Unhealthiness is not just a damaged back or asbestos. The fact that mental ill-health seems to increase in our society is well known. Statistics from Arbetsmiljöverket proves a fourfold increase of work-related disorders since 1997. These are primarily caused by organizational and social factors, 60% are considered caused by stress and a heavy workload. Sick leave due work related fatigue and depressions are scarily common today.

It's an everyday experience shared by many that nature can be of help in relieving pain, reducing stress, support mental recovery etc. In the last three decades or so this experience has also found support in a large number of scientific investigations. Among other things the experience of nature has been shown to reduce stress and pain in patients and to boost concentration and reduce impulsive behavior in children. Most of this research however has mainly been concerned with the visual modality. In this thesis the aim has been to focus on the auditory modality in this context by trying to reveal some effects on people from the exposure of nature sounds played indoors in three different environments: a grammar school class room, a kindergarten play room and a post-surgery wake up room at an intensive care unit.

The door and its surrounding, is an important part of all buildings. It often amount to a significant part of buildings total costs. The more demands of functions the largerdoes the costs grow.The purpose of this report is to analyze those demands and how to fulfill them.Another purpose is to examine of which reasons the cost grow and how to avoid it inthe best possible way. The study will be performed in collaboration with Bjerking AB. To define the demands a literature study will also be performed.

SammanfattningSyftet med examensarbetet är att utveckla en ny algoritm för att bedöma förarens framförhållningsförmåga. I arbetet ingick att undersöka vilka produkter som finns på marknaden idag, hur en förare kan påverka bränsleförbrukningen samt vilka principerna för Heavy EcoDriving är och hur de kan användas i de IT-lösningar som examensarbetets uppdragsgivare Fleetech utvecklar och säljer.Av två möjliga inriktningar, backkörning och accelerations- och bromsanalys, valdes det senare för utveckling av algoritmen. Tre olika koncept togs därefter fram:? Koncept 1: Utrullningskvot Där tiden som föraren använder motorbromsen(utrullning) loggas och ställs i relation till den tid som bromsen används.? Koncept 2: Accelerations- och bromskvot Där den hastighet som bromsas bort ställs i relation till den hastighet som har accelererats upp för att ge ett mått på bortbromsad energi.? Koncept 3: Framförhållning Detta koncept är tredelat. Antalet korta stop, tiden mellan broms och nästa acceleration samt hur mycket utrullning en enskild inbromsning innehåller.Koncepten modellerades och simulerades varefter de omsattes till kod.

The purpose of this study is to examine which factors played an important role in the food price crisis of 2007-2008. Theories used are Microeconomic theory, explaining changes in supply and demand, and Macroeconomic theory, explaining the impact of changes in exchange rate on prices. A theory regarding speculation is also used to explain the impact of speculative activities effects on price. The method used is multiple regression analysis in order to determine the effects which ethanol production, oil price and dollar exchange rate had on the surge in the price of corn, rice and wheat.The data used is in monthly observations during the period 2005-2008. However, other factors are taken into consideration during the study, such as production quantity, stock size, economic growth, speculative activity and population growth.

The global climate-change means increasing mean-temperature and higher precipitation in Sweden, which leads to shorter periods of frozen ground in the forest. At the same time the harvesting machines are getting bigger and more powerful. The forest industry aim at an even wood flow, and the ground damage has to be as low as possible. The two biggest causes for ground-damage is the bearing capacity of the forest ground and the ground-pressure of the harvesting machines. The aim of this study was to find out some rules for the machine choice considering ground pressure, when harvesting on ground with low bearing capacity.A field study, using a Valmet 890.3 forwarder, was carried out where different ground pressures and their effect on the ground were tested on two different types of ground.Additionally, an inventory of damaged harvesting grounds was made.

Background: Previous research demonstrates that negative stress in the current situation is common among nurses working in emergency care. The stress is demonstrated to be associated with poorer provided care for patients and impaired health of nurses. Aim: The purpose of the study was to highlight nurses' perception of stress and their work for a good nursing care on an emergency care department. Method: An empirical design with qualitative approach has been used. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses and forms the basis of the results of the study.

