Abstract In order to make the modern agriculture less dependent on non-renewable external inputs, it has to rely more on ecosystem services. The agricultural system produce not only food, fiber and fuel, it also generates other ecosystem services such as e.g. photosynthesis, recycling of nutrients, influencing local microclimate, pollination, biological control and detoxification of noxious chemicals. This study is an attempt to get a better understanding about the interaction among different ecosystem services and different habitats capacity to generate them. An evaluation of eight different methods is done. The ecosystem services studied are the ability to absorb solar energy, biomass production, botanical diversity, decomposition and natural predation of aphids.

Central in this paper is Olof Johansson, Swedish minister for the environment, there the focus lye on his resignation from this duty which occurred in 1994. This essay is a case study there I?m trying to identify which ethical reasons which lye behind his resignation. The relationship between politics and ethics is an interesting aspect to investigate and my ambition with this paper is to analyze that relationship in this specific case.The analysis has its focus built on the occurrence of role conflicts and the making of ethical decisions. Aspects like personal ethics versus organisational ethics, objective responsibility versus subjective responsibility etc.

The aim of this study is to combine queer theories with quantitative methods. In social sciences, queer theories are being widely and increasingly used. Quantitative method is also widely used, and as a traditional method it can be regarded as a cornerstone in social sciences, sociology in particular. However, the two perspectives, queer theories and quantitative method, seem at a first glance to be very different in their understanding of social phenomena. Queer theories have, with some exceptions, mainly focused on qualitative research concerning such phenomena as sexuality, while the field of science is quite diverse.

The thesis aims to compare differentpiping materials in heating systems interms of cost as well as to illustratethe impact of energy characteristics ofdifferent materials over its servicelife. The methods used for costcalculations regarding piping are alsoto be examined to highlight thedifferences between template basedcalculations and more carefully executedones. The work is delimited to discusspipes of steel, copper, plastics andcomposites. The aim is that the resultcan be compiled to illustrate the prosand cons of various materials whenevaluating investments.The main object of the survey is part ofa heating system in the office-block KVSommaren located in southern Stockholm.The configured piping system is designedwith the mentioned piping materials andis used to make up the data for flow andcost calculations. The differentmaterials are calculated in both aconventional manner with a supplementarycost for additional fittings and with amore accurate quantification of thecomponents.

In East Africa live two species of Griffon Vultures; Rüppel?s Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) and African White-backed Griffon Vulture (G. africanus). One of the apparently most important factors limiting the population of these birds is food supply. Griffon vultures nest for eight months of the year, and are during this period geographically tied down to the nesting place.

After parturition the energy demand for milk production is greater then the energy provided from the diet. The cow mobilises therefore body tissues to compensate for the energy loss. Live weight and body condition scores decreases as a consequence of the mobilisation. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between body condition score, live weight and subcutaneous fat depth measured by ultrasound and the changes during the lactation. Possible differences between Swedish Holstein (SLB) and Swedish Red and White Cattle (SRB) were also investigated.

In the middle of Australia there is a city called Alice Springs. The city has one of the highest amounts of daily sunshine hours and sun irradiation in the world. The Australian Government runs a project called Solar Cities, and Alice Springs is one of the participators. The main part of the goal with the Solar Cities project is to increase the amount of electricity generated by solar power and by doing that lower the impact on the environment. This thesis examines the possibilities for construction of a large scale solar power plant in Alice Springs. This is done to determine the potential of creating a more sustainable energy system in the city.

When the costs for a company increase it is normal to look for alternatives to lower thesecosts. One of the expenditure that farmers have is energy costs. The price for the energy mayvary because of the free market. To look at the possibilities for a farmer to invest in sunpower, to make the company less sensitive for the changes on the electrical market, isinteresting. The biggest part of the electricity that is produced in Sweden comes from a fewcompanies on the market.

Interest in alternative energies is high in Sweden today, particularly in the agricultural sector. According to the Swedish lantbruksbarometern (2009), almost all respondents consider the use of some form of alternative energy from the farm. While interest in alternative energies is large, attention to the alternative energy straw has fallen and is almost nowhere mentioned in the literature today. Three years ago, in the Lantbruksbarometern nearly 44% of the farmers would be willing to invest in straw as heating system on the farm. How do the farmers decide to invest in alternative energies? With this information a problem is presented for this paper.

With background in the rapidly growing need to find solutions for sustainable energy production and the increasing interest for wind power, this report was written. With take-off point from the wind power plant Big Glenn, which has been built in the harbour of Gothenburg, a model of the adjacent power grid has been created in Simulink/SimPowerSystems. Parameters for the power grid and its components has been provided by Göteborg Energi Nät, that has also been the supplier of measurement data of produced power, the power need from loads in the vicinity, voltage levels, current values and also the variation of power factor at the wind power plant.The SimPowerSystems model has been used to perform simulations of power flow in the grid. These simulated values have then been compared to the measured values to verify the functionality of the model. Further, the model has been used to perform simulations of a grid fault, which causes a voltage drop.

At this point seamen have a lot of tasks of administrative character, beyond the traditional tasks aboard a ship. Due to the new conventions that are formed by IMO, more requirements are added which often lead to time consuming administrative tasks and documentation that should be spent on activities which are contributing to the ships safety. The issue has been observed by IMO that has through BIMCO done a study with the aim to identify and reduce administrative burdens at sea.The primary aim of this study is to find out if safety officers aboard Swedish ferries consider that SOLAS Chapter III, 8.3 och 19.5 regulations are administrative burdens, restricted to muster lists and documentation of training aboard the ship.The secondary questions to the study are if it is possible to remove, combine or change the documents and how much time can be saved by doing this. The question about timesaving could not be answered, because the values were scattered and could not be used for further investigation. The observed values were accumulated by a survey and the result indicated that safety officers did not experience the two regulations as administrative burdens.

During the years 1950-75 was the construction of building apartments in high speed. A rapidly growing reconstruction requirement is the consequence of the rapid construction speed in these years. The technical lifetime of the different parts of the buildings is about to end and the needs for reconstruction is huge. One of Sweden's national environmental objectives is to reduce the urge of energy in buildings. This calls for radical measures to implement energy efficiency of existing assistance particularly in the assistance that is now facing reconstruction.

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose and is used by the skeletal musculature as energy both for intense and endurance events. The glycogen content in the horse?s middle gluteal muscle is more than 600 mmol/kg dry weight, and almost 400 mmol/kg dry weight in the human?s Vastus lateralis. In some special occasions, for example in competitions with several moments on following days, there is a need of a fast muscle glycogen resynthesis. The feed intake is of importance for the velocity of the resynthesis.

The character of a pattern carries through to the context in which it is placed. Each pattern tells a story. By interpreting our surroundingenvironments we become inspired, and the patterns in turn can become part of our own narratives. This project was fuelled by my fascination and desire to explore patterns. My method of exploration was based on prior knowledge of patterns and interior design.The question became how can I apply my knowledge of interior design to pattern design and how could I best translate the brief intoa language of colour and shapes? The aim was to develop my knowledge of pattern design as well as to use this opportunity to combine my design methods with those of a professional designer.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the possible design of a horticultural therapy program in Swedish correctional treatment facilities. In the USA the use of horticultural therapy in offender rehabilitation is much more frequent compared with Sweden. The aim of these programs typically contains education for inmates. Research has been made indicating that these programs can have positive effects on psychosocial behavior and on vulnerability to substance abuse among incarcerated offenders. In this study the examples of these programs was categorized and analyzed from three perspectives; Vocational, social and therapeutic horticultural programs.