The Exit of Pharmacia and Regional Growth

In this paper we ask whether the withdrawal of a major employer (Pharmacia) from a region in Sweden (Uppsala) has had a negative effect on employment growth. We explore the possibility that the exit of Pharmacia may not have had a negative effect on the total employment in the region. It might be the case that new innovative resources with economic potential have been released due to the withdrawal leading to new firm formation and expansion of existing firms. We find no evidence that the withdrawal has led to a negative effect on employment growth in the region.exit; regional growths; start-ups; entry

Titanium Implants – A Comparison of a Swedish and an Ohio Firm

Two firms in the health care market are studied in a case study of the introduction of two almost identical innovations. The two firms, both in the titanium implant business have been chosen so that they match when it comes to origin, technology and customers. But the diffusion occurred in two different (institutional) environments, the Swedish and the US. The whole process from invention to innovation and diffusion in the market is studied. The analysis takes its starting point in competence bloc theory (a Schumpeterian theory). We find that the institutional environment is crucial for firm growth.invention; innovation; institutional environment; titanium implants

Internal frost damage in concrete - experimental studies of destruction mechanisms

The aim of the study was to identify mechanisms acting at internal frost destruction of concrete. By 'internal frost destruction' is meant damage caused inside concrete that is moisture insulated from the surroundings, i.e. when no moisture exchange with the surroundings is possible during freeze-thaw. Thus, the aim was not to investigate destruction processes (scaling) taking place at the surface of concrete exposed to water or salt solution. The aim should be reached by experimental work at which different parameters, that are supposed to influence destruction, such as concrete quality, moisture content, freezing rate, and duration of freezing temperature were varied independently of each other. The effect of these parameters on formation of ice, and on the behaviour of the concrete during freeze-thaw should be monitored. In this way it was imagined that the individual effect of each fundamental parameter could be identified. The aim was to use the experimental results to test different existing destruction theories like the hydraulic pressure theory and the microscopic ice lens theory. The aim was not to build a quantitative model for internal frost destruction

Textile architecture – about sound absorbing facades and textiles in urban landscapes

The exhibition “Textile architecture” features the result of how two architects and a textile designer have collaborated and experimented with designing textile modules to improve the sound landscape in urban spaces.\ua0The exhibition is one of the results of an artistic research project, “Urban Materiality – Towards New Collaborations in Textile and Architectural Design”, with funding from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsr\ue5det) /Artistic research, that is ongoing from 2016 to 2019.Exhibited at\ua0Form/Design Center in Malm\uf6, vernissage 13 November 2019, exhibition open 13 November 2019 till 12 January 2020

Measuring forest fuel quality for trade and production management

An increased use of forest fuels resulted in a new Timber Measurement Act, specifying the requirements for measurements of these assortments. The law has increased the demands when measuring quality parameters, e.g. moisture and ash content. This thesis aims to a) develop a robust validation method for measurement precision and accuracy; b) validate instruments using electric capacitance (CAP), magnetic resonance (MR), near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and X-ray technologies for moisture content determination; and c) evaluate the possibility to determine other parameters using x-ray data. The tested instruments had similar measurement precision. All except for the CAP produced 95% of their measurements within less than ± 2.5 percentage points of the mean. The accuracy of moisture content measurements varied between; instruments, moisture content classes, and forest fuel materials, as well as between frozen and unfrozen materials. MR was the only instrument that was not sensitive to fuel material. MR showed the highest measuring accuracy and CAP the lowest. The X-ray instrument could determine ash content and net calorific value, but the latter needed calibration. It was possible to estimate the proportion of fines and median particle size accurately using X-ray data. The capacitance instrument is easy to transport and use in the field, but the other instruments are intended for use at a measurement station. A calibration of the instruments would benefit from precisely defined fuel assortments, as would the customers, who could use it to optimize combustion. Automated methods to verify the delivered fuel assortment are required, e.g. by NIR or X-ray sensors. The oven-drying method and all studied instruments determine moisture content on samples, and the sampling procedure is crucial to accurately estimate the mean and sample variance. The sampling problem could be minimised if measurements could involve most of the load otherwise a sufficient number of samples must be taken. A cost-efficient measurement procedure requires a balance of sampling intensity vs measurement costs and benefits. A fast moisture measurement procedure that enables customer to optimize combustion can be more cost-effective than the oven-drying method, especially if it provides additional data

Tidsbegränsade anställningar - faktorer som påverkar sannolikheten att ha ett tidsbegränsat arbete, samt inkomstskillnader mellan fasta och tidsbegränsade jobb

Det finns två kategorier av anställningsformer, fasta och tidsbegränsade. Andelen tidsbegränsade arbeten har ökat under de senaste två decennierna. För den anställde kan tidsbegränsad anställning vara ett ofrivilligt val. Anställningsformen innebär ofta större osäkerhet för individen, men kan även innebära andra begränsningar. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar sannolikheten att vara tidsbegränsat anställd, samt att undersöka inkomstskillnader mellan olika anställningsformer. För att genomföra studien används datamaterial från arbetskraftsundersökningarna. En binär och en multinominal logistisk modell används för att skatta sannolikheter och ett par inkomstregressioner skattas. Studien omfattar åren 1997 till 2004 och gäller svenska förhållanden. Studien visar att ålder och födelseland är två viktiga faktorer som påverkar sannolikheten att ha en tidsbegränsad anställning. Yngre och utlandsfödda har högre sannolikhet att ha ett tidsbegränsat arbete, allt annat lika. Även sektor, bransch, socioekonomisk status och familjeförhållanden påverkar sannolikheten. Det finns ingen signifikant skillnad mellan könen när det gäller sannolikheten att ha en tidsbegränsad anställning. Delas tidsbegränsade anställningar upp i olika kategorier framkommer dock skillnader. Kvinnor har högre sannolikhet att ha ett vikariat, men lägre sannolikhet att ha en prov-, projekt- eller behovsanställning i jämförelse med män. Det finns flera teorier som kan förklara olika delar av resultaten, de viktigaste berör fasta arbetskraftskostnader, dual arbetsmarknad, screening, och olika preferenser. Fast anställda var den grupp som hade högst årsarbetsinkomst och behovsanställda den grupp som hade lägst, om kategorin övriga tidsbegränsade anställda bortses från. På grund av datamaterialets kvalitet går det dock inte att dra någon slutsats om huruvida inkomstskillnaderna mellan fast anställda och tillfälligt anställda beror på skillnader i individ- och jobbkaraktäristiska eller på diskriminering