Analysis of Geo-Energy System with Focus on Borehole Thermal Energy Storage

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems have become more popular lately both for residential space heating and for commercial applications. GSHP systems can use water, ground or the bedrock as a thermal source. The energy extracted is regarded as a renewable energy-source and it consists of both stored solar energy and a share of geothermal energy. A borehole thermal storage (BTES) consists of boreholes drilled in a specific pattern with a few meters in-between. A BTES can be used for both heating during winter and cooling during summer. The stable temperature of the bedrock provides good performance as long as the balance between extracted and injected heat is kept. With increasing size of GSHP-systems it is desirable to simulate the systems and to perform optimization and life cycle analysis to justify investments. There are several existing software that can simulate a BTES but they are either working with too large time steps or they are too complicated for industrial usage. Within this thesis a short time-step model of a BTES is constructed based on existing research. The model is validated using existing simulation software and then demonstrated within a simplified GSHP-system

Impact of asthma medication and familial factors on the association between childhood asthma and attention-defict/hyperactivity disorder : a combined twin- and register-based study

BACKGROUND: Asthma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are prevalent in childhood and may cause functional impairment and stress in families. Previous research supports an association between asthma and ADHD in children, but several aspects of this relationship are unclear. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to study whether the association between asthma and ADHD is restricted to either the inattentive or the hyperactive/impulsive symptoms of ADHD, to explore the impact of asthma severity and asthma medication and the contribution of shared genetic and environmental risk factors on the asthma-ADHD relationship. METHODS: Data on asthma, ADHD, zygosity and possible confounders were collected from parental questionnaires at 9 or 12 years on 20 072 twins through the Swedish Twin Register, linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register, the National Patient Register and the Prescribed Drug Register. The association between asthma and ADHD, the impact of asthma severity and medication, was assessed by generalized estimating equations. Cross-twin-cross-trait correlations (CTCT) were estimated to explore the relative importance of genes and environment for the association. RESULTS: Asthmatic children had a higher risk of also having ADHD [odds ratio (OR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16-2.02]. The association was not restricted to either of the two dimensions of ADHD. The magnitude of the association increased with asthma severity (OR 2.84, 95% CI: 1.86-4.35) for ≥ 4 asthma attacks in the last 12 months and was not affected by asthma treatment. The CTCTs possibly indicate that the genetic component in overlap of the disorders is weak. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Childhood asthma, especially severe asthma, is associated with ADHD. Asthma medication seems not to increase the risk of ADHD. Clinicians should be aware of the potential of ADHD in asthma. Optimal asthma care needs to be integrated with effective evaluation and treatment of ADHD in children with co-existing disordersNoneNoneAccepte

Closer Starfish: A research project investigating freight distribution cooperation opportunities in Sweden

Horizontal cooperation, when companies on the same level in the supply chain cooperate, is a concept that has received increased focus during the last decade and has been examined in both the Benelux and the UK. In Sweden, the horizontal cooperation has only been examined on a smaller scale in remote areas. We have carried out a quantitative case study, examining horizontal cooperation at the network level. Seven companies--two retailers (Coop and ICA) and five suppliers (Findus, Arvid Nordquist, Löfbergs Lila, Cloetta, and KåKå) participated in the study and have contributed transportation and cost data. The analysis has tested various coalitions of the participating companies and the study shows, in line with previous research, that companies have the ability to reduce their transport costs. Cooperation between a large actor and one or more smaller companies shows a potential cost savings between 1 and 10%. Cooperations between the smaller actors indicate potential cost savings of more than 20%. However, there are uncertainties in the data concerning the smaller companies and therefore, further analysis is needed in order to investigate how these potentials are to be realized. Closer Starfish shows that there is a large potential to reduce costs if companies combine horizontal and vertical cooperation. The companies have a great possibility to make their transports more efficient by cooperating outside of their own supply chain. In order to maximize the likelihood of this possibility it is important to further study in more depth coalitions with both horizontal and vertical cooperation in order to investigate how to realize the identified potential in practice

Microalgae-utilizing biorefinery concept for pulp and paper industry: Converting secondary streams into value-added products

Traditional pulp and paper industry is in transition due to increased competition and changes in consumption habits. Advanced biorefining is seen as one option to create new business opportunities. This article presents a microalgae-utilizing biorefinery which is integrated into a traditional pulp and paper mill and which produces high-value algal products, fertilizer and biogas from secondary process streams. Presented biorefinery process is validated with mass balances, employing initial data from a Scandinavian pulp and paper mill. Results indicate that the proposed process is technically viable. Production potential is sensitive to light and nutrient availability in algae cultivation, and seasonal changes in irradiance result in significant output variation. The biorefinery process can be generalized to other process industry and wastewater treatment plants that have similar output flows.Peer reviewe

Sprogsamarbejde i Norden 2001

[Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel

Nordisk Sprogråd 2002

[Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel

Sprogsamarbejde i Norden 2000

[Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel

Predictors of early death in female patients with breast cancer in the UK: a cohort study.

