Innovation and transformation in the Swedish manufacturing sector, 1970-2007

This doctoral thesis investigates changes in the volume and character of Swedish manufacturing sector innovation output between 1970 and 2007, a time span composed of both extended periods of relative prosperity and decline. More specifically, it examines whether changes in the number of innovations, the character of the innovating firms, and the distribution of innovations across industries are generally associated with any such period. Significant differences in received accounts of structural transformation in the Swedish manufacturing sector motivate the study. A newly compiled database containing observations of nearly 4000 innovations is explored. It is found that innovation output is at its greatest during the economically stagnant period running from 1975 and until the first years of the 19 80s. Furthermore, innovations produced in this period are more novel than those of any other period. Innovation output observed in the relatively prosperous period 1994-2007 is meager and generally less novel. There is a marked increase in small firm innovation; from the early 1980s onwards, small firms are the most important source of innovation. The increase cuts through the entire period and stands in contrast with the economically important role traditionally considered to be played by large firms in the Swedish economy. Innovation output is found to shift from being primarily achieved in the capital goods sector to being subsequently developed in fields such as instruments, telecom products, and software. With regard to the revolutionary growth of microelectronics characterizing the period, the Swedish manufacturing sector is found to be competent in implementing such technology and to be primarily a receiver rather than a supplier of microelectronic components

Toppskottsbeskärning av skogsplantor – effekter på etablering i fält

Den vanligaste metoden för artificiell föryngring av skog i Sverige är plantering. I denna studie undersöktes hur plantor av tall (Pinus sylvestris) och gran (Picea abies) som toppbeskurits i plantskolan före lagring, klarade etableringen efter plantering i fält. Syftet med arbetet var att förstå vilken effekt toppbeskärning av tall- och granplantor hade på skadefrekvens, tillväxt och överlevnad, samt vilken risk som förelåg för bildning av multipla toppskott på plantorna. Fältförsöket genomfördes sydväst om Fagersta, nära gränsen mellan Dalarna och Västmanland. Försöksperioden varade mellan maj 2019 och september 2019. Studien innehöll 800 plantor, hälften gran- och hälften tallplantor som delats in i fyra försöksled, en obehandlad kontroll samt tre försöksled där plantorna var beskurna till, 25, 50 eller 75 procent av plantpartiets urprungliga genomsnittshöjd. Fyra olika parametrar mättes, vitalitet, höjdtillväxt, skadefrekvens samt bildning av multipla skott. De undersökta trädslagen hade efter en växtsäsong i fält reagerat likartat på toppbeskärning för de undersökta parametrarna skadegörare, vitalitet och gaffelbildning. Däremot uppmättes olika resultatet för gran och tall gällande vitaltitet. Toppbeskurna granplantor hade en högre vitalitet jämfört med obehandlade medan denna skillnad inte kunde observeras hos tallplantorna. Ytterligare slutsatser som kunde dras av studien var att skadefrekvensen från snytbagge, torka och betning var lägre bland de toppbeskurna plantorna, i synnerhet frekvensen registrerade betesskador. En högre frekvens av gaffelbildning kunde konstateras bland de toppbeskurna plantorna. Säsongstillväxten var lägre för toppbeskurna plantor. Fler frågor kopplade till snytbaggeangrepp, viltbetesskador samt långsiktiga effekter för gaffelbildning på olika ståndorter och med olika plantmaterial återstår att studera i framtida försökThe most common method for artificial regeneration of forest in Sweden is planting. In this study we analyzed the ability of top pruned seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) to manage the first growth season after planting. The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of top pruning on these species with respect to damage frequency, vitality, growth increment and frequency of multiple top shoots. The field study was conducted southwest of Fagersta, close to the border between Dalarna and Västmanland. It lasted between May 2019 and September 2019 and consisted of 800 seedlings, of which half were Scots pine and half were Norway spruce. The 800 seedlings were divided into 20 blocks that held 40 seedlings each and the trial included an untreated control group and three treatment groups where seedlings were top pruned to 25, 50 and 75 percent of the original average height of each batch. The results suggested that after one growth season in the field, Scots pine and Norway spruce had reacted similarly with respect to damage frequency, growth increment and frequency of multiple top shoots. However, top pruned Norway spruce appeared more vital than the untreated control while this was not the case for Scots pine. Key conclusions from the study were also that a lower frequency of damage from pine weevil, drought and browsing could be observed among the top pruned seedlings. This difference was especially pronounced for damages caused by browsing. There was a higher frequency of multiple top shoots among the top pruned seedlings. A lower growth increment after one growth season was recorded for the top pruned seedlings, especially among the Scots pine seedlings. Future studies should be focused on whether top pruning increases or decreases the risk of browsing from deer, birds or rodents as well as on the possible effects on the severity of pine weevil attacks. Also, long term development of multiple top shoots should be investigated. The future field trials should be executed on a greater selection of sites, to account for variations in the landscape, and during different years, to compensate for variations in the weather. Another topic of interest is possible logistical gains at the nursery, for example if handling of plants and production losses could be affected by the use of top pruning