Purpose: We will understand and explain Dell?s value gap through an extended intellectual capital theory. This will be done by deriving the value to the different parts of the intellectual capital value scheme. We will also use value scheme to describe the ongoing strategy shift. Methodology: The qualitative method and an abductive reasoning have been employed during the progress.

Due to stress, the workplace is a setting where actions of health promotion are of great importance in the perspective of public health. Stress is caused by heavy workload, low control of organizing their tasks and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors. This can lead to cardiovascular disease, depression and insomnia. Due to the health problems that this causes, it is important to examine how senior immigration offices perceive their psychosocial work environment.The aim of this thesis is to examine how the senior immigration offices at the Migration Board perceive their psychosocial work environment. The study is based on a qualitative approach with deductive content analysis and the data has therefore been collected through interviewing six people based on a semi-structured interview guide.The result has shown that the senior immigration offices are pleased with their work environment and that their workload is constantly changing.

Biogas is a renewable fuel that can be extracted from anaerobic digestion of many differentsubstrates, for example biological household waste. An alternative handling of the waste is tomix it with other wastes and incinerate it in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Thisstudy uses life cycle assessment to investigate which type of waste handling that is betterfrom an environmental point of view, anaerobic digestion with biogas production orincineration. The results are based on a case study of a biogas production plant owned by thecompany Ragn-Sells in Vänersborg. The alternative is incineration at a CHP plant inGothenburg.

This thesis work is the last part of the Master of Science education inmechanical engineering at KTH, Stockholm.The aim of this project was the development of a Multi-zone modelfor NOxformation in Diesel engines. Because of the stringent emissionlegislations, great effort is made to decrease the fuel consumption and theharmful emissions of internal combustion engines. Computer simulationsplay a decisive role in this context because they substitute the expensiveand time-consuming laboratory tests.The model is based on a multi-zone approach and uses the wellknownExtended Zeldovich Mechanism which gives a relation to calculatethe NO formation rate using the concentration of different gas speciesinvolved in the process.All the most important phenomena involved in the Diesel combustionhave been modelled. A special attention is then paid to the equilibriumconcentration calculation; this is a significant part of the model whichstrongly influences the following steps.A Simulink model has also been developed. This second version isbased on the previous model and it is made especially to allow theconnection with other external softwares, GT-power in this case.

Abstract The subject of this thesis is the priority rules that apply in connection with mining activity. Already back in the 1800s, there were rules in the so-called Lego Charter concerning protection of workers, mainly servants. When the first modern trade union was founded in the 1870s, also developed a collective agreement. These agreements were the order of priority clauses had to intend to ensure employees' working lives. Exceptions had to be done by ensuring that individual employees' dependents. In 1974 the Act on employment entry and had intended to protect older workers.

By doing this thesis I want to open up farmers and tractor drivers mind to see that there is several risks with their work. There is a number of risks that everybody probably already know about, and hopefully I will, with this work, help them to see a lot more risks, to make them be more careful in the future. I?ve interviewed seventeen farmers in middle and south of Sweden. I?ve also asked them for their opinion and what kind of changes they looking forward to.

Background: Nosocomial infections pose a big threat to patient safety and increased costs for society. An effective way of preventing cross-infections is to apply hygiene routines. Studies show that compliance to hygiene routines is low while there's a lack of knowledge about the best way of improving it. Aim: To investigate whether a conversation based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) could influence a nurse's compliance to hygiene routines and whether it could benefit the understanding of a nurse's compliance. Method: A quantitative and qualitative method was used in the study and included one nurse.

Many pedigree dogs are suffering from inherited diseases or personality disorders caused by selective breeding. The Swedish lapphund is a breed that has been suffering from some loss of genetic variation due to the heavy use of only a few males. Concerns have arisen and crossbreeding has been discussed as a way to manage gene loss. Four breeds has been taken into consideration for this purpose; schipperke, finish lapphund, Norwegian buhund and Norwegian elkhound, black. These breeds has been tested theoretical by a comparison of mentality and health.