Forest biomass is becoming an increasingly important source of renewable energy, and thereby the demand is increasing. There is currently 213 000 km of forest roads in Sweden that could be suitable for biomass harvesting. Harvest of biomass along forest roads both provides biomass and maintains the quality of the roads. Currently, the volume of biomass along roads can only be assessed post harvest, chipping and industry deliverance. As the decision of whether or not to harvest should preferably be based on more than experience, the TJ-method has been proposed. The TJ-method is a subjective method to quickly determine the dry matter quantity with the assessment being conducted from the roadside.

There are several competing views on how to best utilize air power. Following his quantitative study of air power, Robert Pape developed a theory which focuses on undermining the target state's military strategy. According to Pape it is possible to explain the outcome as a result of military vulnerability. This essay seeks to determine if Pape's theory can predict the outcome of Operation Unified Protector. By using a mixed methods approach on four hypotheses, it will be determined if the operation was a successful case of coercion, if NATO acted according to Pape's model and whether this achieved the desired effects or not. The results reveal that the theory could not successfully predict the outcome of the conflict.

Superficial digital flexor tendon injuries are common causes of premature retirement or pre-longed convalescence periods for race horses. The curve gradient at Täby Galopp race track is very small and most races as well as high speed training are done on the left rein. It is believed that the horses left foreleg is under considerably more strain then the right foreleg when being ridden on the left rein during gallop at high speed. During gallop on the left rein the horse puts its entire weight on the left foreleg when regaining ground contact. The purpose of this study has been to find out, through analyzing the statistics concerning the horses that visited the ATG clinic at Täby during a period between January 2003 and September 2006, whether there is a higher frequency of superficial digital flexor tendon injuries on the left leg rather than the right and if so, can this support the theory that the design of the race track in combination with continuous left rein races can be a contributing cause of these injuries. The result of the study shows that 57% of the tendon injuries occurred on the left front leg and 38% on the right front leg. The difference is not large enough to support the above theory of the underlying cause of these injuries..

The rainforests of the world are important not only to the countries in which they grow but to the world as a whole. They influence oxygen and water circulation as well as carbon sequestration which in turn affect global radiation and global warming. The forest also have great value and in Malaysia as in many other tropical countries large volumes are harvested which leaves great areas of degraded forest with little growth and biological diversity. Due to their low financial value these forests are often transformed and used for other purposes than forestry such as oil palm plantations. The trees are often transported out of the forest using large bulldozers. They are heavy which causes compaction of the forest floor and during transport the top soil layers are moved to improve mobility.

Det finns olika strategier och många olika metoder inom strategierna för att tidsuppskatta ett IT-projekt. Dessa strategier och metoder skiljer sig mer eller mindre åt och många gånger har företag egna metoder för tidsuppskattning. Dessa strategier och metoder har samma syfte, vilket är att göra så noggranna tidsuppskattningar som möjligt för att undvika försenade projekt. Examensarbetets syfte är att visa på hur LexiConsult AB kan förbättra sina tidsuppskattningar av inkommande IT-projekt genom att följa studiens rekommendationer, vilket leder till bättre tidsuppskattningar och nöjdare kunder. Undersökningen har utförts genom en litteraturstudie, där genomgång av de olika delarna inom IT-projekt skett.

Roughly 130 000 dwellings have been officially registered since Norway as of summer 2009 passed their bill ?Energimerkeforskriften? on energy performance certificates in buildings. The main objective is to decrease the total amount of national energy consumption by producing a methodology of calculation of the integrated energy performance of buildings as well as proposing cost effective measures to lower each building?s energy consumption. As the measures should not contravene nor be incompatible with the intended quality and character of the building, the ?Energimerkeforskriften? exempts buildings that due to their historical and cultural values are protected cultural heritage legislation. The current system offers a couple of professional certification alternatives, but when two online semi-automatic methods developed specifically for non-professionals are by far the most used, and since the methods of calculation primarily have focused on modern building materials and construction, the rest of the historical building stock stands literally unprotected by incorrect performance certificates and high-risk energy efficient measures. The objective of this thesis is to identify if the current Norwegian energy certificate system poses a threat to older buildings.

AbstractThe aim of this qualitative study was to investigate how parents of children diagnosed with Autism, Aspergers Syndrome or ADHD/ADD describe their experience of the Swedish welfare support system in written biographies. To answer this question a study of five biographies written by parents with children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism and Asperger Syndrome where made. The conclusion was that the social network itself is of great importance to the parents. Families with single parents experienced a less positive experience of the Swedish welfare support system than parents with a spouse. The study also reveiled that families with a supporting social network and a solid financial ground in combination had the best experience of the Swedish social welfare support system.