Cyclophosphamide and treosulfan in the conditioning regimen prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a curative treatment for malignant and non-malignant diseases. However, transplantation related morbidity and mortality are major drawbacks affecting the survival and life quality of the patients. The major complications of SCT are infections, hemorrhagic cystitis, liver toxicity, interstitial pneumonia and GVHD. Busulphan (Bu), treosulfan (Tr) and cyclophosphamide (Cy) are alkylating agents. They are currently used in high doses as preparative regimen before SCT. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these drugs have been intensively studied with the aim of defining a therapeutic window to achieve a satisfactory myeloablation and immunosuppression with less treatment related toxicity. Study I: We administered N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) during conditioning to patients at risk of Sinusoidal obstructive Syndrome (SOS) due to pretransplant liver disorders or elevated liver enzymes. No side effects related to the NAC administration were observed and Bu-kinetics was not affected. All patients became pancytopenic and engrafted with100% donor cells. None of the patients developed SOS or liver failure. Increased liver enzymes during conditioning decreased or normalized in all patients. We suggested that NAC therapy is safe and does not impair the myeloablative effect of Bu during conditioning prior to SCT and hence NAC may be an effective prophylactic treatment against SOS and hepatic toxicity during conditioning. Study II In a preclinical study, myeloablative as well as immunosuppressive properties of Tr were compared with those of Bu and Cy in a mouse model. The animals were treated with Tr, Cy, or Bu at sublethal doses that maintained survival without bone marrow support. The myeloablative effect was evaluated using colony-forming unit granulocyte macrophages (CFU-GM), while the immunological effect was studied using spleen cells. We found that Tr and Bu induced a high and persistent myeloablation compared to Cy. Moreover, Tr was more effective in depletion splenic B and T cells compared to Bu and Cy. T-cells isolated from the spleens of Tr- or Bu-treated mice were not responsive to allogeneic cells compared with those observed in Cy treated mice. Our findings suggested that Tr possesses both myeloablative and immunosuppressive properties and may be used as a single agent for conditioning prior to SCT. Study III. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of Bu-iv was performed in 34 pediatric SCT patients. Bu-iv was administered twice daily according to recommended weight-based doses. Bu levels were measured and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. The targeted Bu exposure was aimed to range between areas under the curve (AUC) of 9000–12000 ng/mLxh. In 23/34 patients (68%) Bu dose had to be adjusted at least once. In 16/23 patients the dose had to be increased in a range of 7-33%, while in 7/23 patients (30%) the dose had to be decreased by 7-20%. The need of dose adjustment was not related to weight, age or underlying disease. SOS was observed in 21% of the patients in spite of total AUC’s within the target AUC. We concluded that TDM of iv Bu is essential to increase the efficacy and safety of Bu-based conditioning protocols in pediatric HSCT recipients. Study IV. Limited sampling models for use in TDM of Bu in patients treated for hematologic malignancies. 23 patients were sampled according to standard protocol (8 samples). AUC calculated from three limited sampling models were compared with WinNonLin compartment modeling. Combining a curve fitting model and a compartment model, using the average AUC estimate, gave a intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.86 with the described standard sampling protocol. Using Bland-Altman plots it was evident that most patients would have been treated the same regarding dose adjustment using the combined method as well as standard rich sampling. The results support the use of limited sampling in clinical therapeutic drug monitoring, provided adequate algorithms are used for evaluation. Both models included in the combined method utilized four concentrations points. The model is reliable, solid and user friendly providing the clinician with a graph and a numeric AUC estimate. These four studies taken together may provide a step forward in treatment optimization and dose individualization to the benefit of SCT patients

