Control Synthesis for Multi-Agent Systems under Metric Interval Temporal Logic Specifications

This paper presents a framework for automatic synthesis of a control sequence for multi-agent systems governed by continuous linear dynamics under timed constraints. First, the motion of the agents in the workspace is abstracted into individual Transition Systems (TS). Second, each agent is assigned with an individual formula given in Metric Interval Temporal Logic (MITL) and in parallel, the team of agents is assigned with a collaborative team formula. The proposed method is based on a correct-by-construction control synthesis method, and hence guarantees that the resulting closed-loop system will satisfy the specifications. The specifications considers boolean-valued properties under real-time. Extended simulations has been performed in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed controllers.Comment: 8 pages version of the accepted paper to IFAC World Congres

Mastcellens roll vid atopisk dermatit hos hund

SAMMANFATTNING Denna litteraturstudie har gjorts med syfte att utöka kunskapen om atopisk dermatit hos hund med fokus på mastcellens roll i immunopatogenesen. Atopisk dermatit är en relativt vanlig sjukdom som kan drabba alla hundar oavsett ras; den är oftast livslång och kräver visst arbete för att diagnosticera och behandla med gott resultat. Förutom att det är ett problem hos hundar, finns även ett nära samband med atopiska sjukdomar hos människa, och hundar fungerar som en bra modell för forskning på humansidan. Trots omfattande forskning, vet man fortfarande inte varför sjukdomen uppkommer. Många teorier finns kring den immunologiska bakgrunden, men stora delar är fortfarande okända. Att mastcellen spelar en nyckelroll är dock allmänt vedertaget. Mastcellens konstanta placering ute i vävnaden, samt dess karaktäristiska innehåll av granula med många olika mediatorer, möjliggör ett snabbt och specifikt inflammationssvar mot inkommande ämnen och organismer. Hos atopiska hundar har man upptäckt överaktiva mastceller som utsöndrar större mängd mediatorer och bidrar till att driva inflammationen mot ett felaktigt Th2-svar, med överproduktion av allergenspecifika IgE-antikroppar som följd.   SUMMARY This literature study has been done in order to increase the knowledge of atopic dermatitis in dogs, with focus on the mast cell's role in the immune pathogenesis. Atopic dermatitis is a relatively common disorder that can affect all dogs regardless of breed; it is usually lifelong and requires some work to diagnose and to treat successfully. Apart from being a problem in dogs, it is also closely related to atopic diseases in humans, and dogs have been shown to act as good model for research on human disease. Despite extensive research, the cause of the disease it is still not known. Many theories exist about the immunological background, but large parts are still unknown. That the mast cell plays a key role is though widely accepted. The mast cell’s constant location in tissues, and its characteristic content of granules with a variety of mediators, enables a rapid and specific inflammatory response against foreign substances and organisms. In atopic dogs, hyperactive mast cells have been discovered that secrete large amount of mediators and participate in driving the inflammation against a detrimental Th2 response, with overproduction of allergen-specific IgE antibodies as a result

The effect of sanitary and phytosanitary measures on EU exports: The case of agri-food products

With protectionism on a global rise, non-tariff measures have been an object for public debates and research, as the work of WTO has reduced the possibilities of raising traditional trade restrictions as customs tariffs. Hence governments have turned to non-tariff measures and regulatory standards to fulfill their agendas. This study aims at shedding light on the question of whether non-tariff measures, and particularly sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, have been decreasing trade between 2002 and 2017. This is conducted by investigating the effects of EU exports of agri-food products as the importer imposes an SPS measure towards these products. The result is estimated by applying Ordinary Least Squares and Pseudo-Poisson Maximum Likelihood to the gravity model of trade. The data sets include EU export of agri-food gods to 122 countries during 2002-2017. This study does not find any decreases in EU exports. However, the results are mostly insignificant and any definite conclusion can not be drawn. There is, however, significant proof of a decrease in exports towards low-income countries as these impose SPS measures

