ERG final report

Text of the report is in Swedish

Utvärdering av traktplanering på Holmen Skog

This study has been performed with the help of forest machine operators in order to improve the forestry planning at Holmen Skog Örnsköldsvik-region. For Holmen Skog forestry planning is basic for a successful forestry. In a survey I have investigated what can be improved in some areas that are planned for harvesting. The result of the investigation will be used to support the machine operators as much as possible. The study has generated 49.5 % of responses and because of this low response rate, no clear conclusions to anyone else except the responding machine operators can be drawn. It has been proved that there are some details in the forestry planning system that are inadequate, such as marked routs for trails, tractor paths and buffer zones against streams. The quality of forestry planning varies greatly between different locations, as much as 50 % of the responding machine operators thought so. Over 40 % of the responding machine operators claim that the information from Holmen is insufficient. One thing that would improve the forestry planning within Holmen would be to educate all forestry planners and then do continuous follow-ups

In situ optimization methodology for the water circulation pumps frequency of ground source heat pump systems: Analysis for multistage heat pump units

[EN] In order to optimize the global energy performance of a ground source heat pump system, special attention needs to be paid to the auxiliaries as they stand for a considerable part of the total energy consumption. A new in situ experimental methodology based on the frequency variation of the water circulation pumps in order to optimize the energy performance of the system was previously published by the authors for a ground source heat pump system using a single stage heat pump with ON/OFF regulation. The original single stage heat pump was recently replaced with a multistage unit consisting of two compressors of the same capacity working in tandem. A new experimental campaign was carried out and a new study was performed in order to adapt the in situ optimization methodology to the performance of the tandem compressors unit, and, by extension, to the multistage case. This paper presents the in situ optimization methodology for the water circulation pumps frequency adapted for multistage ground source heat pump systems. Results show that energy savings up to 32% can be obtained by applying this optimization methodology.This work was supported by the "Programa de Ayudas de Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID)" of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. This work was also supported by the European FP7 project "Advanced ground source heat pump systems for heating and cooling in Mediterranean climate" (GROUND-MED).Cervera Vázquez, J.; Montagud Montalvá, CI.; Corberán Salvador, JM. (2015). In situ optimization methodology for the water circulation pumps frequency of ground source heat pump systems: Analysis for multistage heat pump units. Energy and Buildings. 88:238-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.12.008S2382478

CV4 Impact of Short Periods with Improved or Worsened INR Control on Life Expectancy and QALYs in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

ObjectivesWarfarin-treated patients with poor international normalized ratio (INR) control, measured with time in therapeutic range (TTR) or the standard deviation of transformed INR (SDTINR), have an increased risk for clinical events. To what extent only a short period with an altered INR control may influence outcomes remains unknown. This study assessed the impact of transient periods of improved or worsened INR control on life expectancy and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) among warfarin-treated patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using both metrics.MethodsWarfarin-treated patients with AF, registered in the patient record system Journalia during years 1985-2000, were included. Information on all-cause mortality was collected from the Cause of Death Register. Scenarios where patients were assumed to have a transiently altered INR control during 30 days were modeled statistically using hazard functions, and the impact on remaining life expectancy and QALYs was assessed.ResultsWhen using SDTINR, a 70-year old man within the 2.5th worst INR control percentile was estimated to gain 10.8 days of life or 0.0168 QALYs from a 30-day improvement in INR control to that of an average 70-year old man. Correspondingly, 15.5 days of life or 0.0196 QALYs would be lost if a 70-year old man within the 2.5th best INR control percentile would have an average INR control during 30 days. The magnitudes were smaller when TTR was used to determine INR control.ConclusionsEven short periods of altered INR control is expected to have impact on life expectancy and QALYs among patients with AF

Applying Sens Capabilities Framework to Work Family Balance within a European Context: Theoretical and Empirical Challenges

This state of the art has two specific aims: One is to present the dominant theories and identify weaknesses in theories that have sought to explain the processes surrounding the division of time and paid/unpaid work in families, specifically addressing models of agency and work family balance. The second and main purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework and set of indicators for analyzing agency and work family balance in a complex and multi-layered universe of constraints and possibilities, of rights and capabilities to exercise them. This framework derives its inspiration from Amartya Sens framework on capabilities and agency freedom and much of the paper will be devoted to discussing the framework and the theoretical and empirical challenges that it poses for comparative welfare state research with a multi-level approach, that integrates the individual/household level, supra-national and national policy level and firm/work organizational level. The paper takes up theoretical and empirical challenges that Sens framework poses for welfare state research: How are the tensions and contradictions in WFB balance policy both within and beyond the nation state reflected in agency inequalities? How do institutional settings shape not only individual practices but also the perception of ones entitlement to make a claim, the conversion of rights into claims? How do we design research models that capture the multiple sites of claims making for WFB: household; work organization and the state? We present several models of capabilities incorporating a mutli-level framework of individual, institutional and societal resources. The assumptions in this model are applied to data in the 2004 wave of the European Social Survey

Fathers' time with children at the crossroads of the gender revolution: A comparative analysis in France, Italy, Sweden and the UK.