Objective To identify factors predicting early death in women with breast cancer. Design Cohort study. Setting 29 trusts across seven cancer networks in the North Thames area. Participants 15 037 women with primary breast cancer diagnosed between January 1996 and December 2005. Methods Logistic regression analyses to determine predictors of early death and factors associated with lack of surgical treatment. Main exposures Age at diagnosis, mode of presentation, ethnicity, disease severity, comorbidities, treatment and period of diagnosis in relation to the Cancer Plan (the NHS's strategy in 2000 for investment in and reform of cancer services). Main outcome measures Death from any cause within 1 year of diagnosis, and receipt of surgical treatment. Results By 31 December 2006, 4765 women had died, 980 in the year after diagnosis. Older age and disease severity independently predicted early death. Women over 80 were more likely to die early than women under 50 (OR 8.05, 95% CI 5.96 to 10.88). Presence of distant metastases on diagnosis increased the odds of early death more than eightfold (OR 8.41, 95% CI 6.49 to 10.89). Two or more recorded comorbidities were associated with a nearly fourfold increase. There was a significant decrease in odds associated with surgery (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.35). Independently of disease severity and comorbidities, women over 70 were less likely than those under 50 to be treated surgically and this was even more pronounced in those aged over 80 (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.10). Other factors independently associated with a reduced likelihood of surgery included a non-screening presentation, non-white ethnicity and additional comorbidities. Conclusions These findings may partially explain the survival discrepancies between the UK and other European countries in female patients with breast cancer. The study identifies a group of women with a particularly poor prognosis for whom interventions aiming at early detection may be targeted

A study on the movement of international vehicles in Denmark

An open European market for goods and services, including transport services, stimulates trade, global competitiveness and economic growth. At the same time, concerns about domestic job security and the environment have sparked debate. This report should be considered a first modest contribution to a mainly unexplored area in the past. Cabotagestudien consists of a walkthrough of previous research on road freight transport deregulation, a data collection of the movements of international trucks in Scandinavia, method validation and statistical comparison Parts of the data collection presented in this report are based on an innovative app for truck counting that registers vehicle movements with the assistance of 8 000 volunteers. Given the novelty of the methods employed and the lack of statistics, the results must be interpreted by keeping in mind the underlying assumptions of this report

Ambulance clinicians’ attitudes to older patients’ self‐determination when the patient has impaired decision‐making ability: A Delphi study

Abstract: Objective: The proportion of older people is increasing and reflects in the demand on ambulance services (AS). Patients can be more vulnerable and increasingly dependent, especially when their decision‐making ability is impaired. Self‐determination in older people has a positive relation to quality of life and can raise ethical conflicts in AS. Hence, the aim of this study was to empirically explore attitudes among Swedish ambulance clinicians (ACs) regarding older patients’ self‐determination in cases where patients have impaired decision‐making ability, and who are in urgent need of care. Materials and methods: An explorative design was adopted. A Delphi technique was used, comprising four rounds, involving a group (N = 31) of prehospital emergency nurses (n = 14), registered nurses (n = 10) and emergency medical technicians (n = 7). Focus group conversations (Round 1) and questionnaires (Rounds 2–4) generated data. Round 1 was analysed using manifest content analysis, which ultimately resulted in the creation of discrete items. Each item was rated with a five‐point Likert scale together with free‐text answers. Consensus (≥70%) was calculated by trichotomising the Likert scale. Results: Round 1 identified 108 items which were divided into four categories: (1) attitudes regarding the patient (n = 35), (2) attitudes regarding the patient relationship (n = 8), (3) attitudes regarding oneself and one's colleagues (n = 45), and (4) attitudes regarding other involved factors (n = 20). In Rounds 2–4, one item was identified in the free text from Round 2, generating a total of 109 items. After four rounds, 72 items (62%) reached consensus. Conclusions: The findings highlight the complexity of ACs’ attitudes towards older patients’ self‐determination. The respect of older patients’ self‐determination is challenged by the patient, other healthcare personnel, significant others and/or colleagues. The study provided a unique opportunity to explore self‐determination and shared decision‐making. AS have to provide continued ethical training, for example to increase the use of simulation‐based training or moral case deliberations in order to strengthen the ACs’ moral abilities within their professional practice. Implications for practice: Ambulance services must develop opportunities to provide continued training within this topic. One option would be to increase the use of simulation‐based training, focusing on ethical aspects of the care. Another option might be to facilitate moral case deliberations to strengthen the ACs’ abilities to manage these issues while being able to share experiences with peers. These types of interventions should illuminate the importance of the topic for the individual AC, which, in turn, may strengthen and develop the caring abilities within an integrated care team.Peer reviewe