Sojabönsorters groningsdynamik i förhållande till vanliga vårgroende ogräs

Soybeans are one the most traded crops in the world with main production areas in north and south America. Europe only produces 5 % of its domestic need for soybean. In the Nemoral zone of northern Europe no commercial cultivation of soybeans exists today. However, between 1940 -1960 there existed a breeding programme for soybeans in Sweden, but it never reached a commercial scale. Soybeans are interesting to introduce to Swedish organic farming for replacing imported soymeal in animal diets as well as for direct human consumption. To expand the soybean production further north more knowledge about soybeans maturity timing and temperature requirements during the major phenological stages needs to be acquired. An important trait for cultivation of soybeans in the Nemoral zone is capacity to germinate under the low temperatures which in this zone are common in spring. This thesis aims to study three germination dynamics parameters of soybeans; the base temperature for germination (Tb), growing degree days to 50 % germination (GDD50) and the maximum germination rate (b). Secondly, this study aims to investigate if there is an increased tolerance of germination under low temperatures for modern cultivars compared to historic Swedish cultivars. Thirdly, germination dynamic parameters of the most common weed species were studied with the aim to gather more information about weed-crop competition dynamics and possible implications on non-chemical weed management practices. In total 12 soybean cultivars and 10 weed species were studied. Germination experiments were carried out in climate chambers with 12 constant temperatures between 0 – 40 °C. Log logistic functions were used for estimation of the mentioned germination dynamic parameters. The results showed that there were significant differences regarding Tb, GDD50 and b between the studied soybean cultivars. There were also significant differences between modern cultivars and the historic cultivar ‘Fiskeby V’. Germination dynamic parameters of the studied weed species varied greatly. Based on the study results it can be concluded that a selection of soybean cultivars with contrasting germination dynamic parameters compared to the main weed species can help to optimise the timing of non-chemical weed management measures. Further it can be concluded that the studied parameters could be included in the future soybean breeding programs aiming for the adaptation of this crop to northern climates

Varför ska vi acceptera det som kränker, chockar eller stör? - Om skyddet för yttrandefrihet och regleringen av hets mot folkgrupp i ljuset av rättsfilosofiska yttrandefrihetsargument och intersektionell teori

Syftet med förevarande framställning är att undersöka hur regleringen av hets mot folkgrupp i 16 kap. 8 § BrB och skyddet för yttrandefrihet enligt grundlagarna och Europakonventionen förhåller sig till varandra. Vidare syftar framställningen till att utreda hetslagstiftningens konformitet med skyddet för yttrandefrihet, kraven på rättighetsbegränsande lagstiftning och de intressen hetslagstiftningen avser att främja. För att problematisera och förstå de bakomliggande ideologierna till respektive lagstiftning analyseras gällande rätt utifrån dels rättsfilosofiska argument om varför yttrandefriheten behöver ett rättsligt skydd, dels intersektionell teori som har sin grund i genusteorin och critical race-teorin. Vid intresseavvägningen mellan skyddet för yttrandefrihet och hetslagstiftningen har vissa konflikter särskilt iakttagits. För det första uppvisar hetslagstiftningens kriminalisering av missaktande uttalanden flera brister i förhållande till rättighetsbegränsande lagstiftning. Bristerna grundar sig bland annat i att missaktningsrekvisitets vaghet kan komma i konflikt med kravet på legalitet. Dessutom kan rekvisitet komma i konflikt med kravet på proportionalitet eftersom det förefaller utgöra en för stor inskränkning av yttrandefriheten enligt Europakonventionen. Skyddet för yttrandefriheten i grundlagarna och Europakonventionen förefaller baseras på sanningsargumentet, demokratiargumentet och till viss del autonomiargumentet. När praxis studerats, framförallt Europadomstolens praxis, har skyddet för yttrandefriheten framstått som mycket vidsträckt. Att de mest kränkande uttalandena ska ges ett skydd genom yttrandefriheten förefaller främst kunna rättfärdigas av toleransargumentet. Dessutom innebär ett långtgående skydd för yttrandefriheten att skyddet mot kränkningar och diskriminering för utsatta grupper i samhället minskar. Att lagstiftaren valt att inte införa ett skydd på grund av könstillhörighet innebär att vissa av de grupper som är drabbade av så kallad dubbel utsatthet inte erhåller ett tillräckligt skydd. Genom en differentierad tolkning av missaktningsrekvisitet kan korrelerande grunder för utsatthet beaktas. En sådan tillämpning kan däremot komma i konflikt med kraven på legalitet och förutsebarhet, vilket är problematiskt.The purpose of this essay is to examine the relationship between the regulation on incitement to hatred in Chapter 16, Section 8, of the Swedish Penal Code and the protection of freedom of expression. Furthermore, this essay examines the compliance with the criminalization of hatred in Chapter 16, Section 8, of the Swedish Penal Code and the protection of freedom of expression, the rights-limiting legislation as well as the interests that the hatred penalty regulation in Chapter 16, Section 8, of the Swedish Penal Code intend to achieve. In order to problematize and understand the underlying ideologies behind each legislation, current law is analyzed based on legal philosophical arguments as to why freedom of expression requires legal protection, and intersectional theory based on gender theory and critical race theory. In the balance of interests between the protection for exposed groups in Chapter 16, Section 8, of the Swedish Penal Code and the protection of freedom of expression certain conflicts can be observed. For example, the criminalization of contemptuous statements demonstrates several shortcomings in relation to rights-limiting legislation. The deficiencies are based, inter alia, on the fact that the vagueness of the prerequisite of disrepute can conflict with the requirement of legality. In addition, the previously mentioned prerequisite may conflict with the requirement of proportionality, since it appears to be an excessive restriction of freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights. The protection of freedom of expression in the Swedish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights appears to be based on the truth argument, the democracy argument and, in part, the autonomy argument. When studying legal practice, in particular the practice from the European Court of Human Rights, the protection of freedom of expression has proved to be very extensive. A protection for the most offensive and disturbing statements can be justified primarily with the theory of tolerance. In addition, far-reaching protection for freedom of expression leads to reduced protection against violations and discrimination for vulnerable groups in society. The fact that the legislator has chosen not to impose a protection on account of gender implies that some of the groups affected by double exposure do not receive adequate protection. Through a differentiated interpretation of the prerequisite of disrepute, correlating accounts for vulnerability can be considered. Such an application may, however, conflict with the requirements for legality and predictability

