Behavioral effects on European perch (Perca fluviatilis) after exposure to a psychoactive pharmaceutical under different temperatures and predation risks

Användandet av antidepressiva och ångestdämpande läkemedel, som ex. oxazepam, ökar i samhället vilket kan leda till höga halter i våra vattendrag. Tidigare studier har visat att abborrar som blir utsatta för miljörelevanta koncentrationer av oxazepam ändrar sitt beteende. Denna studie undersöker om två ekologiskt viktiga beteenden hos abborre, aktivitet och socialitet, påverkas av vattentemperatur, predationsrisk och det ångestdämpande läkemedlet oxazepam. Studien gjordes på vilda juvenila abborrar (Perca fluviatilis) som fångades och hölls i ett labb där de senare exponerades under 7 dygn för behandlingar med oxazepam (10μg/L), eller utan, kombinerat med två olika temperaturer (10°C och 18°C) och predationstryck (risk att bli uppäten). Predationstryck simulerades genom att använda vatten från en fisktank med Gädda (Esox lucius). Resultatet visade att temperaturskillnaden påverkade abborrarna signifikant och abborrarna blev mer aktiva och sociala vid en högre temperatur. Däremot visade behandlingarna med oxazepam och predationstryck ingen effekt på varken socialitet eller aktivitet. En förklaring kan vara att den starka korrelationen mellan temperatur och beteende hämmade effekterna från de andra behandlingar.The use of antidepressants has increased rapidly over the past decades. Antidepressants can, according to previous studies, influence animal behavior, not least among fish. The purpose of this study was to explore how a common antidepressant (oxazepam) affects social and active behavior of fish. Wild juvenile European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were for 7 days exposed to the antidepressant oxazepam (10μg/L), or not, in combination with two levels of water temperatures (10°C and 18°C) and predation pressures. Predation pressure was simulated by using water from a fish tank with Northern pike (Esox lucius). Perch behavior was affected significantly by water temperature which resulted in more social and active behaviors in the higher temperature. However, treatments with oxazepam and predation pressure did not show any response. An explanation might be that the strong correlation between temperature and behavior depressed other treatments results

Rural-Urban Policies : Changing Conceptions of the Human-Environment Relationship

Peer reviewedPostprin

Att äga rum : En undersökning av skogsägande och lokal utveckling i tre värmländska församlingar

Karlsson, S. 2007: Att äga rum. En undersökning av skogsägande och lokal utveckling i tre värmländska församlingar. (Ruling Spaces. An Investigation of Forest Ownership and Local Development in Three Parishes in Värmland) This thesis explores the present ownership structure of forest estates in the province of Värmland, and in particular three parishes in Värmland and attempts to explain how the ownership structure has evolved to its present state. The purpose is to reveal the importance of this ownership structure for the development potential, expressed as the local population’s prospects of earning a living in forest regions. The empirical material is based on registers/databases from the tax authorities, Swedish Forest Agency and the County Administration Board. The thesis includes a survey among forest owners (landowners) in the region in focus for the thesis as well as living outside this region. Finally, interviews have been the basis for the work. The survey and the interviews were based on theories of property rights and institutional economy. The primary theoretical framework was based on local development theories. The ownership structure of forest estates in the province of Värmland is characterized by variation within the region. In the Western parts, small scale private ownership is dominant, where a majority of owners live near the estate/property, while in the Eastern parts, that historically has been a base for significant industrialized processing of natural resources, a very large share of the forest land is owned by a single corporation, Bergvik Skog AB. The Northern parts of Värmland are a mosaic of different owners where a large portion of the owners live in cities or regions far away. Another noteworthy actor is the Svenska Kyrkan (Church of Sweden) that locally has a dominant position in Värmland. The evolution of the ownership structure to its present state can be explained in terms of market economy that has nurtured rationalization acquisitions with the purpose of reducing the number of estates to instead arrive at a small number of larges estates. It is concluded that the number of forest owners that does not live near the estate/property has increased in the post-war era. This relationship relates to the urbanization caused by, among other factors, well developed rationalization within the agricultural and forestry sectors in the region. It is also pointed out that the legislation around acquisition of land has influenced the development. The survey together with the interviews conclude that the ownership structure does not have a significant impact on the local population’s development strategies. Nor does the locally high share of owners not living near the estate seem to be an important factor. The thesis is concluded by raising questions around the aspect of obligations when forests are owned by others than the local population. KEY WORDS: Forest owners, property rights, rural development, the province of Värmland, Swede

Power Transformer Monitoring and Diagnosis using Transformer Explorer

Power transformers are one of the most expensive and vital components in the power system. A sudden failure could be a very costly process for both the transformer owner and the society. Several monitoring and diagnostic techniques have been developed over the last decades to detect incipient transformer problems at an early stage, so that planned outages for maintenance and reparation can be carried out in time. However, the majority of these methods are only secondary indicators which do not address the transformers fundamental function: to transfer electric energy between different voltage levels with turn ratio, short-circuit impedance and power loss within acceptable limits. Transformer Explorer is a concept developed by ABB which utilizes ordinary current and voltage signals available in the substation to extract transformer fundamental parameters such as: turn ratio, magnetizing current, impedance and power loss, which has significant diagnostic value. By estimating these parameters the method should be able to detect a number of problems related to the windings and the magnetic circuit of the transformer. Transformer Explorer is expected to find it's application in two different versions, either as an permanent on-line monitoring and diagnostic tool or as a short-time version for temporary measurements. The thesis could be divided into three main parts. The first one focusing on a quantitative study trying to answer questions regarding the concepts feasibility when the temporary version is used. The second part is about optimizing and improving the procedure by which the fundamental parameters are estimated. In the last part, a new method for reducing the impact of errors introduced by the acquisition system on the estimated power loss is proposed. All the investigations related to the three topics covered in this thesis showed interesting and promising results

