Thicker than water : exploring values among actors sharing a water body for effective management : the case of Lake Ringsjön

The underlying values people hold in relation to the environment is an important aspect to consider when natural areas are shared. These underlying values, so called value orientations, and differences in values directed towards a natural phenomenon can impact views on suitable management, lead to disagreements and even conflict. Understanding of the diverse aspects people value can therefore be important for finding appropriate management options. Water is one of our most important elements, but due to its particular characteristics and the importance, it is also one of the most difficult to manage and conflicts commonly occur in relation to water. The aim of this thesis is to explore values that actors, sharing a water body, describe in relation to water. This to, in extension, investigate the implications for future management, for avoiding conflict and for increasing the ability to cooperate. In order to explore values I developed a framework including a range of ‘environmental values’. By using Lake Ringsjön, in Scania County, Sweden as a case, I conducted semi-structured interviews with actors who are related to some activity in the area. The findings show a variety of values in relation to water and both differences and similarities in the actors value orientation. Additionally, different ways of describing the term ‘value’ was seen among the actors. While caring for a healthy water was commonly expressed, the underlying reasons varied, which can be related to the individual’s values. Further, the actors showed different views on each other’s practices and several respondents viewed their organisation as misunderstood. These factors indicate that communication among the actors can be improved, an aspect where values can assist to facilitate such communication. Insights on values does not solve conflict or lead to more effective management per se, but it can serve as a basis for understanding difficulties in reaching agreements and pinpoint areas where there might be resistance in order to find solutions that are seen as legitimate for all parties involved. Bringing in ‘environmental values’ into practical water management on a local level can give insights to the character of humanenvironmental interactions and contribute to a sustainable water management for humans and nonhuman species

Graphite sheets and graphite gap pads used as thermal interface materials : A thermal and mechanical evaluation

The electronic market is continually moving towards higher power densities. As a result, the demand on the cooling is increasing. Focus has to be put on the whole thermal management chain, from the component to be cooled to the ambient. Thermal interface materials are used to efficiently transfer heat between two mating surfaces or in some cases across larger gaps. There are several different thermal interface materials with various application areas, advantages and disadvantages. This study aimed to evaluate thermal and mechanical properties of graphite sheets and graphite gap pads. The work was done in cooperation with Ericsson AB. A test rig based on the ASTM D5470 standard was used to measure the thermal resistance and thermal conductivity of the materials at different pressures. It was found that several graphite sheets and gap pads performed better than the materials used in Ericsson’s products today. According to the tests, the thermal resistance could be reduced by about 50 % for the graphite sheets and 90 % for the graphite gap pads. That was also verified by placing the materials in a radio unit and comparing the results with a reference test. Both thermal values and mechanical values were better than for the reference materials. However, the long term reliability of graphite gap pads could be an issue and needs to be examined further.Elektronikbranschen rör sig mot högre elektriska effektertätheter, det vill säga högre effekt per volymenhet. Som en följd av detta ökar också efterfrågan på god kylning. Kylningen måste hanteras på alla nivåer, från komponenten som ska kylas, ända ut till omgivningen. Termiska interface material (TIM) används för att förbättra värmeöverföringen mellan två ytor i kontakt med varandra eller för att leda värmen över större gap. Det finns flera olika TIM med olika tillämpningsområden, fördelar och nackdelar. Denna studie gick ut på att utvärdera termiska och mekaniska egenskaper hos grafitfilmer och så kallade ”graphite gap pads” då de används som TIM. Projektet gjordes i sammarbete med Ericsson AB. En testuppställning baserat på ASTM D5470-standarden användes för att utvärdera värmeledningsförmågan och den termiska resistansen hos de olika materialen vid olika trycknivåer. Resultaten visade att flera grafitfilmer och ”gap pads” presterade bättre än materialen som används Ericssons produkter idag. Enligt testerna skulle den termiska resistansen kunna minskas med 50 % för grafitfilmerna och 90 % för ”gap padsen”. Materialens fördelaktiga egenskaper verifierades i en radioenhet där temperaturerna kunde sänkas i jämförelse med ett referenstest med standard-TIM. De nya materialen var mjukare än referensmaterialen och skulle därför inte orsaka några mekaniska problem vid användning.  Den långsiktiga tillförlitligheten för grafitbaserade ”gap pads” måste dock undersökas vidare eftersom de elektriskt ledande materialen skulle kunna skapa kortslutningar på kretskorten

Lichens on dead wood : A comparison between dead wood in burnt and unburnt areas of Tyresta National Park and nature reserve

Burned forests provide plenty of dead wood that can host rare and threatened species, especially fire dependent species that need charred wood to survive. Few studies have investigated the difference in lichen assemblages on dead wood in forests that have burned with those that have not. In this study lichens on snags of Pinus sylvestris in burnt and unburnt areas of Tyresta national park and nature reserve were investigated, with the aim to assess differences in lichen diversity and richness. In total 42 trees were analysed, and 25 species were identified. No threatened or rare species were found in the burnt area, possibly as none of the snags were charred. There was no significant difference in diversity or richness between burnt and unburnt areas. However, lichens were generally more abundant in the burnt area where the light levels also were higher, especially on the northern sides of the snags. Only macrolichen species were significantly more abundant in the burnt area. The species composition in the areas differed slightly with a majority of microlichen species in the unburnt area while the burnt area had equally many macro- and microlichen species. However, several species of microlichen were missing in the burnt area. Together with previous studies this could indicate that microhabitats forming post-fire are favourable for some lichen but not for others. Further studies are needed to confirm which species are favoured by burning to optimize the restoration and managing of burned forests as well as the conservation of threatened species

