believe that they have a better preparedness since witnessing earlier events, despite the recovering process after the most recent disaster being slow.Many people around the world live with a constant overhanging threat from natural hazards and the need for preparation is high. In order to be better prepared, it is vital to understand what factors are triggering preparedness. Through carrying out a case study, the authors have been trying be grasp how and why people are preparing. The case study was carried out on Koro Island, Fiji, an area which has experienced devastating natural disasters recently and is prone to several natural hazards. The results showed that some of the factors affecting perception towards preparedness are, values and needs, feeling of safety, and previous experiences

Optimized Transport and Efficient Goods Reception - Using Time Slot Management to Optimize Performance at the Interface Between External and Internal Logistics

This master's thesis study investigates the possible use of Time Slot Management (TSM) in live-unload goods receptions at automotive production facilities. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Volvo Group and is based on their pilot study of a TSM software at their production facility in Bourg, France. Volvo Group’s production facility in Tuve and its surrounding context has been used to exemplify the theoretical findings of this study by placing them in a real-world context. The use of TSM in different industry settings was mapped and analyzed through multiple, iterative literature reviews and semi-structured interviews with people in the logistics field. The findings from the literature review and interviews were combined to create an analytical framework. The framework describes a live-unload goods reception at an automotive production facility from a TSM perspective and was used to conduct the analysis. The analysis discusses each of the seven parts of the framework: geography and infrastructure, incoming goods flow, at the gate, the goods reception, internal logistics, time slot management and disruption management. Each part results in a number of recommended considerations when designing or choosing a TSM solution. To conclude each of the three research questions posed to be able to evaluate the study’s fulfilment of its purpose were answered. The first and second research questions were adequately answered through a presentation of important aspects to consider when designing a TSM solution along with important contextual conditions that can affect the suitability. The third research question regarding a suitable design of time slot management practices at the live-unload goods reception at the Tuve production facility was not possible to fully answer as there was not enough information available. Hence the first step in finding a suitable TSM solution for the Tuve production facility should be to gather more information about the facility, its context, and incoming goods flows

Intracycle and Intercycle Interferences in Above-Threshold Ionization: the Time Grating

Within a semiclassical description of above-threshold ionization (ATI) we identify the interplay between intracycle and intercycle interferences. The former is imprinted as a modulation envelope on the discrete multiphoton peaks formed by the latter. This allows to unravel the complex interference pattern observed for the full solution of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation (TDSE) in terms of diffraction at a grating in the time domain. These modulations can be clearly seen in the dependence of the ATI spectra on the laser wavelength. Shifts in energy modulation result from the effect of the long Coulomb tail of the atomic potential.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures in preprint forma

Direkt Profil : un système d’évaluation de textes d’élèves de français langue étrangère fondé sur les itinéraires d'acquisition

Abstract in FrenchRésumé : Direkt Profil est un analyseur automatique de textes écrits en français comme langue étrangère. Son but est de produire une évaluation du stade de langue des élèves sous la forme d’un profil d’apprenant. Direkt Profil réalise une analyse des phrases fondée sur desitinéraires d’acquisition, i.e. des phénomènes syntaxiques locaux liés à un développement dans l’apprentissage du français. L’article présente les corpus que noustraitons et d’une façon sommaire les itinéraires d’acquisition. Il décrit ensuite l’annotationque nous avons définie, le moteur d’analyse syntaxique et l’interface utilisateur. Nous concluons par les résultats obtenus jusqu’ici : sur le corpus de test, le système obtient un rappel de 83% et une précision de 83%Abstract: Direkt Profil is an automatic analyzer of texts written in French as a second language. The objective is to produce an evaluation of the development stage of the students under the form of a learner profile. Direkt Profil carries out a sentence analysis based ondevelopmental sequences, i.e. local morphosyntactic phenomena linked to a development in the learning of French. The paper presents the corpus that we use and briefly, the developmental sequences. Furthermore, it describes the annotation that we have defined, theparser, and the user interface. We conclude by the results obtained so far: on the test corpus the systems obtains a recall of 83% and a precision of 83%

Time Double-Slit Interference in Tunneling Ionization

We show that interference phenomena plays a big role for the electron yield in ionization of atoms by an ultra-short laser pulse. Our theoretical study of single ionization of atoms driven by few-cycles pulses extends the photoelectron spectrum observed in the double-slit experiment by Lindner et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{95}, 040401 (2005) to a complete three-dimensional momentum picture. We show that different wave packets corresponding to the same single electron released at different times interfere, forming interference fringes in the two-dimensional momentum distributions. These structures reproduced by means of \textit{ab initio} calculations are understood within a semiclassical model.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Direkt profil: A system for evaluating texts of second language learners of French based on developmental sequences

Direkt Profil is an automatic analyzer oftexts written in French as a second lan-guage. Its objective is to produce an eval-uation of the developmental stage of stu-dents under the form of a grammaticallearner profile. Direkt Profil carries outa sentence analysis based on developmen-tal sequences, i.e. local morphosyntacticphenomena linked to a development in theacquisition of French.The paper presents the corpus that we useto develop the system and briefly, the de-velopmental sequences. Then, it describesthe annotation that we have defined, theparser, and the user interface. We con-clude by the results obtained so far: on thetest corpus the systems obtains a recall of83% and a precision of 83%

Att göra främlingar. Nation och sexualitet i dagens ryska homofobiska narrativ.

The topic of homosexuality was until recently a taboo in Russian public discussion, but has during the last years become a hotly debated issue. Analyzing what I call the new homophobic narrative I isolate and examine two ways of ?othering? homosexuals, constructing them as strangers, when sexual minorities are discussed in today´s Russia. Sexual deviants are portrayed as threats to the nation and are connected to the West and its influence. Using analytical tools from queer theory, security studies and postcolonial approaches I discuss different ways of configuring the relation between nation and sexuality, identities that are interwoven in the homophobic narrative. This story is theoretically interesting in 1) the way that sexuality is spatialized, i.e. made into geography and 2) how identity is established towards difference, and how dominant categories (Russians, heterosexuals) overlap in the marginalization of their others (non-Russians, homosexuals). I also discuss whether this homophobic narrative can tell us anything about the metanarrative of Russia and the West, and I suggest that some themes in the story we study might reveal a more self-confident, confrontational Russian self-image, and a growing distancing towards the West

Photoionization of helium by attosecond pulses: extraction of spectra from correlated wave functions

We investigate the photoionization spectrum of helium by attosecond XUV pulses both in the spectral region of doubly excited resonances as well as above the double ionization threshold. In order to probe for convergence, we compare three techniques to extract photoelectron spectra from the wavepacket resulting from the integration of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation in a finite-element discrete variable representation basis. These techniques are: projection on products of hydrogenic bound and continuum states, projection onto multi-channel scattering states computed in a B-spline close-coupling basis, and a technique based on exterior complex scaling (ECS) implemented in the same basis used for the time propagation. These methods allow to monitor the population of continuum states in wavepackets created with ultrashort pulses in different regimes. Applications include photo cross sections and anisotropy parameters in the spectral region of doubly excited resonances, time-resolved photoexcitation of autoionizing resonances in an attosecond pump-probe setting, and the energy and angular distribution of correlated wavepackets for two-photon double ionization.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figure

SLFs vårexkursion till södra Småland – en rapport.

I april 2016 gick föreningens vårexkursion till trakterna runt Växjö, med några helt skilda miljöer som mål. Här redogör Emil Persson och Ulf Arup för exkursionen som innebar deltagarrekord med god marginal. Första dagen deltog hela 56 personer