Inner Courtyard at Hovdala castle : possible future design

Hovdala slott ligger mjukt inbäddat i en sänka vid Göingeåsen och nära Finjasjön, ungefär 7 km söder om Hässleholm i Skåne. Gården som har anor från medeltiden, ägs idag av Statens fastighetsverk, medan Hässleholms kommun har hand om drift och skötsel. 1947 blev det byggnadsminnesförklarat och fungerar idag som rekreationsområde för allmänheten. Målet med detta arbete är att presentera ett gestaltningsförslag till inre borggården, med syftet att levandegöra och tillföra mervärde, utan att förstöra de befintliga värdena. Ödmjukhet inför den enkla och rofyllda miljön har varit viktig. Genom undersökning av historisk bakgrund baserad på dokumentation och litteraturstudier presenteras här ett gestaltningsförslag som bygger på olika lager och belyser olika tidsperioder i platsens historia. Resultatet är en formgivning med stora variationsmöjliget i upplevelser och funktioner, som skapats genom planteringar med växtmaterial i olika nivåskikt, sittplatser och umgängesytor. Slutsatsen är att det är möjligt att göra gestaltning med historiska aspekter som inspirationskälla och genom den skapa nya värden som kan aktivera besökarna och levandegör platsen mer än tidigare.Hovdala castle is softly nestled in a valley at Göinge ridge and near Finjasjön, about 7 kilometers south of Hässleholm in Skåne. The farm, which dates back to medieval times, is now owned by the National Property Board, while Hässleholm in charge of operation and maintenance. 1947 was declared the monument and now serves as a recreational area for the public. The goal of this work is to present a design proposal to the inner courtyard, in order to bring to life and add value, without destroying the existing worth. Humility before the simple and serene environment has been important. Through examination of the historical background based on documentation and literature studies presented here a design proposal based on different layers and highlights the different periods in the history. The result is a design with large variations in sensations and functions, created by plantations of plant material in different level layers, various seating and contact surfaces. The conclusion is that it is possible to design with historical aspects as inspiration and through the creation of new values that can turn your visitors and animates the place more than before

MROS: Runtime Adaptation For Robot Control Architectures

Known attempts to build autonomous robots rely on complex control architectures, often implemented with the Robot Operating System platform (ROS). Runtime adaptation is needed in these systems, to cope with component failures and with contingencies arising from dynamic environments-otherwise, these affect the reliability and quality of the mission execution. Existing proposals on how to build self-adaptive systems in robotics usually require a major re-design of the control architecture and rely on complex tools unfamiliar to the robotics community. Moreover, they are hard to reuse across applications. This paper presents MROS: a model-based framework for run-time adaptation of robot control architectures based on ROS. MROS uses a combination of domain-specific languages to model architectural variants and captures mission quality concerns, and an ontology-based implementation of the MAPE-K and meta-control visions for run-time adaptation. The experiment results obtained applying MROS in two realistic ROS-based robotic demonstrators show the benefits of our approach in terms of the quality of the mission execution, and MROS' extensibility and re-usability across robotic applications

High methylmercury in Arctic and subarctic ponds is related to nutrient levels in the warming eastern Canadian Arctic

Permafrost thaw ponds are ubiquitous in the eastern Canadian Arctic, yet little information exists on their potential as sources of methylmercury (MeHg) to freshwaters. They are microbially active and conducive to methylation of inorganic mercury, and are also affected by Arctic warming. This multiyear study investigated thaw ponds in a discontinuous permafrost region in the Subarctic taiga (Kuujjuarapik-Whapmagoostui, QC) and a continuous permafrost region in the Arctic tundra (Bylot Island, NU). MeHg concentrations in thaw ponds were well above levels measured in most freshwater ecosystems in the Canadian Arctic (>0.1 ng L−1). On Bylot, ice-wedge trough ponds showed significantly higher MeHg (0.3−2.2 ng L−1) than polygonal ponds (0.1−0.3 ng L−1) or lakes (<0.1 ng L−1). High MeHg was measured in the bottom waters of Subarctic thaw ponds near Kuujjuarapik (0.1−3.1 ng L−1). High water MeHg concentrations in thaw ponds were strongly correlated with variables associated with high inputs of organic matter (DOC, a320, Fe), nutrients (TP, TN), and microbial activity (dissolved CO2 and CH4). Thawing permafrost due to Arctic warming will continue to release nutrients and organic carbon into these systems and increase ponding in some regions, likely stimulating higher water concentrations of MeHg. Greater hydrological connectivity from permafrost thawing may potentially increase transport of MeHg from thaw ponds to neighboring aquatic ecosystems