"Särskilt utsatt situation" - Rättstillämpning i strid med lagstiftarens syfte?

Den första juli år 2013 ändrades våldtäktslagstiftningen genom att rekvisitet särskilt utsatt situation infördes och ersatte den dåvarande bestämmelsen hjälplöst tillstånd. Skälet bakom ändringen var bland annat att rekvisitet hjälplöst tillstånd tillämpats för snävt. Utöver detta har det framstått som omöjligt att utreda och lagföra en våldtäkt när stödbevisning saknats. Syftet med ändringen var att utvidga tillämpningsområdet för att ytterligare stärka skyddet för den sexuella självbestämmanderätten. Uppsatsen utreder, genom en rättsfallsstudie, huruvida den materiella ändringen i våldtäktsbestämmelsen tillämpas på det sätt som lagstiftaren ämnat åstadkomma. Författaren drar slutsatsen, mot bakgrund av de empiriska exemplen, att en viss ändring skett i rättstillämpningen men att vissa brister kvarstår. Införandet av rekvisitet särskilt utsatt situation har med andra ord inte fått det genomslag som lagstiftaren åsyftat och eventuellt strider tillämpningen mot lagstiftarens syfte. Analysen belyser problematiken kring de rättssäkerhetsaspekter som en icke enhetlig rättstillämpning medför men med ett konstaterande om att en för hård styrning från lagstiftaren strider mot den viktiga principen om domstolars självständighet. Författaren menar att en viktig orsak till att materiella ändringar av våldtäktsparagrafen inte får det genomslag som lagstiftaren ämnat åstadkomma troligen beror på den ofrånkomliga bevisproblematiken.On July 1st., 2013 the Swedish rape legislation was changed with the introduction of the prerequisite particulary exposed situation that replaced the previous prerequisite helpless state. The motive for this change was, among other things, that the courts had been too restrictive in their adjudication of the prerequisite helpless state. Furthermore, it seemed impossible to investigate and prosecute rape without supporting evidence. The purpose of the amendment was to extend the scope to further strengthen the protection of sexual self-determination. This essay investigates, through a legal case study, if the substantive change in the rape law has been applied in accordance with the legislator's purpose. In the light of the empirical examples, the author concludes that some changes have been made in accordance with the legislator’s purpose, but some deficiencies still remain. The introduction of the prerequisite particulary exposed situation hasn’t really had the impact that the legislator intended and the application could therefore stand in conflict with the legislator’s purpose. The analysis illustrates the problems related to the aspects of the legal security that a non-uniform application of the law entails. It also states that too strict directives from the legislature violates the important principle of the independence of the courts. The author also argues that a major cause of why material changes in the rape article do not produce the legislator's intended results are due to the inevitable difficulties in evidential matters

