The Swedish Paradox arises in Fast-Growing Sectors

The aim of this paper is to examine whether the previously observed gap between growth of R&D and economic performance, known as the ‘Swedish paradox’, is a general phenomenon across all sectors of the economy, or only occurs in specific industry segments. The dataset used for the analysis covers nearly the entire Swedish economy 1985-1998, divided into five broad sectors: Fast-growing industries, Slow-growing industries, Industrial outphasers, Fast- growing producer services and Other services. The growth of R&D, value added and research productivity is compared for these sectors and the largest gap between R&D and value added is located to the fast growing sectors of the economy. The Swedish paradox is therefore not necessarily a sign of weakness or deficiency of the innovation system, but rather indicates that long-term growth requires large investments in knowledge-building resources.Swedish paradox; sectors; R&D; research productivity; economic growth.

The Role of Energy Quality in Shaping Long-Term Energy Intensity in Europe

On the European aggregate level there is an inverted-U curve for long-term energy intensity. In the 19th century aggregate European energy intensity rose, followed by a declining trend during the 20th century. This article discusses the possible explanations for the declining trend during the 20th century and explores the role of energy quality as expressed in energy prices. For the first time a complete set of national energy retail prices covering two centuries has been constructed and used for Britain, while the energy price data previously available for Sweden until 2000 has been updated to 2009. This allows us to explore the role of energy quality in shaping long-term energy intensity. We find no relation between energy quality and energy intensity in the 19th century, while energy quality may have stimulated the declining energy intensity in Europe over the 20th century, but is not the sole or even main reason for the decline. Rather, increased economic efficiency in the use of energy services seems to have been the main driver for the decline after 1970, presumably driven by the information and communication technology

Cryogenic Mechanical Alloying of Poly (ether ether ketone) - Polycarbonate Composite Powders for Selective Laser Sintering

Mechanical alloying is a solid state processing technique traditionally used in the metallurgical industry to extend solubility limits in alloy systems. Mechanical alloying can also be used to blend polymer systems at ambient or cryogenic temperatures. In this work, cryogenic mechanical alloying was employed to create composite powders of Poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) - Polycarbonate (PC) for use in selective laser sintering applications. The microstructural development of the PEEK-PC system that occurs during laser sintering and the effects of this microstructure on mechanical properties of the laser sintered parts was investigated.Mechanical Engineerin

Reading queer subtexts in children’s literature

The purpose of this project is to explore and to challenge heteronormative assumptions regarding childhood and adolescence. I will show how these assumptions affect the literature published and made available to young readers, and how, often, overtly queer texts are not available for young readers. Such omissions leave young readers, especially those with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgendered (LGBT) identities, to find depictions of queerness in subtexts underlying seemingly “straight” texts. While these queer subtexts can be recognizable to readers through the use of culturally and historically significant markers that are understood to represent queerness, even a text with a widely recognized queer subtext does not preclude straight readings. Similarly, a queer subtext can exist solely for a reader with no intentional work done on the part of the creators. Queer subtexts, ultimately, work in subtle ways to subvert heteronormative assumptions and, in the process, create recognizable representations of queerness

Electrification and energy productivity

Efficiency in energy use is crucial for sustainable development. We use cointegration analyses to investigate the effect of electricity on energy productivity in Swedish industry 1930-1990. Electricity augmented energy productivity in those industrial branches that used electricity for multiple purposes. This productivity effect goes beyond “book-keeping effects”, i. e. it is not only the result of electricity being produced in one sector (taking the energy transformation losses) and consumed in another (receiving the benefits).Energy; electricity; sustainable development; productivity

Economic growth, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Sweden 1800-2000.