Power Transformer Monitoring and Diagnosis using Transformer Explorer

Power transformers are one of the most expensive and vital components in the power system. A sudden failure could be a very costly process for both the transformer owner and the society. Several monitoring and diagnostic techniques have been developed over the last decades to detect incipient transformer problems at an early stage, so that planned outages for maintenance and reparation can be carried out in time. However, the majority of these methods are only secondary indicators which do not address the transformers fundamental function: to transfer electric energy between different voltage levels with turn ratio, short-circuit impedance and power loss within acceptable limits. Transformer Explorer is a concept developed by ABB which utilizes ordinary current and voltage signals available in the substation to extract transformer fundamental parameters such as: turn ratio, magnetizing current, impedance and power loss, which has significant diagnostic value. By estimating these parameters the method should be able to detect a number of problems related to the windings and the magnetic circuit of the transformer. Transformer Explorer is expected to find it's application in two different versions, either as an permanent on-line monitoring and diagnostic tool or as a short-time version for temporary measurements. The thesis could be divided into three main parts. The first one focusing on a quantitative study trying to answer questions regarding the concepts feasibility when the temporary version is used. The second part is about optimizing and improving the procedure by which the fundamental parameters are estimated. In the last part, a new method for reducing the impact of errors introduced by the acquisition system on the estimated power loss is proposed. All the investigations related to the three topics covered in this thesis showed interesting and promising results

Onnistunut täydennysohjelmiston käyttöönottoprojekti; toimittajan näkökulma

Supply chain software and supply chain management information systems are an increasingly important e-business technology used for managing processes and coordinating information among the customers and suppliers of a supply chain. Replenishment software is a type of supply chain software which is used to support or automate the replenishment process. Replenishment software is usually delivered to the customer as an implementation project. This master's thesis examines how to conduct a replenishment software implementation project successfully from the vendor's perspective. A large proportion of the research conducted in the area of large IT implementations is from the adopting organization's (customer) perspective. Little research has been done on implementation projects from the software vendor's point of view. The research problem is first approached from the theoretical viewpoint by conducting a literature review. The main elements that are examined are the definition of project success, IT -enabled business process re-engineering (BPR), critical success factors of IT projects and risk management in IT projects. The findings of the literature review are refined in an empirical study by conducting expert interviews and exploring case projects in a client company. In replenishment software implementation projects, there are many critical areas contributing to project success that the vendor can't directly affect. As a result of the thesis, a phased implementation project model is proposed. In addition, critical success factors and risk management considerations from the vendor's point of view are presented. The main contribution of the thesis is that it provides insights on what the vendor can do to maximize the success potential of its implementation projects. In projects of this kind, where a large proportion of the success lies within the hands of the customer, the vendor must know what a successful implementation entails and be able to steer the customer into the right direction.Toimitusketjuohjelmistot ovat yhä enenevässä määrin tärkeä osa toimitusketjun hallintaa. Niiden avulla hallitaan prosesseja ja koordinoidaan tietoa toimitusketjun eri toimijoiden välillä. Täydennysohjelmisto on toimitusketjuohjelmiston muoto, jonka avulla täydennysprosessia voidaan tukea ja automatisoida. Täydennysohjelmisto toimitetaan yleensä asiakkaalle käyttöönottoprojektina. Diplomityössä tutkitaan kuinka täydennysohjelmiston käyttöönottoprojekti voidaan suorittaa onnistuneesti toimittajan näkökulmasta. Suurin osa IT-käyttöönottoprojekteihin keskittyvästä kirjallisuudesta on tehty asiakasorganisaation näkökulmasta. Ohjelmistotoimittajan näkökulmasta tehtyjä tutkimuksia ei esiinny laajasti. Tutkimusongelmaa lähestytään ensin teoreettisesta näkökulmasta suorittamalla kirjallisuuskatsaus. Käsiteltävät pääteemat ovat projektin onnistumisen käsite, IT:n mahdollistama liiketoimintaprosessin uudistaminen (BPR), IT-projektien kriittiset menestystekijät ja riskien hallinta IT -projekteissa. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen tuloksia jalostetaan empiirisessä tutkimuksessa, jossa haastatellaan asiantuntijoita ja suoritetaan case-tutkimus toimeksiantajan projekteista. Diplomityön keskeisenä tuloksena esitetään vaiheistettu käyttöönottoprojektimalli. Lisäksi esitellään projektien kriittiset menestystekijät ja riskien hallintamalli toimittajan näkökulmasta. Diplomityö tarjoaa uutta tietoa siitä, miten täydennysohjelmiston toimittaja voi maksimoida käyttöönottoprojektiensa onnistumisen mahdollisuudet. Projekteissa joissa suuri osa onnistumisen edellytyksistä on asiakkaan käsissä, toimittajan on ymmärrettävä mitä onnistuneeseen läpivientiin vaaditaan ja kyettävä ohjaamaan asiakasta oikeaan suuntaan