This thesis, drawing from several empirical investigations, reaches the conclusion that there seems to be a positive correlation between the level of democracy and the level of state capacity in Latin American countries. This correlation is explained by a hypothesis derived from Rational Choice theory. With some important caveats, this conclusion is then applied to the discussion about democracy as a form of government. Within democracy, the thesis also offers an insight into different electoral systems and its possible implications, mostly on a theoretical level. The thesis only exists in swedish as of yet..

Self-driving cars are soon to become a reality to the commercial market. A self-driving car does not have a human operator, which enables some interesting characteristics. The main benefits are considered to be:The number of accidents and traffic jams should be reduced.Enhanced comfort.Energy usage could be decreased while capacity could be increased.This study concerns the causes for improved energy efficiency. The reason for improved energy efficiency is mainly because of the variation in terms of acceleration, braking and distance holding are reduced. The vehicles are more intelligent and can work together as a unity.

The aim of this essay was to study the nitrogen flow in two willowplantations, at different locations in the south of Sweden, that wereirrigated with sewage. The study was also performed to compare thedifferences in nitrogen flows between two years, 1998 and 1999. The studywas made in three parts. First, the denitrification activity was measuredusing the acetylen inhibition method. Second the nitrogen flow, as well asthe water- and heat flows, were modeled through the SOIL-SOILN-modelThird; the nitrogen flow was calculated to compare with the results fromthe model.The results from the measurements were then compared with the resultsfrom the SOILN-simulations to detect differences in the denitrificationrate.

Food waste from grocery stores - An analysis of municipal management inSweden and a detailed study of the situation in Umeå municipalityThe objective of this thesis was to analyze the municipal management of food waste fromgrocery stores in Sweden in general and in Umeå municipality in particular. Furthermore theobjective was to account for the different waste treatment methods that can be used and toevaluate them from an environmental perspective. In order to analyze the municipalmanagement a survey was sent to all of the municipalities/municipal waste companies inSweden. A general comparison of treatment methods was carried out on the basis of ascientific review and a system analysis was performed in order to compare three differenttreatment alternatives for the food waste generated in grocery stores in Umeå. The surveyshowed that the legal definition of food waste from grocery stores is unclear and variesbetween municipalities.

By conducting interviews, studies as well as scanning the current scientific landscape, this paper examines the opportunities of increasing current capacity within the public transportation system in Stockholm with simple financial means for the benefit of the travelers. The paper focuses on the central station of the subway system and how adjustments of processes carried out in relation to the turnstiles could increase performance within areas of interest, given the preferences of the travelers. The theoretical framework of the paper includes models from the field of capacity management as well as theories related to the pedestrian behavior. Applying these theories and models to the collected data, the paper derives some main conclusions. First of, people using the public transportations system, and especially the subway, consider speed and dependability as the most important performance objectives for the caretakers of the public transportation system, SL and MTR to master.

This master thesis was initiated with the aim to answer at what level of installed capacity of wind power in the northern parts of Sweden it would be beneficial to improve the transmission capacity from the northern Sweden. During the process of this work the aim has changed to try and create a model that can be used to analyze how well the hydro power installed in the northern Sweden can even out the quick changes in wind power production.To create a good model of all hydro power in northern Sweden is a very large job, unfortunately too large for a master thesis. This report therefore ends with an extensive analysis of the simplifications that have been made and their effects as well as a list of the future work that has to be done.The model that has been created have shown to be effective and produce good results. The conclusions that can be made is that the northern Swedish hydro power have very good possibilities to balance the wind power production. Only a few cases where water have been spilled even though there has been some free capacity has been discovered.

Individual cellulose ?bers were studied to identify the transport and absorbtion phenomena as well as the in?uence of drying. A Chalmers University of Technologydeveloped method within ESEM (Enviromental Scanning Electron Microscope) has been used in this study. The results from the laborations gave the following conclu-sions: The transport of water occurs in ?bers in the ?ber wall surface and the lumen.

The Kedertruss is the loadbearing part in the Keder weatherprotectionsystem and it has been analyzed concerning its loadbearing capacity. The Kedertruss is produced and manufactured by Wilhelm Layher GmbH & Co. KG and this report has been made for their Swedish division Layher AB.  The Kedertruss, designed in Germany according to German designcode, has been recalculated concerning Swedish conditions according to Eurocodes and a ongoing European standardization project. The two-dimensional program Winstatik Frame Analysis has been used for evaluation of load effects. Capacity has been calculated by hand-calculations and it has been verified that the Kedertruss in its larger spans isn?t able to withstand the loads.