Kryptosporidieinfektion hos nötkreatur : utvärdering av en ny metod för påvisande av subklinisk infektion

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite causing diarrhoea in many different animal species including cattle and man. It is an important enteric pathogen in neonatal calves and it is the second most common pathogen found in diarrhoeic calves in Sweden. Subclinically infected adult cattle have, in international studies, been shown to shed a low number of oocysts in faeces and this has been recognised as a potential source of infection for new-born calves. The detection methods used for diagnostic purposes are based on microscopic investigation of faecal smears. These methods have a fairly low sensitivity and samples from subclinically infected cattle have to be concentrated before analysis. The purpose of this study was to establish and evaluate a sodiumchloride-flotation method for concentration of C. parvum oocysts in faecal samples and to use the method to investigate the occurrence of subclinical C. parvum infection in a dairy herd. Faecal samples were collected from 5 cows, 5 calves without diarrhoea and 5 calves with diarrhoea. To 1 gram of each sample 72 oocysts were added. This was repeated twice for the samples from calves with diarrhoea and cows. Unspiked and spiked samples were treated by the flotation method and analysed using immunofluorescence microscopy. The sensitivity of the method was 80 % for the samples from calves with diarrhoea spiked with 72 oocysts/gram. 70 % and 0 % sensitivity was shown for the samples of adult cattle and calves without diarrhoea, respectively, at this oocyst level. The recovery rate for faeces from adult cattle and calf-diarrhoea was 52 % and 55 % respectively. In the second part of the study faecal samples were collected from 20 adult cattle in a dairy herd known to have cryptosporidiosis among the calves. The herd comprised 200 cows and were situated in the south of Sweden. When the samples were concentrated and analysed for presence of C. parvum oocysts, oocysts were found in 2 of the samples. The results showed that the concentration method can be used to detect low levels of oocysts in faeces from adult cattle and from calves with diarrhoea. The result from the samples collected in the dairy herd confirms that there are subclinically infected adult cattle in Sweden that shed oocysts

The role of mast cells and mast cell mediators in the development of atopic dermatitis in a mouse model

