We are working on the development and design of an approach to agents that can reason, react to the environment and are able to update their own knowledge as a result of new incoming information. In the resulting framework, rational, reactive agents can dynamically change their own knowledge bases as well as their own goals. An agent can make observations, learn new facts and new rules from the environment, and then update its knowledge accordingly. The knowledge base of an agent and its updating Mechanism has been implemented in Logic Programming. The agent?s framework is implemented in Java.

Africa is one of the regions most affected by climate change. However its forests are important carbon sinks for the whole world, and if recognised as a global public good, could be conserved and contribute to green house gas emission reductions. A global Mechanism, Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation(REDD+) aims to help developing countries in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and enhancement of carbon stocks. REDD+ strategies may, however exclude local forest dependent communities from forests in order to conserve and maximise carbon stocks, thus having a severe impact on local livelihoods. Therefore, how local communities can participate and share benefits from REDD+ is a key concern.This study investigates how three forest dependent communities in the Nazinon forest, in Southwest Burkina Faso could financially benefit from a REDD+ project.

This thesis analyzes contemporary Swedish discourse on Russia, i.e. the ways Russia and Russians are perceived in Sweden today. After a summary of historical Western and Swedish perceptions of Russia, and a discussion about the treatment of these tensions within modern research, contemporary Swedish discourse is reconstructed based upon analytical articles in three major newspapers during the period 1992-2007. It is argued that the prevailing image of Russia contains the reproduction of old stereotypes and prejudices. The five major representations of Russia in contemporary Swedish discourse are: non-Western, unreliable, authoritarian, threatening and eternal, with the last one being a meta-representation functioning both as a representation of its own and a Mechanism for the reification of the others.

Research shows that non-european academics are discriminated in the labor market. The purpose of this study is to examine non- European academics narratives about their Job search process. By applying an intersectional approach, this study aims to demonstrate how the interplay of different aspects such as gender, class and etnicity shape the interviewees experience in swedish labour market. A postcolonial perspective is applied in order to contribute to deeper understanding of the discriminating structures that the interviewees deal with.The analysis shows that colonial conceptions are embedded in the validation system and institutions such as employment service. This Mechanism affects the interviewees negatively in their Job search process.

Thermal fatigue is a serious problem in todays power plants. A large amount of damages around the world circles around that subject. The damage can come from the Mechanism of two flows mixing with different temperatures in a T-junction. It is a fundamental prerequisite that these T-junctions are frequently tested for damages. An amount of criterias steers the rate of testings.

This study examined the psychological processes of autonomic arousal and distress, erroneous beliefs about sleep, worry about sleep, selective attention and monitoring and safety behaviours related to sleep, on the subject of daytime impairments associated with insomnia. The psychological processes were evaluated against as follows: sleep measures, anxiety, depression, medical disease and the use of medications. The measure daytime impairments complied with the established research diagnostic criteria. A correlation analysis indicated that psychological process, anxiety, depression and one of the sleep measures are associated with daytime impairments. The results of a multiple regression analysis proved that only erroneous beliefs about sleep, worry about sleep and safety behaviours related to sleep are linked to daytime impairments associated with insomnia.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka vardagsföreställningar 4-5-åringar har kring naturvetenskapliga fenomen, i detta fall regn och vattnets kretslopp. Detta undersöktes med hjälp av individuella kvalitativa intervjuer, vilka videofilmades och transkriberades. Ett kodningsschema grundat på tidigare studier användes vid dataanalysen. Resultatet visar bland annat att flertalet av barnen, fem av sju, har en initial förståelse av vattnets kretslopp då de ofullständigt förklarar begreppen avdunstning respektive avrinning, samt att regn kommer från moln. Barnen förklarar även att det regnar på grund av att moln krockar, det blåser alternativt att Gud eller solen släpper regnet.

In this paper the possibilities to replace metal with plastic in products for the building industry were looked into. The first part was a market examination where several suitable products were found. After evaluation the door latch for in-house doors was selected to be re-designed to better suit the properties of plastic.New types of Mechanisms were designed with different functions that use the benefits of plastic materials. Models of these Mechanisms were developed to evaluate their function. The components in the different Mechanisms were adapted for manufacturing with injection moulding.To confirm that the plastic material could handle the appearing stresses calculations on the most vulnerable parts were carried out.