Large transformations of technologies have occurred in the Swedish economy during the last two centuries, resulting in higher income, better quality of products and changing composition of GDP. An agrarian society has given way to an industrial society and lately to a post-industrial phase. The energy supply systems have changed, from traditional energy carriers, such as firewood and muscle energy to modern carriers like coal, oil and electricity, with effects on CO2 emissions. Not only the energy supply has gone through fundamental changes, but also forest management, which affects the net emissions of CO2. The interrelations of growth, energy and CO2 are analyzed in this thesis, which uses standard calculations, relative price analyses and energy quality factors, to determine the relative effects of structural and technical changes, including changes in energy carrier composition to explain the long term delinking of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and economic growth that takes place. Technical change is the main reason of energy intensity decline. Total factor productivity gains, including improvements in technical energy efficiency, saves energy in relation to output. The most spectacular energy savings took place in the sectors transportation & communications and industry. Structural changes at the sector level tended to increase energy intensity between 1870 and 1970. No correlation was found between increasing energy quality and decreasing energy intensity, but energy quality may have had an impact on economic growth rates. The consumers’ surplus was exceptionally high during the interwar period and the three decades after the Second World War, and the total energy quality was outstanding during the latter period. The most rapid relative decline in energy intensity took place between 1970 and 2000. In this period structural changes at the sector level no longer worked to increase energy intensity and the new growth direction of the third industrial revolution saved energy in relation to output. The decrease in energy intensity after 1970 was not caused by changed patterns of foreign trade for Sweden, but by changed patterns of demand in Sweden as well as abroad. CO2 intensity, when only emissions from fossil fuels are counted, shows a pattern of either one long Environmental Kuznets’ Curve, interrupted by the Wars, or of three separate EKCs. The main determinants of this CO2 intensity are energy intensity and energy carrier composition, where the latter turned out to be most influential. The three costs involved in energy consumption, purchasing cost, handling costs and environmental costs are intended to play different roles at different income levels, with effects on energy carrier composition. The estimate of CO2 emissions and sequestration by Swedish forests showed a magnitude well in parity with emissions from fossil fuels. The aggregate CO2 emissions over the period 1800-2000 were not much altered, but the pattern of CO2 intensity was profoundly altered when forest emissions were included. Furthermore the analysis of forest management questioned the idea that firewood caused net CO2 emissions in a dynamic perspective, because the demand for thin timber dimensions stimulated a rational forestry

Validation of a pediatric guideline on basic electroencephalogram interpretation for clinicians

Thesis (M. Tech. (Clinical technology )) - Central University of technology, Free State, 2013The incidence of epilepsy is high in sub-Saharan Africa and resource poor countries (RPCs). There are few neurologists and paediatric neurologists to manage people with epilepsy (PWE). Health care is often limited, particularly technological services, including electroencephalogram (EEG), video EEG monitoring, and Neuroradiology services. All these are important in the management of PWE. Since 2008, informal electrophysiology training has been provided at the Red Cross War Memorial Hospital, in the Department of Paediatric Neurology. The Principal Investigator (PI) elected to develop a formal teaching course on EEG interpretation at the Red Cross War Memorial Hospital. A study was designed to evaluate the practical use of a handbook entitled “Handbook of Paediatric Electroencephalography: A guide to basic paediatric electroencephalogram interpretation.” This has been developed to fulfill the need for basic understanding and interpretation of EEG amongst clinicians caring for children in sub-Saharan Africa who may not have access to, or be able to afford, training at a recognized facility or on-line. In 2008, the department of Paediatric Neurology at the Red Cross War Memorial Hospital had their first African fellow from Kenya. By 2011, seven participants had undergone EEG training. A quantitative research approach and design was used in order to evaluate the handbook in terms of the accessibility of the contents and its practical use. Quantification included the recruitment of participants who constituted the population sample, a pilot study, and the collection of data from comparative assessments of participants’ use of the handbook, and from questionnaires completed by participants. This provided the researcher with the opportunity to improve and validate her knowledge of training in EEG interpretation. The researcher was able to quantify and compare the scores of participants using the handbook, as well as to compare their evaluative responses to its content and practical use. Eleven of thirteen participants completed the study. The pre-training results showed a median percentage of 50 which increased to 70 percent post-test. A comparison of the scores of trained versus not-trained revealed that those participants who had undergone one-on-one training on site at the unit fared much better both in their interpretations, conclusions, and reporting of EEG findings. The responses from the evaluative and comparative survey between the two groups showed no significant difference across all questions, the majority of the questions on the relative usefulness of the handbook being rated ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’, thus supporting the finding that all participants found the handbook useful whether they had received one-on-one training or not. The post-training results in EEG interpretation showed a stronger trend towards statistical significance (p<0.06) with trained participants and with the not-trained. These findings lend support to the success and usefulness of the handbook as a basic guide to paediatric EEG interpretation. The handbook was not aimed at making the electroencephalography reader an expert at a specialist level, but rather to maximize the reliability of the reading of EEG when screening electroencephalograms for important key diagnostic markers which would alter the child’s management. This is the first published handbook on paediatric EEG in South Africa. The results of this study strongly suggest that the handbook is useful as a learning and reference tool in interpretation of paediatric EEG, both for individuals with access to one-on-one training as well as those without. It is intended that the handbook, in conjunction with one-on-one training, will form part of a post-graduate diploma course offered by the University of Cape Town on “basic electrophysiology and the management of children with epilepsy” for training neurologists and child neurologists, paediatricians and health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa

Development blocks and the second industrial revolution – Sweden 1900-1970

The paper explores development blocks around electrification at a 14 sector level in the Swedish economy 1900-1974. We suggest that long-run cointegration relations in combination with mutually Granger-causing short-run effects form a development block. One block centred on electricity that comprises five more sectors is found. In addition we demonstrate that increasing its electricity share makes a sector grow faster, and by testing the electricity share versus the growth rates we find another development block around electricity, party overlapping the first one.development block; electricity; GPT; second industrial revolution