The design of the building envelope affects the energy consumption of a building. As the energy requirements for new buildings are becoming more demanding, the performance of the building envelope must be improved. Energy efficiency and durability are important attributes to consider.This report includes investigations of the building envelope, moisture and passive solar energy. It is based on the analysis of two different buildings with different designs. These buildings stand as reference for two of the companies who are working on a new, climate smart, residential area in Uppsala, Sweden.Studies and analyses on energy consumption and moisture transportation were made.

Road transports stand for a great part of Sweden?s total CO2-emissions. Transports are expected to increase over the coming years, and with those the emissions. A greater environmental awareness leads to increased demands for environmentally friendly transport. The aim of this thesis is to study the consequences of changing transportation modes from road to railway.

This paper is intended to provide a picture of which associations water can wake in the human mind from the perspectives of garden history as well as from that of environmental psychology. I hope to paint a fairly broad picture of our perception of water that can serve as a basis for discussion and as a starting point for different forms of design work in landscape architecture. The historical perspective emphasizes the importance of water as a condition for the emergence of gardens and in a wider perspective the importance of water in early cultures. Also, I describe a picture of how water has been used throughout the history of gardens from early Egypt to the baroque era. The garden history analyzed from an art historical perspective gives a picture of human associations to water, and the history behind these associations is presented. As a compliment to the art history approach, I have chosen to highlight our associations with water from the perspectives of environmental psychology and evolutionary science.

Energy costs are high nowadays and that is the reason why the energy consumption needs to become as small as possible in most of the companies. To accomplish the small energy usage one needs to map the energy flows, study them and monitor them. One method that can be used for this is energy balance calculation. The method gives an opportunity to separate different energy flows and see where each flow is heading. There is also another method which is more advanced than energy balance calculation.

Future emission legislation puts great emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the engine, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The tribological contact between cylinder liner and piston ring is where an great amount of energy is lost due to friction, and by reducing these losses an reduction in fuel consumption can be achieved.The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the tested piston ring coatings against a plasma sprayed cylinder liner and rank these combinations of materials for friction and wear resistance. The coatings that were tested was Cr + Al2O3, (Al,Cr)N, two types of CrN and WC / C.The experimental tests were performed with a so-called pin-plate, where used oil with addition of an acidic mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid to mimic the acidic condensate formed when exhausts recirculate, were added with a continuous flow. The results were then analyzed by weighing, studies by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and profile measurements.The results from each material combination were that the plasma coated cylinder liner wears too aggressively in order to yield a ranking of the piston ring coatings based on the parameters of friction and wear resistance. It is therefore proposed that an alternative coating on the cylinder liner should be developed, lacking the large abrasive wear on piston rings and that can withstand the corrosive environment resulting in engines equipped with EGR.

In this thesis a method for evaluating investments in small scale hydro power is presented. An analysis of the future position that small scale hydro production will have on the Nordic electricity market is also carried out. This is done by an inventory of technology and economic and environmental aspects. The inventory is also a guide as to how the project should be implemented.Hydrolyzer is the name of the Excel tool developed to evaluate investments. The tool requests input data from the user and then evaluates the investment and generates a sensitivity analysis.

The first aim of the thesis is to analyse the problems of trust, according to game theory, in the Russian market for private pensions insurance. The second aim is to find suitable strategies to solve the problems. Problems of trust have arisen because, (i) buyers of insurance have had negative experiences when dealing with insurance companies and corruption has decreased trust for all players in the market, (ii) incomplete information makes it difficult to separate honest actors from dishonest, and (iii) dishonest insurance companies do not get punished because of corruption and weaknesses in the law. Mutual risk-sharing is a potential solution as necessary conditions already exist in the Russian society. There are groups who (i) share the same type of risks, (ii) are aware of moral hazards, and (iii) are able to control each other.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how pupils with social dysfunction were defined and described and how the responsibility of the school concerning the needs of these pupils was apprehended. For this matter, in depth interviews with four headmasters and four teachers at three different schools were carried out.The possibilities to help pupils with social dysfunction were regarded as limited due to limited resources. The school can be described, as a huge refined apparatus of classification where some children very early are eliminated and there does not appear to exist any back up plan for these individuals. In this respect the function of the school is very similar to that of yesterdays school where the elimination process worked just as well, the denotations change but the problems remain the same.The material used in this study is too small to make general conclusions but the results give some indication of the problems of the interaction between the school and its staff and pupils with social dysfunction. We strongly believe that the results warrants further investigation as to in what way the school can improve in helping pupils with social dysfunction..