Påverkar jordbruk flödet av akvatiska insekter till land? : Effekter av jordbruk på akvatiskt tillflöde till land vid norrländska bäckar

Streams and riparian zone are closely linked by reciprocal flows of energy and nutrients. A large part of the transportation from water to land is in form of emerged aquatic insects. Conversion of land from forest to agriculture can greatly affect aquatic ecosystems, and due to the close link, also affect the adjacent terrestral zone. Investigating how the presence of agriculture in the surrounding area affects amounts of emergent aquatic insects gives an indication on how agriculture, in turn, may affect the terrestral enviroment. The study was preformed alongside ten streams in northern Sweden; five in landscape transformed by agriculture and five in undisturbed forest areas. Further two types of traps, deposition traps and window traps, were used and aquatic prey subsidy was calculated from the deposition traps. The results show that more insects emerge from agricultural streams than from undisturbed streams. This was, however, not reflected in the biomass. The most abundant group was Nematocera, followed by Plecoptera and Trichoptera. While Nematocera showed a preference for agricultural sites, Trichoptera did the opposite, and Plecoptera did not show any preference. The deposition trap was more efficient in catching emerged aquatic insects than the window trap. A great deviation in biomass/unit area between sites suggests there is a big variation in productivity within agriculture streams and forest streams, respectively. Nematocera alone can potentially supply more nitrogen in a month than background deposition provides per year. The effect of agriculture on emerging aquatic insects, and in extension on riparian zone, is evident

Lichens on dead wood : A comparison between dead wood in burnt and unburnt areas of Tyresta National Park and nature reserve

Burned forests provide plenty of dead wood that can host rare and threatened species, especially fire dependent species that need charred wood to survive. Few studies have investigated the difference in lichen assemblages on dead wood in forests that have burned with those that have not. In this study lichens on snags of Pinus sylvestris in burnt and unburnt areas of Tyresta national park and nature reserve were investigated, with the aim to assess differences in lichen diversity and richness. In total 42 trees were analysed, and 25 species were identified. No threatened or rare species were found in the burnt area, possibly as none of the snags were charred. There was no significant difference in diversity or richness between burnt and unburnt areas. However, lichens were generally more abundant in the burnt area where the light levels also were higher, especially on the northern sides of the snags. Only macrolichen species were significantly more abundant in the burnt area. The species composition in the areas differed slightly with a majority of microlichen species in the unburnt area while the burnt area had equally many macro- and microlichen species. However, several species of microlichen were missing in the burnt area. Together with previous studies this could indicate that microhabitats forming post-fire are favourable for some lichen but not for others. Further studies are needed to confirm which species are favoured by burning to optimize the restoration and managing of burned forests as well as the conservation of threatened species

Vision vs. production : - A designer's frustrating work process from start to finish

Additiv tillverkning eller 3D-utskrift som det även kallas är en produktionsprocess som kan erbjuda snabba prototyper med spännande och komplexa geometriska former. Under de senaste åren har expansionen för additiv tillverkning verkligen tagit fart och tekniken, kombinerat med nya progressiva material, blir alltmer efterfrågat. Jag har i detta examensarbete, tillsammans med Akademiska Hus och Stora Enso, undersökt potentiella produktionsmetoder för additiv tillverkning av storskaliga produkter i biokomposit. Det här samarbetet startade i mars 2022 och produkten som jag framställas är en ljudstol som jag valt att kalla Bönan. Den första versionen vi arbetade med visade sig vara för svår att producera med den additiva tekniken. Det är här mitt examensarbete tagit vid. I arbetet har jag undersökt hur mycket avkall jag som designer behöver göra för att produkten ska kunna produceras mer än bara en gång samt vilka moment som är essentiella för att ta en produkt från vision till produktion. Under examensarbetet har jag även fördjupat mina kunskaper inom additiv tillverkning genom att själv skriva ut småskaliga prototyper för att få en större inblick i produktionsprocessen och vilka tekniska aspekter som är fundamentala för att nå ett önskvärt slutresultat. Jag har även parallellt med detta haft kontinuerlig kontakt med Stora Enso och Akademiska hus och överlagt kring kommande steg i processen. Förhoppningsvis har mina fördjupade kunskaper inom additiv tillverkning och en mer holistiskt fokuserad utgångspunkt kunnat påverka verkshöjden på slutprodukten.

Invasiva arter i botaniska trädgårdar : En studie av botaniska trädgårdar i Stockholm, Uppsala och Göteborg

The purpose of this study was to investigate if botanical gardens in Stockholm, Uppsala and Gothenburg could be a source for spread of invasive species in Sweden. The method consisted of visits to each garden with inventory of the collections and interviews with the staff. The species included in the study were either on or suggested for the list in the EU regulation 1143/2014 or listed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency as invasive or potentially invasive species in Sweden. 16 of the 34 species included in the study were found within or around one or more gardens and of those are 8 already established in Sweden and 6 could establish and become invasive with climate change. The study showed that the invasive species could outcompete other organisms by being fast growing and persistent as well as highly reproductive and sometimes harmful to other plants, animals or humans. It also suggests that high seed production and vegetative reproduction from small plant fragments may facilitate spread from botanical gardens in general. By creating awareness of invasive species, the gardens could prevent spread from other sources. Whether or not the gardens’ management of their collections could lead to spread and introduction of invasive species in Sweden is still unexplored and suitable for further studies. The species’ traits however do pose a risk of spread from the botanical gardens in the study, as well as other gardens, and establishment in the Swedish nature