AbstractThe research project Liberation, supported by the European Commission under the Environment and Sustainable Development Programme (Fifth RTD Framework Programme) aimed at developing a decision support system for ecological risk assessment of contaminated sites has proposed a tiered system including the triad method. This method integrates contaminant chemistry and bioavailability analyses with observed ecotoxicological effects in soil and groundwater. In this study the triad method was used to perform a risk characterization of a former surface treatment and metal industry, now used for the student union buildings of the Mälardalen University in Eskilstuna, Sweden. On the site, high concentrations of copper, zinc and nickel have been detected in the soil in a preliminary investigation of contaminant levels with XRF. For performing the risk assessment of the site according to the triad method, contaminant bioavailability, soil metal concentrations and soil toxicity were determined and an ecological assessment was carried out on four selected soil samples (one reference soil and three samples with low (B), medium (C) and high (D) contaminant levels). Contaminant bioavailability was measured through leaching (ISO TC 190/S7) and biouptake tests (DGT).

In Trollhättan municipality approximately 700 school bus stops are in service. To ensure high quality of the performance of school bus operations, with focus on traffic safety, it was decided to conduct a survey of bus stops including assessments of risks.This master thesis aims to identify the factors affecting road safety at bus stops and pedestrian connections, and to conduct an inventory and analysis of selected sites in Trollhättan municipality. The work also aims to show examples of how risk assessment should be performed in future studies. A risk analysis model provided by the Swedish Transport Administration is supplemented and used in a field study. The risk assessment is based on, inter alia, traffic flow, visibility distance, lighting, speed of traffic and the presence of bus shelter.

This report is an assessment of the feasibility of using aerial photographs to estimate number of stems per hectare in young forest stands, used together with upper height to determine the need for pre-commercial thinning or ordinary thinning cutting. Aerial photo-interpretation was conducted in 2007 on assignment of Stora Enso Skog AB. A mean height function based on stand age produced with data from Bergvik Skog AB?s 2006 forest inventory assessment was used as a proxy for upper height and used together with photo-interpreted number of stems per hectare to determine the need for thinning cutting according to Bergvik Skog AB?s definitions. The test area is located north of Falun on Bergvik Skog AB?s land.Flight altitude was approximately 900 m above ground and the aerial photos were taken by L&L Flygbildteknik AB.

Diagnosis means detection and isolation of faults. A model based diagnosis system is built on a mathematical model of the system. The difficulty when constructing the diagnosis system depends om how the model is formulated. In this report, a method is described that rewrites the model on such a form that the construction of the diagnosis algoritm is easy. The model is transformed by two state space transformations and the result will be a system on state space form where one part of the system becomes easy to supervise.

In this report two Sustainability Life Cycle Assessments are carried out for two types of tiles for Riksbyggen, to contribute to a sustainable urban transition. Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment involves performing a life cycle assessment based on four principles based on scientific research and presented by the non- governmental, non-profit organization, The Natural Step. The principles concern raw materials, chemically produced substances, degeneration of nature and social conditions.Origin of products, manufacturing sites and manufacturing procedures were initially completely unknown and much of the work has consisted of finding the entire cycles, understand manufacturing processes of ceramic tiles and evaluating what materials and what type of energy sources that are required for the production. A socially sustainable perspective has been of high relevance alongside an ecologically sustainable perspective.The report begins with the basic underlying facts and the purposes of this investigation and that the reasons why Sustainability Life Cycle Assessments are carried out are to provide Riksbyggen and the own workers with documents presenting Riksbyggens ideas regarding sustainability and to hopefully get the ideas further down in the supply chain. The methods used to fulfill the investigation are presented and scientific facts about LCA and ceramic building materials are reviewed.

AbstractAimThe aim of the pilot study was to compare short- and long-term effects from group exercise in water with land-based exercise on pain at rest and pain with movement, along with the effects on function in daily life and practice of sports and leisure activities in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The aims were: Is there a difference in short- and long-term effects on pain intensity at rest and pain with movement after exercise in water or land in patients with knee osteoarthritis? Is there a correlation between the degree of pain intensity at rest and with movement, respectively and long-term effects from the two different exercises on function in daily life and practice of sports and leisure? MethodThe study was a randomized intervention study without a control group. Twenty patients with radiographic knee osteoarthritis were under a total of eight weeks treated with either land- or water-based exercise lead by a physiotherapist. The patients rated pain intensity at rest and with movement on a numerical rating scale (NRS) before and after the first training session, before and after the eighth training session, before and after the fifteenth training session and before the last and sixteenth training session.

