Hazel (Corylus avellana L.) is a common feature of meadows and pastures where it can grow in large populations and become very old. Is it possible to use the size of hazel stools for age determination and is it possible to use the size distribution of a population to provide information about how the land has been used? Hazel populations on ground where the lake-water level had been lowered, has been studied to validate an already developed growth model of hazel clones. Different hazel populations, on wooded meadows affected by mowing or grazing or overgrown meadows, were studied to evaluate the method utilizing hazel as land use indicator. The growth model was used to compare the size distributions of hazel populations with historical periods, which has been important for changes in agriculture or demography.

Outages in the electric grid can be costly for society. Because of this, reliability is one of the parameters used to regulate network companies. Reliability in electrical grids can be measured with SAIDI, system average interruption duration index, which for Fortum Distribution has increased in Stockholm?s distribution network (11 kV) in the early 2000?s.By using outage data for Stockholm from 2011-2013, sets of parameters to be used for reliability calculations in the network information program Tekla NIS were derived. Two different options for investment were then analysed: changing old cables with high fault frequencies, and installing automatic switching in distribution substations.

The aim of this thesis was to develop an objective and automatic method for identifying capillaries in microscope images of the skin. Furthermore, statistical data about the identified capillaries and the capillary distribution should be computed and stored in a database. The method was implemented using the platform independent programming language Java. An analysis of microscope improvement using various polarization filter setups and wavelength filtershas also been performed, as well as a pilot study of the effect of applying a local anaesthetic cream on the skin. The method is developed and aimed at research on various pathological skin conditions affecting the capillary distribution.

The efficacy of screening for breast cancer with mammography has been a subject of controversy during the last decades. However, the general opinion is now that screening reduces mortality in breast cancer (Zackrisson, 2006). It is nevertheless important to weigh the efficacy against the harm and costs associated with screening. Cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis of screening have generally failed to incorporate side effects such as anxiety and discomfort related to screening tests and the following diagnostic tests (Gyrd-Hansen, 2000). This study seeks to include such side effects in a cost-utility analysis.

Alkohol är en del av vardagen för många svenskar idag. När denna konsumtion övergår till ett missbruk uppstår det problem för individen och för samhället som stort. I denna studie har författarna genomfört en Cost of Illness studie för att beräkna samhällskostnaderna för alkoholmissbruket inom Hammarö kommun.Resultatet visar att kostnaden för samhället som helhet, för detta missbruk uppgår till 29 434 297 SEK, år 2013. Den största kostnadsbäraren är staten med sina 15 967 819 SEK av den totala kostnaden. Kommunen står för 10 230 270 SEK av den totala kostnaden.

This report treats two assignments that concerns the biofuel furnace at Billerud Skärblacka AB and how these assignments were solved. The assignments were: reducing the number of CO-spikes and tuning the overfire air control loop. To reduce the number of CO-spikes the possibility that skewness in mass distribution affects the number of CO-spikes were study. The skewnwss of mass distribution was controled and adjusted with two experiments. The conclusion that was made is that the skewness of mass distribution were not sufficient enough to affect the number of CO-spikes.

Introduction: Every year about 450 women in Sweden are diagnosed with cervical cancer, almost 200 die and thousands undergo surgery because of cell changes in the cervix. A HPV infection can lead to cervical cancer and therefor costs for the society. The implementation of a vaccination program against HPV is a way to avoid these costs. Aim: The study aimed to calculate the economic impact of the HPV- vaccination program for children in Sweden through a cost-benefit analysis. Method: In this analysis, status quo was compared with non-administration of the HPV-vaccine for the selected cohort of ten-years-old girls in Sweden.

Globaliseringen innebär ökad konkurrens för företag vilket gör det viktigare för företag att snabbt kunna utföra sina kostnadsuppskattningar. I detta arbete undersöks förutsättningarna för att använda moderna teorier inom cost engineering för att kunna förkorta ledtiderna vid förkalkylsarbetet för företag inom custom made-tillverkning. Inom cost engineering har teorier för kostnadsuppskattning används för att beräkna tillverkningstider för tre olika produkter hos ett fallföretag. För att få en bra beskrivning av problematiken med kostnadsuppskattning inom custom made-tillverkning har design science-metodologi använts under arbetets gång.  Resultatet av arbetet visar att förutsättningarna för att använda moderna teorier inom cost engineering för kostnadsuppskattning hos custom made-tillverkande företag är att historisk data avseende för- och efterkalkylsarbete finns tillgänglig.