This report aims to provide an insight into the particle physics of today, and into the research that goes on within the field. The focus is partly on the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, and partly on how software can be used to simulate processes in particle accelerators. Basic concepts of particle physics and the search for the Higgs boson are discussed, and experimental results, including those from the Large Hadron Collider, are compared with simulations made in MadGraph 5. Furthermore, simple new models of particle physics are created in FeynRules, in order to make simulations based on the models. To support the presentations of these aspects, some of the underlying theory is built from the ground up.

Organizational culture is subject of a great debate nowadays and there is especially three schools which affairs its nature of reality; modernism, symbolism and postmodernism. This thesis is built upon a case study about the organization Idé & KunskapsCentrum, which experience various cultural issues. Observations made during visits in the organization environment forms the ground on which discussions about different perspectives are made regarding organizational culture.The thesis describes and investigates the subject of organizational culture and its relationship to human behavior in organizations. Furthermore, I discuss and analyze organizational culture from the three different perspectives, in order to present a critical view on the subject for the reader.The thesis is based upon a case study about the organization Idé & KunskapsCentrum. A qualitative research method has been conducted with data collected especially from an ethnographic study, but also via semi-structured interviews.

The prevention of age discrimination in Sweden did not have any solvent grounds until directive 2000/78/EG was implemented into Swedish law. Today age discrimination has been banned for just over two years. This ground of discrimination has, compared to other existing grounds of discrimination in Swedish law, a lot more opportunities to make exceptions from. Given the fact that the exemption rules are vague, it is difficult to determine whether the protection against age discrimination is in fact a protection at all. The purpose of this essay is to describe what the law regarding age discrimination means.

In Sweden live badgers are used in tests in order to train and prepare earth dogs for hunting underneath ground. This has for several years causeddebate concerning the welfare of the badgers. It is questioned whether the purpose of the dog training, i.e. to reduce injuries in both dogs and prey, is worth the suffering that is reflected on the badgers. The aim of this investigation was to study 1) stress levels in badgers when used in earth dog training, 2) if the stress load differs when the badgers are exposed to dogs with varying aggression levels (low, moderate, high).

The moisture content in 10 deliveries of tree parts and 10 deliveries of wood residues were measured with different methods to analyze the quality of procedure used at Dåvamyran today. At the same time a survey was made on the measure procedures used at heating plants in Sweden The majority of the heating plants in Sweden use weight and moisture content as base for payment but at some plants only volume. The moisture content is usually estimated by drying wood chips in an oven but few plants a visual estimation is used. At few plants moisture content is estimated spectroscopicily. The techniques using near infra read light and other electromagnetic are still at a test stage. The methods of measurement used today are quit unreliable for the individual deliveries and there is a risk for systematic mistakes.

Atlas Copco Tools develops and manufactures handheld industrial tools. Heat and surface treatments are used to provide the tools with certain properties. There are no routines for the choice of treatment or for how to specify treatment on drawings. Production documents that are sent for production abroad may not be clear enough. Some treatments are known as trademarks and there are no instructions for how to specify these on drawings and in CAD-models.The purpose of this master thesis work is to create recommendations for the procedure of choosing heat and surface treatment.

Topping is a precommercial thinning (PCT) method where secondary stems are cut higher above the ground compared to conventional PCT. The secondary stems continue to live for a period and are supposed to compete with the main stems and promote their quality.The objective of the study was to compare the effect of PCT on height and diameter growth between topping and conventional PCT. The study also analysed the relationship between height and diameter growth and the number of stems after PCT.Nine topped stands and six conventional precommercially thinned stands were visited between February 28th and March 5. One sample plot per hectare was laid out in the investigated stands. In every sample plot the number of stems was counted and five main stems were measured for height, height growth since PCT, diameter and diameter growth since PCT.The results showed significantly higher effect on height growth after topping as compared to conventional PCT but no significant difference in the effect of diameter growth between topping and conventional PCT.

The purpose with this essay is to take part of the process when a family is placed on the family-institution, Trollbacken. We want to know what makes the social welfare secretaries place a family in institutional care. Has Trollbacken lived up to the social welfare secretary expectations and are the social welfare secretaries following Trollbackens recommendation regarding the follow up treatment. We also want to know to what value the social welfare secretary assigns Trollbackens investigation and are they able to see changes in the family due to the placing on Trollbacken. The method is qualitative and is based on interviews from six social welfare secretaries that work around and in West Sweden.