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex, often lifelong allergic disease affecting around 10 % of both dogs and humans. The hallmark symptom is severe pruritus, causing a lowered quality of life. Mast cells (MCs) are known to play an important part of the immunopathogenesis, promoting a faulty T helper cell type 2 (Th-2) response which follows by a production of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies towards environmental allergens (Ag). To further investigate the role of MCs and its mediators in the progression of AD, a low-calcemic vitamin D3 analog (MC903) was used to induce AD-like symptoms locally on the ears of two different knock-out (KO) mouse strains. The first strain was Wsh-/- mice deficient in MCs. The second strain was mice deficient in mouse mast cell protease 4 (mMCP-4-/-), a homolog to the human and canine MC chymase (MCC). The hypothesis was to observe an increase in inflammatory parameters following MC903-treatment, such as migration of inflammatory cells, higher amount of inflammatory mediators and clinically observed ear thickening. Thereby, MC903 would be proven to induce a functioning AD animal model. The results showed that daily topical MC903 application on the left ear induced changes mimicking AD macroscopically, microscopically and biochemically, including a Th-2 response represented by associated cytokines. No changes were seen in the vehicle-treated ears (treated with ethanol) used as an internal control. The epithelial cell-derived thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) appeared to be an important cytokine in promoting the skin inflammation since the amount of TSLP was markedly high locally in the MC903-treated ears. In MC-deficient mice, TSLP-levels were significantly lower, thus implicating a central role of MCs in this model. Although the presence of MCs caused higher levels of both TSLP and interleukin 33 (IL-33) after MC903-treatment, the clinical appearance in Wsh+/- mice was milder compared to mice lacking MCs. This indicates that MCs do promote the AD-like skin inflammation caused by MC903, but at the same time prohibit the inflammation from being too excessive. The results from a small in vitro study performed as a part of this study, proved that MC903 also activates MCs directly to degranulate. The MCC homolog mMCP-4 did on the contrary only contribute to the lowering of IL-33 levels, most likely through cleavage of the cytokine by mMCP- 4, therefore no apparent role of MCC could be observed. In the cleavage study of TSLP, a more rapid cleavage of TSLP was mediated by tryptase than chymase. Thus, as a continuation of this study, the investigation of the role of tryptase in the MC903-induced AD-model would be of high interest. In conclusion, MC903 application induced an AD-like local inflammation, thus showing that the method provides a functioning AD-model. MCs contribute to disease progression through cytokine production, but have at the same time a limiting role in the course of inflammation.Atopisk dermatit (AD) är en komplex och ofta livslång allergisk sjukdom som drabbar ca 10 % av alla människor och hundar. Svår klåda kännetecknar sjukdomen, vilket medför en försämrad livskvalitet för drabbade individer. Det är känt att mastceller (MC) är viktiga i immunopatogenesen, då de bidrar till att skapa ett onormalt immunsvar med typ 2 T-hjälparceller (Th-2). Dessa är förknippade med produktionen av immunoglobulin E (IgE) antikroppar mot allergen i omgivningen. I detta försök användes en vitamin D3-analog (MC903) för att inducera AD-liknande symtom lokalt på öronen, tillhörande två olika knock-out (KO) musstammar. Detta gjordes för att ytterligare undersöka hur MC och dess mediatorer kan bidra i sjukdomsutvecklingen av AD. Den ena KO musstammen (Wsh-/-) saknar MC och den andra KO musstammen saknar mastcellsproteas 4 (mMCP-4-/-), en mushomolog till mastcellsproteaset kymas (MCC) hos människa och hund. Hypotesen i försöket var att lokalbehandling med MC903 skulle öka de inflammationsparametrar som valts att studera i studien (klinisk sjukdomsutveckling, migration av inflammatoriska celler, mängd av inflammatoriska mediatorer), vilket skulle bevisa att MC903 skapar en funktionell ADmodell. Resultatet i studien visade att en upprepad applikation av MC903 på ena örat inducerade förändringar som liknar dem som ses vid naturligt förekommande AD, både makroskopiskt och mikroskopiskt samt biokemiskt. Inga förändringar sågs i det andra örat som behandlades med vehikel (etanol) och användes som en intern kontroll. TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin), ett cytokin som främst produceras av epitelceller, bedömdes i försöket ha en viktig funktion i utvecklingen av den AD-liknande hudinflammationen då de MC903-behandlade öronen innehöll mycket stora mängder TSLP. Hos mössen som saknade MC var TSLP-nivåerna signifikant lägre, vilket tyder på en central roll för MC i denna modell. Även om MC903-behandlingen inducerade högre cytokinnivåer (bl.a. TSLP, interleukin 33 (IL-33)), var den kliniska bilden mildare hos Wsh+/- möss jämfört med Wsh-/- möss (som saknar MC). Detta indikerar en drivande roll för MC i den AD-liknande hudinflammationen som uppstår efter applikation av MC903, samtidigt som MC har en begränsande roll för inflammationen. En liten in vitro studie som utfördes under detta projekt, bevisade att MC903 även kan aktivera MC direkt till degranulering. Ingen tydlig roll för mMCP-4 i denna musmodell kunde påvisas, då det enbart minskade nivåerna av IL-33, troligen via klyvning av cytokinet. Klyvningsstudien av TSLP visade en snabbare nedbrytning av TSLP med tryptas än med kymas. Som en fortsättning på denna studie vore det därför intressant att närmre undersöka rollen av tryptas i den MC903-inducerade AD-modellen. Sammanfattningsvis gav en upprepad applikation av MC903 uppkomst till en AD-liknande, lokal hudinflammation vilket visar att metoden fungerar som en AD-modell. MC bidrar i sjukdomsutvecklingen genom att höja cytokin-nivåerna, men förhindrar samtidigt en överdriven inflammation

Migration of Legacy Systems in New Public Management – the Swedish Rescue Services Incident Reporting System

The Swedish Rescue Services are migrating from an incident report system to a fully-fledged incident learning system, as part of new public management strategies. The migration process has been studied in an effort to identify challenges and complexities that can offer advice for future system migration projects. The system migration objectives expressed by the central agency leading the studied migration process clearly aimed at implementing double-loop learning in the organizations. The study reveals that in practice this objective has been lost along the way, with the agency in reality focusing more on cosmetic changes, such as terminology, attributes and labels. Meanwhile end-users expressed different and concrete needs, requiring new functionality, process improvements and organizational development. The study highlights the importance of early, active user involvement in the migration process for dual use legacy systems, to avoid losing explicitly articulated high-level objectives, such as improved performance and dual-use of the system