Active environmental activity?? a comparative study of the municipalities environmental activityThesis in Political Science D-Level at Karlstad University byJenny Ljung Spring 2008Tutor: Michelle MichelletiThe threat against our climate is one of our biggest challenges today. The awareness of the problem has grown rapidly for the last years in governments on international, national and regional level. The Swedish government is recognized as one of the leading countries in the climate and environmental work internationally. The Swedish municipalities play a big role in this successful work.

Organic layers and broilers will according to (EEG) no 2092/91 be fed 100 % organic feeds in year 2012, which is expected to present problems associated with the specific protein requirements of poultry. This document aims at describing the feedstuffs that possibly may constitute a part of the solution to these problems. Peas, field beans, naked oats, canola, hempseed and sunflower come out as interesting feedstuffs. Biproducts from the milling and dairy industry together with marine protein supplements may be brought to the fore, provided that the demand for organic products will rise further..

Due to the developments in today's gender discussions, this essay aimed at investigating the gendered constructions and encouragements to consumption. As a former fashion student I have a special interest in the commercial constructions featured in fashion magazines, especially since advertising, fashion and perceptions of gender have long walked hand in hand. Just as feminism studies have shown femininity being a fluid identity, recent studies of masculinities, media and culture are also showing changes in the depictions of men.The aim was to clarify how fashion magazines encourage men and women to consume products and ideals, and also discuss the gender constructions occurring in the junction of editorial and commercial text (articles and advertisements). The analysis was thereof based on three main questions:-       How is consumption encouraged in male and female fashion magazines?-       What kind of gendered pattern appears in the junction of advertisement and editorial text?-       With regard to the gender constructions, what is the reader encouraged to consume?The theoretical framework of the analysis was based on gender studies and political economy, mostly describing a commercial perception of feminine journalism and a new metrosexual expression in men?s fashion and lifestyle magazines.By using a combination of quantitative (content analysis) and qualitative (semiotics) approach two fashion magazines, Elle and King Magazine (published in May 2013) were used as representatives of fashion magazines in general.The results showed clear differences between the sexes.

Transport is an important aspect to take account in efforts to achieve sustainable tourism development. If we do not change our behavior regarding travel, the consequences will be significant for the environment. This study examines the various transport operators on the two Swedish ski resorts if their websites and marketing are different from each other in the mode selection. The destinations are Åre and Hemavan Tärnaby. They studied modes are two Swedish airlines, two train companies, three bus companies and three taxi companies.These corporate websites are studied with a content analysis in which the results of the keywords that have been developed are scored according to different categories.

With higher prices for oil and increased focus on fossil fuels impact on the environment the heating sector are searching for alternative fuels. Pellets are a quite new product whose production has risen exponential in recent years. Today there are small-, medium-and large-scale users, where the large-scale consumers are the heating sector. The heating sector is mainly using oil to cover the increased demand during cold periods. The purpose of this study is to analyze the potential of pellets if it would replace thermal power plants oil and coal. The study will also analyze the economic impact a conversion would mean for a heating plant and if the pellet is a reasonable substitute. 2008 statistics from the Swedish district heating association were analyzed and a calculation was performed to determine how many tons of pellets is needed to replace coal and oil.

The aim of my study is to answer the question whether there is a potential for services by working horses in the Swedish municipalities. The Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Swedish Farmers Union (LRF) has started a cooperation called Climate School (Klimatskolan), with the purpose to increase knowledge in environmental and climate related issues in context of agriculture. This Master thesis is in the framework of the Climate School.Global warming is a problem that gets much attention today. Global warming and climate change are two subjects that are very much in focus on the political agenda. The municipalities of Sweden have a big responsibility concerning environmental work and to develop their own environmental thinking.

This essay examines the environmental ideological direction of the Swedish parliamentary parties through the private members motions directed to the committee of industry and trade and the committee of environment and agriculture during the governmental time from 2002 to 2006.The environmental ideologies explained is anthropocentrism, ecocentrism and biocentrism. Based on the ideas of these three ideologies main points the private members motions directed to the committee of industry and trade and the committee of environment and agriculture, also matching the search words environment and energy, was compared and analysed.What has emerged is that all parliamentary parties express a desire to create an energy production and producing guide lines which are stringent environmentally and matches the safety requirements. Although the approach to environmental and safety standards differ significantly between them. Basically all Swedish parliamentary parties are more or less anthropocentric in its arguments, which in short terms means that they estimate natures and animals value through their usability for humans or based on their contribution to human feelings of wellbeing.The Centre Party and the Green Party shows hints of weak ecocentrism because in many cases they put animal intrinsic value high, but the human value higher. Moderates are predominantly anthropocentric but they also express some hint of biocentrism in one statement concerning research in order to reduce and rebuild environmentally destroyed areas.