This thesis explores some issues regarding estimations of the cost of capital on the Stockholm Stock Exchange through reverse engineering of the Residual Income Valuation model and through usage of the Capital Asset Pricing Model. Previous studies are in conflict of whether the risk premium changes considerably over time or not. Furthermore, the risk premium estimated by CAPM tends to be fairly stable. In this study, reverse engineering of the cost of capital implied by analysts? forecasts shows a significant difference in the risk premium over time.

In Sweden the real estate sector accounts for 33 % of energy consumption and just below 10 % of the emission of carbon dioxide. As a consequence of the external pressure from climate change it?s in everybody?s interest to reduce the energy consumption and thus reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. An additional incentive to reduce the energy consumption is the substantial increase of the energy price since the deregulation of the electricity market in 1996.In this study the techniques that exist to build multi-storey residential buildings with high energy performance will be investigated. Further the study intends to investigate the optimal energy performance from a real estate economic perspective.In order to investigate the optimal energy performance a model has been created with the parameters investment cost, rental revenues, operation and maintenance cost, discount rate and investment horizon.The result shows a relationship between a high investment cost and a high energy performance for newly constructed multi-storey residential buildings.

This essay reviews the situation for small actors in the Swedish clothing industry. In this essay we assume that loyalty is a requirement for survival on the competitive clothing market. Four small actors have been analyzed up on theories on loyalty, brand equity, relationship marketing, service marketing, quality, interactive marketing, distribution and value creating activities. The chosen actors are Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Boutique Sportif, Jenny Hellström and Ida Sjöstedt. The conclusion of the essay is that it is possible for small actors on the Swedish clothing market to build loyal relationships with their customers.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and propose improvements to the current procedure for cost estimations of purchased maintenance work at Banverket, the Swedish rail administration. This governmental institution is responsible for the procurement of maintenance services for the country?s railroad network through open tenders. Due to the generally low number of contractors, it is particularly necessary to establish accurate cost estimates in order to assess the offers and ensure that a fair price is being paid to the suppliers. Several flaws associated with the current practice are identified and analyzed according to cost accounting theories.

Structural changes on the grocery market usually take place when the consumer is persuaded to take on the more labourintense parts of the distributionprocess. Internettrade changes this by causing competition between the unpaid work done by consumers and the labor performed by employees. In this master thesis grocery shopping on the internet is analyzed in a economic perspective with focus on distribution, changing marketstructures, driving forces and the future potential of internet as a saleschannel. The main conclusions are that consumerdemand and the belief in electronic commerceas a costreducing mechanism as well as a powerful new marketing tool were the driving forces behind the fast growth of grocery shopping on the internet. Electronic commerce introduces a new model of distribution with changing roles for consumers and grocerychains.

The Armed Forces is looking to improve control of where articles are and the monitoring of their condition within its clothing supply. That is why Försvarets Materielverk is working on a motion to tag the Armed Forces clothing with passive RFID-tags. A cost/benefit analysis has been made in this report in order to find out whether the investment is economical justifiable and what costs and benefits arose. The analysis tool that was used is based on the PENG-model. The analysis had three scenarios with the difference that each scenario included various amounts of clothing to tag.  There has also been made an analysis where only the benefits regarding decreasing amount of lost clothes and simplified inventory were included.The result of the first analysis was that none of the scenarios was profitable during the first year.

At a manufacturing company, due to the competition the price is reducedtowards the manufacturing cost. Therefore it is important to maintain control ofones costs and keep calculations up-to-date.This thesis deals with cost accounting at a aluminium-processing company. The report focuses on calculating machine cost per hour since the manufacturing costs are the major part of the total product cost.Managers on the company believe that the costs they use in calculations todayneither is up-to-date nor advantageous in a market aspect and due to that their calculations need to be revised. The machines cost per hour is a major part in the manufacturing calculation. The company wants to provide a competitive price that also covers their costs.