BACKGROUND According to recent literature the increasing women's labour market participation is only the first part of the so called gender revolution, while a second part is now unfolding, with an increased participation of men in family life with special attention to childcare. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to explore fathers' involvement in parenting tasks within different contexts in terms of gender regimes, family policies, and workplace culture. The idea is to evidence individual factors that may enable/challenge the capability of fathers to stay with children and care for them, and to suggest opportune father-friendly policies. METHODS Time with children is compared among a sample of fathers in Time Use survey in France (2009-2010), Italy (2008-09), Sweden (2000-2001) and the UK (2000). Three different measures of father involvement are examined: the total time father spend with their children, the time they spend alone with them, and their engagement in childcare activities. RESULTS Results show that distinct micro-level factors contribute in determining the three levels of father's commitment analysed. Few cross-countries differences emerge. Fathers' involvement is mainly determined by their work-related features, by their children characteristics, and by their partner's working schedules. Weekday and weekend differences are observed. The quantum of father engagement strongly depends on the countries' institutional context: it is the highest in Sweden and the lowest in Italy. CONTRIBUTION This comparative study shows the methodological importance of considering different measures of father involvement to understand how micro-level factors influence the time fathers spend with their children in different institutional context

In situ optimization methodology for the water circulation pumps frequency of ground source heat pump systems

[EN] This paper presents an experimental study of the influence of the water circulation pumps frequency atthe indoor and outdoor loops in the overall system performance of a ground source heat pump moni-tored plant, and describes a three steps new methodology to optimize the system energy performanceand obtain the values of the optimal frequencies when ON/OFF regulation is employed. The first stepconsists of several experimental tests of pseudo-random sequence of frequency steps for both, internaland external circulation pumps, carried out during a single day. The second step is the characterization ofthe quasi-steady state system performance as a function of circulation pumps frequencies. The final stepconsists of, by means of an analytical expression, the extrapolation of results to any partial load ratio,what allows finding the optimal frequency as a function of the instantaneous thermal load. The advantageof the proposed methodology is that it can be carried out on site and is able to consider the phenomenaoccurring at the heat pump and the ground source heat exchanger when the flow rates are varied. Themethodology can be applied to any installation incorporating variable speed circulation pumps. Resultsindicate large energy savings potential for this kind of installation.This work was supported by the European Commission under the FP7 framework project GROUND-MED: "Advanced ground source heat pump systems for heating and cooling in Mediterranean climate".Montagud Montalvá, CI.; Corberán Salvador, JM.; Montero Reguera, ÁE. (2014). In situ optimization methodology for the water circulation pumps frequency of ground source heat pump systems. Energy and Buildings. 68, A:42-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.09.030S425368,

T cells that cannot respond to TGF-β escape control by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (T reg) cells play a pivotal role in control of the immune response. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has been shown to be required for T reg cell activity; however, precisely how it is involved in the mechanism of suppression is poorly understood. Using the T cell transfer model of colitis, we show here that CD4+CD45RBhigh T cells that express a dominant negative TGF-β receptor type II (dnTβRII) and therefore cannot respond to TGF-β, escape control by T reg cells in vivo. CD4+CD25+ T reg cells from the thymus of dnTβRII mice retain the ability to inhibit colitis, suggesting that T cell responsiveness to TGF-β is not required for the development or peripheral function of thymic-derived T reg cells. In contrast, T reg cell activity among the peripheral dnTβRII CD4+CD25+ population is masked by the presence of colitogenic effector cells that cannot be suppressed. Finally, we show that CD4+CD25+ T reg cells develop normally in the absence of TGF-β1 and retain the ability to suppress colitis in vivo. Importantly, the function of TGF-β1−/− T reg cells was abrogated by anti–TGF-β monoclonal antibody, indicating that functional TGF-β can be provided by a non–T reg cell source