Redefining the role of wetlands as methyl mercury sources

Current literature identifies boreal wetlands as net sources for the potent neurotoxin methyl mercury (MeHg). Combined with national environmental aims of restoration of previously drained wetlands, there is a possible conflict between the ecological benefits of wetlands and their role as MeHg sources. This thesis presents a four-year study of seven Swedish boreal wetlands of different nutrient status subjected to restoration measures. Wetlands were characterized according to climate/geography, vegetation type and ancillary chemistry. Mercury (Hg) biogeochemistry was assessed by determination of proxies for long- and short-term net MeHg production rates in soils, i.e., %MeHg (of total Hg) and potential methylation and demethylation rate constants (km and kd). MeHg exports from each wetland catchment were calculated. In addition, each wetland was assessed as a net MeHg source or sink, based on mass balance budgets. Results follow similar patterns for %MeHg, km/kd and budgets among the wetlands. The nutrient status of the wetlands affect the net production of MeHg, with wetlands of intermediate nutrient status, i.e., poor-fen types of wetlands, having the highest %MeHg, km/kd and the largest net output of MeHg. MeHg budget results showed that six out of seven wetlands were net MeHg sources. The MeHg output varied more among wetlands, than before and after restoration measures of an individual wetland. This suggests that the nutrient status of a wetland is more important to the MeHg production than the performed restoration measures. A nutrient-rich Alnus glutinosa swamp was a net sink for MeHg during the entire study period. A spatial analysis along a gradient into the Alnus swamp showed an increased degradation of MeHg in the swamp soil. Snapshot budgets from nine additional swamps suggest that net degradation of MeHg is a general phenomenon for Alnus swamps. Results from this thesis have implications for forest managers and landscape planners. Previously drained wetlands can be restored based on informed decisions, avoiding restoration of poor-fen types of wetlands. In addition, Alnus swamps should be maintained and restored if possible, helping to mitigate the production of MeHg in boreal landscapes

"Hela öns vemod och hela havets enslighet hade krupit in i dem" : En ekokritisk analys av Tove Janssons Trollvinter och Pappan och havet

Denna uppsats studerar naturens påverkan på karaktärerna i Tove Janssons böcker Trollvinter och Pappan och havet. Utifrån ekokritik och begreppen pastoralen och den vilda naturen presenteras hur denna påverkan gestaltar sig samt vilka följder den får. Uppsatsen understryker vikten av att ta naturens roll i beaktande vid analys av karaktärerna, vilka bland annat erfar en ökad självständighet samt fördjupad självinsikt grundad i olika naturtyper

Modellering och hardware-in-the-loopsimulering av kontaktordynamik : Mekanik, elektromagnetism och mjukvara

This master thesis’s subject is to model an ABB contactor’s dynamics and to develop a hardware-in-the-loop simulation environment. The hardware-in-the-loop method utilizes computer models that are simulated in a real-time simulator. The real-time simulator is connected to hardware components. A contactor is an electrically controlled mechanical switching device and it is used in circuits where large currents can occur. In this thesis, the contactor is divided into three separate subsystems and models are developed for each of them. The three subsystems correspond to the contactor’s mechanics, electromagnetics and electronic components. Computer models are implemented in MATLAB and Simulink to realize the subsystems. The hardware part, of the hardware-in-the-loop simulations, consists of electronic parts that are not modeled. To connect the hardware part to a real-time simulator, from dSPACE, a hardware interface was constructed. This report focuses on the modeling of the mechanics and the electromagnetics as well as the software implementations. The thesis work was carried out in collaboration with another student. The focuses of his report are the modeling of the electronics and the construction of the hardware interface. Validation of the hardware-in-the-loop simulations is done by using measurements collected from a real contactor. The conclusion is that the simulations of the contactor’s behavior correspond well with a real contactor

Planera och improvisera : En studie om hur musiklärare arbetar med högt presterande musikelever på högstadiet

Validerat; 20120822 (anonymous

Trunk and branches : aspects of tree imagery in Toni Morrison's Beloved

The intention with this essay is to examine the symbolic meaning of trees in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Trees are repeatedly mentioned throughout the novel and in this essay the trees are claimed to carry various meanings. A main usage of tree imagery is argued to be in connection to the life and death struggles of the main characters. The relation between tree imagery and slavery, and the effects of this relation, is also analysed

"Hela öns vemod och hela havets enslighet hade krupit in i dem" : En ekokritisk analys av Tove Janssons Trollvinter och Pappan och havet

Denna uppsats studerar naturens påverkan på karaktärerna i Tove Janssons böcker Trollvinter och Pappan och havet. Utifrån ekokritik och begreppen pastoralen och den vilda naturen presenteras hur denna påverkan gestaltar sig samt vilka följder den får. Uppsatsen understryker vikten av att ta naturens roll i beaktande vid analys av karaktärerna, vilka bland annat erfar en ökad självständighet samt fördjupad självinsikt grundad i olika naturtyper