This paper explores a model for self-assessment of purchasing maturity in large companies. The author adapts contemporary purchasing theory and further enhances existing tools and procedures to create a survey based instrument for maturity measurementThe paper also explores potential methodological challenges associated with conducting a more extensive study of purchasing maturity via the proposed model. A preliminary study is made and the learnings discussed.The preliminary findings of the survey indicate that the purchasing maturity varies with industry. The purchasing function average score was found to be 3,4 out of 6 with samples spread across the whole spectra ? agreeing with previous theories stating that the purchasing maturity is highly varied between different industries..

This bachelor thesis portray a project where the main task were to develop a computer based system prototype for handling of absence report at the upper secondary school af Chapman in Karlskrona. The project has been conducted in cooperation with students from the university programs software engineering and information economy at Blekinge Institute of Technology. Our task as MDA-students have been to survey the process of absence report of today through field studies and give a proposal of a graphical user interface which later were developed by the software engineers. The thesis also handles the cooperation with other students from other university programs..

LSV410. Specialarbete, 15 hpHt 2011Handledare: Elisabet Engdahl.

Med tankar från pedagogen Montessori och filosoferna Platon och Baudrillard har detta arbete behandlat frågor om datorn och dess betydelse för en grafiker. Frågeställningen formulerades efter hand och lydde tillslut: ?Hur kan materia te sig i digital form?? Forskningen resulterade i en hypotes för hur digital materia skulle födas i datorn: genom att blanda två uppsättningar av data, såsom två genuppsättningar tillsammans skapar en ny organism. Under produktionen utvecklades därmed en metod för hur en grafiker ska kunna skapa tillsammans med en dator. Syftet är att ge andra grafiker ett nytt sätt att se på digital grafik.

This study presents an alternate viewpoint to the strive to overcome the gap between research and practitioners within paper prototyping in interaction design. Earlier research identifies three aspects of this gap, which is:Practitioners being unaware of interaction design methods and theoriesPractitioners being aware, but choosing not to apply these methods and theories, due to time, budget and constraints of labourPractitioners and research having different perspective on similar design issuesOur study was done by carrying out qualitative interviews with interaction designers based on two digital design bureaus. One of the bureaus has an expressed link to research: the other has not. Our hypothesis is that the gap would manifest as a difference in work practice between the two bureaus.Our study shows that the two bureaus have similarities in work practice and that this work practice is based on scientific methods and theories, but is adapted to fit the client and/or the project. We conclude that the overcoming of the gap might not be necessary.

This report discusses the development of lessons based on laborations for middle and high school.The purpose of the project was to research the possibility to affect students' attitude towards physicsthrough well-planned stimulating lessons. The lessons were based on the Light and Lasers OutreachKit, a teaching package made by the organisation Laser Classroom, and have been adapted for physicsin middle and high school. The lessons were developed on a pedagogical and didactical ground andwere improved with surveys and peer and self assessment. The lessons were based on laser light and itsproperties. One lesson covered the topic of single-slit diffraction, while the other treated geometricaloptics.

This report discusses the development of lessons based on laborations for middle and high school.The purpose of the project was to research the possibility to affect students' attitude towards physicsthrough well-planned stimulating lessons. The lessons were based on the Light and Lasers OutreachKit, a teaching package made by the organisation Laser Classroom, and have been adapted for physicsin middle and high school. The lessons were developed on a pedagogical and didactical ground andwere improved with surveys and peer and self assessment. The lessons were based on laser light and itsproperties. One lesson covered the topic of single-slit diffraction, while the other treated geometricaloptics.

Problem: This report concerns how the students of Södertörn högskola values physical papers. Even though technology have made it possible to digitalise documents, students today print and copy documents more then ever before. It will examine what the students finds valuable in physical papers and why they choose to print a document they just as well could read and manipulate via a computer.Method: This report consists of an empiric study, in form of a web poll and of a number of interviews. Furthermore earlier studies on the matter will be taking in consideration during the analysis.Results: The study shows that the students of Södertörns högskola values physical papers highly. The students choose to print a document since they find that it is easier to read, to make notes and that a printed document is easier to use on the move, rather then using a computer..

Den här rapporten är ett resultat av ett kandidatarbete på 20-poäng. Projektet som rapporten handlar om, beskriver hur utvecklingen av ett webbutikssystem åt ett flertal företag gått till. De har i sin tur köpt webbsystemet från företaget Opti Use som givit oss uppgiften. I rapporten diskuteras hur utvecklingsprocessen gått till och hur ett arbete med ett befintligt system upplevts. Rapporten beskriver även hur lösningen på uppgiften har tagit form och hur utvecklingsprocessen påverkat den.