Growth of hybrid larch at Snogeholm

The hybrid larch (Larix x eurolepis Henry) is a fast growing tree species and was introduced in Sweden for about 50 years ago. The high growth and expected resistance to diseases are probably the main reasons of introducing the tree species into the Swedish forests. The purpose of this thesis was to document the production of hybrid larch planted in the Snogeholm landscape laboratory and to compare the production in the pure hybrid larch stand with the mixture together with pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). The data collection in Snogeholm since the establishment has been carried out by the Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU). The fieldwork for the thesis was carried out in 3 stands, containing hybrid larch, pedunculate oak and a mixture of hybrid larch and pedunculate oak, in order to be able to compare the total stand production of the areas. The results show that the total production of hybrid larch in the mixed stand only is 35 % compared with the total production of hybrid larch in the pure stand. Therefore, the hypothesis that the total production of hybrid larch is equal to the planted mixture with pedunculate oak was rejected. The other hypothesis that the total production of a 2 hectare large stand containing a mixture of hybrid larch and pedunculate oak would be greater than the total production of two pure stands of 1 hectare containing hybrid larch and oak each was also rejected. In the studied case the total production was 45 % greater if hybrid larch and pedunculate oak was planted in pure stands. The results from the case-study only indicate that the total production of hybrid larch and oak under the investigated conditions can be higher when planting the two species in pure stands compared with a mixture of the two species. Further investigations are needed before any recommendations regarding the maximization of the total production can be given to the public interests. Other important values like recreation or resilience were not considered in this study

Trans-boundary air pollution in Windsor, Ontario (Canada)

AbstractWindsor (Ontario) is located on the Canada-US border. Some believe that the heavy industrial facilities such as power generation and automobile production in the neighbouring regions of US greatly affect Windsor's air quality. This study investigates the frequency of air mass exchange between Windsor and the neighbouring US states. Two-day (48-hr) and one-day (24-hr) back trajectories were run using the Hybrid Single-Particle Langrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Windsor Airport (42.27o N, 82.96o W) was the starting point. The model resolution was three days a week. Two calendar years, 2008 and 2009, were modeled thus seasonal and inter-annual variations could be observed. It was found that the fraction of air mass parallel to the border is small. When considering the 48-hr trajectories on an annual basis, 53-55% of air masses arriving Windsor were from the US, whereas the 24-hr trajectories showed a much higher percentage (81-82%). The inter-annual variability between 2008 and 2009 was small. In both years, winter had higher frequency of US to Canada transport than Canada to US. In the other three seasons (spring, summer and fall), one year had more frequent US to Canada transport while the other year had less. It was concluded that overall the US-Canada transport had a higher frequency. However, this alone is inadequate to support the claim of air masses coming from US greatly affect Windsor air quality. Further analyses using state and province wide emission densities and ambient concentrations were conducted for a two-week period during each year to quantitatively assess the trans-boundary movement of air pollutants. Statistical analyses showed no consistent, significant correlations between the travel path of the air mass prior to arrival and the measured NO2 or PM2.5 concentrations at the receptor