With a background in the 17th century?s English political events, but also the ideological scene of that time, the purpose of this essay is to analyze two concepts, freedom and happiness, in Thomas Hobbes?s political writings. Hobbes is well known for his political works, mostly for Leviathan, where his thoughts about government and religion are exposed. But what does he say about freedom? And what about happiness? The study shows that Hobbes?s political thought is quite original from this aspect too.

With a background in the 17th century?s English political events, but also the ideological scene of that time, the purpose of this essay is to analyze two concepts, freedom and happiness, in Thomas Hobbes?s political writings. Hobbes is well known for his political works, mostly for Leviathan, where his thoughts about government and religion are exposed. But what does he say about freedom? And what about happiness? The study shows that Hobbes?s political thought is quite original from this aspect too.

I denna rapport redogör projektgruppen för resultatet i kursen examensarbete 15hp (C-nivå) utfört på maskiningenjörsprogrammet, inriktning produktutveckling och design, vid Jönköpings Tekniska Högskola.Examensarbetet har utförts i samarbete med Kongsberg Power Product Systems AB i Ljungsarp. Syftet var att utveckla en ny typ av övre teleskopfunktion till Kongsbergs modulsystem för ställbara rattstänger.Utgångspunkten i projektet var att skapa en mer ergonomisk förarmiljö, något som Kongsbergs kunder och marknaden för långsamtgående fordon allt mer efterfrågar. Kraven som ställts på projektet bestod i största del av axiella och radiella krafter som konstruktionen skulle klara av, samt den axiella förlängningen av rattstången.För att strukturera arbetet har en produktutvecklingsmetod från boken The Mechanical Design Process av David G. Ullman använts. Dessa metoder har använts i genomförandefasen för att leda fram till resultatet.Projektet har resulterat i ett koncept som löser Kongsbergs krav på förbättrad förarergonomi..

Standing outside the EU and the EES, Switzerland is a unique state characterized by federalism, direct democracy and neutrality. Though always focused on preserving these features and its sovereignty, Switzerland has managed to gain access to some sectors of the single market through bilateral agreements with the EU. The purpose of this thesis is to examine what level of integration Switzerland has reached in those bilaterally regulated sectors of the single market. As integration cannot easily be assessed, the extent of the Swiss adoption of the acquis is seen as an indicator of the level of integration and is thus examined. The conclusion is that Switzerland, mostly due to the economic interest of common rules, but partly due to pressure from the EU, almost completely adopts the acquis in the bilaterally regulated sectors, including the interpretation of the ECJ.

Apart from recognizing and neutralizing threats, antibodies also have the ability to regulate immune responses against their specific antigen. IgG administered together with erythrocytes is well known to induce >99% suppression. This has been used to prevent haemolytic disease in new-borns since the 1960's, but the Mechanism behind it is still not completely understood. The effect on the primary response is well established, but its influence on induction of immunological memory is still heavily debated. In this study adoptive cell transfer of splenocytes to irradiated mice was used to survey the effect IgG has on induction of immunological memory without disturbance from the primary IgG response.

In Rio De Janeiro, 1992, was the first document signed that meant a responsibility for industrial countries to decrease their emissions, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Thirteen years later was the first legal binding document signed, the Kyoto protocol, and for the first time industrial countries all over the world was bound to decrease their emissions on greenhouse gases. Within the framework of this commitment, three flexible Mechanisms (Clean Development Mechanism, Joint Implementation and Emission trading) were introduced with the function to reduce the economical costs of the commitment. The flexible Mechanisms Emission Trading (ET) is what this report is about.The report starts with a description of carbon dioxide and it?s effect on the environment, thereafter comes a background review of the national agreements who lies as a ground to the implementation of emission trading as a management control measure in Sweden and the rest of the world.Keywords: United Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto protocol, Flexible Mechanisms, Emission trading, carbon dioxide .

Financial exploitation of children worldwide is a global problem, causing consequences for both the national economy and labor market, as well as the working child who is deprived of its rights of education and normal development. Pakistan has several national laws in order to work against and to regulate the existence of child labour. Another important Mechanism to fight the financial exploitation of the children is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention was ratified by Pakistan in 1990. As a result, new national laws have been admitted, already existing laws have been amended, educational projects have been established and the common knowledge on the problems regarding the subject have attracted a lot of attention.