In times of increased flooding, enhanced by climate change, polluted stormwater poses an increased threat to the environment through contaminated water entering waterways. Bioretention utilizes natural processes in soil and vegetation to treat pollutants and combat this threat. Biochar produced through pyrolysis, has a high cation exchange capacity (CEC) and could therefore increase treatment in bioretention systems. This research applies a literature review, interview, and a model to explore the benefits and disadvantages of biochar in order to specify a soil-mix through an understanding of the production process and preferred application rate. High purification through CEC, increased water holding capacity, and carbon sequestration being the benefits discussed.

The Kedertruss is the loadbearing part in the Keder weatherprotectionsystem and it has been analyzed concerning its loadbearing capacity. The Kedertruss is produced and manufactured by Wilhelm Layher GmbH & Co. KG and this report has been made for their Swedish division Layher AB.  The Kedertruss, designed in Germany according to German designcode, has been recalculated concerning Swedish conditions according to Eurocodes and a ongoing European standardization project. The two-dimensional program Winstatik Frame Analysis has been used for evaluation of load effects. Capacity has been calculated by hand-calculations and it has been verified that the Kedertruss in its larger spans isn?t able to withstand the loads.

This study was conducted at the City Abattoir in Kampala, Uganda to evaluate the cleaning process, with focus on bacterial pathogens, in a pilot scale integrated bioprocess. This consisted of four steps: anaerobic sequencing batch reactors; aerobic/anoxic sequencing batch reactors; a high performance temperature controlled methanogenesis digester and a constructed wetland. The objective was to determine if this type of cleaning process could be used to clean wastewater from abattoirs in a satisfactory way. The indicator organisms for faecal contamination, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. were used to investigate in what numbers bacteria could be found in the untreated wastewater and how much that was reduced in the different steps of the cleaning process. The water was analysed for Salmonella to see if human pathogens could be found and could survive the different steps of the treatment process.

Most companies have a bottleneck in their production, that is a constraining re-source. When the demand is higher than the capacity in the constraining resource it is impossible to produce the demanded output. This problem leads to delayed deliveries, unhappy customers and ultimately to decreased revenue. Bottlenecks therefore has a significant role in production and must be handled thereof.MW Power in Sävsjö, Sweden designs and manufactures water and steam boilers for the customer's unique needs. MW Power invested in a new plasma cutting ma-chine but the machine has not reached the expected capacity.

In Sweden more than 400 000 private households have not yet sufficient wastewater purification. These effluent is considered as an increasing problem and many onsite purification methods have been studied. In this investigation, the method of reactive bed filters have been tested by column and batch experiments. Five different kinds of filter materials with reactive surfaces have been studied concerning their capacity to absorb ammonium and phosphorus from wastewater. The materials that were examined are Filtra N, wollastonite Filtra P, blast furnace slag and Polonite®.

Previous studies of central tire inflation (CTI) in truck transport of roundwood have shown potential benefits to include more even wood flow and reduced road damage. The greatest benefits are found to be during periods of low bearing capacity such as spring thaw. No previous studies have examined geographical variations in the potential benefit of CTI-equipped trucks. The aim of the study was to develop and use a simple method for geographically prioritizing the use of CTI-equipped trucks within a forest company´s sector of activity.The host company for the study was Holmen Skog. The area studied consisted of Holmen Skog?s entire sector of activity extending from the province of Västerbotten to the province of Småland.

During 2007 the City of Stockholm installed five grid connected photovoltaic systems. The aim of this master thesis is to quantify the amount of produced energy and recommend routines to collect and analyse production data, to make production data accessible by the public and to gain experience for future installations.The total amount of produced energy until March 2009 is 227 000 kWh, with an annual rate of 150 000 kWh. The expected annual rate was 148 000 kWh.All system owners are positive about their plants and see economical benefits in scaling up such systems.The installations need very little attendance and maintenance, however it is recommended that an alarm function is installed for automatic feedback in case of a system failure. All future systems should be inspected during full operation to determine if the actual capacity is matching the installed capacity..