Effects of pseudopregnancy and castration on the bitch’s behavior

Pseudopregnancy is a condition that is estimated to affect 40 % of all female dogs. Common symptoms are decreased activity level, weight gain, mammary enlargement, milk production, nesting behavior, anorexia and maternal behavior. The symptoms are displayed during metoestrus. Prolactin is one of the causes behind pseudopregnancy, but the full process is not yet known. Due to the fact that the condition affects that many bitches and often is recurrent, it is relevant to examine how the condition affects the bitch’s behavior and performance. The only permanent solution to the condition is castration, which is a surgical procedure that should be carefully considered before it is performed. The various risks related to the procedure, as well as how it may affect the behavioral and physiological state of the bitch, should be taken into consideration. Some of the side effects of castration are overweight, indiscriminate appetite, possible immunosuppression, delayed closing of the growth zones in the long bones and incontinence. Research has not yet found, besides a lower risk of developing mammary cancer, any beneficial effects of castration other than it eliminates the occurrence of pseudopregnancy. Research regarding the behavioral effects of castration has showed various results, but studies have reported that dominance behavior directed at family members increases as well as an increased reactivity, increased aggression behaviors, and the fact that the bitches are less bold and show more fear related behaviors.Skendräktighet uppskattas drabba 40 % av alla tikar. Vanliga symtom är sänkt aktivitetsnivå, viktökning, svullna mjölkkörtlar, mjölkproduktion, bobeteende, matvägran och moders-beteenden. Symtomen på skendräktighet visas under metöstrus. Prolaktin är en av orsakerna till att skendräktighet uppstår, det fulla förloppet är ännu inte känt. Då skendräktighet drabbar många tikar och ofta är återkommande är det relevant att undersöka hur tillståndet påverkar tikens beteende och förmåga att utföra eventuella arbeten. Den enda permanenta lösningen på tillståndet är kastration vilket är ett kirurgiskt ingrepp som bör övervägas noga innan det utförs. Ingreppet är relaterat till olika risker samtidigt som man bör ha i åtanke vilka eventuella fysiologiska och beteenderelaterade effekter ingreppet kan ha på tiken. Några bieffekter av kastration är övervikt, urskillningslös aptit, möjlig nedsättning av immunförsvaret, försenad förslutning av tillväxtzonerna i de långa rörbenen samt inkontinens. Forskning har, förutom en minskad risk för att utveckla juvercancer, ännu inte funnit några positiva effekter av kastration annat än att det eliminerar skendräktighet. Forskning gällande beteendeeffekter av kastration har fått motstridiga resultat men studier har bland annat visat att dominansbeteende riktat mot familjemedlemmar ökar hos kastrerade tikar samtidigt som hundarna visat ökad reaktivitet, ökade aggressionsbeteenden, mindre djärvhet och mera rädslor

Правовое регулирование внешнеэкономической деятельности

Способствует формированию знаний по дисциплине «Правовое регулирование внешнеэкономической деятельности». Для слушателей специальностей переподготовки 1-24 01 71 «Правоведение» и 1-24 01 72 «Экономическое право» заочной формы обучения ИПКиП

Robot task planning and explanation in open and uncertain worlds

A long-standing goal of AI is to enable robots to plan in the face of uncertain and incomplete information, and to handle task failure intelligently. This paper shows how to achieve this. There are two central ideas. The first idea is to organize the robot's knowledge into three layers: instance knowledge at the bottom, commonsense knowledge above that, and diagnostic knowledge on top. Knowledge in a layer above can be used to modify knowledge in the layer(s) below. The second idea is that the robot should represent not just how its actions change the world, but also what it knows or believes. There are two types of knowledge effects the robot's actions can have: epistemic effects (I believe X because I saw it) and assumptions (I'll assume X to be true). By combining the knowledge layers with the models of knowledge effects, we can simultaneously solve several problems in robotics: (i) task planning and execution under uncertainty; (ii) task planning and execution in open worlds; (iii) explaining task failure; (iv) verifying those explanations. The paper describes how the ideas are implemented in a three-layer architecture on a mobile robot platform. The robot implementation was evaluated in five different experiments on object search, mapping, and room categorization